Day 0
Big Mac stormed up the stairs of the Apple family home. He made his way into his room, looking around at the familiar area. His nostrils flared in anger and he had to fight the urge to throw things around or punch the wall. He felt sick, and he needed to leave now.
Wasting no time, he grabbed an old backpack and a duffle bag from his closet and began filling them up with the essentials first. He didn’t waste time with folding his clothes as he stuffed bundles of shirts and pants into the duffle bag. Mismatched socks were flung in as well as a few small books and magazines.
Next was the backpack. A few more t-shirts were forced in and then he carried the bag to the bathroom where he packed away his toothbrush and extra soap and toothpaste. Walking back into his room, he gave one more look around to be sure he hadn’t missed anything. His eyes glanced upon his desk where a notebook and pen lay, brand new and unused. He packed that away too, not even sure how it could come in handy but then again, he couldn’t think too straight at the moment.
Mac flung the backpack over his shoulder and grabbed the duffle bag in his strong calloused hand. Slamming the door hard as he exited his old room, he began to stomp down the stairs towards the front door. He reached for the handle, but before he could touch it the door swung open and in ran little Applebloom, her bow bobbing up and down with every step he took.
The girl stopped when she took notice of her brother, eyes wide. Mac felt his heart waver slightly when he saw the fear in her eyes, fear for him. But he steeled himself and grabbed the door to open it more and give him room to push through.
“Mac, you ok?” he heard his sisters small voice say from behind him.
Mac closed his eyes in sorrow, he didn’t want to abandon his family, it went against everything he learned about being an Apple, but there were just some things he couldn’t stand for, and if everyone else was against him on this then he would have no choice but to leave. He turned his head to the side, giving Applebloom a slight visual of his profile, before speaking the last words his sister might ever hear from his mouth. “You take care of things here now, y’hear?” he asked, not waiting for a response as he stepped out of the house, the door slamming shut behind him.
He let out a long sigh and adjusted the bag on his back. To his left he could see the parked delivery van and contemplated taking it. It’d make his journey a lot easier but gas wasn’t the cheapest liquid these days. He turned his vision to the barn as he heard his grandmother yell out for Applebloom to hurry up. He shook his head and continued to walk forward, he’d probably be charged with assault already, no need to add grand theft auto to that.
With that final thought, McIntosh Apple walked down the cobble path away from the the farm that his family had created all those years ago, not knowing exactly where he was going to end up but he was pretty sure he’d be met with a barrage of officers before he got there.
Day 1
Big Mac sat at a bus stop and opened his backpack to count the money in his wallet to be sure he could afford such a luxury as a bus ride. He saw the notebook and pen lodged into the side and pulled them out, an idea popping into his mind.
‘I brang this book with me, I don’t rightly know why, but here I am writing in it to pass some time so I guess it had some use. I left the farm yesterday, walked straight outta Ponyville too. I’m not too sure where I’m going, I just sorta left. I couldn’t stay, not after everything that happened. That fucking dike Rainbow Dash went and infected my sister with her lesbianism! I caught the two of them in the act, and you can be sure as hell I put an end to it, I even still have a few specks of dry blood on my knuckles, serves the dumb bitch right!’
By this point the bus had already pulled up, but he paid no mind, being so absorbed in his writing. It felt good to get this stuff off of his chest.
‘The problem is, Applejack tried to stop me. She got in the way. I struck my own sister. I never planned to do that. I could have taught her that what she was doing was wrong, that she was making a choice and it was the wrong one. But I knew, the second I saw her hit the floor, that it was too late and now I was the unaccepted one. I swear, if I ever get my hands on that little faggot that ruined my sister, I’ll teach her a lesson. I swear.’
The man angrily closed the notebook and pushed it back into the bag as he pulled out his wallet and counted the bills and change he had, thinking about how much food would cost him.
Looks like he’d be walking for a while.
Day 9
“You have a good day now.” Mac said as he waved to an old lady whom he had just helped load bags into her car. He turned around once she began to drive away and started walking to the grocery store he had recently began working part-time at. He looked up, the sign read “Dodge City Market”, it was a small market, but Dodge City wasn’t all that big to begin with, they didn’t need any fancy supermarkets to get their goods. He made his way to the door, a young woman with two-toned pink hair had just walked into the store before him and he called out to her.
