Big Mac's Vacation: Canterlot.

by MoltenXKid

Rating: everyone
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Big Macintosh, Adventure
Length: 26497

Twists and turns, secrets and hushed whispers are way out of the comfort zone of this poor stallion, but he'll have to suck it up and deal with it, for he may be the only pony able to stop the corruptness from entering the captial of Equestria.

After his accident, Applejack and her friends save up enough bits to send Big Mac to Canterlot. It may not be to the place of his liking, but a vacation is a vacation. He just wanted rest and relax, but instead, he got was a vacation he'll never forget.

Published 2013-08-23 15:10:02 UTC
Last updated 2015-12-22 01:00:28 UTC

The Start

Finally, the end was near. It was day when apple bucking season was over. Only one tree stood between relaxation and a red stallion. Unfortunately for him, the weather team decided to plan a storm for this exact day. Determined as he was, the stallion decided to brave the weather and headed towards the tree.

As he approached the tree, the weather grew fiercer. It was raining so hard that the poor stallion could not see his own hoof in front of his face. Each mud puddle trapped his legs. Thunder shook the ground and made him unsteady. The wind caused the trees to shake violently. All that mattered none. The weather couldn’t stop him.

“Big Macintosh! You get yourself back in the house this instant!” screamed an orange mare, “You could get hurt in weather like this.”

“Eenope.” Big Mac said. He pointed in the direction of the tree.

“We can get that one tomorrow! Rainbow Dash said this storm was gonna be a doozy, so come in now!”

“Eenope.” With his final words,Big Mac trudged on.

Within a few moments, he reached the tree. There was nothing particularly special about it except that it was the last one to buck. By now, the weather had really begun to worry him. He needed to get this over with and head home. Fortunately for him, the catching baskets were already strategically placed for maximum apple harvesting. He only needed to account for the wind and slide them over accordingly.

Big Mac walked up to the tree, and then tapped it. He was feeling for the perfect spot to kick. It took him a while, but he finally found it. A smile appeared on his freckled face. Soon rest and relaxation would be his. He planted his front hooves firmly into the soil around the tree and nonchalantly kicked. As luck would have it, his front hooves slipped causing him to fall flat onto his stomach.

“…” Big Mac said visibly agitated. He fell directly into a mud puddle. After consoling himself, the stallion rose up. He wiped the mud out his eyes, looked towards the tree, and nodded. Once again he planted his hooves, in a different spot, and bucked. This time he carefully aimed where his strike would hit. He took a deep breath, brought his legs in, and bucked.

This attempted ended up being a success. All the apples fell into a basket; all except one. This wasn’t a problem. He just lightly tapped the tree which caused the apple to fall directly into his hoof. He wiped it on his red fur, and took a bite.

“Eeyup.” He grinned. These apples were at their peak. Alas, his bliss was interrupted when he heard a cracking noise. When the stallion located the source terrible sound, he was shocked. The combination of the weather and his bucking had cause the tree to crack and tilt in his direction.

“Eenope…nope…NOPEE!!” He yelled. His voice filled with fear as he ran for his life. As he ran, the flashes of lighting would show the tree’s shadow hastily overtaking him. He broke into a full gallop, but it was no use. The tree collided with the ground stopping the red stallion in his tracks. When it had settled, an apple with one bite missing fell out of the leaves.
<><><><><><><><><>

Big Mac woke up only to see blurred colors. On his left, Orange merged white. In the middle, Pink, Blue, and yellow were hovering. One his right was something lavender. He squinted, so he could try to focus his eyesight. He only managed to see three smaller colors of white, orange, and yellow bring in a big black tower. Unable to see, he took a deep breath and smelled something burnt and charred.

“What is that, girls?” To Big Mac it sounded like his sister’s friend, Twilight.

“Well, we decided to bake Big Mac a cake!” He heard his youngest sister, AppleBloom, say.

“And try to earn our cutie marks!” The two other colors chimed in.

Big Mac took another sniff. By the smell of the cake, it wasn’t going to be an enjoyable one. He decided to give his eyesight another try. When he opened his eyes, he saw that he was in his bedroom surrounded by both his sisters’ friends. The main one he noticed was the Pink one who was hovering thanks to balloons tied around her torso. He sighed. He really needed to get some guy friends, but he concluded that it wasn’t bad to be surrounded by mares.

“Everypony calm down! I think he’s waking up to!” said the Pink one. He remembered her name was Pinkie Pie.

Applejack ran over and hugged her brother tightly. “How ya feeling?!”

“Eeyup.”

“I was worried sick when ya didn’t come home during the storm. Then I saw the tree had fallen. I told ya not go!” bellowed Applejack. Tears began to run out her eyes. “I’m just glad your back.”

The rest of her friends went in for a group hug. Surrounded by mares, a slight blush appeared on Big Mac’s face. Of course, no pony could see it. He secretly thanked Celestia for his red fur. When the hug ended, his younger sister sat a piece of cake on his lap.

“Try a piece!” she said, “Tell us how you like it!”

He grabbed a fork, wondered how he grabbed the fork with nothing to actually hold it, and then cut himself a piece. Hesitantly, he lifted it up to his mouth. Anxiety began to course through his veins as he placed the cake onto his tongue. He chewed once; he chewed twice, and smiled.

“Eeyup. ” He smiled. The three small fillies started cheering. While they were distracted, he quickly grabbed a napkin, spit the cake into it, and threw it out the window.

“Well Big Mac. In honor of your waking up and all, we all scrambled up some extra bits and got you a two week, all expense paid vacation to Canterlot!” Applejack said as she handed Big Mac a pamphlet about Canterlot, “It has everything a stallion like you could want: Games, sports, and...mares.”

When the red stallion looked around, he saw each one of the other mares rolled their eyes at the last thing Applejack listed. He reached his hoof under his pillow and brought out a pamphlet about Las Pegasus.

“Eeyup.”

“We already saw that, but Twilight, here, reminded us about your gambling problem. Remember when you lost your yoke to Pinkie in that cupcake eating match. “Applejack scolded.

“And it’s still hanging on my wall of victory!” Pinkie added.

“So we all decided on a nice, safe, relaxing place.” Applejack concluded.

Big Mac was about to give up that easily. He lifted up the Las Pegasus pamphlet and tapped it with his hoof. He noticed that he was getting nowhere, so he decided on his best puppy dog eyes to help him.

“Eeyup?”

“Look here, mister. It’s Canterlot and that is final. We all know you need a break from work and this is the best location. Now get up. Your train leaves in an hour!”

With those final words, Big Mac knew he was defeated. He rolled out of bed and began to pack. It was beginning to become awkward as he packed his items in front of mares, but he just ignored the feeling. Within minutes of packing, he started to cringe from a sudden pain that washed over him.

“Sorry. I forgot to tell ya that the doctor said to take these pills once a day.” Applejack said.

“Eeyup.”
<><><><><><><><><>

“Bye Big Mac! Have fun on your trip!” All the mares yelled in unison.

Big Mac waved back and sat in his sit as the train pulled off. He opened the Canterlot pamphlet and read. He actually thought he could be able to fun. That is, if the high class ponies didn’t bother him. He sighed and went back to reading, but was interrupting by another stallion.

“You must be the luckiest stallion in Equestria to have six mares and three foals wave goodbye to you.” The stallion nudged. He took a sit next to Big Mac.

“Ee-“ Big Mac stop his sentence short. He had just realized that he left his most valuable possession at home. Then, lavender smoke from a magic spell startled him. When the smoke cleared, it revealed Smarty Pants with a note tied to the doll’s leg.

You wouldn’t want to leave this behind

-TS

P.s I won’t tell anypony.

P.P.S Just in case you do get the urge to gamble, here’s a little something.

Another cloud of smoke appeared and Big Mac saw a pouch of bits on his lap. With a sigh of relief, Big Mac fell asleep with Smarty Pants in his arms. The other stallion politely left. Not wanting to see anymore of the awkward situation.

<><><><><><><><><>

“Next stop: Canterlot Railway!”

Big Mac woke up from one of the worst naps he had every taken. The constant shaking of the train plus the lumpy seats equaled a bad nap. In his mind,he told his sister to do that fancy math. After a quick laugh, he unloaded his luggage and got off the train.

Upon his exit, he looked up to see magnificent buildings, great architecture, and snobby high class ponies. He looked down at a slip of paper with the address of his home for the next two weeks. When he found it, he couldn’t believe his eyes. He was staying at the Royal castle.

The guards, who already knew of his visit, opened the gate and escorted him to the front entrance. The shock fully transfixed the stallion. He had never been in the Royal castle and began to feel that this was going to be a good trip. Before he could completely get in the courtyard, a blue colt ran up and pulled his tail.

“Mister, Mister! I need your help.”

“...”

“I really need you to help me!!”

“…”

“You just gotta! My mom is stuck inside a burning building! Will you help?”

“…Eeyup.”

Big Mac dropped his luggage and carefully set down Smarty Pants.He looked towards the sky and noticed wisps of black smoke. Quickly, he grabbed the colt and put him on his back. The colt, after he settled, pointed north. Without hesitation, Big Mac galloped in the direction of smoke.

“Your bags shall be waiting in your room upon your return.” A guard, without any emotional change stated.

“Eeyup.”

Author's Note

Hmm...Seems as if Big Mac is in for an adventure. Will he be able to last or will he be engulfed by the flames of his own heroics? Tune in next time to find out.

Fire is Hot...Eeyup

“Don’t you see me walking here?!”

“Slow down!”

“This stallion is on a rampage!”

Big Mac ran through the crowded streets of Canterlot. Nopony wanted to move out his way because they were too “pristine”. No problem for a stallion such as Big Mac. He’d simply keep running and plow through them, or they would move out the way. Either way, it didn’t matter. He had a mare to save.

“If you cut through this alley way, you’ll get there a lot faster.” Stated a colt on the red stallion’s back.

Through the alley he went. It was somewhat snug, but it left enough room for breathing. He looked around and noticed he was closer to the burning building. The only obstacle in his way was a tin trashcan at the end of the alley. A simple jump would suffice, yet he saw a puddle of water a few meters after the trashcan. He couldn’t resist. The stallion started galloping faster. At the perfect time, he jumped over trashcan and successfully landed in the puddle of water. Not only did he make a big splash, he also succeeded in ruining two mares’ manes.

“UGH!! You do not know how long it took us to style this!!”

“We’ll find you…you ruffian!!! Justice will be served!”

The stallion smirked. It had been awhile since he had that type of fun. Usually, his fun included farm chores or getting his sisters out of their trouble. Again, he thought about gaining some guys friends. He shook the water from his fur, resumed running, and then remembered he still had a colt of his back. He turned his head back and saw the kid was laughing.

“That was a lot of fun mister!”

“Eeyup.”

Within a few moments, they arrived at the destination. The three story building was completely covered in flames. The fire ponies desperately tried to put out the fire, but to no avail. Big Mac’s ears picked up a sound. He looked in the direction of the noise. A mare was screaming from a top window.

“That’s my mom!” The colt said hysterically, “Please save her.”

The stallion picked up the colt, and sat him down on the sidewalk. When no one was looking, he slowly, snuck into the closed off area. All he had to do was get close to the building and he could run in. He was making good progress until a fire pony noticed him.

“Hey! This is a restricted area! You have to leave!”

“Eenope,” stated Big Mac. He pointed his hoof up to the mare in the window. The fire pony looked up and noticed the hysterical mare. He immediately ran to tell his superior. Taking his only chance, Big Mac ran in the burning building.

With a swift buck, the entrance to the building flew open. Big Mac rushed in. Instantly, he had to cover his eyes from the brightness of the flames. From what he could tell, the building seemed to be used for residential use. Luckily, no-pony else was in there. The fire was forcefully destroying the building. If he didn’t act quickly, he and the mare wouldn’t make it.

Big Mac galloped up the stairs. It wasn’t particularly hard for him; it was just that he had to dodge falling debris or jump over small flames. He had a good pace going, but a creak caused his ear to jerk towards the noise. Before he could react, the stairs began to shift and crack. He galloped as fast as his hoofs could. Unfortunately, the structure couldn’t hold. All at once, the stairs collapse from beneath him.

Dust filled the air, visibility was low, and a stallion hung for his life. At the last possible second, Big Macintosh vaulted, and luckily grabbed a ledge. He breathed a sigh of relief then pulled himself up. He turned around and looked over the edge. In his mind, the stallion was glad he lived on a farm. Without the strength, gained from years of work, he would have fallen to his death.

“Whew...” The stallion blew out another sigh.

He didn’t notice it at first, but he was already at the top floor. Wearily, he walked down a corridor. The fire must have started at the bottom since there were barely any flames at the top. It actually seemed to be a path leading from the stairwell to an unsuspecting door. He really had no other choice but to examine the door. All the others were completely engulfed in flames. He went up to it and pushed it open.

“It’s about time you got here!” barked a mare’s voice, “I thought the fire I started was going to actually going to burn me.”

“Excuse me?” questioned the now confused stallion. He wanted to see the mare, but the smoke of the fire made it impossible to see.

In his mind, he began to wonder. Did this mare just say that she started to the fire? And…she decided to stay at the top of the burning building? He thought that she must have been one of those special type of ponies. It didn’t matter. She needed to be saved. Trying to friendly, he began walking forward.

“Whoa! Stay where you are!” The mare put her hoof up, “What’s your name?”

“Big Macintosh,” He rushed saying his name. The flames were quickly reaching the top. They needed to get out.

“Big…Mac…?” The mare ran towards Mac. In one swift motion she punched the poor stallion in the snout. He stumbled a little, but regained his composure. It hurt, but he felt worse. Rubbing his snout, he looked the mare. No horn. No wings. She was an Earth Pony with a nice full suit on. That explained why she could punch so hard.

“Now what was that for?” He asked. Smoke now filled the room and he began to cough.

“Sorry. I just had to make sure of something,” She took out a handkerchief, and then threw it to the stallion, “That kid must grabbed the wrong pony. Nice waste of a hundred bits. Anyway, you must be a Good Samaritan. I have an important job for you.”

She ran back to the area she came from and brought back a satchel. It was black and had weird symbol on its side: The royal sisters on both sides of the Equestria flag surrounded by scratched off words Big Mac couldn’t make out. The mare put the satchel in Mac’s back.

“Take this to the Royal Castle. NO questions asked.” She said.

“Eenope.”

“Look here! You interrupted a very special rendezvous. Because of you, my contact won’t come. I don’t care if you brought here because of some kid’s stupidity, but this needs to be delivered to the princesses.”

Big Mac was really unsure whether or not to take this task. All he wanted to do was save a mare; now, he was being forced to deliver a satchel of who knows what to the castle. He scrunched his face. He was pretty sure something was wrong with this mare, but he needed to do something to get them both out.

“Eeyup. I’ll do it,” He tightened the satchel on his back. “On one condition. You have to immediately leave this building.”

“Good to your heart, I see.” A small smile appeared on the mare’s face even though the fire threatened to burn them both to a crisp. She went over to a window and opened it, “I’m one step ahead of you.”

“Oh…”

“Now run along...uhh…Huge Mac. This fire is getting hot.”

Big Mac was going to correct her, but decided not to.His main objective was finding a way to exit this building. The stairs were not an option. He wasn’t going to risk taking the elevator. If he needed to, he might just jump out a window and hope for the best. He hopped from hoof to hoof unsure of the correct decision.

“Take the emergency stairwell. You have plenty of time to get out if you use them. Just leave the room and take a left. You can’t miss it.” He heard the mare yell before she jumped out the window.

He nodded, turned around, and exited from the room. He looked to his left. Just like the crazy pony said, the emergency stairs were to his left. Barely any flames reached this location yet. The red stallion sighed. At least the experience was almost over.

“AAH BUCK!”

Hearing the yell, he ran back to the room. In it, he saw the mare trapped under debris.

“Don’t just stand there like an idiot! Help me!”

A part of the stallion told him to just leave the mare where she was. The other told him to help her. Then a small part told him to laugh. After an internal debate, he guessed he should help. The stallion, with one hoof, lifted up the debris and with the other hoof freed the trapped mare.

“Can you walk?” he asked

“No. My hind leg is sprained.”

