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By the time he had adjusted to the constant hammering of the train it had come to a stop. He slowly stood up and glanced out the window and took in the scenery of the Canterlot train station. He briefly considered if maybe he had wasted his years and potential all his life and wondered if he would be a better stallion if he had taken his abilities here instead of staying in Ponyville his whole life.
He could sum up the totality of his thoughts in one word.
Nope.
With all his strength he might have made a good knight. With all his patience he might have made a good royal guard. With all his soft spoken wisdom he could have been a teacher. On the other hoof he would have been bored out of his skull if he was anything other than himself. There was just something fulfilling about putting in an honest day’s work. There was this certain degree of physical exhaustion just before the threshold of pain that was almost zen like.
Normally he pushed past that point and went to bed sore.
With steady calculated movements Big Macintosh made his way to the back of the train. The narrow corridors always had at least one carefree child darting aimlessly; the last thing he needed was to accidently step on one. The last car on the train was populated by his kind of Pony; honest hard working laborers. Four Earth Ponies and a Unicorn were busy at unloading larger objects from the car to a collection of patient individuals outside. The staff working in the back of the train had gotten used to seeing him in Canterlot. They made a habit of clearing room for him to gather his goods and leave; even though perhaps it was only because it saved them from moving what was sometimes the largest chunk of cargo they had.
He smiled approvingly at their efforts and helped himself to his objective.
He geared himself to pull a large wagon loaded with the pride of his family’s farm: apples.
He carefully inspected the wagon and all its parts and hitched himself to it using the yoke he wore everywhere with him. He fondly thought back to the day that his dad decided that he was ready to start tackling the big jobs on the farm. A smile came over the gentle giant’s face as he came back to the here and now. His deliveries to Canterlot had gone like clockwork for the past few years. He’d go collect the wagon and take a small moment to reminisce and by the time he was done he would have clearance enough to begin his march. Big Mac politely excused himself from the train and built up a steady pace. He paid no mind to the Ponies around him; well except maybe the occasional energetic child that he’d like to avoid stepping on.
He kept a steady speed as he made his way through the streets of the heart of Equestria. He wasn’t all that impressed with the size of the buildings or the way the city but took time to appreciate all the labor hours it took to erect them. He briefly looked up to the sky and started thinking about what was overhead.
Big Macintosh gazed at the night sky and wondered if it made anypony else feel as tiny as it made him feel. The vastness of the ocean of stars, each one of them being incredibly large; and some of them maybe even possibly being larger than the one that Princess Celesitia commanded every day. All that potential in that great expanse…and he was just one small flesh and bone creature. Stars could burn for billions of years; making his own existence less than a percentage of a fraction in comparison.
He smiled and took the moment to conclude that it just made his time all the more precious. He only had so many years to get it right and tell himself that he lived a full life.
He sighed as he pressed onward while maintaining a constant vigil at where his hooves were landing. Tonight was going to be a difficult delivery. There was a good chance that he wouldn’t stay in the city overnight but instead be on the one AM train back home. He sighed again. There was a good chance that this might be the last time he got to represent his family’s crop in Canterlot. He slowed in his pace a bit as it felt like the yoke had doubled in weight.
He paused and looked up at the moon. In roughly eight days it would be full. In a few months there would be a lunar eclipse. He reminded himself of how important it was to do what he came to the city for.
His steady march led him to the palace in the heart of the city. Large doors stood between him and the inside. Two guards in polished armor stood between him and the door. They stared coldly at him as he approached and seemed to be preparing themselves for combat just in case it was needed. He respected their commitment to the defense of the Royal Sisters but other than that had little regard for them. A knight in shining armor was just a knight who had never had their metal tested; and the way they stood in their golden metal suggested that they had never learned how to really move while wearing it. He patiently waited as they continued to stare at him. Their bodies told him that they were prepared for anything. Their eyes told him that they felt like colts caught near his hooves in mid-step.
The stand-off had only lasted about a minute.
One of the guards opened the door and he resumed his pace. Right inside the main hall stood a small group of Unicorns waiting to take the barrels of fruit off the wagon. He halted and quickly detached himself from the large load and took a step back as they started unloading. Shortly after that began he heard a familiar voice off to his left.
“Punctual as always I see.”
