“No...” Applejack backed away, her legs numb with shock at the officer’s words. “You’re...you’re wrong!” tears wouldn’t come to her eyes, though they pushed to arrive, Applejack pushed them back, no! Not until she had proof.
“I’m sorry sweetheart” The officer said to the small filly. He took a knee and sighed, his horn glowed a soft yellow as he took his hat from his head. The effect was surprising to the small little orange pony. The officer had looked foreign to her when she had seen him on the door, almost robotic, as though he didn’t belong there. Well he didn’t belong here! With his hat off however, he looked far more real, and that only made the news worse. “Is there anypony I could talk to? An adult we could work things out with.
“Grammy’s upstairs.” Macintosh whispered quietly. His face was pale, unable to believe what he had just heard.
“Thank you.” The officer smiled, standing and headed for the stairs. Obviously he wanted some privacy, so he went to the elderly pony instead of calling her down. As his hooves vanished from view, Applejack whirled round to her usually talkative brother.
“It’s not true Maccy! It’s not, they’re fine! We just gotta wait is all and then”-
“Shut up AJ...” The order cut through the filly’s heart like a knife. She stood there dumbstruck, unable to bring her lips to move again. “Just...shut up...” Mac repeated sorrowfully, his eyes glistening with tears.
“B-but... big brother... they”-
“THEY WOULDN’T LIE AJ!” The young colt yelled angrily. His head snapped towards his little sister who jumped at his scream, yes he was usually loud and boisterous, but this noise was something far worse than that! This was pure rage, nothing more. “Why would they lie to us about that?” Mac demanded suddenly, finally pulling in his temper as he glared as his sister through bloodshot eyes.
Thunder clapped outside, a flash of lightning flew across the sky and with its departure, the lights went out also. Little Applejack screamed in fear of the loud noise and the sudden loss of light. Mac didn’t even respond. He simply stood there, looking and the blob of mass that he knew to be his sister. “It’s a storm AJ the lights go out all the time in a storm!” Mac said coldly to his sister. He didn’t know why he was acting like this. He had never felt this way before in his life, in a moment where his little sister needed him most, to hold and to comfort her, he simply couldn’t stand the sight of her!
He couldn’t stand the sight of the room, he couldn’t stand the sight of his stupid hooves on the ground beneath him, and couldn’t even stomach the thought of comforting anypony! Why should he? Nopony ever comforted him! It was always about AJ or the baby! Never Mac, never his needs never the fact that he was the oldest pony in town who didn’t have a cutiemark! But that wasn’t important now, nothing was important now, not after what the officer had said.
From above their heads, the two young ponies heard sompony collapse upstairs. Granny Smith had obviously just been told what had happened. There was the sound of scrambling hoof steps, and the door of her room flying open. Only seconds later, the colt and filly heard hooves flying down the steps into the hallway. The children’s grandmother burst into the darkened room, her wrinkly face illuminated by a single flickering candle. She saw Applejack standing close by, her face was miserable, and her little body was shaking.
“Oh, Dearies!” the elderly mare cried, dropping the candle on the hallway table and dropping to her granddaughter’s side. She held Applejack tight, burying her eyes into her soft orange fur. Still Macintosh said didn’t move. Granny looked up and saw his red bloodshot eyes, saw the sadness in his face. She reached out a shaking green hoof to him, urging him to come to her.
The colt didn’t move. His mane fell across his face; he flicked it away quickly and furiously. He bit hard on his lower lip, not wanting to snap like he just had to his sister. The patter of rain against the hall window began to sound out, slowly at first, but quickly building to a tumultuous scream of hammering droplets against the pane.
Barely audible over the downpour, Macintosh heard the sobbing of his little sister across the room. Still he stood there, his insides as cold as ice as he listened. “Hit you now has it?! Aint thinking it’s all just some big lie?” He shouted. The yell silenced his sister almost instantly. Realising himself, he bit even harder on his lip, unable to believe he had just said that. Why? Why was he so angry? He was sad, yes, but he shouldn’t be angry with anypony, especially his little sister. She was as much at fault as little baby Bloom upstairs! So why could he not stop with the horribly cold cuts into his sister?