“Okay,” He put the mare one his back and began to run,“ Why did you come back in?”

“That’s none of your business! Just run!”

Taking her advice, Big Mac began to run. The fire had reached the top of the building and greedily ate away at the structure. He reached the emergency exit. He went to turn the knob, but the door was locked. He looked towards the mare with a “really” expression on his face.

“I may have forgotten to unlock it,” She face-hoofed, “And I may have forgotten the keys too.”

Big Mac didn’t have time for this. He needed to leave before the fire reached them. And, if his memory was right, fire and ponies did not mix. He didn’t want to test out that theory, so he turned around and bucked the door. It immediately shot open.

“Looks like we have ourselves a strong stallion”

“Eeyup.”

The rest of the trip was smooth sailing. All the stallion had to do was jump over some small flames. He reached the bottom of the stairwell, opened the door, and ran out towards the hospital. The mare on his back saw the kid who made the mistake and asked Big Mac to rescue her.She awkwardly started to curse at him.

“You little stupid kid!” She shook her hoof at him, “Yo! Big Red! Go after that brat!”

“Eenope. You need a hospital.”

“That’s a big no ,Red! Just let me off right here and we can forget about everything”

“Eenope”

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Big Mac walked into the hospital with a struggling mare on his back. She kept trying to jump off and run away. Once, she tried to bite him and succeeded in drawing some blood. The nurses arrived and subdued the mare, tied her to a bed, and carried her off. Big Mac explained the situation, but made sure to leave out the satchel part. He signed some papers, and then made his way home.

He decided to walk past the burning building from earlier. The fire was put out, but the building had completely collapsed. It was nothing more than burned wood and melted metal. Some families were crying outside their charred home. "How crazy was that mare? Whatever was in that satchel must have been very important." he thought.Until now, he hadn’t noticed, but the satchel was petty heavy. He’d take a look inside when he got to the castle.

“Hay mister!” The stallions thoughts were interrupted by the colt, “I’m sorry for tricking you earlier.”

“Eeyup.”

“No. It’s not that simple,” The colt pull out a bag, “Here’s the bits that lady gave me. Could you give them back to her?”

“Eeyup” With those final words, Big Mac took the bag and went to the castle.

Once he entered the castle, he lazily gave the satchel to a guard and told him it needed to go to Celestia. The guard, seemingly knowing more about the satchel, ran off without even a word. Not a problem for the red stallion. He needed a rest anyway. Onward, to his room.

He collapsed on the bed, letting sleep was overtake him. It had been an hour, but Big Mac couldn't sleep. Something, he didn't know what was bothering him. A knock on the door stopped his thoughts.. He sighed and went to open the door. Behind the it, was the same guard from earlier. He had a spear in one hand and the satchel in the other.

“Are you Big Macintosh?” the guard asked.

“Eeyup.”

"This satchel and its contents are now yours.” He handed the satchel to Big Mac, then left.

The confused stallion closed the door. He brought the bag over to his bed. He didn’t know why they gave it back to him. It was suppose to brought to the princesses. Cautiously, he opened the bag and was nearly blinded. When he regained his sight, he looked into the bag and smiled. The satchel was filled to the rim with bits inside money rolls. On the top was a letter.

Dear Big Red,

I suppose I should thank you for everything you’ve done today despite my attitude. So here are some bits. Don’t spend them all in one place. When ever you have time, come visit me in the hospital tomorrow. I might have some jobs for a guy like you. By the way, my name is…just call me Hush-Hush for now. See you around.

Signed

Hush-Hush

“Eeyup…tomorrow.” whispered the stallion as he curled into his covers and slept.

Author's Note

CHAPTER 2! Nice. I took the advice of one of the readers and gave Mac more dialogue. Maybe too much dialogue. We will see. I feel as if maybe the ending is rushed...ehhh. I don't know. As usual, please leave some comments, tips, opinions, food, etc. Also, if you have any name suggestions for the mysterious mare, I'd like to know.

Mo bits; Mo problems.

Mo bits; Mo problems.

The alarm clock rang. Six a.m. Its constant ringing caused Big Macintosh to become annoyed. He had already been awake for an hour before the contraption had even gone off. Even though it was a vacation, the stallion was still on farm time. He combed his hair (first time for everything), tightened the straps on his new satchel, and went to leave the castle.

Big Mac had a busy schedule today. He had a very special person to visit in the hospital. Who knew what she had planned for him. Recalling the letter, Mac sighed. It was only the second day of his vacation and already he was drained. ‘Oh well’ he thought. He needed to see how she was faring anyway. But, before that he needed to deposit these bits he “acquired”. No uses in letting them sit around. They could be used around the farm. With that, he head towards the Bank of Equestria.

“Mr. Mac?” asked a young mare. Her cutie mark was a tea tray, so he guessed she worked around the castle.

“Hmmm?”

“The Princesses would like to give you thanks for bringing the satchel to them.”

“No problem.” He lied. It was actually a really big problem.

“They would like you to attend dinner with them.” She put on her best smile, “Completely optional, of course.”

“I’ll be there.” Replied Mac. In his mind, “Completely optional” meant “be there or else".

The mare turned around without saying anything and trotted away. Shrugging,Big Mac did the same. He pulled out a map and located the nearest bank. If he galloped, he could be there within minutes. Hopefully, he would beat the rush.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

“Next!!” yelled a pompous unicorn stallion. He had a pencil mustache with a fancy accent. His conceitedness was overflowing. Big Mac wanted to punch the guy, yet he knew he had to deposit his money. Plus, a glass window was blocking the way.

“Eeyup.” Stated Mac. Now that Mac was closer, he could see the fancy stallions name tag- Monsieur Monnaie

“What is the account name?”

“Sweet Apple Acres.”

“Oh! You work on a farm! HA! A peasant in Canterlot! ” The stallion used his magic to sort through sheets of paper until he reached a specific one, “Ah, here we go. Sweet Apple Acres… Withdrawal or deposit?”

“Deposit.” Mac said simply. He took the satchel off his back and tossed it onto the counter. Bits flowed from the bag like a waterfall. Monnaie was shocked and couldn’t speak. Big Mac let out a satisfied smirk. That should show this fancy pony whose boss.

Big Mac started to put the bits back in the bag, so there wouldn’t be a huge mess, but the bank doors flew open. In came three masked ruffians. There was one unicorn, one griffon, and one Pegasus. They weren’t very big except the griffon, but there was element of fear around them.

“Everypony get on the ground. This is a stick-up! Anypony who tries to stop us will be blasted,” the unicorn explained. A bank guard came running. Unfortunately, the unicorn noticed and lit his horn. A surge of magical energy exploded out, sending the guard flying. He hit a wall and fell unconscious. “Like that.”

Being smart, Big Mac hit his bag of bits behind the counter. He may have put to much force behind it since the bag hit Monnaie directly in the chest causing him to fall backwards, or Mac may have done it on purpose.Either way, the money was safe. The three masked robbers walked through the bank collecting the jewelry and money of the unlucky high class ponies. One mare didn’t want to give up her pearl necklace, so the masked griffon simply snatched it from her neck. A few pearls went rolling, but the majority stayed on the chain.

“This is how things will play out,” spoke the pegusus as he flew above the scared ponies. His tone was calm and smooth, “You ponies give use your valuables plus some cash ,and we’ll be on our way.”

The unicorn and griffon reached the counter while the pegusus continued flying around collecting valuables. The unicorn simply levitated a bag onto the counter. Without being told, the pony teller began filling the bags with bits. Finally, the pegusus reached Big Mac , and demanded his valuables. The red stallion shrugged.He never carried anything vaulible on him except for today. He hoped the pegusus wouldn’t discover his bag of bits.

“Wait on second…” The criminal rubbed his chin. “You seems familiar…do I know you?”

“Eenope.”

“So how do I know...” The ruffian’s eyes widen with realization, “Your sister is the Element of Honesty!”

“Eeyup… ” What would a criminal know about honesty thought Big Mac. In his thoughts, Mac noticed the pegusus let out a perverted smile.

“Ahh…what I wouldn’t give to ride that country tail all night?” The pegusus’s wings grew slightly stiffer. “Know what I mean.”

The farm pony couldn’t believe what this stallion just said…about his sister…in his presence. Anger with slight annoyance began to rise in the farmer. The muscles in his right fore-hoof were starting to tense. No one talked about his sister that way.

“Take that back.” Mac said. His words came out like acid.

“What do you mean?”

“Take it back…Now.”

“Buck… you.”

Right away did the pegusus regret his words. Big Mac put the hoof square in the jaw the criminal. The ruffian fell without resistance. Mac, being smarter than the average pony, caught the pegusus and laid him down silently. He wouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon. The farmer sighed. He couldn’t leave the job unfinished, so he sneakily walked towards the other two criminals.

“This is not all the bits you have!” yelled the unicorn.

“The rest are in the vault…” The bank teller started to shake.

“Well…a smart pony would open the vault before she got blasted into…Little…Pieces…” He put emphasis on the last to words. The bank tellers opened her eyes wide. Quick as lighting, she opened the vault.

“Awhh, Looks like you are a smart pony.” The unicorn let out a knock out spell. He smiled and turned to the griffon. “Grawl, go take a look around. I can’t hear ponies shaking in terror.”

“Yes, boss” replied Grawl.

Mac pressed himself against the opening to the bank teller’s section. Lazily, Grawl walked by. Each step he took caused the ground to shake. The security guard started to awake. He seemed determined to get revenge. Mac made eye contact with the guard and shook his head. Instead, he told the guard to go get help. The guard nodded then left through an emergency exit.

“Sticky Fingers…where are you?” yelled the griffon. So that was the pegusus's name Mac thought.

Big Mac took a deep breath. He only had shot at this. He absorbed as much courage as he could, and then ran straight toward the criminal. He tackled the griffon in the side, but didn’t go anywhere. Slowly, Mac looked in the eyes to the beast. It mouthed the words “My turn”, and then punched Mac in the snout. The stallion went flying into a desk. His head swayed back and forth. For a split second, he saw two griffons instead of one running full speed at him. Realization hit him first and he rolled out the way. A fist of claws came crashing into the desk.

“Calm down Grawl! You don’t have to kill the ponies…just scare them!”

Grawl nodded. He tried to free his fist from the broken wood, yet it was stuck. Big Mac wasn’t a dirty fighter, but he took an opening when he saw one. He rose to his feet then charged. He turned around and used the force of his running to add to his kick. Hooves connected with flesh. A cracking sound could be heard between the two combatants. Once again, Mac looked into the face of the griffon. It strained with pain, and then let out a rage filled screech.

It rang through out the bank. All the ponies in the bank, including Mac covered their ears. The glass separating the bank tellers from the regular ponies began to shatter. Mac uncovered his ears and jumped onto the back of the griffon. He wrapped his hooves tightly around the neck of the bird-lion hybrid. Glawl struggled. One arm wouldn’t come free and the other was supporting his weight. He was trapped. Within seconds, he stopped fighting and went limp. Mac didn’t suffocate the bird to death. He merely put him in a sleeper hold. It was something he learned from wrestling pigs on the farm.

“Finally…” Mac said while wiping the blood from his snout. His ears picked up the sound of freshly crushed glass. He turned around to see the unicorn standing and smiling. Buck! Mac had completely forgotten about him.

“Well done.” The unicorn lit his horn. Two giant magical hooves appeared and started to clap. “You succeed in taking out my two best men. Now I must take you out.”

The two hooves turned toward the farmer pony and flew. Mac easily dodged both of them, but when the hooves hit the ground they exploded. The force sent Mac soaring. Luckily, he landed on his hooves. He located a corner then hid. He needed to catch breath and think. Mac’s first thought was how he always never liked unicorns. All these fancy tricks they could do. It just seemed unnatural.

“This can only end one way.” The unicorn shot a magic blast in Mac’s direction. The explosion sent debris everywhere. “With you dead and me rich!”

The farmer pony kept quiet. Once he got his rest, he could take on this unicorn.

“Aren’t you a quiet one? Usually a pony would say something before a powerful unicorn, like myself, ended their life.”

“How ‘bout you just close yer mouth?” That was the one of the few things that pissed Mac off. When a pony’s vanity took control of them. He had to shut this guy up before more self praise came out. Big Mac saw his chance, picked up a fallen coffee mug, and threw it to the other side of the bank.

“There you are!” The unicorn sent a magic blast in the direction of the mug. The explosion shook the foundation of the bank. “No one can withstand the force of the Awesome and Mighty Azure LulaMo-”

“I said close yer mouth!!!” Mac aimed his hoof directly for the head of Azure.

Mac’s hoof connected with magic which then connected to a face. At the last second, Azure conjured a small shield to protect him from the hit. That didn’t stop him from falling to the floor. He rubbed the spot where the hit landed. It was already beginning to swell.

“You…hit me.” Said the shocked Azure

“I told ya to shh” Big Mac offered his hoof to Azure.

“I’m not done yet!” Azure lit his horn. Magic Bolts flew in every direction. A couple hit Mac directly as he ran away, yet they were not concentrated or powerful. They were only meant to be used use as a distraction. “You think a simple punch could end me!”

The blasts became more and more concentrated. Azure’s aim became better. Mac ran, but to no avail. A blast hit him in the side. He didn’t fly from the force of the blast. He simply slowed down to a walk and then fell into a pile of debris. His breathing slowed to a crawl. No matter how he tried, his body stopped responding to him.

“It’s a paralysis spell I’ve been working on. My sister taught me the basics, but I finished it.” Azure wiped the blood sipping from his wound, “You know, you messed this entire operation. Why?”

“He talked about ma sister.” Mac struggled to say those words and nodded his head towards the fallen pegusus.

“That’s it?” Azure facehoofed. He then lit his horn. “Well let’s hope your sister will something good at your funeral.”

Azure’s horn grew brighter and brighter. Debris began to rise and circle around the unicorn. He walked up and put a hoof on Big Mac’s chest. The light was almost blinding, but if this was Mac’s time to go then he refused to look away. He would look directly into the eyes of his killer. The farmer pony gave one last struggle, but it was no use. He accepted his fate.

“Even when you’re about to die you refuse to give up…” Azure smirked, “Well cya on the on the other si-“

Azure convulsed before Mac’s very eyes. Electricity surged around his body. His hair stood up on its end. The electricity disappeared and black smoke appeared off of Azure’s blue coat. His magic released itself and the magic bolt destroyed the ceiling. After a few clumsy steps, Azure passed out onto the floor. Behind him was a white unicorn with a blue mane, two royal guards, and the security guard from earlier.

“Sorry we’re late.” Apologized the white unicorn, “We were needed else where.”

“Eeyup”. Mac felt Azure’s magic wearing off. He slowly rose to his hooves. He brushed the dirt off his red coat.

“You did all this by yourself?” asked the unicorn as he looked around the bank. It wasn't destroyed entirely, yet certain areas took more damage than others.

“Eeyup” Big Mac didn’t have time for small talk. He showed the guards the other two criminals and went to retrieve his bag of bits. His hooves ached, his back ached, and everything basically hurt. He walked up to Monsieur Monnaie and dropped the bag of bits again.

“Sir, what are you doing?” asked Monnaie.

“I said…Deposit.”

Author's Note

I swear to Celestia, this was only suppose to be 1k words. Like a filler chapter, but it just kept growing. Oh well, I like the way this turned out. As always, if your have any comments, questions, or concerns just leave them in the comments.

A visit and dinner

“Alright,sir,” said Monsieur Monnaie, “All your bits from your satchel and your reward are deposited into your account.”

“Reward?” questioned the confused Big Macintosh.

It was mid after-noon and the bank was crowded. A cleanup crew was cleaning the destruction that had just happened in the morning. News-ponies were asking questions so fast that the royal guards couldn’t answer quickly enough. They tried to reach and question Mac, but were blocked by the Royal guards which was a good thing. He didn’t like the limelight anyway.

“Yes, the reward for catching those bank robbers.” Monnaie smiled, “The Bank of Equestria humbly thank-you for your deed this day.”

“No problem.”Mac said as he turned to leave.

The day had barely started and he had already stopped a gang of criminals. He ached so bad that he just wanted to go home, but he still had a “friend” to visit. He grabbed his empty satchel, sneaked past the press, but was stopped by the unicorn that saved him from Azure.

