"Goodness, big bro, I ain't sure what to think about this message at all," Applejack said, pushing the scroll across the kitchen table. Her eyes flickered down along the newly appeared letter, signed from Zecora a few hours ago, and over to her huge glass of pulp-filled orange juice.
Mac said nothing. He simply leaned up against the side wall of the kitchen, listening as Granny Smith's snoring boomed through the next room. He had on his own usual, flat expression. Applejack sipped her drink and sat down on the floor. She had a low, sinking sort of feeling coursing inside her, although she didn't know why. She had never seen Zecora mislead anypony, and she had no real reason to suspect anything. Yet it all felt so strange.
Mac finally walked over, and he picked up the scroll with a hoof. He eyed another glass of juice for himself. He then delicately rolled the scroll back up, glancing through it once again. He pointed out Zecora's hoofprint to himself. Why is Applejack so worried about this? It's like a dream come true. Isn't it? Just an easy, quick job.
Dear Apple Family,
A dear friend of mine from the Zebra tribe, Zapata, has had to move back over to Coltsville to sort out some family issues on a short notice. Thus, I'm now in a tight spot. I need a new gardener to assist me with these special flowers known as cotius hortus siccus, which look like some of the most beautiful tulips that anypony will ever seen. The next two days will be especially important, and I'd be very grateful if you can help me.
I've yet to find another male Zebra in the immediate area to pollinate the flowers. Fortunately, a stallion with the size, strength, and build of dear mister Big Mac will do nicely. If he can help me, then I'll share my bushels of the bright white pearl-like and jewel-like beads produced by the flowers. Just one of these rare collectibles is worth two-hundred apples. The actual pollination itself will be very easy, and caring for the flowers afterward will be as easy as pie. You can stay in my new guest hut besides my own hut.
Thanks once again. If you can come over to my hut, then please leave as soon as possible. I'd also much appreciate it if you keep this message between us.
Sincerely,
Zecora
=> Written with assistance of Zapata <=
"You know what this means, lil' 'sis," said Big Mac.
She took a big swig of her juice. "Yes, I know."
"Whatever horrible disease is ravaging our Apple trees," he said, looking over at the set of dishes in the sink, "it wouldn't matter anymore. Rather than have a poor season, we'll--" He took a gulp. "We might even be able to save this season, putting some bits into Applebloom's college fund. That would be so amazing."
"Zecora, or whatever feller that actually wrote that there note, didn't say how many of those beady things she share with you, did they?" Applejack locked eyes with her brother, shifting her head to the side. "It seems so, well, cryptic and such."
"Has Zecora ever been anything but a dear friend to us?" Mac replied, walking closer. Applejack shook her head 'no', even though concern almost seemed to drip off of her face. "It's her message. Her hoofprint. I know it sounds weird, goodness knows, and I wonder what she exactly means by 'pollinate'." He nudged closer and put a hoof against his sister's shoulder. "But I'm not going to leave somepony like Zecora out in the cold when they need help."
"I know, I know," she said, closing her eyes and looking right down at the floor.
"Hey," he said, moving her head up with his hoof and gazing into her adorable features. "Nopony, and I mean nopony--" He playfully bonked her on the chest. "Is going to feed me to a blasted flower. Alright?" He twirled his head around. "Something wrong, and I'll go first." He bit into the empty air.
She giggled, finally smiling. He felt such a surge of joy at that. Girl, you haven't smiled for the longest time.
"It'll only take me a little while to get ready to go," he said, turning away very slowly and heading towards the stairs. She nodded at him, waving a hoof.
"Sorry to get so emotional, big bro," she said, sniffing. "It's just been so hard. Dealing with all this, I've been trying to stay strong, but I can't take it. I suppose I should tell you the rest of the story now, or at least what I had heard from Twilight this mornin'."
Mac froze, halfway out the door into the other room. "Eeeeeyup."