Granny Smith simply stared at him, her face showed her incredulity at her grandson’s words. The small filly in her embrace wriggled slightly, until she could look over her shoulder at her brother. Through the gloomy room, Mac could see that her small round green eyes were brimming with tears. The look on her face dealt Macintosh a deathly blow. How could he do that to her?
Yet even as he stood there watching, he knew if he opened his lips something even more horrible would spew forth! The officer finally came into view from upstairs and looked at the scene before him. He saw the two crying mares just by the foot of the stairs, and he registered the colt standing some distance away. He wasn’t old enough to be keeping such a strong face honestly; he was obviously hurting, but too stubborn to let it out. The officer dealt with children like this all the time. All you could do was give them a little push.
“How about you come over here and give your ‘Grammy’ and sister a hug huh son?” He suggested in a warm voice to the silent colt. Macintosh simply stared back at him, then slowly, so slowly it could easily be missed, he shook his head.
How dare him! How dare he just order him to do anything! This was his fault! If he hadn’t come here and told them, then everything would have been alright! Or at least for a while longer! Macintosh wasn’t going to do anything this uniformed messenger of death said!
“Maccy...” The small bundle of orange fur whispered, she reached out with a trembling hoof. Another fork of lightning struck the sky outside, and a rumbling roar of thunder quickly followed. Applejack jumped, but quickly quelled her fear and continued to reach out for her brother. Macintosh took a step back; he couldn’t go near anypony right now. He couldn’t speak to anypony without being cruel. He needed to be alone.
“Come on son, she needs you.” Encouraged the officer. ‘Shut up!’ cried a furious voice inside Mac’s head. He needed to think, to straighten it all out in his head, and he couldn’t do it with everypony talking.
“Maccy!” Applejack cried out, her voice breaking as she still craved for her brother to come to her. NO! He couldn’t comfort her, he couldn’t do anything! He needed to get out!
Macintosh reared back, turning on his hind legs, he quickly swivelled to the front door, still open from when the officer entered. Without a word, the colt pushed as hard as he could with his hind legs, bolting out of the room, out of the house, out into the night.
.......................
The rain was bit at the colt’s fur coldly. Within seconds of running out into the storm, the small colt was soaked to the bone. As he raced away, he heard his sister yelling for him. “MACCY!” but he didn’t look back, not even when above the howling of the wind he heard baby Bloom wake up with a screaming wail, did he consider returning.
He bolted straight into the orchards ahead of him. The branches creaked around him in the wind, the rain water collected on the leaves and fruits and dripped heavily down. It seemed that every drop found the running colt’s face. Slowly, as he ran, his breath grew heavier with each step he took. Yet he kept running.
As he continued, his gasps began to give into strained sobs. He clenched his eyes shut, as the tears began to stream from his eyes and run across his face, caught in the wind striking him head on. He ran past the many empty barrels that were strewn across the orchard, some were new, while others were old one left to fall apart. He passed the path towards litte AJ’s clubhouse him and his father had helped build.
His father...
The thought of the large ginger stallion made the tears well up even more. Papa...Dad...Daddy! Whatever name he thought of for him, it was still the same stallion, still the same sorrow, still the same tragedy. He was gone, so was momma. They were never going to come back through that front door again. They were never going to laugh with him, talk to him, hug him or tuck him in at night. They were gone!
His frantic hooves finally faltered, his hoof caught the root of a nearby tree and he stumbled forward into a roll in the sloppy wet mud below. The liquid dirt splashed up to meet him and spattered his coat, it flew into his eyes and stung them deeply. He continued skidding forward until he finally came to a halt by a small apple tree.
Looking up from the muddy ground, Mac recognised it to be one of the new trees he and AJ had planted a year ago, the first task AJ had ever done on the farm! It was finally baring fruit, showing a payoff for their hard work. Dad had set them that task.
Macintosh stood up, the tree was barely taller than him. He stared at it, remembering his dad’s smiling face as he did. Slowly, the anger began to build up again. With a gut wrenching scream he charged forward and slammed into the week tree. It bent easily, but that wasn’t enough. The colt turned around, still screaming, and began to pummel the little thing with his hind legs as hard as he could. One, two, three kicks were all it took, and the tree crumpled to the ground, broken in two.