“Hey, uhh, Big Mac is it?” The blue haired unicorn asked, “I just wanted to say thanks. Celestia knows how much these guys would have gotten away with.”

“Eeyup.”

“Oh and my name is Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard.”

The name seemed familiar to Mac. He knew that he had heard it before, but where? If he didn’t figure it out now, his whole day would be filled with trying to remember. Then it hit him.

“You’re Ms. Twilight’s brother.” Mac assumed.

“How did you know?” asked Shining Armor getting a little defensive.

“I’m one of her friends’ brother. Applejack to be specific.”

“Ohh!” Shining Armor put his hoof out for a hoof shake. “Well, it’s about time we met. There seems to be a serious lack of stallions in the country.”

Mac laughed as he returned the hoof shake. This Shining Armor guy had a nice firm hoof shake. It looked like he might have finally found a stallion friend. He took a glance at the clock and gasped. He needed to leave now or else he’d miss visiting hours. Mac ended the hoof shake, told Shining Armor farewell, and then galloped to the hospital.

“See you around my friend.” yelled Shining armor.

“Yeah…see you around” Mac called back before rushing to the hospital.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

“Do you know her name?”

“Eenope.”

Big Mac stood at the front desk of the hospital. The nurse, Nurse Coldheart, was the only obstacle blocking him from the mare he saved. His lack of knowledge about the mare didn’t help the situation. This nurse was so uncooperative. It took a lot to get Mac angry, but the nurse was certainly getting the job done.

“Well then I can’t help you.” said Coldheart.

“I brought her in yesterday…she was flailing and screaming. Minor burn wounds”

“Sorry, sir. I still can’t hel-“

“I know the mare you’re talking about…follow me.” interrupted another nurse.

A couple of stair cases later, Mac arrived at the room of Hush-Hush. The nurse gave him a couple of warnings ranging from “Not talking loud” to “Don’t ask her name”. He thanked the nurse then opened the door.

“It’s about bucking time you got here.” said the Hush-Hush.

“Such elegant language you have.” Mac condescended.

“Don’t you start with me!” The mare took a break to sip from her glass of red liquid, “You’re the one who’s is late.”

For the first time, Big Mac actual got a good look at this mare. She resembled Princess Luna’s guards. She had grey fur and yellow eyes that seemed to glow. Her mane was dark blue with a light violet streak? He didn’t know the exact colors. He was stallion, after all. The difference was that she wasn’t all bat like…well except her teeth. They were sharp and pointy.

“I’ve had a busy morning.”

“So I have heard.” The mare threw a newspaper at Mac.

Mac grabbed it. ‘It has already been published? ‘He thought. On the front page was a picture of him, with a bloody snout, standing in front of the three criminals. The headline read “Country Stallion Defeats Infamous Bank Robbers after Saving Mare from Fire”. A smirk appeared on his face. The picture made him look good.

“You better calm yourself down before you start attracting attention.” The mare poured Big Mac a glass of red liquid, “Red Wine?”

“I don’t drink.” Mac said while shaking his head, “You shouldn’t be either in your current condition.”

“I’ve been in worse,” The mare quickly gulped the freshly poured glass, “Let’s cut to the chase. I need you to attend a royal ball with me.”

“Uhh...” Mac was on his vacation and attending a fancy ball was not apart of it.

“It doesn't matter. You have no choice in the matter. The ball is next week. You’ll be provided more information and a suit will be prepared for you immediately.”

“Uhh…”

“Well, that’s it. See you in a week, Mac.” She smiled while shooing him out the room, "Also, learn how to dance. You look like you have two left hooves."

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Mac arrived at the castle as the sun was setting. He saw Princess Celestia using her magic to lower it while Princess Luna was calling in the night.. His whole body was now aching. Azure’s paralysis spell must have had side affects because every so often his muscles wouldn’t respond ,causing him to stumble. ‘At least the day was over’ he thought. A long night of sleep was what he needed. (Actually what he needed was a day without a disaster.) He finally reached his room and opened the door.

“Mr. Macintosh?” asked a servant stallion from behind.

“Yes?” Mac sighed.

“Will you be attending dinner with the princesses tonight?”

“…Eeyup.”

Mac, led by the butler, entered the dining hall. The smell of food reached his nostrils. Drool flowed from the corner of his mouth, but he quickly remembered where he was and wiped it away. The stallion reached two massive doors. On the doors was the same symbol that was printed on his new satchel. Slowly, the doors opened and revealed a table fully adorned with a variety of food.

“Welcome Big Macintosh!” proclaimed Princess Celestia, “I hope you’re enjoying your stay.”

“Eey-” He stopped himself. He had to remember whose presence he was in. “ Yes, princess.”

Celestia ushered the farmer pony to sit at the table. Hesitantly, he obliged. As he sat down, more servant ponies surrounded him. One washed his hooves. Another tied a bib around his neck. Others brought in silverware and arranged it in front of him. There were so many different types of spoons, forks, and knives. Lastly, a pony came in. She sat a salad in front of the princess and Mac. Not wanting to disrespect the princess, the farmer stallion waited for her to take the first bite, but she never did.

“I’ve heard that in only two days you have managed to rescue a mare from a fire and stop a bank robbery.” Celestia said.

“Yes. Just doing what any other citizen would do.” Mac replied.

“If only that were true…” Celestia sighed as she took a bite of her salad, “Big Macintosh, I need you listen to listen carefully.”

“Yes’m”

“You have involuntarily entered a world that you may never escape,” The princess’s expression went grim, “The dark side of Canterlot: Organized crime, Illegal Gambling, dirty politics, etc.”

“I only did two things…” Mac explained.

“Yes, but you did two very big things that made an impression on a lot of ponies.”

Mac didn’t think what he was impressive. Maybe those deeds were above average, but nothing to pat yourself on the back for. He took a bite of his salad and pondered. He probably wouldn’t have much of a vacation based on the way Celestia was talking.

“So why are you telling me, a farmer, all this information?”

“Exactly for that reason.” said a voice seemingly from nowhere, “No one would ever expect a regular citizen to help the royal crowns.”

A black cloud of smoke flowed from under the table. When it all came to a centered point, the cloud formed into Princess Luna. The princess stretched out her wings then yawned. She must have just woken up. She walked to the table, took a seat, and looked Mac right in the eyes.

“Do you know who you saved in that fire?” she asked.

“An insane mare with important information.” replied Mac. He honestly didn’t know what was happening anymore.

“Well that’s half correct. She is crazy.” The night princess laughed at her own joke, but then returned to her professional expression. “She is actually a high level Intelligence officer for the Equestrian Intel Agency. Oh and the information was out of date, therefore; useless.”

“It’s a secret agency that Luna solely controls.” added Celestia.

“Okay…” was all Mac could say.

“Listen, criminal activity has been on the rise in Equestria and we don’t know why. We need somepony who nopony would ever expect to help us end or at least subdue this criminal activity.” Luna explained.

“Eenope.” Mac stated. All he was and all he will ever be is a farmer. None of this secret agent pony stuff pertained to him. Plus, his family needed him. He couldn’t just risk his life. “Find yerself another stallion.”

Luna stood up and paced the room. She was growing noticeably irritated. Celestia lit her horn and a small line of magic connected to Luna’s horn. Both looked towards the other. It seemed if they were having some telepathic conversation. Mac simply continued eating. This "magic" stuff was pretty annoying to him. After a while, the magic line broke and both princesses looked at the stallion.

“I don’t why you said “no”, but please rethink.” Celestia pleaded, “If this crime wave spreads, small towns, like Ponyville, would be hit first and the hardest. Your farm would be ravaged and destroyed. Think of the citizens, your grandma, Applejack, and Applebloom.”

“All we need you to do is small missions. No one will ever suspect you. You and your family’s identity will remain secret. No harm will come to you.You will have protection just in case. If anything should happen, we will make sure your family will survive in utmost comfort.” Luna assured.

“…” So many thoughts flowed through the stallions mind, yet it seemed clear what he should do. “Alright, but I want all you said in writing.”

Author's Note

NEW CHAPTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AWWWW YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO yeah, leave some comments and stuff.

I give you my word.

“Welcome Big Macintosh to your swearing in ceremony!”

Mac opened his eyes to see that he was in a dark room. He noticed an aisle leading up a podium. On either side of it were candles that provided a small amount of light in the dark room. Cautiously, he followed the walkway. As he did, ponies, dressed in black cloaks, began to chant as they appeared along the edges of the walkway. Mac was becoming weary, yet he continued walking. Honestly, he didn’t know how he got to this place.

“Yes, come to the podium!” A black cloud flowed into the room from different angles. Once it came together, it formed non-other than Princess Luna. “You know…what you are about to do will chang-“

“Luna…enough with the theatrics,” Celestia interrupted, stepping from behind Luna, “It’s 3 a.m…”

“We have not done this ceremony in many years,” Luna said, “We will have all the theatrics!”

Mac reached the podium. It was old and had a thick layer of dust. In certain areas, the wood was starting to peel. It didn’t seem to matter, Luna looked as if she was having a good time. Celestia, on the other hoof, wasn’t having fun at all. She was annoyed by the whole ceremony.

“Big Macintosh…this is no ordinary organization, “Luna spoke with a serious tone, “You will be part of something bigger than yourself. Can you handle it?”

“…” Mac saw fog rolling off the candles. This whole ceremony wasn’t necessary, but what the hay. “Eeyup.”

“A life of secrecy is what awaits you. No matter what, no words of this ceremony or what you do for this agency may ever past your lips. Can you handle it?”

“Eeyup.”

A hoof laid its resting point on Mac’s shoulder. Startled, Mac turned around with his hoof prepared. He sent his hoof flying towards the random stranger, but it was immediately blocked. Then, another hoof found its way to Mac’s throat.

“You’re getting better, but you still suck.” complemented a familiar voice, “At least I know you can throw a half-decent punch.”

“Shouldn’t you be in the hospital…?” Mac replied looking at a cloaked pony.

“Like I said before, I’ve been in worse.” reminded Hush-Hush as she pulled the hood of her cloak off.

Luna raised her hoof, signaling for silence. The low moaning of the other cloaked ponies ceased. The candles slowly grew brighter. The fog grew thicker leaving a heavy layer on the floor. Using her magic, Luna levitated a book towards Mac. It flipped past pages faster than Mac could read until stopped on an empty one. One thing the stallion did notice was that on each page there was a short passage and two lines meant for signatures.

“For every new member, an older member needs to be assigned to teach and help them. We call them shadows.” Celestia explained.

Mac nodded and took a feather pen that Luna levitated to him. Before he could sign, the pen was snatched away by Hush-Hush. She simply shook her head.

“Agent, can you vouch for this stallion?” Luna asked.

“Yes I can, princess.” Hush answered as she signed her full name. Unfortunately, Mac couldn’t read it

“If you are truly serious about your commitment to this organization, sign your name,” Luna’s eyes began to glow,” But remember there is no going back. Once you make this choice, it’s final. Are you ready?”

“Eeyup.” replied Mac with his stoic expression. Internally, he wasn’t sure about the decision he was making. He acquired the pen from Hush and started to signing his name.

As he did, dark tentacles came from the book and slithered up his arms. He looked and noticed that his fur color was changing to gray. He felt his teeth becoming sharp. Immediately, he dropped the pen and the tentacles receded.

“What the hay was that?!” Mac asked, shocked from the tentacles.

“That is the final process in the ceremony,” Luna responded, “Once you finish signing, you will be transformed into a better agent for the job.”

"Luna!" Celestia complained, "Really? You're still on that whole bat-pony thing?"

"It is how one fully embraces the agency."

“Eenope. Sorry princess, but that ain’t happening.” Mac said simply.

“How else do you expect to complete the ceremony?” Luna asked demandingly.

Mac stopped and stared the princess of the night in her eyes. He then lifted up his hoof and put it out in front of him. The princess stared at it for a moment before putting on a questioning expression.

“Ma word is just as good as any magical contract.” He said, “If ya can’t trust that, then you found yerself the wrong stallion.”

Luna let out a smile. She had never met a stallion like Mac before. In her many years of running her agency, no one had ever denied the transformation. There was a first for everything she guessed. Celestia let out of soft smile. She knew he could be trusted ,for his sister was the element of honesty.

“Okay, Big Macintosh. You have a deal.” Luna confirmed. She connected her hoof to Mac’s. The clang of hoof meeting metal rang throughout the room.

The book opened to the empty page. Next to Hush’s real name, Luna signed Mac's name. After the princess finished, Mac felt some sort of connection to Hush. He walked over to his new shadow and stuck his hoof out. Hush promptly put her hoof in Mac’s and shook.

“Welcome Mac, to the Equestrian Intel Agency.” Luna said in a welcoming tone. This was followed by cheers of the of everypony in the room.

*************************************

Mac lay in his bed with his new E.I.A badge. It shined even in darkness and was made from pure Equestrian silver. Along with it, he received something called a communication stone. No matter where he went, this stone had to be with him. He also received other items, but he was too tired to examine them all. He'd figure them out in the morning.

A real bonus to this whole situation was that he’d receive a stipend per month and mission he completed. All to be automatically added to the farm’s bank account. That part helped him rest easy. There was never a time on the farm when a couple of extra bits couldn’t help.

He wrapped himself in the covers of his bed. Sleep was taking him over and drawing a close to his second day. He wouldn't get much sleep though because his farm mentality would wake him up in a few hours. It didn't matter. It was about time this stallion had fun anyway.

Author's Note

An update so quickly. Well that's because this was originally suppose to be apart of "A Visit and Dinner". But I figured that the E.I.A would be a more secretive agency and Luna, still being stuck in her ways, would appreciate a traditional swearing in ceremony. Anyway, tell me how ya feel about this. I'm all ears...well eyes since I'm reading...

Free Day

As usual, the alarm clock went off even after Big Mac had awoken. He walked over to it and turned it off. For good measure, he removed the battery. When that was finished, he looked at his mane decided not to comb it, brushed his teeth, put on a satchel, and then headed to his room door. Before he left, he checked the mirror that was on top of the dresser. What he saw was a modest looking stallion whose wounds were healing quite quickly. He also saw an envelope taped to the mirror. It was addressed to him from his sister Applejack. Immediately, Mac open and read the letter.

Dear Big Macintosh,

Ah know it's yer vacation and it barely started, but ah just wanted know how ya been. I hope ya are enjoying yerself. Don’t go too wild, though. Celestia knows we don’t need an illegitimate filly turning up around the farm. Anyway, we’ve have been doing well. The girls have offered to pick up the work you usually do which is a lot more than we thought. Don’t worry, though. We have it under control. You just have fun. Oh and I heard about ya saving a mare from a burning building and stopping a bank robbery. Two days and ya are already making yerself a name. You’re strong and smart. Just be careful. I don’t want to lose you because of your heroics. Anyway, see ya in two weeks.

Much love,

Applejack

P.s. Make sure to take yer pills everyday. I know you’ve been forgetting.

Mac smiled. He could feel the love radiating off this letter. At least the farm and his family are doing well. Hopefully those bits he deposited will help around farm. He opened up a drawer, found pencil and paper, and began to write his reply.

Dear Applejack and friends,

My vacation is going great. I’ve been doing…a lot of activities .None that would result in that illegitimate foal that you wrote about. The princesses are nice and they even invited me to have dinner with them. It was somewhat awkward, but informative. Make sure to check each apple thoroughly to see if it has rotten. I don’t want our good name to be ruined by one bad apple. The fire and bank thing…weren’t as bad as you think. Anypony could have done it. I need you to do me a favor, though. One of the bank robbers said his name. “Azure Lulamoon.” Ask Miss. Twilight if that unicorn she battled…uh…Trixie…if she had a brother. If she does, I probably found him. Lastly, don’t worry if you find more bits in the account. I found a little job to keep me busy.