“Hold th’door please!” he yelled out to the woman, who froze and grabbed the door to hold it open for the man.
She turned around and Mac couldn’t believe his eyes. “Sure thing sir-...Mac?” she asked as she turned around.
That confirmed it for Mac. The hair, those eyes, that familiar hairclip with the three smiling flowers. “Cherilee! What are you doin’ here?” he asked, surprised to see a familiar face this far out of town. It was a small world afterall.
“I go to school out here! I’m studying to be a teacher and do work study in the elementary school.” Cherilee said enthusiastically. She also hadn’t expected to see anybody from back home, especially after having been gone for so long. “What about you? Why are you out here, doing a delivery for the farm?” she asked.
Mac put a hand behind his head and ruffled his hair nervously. The last time he had seen Cherilee was when they broke up after High School ended. “No, uh, Ah work here.” he said, motioning to the market that they stood in front of. “Ah kinda left home a few days ago.” he said nervously.
“Oh no! Is everything ok?” she asked, genuinely worried. She knew how Sweet Apple Acres operated, and knew if Mac was gone then things weren’t right at all.
“It’s uhh complicated.” he replied, he didn’t have time to answer all her questions, he needed to get back to his register.
Cherilee must have understood this as she made way for him to get into the store. “Don’t let me keep you Mac, we can talk later.” she said kindly to him as he made his way inside. Once in, he made his way back to his assigned register and put on the apron he left there that had the store name in big red letters on the front.
He kept customers happy as he quickly scanned their items and bagged them away. After a few minutes, Cherilee came up to his register with a few items. They kept it professionally silent as Mac scanned her items and asked if she would be needing anything else. Cherilee paid with cash, and as Mac counted the bills, he came across a small piece of paper with neat writing on it hidden between the bills.
‘Come by after work. My address is...’
He pocketed the note as he handed her both her change and bags. She thanked him and made her way out of the store.
The rest of his shift went by as expected, boring and uneventful, but it would get him paid and that’s all he worried about. He had a deal with his boss to pay him by cash daily, seeing as how he didn’t have a bank account, or a place to live for that matter. His boss was a nice old man though, and he had listened to Macs story. Not that Mac told the whole thing mind you, he wasn’t going to go around saying he committed a hate crime during job interviews. The old man agreed to the terms, and even offered Mac a place to sleep on his couch, but the farmer was hard headed and full of dignity, so he refused. It ran in the family really.
Mac took off his apron and hung it in the locker that was provided for him. He took his two bags out and began to walk out of the store when he remembered the note in his pocket. He pulled the small paper out and read it over, deciding it would be a good idea to see an old friend and catch up.
Cherilee didn’t live two far from the market. Her house was actually no more than three streets away from it, and Mac was surprised that he hadn’t seen her before in the six days he had been working at the market.
He looked at the small house, it looked like any of the others in the neighborhood, aside from the small garden that was bringing color to the bland lawn. He walked up the front door and gave it three firm knocks. It didn’t take long for the sound of a lock turning to ring out and Cherilee opened the door.
“Hey, you came! Come in, come in!” Cherilee said as she motioned Mac into her home, closing the door once he was in. “Come on, living room’s this way.” she said as she led him down the hall, they passed a small staircase that must have led to the bedrooms and walked into a small room that held two couches, a television and an assortment of other items. “Have a seat.” she said as she sat on on couch.
Mac opted to be respectful of her personal space and sat on the other sofa, placing his bags down at his feet.
“That’s some luggage you’ve got there. Planning on moving in with me?” she joked to break the silence that had befell the two of them.
Mac smiled. Same old Cherilee. “Very funny, but no.” he said in response and then gave a sigh. “Actually, Ah’m homeless.” he revealed.
“Cheerilee's eyes widened in shock. “Homeless?! How are you homeless? Where do you sleep? You looks so clean, how?” she asked, not really sure how to react to this news.
Mac shrugged his shoulders. “Ah sleep where it’s dry. Ah visit the gym everyday to stay fit and Ah shower there. For my clothes, well, Ah don’t think they smell bad. Ah wear lots of deodorant.” He hadn’t realized how disgusting it sounded until he said it out loud.
