The Four Seasons

       The sun seeped into the bedroom and into Big Macintosh's eyes. He tried escaping the sun by turning over, but the sun's rays had already woken him up. He reluctantly got out of bed and made his way over to the cracked mirror mounted on his dresser. The figure looking back at him was sleep deprived and had bags under his eye's.The previous night he hadn't slept at all, that conversation with the princess's had been replaying in his head over and over again.

Him and his sisters hadn't talked much on the matter, they thought it would be best to sleep on it for the night and discuss it in the morning. A conversation he had dreaded all night, but knew it would eventually come. He himself didn't know if he wanted to accept or decline the offer from the princess. On one hoof he would be on a very different path that he never expected to be on, and wouldn't know where it would lead,and on the other hoof he would be away from his family and couldn't help his sister out on the farm. He was at a stand still with himself.

A knocking on his door woke him from his thoughts, he realized he had been standing there for a while.He slowly moved to the door and as he opened the door the hinges gave a high pitched squeak. When he opened the door he saw a yellow filly with a bow tied in her mane. He smiled gently at her trying to hide the fact he had alot on his mind.

"Heya big brother" Applebloom said with a hint of cheer in her voice.

"Hello ,what can ah do ya for sis" He asked while maintaining his calm attitude

"Ah just came to tell ya that Granny smith is nearly done fixin up breakfast"

"Well alright you go down stairs and ah will join you guys in a minute"

        "Well alright see ya in a minute then" she said  before casually walking away where she eventually disappeared going down the stair case.

He backed away into his room and sat on his bed, he tried to mentally prepare himself for the bombardment of questions he would be asked by Apple Jack and the other members of his family.He sat there for a good five minutes before sucking it up, he walked into the hallway and proceeded to the stair case,as he descended down the stair case he could smell apples and giggling coming from six mares. When he entered the kitchen he not only saw his sisters, he also saw his sisters friends giggling while eating their breakfast. Rainbow Dash noticed him enter the room and quickly got the others attention, they all went dead silent and focused all their undivided attention on him.

He walked to the table and took an empty seat across from Apple Jack and begun pouring himself  a bowl of apple soup.The uncomfortable silence lingered on until Apple Jack had enough of it and decided to start talking to him about yesterday.

"So have you aren't actually going to take the offer are you?" she said getting right down to the point

"Ah have thought about to be quite honest" He said not making eye contact with his sister and her friends

"What do you mean your thinkin about it,you cant accept it,how are we going to tend to the farm if your not here"  now she was getting annoyed.

"Ah didn't say ah was gonna take it, ah just said ah was thinkin about" he calmly stated before taking a bite out of his eggs.

"Well ah sure hope ya'll don't we would be pretty lost with out ya" said Apple Jack starring down at her own food.

"Ya everypony would find it weird if you were not around any more" Rainbow Dash said trying to back up Apple Jacks statment.

"Guy's, ah appreciate that you want me to stick around but this is a decision that ah have to make alone". He said softly before getting up and moving to the sink to clean his plate.

"Sorry to cut our conversation short but ah have work to be attendin to"He then walked to the door and opened it where he proceed down the front path.

Today he had to plow the south field ,and that usually helped to take his mind off things. As he continued to the barn where the plow was stored, his mind had already begun to wonder onto his dissension he had to make in one week.He wanted to get out and explore the world one day , but at the same time he didn't want to abandon his family. With that another question popped up in his head.

"Why do the princess's want me to join their guard out of all the other ponies who qualified?" He silently questioned to himself

       This question kept popping up as he continued to plow the field.He couldn't understand why he was invited but not any other stallions who may have qualified.What would his family think if he decided to go? Would they be happy? Would they be angry? Or would they be able to make ends meet without him.All these questions bombarded him while he worked the field, and refused to leave his mind.

He paused and realized he was already half way done with that field he was working, he was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't pay any attention to the fact that it was noon and the sun was centered in the sky. He then decided to take a break to go and get some lunch from the house.So he unhitched himself from the plow and slowly paced on the path towards the farm house. As he walked into the house he noticed the absence of six mares and three little filly's. The only one who was there was an elderly mare who was in the kitchen cooking a apple pie in the oven. The scent of the apple pie lead him into the kitchen and to the kitchen table.

"Hello sonny, hows that field comin along" She said while taking the apple pie out of the oven and carefully set it on the table where they would eat.