Returning the love

Big Macintosh

Mac scanned the letter a couple a times to see if everything was correct. He also checked to make sure he didn’t release and sensitive information. He was apart of a secret agency after all. When he finished, he folded the letter, checked the mirror one more time, took his pills, and then left the room.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The grass crunched under his hooves. The sun warmed his fur coat and the wind would cool him back down. His stomach growled since he missed breakfast. To hold him over till he found a place to eat, he lowered his neck and took a bite of grass. It wasn’t uncommon to eat grass, but by the glares of the Canterlot elite, it was filthy and low-classed. He didn't know why, but Mac decided to take another bite. Probably just to spite them. He chewed as loudly and obnoxiously as he could while he walked in searched of a place to eat.

“You are one rude and disgusting creature.” said a mare as she walked out of a mane salon. Her mane was styled upward to form a tower. It had been dyed green and contained living flowers.

“Oh really?” Mac responded as he chew the grass and swallowed, “Well yer mane looks like a newborn filly styled it. How do you people wear your hair in such a weird and foolish way? It is in no way fashionable or stylish.”

“Harrumph! What do you know about fashion you…you…ruffian?!” she asked.

“Not much, but I do know that your mane is not going to attract any stallions anytime soon.”

The mare just stared the stallion in the eyes. Neither was about to break the contact until Mac reached into her mane, pulled out a flower, and ate it. Annoyed, the mare pointed her snout towards the air, and then walked back into the salon.

Mac, with a sense of victory, began to trot away. The scent of food drifted towards his nose and involuntarily he began moving towards it. He reached the beginning if the smell to find a haydog stand. It was seven bits per haydog, a complete rip-off in Mac’s opinion, but then he remembered where he was. Distraught, he ordered one with all the toppings. Despite the price, it smelled and looked delicious. Without hesitation, he went in for the bite.

“There he is girls!” yelled the mare from earlier, “He talked about my mane!”

“He’s also the stallion that splashed Golden Bracelet and I!”

“GET HIM!!!”

The mares, each with a ridiculous mane-do, galloped in Mac’s direction. With every step of their hooves, a mini Earth quake was felt. Their angry screams sounded like the pony warriors Granny Smith told stories about. Mac didn’t need a second warning. He stuffed the haydog in his mouth and began running away. He barely go to taste it before he hastily swallowed.

Through alleys, opened doors, rose bushes, and other ponies, Mac ran for his life. These mares just didn’t know when to give up. He would hide in a crowd of elite and think it was over, but some of the mares happened to pegusi and would spot him from the sky. It is not hard to see a red stallion as big as Mac from the sky. After a while of running, he finally lost the mares and decided to rest in a diner. The haydog did really satisfy his hunger. The dinner was packed, yet he found a lone seat at the counter. There was no menu so he decided to ask somepony near him.

“Excuse me, what do you recommend?” he asked.

“You have to try the “Wet mane” stew or the “Dirty Stallion” sandwich. My personal favorite is the “Revenge” Ice cream.” responded the pony. Bile dripped from every word.

“Thank ya. I’ll try the Dirty stal…”

The red stallion’s eyes widened with realization. Nonchalantly, he turned around to make his escape, but it was too late. He was surrounded. The mares, their manes now ruined with sweat, closed in on the farmer stallion. In Mac’s opinion, their manes looked somewhat better. How he didn’t see the trap was jarring.

“Now you have no where left to run.” said one of the mares.

“Wh…wh…wha…what are you going to do with me?” Mac asked. His voice quavering and filled with fear.

“Teach you about fashion.” All the mares said in unison. Each one lifted up a different item used in mane styling. Combs, brushes, mane spray, hair curlers, straightening irons, scissors, etc. All were there and in horrifying amounts. Sinister smiles appeared on the mare faces as they enclosed the stallion. Mac couldn’t help but cringe as a comb tore its way through his messy blonde mane.

“HALT YOU EVIL WITCHES!” howled a familiar young blue colt, “Do not comb a single hair on that stallion’s mane!”

A small number of colts and young stallions rushed into the diner. Not a single one showed decency when they shoved the mares out the way. They reached the center and formed a semi circle around Mac. “Okay ladies. Let us out and no one gets hurt.” recommended the blue colt. The group of males slowly made their escape with Mac in their protections. One pegusus mare went to try to snatch Mac away, but another male pegusus grabbed her by the tail. When Mac passed safely, he let her go and she went flying into a wall.

“Alright, guys! We have the objective.” declared an obviously older colt, possibly the leader. “Let’s go back to the hideout. Let’s GO!”

In that instant, Mac was bagged, had his legs tied, his ears were muffled, and he was hoisted onto a wagon. He didn’t know what was going on, but anything was better than being stuck with those mares. He didn’t need to worry, for something, maybe his connection, told him that his shadow was close.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He didn’t know where he was, yet Mac knew he wasn’t carried far. The air was musty and the bag wasn’t making it any better.He could barely breath. His hoof ached because the ropes were too tight. They weren’t getting any blood. Even though his ears were muffled, he could faintly make out voices.

“Can’t…down here…will be discovered.”

“He’s cool…don’t worry…everything will be fine.”

The whole situation made him uncomfortable, so he began to struggle with the ropes. More or less did they become looser, but a nasty rope burn was setting in. “Calm down. I’m cutting you free.” said the blue colt. As soon as the rope tension was cut, Mac took the bag off, jumped up, and fell on his face. “I didn’t cut the rope around your hind legs…” With broken pride, Mac waited till the ropes were cut.

“You can get up now.” stated the colt.

“Thank you…uh…uh” Honestly; Mac never learned the colt’s name.

“My name is Valor. People just call me Val, though.”

Somepony lit a torch, and the smoke flowed towards Mac. “Well thanks Val, cough. Uh… Where are we?”

“I can’t tell you that Mister…”

“Big Mac.”

They shook hooves and continued the conversation. Mac got a good look at the colt. No cutie mark, green eyes, blue fur. His mane was black with a short cut…done pretty badly.

“How did you know I was in trouble?” Mac asked.

“I happened to walking past the salon when I saw you being chased by that group of mares. You seemed to be in need, so I came here, grabbed the colts, and we came to your rescue. You seem to get in a lot of trouble around here.”

“Yeah…it does seem that way. Wait!” Mac stopped, something was off, “Where’s my satchel?”

Mac didn’t have to look far. Right behind him, three young colts were turning his bag upside down. All its contents fell out onto the cold ground: His bag of bits, a couple of apples, and the letter to his sister. Immediately, the apples were devoured, the bits disappeared, and the letter discarded.

He didn’t really care about the apples or the bits, but the letter was important. Well, he did need some bits to send it off. He excused himself from Valor and went get his satchel, yet was stopped by the leader pony from earlier.

“And where do you think you’re going?” demanded the leader as he stepped in front of Big Mac. He was older than the rest like Mac guessed. He was a scrawny pegusus with brown fur, and black eyes. His cutie mark was a helmet, worn by guards, sitting on a lighting cloud.

“To get ma satchel.”Mac stated clearly.

“Oh you can have the satchel, but all its contents are now ours. Think of it as a rescuers fee.” smirked the leader.

It was too early in the morning, for Mac make to be going through this. He took deep breaths and forgot about what just occurred. “Can ya at least tell me where I am?”

“The Lost Colts hideout. Perhaps you heard us.” sneered the brown colt. He walked away without another look.

Low level contempt began to boil in Mac’s being. He should just ignore the colt and walk away, yet he found it hard to do. One more deep breath; the stress was gone. Mac walked over to his satchel, which was dropped when the colts saw him coming, and picked it up. Light and empty. Not a single bit or apple left. Frantically, he searched for the letter to his sister, yet couldn’t find it either.

“I see you met our leader. We don’t know his real name, so we just call him general.”

“Well ‘general’ is more annoying than…than… “Mac was never as good as Applejack at making metaphors, “More annoying than Pinkie Pie’s unplanned parties…Oh well. How do I get out of here?”

“Just take those steps over there. You’ll be let out near the castle.” Valor answered.

Up the steps Mac went, yet he decided to take one more look at the hideout. What he now saw was horrible. Only twelve Colts, ranging in age and race, were in this hideout. Each one was covered in dirt and grim. Many scratched ever so often. Most rubbed their stomach, filled with hunger. Then Mac saw “General”. He was worried about his fellow colts and their conditions. As any good leader should. Mac made a mental note to visit this place more often.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A door was opened; the sun flowed in. By Mac’s judgment, it was around noon. He walked out, closed the door, and looked around. Turns out, the stairs led to an old abandoned outhouse. Inconspicuous. Mac shrugged and walked on. A feeling inside of him made him stop and look around. His “Shadow’ pointed towards a nearby alley. Mac didn’t waste time before he ran galloped there.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“You’re an idiot...” said Hush-Hush

“And a fine morning to you too.” Mac replied.

“Chased by mares half your size. Kidnapped by colts younger than you. A fine agent you’re turning out to be,” Hush shrugged and rolled her eyes, “As your shadow, I’m supposed to get to know you and vice versa, so hi!”

“No…you can do better than that, “A quick search around, and Mac saw a sign for a carnival, “How about we go there and get acquainted?”

“I’m not much of a ‘fun’ person.” She groaned.

“Well today you are!” Mac informed with delight of a school colt. The farmer had not been to a carnival in years, so of course he jumped at the opportunity. He grabbed Hush by the hoof and galloped full speed towards the carnival. Hush, annoyed at the situation, held on for dear life.

“Slow down or you’re going to be the death of me.” Hush complained, yet the side of her mouth twitched with a smile.

Author's Note

I don't really know what to say. I mean, here's a chapter. Read it. Love it. Have fillies with it. I don't know. Leave some comments or concerns. Tell me how ya feel.

Free Day: Part B

Author's Note

A fair warning to my readers: This chapter is longer...a lot longer...than the rest of them, so try to stick around. Please...There is cake and cookies at the end. I don't k.now why it's so long. It kept spewing out and possibly at the rate i'm writing, this story will have at least 20 chapters. Maybe I should keep the chapters longer than usual. I'll see. Anyway, enjoy the chapter my fellow readers and as usual leave some comments,concerns, positives and negatives, maybe a pony? Special thanks to flame 5768 for helping me out.

Free Day: Part B

“So…what’s you favorite color?”

“Don’t have one.”

“Where did you grow up?”

“A place far away from here.”

“What do you like to eat?”

“As long as I get nutrition, it doesn't matter.”

“Want to make-out?”

“Yeah whatever… NO!

Being early in the morning, the Carnival was pretty empty. Lines were short and the amusement rides were barely moving. It didn't matter to Mac. He still was exited to be there. Hush, on the other hoof, sulked at every given opportunity. She didn't want to be there, yet she had to. She told Mac the get together was for them to get to know each other, but she had an ulterior motive. All the questions Mac was asking didn't help out the situation.

“How dare you try to trick me like that?” Hush stoically yelled as she walked away, yet not without teaching Mac some respect.

He laid on the ground still recovering from the hit he had just received. The world spun around him as he saw triple of everything. Regaining his bearings, he cautiously rose, stumbled a little, and then chased after Hush. “Hey slow down…,” He called out, “I only did that because you were acting distant…and why did you hit me?”

“I am your shadow, and your superior. Not some mare you decided to take to the carnival. Your trick wasn't funny and I needed to show you that.”

“Wow…aren't a stick in the mud?” Mac said under his breath, “That hurt you know."

“Sorry, but it was necessary,” Hush said lowering her voice, “ but right now, my mind is else where.”

“Where?”

Hush only sighed as she grabbed her disciple's hoof and dragged him to the Ferris wheel. Fortunately for them, no one else was in line. The carnie was more than delighted to allow them on. They were probably his first customers. Mac got on and strapped himself is and waited for Hush. She whispered something in the canie’s ear and with a sly smile he nodded. Hush hurried, strapped herself in, and blew air out her nostrils. Slowly, the Ferris wheel began to rise.

“Oh Celestia , we’re getting pretty high on this thing, “Mac stated, “I didn't know it would be like this.”

“Don’t tell me a big stallion like you is afraid of heights,” Hush condescended as she smirked.

“Well I wasn't until we got up here…now ah’m not so sure.” Mac looked over the edge and swallowed hard.

Suddenly, the ride stopped with the two ponies at the top. Mac grew visibly frightened while Hush waited for him to calm down. “Calm down!” Hush ordered, “I have to tell you something and I don’t have much time.”

“Eenope…eenope. I have to get down.”Mac began to take breaths.

Hush shook head and reared her hoof back and slapped Big Mac. “Snap out of it, agent.”

The hit knocked Mac back into reality. He looked his mentor in the eyes with a straight and serious expression. He ignored everything else except Hush’s face. “Are you okay?”

“Eeyup…”

“Okay,” She took a deep breath, “I didn't really bring us here to get to know each other. Besides, I already know everything about you.”

“What?!”

“What type of agent would I be it I didn't research you? Like the time you were almost married.”

“That was because a love poison…”

“Sure…anyway I brought you here because I needed some type of cover while I meet up with another agent, but we still do need to get to know each other.”

Okay. So who do you need to meet?”

Hush rubbed the back of her neck and looked down. “That’s the problem…I don’t know.”

The Ferris wheel sputtered back into motion. Before long, both agents would be back on the ground posing as civilians. Hush searched for words to say before that happened. “Uh…she’s bright white…um…skinny…unicorn…uh I think she poses as a model…uh…” Before anything could be said, both reached the ground and exited the ride. The carnie gave a congratulating smile then patted Mac on the back.

“ Uh…”

“Forget him,” commanded Hush, “Just help me find the agent. I hear she’s stealthy, quiet, and blends in with everything. Be careful…“

“Found her.” Mac asked and pointed in the direction of the cotton candy stand. There was a white unicorn with three fleurs-de-lis. She had a small satchel which she reached in to gather bits to pay for the treat. Mac turned to Hush to see she was dumbfounded. Seeing this, Mac said, “She was standing right there. It wasn't that hard.” Mac’s explanation didn't snap her out the trance. He thought this was a perfect time to get revenge on her for earlier. So, he reared his hoof back and was to “help” her. The attempt failed when Hush grabbed Mac’s hoof, twisted it, and then flipped him on his back.

“Don’t mess with the master, young grasshopper.” She whispered into Mac’s ear, “Now let’s catch…uh…this agent. I hear she plays around too often when it comes to serious matters.”

With broken pride, Mac got up, brushed himself off, and followed Hush. They barely got one hoof step off when the white unicorn turned to them and smiled. Immediately after, she broke off into a full gallop, dropping the cotton candy. Hush didn't hesitate before she started galloping. And Mac, he stood there reevaluating his decisions before he started to run.

The chase did last long, but it was filled with strenuous activities. The unicorn jumped over ponies, slid under carts, and jumped through vending booths. She did this all with the grace expected from a mare of her stature. Mac emulated these moves with a little more of his farm stallion gracefulness. The ponies he couldn't jump over moved out of the way in fear of being hit. He tried to slide under carts which resulted in him getting stuck several times. As he jumped through the booths, he would misjudge his landing and cause some short of mess. Hush simply tried to keep up.

The chase came to a end when the unicorn, more acrobatic than any pony thought, did several cartwheels, and then flipped over a fence. She stopped on the other side, saluted Mac and Hush, and then ran on. As she did, a playful laugh escaped her snout.

“Any ideas,Hush?” Mac asked. He wiped on bead of sweat from his brow. He was barely tired and covered with dirt and food products.

His mentor was a differently story. She had fallen on the ground in a heap of exhausted pony several feet behind Mac. “We…need to…corner…her…and make sure she can’t…oh Celestia…make sure she cant run away…”Hush said in between her desperate gasps for air, “I haven’t ran like that for ages.”

“Maybe you should start exercising more, so you wouldn't be so tired.” Mac suggested, a wry grin appearing.

“Shut you snout and help me get up.” Hush said,” Now I’m going to climb to higher ground and look. You stay down here and…”

“You’re going about this the wrong way,” Mac stated, “Just follow me.”

“What-“

“Trust me.”

Mac began to walk and joined a huge crowd of ponies that were forming a line. Hush joined him and there they waited at the very end. The line moved slowly and small shouts of joy got louder and louder as they moved close to the line’s source. Mac tried to make idle conversation, but Hush was too anxious to see what they were in line for. She would only give one word answers or completely ignore Mac.

“You hungry?” Mac asked.