"It's not a magical disease," Applejack said, sighing wistfully. She started tending to the dishes. "It's actually a magical-resistant parasite, of all things. Without a doubt, it came from some of these new 'humans' that've been poppin' up like daises." She almost bit her lip. "Sure as hay was an accident, and I ain't gonna blame 'em one bit. Twilight says it might of been crawling 'round that tall peachy-skinned feller's backpack before he almost lost it around these parts. I know that kind and carin' feller will be crushed when she tells 'em."
"What does all that mean?" He ran a hoof through his long, flowing mane.
"It means, sugarcube," she said, taking a very deep breath, "that there's nothing to stop it. Twilight says it'll turn nine out of ten apples into mush. Then, it'll probably die out, being all isolated from it's own planet and stuff." She held back a tear. "That still doesn't change the one big thing. We're going to be wiped out." She leaned her head up against the kitchen counter, looking out into blank space.
"I'll get ready to go," Mac said, determination building in his voice, "I'll do this job. I'll come back, and I'll make things better."
"Better," she repeated without thinking.
"Eeeeeyup." They locked eyes once again. She seemed to understand as a silent pulse of emotion went through them both, and she knew that she had total confidence in him. She always had, even though she couldn't help but worry.
He scurried up the stairs and opened up his room. He picked up a big saddlebag with his teeth and neatly placed item after item inside. A little shampoo, a little toothpaste, some tissues, the lucky mad scientist doll that Applebloom had made for him in class a few days ago, the special edition of The Canterlot Times that he had vowed to look at, and other things all fit together like puzzle pieces.
Finally, Mac made his way over to Applebloom at the barn, playing with the rest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. She treated it like nothing that out of the ordinary, giving him a big hug and asking him to bring back something fun from Zecora. Maybe I'm looking way too much into this. It's just a short stay. Nothing serious. Why do I feel like I'm going on some kind of grand exposition? If only I knew more about that odd flower. It's no name that I've ever heard before.
He said goodbye to Applejack. She gave him another, more passionate hug. He still tried to keep himself in high spirits. I shouldn't let little worries get me down. Granny Smith gave a very uncharacteristic little message of "seeing you again the day after tomorrow or such then, sonny, stay safe" before falling back asleep. Well, I suppose it's time to head on down into the Everfree.
As he trotted through Ponvyille, drinking in the bright sunshine and soothing, calm breeze, he thanked goodness that Twilight and her new human friends had built a formal path through the dangerous forest. He still had to keep his wits up, hoping not to become a meal for some gigantic slithery creature, but he at least had a solid space of gravel with wide spaces besides it to walk on. Several rustling and screeching nosies gave him pause, but he kept on staring forwards. He moved step by step like a wind-up town.
Just don't think about the horrible, despicable things creeping about over there. Just don't even let it enter your mind. His eyes darted along the piles of mossy rock along to the gangling weeping willows and the thick black stretches of tall bushes. Some kind of dark purple claw rubbed up the tips of a nearby branch before withdrawing back into the darkness. Keep walking, Big Mac! He spotted sets of red eyes from within mats of leaves up and to his left. He blinked. Those other eyes vanished. Seriously, keep walking!
He put on some speed, trying not to show any sort of panic but hoping to cut the trip short. A rippling noise sounded up far above him-- followed by a low moan. His fast walk broke into a trot. He saw more mysterious eyes adjacent to the path, and he kept on moving. He finally closed his eyes as he heard something like a large snap, and he ran. He blinked to keep from crashing into something, not wanting to see anything more than he had to. He went up a small hill, and he spotted Zecora's hut up ahead. He glanced over to the side, and he spotted the new guest hut built just nearby.
"Ah, it looks so nice," he said, taking off his saddlebags. He sucked in a deep breath, and she smiled. "Just take a gander at that new, long--"
"It is so fortunate for you to be here!" Zecora said, hopping out from behind a bush and giving Mac a huge scare. He jerked to the side, smashing his body against a big oak, and he wiggled his head around. Zecora broke out a huge smile, looking happier than he had ever saw her. "Yes, indeed, I had otherwise had much to fear!"