Big Macintosh turned and bowed low for the Princess who commanded the moon. He rose just as slowly as he sank and she drew closer. He continued to speak in that dominating and regal tone.
“As always my sister and myself thank you for your hard work. Sweet Apple Acers is one of the most recognized farms in all Equestria. I don’t know what your family does to produce such a strong and desirable crop but may the land continue to grant your family this bounty for generations to come.”
He smiled and nodded his head. To say that he was a stallion of few words would be an understatement. He glanced up to make eye contact but she was already averting her gaze to the group leaving the room with the barrels of his bounty. She watched them leave and continued with her words.
“Momentarily somepony will be around with payment for this portion of the fall harvest.”
The doors at the end of the grand chamber closed and they lips met a second later. Time away from the gorgeous mare had made the heart grow fonder. The gentle giant let his muscles relax as the Alicorn monarch continued with the sudden show of affection. She deepened the kiss and dared to venture further into his personal space and pressed her chest against his. The stallion enjoyed the moment but never returned the gesture. Luna picked up on his lack of enthusiasm and broke away from the kiss. Her words broke the silence.
“My love…why do you hesitate?”
Big Mac stayed remained as anchored as a metric ton of iron. He was a Pony of few words and as usual managed to get the point across as simply as he could manage.
“I’d like tah talk to ya bout us Luna…it’s important.”
Luna was slightly stunned. Her romantic companion rarely had more than one word to say at a time. She even made deliberate efforts to try to make most of her dialogue work as a yes or no question. She took a moment to ponder her new position. She still spoke in the old traditional Royal Canterlot manner and her words carried strength and authority but this soft spoken farmer had her silent. It was if she was the common field hand waiting for permission to speak to royalty. She took firm hold of her composure and replied in a more casual dialect.
“All right…care to accompany me to the garden for our talk?”
“Eeyep.” The proud laborer replied with a confident smile. Luna felt a great deal of relief when the Big Macintosh she grew accustomed to had come back to her. He regarded her with gentle eyes and she wondered if she had misjudged his earlier tone. She returned the smile and led him through the grand hall and into the adjacent corridor. One lone guard walked the hallway and gave a bow to them as they passed. She smiled to herself at his indifference. It was actually quite refreshing to be around somepony who wasn’t so …well…proper. He never looked down on anyone or ever stood on the idea that he was more important than anypony else. She was herself shared the highest authority in Equestria with her sister; and she was walking with a stallion who although recognized the position he treated her like she was one of the rest of them.
She blushed slightly. That was one of the reasons why she loved him.
Ever since their first formal meeting he had intrigued her. He was with the Bearer of Honesty trying to sell their wares during one of Canterlot’s Galas. The memories of Nightmare Moon were still fresh in the hearts and minds of those who attended. Even Applejack had flinched when she had requested to purchase one of their fine apples. Big Macintosh however was unfazed by her old habits. He was able to look upon her without fear or hesitation. He was able to thank her for her purchase without taking an extra breath to stabilize himself. Most of the royal guard still had fear of Nightmare Moon while they made eye contact with Luna. She couldn’t help but make an effort to run into him later on in the evening before their cart departed. His steady and calm manner throughout the evening of simple discussions followed by her trying and failing at concealing a growing crush…he had become her rock.
She grinned. His indifference to the acidic glares that some of the nobles gave him for conversing with royalty was equally delicious. How he stood his ground while one particularly eager to impress guard got right in his face and asked her if the ‘commoner’ was bothering her was to an extent arousing. She quickly removed the grin from her face as the image of the farmer wearing Canterlot steel like a proud knight crept into her mind.
They found themselves in the gardens and Luna led them to a small gathering of rose bushes. Her moon had given them a generous amount of illumination and a cool breeze gave her justification to draw closer. She was about to resume with the tenderness when she recalled the reason why they moved from the entry hall in the first place. She patiently waited for her companion to speak and he didn’t keep her waiting long.
“Princess Luna…I love ya…all of me loves ya…”
Her heart just about rammed itself out of her chest at the sound of his confession. Glory to every thread in the fabric of her existence! Her heart became still as his tone sunk into her mind. He was steady as he always was but he sounded sad, which was a first for her. He went on without hesitation.
“But ah can’t keep doin this.”