“No. I’m more agitated that we have been in this line for 20 minutes and-,” Hush’s stomach growled quite loudly. She didn't show embarrassment as expected. She just turned and ordered her disciple to buy her food. He waved down a conveyor of hay dogs and bought two with every topping: a grand total of 16 bits. The price hurt his bank but not as much as his stomach, for Hush devoured both hay dogs without a second thought. Her only explanation was a shrug. Seeing a bit of mustard on her snout, Mac grabbed a napkin and wiped it away. Hush didn't stop him, but allowed him to.

“Aww. Look at the couple that chased me earlier today.” They heard a voice say.

Both agents turned to see that they were in the front of the line. The unicorn smirked at them. Hush snatched her snout away and Mac dropped the napkin. “We aren't a couple.” Hush hurriedly said. She didn't blush but Mac did. “Anyway we’re the agents you were to meet up with.”

“Oh, for the transfer.” The unicorn replied. She stroked her chin remembering.

“Before we do, I must ask. Why were all those ponies lined up to see you?”

An awkward silence resonated between the three ponies. Hush became confused as it became clear that she was the only one who didn't know why.

“You don’t know who she is do you, Hush?” Mac asked seriously.

“I don’t have much time for recreation, so no.”

“This is Fleur-dis-lee…the super model.” Mac said.

“And you know this how?”

Flash backs from Mac’s time of helping Rarity ran through his mind. The constant measuring. The constant outfit changing. The constant poses he was forced to make. His only solstice from it all was to read magazines that Rarity had left about. Mac shook the bad memories away. “I just know…”

“Oh…anyway, why did we need to meet up?” asked Hush.

“I’m supposed to pass on info, but…” replied Fleur.

“But…” both Mac and Hush said ushering Fleur to continue.

“But that’s no fun.” Fleur smirked, “Meet me at the paintball arena in ten minutes.

“Wait!”

It was too late. Fleur had already begun to run. Hush sighed and began to walk to the paintball arena. Mac caught up to her, stuck out his hoof, and tripped the poor mare. She fell straight on her snout. “What was that for?” Hush yelled, nursing a bruise.

“For eating both hay dogs!”

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mac and Hush both arrived at the door of the arena at the same time. Hush’s fur now contained dirt and grass stains while Mac sported a new bruise on his shoulder. As they approached a small circular ball rolled into their path. Smoke began seeping out as smoke surrounded the whole area in a white cloud. Both pony agents went on the defensive, but nothing ever came. As the smoke cleared, a faint figure could be made out sitting in a chair.

“You guys are early…I like that.” Fleur commented from her chair.

“Just tell us why we’re here.” Hush snapped.

Fleur flipped her mane. “Well I know I was supposed to give you some info, but I’d thought we would make it fun.”

“No.”

“Yes. If you want the info, then you have to beat me in a paintball match.”

“Well, it’s only one of her and two of us. How hard can it be?” added Mac.

In that instant more circular balls appeared. The only difference was that the smoke that leaked out of these didn't last that long, but it was thicker. When it cleared, four ponies (two stallion earth ponies, one male pegusus and the other female) surrounded Fleur. Each one was wearing a black suit with a red tie and sunglasses. “I would like you to meet my disciples,” Fleur boasted, “Stylish and ready to win.”

“You just had to open your mouth…” murmured Hush.

The four ponies stuck a pose then dispersed. Left in their place were two paint ball guns that were fully loaded. “When you’re ready, enter the arena. All you have to do it is hit me and you win.” With that, Fleur elegantly walked into the arena. Mac picked up a paint gun and examined it. Semi auto with a 20 round magazine with a spare. How hard can it be to hit a pony right? Mac looked over to Hush who was also examining her weapon. “You know, Mac. Even though this isn't a legit battle, I want you to know that you’re going to get shot.”

“I never knew you were so deep. How about a bet? Whoever gets shot first owes the other a free favor.”

“Hmm deal.”

Determined not to die, Hush and Mac rushed in the arena, only to meet a barrage of paint. Immediately, they ducked behind the walls of the entrance. Fleur’s two earth ponies were firing shots with no sight of ending. Hush made weird hoof signals then ran around the corner. Knowing nothing else to do, Mac leaned around the corner and started firing. He wasn't the best shot, but it did the job, forcing the earth ponies to take cover.

He began to worry as moments passed. Where was Hush? Was she shot? He hoped not...well maybe a little. Just then, he saw her. She had managed to sneak behind the enemies. Instead of shooting them, she pulled out a red marker, silently marked one across the neck, and then the other. The ponies, knowing their fate, played the role accordantly. Each one grabbed their “wound”, fell over, and died. They mumbled something to each other then fell silent. Hush searched them and found another marker and more ammunition. She then called Mac forward and gave them to him. “Even though it’s fake, use it as if it was the real thing. Oh, and reload because your aim is garbage. The more bullets you have, the higher chances of a hit.” Mac did what she said. “Now, I’m going left and you’re going to the right. Try to find Fleur, but if you find the other two disciples…don’t hesitate to take action.”

Hush left without another word. Left alone with his thoughts, Mac went to the right. The setting of the arena reminded him of some type of business office filled with cubicles. Each one seemed to be furnished with the same items: a swivel chair, generic family picture, and reports. Every other cubicle had a decoy pony mannequin splattered in paint. That was the only reason Mac didn't shoot every one of them. Mac trotted lightly, not knowing what hid in each cubicle, so everyone he passed he would stick the paintball gun in, ready to fire. Fortunately, they were empty.

The area seemed clear, so Mac reasoned it would be alright to take some practice shots. He saw a black spot on the wall, aimed down the sights, and began to shoot. His first few shots were no where near the target. He was about to shoot again when something appeared in the corner of his eye. A figure dressed in black. He turned to see it was the male pegusus who happened to be holding an extra large marker. He had no other weapon. Mac, doing the honorable thing laid his gun on the ground.

“You ready?” Mac asked. He took out his marker and took off the cap.

“…” No words, but the pegusus did rise on his hind legs.

Neither pony moved form their respective spot. In Mac’s mind, he imagined them being in some type of western showdown. He imagined the tumbleweed rolling and the clock tower about to hit high noon. His fantasy was over when the pegusus began charging towards him. The wings must have given the extra push because Mac barely dodged an incoming swipe. Mac went in for a stab which was immediately parried. His attack left him open to a barrage of marker swipes quickly forcing him backwards.

“Ah Daggit!” Mac’s flank hit the wall. The pegusus closed in, leaving Mac with no place to go. He swallowed hard. Not because he was trapped, but because he was about to lose a bet to Hush. He was prepared to act out the dying role, yet the Pegasus decided to take it a step further. He grabbed the farmer by the by the throat, lifted him off the ground onto the wall, and knocked the marker from his hoof. (“This pegusus is strong” thought Mac.) Mac was defenseless. He knew this was all play, but this stallion was taking it too far. A disturbing smile appeared on the disciple’s snout as he raised the huge marker to Mac’s throat. The disciple took deep breath which the farmer had to constantly smell. “You could really use a breath mint.” Mac managed to choke out jokingly. He couldn't go out like this. He had to do something…something risky.

“You lose…” said the pegusus in his croaky voice. He put the Marker to Mac’s throat.

“Eenope…” Mac’s front leg crashed down on those of the disciple. Instantly, Mac dropped to the floor. Acting quickly, he tackled the confused Pegasus. As they fell, the large marker fell from the disciple's hoof. They hit the ground hard with the pegusus taking the most damage. Mac didn't wait for the pain to subside. He found the marker, and then stabbed it into the disciple’s chest. No hard, but enough to make the marker leak. Shocked, the pegusus made his final movements, and then “died”. Mac rolled onto his back and panted. “Three down…two to go.” He said out loud

“Sorry, but this is the end for you.” Sneered a female.

Mac internally sighed and looked towards the voice’s source. As he guessed, it was the female pegusus and she was holding a paintball revolver aimed at Mac’s head. She smiled. Mac smiled. She pulled the trigger. Mac ran. The paint nearly splattered on his head as he moved. Every shot whizzing past his ear. He barely made it to his gun and he returned fire. He shots weren't as accurate, yet it made the pegusus ducked into a cubicle. Mac did the same.

“You know your aiming sucks!” Mac heard her yell.

“Well you’re hiding!” Mac rebutted, “So it’s doing the job!”

“Touche…by the way, what’s your name?”

“Mac…” He didn't want her to know his whole name, “Yours?”

“Peace Maker,” Mac heard her voice fade, then get closer, “But ponies who know me, call me Predator.”

She jumped into Mac’s cubicle without warning. His weapon was too large to aim in time. She already had the nose of the revolver against his scalp. “You know, I only have one shot left. Let’s see how lucky you are.” She took out the cylinder, spun it, and CLICK! The chamber was empty. She smiled and pulled the trigger again. CLICK! Mac’s mind wasn't on the gun, or sound, or even the mare that did look nice in her suit. CLICK! He was thinking how all these other disciples outclassed him. CLICK! He was barely surviving all the encounters and now his “Life” was in the hoofs of a revolver. CLICK! “Hmm guess who made it to the last chamber! You lucky stallion!” She aimed between Mac’s eyes, “Too bad I have to ruin that pretty red coat of yours.”

CLICK!

There was no pain. No splatter. Mac opened his eyes on at a time. He wasn't hit, but Peace was. A blue spot ruined the front of her suit. She glanced at her wound in disbelief before falling “dead” on the ground. Her revolver rolled away from her hoof and hit the cubicle wall. Mac couldn't help, but follow its trail with his eyes. What he saw made him breathe a sigh of relief.

“I should have let you get shot,” muttered Hush, “I could have used that favor.”

“Ah shush and help me up,” Mac reached out his hoof which Hush grabbed immediately. With little strain she lifted him up. “You’re stronger than ya look.”

“Shut up and Listen. At the end of this arena is a CEO office. My guess is that Fleur will be in there, so we’re going to storm in there guns blazing. Watch out, though. She could also be hiding.”

With that, Hush began to gallop and Mac followed close behind. There was no sign of Fleur as they ran to the CEO room and soon they were at the doors. Both reloaded the guns and breathed hard. Who knew what could be behind the door? More disciples? A turret? Maybe Fleur was hiding somewhere else. It didn't matter. The mission needed to be completed. Mac got into bucking position and Hush aimed steadily. The plan was confirmed and Mac brought in his legs to buck. The sound of hooves cracking wood resonated throughout the arena.

“Welcome friends! You made it!” Fleur guffawed. She spun around in an office chair, “I assume you defeated all my disciples…well you win!!”

Fleur opened her arms in a congratulatory fashion and was met by two shots in the chest. Her fur now ruined. Both farmer and model looked towards Hush; her gun’s barrel still smoking from being fired. She only shrugged and said, “I had to make sure we won.” Disgusted, Fleur stormed out of the room.

“Was that necessary?” Mac asked.

“Just had to be safe…or did you want her to pull a trick or something?”

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seven agents walked out the arena, but only two were paint free. Fleur’s disciples re-locked the doors to the arena, gathered the paint guns, and then scattered. Only Fleur, Hush ,and Mac were left.

“That was fun.” Fleur acknowledged still having agitation in her voice, “You two make a very good team.”

“Eeyup”

“Whatever.”

“Hmm ,quite.Well, see you two around.” With that, Fleur tossed out a smoke bomb. When the smoke cleared, she was gone and in her place was a manila folder. Hush picked it up, opened it, read over the documents, and closed it back. She let out a smirk which then turned into a worried frown.

“What’s in the folder?” Mac questioned.

“Nothing…good work today, Mac.” Hush turned to leave, but a hoof on the shoulder stopped her.

“Hey, we’re a team. You can tell me this stuff.” Said Mac, “Plus, I did kind of help get it.”

Hush thought for a moment before concluding that she should tell Mac. “It’s is a list and photos of government officials who are corrupt and being bribed by an outside source. My…our job is to watch these individuals for any suspicious activities.”

“Alright. When do we start?”

“We start whenever I tell you. Got it agent?”

“Yes ma’m!” Mac saluted.

“At ease. Now go enjoy the rest of your day…oh and here you go. I found it.” Hush said as she handed Mac a folded piece of paper. She left without another word. Disappearing some impossible way. Mac didn't hesitate to open the paper. To his surprise, it was the note he had written to his sister. Who knew Hush cared this much? He put it in his satchel and trotted to the post office before anything else bad could happen.

Look From Whence You Came and Where You're Going

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

A Quick Visit Home, Part 1

Author's Note

Guess who's back? Back again. Kid is back. Tell a friend...please...please...tell them.

Sorry about the lack of updates. I just been busy or lazy or uninterested in writing. Not that it matters. Anyway, leave some comments. concerns, positives, negatives, riots, food, titans, Eren, Mikasa, Armin Naruto...wait what?

Enjoy.

A Quick Visit Home, Part 1

Mac awoke around his usual time, the sky was still black and Luna was still on guard. He looked on the calendar on the wall. Today marked the second week of his vacation. For the past few days, nothing had been going on. No new missions, jobs, or assignments, just a bunch of training which helped him develop some skill, and even rest from previous missions. Don’t get him wrong, he liked the missions, but peace was what he desired. What was he going to do today? He didn't know, but he had a feeling something was going to happen.

Mac began to rise out of bed, but something felt different. Off. He immediately grabbed his pillow and flung it into the darkest corner. POMF. It hit something…but what?

“Whoever you are, come out of the darkness. I have more pillows.” Mac ordered.

“Calm down…” a voice responded, “I’m scared of pillows.”

“Hush? Were you watching me sleep?”

“No…*cough*…I'm glad to see the uh…training is working.” Hush stammered.

“Yeah…so why are ya in my room?”

Hush went over and lit the lantern next to Mac’s bed. She then reached into her satchel and grabbed two train tickets, shoved one into Mac’s chest, and waited for a response. Mac examined the ticket. “First Class: Row A, Seat 5. PonyVille.” He chuckled a bit because it must have been a joke, but when he looked at Hush, she was completely serious…as always. “You gotta be kidding me, right? I’m from there.”

“We have to watch a stallion that happens to be visiting that backwoods town. And since you’re from there, we figured you’d be the best for it.”

“I’m on vacation. My family will think something is up if I return. Our cover will be blown.” Mac stated.

“Don’t you worry about that. Your shadow has it covered.”Hush said punching Mac on the shoulder. He forced a smile through the pain, “Now get ready. Our train leaves in one hour.”

Before Mac could say or do anything, Hush ran to the window, grabbed a rope, and descended into the night. All Mac could do was sigh as he began to pack. He knew he’d have a lot of questions to answer from his family and friends, but hey, at least he'll get to see them. He was more than a little homesick. With a heavy sigh and light carry bag, Mac ran for the train.
______________________________________________________________________________________

“Where the buck have you been?” asked Hush.

“Well, it’s a pretty far distance from the Castle to the train station.” Replied Mac.

“Well you better hurry…” Hush waved her hand from the train window, “At the rate you’re going, you’ll never catch the train.

Right before Mac’s eyes, the train began to pull off .Slowly, the train moved, but accelerated to speed equivalent to his own. Then, it surpassed him. He galloped faster trying to catch the door handle, yet missed. He looked for something else to grab, and also heard Hush laugh at his failure. He’d show her. Concentrating on the job at hand, Mac searched frantically for something to jump on. Quickly, the train moved from his reach. His legs burned from running, his lungs ached for air, and his pride hurt from Hush’s constant laughing, so with one final idea, he leaped onto the back porch of the train. Unfortunately, his leap wasn't’ good enough and his hoof slipped past the railing. His life began to flash before his eyes until he suddenly stopped falling.

“I’ll give you points for determination, but a deduction for execution.”

Mac looked down at his hind legs which were dangling below him just missing the rails below. Hush’s hoof was lazily holding Mac’s. “Just pull me up already. This isn't safe, Hush.”

“Hmmm…”

“PULL ME UP!!”

“Okay…only because you said it so politely.”

Hush pulled Mac up and they went to sit down in their seats. As usual, Mac sat in the economy class, but when Hush kept walking, Mac followed. “We agents only ride in style.” She said. With that, Mac sat in first class and waited as the train approached Ponyville.

“Any idea on how we’re gonna do this?” he asked.

“Just let your shadow handle it ,okay?”