"Eeeeeyup." He brushed off leaves from his coat as he staggered back onto the path, putting his saddlebag back on. "I always wanna be there when a friend needs help."
She offered him a helpful hoof, and he took it, letting himself take in her infectious smile. She lead him over in the direction of the guest hut. He tried not to gaze at her huge flanks, her tail shifting from side to side seductively. Come on, you. Act appropriately. You're trying to do a job for her. Zecora had her own odd preferences in the bedroom, things that Mac had heard about second-hoofed from various ponies as well as human, and he didn't want to get involved with any of that. He was, though, still a red-blooded stallion that hadn't had any since Cheerilee broke up with him three weeks ago.
They walked right past the guest hut and headed into a shallow riverbed, which seemed to lead nowhere. He glanced all around overhead. The Everfree looked a lot more like a generic forest with tall maples and oaks arranged haphazardly along with just the occasional bird overhead as well as a pleasant lack of spooky noises.
He felt totally confused, but she simply waved him forwards. He shrugged, and he stepped through the slippery riverbed. He stuck out a hoof and slid his head around, trying to keep his balance. He almost bit his lip as he nearly fell flat on her face. Zecora kept on walking in front of him. She seemed to have the grace of a ballerina. I can see why the humans like her. Zecora suddenly ducked to the side, looking for a second as if she had completely disappeared.
He blinked. He heard a happy exclamation, something in another language that he didn't understand, and he trotted forwards. He found himself standing besides a huge cave, totally black inside. He heard more weird chattering inside. Well, I've made it this far, haven't I? He headed inside.
In just a matter of seconds, he found himself standing inside a massive clearing. The clean, bright green grass all around him looked like something from a Canterlot tycoon's lawn. He stepped along the moist expanse, trying to spot Zecora. It seemed almost like one of those optical illusions from The Canterlot Times. What had been a cave was then just a big hole, almost like a rabbit hole, over in a corner of the clearing. Despite being so short, inky blackness filled the hole as if it stretched for mile after mile.
I feel like I'm in some kind of magical zone or something. The sky is bluer. The grass is greener. The forests bordering this little clearing look like something from a storybook. It's not real. It's like 'hyper-real'. He blinked. Am I? "Hello, Zecora?" Mac called out.
"A-ha!" Zecora replied.
Mac twirled around. He eyed Zecora lying down on the ground far across from him over his right, and he trotted over. As he moved closer, he saw a gigantic patch of flowers besides the curvy gray zebra. Ah, so there's what I'll be tending to! He seemed to immediately fall in love with the beautiful plant. Row after row of bright pink tulip-like flowers shone out in the bright sun. The petals had pretty yellow stripes going across in intricate curls-- like something Rarity would carefully plan out at the lacey end of her dresses. Stretches of dark green vines laid down underneath and behind the flowers. Zecora ran a hoof alongside them, and she stood up straight.
"Ah, so we can see that she does like you," Zecora said, pointing over at Big Mac. "She only loses her invisibility to a select few."
"Cotius hortus siccus, I presume," Mac said, scratching his chin. "Very beautiful." He stepped even closer, his eyes dancing along the various petals, sepals, stems, and everything else before him. Hey, wait a minute... He blinked. "Are you seriously telling me that they're usually invisible?"
She nodded, letting out a little laugh.
"And this whole area that we're standing in here," he said, gesturing towards the air above him, "somethin' is special about it."
"Nature in the Everfree Forest is always in balance, my friend," she replied, stepping out away from them. "Magical danger on one side of the expanse implies magical love at the other end."
"Magical love?" he repeated. He didn't like the naughty expression going across Zecora's face. "This is gettin' rather, uh, philosophical for a discussion about gardening, ain't it?"