Splinters flew up to meet him; they caught in his fur, and jabbed into his flesh. But the little daggers did nothing to stop the colts rage. He continued by stomping on the little sapling until it's leaves and fruit fell to the ground dieing. Turning to one of the far bigger trees. Mac screamed and ploughed his forelegs into its solid trunk, the tree shuddered slightly then grew still. He slammed his hooves into it again, harder this time. Yet again the tree trembled slightly, then grew still once again.
Turning, Mac slammed his rear hooves into the trunk. Putting everything into his kicks as he continued to cry out. He cried for his parents, who he would never see again, his parents he hadn’t even said goodbye to before they left, the parents he hadn’t told he loved with all his heart. It wasn't fair! He didn't deserve this, neither did AJ, Apple Bloom or Granny! None of them had done anything wrong in their lives, and his parents were as good as ponies came. They didn't seserve to die!
Again and again he kicked, each time his pounding hooves making the tree shake more. A small thump registered in the back of his mind. In the corner of his eye, a glint of bright green caught his eye. He ignored the apple that had fallen from above, and continued to punish the tree behind him. Slowly, more and more apples fell around him, all the while he screamed until his throat grew hoarse.
Finally, with one more bone crunching kick. Mac collapsed to the floor out of exhaustion and misery. He gasped hard for breath, and clenched his eyes against the stinging pain of the mud in his eyes. Mamma, papa! Slowly the ground lit up with a faint light. ‘Probably just more lightning.’ He thought, pushing it out of his mind to focus on his sorrowful thoughts.
What would happen now? Who’d look after the farm? Grammy could run the place, but she’s too old to do any of the actual work. How would they keep the farm going? His eyes stung again with tears. Papa would know what to do. Mama would too! But all the family had now was him, a colt with no cutiemark or talent! What were they supposed to do?
His own self loathing building up to a climax, Mac buried his face in his forelegs, letting out a wailing sob of heartbreak. He lay there and cried more than he ever had before; his heart seemed to be so full of sorrow that it was threatening to burst out of his chest. He wished it would then all this sadness would end, all this pain and anger, would just vanish.
Over the torrential downpour, he heard soft wet hoof steps approaching but he didn’t look up. They continued to grow closer and closer while the colt lay there in tears. “M-Maccy?” asked a simpering voice above the howling wind. Macintosh knew the voice, but he didn’t want to respond, he didn’t want to say something hurtful again. So he stayed quiet, he’d stay quiet for his whole life if he had to, just to make sure he couldn’t possibly hurt her again. His little sister, his darling sister AJ.
Sudden warmth seeped into the colts back; he glanced up to see AJ holding him as best she could with her little forelegs. She couldn’t reach very far, so she had basically fallen onto him. He reached around and scooped her into his forelegs, then brought her close to his face. Burying his bloodshot eyes into her soft apple scented fur.
No sooner had he embraced her, did Applejack begin to cry again. The two siblings held each other near as their little hearts broke in their chests at the loss of their parents.
Finally after half an hour of searching, the officer and Granny Smith found the two children. AJ had run on after Macintosh the moment he had fled, leaving the two adults to chase after her in her wake. They followed the muddy hoof prints to a large tree in the centre of the orchard. Beneath it sheltering branches the two of them lay; their chests heaving with sobs as they emptied their hearts out onto each other’s shoulders.
The officer flicked on a torch, and scanned the two quickly, checking they were unharmed. Though he passed over it without question, Granny Smith saw the green apple, glinting back at them on Maccy’s flank. The elderly pony’s heart sank at the sight, now? Of any time in all of Equestria, tonight had to be the night he earned it? How could fate be so cruel? Slowly, Granny Smith came over to the two crying younglings. She bent down and held them as they continued to cry, their sobs mixing with the roaring wind. With a sigh, the officer clicked off his torch and turned away; hating himself for the news he’d brought to the family. Leaving the three to grieve.
From that day, Mac spoke far less, he didn’t respond with much except for “Eeyup” Or “Nnope,” in fear of that anger rising again and him hurting those close to him. He grew stronger, taller, and took on the role of father to those small Filly’s Applejack and Apple Bloom. Many ponies respect him, many believe him to be the kindest and most considerate stallion in town. Which I suppose you could say he is.
But at night, when the others are fast asleep and he only just finishes his rounds on the orchard. Mac will go to his room, take of his yoke, breathe a sigh of relief and fall into bed.
Thinking.
‘Would mamma and papa be proud?’