“Eeyup.”said as he fell asleep.
______________________________________________________________________________________

The train slowed into the Ponyville station. Mac had already awoke a couple minutes earlier. Ponies around him were gathering their items and prepared exit the train. He could have sworn he even saw the stallion he met the first time he boarded the train. He began to exit the train car, but felt weight shift on his side. He looked and Hush was sleeping on his side. In Mac’s opinion she seemed kind of stunning…in an aggressive kind of way.

“I bet you thought I was sleeping…No…acting.” Hush whispered, “Now you see that stallion. The one you were looking at before. He’s our target.”Hush yawned out.

Mac turned to look.

“Stop!” Hush hissed, “He’ll know if you’re staring. We just need to follow, and if necessary, capture him. And before you ask, he’s a courier. Now, gather your things.”

Both spies got their bags and exited the train. The familiar smell hit Mac. Fresh, clean, and cool. Hush, on the other hoof, coughed and had a hard time breathing the clean. ‘City folk’ though Mac. He took one last deep breath before he followed Hush.

Everything seemed so familiar to Mac that he almost forgot he was on a mission. He waved to ponies he knew, bought some food from the markets. It all felt…natural. He was in pure bliss until something too natural looked him straight in the eyes.

“Big Macintosh? What'cha doing back so early?” He heard his sister say. She was surrounded by the rest of her friends. He wanted to respond, but nothing came out. His mouth went dry, he froze in place, and his pupils dilated. Nothing came to mind…he was trapped.

“OH HI!” He heard Hush say, “You must be Applejack. Mac has told me so much about you!”

Hush’s voice changed from its usual stoic commanding voice to…something sweet and kind. Mac wasn't sure if this was the same person he had did so many missions with anymore.

“Uh…hi? And you are?” asked Applejack.

“My name is uh…Secretaire.” Hush answered.

“Hi…so why are you back, Mac?”

“Well you see,” Hush answered, “Mac was soooo homesick that we just haaad to come here and visit. And I just had to see the town my Stallion friend came from.”

“Stallion friend, you say?” Applejack’s right eyebrow rose. Behind her, Mac could see the rest of the mane six sigh and roll their eyes.

Twilight was looking over Hush and noticed her more bat-like appearance. “I’m guessing you work with Luna?”

“Mhmmm, I work in the paper work department. Actually, that’s how Maclicious and I met. He just walked by and we hit it off.” Hush answered.

“Maclicous?” the mane six said in unison

They all looked at Mac and he just responded, “Eeyup.” What else could he do? Like Hush said, she handled everything. Not exactly what he thought, but she did. In the middle of the conversation, Mac noticed the stallion walk into Sugar Cube Corner. Hush and Twilight noticed too.

“Well, look at the time…Mac and I should really get going. Places to see…” Hush grabbed Mac’s hoof and they ran off. When they were outta sight, the entire group looked towards Applejack ,who simply shrugged. “Who knew he was such a stud?”

"Every mare in Ponyville" Rainbow Dash replied.
______________________________________________________________________________________

Both agents ran to the area behind Sugar Cube Corner. Breathing heavily, Mac grabbed Hush and brought her close.

“What the buck was that?!”He let her go and began pacing.

“I told you I would handle the situation, and I did.” Hush seemed relaxed in the current situation, “Now, calm down. We just need to watch that stallion, and take our leave. ”

Not waiting for an answer, Hush made her way around the sweet shop, and entered. Mac followed like a good agent. The familiar smell hit the farmer like a shovel. Cupcakes,muffins,cakes. It was heaven baked into pastries. Hush struggled as she gasped for clean air. Apparently, the Cake family used “too much sugar.” Both agents got in line and waited. Three ponies were between them and their target.

This line moved a bit quicker than others. The Cake’s business was like a well oiled machine. Always working to satisfy the customer with fresh baked goods.

The stallion finally reached the counter, yet seemed unsure of what to order. He stroked his chin with thought.

“What do you recommend for a group?” he asked in a low whisper.

“Well…” Mr. Cake thought, “Our Red velvet cupcakes seem to satisfy an pony’s tastes.”

“I’ll take three boxes…”

“Thirty-five bits, but I guarantee they are worth the price."

As the stallion paid, Mr. Cake retrieved the cupcakes one by one, and placed them in carrying boxes. This ended fairly quickly, and the stallion soon left, carrying three balanced boxes on his back. Mac went to follow, yet Hush pulled him back. “Do you want to raise suspicions? We shall wait before following, Padawan.” So, they continued to wait in line. After fairly four minutes, Hush decided to resume the following, but they were already at the beginning of the line.

“Heya, Mac. Long time no see. Heard you been the real hero of Canterlot through my banker friend.” Mr. Cake stated. He began filling out Mac’s usual order: Banana Nut Muffins, “And don’t worry. This little food secret is still safe with me.”

“Eeyup.”

Big Macintosh took the bag, then left. The next customer was now being served. Their hooves clamped against the floor for a couple of seconds before Hush asked a questions, “Why did you not pay?”

“Ponyville is renowned for its niceness and hospitality…plus I trade apple with them a lot. It's good busi-“

The red stallion tripped only to face plant head first into dirt. He face , shoulder, teeth, everything now hurt. He painstakingly rose back up. He turned around to see Twilight, also on the ground, and assumed he tripped over her. Mac, being a gentle-stallion, walked over and ,using one arm, lifted Twilight to her hooves.

“Mac! I’m so sorry. I wasn’t paying any attention. I-I…”

“No worries. Just be careful were you’re going.”

Twilight only nodded before she walked off in some random direction. Mac could only shrug and followed Hush to another location-The Carousel Boutique. Hush and Mac could both agree that this place was the bane of their existence. Smelly perfumes, frilly dresses, and too much lace. Apparently, that was the style. The only reason they followed was because of the stallion. Unfortunately, they were too late, and he just left, yet that didn't mean the owner didn't know anything.

“Rarity, can we ask you some questions?” Mac asked.

“Of course, go right ahead.” She responded, coming from under a stack of cloth.

“That stallion…what was his name?”

“Uh…Loose Lips…I believe.”

“...and he ordered?”

“Nothing! He simply wasted my time! The imbecile couldn't distinguish a Garter stitch from a Stockinette stitch…Ugh…”

“Oh…”

Another dead end. Mac guessed he would simply have to keep following Loose Lips. ‘What a stupid name for a courier.’ he thought. Once again, he turned to leave, yet Hush didn't follow. She was too busy chatting with Rarity, and using her changed voice from earlier. Mac couldn't hear much of the conversation, but when Rarity rushed over started taking his measurements, he knew something was up.

“Uh…”

“Calm down ,dear. “ Hush said in her changed voice, “I only asked Miss. Rarity here to take your measurements for a new tux. Remember, we have that party in four days in Canterlot.”

"Of course…” Mac droned.

The next couple of minutes were indeed uncomfortable for Macintosh. He couldn’t move. He was advised not to breathe, lest the measurement be thrown off. On certain occasion, Lil Miss Rarity would get near more sensitive areas which only resulted in Mac becoming more embarrassed. When the process was over, Mac let out a sigh of relief. That was the worst three minutes of his life. Rarity, happy with her results, told them the outfit would be ready by the party. With that, both agents turned to leave.

“You know, you turn the loveliest shade of red when you’re embarrassed.” Hush commented, "which is weird because I never thought you could see red on red.”

“Shut u-“

Mac, once again, tripped, and hit the floor. Fortunately, his hooves caught him before his face made contact with the unforgiving ground. He turned around ,again, to see Twilight lying in dirt. “Again?”

“Well, our paths seem to be crossing a lot today Mac…”Twilight let out a nervous laugh.

“Yeah,but why are you here…you don’t wear dresses.”

“Oh you know…I…have an….essay…yeah an essay…on fashion and decided to go to Rarity for help.” She put on her biggest smiled and slipped into the Boutique. Hush disregarded the situation, yet Mac knew something was fishy. Before he could investigate further, Hush began to pull him to Ponyville’s only hotel-The Queen’s Castle. A name a little to regal for the three star hotel. She pushed open the door, spoke with the manager,got the keys, and walked to a room. Mac simply followed.
When they arrived, Mac saw Loose refilling his icebox,yet when Hush didn't move, Mac didn't either. She kept her composure, and so would he. She opened up the door next to the room of Loose, walked in, and locked the door. The room wasn't as bad as he expected. A bathroom, a window with a good view of Ponyville, Radio, a nightstand with a Picture of Celestia and Luna, and only one bed.

“I’ll sleep on the floor.” Mac offered.

“For Celestia’s sake, don’t be such a wimp. It’s a bed. It can fit the two of us comfortably. Besides, I’m not sleeping,“Hush said as she reached under the bed and pulled out a black bag. “I’m listening to our friend, Loose, all night.”

They sat for hours against the wall listening for anything out of the ordinary, yet Loose's room was quiet. Perhaps too quiet. Mac slowly grew tired of the waiting, and decided to retire to the nice ,comfortable, bed across the room. Hush,on the other hoof, kept a listening ear for anything interesting. She was determined mare. Macintosh climbed into the bed, slowly closed his eyes, yet couldn't sleep without doing one thing.

“Good night, Hush” he said.

“Eeyup.”

A Quick Visit Home: Part 2

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Case Closed

Author's Note

I had to reorder the story, m8s. I messed up. Anyway, the story is coming to a close soon. If you are still derped about the plot then go reread this chapter. It should clear things right up.

Case Closed

“The case is closed, Isra. There’s nothing illegal going on with the case. The E.I.A has no right to step in.”

“Sir, with all respect, there may be nothing illegal going on, but ethics and moral are on the line.”

“We can’t send ponies to prison for having terrible ethics and morals. Our job is to find information on evil ponies and make them face the consequences. Unfortunately, we have no illegal activity, meaning we have no jurisdiction.”

Isra and Mac stood in the office of the E.I.A Top executive- the agent who reports his findings directly to the Princesses. He sat in his chair and used his magic to levitate the case file to himself. The bags under his eyes were deep and plentiful. Still, he usually had a pleasant smile on his face. Except for today. The agents in his office were persistent with their claim about a case. He felt for them; he truly did, but his agency didn't have the rights to do anything about it.

“Fancy Pants! We both know what Deogol has planned! We can’t let him win!” Isra pleaded.

“I…”

“My father died trying to stop his plan! He knew what was going on, and now we know! We got to stop him!”

“Quiet down!” Fancy Pants commanded. The folder he held in his magic fell onto the floor causing its contents to spill onto the ground.

After a few moments, he calmed himself down. “Look, I know what your father gave for this agency. Sadly, he ended up giving his life. We were all very sorry, and we want to get the stallion responsible. Unfortunately, we can’t. Deogol has done everything legal. The only thing we could possibly get him on is gang violence, but we don’t have any proof of that either. All we can hope is the that the council decides not to vote for the Lower Canterlot Revitalization Project.”

“Well, can’t we tell the council about his plan?”Mac asked.

“So we can cause an internal panic? The media would eat this like your family’s apples.” Fancy Pants began to clean up the mess, “Isra, as your ex- Shadow I have taught you everything I know. I have taught you to never let evil go unpunished. This time, you must.”

“Fancy, there has to be something you can…” Isra pleaded again

“No…no. There’s nothing I can. The chains of government have binded me.” Fancy thought before speaking again, “Isra…you’re suspended until this situation is over. Mr. Mac, you have served your kingdom well, but your services are no longer needed. Enjoy the rest of your vacation, leave, and never say a word about what you have done.”

With that, Fancy sat down in his chair and turned away from the ex-agents. Both Isra and Mac took out their badges and watched as the silver glowed in the low light of the office. Mac sat his down, yet Isra struggled. Her hoof shook as she sat the silver badge on the table. Mac saw a tear drop form her eye. It seemed that the badge represented everything she was-her life. Yet, Mac saw something he couldn’t quite place. A glint of happiness in her eyes? He couldn't tell. He began to leave, yet Isra grabbed his hoof, and pulled him away.

“Uhh…” Mac started.

“Shush, Mac. We still have a party to attend…”

The door slammed in Fancy Pant’s office. He turned his chair around and smiled. When he was absolutely sure the two agents were gone, he stood, and looked out his window. He thought about the case at hand. Deogal, an old council member, somehow had laid his plan into motion. First, he bought the property in lower Canterlot for little to nothing. Second, he managed to trick a powerful Council member into reviving his idea. If the project was approved, the government would buy the land from him, so they could renovate. Of course they would need a construction company to do the work, but of course, Deogal's company had been worked into the deal. After the building's are torn down, Deogal would use his new found wealth to buy the barren land for cheaper than he sold it, build hastily made buildings, and sell to the upper class for a hefty price. It may seem this was a smart business move, but the idea would force thousands of lower caste ponies out of a home and into the streets. Unfortunately, the laws allowed for this.

“If Isra is still the same as she has always been...” He thought to himself, “This project won't go through...no matter what...”

Getting the Team: Part one

It was another day in Fleur’s hideout. The males trained their skills while Fleur and Peace Maker were doing each other’s hooves and manes. Peace didn’t usually partake in all these frilly activities, but her commanding officer insisted- more like commanded, and it was her job to follow her Shadow’s orders.

“Not to be rude, Fleur, but shouldn't we be training?” Peace asked Fleur.

“Why would we?” Fleur responded, “Besides, we don’t need to. We are the best on this team, and you and I never get any bonding time.”

“I understand ma’am, but our enemies grow stronger every day. We can’t just sit here lollygagging. We have to get stronger too.”

“You worry too much, Peace.” Fleur said as she began to brush Peace’s mane, “Plus, that’s not the real problem. Tell me, what’s truly bothering you?”

Peace took a deep breath before speaking, “You remember at the Paintball arena when we all lost? It was two versus five. Not to mention that one pony on the other team wasn't adequately trained, and we still lost. We’re the best team the E.I.A has, yet we lost to Isra-a.k.a the Lone pony- and her lackey-the farmer guy.”

“Big Macintosh, you mean.”

“Yes, whatever…the point is how could that happen?”

“Look, dear, I could go on about how they were lucky, or how we weren't ready. It doesn't matter. It’s in the past. Oh, turn your head; I missed a spot.”

As Peace turned her head, Fleur could see the downtrodden look on her face. Truth be told, Fleur didn't know how they lost. All the odds were in their favor, yet her team failed. She shook the thought from her head; her only job now was to make sure her team was happy and mentally prepared for the next mission.

“Okay, since you want to train so much, how about we have a sparring match?”

“Really?! “Peace’s face lit up like a Hearth’s Warming Eve tree, “Uh…I mean, Sure, but what about our hoofs and manes?”

“We can do them another time. Besides, that gives us more time to bond.”

Both ponies walked into the sparring after changing their clothes into the appropriate attire. Each went to either side of the medium square, bowed, and positioned themselves in their respective stances-Fleur in her Tai chi stance and Peace stood in her Earthpony boxing stance. Fleur smiled to see her disciple finally becoming some sort of happy. She blinked and when she opened her eyes, Peace was out cold on the mat. Fleur moved to see what was wrong, but then felt a pinch in her neck. She felt the area with her hoof and pulled out a dart. After a quick examination, she sighed.

“You could have simply asked instead of shooting us…” Fleur barely finished her sentence before she gracefully collapsed to the floor.

Trixie walked into the Canterlot Prison. It wasn't her usual sort of place to go, but she had received a letter from her friend Twilight. It told her about her brother who had run away long ago. Try as she may, she couldn’t find him for many years, but that’s a story for another time. She came to the high tech prison to find her brother, and take him home.

Trixie walked through the multiple check-out points. Each one checking her background over and over again. One guard seemed to recognize her name, and laughed. She knew her name had a bad reputation, yet she was working hard to fix it. Once she was confirmed as a “Low level threat”, she was allowed into the visitation room. In the middle was sound proof, magic resistant glass. She didn’t have to look long before she saw a familiar , blue stallion.

“Azure? Is that you?” Trixie asked.

“Yes. It is the Awesome and Mighty Azure LulaMoon…” Azure replied.

Trixie couldn’t help, but smirk at how much her brother reminded her of her old self. The smug sense of superiority, the third person speech, and of, course the blue fur. In a way, he was the male version of her. Even the way he sat uninterested in the room made her remember the old days.

