Sometimes, Applejack found herself glad that she couldn't remember her parents all that well. It wasn't because she didn't love them. From what she remembered she knew she loved them, but she often found herself thinking this. Usually it was after seeing her brother coming down from a fit.
Big Mac got these 'fits' where he would freeze up and start to shake. Whenever Mac started to hyperventilate, Granny Smith would shoo Applejack and Applebloom out.
Which brought Applejack to her current thoughts as she and Applebloom left the house, closing the door behind them. Applejack could hear Granny Smith start to try to bring Mac out of it, but it soon faded as the two sisters walked further away. If Big Mac got like that just by simple reminders of their parents, she was glad she didn't remember much. You couldn't mourn somepony you didn't remember, you could only mourn the place they left. Their idea. Applejack didn't mourn for Mom and Dad, she mourned for a mom and dad.
She could only wounder what Big Mac went through.
Mac clenched his teeth as a wave of anxiety washed over him. Granny Smith stood next to him, rubbing his back. He could feel his hooves starting to split. Could feel as multiple animal forms tried to take shape. Scales started to creep up his back legs while feathers ran down his chest. He could feel two large venom filled fangs push their way through his gums. All he could see was his parent's death. Hear their screaming as the were ripped apart.
"Mac"
Granny Smith's broke through to him, her calm steady voice pushing back the multiple transformations slightly.
"Macintosh, find one of your safe animals."
Safe animals. Mac had a select few animals he felt most calm as. He reached inside himself and pulled out his most favorite. Big Mac's form shimmered and a greater bamboo lemur took his place. The small primate was scooped up by Granny Smith and placed gently on a soft cushion seated in a chair. Mac curled up, hands and feet tucked under him. His long thick tail wrapped around his body, laying across his white ear tufts.
Granny Smith sighed as she looked at her grandson.
"Macintosh, ya've gotta tell somepony 'bout this. I won't be around for much longer, an' yer gonna need somepony to help ya."
Mac shuddered at the words. Granny Smith dieing was something that he feared greatly. He loved her, everypony loved her. He didn't want her to leave. He supposed he was also being selfish, she was his rock. Without her, he may just fall apart.
Big Mac shimmered into a fennec fox, distracting himself. He sat up straight as Granny Smith patted his head.
"I think it best ya tell Applejack and Applebloom."
The shape shifter lowered his head and pinned back his ears. He knew she was right. They were his sisters and they deserved to know the truth. Applejack was the Element of Honesty, she held being truthful in high regard. But would they understand? Understand why he lied for so long? Understand his fear? Understand why their parents were dead.
That was the main problem. If he told them about his ability to shift, he would have to tell them how their parents died. How it was his fault.
Mac was startled out of his thoughts by a gentle flick on his nose. Granny Smith huffed down at him.
"I know what you're thinking, young stallion, so stop it right now. It was not your fault."
Big Mac whined. Granny shooed him to the floor.
"None of that. Now I know you must be tired, why don't you go lay down"
Macintosh shimmered back into his original form, head hung low. He hugged his grandmother before trudging up the stairs to his room. Mac flopped down on his bed and closed his eyes. He was tired of being scared all the time. Tired of hiding. Tired of pretending. Tired of being numb.
It was his fault his parents were dead. His fault his sisters grew up without a mother or father. His fault blood ran a river from gaping wounds.
So tired.
Tired of being tired.
Applejack and Applebloom sat under a tree, the younger tossing a stick for Winona. The dog barked happily and chased after the stick again. Applebloom smiled slightly but soon frowned. The filly leaned back against the tree as she rolled a small rock around under her hooves.
"Applejack. . . do you think Big Mac will ever get better?"
AJ tipped her hat back.
"I'm not sure little Bloom. He saw somethin' horrible when he was a youngin, an' it scared him. Now he gets stuck sometimes."
"Stuck?"
The orange cowpony sighed sadly.
"Yeah. He gets stuck in his head, thinkin 'bout what scared him."
Applebloom was quite as she thought, absentmindedly tossing the stick again.
"How does he get unstuck?"