Zecora did an impromptu dance, flipping herself on her hind hooves and waving around her front ones. Mac watched with wide open eyes. She twirled over and kicked against the ground. She flew about in a circle. He took a gulp as she spun both her head and her flanks widely.
"Zecora, please, what exactly can I do now? I'm here to help. What can I do first? I'm 'pollinating', but how?" he asked. She kept on spinning, her mane streaking through the air like a whip. "Zecora!"
*Blam!*
A gigantic purple cloud burst out from underneath Zecora's body as a booming noise rocked the whole clearing. Mac staggered backwards, falling onto the corner of the huge plant. He watched as Zecora popped up into the air, something like hundreds of bright blue magical sparks coursing between her and the ground. He opened his mouth up, but he couldn't begin to think of what to say.
"Mac!" Zecora screamed out, looking over at him. Her eyes seemed to glow with this alien, blue aura. "Listen, you must! In my words, you must trust!"
He nodded. He felt what seemed like the plant's vines moving slightly underneath his back, but he put that down to just his nerves. "Yes, please. Don't be so cryptic. Just tell me what to do and how to do it."
"I must leave, Mac," she called out, closing her eyes and moving slowly towards the hole where they had came in. "Later today, I shall be back." She held up a hoof, making a circle. "Her pearl-like beads, my friend, shall be all yours... magically forming the day after tomorrow, beneath the vines, in pairs of fours."
"Zecora..."
"Her life is growing short! Offspring, she must create and support! You must pollinate her! The magical consummation must occur!" Although Zecora stepped farther and farther from him, her voice grew deeper and deeper.
"With what?" Mac felt exasperated, still knocked on his back besides the flowers and trying his best to stand up. Something seemed to still hold him. "Don't I need a spray or something? Or something powdery to sow? Where are my gardening supplies? I'm so confused!"
"She requires nothing that you would hang from a tool shed's pegs!" Zecora yelled before disappearing. "Mac, the only supplies you need you shall find right between your legs!"
Mac blinked. He stared out at the open expanse. I'm not in the mood for riddles. He sneered, wiggling his body from side to side. He tried to stand back up. He pulled his back hooves forwards, but something moist moved up along his legs. He tugged for a moment. What the hay is going on! He stopped, and he swung his head down to the ground, looking straight underneath him.
"Oh, my leg is just caught in the vines," he muttered, seeing green curls going along his bright red fur. He prepared to grip his legs together, tugging harder. The vines held him back. He blinked. One of the vines actually moved right before his eyes.
Oh... my... Celestia... He froze. He saw one of the vines stretching up over to his cutie mark. He moved his head up and to the left, now looking back over his shoulder. A particularly big tulip nudged up against the big apple on his flank. The petals opened up a little. His heart raced like Rainbow Dash trying to break a record. The moist pink petals made a circle along his cutie mark, those soft things feeling like a mare's tongue.
"Then, I guess she wants... I guess she needs..." he groaned, his head shaking. Vines snaked along his legs and started up his belly. He couldn't bear to force himself to move, his body going numb as countless thoughts warred against each other in his subconscious. "I guess you want..." He felt himself being rolled over on his back.
Can I even talk to this thing? Can it understand me? Could it talk back somehow? He looked up at the empty sky as the plant slid him gently across the grass over towards itself. His bottom hooves brushed up against a mat of leaves, and he felt the vines growing looser and looser. He looked down. Most of the flowers simply bobbed left to right slightly, still looking like ordinary tulips than some kind of Everfree Forest monster. Vines massed around underneath them, crawling in ways that seemed to make no rhyme or reason.
"Oh, Celestia help me," Mac groaned, looking back up at the sky. He made a huge sigh. "I'm being propositioned by greenery."
A single tulip moved up his belly and chest. It tickled his chin for a moment, making him reach out and try to swat it. The tulip hovered in the air right in front of his face. He closed his eyes. Oh, gosh, I can't believe what's happened. I can't believe I'm here. It's all like a dream or something. He opened his eyes again, and he stared straight into the flower.