“You know who I am, right?” Trixie asked again.

“Of course… You’re Azure’s less powerful sister. I’ve heard of your numerous defeats at the hands of Twilight…Disappointing.”

Ignoring her brother’s comment, Trixie continued, “You know I’ve missed you since you ran away from home. Mom, before she passed, always talked of you coming home. She...We loved you.”

Azure shifted uncomfortably in his chair. His shell of arrogance seemed to be chipping away, but he kept trying to fill it quickly. He struggled to find the words to reply to his sister’s comment, yet none ever came. He just sat that opening his mouth as the words never formed. Both siblings sat in silence until Azure finally found spoke up.

“How did you find, Azure?” Azure asked.

“I was contacted by Twilight. Apparently, the stallion, Big Macintosh, who you were stopped by-“

“No! Azure had that battle in his hooves! I was stopped by some guards, and Shining Armor! Not that farmer oaf. I was some close to all the bits.”

“…He contacted me through Twilight, and told me you were here.” Trixie finished, “That brings up another question. Why did you try to rob the bank?”

“Azure and his friends were in trouble-food trouble, and they were our only option at the time.”

“Who are they?”

Azure looked around before talking, “A huge underground gang. They said we could join if we did the job for them. Azure doesn’t know why they needed the bits, but it was for something big-some renovation project. All Azure knows is that they are controlled by an ex-political leader.”

A female guard randomly came into the room, and motioned Trixie towards her. Confused, Trixie walked to the guard. They spoke for a while. While the conversation went on, Trixie’s smile grew. When it was over, she hugged the guard, and returned to her brother who sat uneasily in his seat.

“I have good news…” she cheered.

“Azure doesn’t care.” His arrogance had reached topped levels.

“Well you should. You and your buddies, the Pegasus and griffon, are being offered a deal. If you all tell what you know about the gang, then they’ll let you go…with community service of course.”

“You’re lying to Azure. Azure doesn’t believe you!”

“Stop being so hard headed. Look, you’re going to accept the deal. You’re going to come home with me. We’re going to be a family again, and, if you are good, I’ll let you perform in my show.”

“R-r-really?! Azure can get a part in your show? You never let me help with magic before.”

“Well, you can, but only if you agree to talk.”

Azure thought quietly to himself for a couple minutes before slowly nodding his head in agreement. He couldn’t help but smile as his sister smiled at him, yet the moment didn’t last long. Two guards came into the room, and escorted Azure away. He was out of the room, yet Trixie heard him cheer when his two buddies joined with him. Trixie silently hoped her brother wouldn’t mess anything up. This was his only chance.

Within two days, Azure was out of prison, yet he was kept under strict watch. He walked the streets of Canterlot a free stallion (more or less), yet he wasn’t alone. Next to him was his sister who kept him in line. With her help, he would become a productive part of society, or at least, a great act in her show. Everything was looking up for the two unicorns…

Until they were both kidnapped.

Author's Note

The plan comes together....the gears are turning... and this chicken sandwich looks delicious. As always, leave comments, concerns, positives, negatives, etc.

Getting the Team: Part Two

Back in the Lost Colt’s Hideout, Valor and General were speaking of their plan on destroying their Rival gang- Fillies of favor. Talk of mud, dirt, loud noise, and other things were tossed around, but the conversation stopped when they heard the door to their hideout open. After a quick count, they both realized that none of their group had opened the door. Nevertheless, the gang was already ready to defend their claim-no matter how small it was.

“We don’t who you are, mate, but you’re going to have to turn around and leave. “ yelled General. His gang agreeing with him.

“Whoa there, I ain’t here to take nothing or harm ya’. Ah’m here to ask a favor.” explained a familiar voice.

“Mac?“ asked Valor, yet he was interrupted.

“Eeyup, it’s me, and there’s no time to waste. We gotta leave now.”

General walked up to the farmer and poked his broad chest. He stared down the stallion; their eyes barely level. “What makes you think the Lost Colts will help you? I mean, we already helped your sorry flank before.”

“Unlike last time, your help could change the course of events in Canterlot.”

“I think we should help. We can trust him.” Valor said, speaking up.

General took his words to hearts, but still had the group’s interest above everything else, “What’s in it for us? Lost Colts don’t work for free, or did you forget?”

Mac sighed before throwing out a bag of bits. They spilled on the floor causing the dimly lit area to explode with reflected light glory. All the colts couldn’t help but just stare at the currency. It was more than any of them had ever seen in their young lives. The younger colts moved in quick and gathered the bits. Within seconds, the bits and the colts were safely hidden.

“That is up front pay, and when the job is done, you get the rest and a very special surprise.”

“Being?” Valor asked.

“You just gotta trust me. It’s worth all the trouble in the world.”

Mac turned to leave; not looking back once. The Lost Colts looked at each before giving the unknowing shrug. One by one they followed the Mac. One way or the other, the rest of the week would be interesting for those young colts.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Shining walked through Canterlot, bored as always. Without a threat to Equestria, he was pretty useless. All he did everyday was check tedious reports, sign useless papers, and check status of the military- they were bored too. With a sigh, he sat on a bench. He barely noticed when a familiar figure sat next to him.

“Sup, bro? How are things?” He asked.

“Pretty good. Hey, I got a question for ya.” replied the Mac.

“ What ,dude?”

“Wanna help me with a mission? It’s probably going to be dangerous. I could use some backup.”

“Alright. Let’s go, bro.”

After they started walking, Mac smirked and thought to himself, 'That was easy.'

Author's Note

Now that that is done...let the story end! Final 3 chapters are on the way. Piping hot, delicious, and cooked when you order.

Back At Home(Intermission)

Author's Note

I just made this chapter so you guys wouldn't be too hungry.

Back At Home(Intermission)

The end of the month had approached, and the Apple family safe had gotten full. As per usual, it was Applejack’s job to more the bits to the bank. It was a hard job. Just tedious and boring. She knew the bits would just be taken out the net day for some farm necessity. She could only sigh at the thought. It was want Granny Smith wanted. It did give her time away from the farm, and a nice stroll never hurt. Within her thoughts, she made it to the bank in no time.

“Hello, Applejack. Here to deposit the monthly revenue?” asked the teller.

“Yep.” Applejack replied as she lifted the bag of bits onto the table.

“Alright. Just let me count these out and…woah!”

"What is it? Something the matter with our finances?!”

“Quite the opposite, Applejack. You guy’s farm must be booming.”

“No, just the regular amount of orders.”

“Well, your balance says otherwise.” The teller turned her screen around to show to Applejack.

“Sweet…Celestia…above…”

“Our records show that it was one lump sum…though, we don’t know from where.”

“Are ya sure yer fancy computer didn’t mess up or nuthin’?”

“Our computers are state of the art. All these bits are yours and your families. I think it’s enough to rival Filthy Rich’s stash.”

The farm pony turned to leave the bank. She was speechless. Her farm has never seen that amount of bits. Cider season and Zap apple season profits combined didn’t even equal a quarter of that amount. Yet, she couldn’t help thinking about where it came from. Was it an accident? Perhaps it was one of Applebloom’s cutie mark ideas. Perhaps Big Mac? Maybe he had something to do with the funds. No…he was too busy enjoying his vacation.

Just think of all the things she could do with those bits. Fix the barn, fix the house, buy new apple trees, more land for more trees, get Granny Smith a new hip, Mac a new yoke, or Applebloom a different bow. Maybe, just maybe, she could buy something for herself.

“Whoa, Applejack! Watch where you’re going…”

“Huh? Oh…sorry, Twi. Just lost in thought.”

“Oh? Maybe I can help?” offered Twilight.

“Alright. Somehow, we came into a lot of bits, and I don’t know how. I was thinking maybe Mac did it, but he’s too busy having fun.”

“Definitely not Big Macintosh,” Twilight said nervously, “Can’t be him…”

“Why not?”

“You know…because uh…he’s too busy with Secretaire to earn money.”

“I guess so, sugarcube...but where did that money come from is my question?”

“Who knows?! Just accept it! Praise Celestia you’ve came into some bits.” Twilight began pushing Applejack towards her farm,

“ Have fun! Buy yourself something nice. Like a new hat. Just don’t ask questions.”

“Uh..alright.” Applejack said as she walked home.

“Oh…and Applejack…It wasn’t Big Mac.”

Let the Party Begin

Author's Note

After months of waiting, it returns. I finally bought the ide to usb; so here is the long awaited return.

Let the Party Begin

Mac, followed by Shining and the Colts, walked back to Isra’s home. The walk was long. Luckily, the group didn’t look too out of place. It were just two older Stallions leading a pack of younger colts. Mac rethought his situation and hoped no one got suspicious. As the group walked, The farmer noticed that Shining and “General” had taken a liking to one another. Both being leaders, they were naturally attracted to each other. He couldn’t hear exactly what they were speaking of, but he knew it was about the Lost Colts. From what he could make out, both were having a good time.

Mac also noticed that Valor was walking pretty close. It didn’t bother him none. It felt like he had a little brother; he always wanted a little brother. Unfortunately, he was given two younger sisters. Ones he loved dearly.

“How’s it going?” asked Mac.

“Pretty good,” Replied Valor, “I noticed Shining Armor is here? Are we in trouble?”

“No…no. I need all of you to help me and that mare who set the building on fire.”

“She’s still alive? I’d thought she’d be dead by now.”

Mac laughed to himself then wondered how Isra survived so long. “She’s very much alive. Sane-I think not.”

The group continued walking in moderate silence for a while though the younger of the Lost Colts wouldn’t stop humaning around (author’s bad humor). “General” then turned around and calmly told them to stop. Shining took note of this. At that point Mac began to wonder how the gang of colts came to be. His curiosity got the better of him as he turned to ask Valor.

“So, how did the Lost Colts come to be?” Mac asked.

Valor froze in his steps;his face drained of color. He regained his composure and continued walking. When he talked, his voice was low and solemn, “We were all in an orphanage located in Lower Canterlot. Things were good except the fact no one wanted to adopt any lower caste, pony orphans. We got pretty close to one another; almost brothers.”

“I can definitely see that. It’s good to have siblings.”

“It feels good too. Anyway, one day we were hanging out when our caretaker came crying through the house. Apparently, some construction company had bought the land our home was on. She told us that the next day was when the demolition crew was scheduled to come. ” Valor stopped to take a deep breath. He was decided if he should continue or not, “That night, General gathered us, and we left. Something about not making our caretaker have to worry about us. We found that den in the ground, and we been there ever since.”

Mac could only nod. He didn’t have anything to say, or rather, he could say. He had a gut feeling that Deogal’s company was the one responsible. Yet, he didn’t want the group to know. For the plan to work, personal feelings did not need to surface in crucial moments. If they did, the whole thing would fall through. And that...that would cause a catastrophe.

After moments of walking, they finally arrived to the abandoned warehouse. The second time seeing it, it didn’t look too bad to Macintosh, but to the others it looked disastrous. The rust peeled from the already worn metal. The color faded into something he couldn’t readily name. The only thing he noticed that was weird about the building was that the door seemed less worn-even new. Perhaps it was painted to be old.

“Uh, bro, is this the place?” asked Shining. He examined the building unsure whether Mac was still sane.

“Yeah, this is the place.” Mac assured. He opened the door to reveal the hallway and walked in. Baffled by the interior, the group followed. ]

They walked the long hallway until an opened door came into view. The group went through the opening into a fully furnished dwelling, yet one thing stood out. In the center of the room were four tied and blinded ponies. Two remained calm while the other blue unicorns struggled and worried.

“You kidnapped them?!” asked Mac as he rushed in and started untying the ponies.
Isra, smiling, appeared from a hatch in the floor. “Of course, how else was I suppose to get them here?”

“You could have asked them!”

“And if they say no?”

“We find someone else.”

“For the plan to work…we need these exact ponies.”

Fleur rose up from her previous tied position. She wasn’t angry or frustrated, but happy. “I must admit, she kidnapped up with style. I was surprised she didn’t alert my team when she kidnapped us. Bravo, Isra!”

“She didn’t have to tie the rope so tight. My hooves were losing circulation.” said Peace as she rubbed her hooves to restore the blood flow.

Isra metaphorically patted herself on the back. Mac sighed as he began to untie…Trixie and Azure. He guessed he was correct about the relation between them both. At first, he uncovered Trixie’s eyes; she wore a confused expression. He then uncovered Azure’s eyes; he was just as confused as his sister, yet he refused to show it. He kept his arrogance at top level. Mac then untied Trixie; she immediately pushed Mac away and pulled her brother away.

“Who are you terrible ponies?!” she yelled lighting her horn. She then noticed Shining Armor in the back, “Aren’t you going to help me?! Trixie is obviously in trouble!”

“Calm down. Ms. Lulamoon, you are alright. You were brought here to…to…”

“You were brought her to help stop a travesty from unfolding.” Isra explained, “If you all would sit down, I could explain.”
Trixie, unsure of the situation, calmed down and untied her brother. Everyone else found a sit within the living area. With everyone settled, Isra left, yet quickly returned with juice boxes for the younger colts. She then left again. This time, she returned with tripod stand and a diagram, and sat it in the middle of the group. Next, she pulled out her pointing stick and began to speak.

“Lower Canterlot is in trouble. Not by some mystical evil or whatever. It’s in trouble by some greedy, power hungry, sneaky, ulterior motive having, sadistic, puppy kicking -“

Mac cleared his throat.

“Anyway, The ex-council member, Deogal, has elaborately laid out his plan to acquire the land from Lower Canterlot and sell it for millions of bits.”

“And what’s the problem?” asked Trixie.

“I suppose thousands of lower caste ponies being homeless isn’t much of a problem.”

“Please…do explain.” said Fleur.

Isra nodded before pointing at her diagram.

1. Buy the land and buildings

2.Raise rent so the ponies can’t afford to live and have to leave

3.Force them to leave

4.Demolish buildings and build lavish news ones.

5. Sell for profit

“That cunning bastard…” Shining insulted and complimented, “Mostly everything he did is legal and the illegal things he did, we can’t tie him to. How exactly to you suggest we stop the project and put him in jail?”

“Simple. We get a confession.” Isra answered, “Once he admits his confession, The council will immediately cancel the renovation project

“That’s a lot easier said than done.” Inserted Peace, “If he’s as smart as he seems, then getting a confession would be very difficult.”

“Good thing I have a plan. ” Isra smirked. “There’s a party in two days. With a bit of digging, I figured out that Deogal owns the venue, which happens to be his home, and so kindly lent it out for the party. In return, he received an invitation to the party. There, we will get our confession.”

“So why are we here?” General asked while wrestling with the youngest colt.

“Allow me to explain.” Isra stated as she turned the page of her diagram, "Mac and I enter the party with out tickets; that way we don’t raise suspicions. Trixie and Azure will then appear outside in with their wagon stage and entertain any guest on the outside. While that is happening, the rest of the team will sneak out the back of the wagon: Three teams.1.The Lost Colts, 2. Peace Keeper, 3. Shining and Fleur.Team one gets the honor of crashing the party. Run around. Cause trouble. Loud noises. Etc. Just allow enough time for Mac and I to sneak away unnoticed. Team two will position her self on top of the roof over looking Deogol’s office. A non-lethal rifle will be positioned there for you. Take out anyone who you deem a hindrance to our plan. Team 3 will be split in two. After sneaking out of the wagon, Fleur, with her flexibility, will crawl through the vents until she reaches a vent directly above Deogal’s office. There she will listen to our conversation and record, for surely Mac and I will be searched for any recording devices. After we get the confession, Fleur will use her magic to relay a message to Shining who will be strategically placed outside around Trixie’s show. He will then call the Royal Guards to come save our Ocean’s Eleven impersonating asses."

“I can’t believe you actually wrote out your actual statements as mission plans.” Observed Mac.

“Shush!”

Fleur arose from her seat and overlooked the plan. She seemed to be judging every aspect of it. From the planning to the execution. After along and held out pause, Fleur turned and nodded.

“The plan is good, but only one problem.” She said.

“Which is?”

“How are Mac and you going to get tickets? The party is in two days and all the invites were sent out already. I would give you mine, but I wasnt invited.”