" 'm not sure, AB. It seems only Granny Smith knows how to do that."
The sisters sat in silence, both thinking about their older brother.
". . . maybe we could learn to help him too."
Like all Apples before him, Macintosh Apple was born at home. Valencia Orange and her husband, along with Granny Smith all waited for the arrival of Mac. After 14 hours of hard labor, Johnathan Apple and Ginger Gold welcomed their first foal into the world.
Unlike most of the Apples before him, his first cries weren't celebrated. Johnathan Apple took one look at his son before quickly leaving. Ginger held her foal close, hugging him as she waited for her husband to return. Johnathan stepped back into the house nearly 20 minutes later, a small wooden box with a lid in his hoof. He sat down next to his crying wife, holding back tears himself as they waited.
You see, despite Mac's future nickname, he was anything but big. Even being a full term foal, he was just too small. So small that the first thing his father built for him was a coffin.
Valencia, Ginger's sister had, left and returned with a doctor. The doctor simply told them to cherish the moments they had left with him. The Orange's left the house with Granny Smith, giving the small family space.
Hours passed, and Macintosh clung to life. His tiny cries growing in pitch. They tried multiple times to try to get him to nurse, but he simply refused. So Ginger and Johnathan waited. Waited for their son to die or to live. They watched as Mac started to still and they feared his soul would leave him soon. Just as it seemed the foal was to die, his fur shimmered. Ginger and Johnathan watched in awe as their son's form shifted, and a small deer fawn blinked up at them. Mac struggled on thin split hoofed legs before stumbling over to Ginger and starting to nurse.
Mac's parents watched as their son nursed, switching from deer to foal and back. At one point, a puppy had flickered by as Macintosh shifted.
The two ponies didn't look a gift horse in the mouth. Strange powers or not, their son was alive.
Johnathan Apple and Ginger Gold sat on a picnic blanket and watched their children play in the grass of the clearing in the north part of the orchard. Johnathan Apple's mother Greeny 'Granny' Smith sat next to the two of them, holding her newest Grandchild. They watched as Macintosh chased Applejack, tagging her before turning and running. Applejack laughed as they played tag. Mac's form rippled and shimmered before being replaced by a young raccoon. The raccoon ran up the nearest tree, looking down at the orange filly. Applejack huffed at her brother turned raccoon.
"Ma! Mac's cheatin' again!"
Ginger covered her smile with her hoof.
"Macintosh, play fair."
The raccoon's image wavered and was replaced by the red colt lounging in the tree.
"It ain't cheatin', she's just jealous."
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
Granny Smith shifted Applebloom in her hooves before turning to her two other grandchildren.
"Quit yer fightin' and come sit down for lunch. Or neither of y'all will get any apple fritters."
Applejack quickly bound over, enticed by her favorite food. Macintosh stood up from his branch and launched himself off the end. Midair, a robin took his place and glided over to Johnathan. Johnathan looked at his son who had perched on his shoulder. Mac simply clicked his beak in a laugh. John shook his shoulder gently, dislodging his son. Mac fluttered over to Applebloom and looked down at her. Applebloom gurgled and waved her hooves at her brother.
"Mac, turn back and come eat."
Mac shifted again and sat down, grabbing a sandwich. Applejack giggled at him.
"Big Mac, you left the wings."
Mac glanced at his back, and sure enough, two large blue wings sat on his shoulder blades. He folded them against his back where the seems to fade away into his fur. The Apple family smiled as they continued their picnic.
Two weeks later, Mac found himself snout to snout with a timberwolf. Mac was currently a dog, standing less that a foot away. The timberwolf himself was obviously young, his bark was still a sapling tree green. Both of them were interested in each other. Mac had never seen a timberwolf in real life. He'd only ever seen pictures in books. The timberwolf had never seen a dog before, and he was curious about this strange creature. It looked like him, but instead of bark and branches, it was covered in fur.
Both of the young animals were unsure what to do, so Mac did what he'd seen dogs do before. He dropped his front legs and stuck his tail in the air, wagging it.
Play?