Rather than seeing the stigma, anther, stamen, and pistil that he expected, he saw the pretty pink and yellow petals of the flower leading on the inside to some kind of yellowish white folds doused in a glittery grey powder. Looks almost like a set of lips inside, almost. I guess this species has only a stigma and that's it? The petals bent forwards, closing the flower somewhat. Is she... is she... showing me her stigma? The flower bent down closer to him, lining up perfectly with his lips. An awkward ten seconds of nothingness happened.
"Oh, Celestia," he said, making a pained moan, "you want a kiss, don't you?"
The tulip didn't say anything in response, but the vine behind the tulip moved up and down like a mare shaking her head 'yes'.
Mac's head shivered back and forth. No! No! What the hay is wrong with me! Why would I ever kiss a bucking flower just like a would kiss Cheerilee or Rarity or Fluttershy? Gross! He didn't know whether to laugh, cry, or scream out. He saw the tulip opening up a little once again, it's petals looking even more moist than before. His eyes took in the intricate yellow stripes along the pink body. On plant terms, the thing looked rather beautiful. But it's still... wow!
"You're not my species, not my genus, not my family, not my class, not my order! You're not even my phylum, for crying out loud!" Mac called out.
The flower simply moved in closer. The tips of its petals curled up a little. Every part of it looked to be soaking wet.
Is this really so bad? It's got to be literally the weirdest thing I've ever heard in my entire life. Still, all I have to do is to give it... give 'her', I guess... my body. And then Applejack, Applebloom, Granny Smith, and all the rest are set for the whole season-- if not for years. He gazed at the flower. He knew that it was the kind of soft, delicate, and adorable thing that he'd search far and wide for to give to a sweetheart-- having never seen a prettier plant. Oh, buck it! Mac closed his eyes. He stuck out his lips, sucking in a big breath through his nose.
And then they kissed.
To Be Continued...
Mac felt the dripping wet petals moving all around his lips. He quivered, his mind swirling with the odd feeling. She's a plant. She feels like... like... I'm kissing Rarity. Almost. His head moved side to side a little as the petals nudged about his lips. He reached in with his tongue and danced it around a bit, trying the same moves that he would with a mare. The inside of the flower seemed as smooth and wet as he could have imaged, with him slurping up a filmy something like a sparkly powdered sugar.
After only a matter of seconds, Mac had gone into full, passionate making out. His head slid from side to side as he let out some small moans. Moist, smooth petals touched all over his face. The vines traveled all across his chest and belly, picking him up and placing him right in the air a few inches above the plant. He felt other tulips nipping up against his back and around his flanks. He broke the kiss, seeing that one beautiful flower closing its petals as it hovered down from his lips and rubbed along his neck.
"I ain't sure what in tarnation is goin' on," Mac muttered, glancing about as dozens of other tulips moved up across his body. "But I sure as hay am likin' it." Vines loosely swung up and down all four of his hooves. He felt nothing like captivity-- far more like seductive touching.
He made a half-scream as a dozen or more flowers opened up and started to nestle their petals along his fur. Kisses! Kisses! It's like every inch of me is being kissed! The contrast of the slippery green vines along his tough, muscular sides seemed totally amazing. He felt the alpha flower, the one apparently in charge of the rest, curl up against his cheeks like the stroke of a mare's hoof.
Over between his legs, he felt the flowers coming so close to touching him but still hesitating. They all hovered several inches away in the air. He looked down, seeing how hard his colthood had gotten, and he smirked. "Well, then, what'cha been waitin' for?" He turned to the right, looking at the alpha flower. "Why pausin'?" The whole plant pushed him farther up in the air a sudden, making him let out a 'oof'.