Cherilee stared for a moment before she stood up and walked out of the room. Mac heard a few random noises before Cherilee came back into the room. She walked right up to him and held her hand out. “Give me the bag with your filthy clothes in, I’m going to clean them up now in my washer.” she ordered.
Mac held his hands up defensively. “There’s no need for that. Ah’ve saved up plenty of money, Ah could use some of it for laundry and Ah could just-”
“Give me the clothes. Now.” Cherilee ordered again, more forcefully this time.
Mac slowly handed over his dufflebag full of dirty clothes to the pink-haired woman, who grabbed the bag.
“Good, now stay here while I go wash these and prepare something to eat. Ok?” she asked, not waiting for his reply as she walked away.
Mac awkwardly sat there in silence as he listened to the noises Cherilee was making somewhere else in the house. He could hear the rattle of pots and pans and the rumble of a washing machine in the distance. He was beyond uncomfortable at the moment.
Luckily for him, Cherilee returned after a few minutes. “I started a vegetable soup up, sound good?” she asked as she took her seat on the couch once more.
“Eeyup.” he responded simply.
“Good.” she said with a smile. “So tell me, how are things back home? Have you seen my parents around? I haven’t been keeping good enough contact recently.” she said, initiating conversation with him.
“Ah haven’t really seen anyone, Ah was on the farm most of the time. From what Ah know, everyone is doin’ fine though.” Mac said, trying to recall any information he had about her family back in Ponyville. Sadly, he turned up short.
“How about everyone else? Any news from around town?” she asked. She was clearly very interested in what was going on back home, maybe even a little homesick. He knew the feeling.
The two spent the next hour or so just talking, reminiscing on old times and such, only breaking when the food was finished and when the washing machine stopped. Cherilee had gotten up and placed the clothes into the dryer and they had kept talking after that.
“It’s been so great catching up with you Mac. I’m always so busy with work and school that I never have time to call home.” she suddenly got a sharp look on her face. “Did you want to use the phone? I know how you are about family, and you probably haven’t talked to them in a while. You’re free to use it if you want.” she offered.
Mac considered it, and was about to agree when the buzz of the dryer rang out throughout the house. Cherilee left him alone once more while she checked the clothes, returning a few moments later with a pile of warm, dry clothes that she handed to him.
“Thank you kindly, Cherilee.” Mac said as he grabbed the pile of clothes and began folding them up to put back into the bag.
“It’s the least I could do. Now, did you want to use the phone?” she asked again.
Macs smile faltered. “Thank you, but Ah’m fine. Really.” he said as he continued to pack his clothes away.
Cherilee knew Big Mac though. Even after all this time, she knew when something was bothering him.
“Mac,” she began “I think it’s time you told me what’s going on. Why aren’t you at the farm? Why wouldn’t you talk about your family? Why wont you call them?”
Mac continued to pack his stuff away, and sighed deeply. He knew he had to tell her the truth, she deserved that much. Maybe she wouldn’t want to report him for attacking someone, even when they deserved it.
“Ah left because Ah hurt Applejack by accident.” he said.
Cherilee raised an eyebrow in both confusion and concern. She knew he would never lay a hand on his sister purposefully, but she also remembered his more violent history. “What do you mean? What happened?” she asked.
Mac recalled the day. “Ah was beating another girl, her names Rainbow Dash, and Applejack jumped in front of me. Ah didn’t mean to, but Ah caught her good and sent her to the floor. Ah couldn’t stay there after that. Ah left on my own, but Ah probably would have been kicked out anyway.” he said shamefully.
Cherilee frowned. “And why were you beating up this other girl? What did she do?”
Macs face became more stern. “Ah caught them fuckin’ in the barn. She tainted my sister with her bullshit lesbianism!” he said, his voice no longer carried any shame but was now filled with rage. “Ah had to leave my house all because of that little faggot! Ah swear, if Ah ever get the chance, Ah’ll finish that beating she was getting.”he finished, his voice had gotten louder and his breathing became more ragged.
Cherilee stood quiet for a few moments as Mac calmed himself. When he finally returned to normal, she stood up. “Grab your bags.” she said “Follow me.”
Mac watched as she walked down the hall. He shrugged as he got up from his seat and followed her. Cherilee was already at the end of the hall, waiting by the staircase. Mac walked up to her and gave a questioning glance at the stairs.