"Hello Granny, where's everypony at?" He responded still eyeballing the apple pie

"The all went into town" She said while pouring some tea for them

"What do they need in town"

         "Nothing, Ah asked them to get out of the house for a little while" she said while setting the drink in front of him, and then taking a seat at the table with him.

"Why would you do that?" Macintosh asked with curiosity in his voice as he looked up from his pie

"I wanted to talk with you one on one" She stated with a stern and serious face.

Macintosh immediately knew what it was she wanted to talk about with him, and cringed up knowing she would have alot of questions that he wouldn't have all the answers to give her.

"y-yeah?"   he said not knowing what was to come of this conversation.

"So, ah understand you have a decision to make, and it is a big one to"

"Eeyup" Big Macintosh said looking down into his glass of tea

"Do you know what your goin to do yet"

        "Eenope"

"Why" Granny Smith was now obviously pushing the subject now

"I don't know Granny, one one hoof if ah leave ah will have many opportunity's and on the other hoof I don't want to abandon ma family like that" He glumly said still looking down.

"Now look here sonny, do you really want to stay on this here farm your whole life" She said in a very serious tone looking straight into his eyes.

"Ah don't know, I'm not good at anything  outside the farm Granny"

"Don't sell yourself short like that, have you seen your strength compared to others"

"Ah guess , but how are you guys gonna make ends meet without me to help with apple buck season"

"Well Apple Jack can pull her weight and Applebloom will be able to buck the trees soon. So together they will be fine" She said trying to give him a reassuring pat on the back.

"Ah just don't know Granny, what if something goes wrong and am not here to help".

"Now look, your young and your not going to stay young forever. Your at the age where you need to go out into the world and see what you can make of yourself" She said with enthusiasm

"Okay ah have to get back to work Granny but Ah will consider what you have said" He said before walking to the door and leaving to continue his work.

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  Later that night

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Big Macintosh was sitting in his room looking out his window trying to make up his mind on what he wanted to do with his future when a knock was made on his door.

"Big Mac? It's me Applebloom, can ah come in and talk to you for a minute?

"Eeyup" He responded as he turned towards the door.

The door opened and the yellow filly with a bow in her hair came in and sat on his bed, and Big Macintosh then went and sat beside her

"So what do ya need sis" A bit of concern in his eye's

"Well it's about you becomin a guard and what no."

"Oh" His ears flattened and he looked down at his hooves "So you heard about that?"

"Well ya,It's just are you gonna do it"

"I don't know sis, What do you think about that?"

"I think ya'll should do it"she said with a smile

Big Macintosh was shocked at his sisters response. He knew Apple Jack wasn't fond of the idea but he didn't expect Applebloom to think that it was a good idea. He wondered why she thought this.

"Why?" was all Big Macintosh was able to say

"Well ah can read you better then ya'll can read yourself, and ah can tell when ya'll work in the fields that you dont want to stay here on this here farm the rest of your life. So you should consider getting out into the world"

"Do you really think so" He said looking at his sister

"Yes ah do, Ah want ya'll to be happy and you should do what makes you happy"she said and smiled

A knock on the door caught their attention and they both got up and went to open it. When they opened the door they saw Apple Jack standing there waiting patiently.

"Hey Applebloom can ah have a moment with our brother, please?"

"Sure thing sis" She said and then walked down the hall.

         "Heya big bro can ah come in"

         "I don't see why not " he said before letting her into the room and then sat her on the bed like he did with Applebloom.

         "so...." she said nervously

         "Ah just wanted to apologize for bein on your case earlier today about your decision."

                "That's okay sis you were just lookin out for me, and don't want o see me go."

               "Yeah ah guess your right, you should do what you want to do." She said

               "So what do you think ah should do then sis?"

               "What do ya want to do?"

"Ya'll should do it" she said

                 "Ya think so he said"

                 "Ah know so" she said confidently to her older brother." Oh yeah ah almost forgot, we have twilght and spike over for dinner. Want to join

                 "Sure sis."

With that they went down stairs and joined their company. the dinner they had was a homemade apple soup and apple pie. everypony had a great time, but eventually it ended. Twilight and spike were about to leave but Big Mac but he had one more thing to do.

               "Spike could ya take a letter for the princess for me?"

Spike then got out a quill and a piece paper out ready to write.

            "Okay ready" spike said

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Dear Princess Celestia

I have thought about your offer and after much

thinking I have decided to accept this offer.

Send me any additional information I will need to

know.

   Thanks

Big Macintosh

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And with that they sent the letter

Macintosh had made his decision.