She wanted to scream. Before she could he continued his steady words.
“All this sneakin around like we oughta be ashamed of ourselves…only seein each other when we can hide it in business an such…it ain’t right…an it ain’t us. Ah am not the kind of pony who can have a secret love…somepony he can’t invite tah meet the family or even go out in the open with…an you need somepony you can have all these things with. You need ta be with somepony you don’t have tah hide. If that pony ain’t gonna be me…then ah gotta know…no matter how much it hurts either one of us…”
He maintained eye contact and did his best to remain steady while he spoke. When he was done he maintained eye contact and patiently waited for her answer. Luna’s mind was racing feverishly. She ended up saying the first thing that came to her mind.
“Sir Macintosh I want you to know that I return these feelings of love…and I would like nothing more than to shout our relationship from the highest steeple in the city…but I can’t…our worlds…”
She snapped her jaw shut after those last two words slipped out. They were not exactly the most idea thing to say. She wanted to scream again but instead she ground her hoof into the earth nervously as she anticipated him to break his calm composure. If he never had a reason to be indignant he certainly had one now. Before she could say anything to back step he replied in a shaking voice.
“Well then…ah gotta put mah hoof down on this. This is where we gotta stop meetin like this. Ah can’t keep sneakin around like some sorta thief.”
Luna’s thoughts ground to a halt, which was an improvement over the random charging every which way. Even with a voice full of regret he seemed to stomp rather than simply put his hoof down. He took a step to his right and began to turn the rest of his body to leave.
“Wait” Luna quickly snapped in the old royal voice as the stallion turned away. “Give me just this night to ponder”
“Ah could Princess” the farmer replied with a more obvious sense of loss in his voice. “But ah know that ah won’t respect myself if yall keep me here one more night just tah say that you’re not ready to be settelin down…or even saddelin up with somepony like me. Yall don’t need to feel guilty ‘bout goin on tah your world as ah go back tah mine…we best be movin on…we both got ponies dependin on us to do what we gotta do. Ah got mah family’s farm and you got your crown.”
Luna froze and that seemed to be a reoccurring theme for the evening. She wanted to know how he kept doing that to her. With half of Equestria ready to answer to her will, this lone Earth Pony could give her pause without establishing any right of authority over her. She admitted to herself that he had a point; that it wasn’t exactly an ideal situation for either of them. She also acknowledged to herself that as a member of Equestria’s monarchy she had an image to uphold. The court and greater houses expected her to remain among her own kind…in their world.
On the other hoof…she loved that stallion and these few moments with him shut out from her life were as unbearable as her exile.
“Sir Macintosh…I…I don’t really have a world.”
He stopped his stead march and looked back at Luna. She couldn’t help but feel a small spark of satisfaction for being able to make him freeze up for the first time all night. She stepped towards him and continued, this time not carrying on with her normally loud and demanding tone.
“I spent one thousand years on the moon with my mind clouded by anger and envy. I spent all that time away from Equestria and it moved on without me.” She slowly pressed towards him as she spoke until she was back in his personal space. “The royal court…the galas…I’d be lost if not for my sister. I have my duties as Princess but outside that realm I honestly have nothing.”
She paused and elected to compile her thoughts before going on.
“I…You’re right…this secret romance doesn’t suite us…”
He remained silent and patient as she stopped to gather her words. Why was it so hard with him? Was this was it felt like when you felt like you needed to apologize and seek forgiveness from an intimate partner? It certainly felt similar to her first moments after regaining her sanity once the Elements of Harmony gave her clarity. She took a deep breath and took a simple plunge into the abyss most ponies called commitment.
“I want to have something real…if you’d permit me to take it one step at a time. I’d…like to try…I’d like you…to meet my sister…”
She face hoofed. There wasn’t anypony in Equestria who hadn’t seen her sister at least once. It was probably not even remotely close to what Big Macintosh had in mind in the department of meeting with family. She brought her hoof back to the ground and was greeted by a simple kiss and some more words from who was usually a stallion of few words.
“Ah’d like that.”
Luna’s heart began racing again. She metaphorically strangled her composure to get her voice back.
“This…is acceptable to you? Taking small steps forwards?”
Big Macintosh slowly ran a hoof through her mane and gently guided her forehead to meet his own.
“Eeyep.”
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