Cherilee grabbed the doorknob and gave it a quick twist, swinging the door open. “Get out.” she stated simply.
Mac paused. “W-what?” he asked, honestly shocked at this turn of events.
“I said get out Mac! You disgusting bigot of a man!” Cherilee suddenly began to yell. “It’s because of people like you that my brother had to fight so hard just to be able to get married to the man he loved. And you know what Mac? He did it. Same sex marriage is legal in most places now and my brother will have a husband by the end of the month! Get with the times Mac, gay people are here to stay and they’re not doing anything wrong. They’re not a disease.”
Mac took a moment to think about what she just told to him. He processed all of the information and let it sink in until he finally had a response for her. With a sneer, Mac walked out of the house. “They are a disease, and they’ve infected you too.” he said out loud, the only response he received was the sound of a door slamming and being locked behind him.
He shook his head and walked away.
Day 35
‘I’m pretty tired. I’m pretty hungry too. I saved up some money from the past few days, enough to buy some food and pay for a bus ticket to Canterlot. I have a friend who lives there, Shining Armor, we were on the football team together back in High School. If there’s one person I know I can trust, it’d be him. Everyone is getting infected nowadays. First my own family, then my ex-girlfriend. I guess she said something to my boss too because he let me go without warning, the fucking bitch. Luckily I was smart with my money.’
Mac looked up from his notebook and glanced out the window. He watched as the bus drove through the night, smaller vehicles sped by and went in all different directions. Canterlot was still a while away, and he was starving, but he had no money left and had to ration what little food he had, at least until he found Shining Armor. Instead, he opted for a nap, time would pass by faster that way.
Day 38
‘I’ve been in Canterlot for a few days now, no sign of Shining, and none of the people I asked even knew who he was. I don’t know what I expected, he’s in the military and they don’t exactly give out lists with the names and addresses of all their officers. The good news is that I found a good job here. A carrot farm, it’s pretty much perfect. I get free food and lodging, and the pay is pretty decent.’
He put the pen down and grabbed the beer that was sitting in front of him. Music blared around the bar that he was sitting in. He took a deep drink from his glass, it had been a while since he was able to indulge himself in a pleasure such as this. A nice cold beer, loud music, and a bar full of potentially drunk women. It was going to be a good night, that was for sure.
He closed the notebook and put it into the backpack that he always carried around now. He grabbed his drink once more and took another drink as someone took a seat next to him. He turned and saw a young man, probably around his age, with a square jaw and a buzzcut.
The man must have noticed Mac looking at him, because he turned and smiled. “Hey there fella, enjoying yourself?” he asked.
Mac nodded his head and took another drink. “Eeyup.” he said after swallowing.
The man waved down the bartender and ordered himself a drink. “Here alone big guy?” the man asked.
Big Mac nodded again, this guy was getting annoying.
The man took his chance. He moved forward, leaning in close to Mac, and whispered into the farmers ear. “What say me and you leave this place and go have some real fun?” he asked.
Mac placed his drink down on the counter and pushed his chair out as he slowly stood up. For all intents and purposes, the man thought he was getting lucky. That is, until Mac reeled back and released a right hook straight into the mans jaw.
The man fell backwards off of his chair, hitting the floor hard as everyone in the bar froze and turned their attention towards the sudden conflict. The man on the floor rubbed his jaw, slightly dazed and confused by the sudden attack.
“You stay away from me you filthy faggot.” Mac said as he pointed to his latest victim.
Rage filled the mans eyes as he quickly pulled himself up, now fully ready for a fight. But before he could get his revenge, a third man jumped in between them.
“Woah woah, what’s going on here?” this new man asked the first man, his voice seemed both laid back and authoritative at the same time.
“He attacked me!” the first man said, pointing an accusatory finger at Big Mac.
“You’re friend here was coming onto me, and I don’t take too kindly to that.” Mac simply stated, as if his actions were the most common thing in the world.
“And you didn’t think to just fucking tell him that instead of attacking him?” the new man asked angrily as he turned around to face Big Mac. His eyes opened wide. “Mac Apple, is that you?” he asked after a moment.