The timberwolf's tail started to wag as he did the playbow as well. Soon the two of them were running and chasing each other through the apple trees. The trees faded as they ran into the Everfree. The two played for hours and Mac learned through the timberwolf's limited speech that his name was Hawthorn. The sun started to set when the two canines collapsed, panting.
Mac started to say goodbye when he realized he didn't know which way was home.
Hawthorn?
Hawthorn stood up.
Yes?
Lost
Hawthorn looked around as well and his ears lowered and tail tucked.
Lost
The moon was high in the sky before they were found, but it was not by Macintosh's parents. A large timberwolf stepped out from behind a tree. Hawthorn saw it and bound over, whining happily.
Alpha! Alpha!
The alpha wolf just growled at the young pup. Two more timberwolves stepped into the moonlight.
Hawthorn bad.
Hawthorn whined.
Sorry
The adult wolves started to leave.
Alpha! Mac.
The large male turned.
Mac?
Mac!
Hawthorn gestured to Mac, who was shaking on his paws.
The alpha approached and sniffed Mac.
Mac lost?
Mac nodded.
Come
Macintosh spent the night with the pack, curled up in a large puppy pile. He was surprised on how comfy it was, but he had to go home soon. Bright and early the next morning, the Alpha took Mac home. They walked through the forest, headed for the farm. The tree became apple trees. Just as Mac was about to thank the alpha and say goodbye, a hoof hit the timberwolf in the side of the head. The wolf's head snapped to the side as Mac scurried back.
Macintosh's father and mother stood in front of him, 'protecting' him from the wild animal.
"Go Mac, run! Get Applejack and run!"
Mac looked behind him to see Applejack frozen in fear. Before Mac could do anything, the timberwolf stood back up and growled.
Ponies
The wolf and two ponies charged each other. Blood, fur, sap, and bark flew about. Mac back peddled from the fight, trying to avoid a stray blow.
Mom! Dad! Alpha! Please stop!
Mac barked at them. His parent's didn't understand and the wolf either didn't hear him or didn't care. Ginger was thrown back and her head hit a rock with a sickening crunch. She slumped over and didn't move. Johnathan stared wide-eyes at his wife. He screamed and started to punch the timberwolf without abandon. One of the wolf's teeth came loose. The alpha growled and leaped forward. His wooden jaws sunk into John's neck. Blood splattered as his body shook. John turned and looked at his children through his tears as the light in his eyes died.
Mac stood in shock next to Applejack, who was clinging to his scruff for dear life. The alpha turned to Mac.
Ponies dead. Mac safe
Mac's eyes started to fill with tears. He growled as he let his figure change. Big Mac stood over his sister, hooves even with his shoulders in a crouch. Mac bared his still canine teeth.
Pack! You killed pack!!
The timberwolf paused as he looked at Big Mac and then surveyed the damage he'd done. He hung his head, as he finially understood. Dog-pony's pack was dead, by his paws.
Sorry. Alpha sorry
The timberwolf turned and left, tail hung low. At the edge of the forest, Hawthorn whined as he watched his once new friend suffer. Hawthorn turned and followed his Alpha back into the Everfree.
Mac sobbed loudly as he hugged Applejack. His parents were dead. His parents were dead all thanks to that timberwolf. Big Mac paused and gasped through his tears. No, his parent's were dead thanks to him.
Applejack suddenly went limp in his hooves. He looked down at her ashen face.
"Applejack!!"
The funeral was a somber affair. It was raining as the two coffins were lowered into the ground. Granny Smith Stood next to Big Mac, Applebloom in her hooves. Applejack stood next to her, crying. After Applejack had passed out, he had run home with her. She was taken to the hospital while the police and morgue took his parents. Applejack had passed out from shock, and lost her memory. For something so tragic to happen in front of her, it only made since that as a defense she forgot it all. She just also happened to forget about Mac's powers.
Big Mac preferred it that way. The less ponies who knew, the better. Only Granny Smith and himself knew about them.
Dirt was tossed onto the graves by everypony there. Everypony but Mac. He just sat their, not saying a single word.