“Don’t worry;I have that worked out too.” Isra replied. She turned and headed for the exit, “Oh, Mac, Shining, and Valor, I require your assistance.”

Ticket Uno

“How exactly are we exactly going to get the tickets?” asked Mac. He, Isra, Valor, and Shining were walking outside of the warehouse. Down the road they walked as Isra wrote something on a piece of paper. As soon as she finished, the group reached a crossroad.

“We are going to split. Shining and you go to the left, and Valor and I go to the right. Take these masks and note. Go to the address listed on it and walk down the alley. By tonight, we both should have our tickets. If not, the plan falls through. Try not to fail.”

“We won’t fail, ma’am.” Assured Mac.

“You better not because…” Isra stepped forward ,so she could whisper into Mac’s ear, “If you do, Deogal won’t be the only one on my list to take out.”

With those words uttered, Isra slowly backed away, but not without softly kissing Mac’s cheeks. It couldn’t have been a kiss of passion or love; it must have been kiss of promise and revenge. The case meant a lot to Isra, so if anything got in her way, she would make him pay. Mac knew this, yet the others saw it differently.

After the group split, Isra and Valor began walking towards Canterlot’s market district. They walked in awkward silence since this was only their second time meeting. Though, it wasn’t completely bad. Having a child’s company lightened the mood. Valor’s innocence and optimism were something new and welcomed. Though, at some points, it was slightly annoying.

“So, are you and Mr. Mac going out?” Valor asked.

“W-w-what give you even the slightest notion of that?” Isra stuttered.

“Well, you kissed him about an hour ago. Plus, you seem to spend an awful lot of time with him.”

“How do you know that?”

“We Lost Colts get around. It’s our job to be observant.”

“I can assure you that Big Macintosh and my relationship is strictly business.”

“And I can assure you that I do not steal from the Canterlot Elite.” Valor said sarcastically after noticing a slight blush on Isra’s blue fur.

The two continued walking. The scenery changed from rusted buildings to the stylish, new buildings of upper Canterlot. The ponies of the area were known to belittle or disrespect each, but when it came to bat ponies and the lower caste, it was another level. Especially when they were seen together. Isra and Valor had both learned to ignore the glares and the hushed comments. Isra noticed the Valor seemed to be cracking underneath the words of the elite.

“Don’t get down because of what those upper class ponies have to say.” Isra said after she noticed Valor’s face. She remembered the days she would do the very thing bringing him down. After she joined the agency, she began to hate those who did It., “Their heads are just too far up their own flanks to accept anyone different from their own herd.”

Valor laughed and cheered up, though he still had sadness in his eyes.

“Yeah...Yeah. Hey, Isra…where are we going?”

Isra turned into store filled with clothes that absolutely disgusted Valor. “To get the tickets, we have to become the very thing we hate…”

The next hour was filled with clothes, hats, shoes, etc. Isra, remembering the feeling from her childhood, tried on numerous clothes excessively. She had to find the correct outfit for the plan to work. Some dresses were too bright, some were too dark. Soon, with the help of an attendant, she settled on a light yellow sundress with trim of blue that almost matched her fur color.

Next, it Valor’s turn. He feared for this. In his mind, the two mares descended on him like vultures on meat. He was their dress up doll. First, they cleaned his natural, dirty colt appearance. Second, were the clothes. The constant changing of clothes was disorienting. An outfit was never on him for more than a couple seconds before it was exchanged for another. Though, he enjoyed the company. Finally, the mares decided on a light blue, ruffled blouse. His cleaned up appearance could make any mare’s heart explode.

“You know I’m not wearing this blouse…”

“But you look do adorable!” joked Isra. She really meant it.

“No one in their right mind would wear it.” Valor shook his head, “How about you just get me that tux? It’s nice looking and I’ll wear it.”

Disappointed, Isra decided not to argue. She allowed Valor to have the tux. After she bought the outfits, they made their way to a party not far from the store. In their “disguises”, they blended with elite. Nopony could tell them apart from any other elite. Well except the fact that one was a batpony. Other than that, they seamlessly moved into place.

The party was nothing more than a gathering of mares who talked gossip about one another. Each mare seemed to try to outdo each other in smugness and being obnoxious. It was a terrible place for the two hidden ponies. They managed to easily get in since there wasn’t a list- an open get together.

As soon as they got in, the mare attacked Valor. Pinching his cheeks, squeezing him, hugging him, even kissing him. They were bombarding him with affection for his appearance. Internally, he loved it, but his young instincts made him show his hatred of it.

“Ugh! Ms. Isra, Please tell me why we’re here.” Valor pleaded as he dodged a hug.

“Every mare here has a ticket to the party tomorrow. I need you to steal one.” Isra answered.

Valor smiled as he disappeared into the sea of mares. Isra then went to a group of mares and joined their conversation. She was waiting. Waiting for a key element to happen. She didn’t have to wait long.

“What are you doing, you little heathen!” screamed a mare.

Isra immediately moved into place. “How dare you call my precious colt a heathen?” Isra defended. Her voice changed to reflect that of a Canterlot noble.”

“You’re precious colt tried to steal from me!”

“Gasp…Pompous…Is she telling the truth?” Isra asked shocked;her acting skills were amazing.

Valor, catching on quick, joined in the act. “Yes, mother. I did.” Valor tried to look melancholy, yet his lips twitched with a smile.

“Why, darling…why?”

“I saw those ruffians doing it. They said to be cool; I had to try it… Forgive me, madam. Please forgive me.”

The mare went towards Valor. She took his hoof, and started speaking. Ira didn’t hear what she said; she blocked it out. Her objective was to take the ticket slightly hanging from a pocket. She nodded towards Valor who kept keeping the mare busy. Using her slight of hoof, she slipped the ticket out of the pocket, put it in her pocket, and continued like nothing happened.

“…and that’s why you shouldn’t listen to those ruffians. They are dirty, uneducated, low-classed citizens.” Ranted the mare.

Isra noticed the anger growing on Valor’s face; she stepped in. “Thank you for setting my son straight. We must be off. Stuff to do.” She grabbed Valor’s hoof and quickly left the party, yet Valor returned with a cup of water in his hooves. He then threw his arms forward causing the cup to empty its contents onto the mare. Her mane sagged and her makeup ran.

“Don’t you ever talk about us that way again.” He warned before Isra swooped him away in her arms.

Brotherly Love

“Last call for mail! Last call for mail!!” bellowed the Pegasus mail courier

“Wait! I have a letter to be delivered to Sweet Apple Acres!” Yelled back Mac.

“Good timing, I was just about to leave.”

The sun was about to set as Big Macintosh handed the letter to the courier. The courier gladly took the letter, and then took his leave. Soon his letter would be in his sister’s hooves and he couldn't wait for a reply. No, he couldn't wait for the vacation to be over. It wasn't that he didn't like where he was or he hated being an agent. It was the fact he missed the farm. It was only day three of his vacation and he already was suffering from withdrawal form lack of farm work.

Mac walked from the postal office alone. He dwelled on his thoughts until a brown unicorn bumped into him. Mac didn't fall, but the lanky unicorn hit the ground spilling the belongings of his satchel. Being polite, Mac offered his hoof out to the unicorn, and then began picking up the spilt cargo.

“Sorry about that.” Mac apologized. He picked up a folder “Here let me give ya a hand.”

“Yeah yeah…justhandmeeverythingquickly!” rushed the unicorn in his croaky voice as he snatched the folder away.

“Oh…”

“Thank you.” The unicorn said as he hurriedly walked away.

“No problem…and keep the bits.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Ah know ya took three bits from ma satchel when we collided. Ah’ see em shining in your hooves. I don’t need em, so keep em.”

The unicorn just stared Mac in the eyes before running off. Mac waved then continued to walk. Once again, he became lost in his thoughts.Being in Canterlot was the furthest he had been from home. While his younger sister had been all over Equestria.He was proud of her for traveling and saving the world multiple times, but to him, Sweet Apple Acres felt like home. He wasn't designed to be able to survive anywhere else besides a farm. He breathed the farm, lived the farm…He was the farm and likewise. He honestly didn't know what else was out in the world unless in was in the confines of Ponyville and the farm. It wasn't the fact that he was afraid of the world…it was more along the lines of he didn't want to know.. Macintosh was content with the world he knew and grew up in.

“Watch where you’re going you big oaf!” someone yelled.

“Eeyup...”

The Equestrian Intelligence Agency…was it really for him? A regular farm pony. He had seen more, and done more in the past three days than he had done in the rest of his life and he sort of didn't like it. Yes, he was doing it for the better good, yet what about the better good of his family? Applejack said her friends were helping with the farm in his absence, but what would happen if he never came back? What would have happened if Azure had really finished the job or another mission sends Mac to the grave? Applejack’s friends had lives of their own and couldn't help with chores for long before having to return to their personal affairs. Of course, more Apple family would come to help, but they also have to return to their own lives. Mac didn't want to elevate his importance, but without him, the farm would fail…actually…without any of the Apple family the farm would fail.

Mac thought and remembered something. He was being paid a stipend. It was enough to hold his family indefinitely, yet he knew for a fact they wouldn't like it. Ever since the beginning of his heritage, it had been instilled into the blood of his family to never accept something unless you worked for it. Even if the bits would help, his family would simply return them. They would rather let the farm die out than to accept charity. Mac couldn't help but smirk. The truth was…he would too.

Mac continued walking only looking up every so often to make sure he was walking in the right direction to…to…he didn't really know where he was going. He simply was walking until a firm tap caught his attention.

“Hey…uh Mac? Remember me?”

"You’re Shining Armor, right? Miss. Twilight’s brother?” Mac asked.

“Yeah…”

“So..uh…what are ya doing out?”

“Well, Princess Cadence forced me to come to vacation here and Celestia won’t let me perform any of my old duties. She was pissed when I arrived at the bank and rescued you. Anyway I'm just wandering around town bored.”

“I didn't need rescuing. I had the entire situation under control.”

“You were lying on the bank floor with paralysis, and Azure was charging his attack. It would have been game over if I hadn't heroically saved your flank.”

Mac just snorted at the response. But he knew what Shining was saying was all true. Mac accepted his defeat and started to say farewell to Shining only to be interrupted by him.

“Hey dude. Wanna hang out some? I’m not trying to sound needy or anything, but I’m bored.” Shining stated.

“Hmm…” It only took a second for Mac to decide, “Alright, so where were you headed?”

“Uhh I was just wandering around then I saw you. Where were you headed?”

“I was just wandering around until you came to talk to me.”

“Well let’s wander together!”

And wander they did. Two stallions went around Canterlot with no specific destination in mind. The conversations ranged from food to mares that passed them both by. The conversations about mares would quickly cease when Shining remembered he was married. A weird event happened to each as stallion. A government official, which neither could name, burst through the middle of them while holding a folder. After the event, each stallion talked about home and work: Macintosh with the farm and his family’s closeness and Shining with the military and his wife. They were getting to become pretty good friends when Shining brought up a serious topic.

“Hey Mac…can I ask you something?” Shining asked in voice low.

“Yeah. Ask away.” Mac said. He went to purchase a box of donuts from a nearby store. He offered one to Shining who refused and sat on a nearby bench. Mac followed suite.

“Uh…I’m not sure how to ask this, but how do you deal with the fact that your younger sister constantly saves the world while you sit a home?”

“Not sure I understand.”

Shining looked at the donuts and took a chocolate one. “It’s like…I’m the older brother. I’m supposed to protect Twilight when bad things happen. Now, after many years of being apart, she has saved the world numerous times while I just married her baby sitter.”

Mac thought a while before responding. He sat contemplating while Shining waited for a response. “You’re thinking about it the wrong way.” Mac explained, “I once felt the same about my sister, Applejack. When we found out she was the Element of Honesty, Oh, we always knew there was something special about her. Anyway, I always protected her even though she never needed it. From fruit bats that chased her to bullies who made fun of her accent, I was there. Then one day, Nightmare Moon appeared. To be honest, I didn't even know; I was sleep. When I woke up, Princess Luna was back and Applejack was one of the heroes of Equestria.”

Shining looked up from his slouched position; a confused look plastered on his face. Mac caught on to this look and decided to get to the point.

“After that, Applejack started to become the one to save me instead of the other way around. Of course, I felt how you do, but then I started to feel better.”

“Why? Tell me!”

“Because I started to see my little sister mature. Broke out of that young filly I used to protect and became her own mare. She no longer needed me and I could accept that. You should too.”

“Ehh…but it's the fact that I always protected her and now the tables have turned. It's hard to accept it.”

“Look, Shining. It doesn't matter who’s protecting who. You guys are family. That’s all that matters…or you could start a “who saved who” the most contest which I say she is in the lead by a landslide.”

“Wait! I protected her from the monster in her closet!”Shining said with pride.

Mac just deadpanned and stated the obvious,“Yep…and she defeated Nightmare Moon, Discord, and Chrysalis…need I go on?”

“Nah…”

The conversation ended with that. Each stallion was silence as they sat in one another’s company. Time passed slowly and the donuts disappeared along with it. Stars started appearing and the moon began to replace the sun. Shining stayed in his slouched position and Mac could only hope his words made a difference. After a while, Shining rose and stretched.

“It was nice hanging out with a cool stallion for once. In my opinion all the royal guards are boring and share the same opinion. Hopefully, I’ll see you around.” Shining put out his hoof for a hoof shake.

Mac firmly grabbed Shining’s hoof and shook. “I’m pretty sure our paths will cross again. And you’re pretty cool yourself.”
With that, the stallions went there different ways: Mac to the castle and Shining to wherever. While walking, Mac heard something hit the ground and trot to him. He had a fairly good Idea who it was, so he didn't turn around. Simply, let her have her fun.

“Ugh! You still haven’t noticed I’m walking beside you!” Hushed yelled, “You really suck as an agent!”

“AH!!” The poor red stallion jumped into the air and landed on his haunches. A good deal of theatrics placed into the moves,

“When did you get her, Hush?”

“I've been beside you awhile. You have to improve.” she sighed, “So what were you and Shining talking about?”

“Brotherly stuff.” He decided not to question how she knew about Shining.

“Is that so? Anyway, it’s getting late and we need to get back the castle. Give me a doughnut.” Hush commanded as she snatched the doughnut box away.

“We?”

“Yes. WE. Now move before I knock you back to Ponyville…ugh…these donuts suck.”

Author's Note

Just a short chapter before I make them a little longer. A lot longer. With this chapter, I wanted to have Mac think about home and stuff...I can't really explain. Can't really write either but that another thing. Let's say, I wanted him to actually think on stuff and not have a story with him just doing agent missions. I think I did a good job. Anyway, as always, leave comments, positive or negatives, social secu-...never mind, stuff I could work on(everything), or maybe just tell me your feelings.

The Plan Starts

"Where are we?" asked Mac as he was pulled into a old building.

"This is my base. Trust me it looks better on the inside.." replied Isra.

"Why are we here?"

"Our jobs aren't done. We still have to stop the project."

Mac continued walking as Isra locked the doors behind them. It was dark, but low glowing orbs illuminated a path straightforward. When he reached the end of the hallway, he saw a door covered with dust. With a small push, it opened revealing a home area. There was a kitchen, living room filled with couches and electronics, and even a bedroom. Mac couldn't help but be amazed by area. It was like gold covered in rust. Though, he supposed Isra wanted it to look that way so a passerby wouldn't know what's inside.

"Welcome to my home, though I haven't been here in a while." Isra said, "We better get started. Intel says Miranda managed to get the council to pay for the project. To stop it from moving forward, we're going to need more than just the two of us."

"Isra, we can't do this. Fancy Pants took my badge away and suspended you." Mac responded.

"Look, my father died on this case. He did everything he could to stop it, yet was rewarded by a magical blast to the chest." Isra had to stop to wipe a tear form her eye, "I won't sit idly by while an opportunity to end it passes. I will do everything in my power to stop it. With or without your help."

Memories of Mac's parents death resurfaced in his own mind. The pain, the agony, the grief filled months seemed to pile on him at once. He knew what Isra was going through. He knew he had to help.

"Alright, you said we need a team..." Mac repeated, "I think I have the right ponies for the job."

Author's Note

*Insert Author's Note*