Mac recognized the man as well. “Well Ah’ll be damned, Shining Armor, Ah’ve been looking for you.” he said, then looked back at the man he punched, who was now tenderly rubbing his jaw. “What’re you doing hanging out with someone like that?” he asked, then paused before adding “They didn’t infect you too, did they?”
Shining looked at him questioningly. “What do you mean?” he asked.
“The gays, they’re everywhere now and everyone seems to be alright with it.” he said vehemently.
Shining Armor knew what was going on now. “So you attacked my officer because he likes men and not women?” he asked, receiving a nod in response. “Ok, I get it. So let’s settle this. You and him outside. Now.” he said. This is how they would handle things, and how they would teach a lesson. “Sound good to you, Thunderlane?” he asked the man behind him.
Thunderlane nodded. “Fine with me Captain.” he said.
The three men walked single file out of the bar, Thunderlane in front while Shining Armor separated the two of them.
The night air in Canterlot was cool, and felt good compared to the stuffy hot air inside of the bar.
“Let’s go over there, that way no one tries calling the cops.” Shining said as he pointed to the gated alley that led to the back of the bar. He received no complaints from the other two men and they each hopped the gate one by one. Once they were clear and sure nobody could see them, Shining spoke up again. “This is going to be a clean fight, ok? No weapons. Deal?” he asked, and both men nodded. “Good, then we can start.” he said before quickly pulling his arm back and punching Mac in the jaw much the way Mac had done to Thunderlane before.
Mac fell to the floor and, before he could react, Shining Armor was on him. Punches were landing evenly around Macs head and face, and all he could do was use his arms in an attempt to cover his face and block the blows. But it was no use, Shining Armor wasn’t letting up.
Macs skin was burning with pain and it felt like he’d been on the floor for an eternity. Eventually everything stopped and he moved his arms away. His vision was blurry at first but it began to clear up and he could see Shining Armor standing over him.
“Get up.” Shining ordered as he pulled a cloth out of his pocket and wiped away, what Big Mac could only assume was his own blood, from his knuckles.
Slowly, and very unsteadily, Big Mac stood up and looked at the Captain who had just beat his ass.
“You see this?” Shining said as he grabbed Macs face and made him look at Thunderlane, who was enjoying the show. “This man goes out almost every day of his life to fight. Who do you think he does it for? Do you think he risks his own life all the time because he enjoys doing it? No! He does it so people like you can continue to enjoy their daily lives!” Shining shouted at Mac. “He sacrifices himself, his very humanity, just so you can got to the store, grab a beer and go to bed after having a drink. And you’re going to tell me that you don’t care about any of that? That it’s all nullified because he enjoys dick? Hell, I guess that means every straight woman under my command is useless too then right?”
“They’re...they’re a disease!” Mac managed to say through rapidly swelling lips.
Shining grabbed him by the neck and pushed him against the wall. “Let me tell you something.” he seethed through clenched teeth. “The only disease here is you, you’re stuck in the past and you’re filled with misdirected hate. You’re lucky I don’t have you arrested for assaulting an officer!” he let go of the farmer and took a step back. “Look, we grew up together, and what I did hurt me a lot too, but you need to learn. You can’t go around acting the way you do.”
Big Mac didn’t say anything, he just spit out a glob of blood from his mouth.
“I know you were born in Ponyville a little after me, and back then that pretty much guaranteed the doctor that delivered you was Dr. Heartstrings. You know, Lyras great uncle? Guess what? He’s gay! The man that brought you into this world likes other men, do you hate him now? Do you wish he never delivered you?” Shining Armor paused for a second, a sudden thought coming to mind. “Wait a second, wasn’t Doc Heartstrings also the guy who stood up all those hours trying to help your parents when they got into that car accident?” he asked. He knew he hit a sore spot by the way Big Macs eyes widened. “I’m right aren’t I? It was him! He tried so hard to keep your parents alive, and he couldn’t do it no matter what he did. He had to walk out of that surgery room, having just seen the life drain out of a person, and tell that persons family. I know that feeling, I’ve been there and It’s horrible. But it didn’t end there. No, he couldn’t stand the thought of three little kids being left without anything, so he personally gave the call to your grandmother and waited with you all until she arrived. It was him that offered to pay for your school supplies when school started back up that year. It was him that loaned your grandmother the money to buy seeds and other stuff for the farm to help get her back on her feet. And you’re telling me that this man is vile and doesn’t deserve to be around? I think this man is a saint and, honestly, I’m sure your father would be so disappointed in you.” Shining Armor finished.
That was the blow that broke the donkeys back. Big Mac couldn’t keep himself standing and he fell to the floor. He cried, just as hard as he did the night his parents died. He cried harder than he thought any man could, and then he cried some more. No talking, no moving, just sitting in his silent sorrow.
“I think he’s had enough. Come on, let’s get him patched up.” Shining Armor said to Thunderlane as he watched his old friend break down. The two men went to either side of the farmer and hoisted him up to take him to their camp where he could get the appropriate medical attention, no questions asked.
It was time for a change.
Day 42
Big Mac threw his old duffle bag onto the bed provided to him by the farm. Well, it wasn’t his anymore, not after today. He had enlisted with Shining Armor and his crew, basic training started tomorrow, but he could go in today and get himself situated. That’s exactly what he planned to do. But first, had had one thing to do.
Mac got a blank sheet of paper and a pen, and began to write.
Dear Granny,
It’s been a while, and I’m not sure what to say here. I want to apologize. I caused all that trouble, and then I up and left. An Apple should never abandon another Apple. I suppose that’s why you never sent any cops after me that day.
How is everyone? I know it’s barely been over a month, but I imagine Applebloom got so big. How’s Applejack? Can you tell her I’m sorry? I know it should be something I do myself, but I can’t bring myself to that yet. I’m working on it. I’m working on a lot of things. I’m gonna make you proud granny, I swear.
I don’t think I’ll be coming back to the farm anytime soon though. I’ve joined up with the military here in Canterlot. Remember Shining Armor, my old friend from school? He’ll be my commanding officer, my captain. I probably won't have too much time to write once basic training starts, so I wanted to get this out to you today. Don’t tell Applejack about me joining up, you know how she can be. Anyway, I know you probably can’t forgive me so easily, but I hope to at least hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
McIntosh Apple
Day 78
Dear Granny,
Sorry it took so long to reply, I’ve been kept pretty busy. I was happy when I got your letter though, it’s great to hear that everything is working out so well, even with the stuff that happened after I left. The pictures were greatly appreciated as well, it’s great to wake up and see my family again after all this time, even if it is just a photo.
Thanks again for not telling Applejack too, I think I’m about there, I just need a little more time. There’s so much I need to answer for and she deserves to hear all of it. I’ll do my best to get word to her, but please don’t mention anything to her until I do.
Love,
McIntosh Apple
Day 96
Dear Applejack,
There’s so much I want to say to you, but I don’t have that much time or paper. I want to apologise for everything. I mean absolutely everything. Hitting you, yelling at you, judging you, hitting your girlfriend and abandoning our family. I wish I could go back and change everything. I wish I could hold you and tell you that it’s ok, you can love whoever you want.
I’ve changed Aj, I’m not the same Mac you knew back then. I’ve had some sense beaten into me, in more ways than one. I’m in Canterlot right now, at the military base. Yes you read that right, military base. I joined up a while ago. I’m with Shining Armor. His little sister was one of your friends back in school. Apparently she’s out here too, but she’s always in school. Now I don’t want you worrying about me being in danger because I’m in the military now, this is something I made a decision about and I want to do it. I’m out there protecting all kinds of people, not matter who they are or what they believe in. Everybody deserves the freedom that you and I have, I just had to learn that the hard way. Anyway, it’s almost dinner time so I have to get going. I hope to hear from you soon.
Love,
Your brother Mac.
Day 1003
Big Mac held a newly delivered letter in his hands, a small trunk laying next to him on his small cot, filled with the letters and pictured that he had received from his friends and family over the years. It was the culmination of his life over the past two years. Every story he had to tell was told, every secret he had to share was shared, but only with those closest to him. He had regained the love of his family and the trust of his friends. He had begun to serve a better cause, and now he wiped a tear from his face as he was just told he had one final task to do that would trump all other accomplishments.
He had to walk his little sister down the aisle during her wedding.
Author's Note
Man this took a lot out of me. I wrote this in one sitting because I knew it'd never get done if I took any breaks. I hope you all enjoy, stay tuned for more from me soon. And don't forget to check up on "We Were...", it's almost done, so be sure you're caught up!