The alpha flower positioned itself right up above his eyes. It slid from side to side. Mac cocked his head, trying to think. Wow, I wish she could... ah... talk... The petals opened up. He looked down his belly again and he vines slipping across his sides as well as tulips waiting just above his colthood. Something's wrong? What did Zecora say? He flashed back through her cryptic words. Magical love? That the plant needs to reproduce soon, with its life getting short? He suddenly realized it all as the alpha flower kissed his forehead.
"Consent," Mac said. He whistled, clopping his front hooves together. The vines slurped up and down his legs as he moved. "She ain't wantin' to molest any ol' stallion, human, zebra, or any that comes her way. Of course not, she ain't that kind of girl. She wants full and complete consent, leading to a happy... uh... pollination." His eyes followed the alpha tulip as it shook up and down. "Well, then, sugarcube..." He made a short sigh, petting alongside the tulip's side with his hoof. "You got it. Mind, heart, body, and soul. The answer is 'yes'. I'm happy to pop your, ah, flowery cherry."
He heard such an odd noise. His ears flopped, sensing something like a soft set of squeaking sounds like from a scooter's horn being touched. He opened his mouth to say something back, but the alpha tulip immediately kissed him once again. He closed his eyes as he held its vines with his hooves.
Smooth, wet petals wiggled across his colthood. He shivered, making a low groan. Two flowers opened up and kissed his tentacles, cradling them in such a delicate way. Vines and petals swirled along the shaft of his rod. He pressed against the alpha tulip with both hooves. He couldn't think of anything in his entire life like the strange sensations. Pleasure just overwhelmed his mind, coming from all across his body as the endless tulip kisses went on.
So slippery... so wet... so slippery... so wet... "Praise Celestia," Mac muttered. The alpha tulip broke the kiss, and he saw his thick saliva trailing off from inside the petals and dripping along his neck. Oh, gosh, I want her. But it's so weird. But it's so wrong. Jolts of joy burst up his sides as the smaller flowers ran their petals along his colthood. He watched with baited breath as the alpha tulip slid down his chest and belly. It swirled around, and it poised itself right atop the tip of his throbbing hard colthood. "Oh, sweet goodness, she's... really gonna..."
He made a half-scream as the alpha tulip slithered over his colthood. He felt her petals enclosing over the head of his thing as her rubbery wet stigma rubbed up against the tip. Sheer pleasure rocketed up his insides. It felt unbelievably weird but also unbelievably wonderful. The petals curled around, milking him. Smooth, gentle touches bathed every last inch of his colthood.
Mac had long prided himself on how long he could last-- a fact chatted about from mare to mare at lunch after lunch. Yet he couldn't control himself. The constant simulation hurled him right up to the line already. He buckled, feeling his sticky pre-cum leaking out already. Four flowers all wrapped around his sack, kissing them more passionately and tenderly than he had ever felt from a mare. The vines constricted along his colthood. Pleasure after pleasure piled on inside his mind.
He made a long, embarrassingly feminine whine as the alpha tulip seemed to start sucking. Her petals gripped him so snugly. The vines got tighter as the kisses seemed to get messier and messier. Finally, he felt her stigma pressing against the tip of his rod. He sensed something like dozens of little fireworks of pleasure going off.
Mac could take no more. He let out a loud, huge moan as he sped right over the line. He emptied himself into the alpha tulip, spurting inside every last drop of his cream that he could. He kicked with all four hooves, feeling the vines trying in vain to keep him under control. Sheer bliss filled every last corner of his mind, sending him into a pure paradise. He took a deep breath as he smiled.
The plant gently moved him down, its vines propping him up along the soft green grass. Flowers and vines softly curled off of his body. He remained pretty still, simply panting hard. He took his sweet time climbing down. Holy sweet hay! I haven't felt that good in months upon months! Rarity eat your heart out!
Mac glanced over, and he saw the flowers returning to normal, staying still as if they were any other plant. The vines dug back underground amidst a pile of leaves. Still, the alpha tulip stuck out two feet in the air, swaying from side to side a little. Mac smiled even wider as he saw his thick, white cream dripping across the top of the petals. The tulip enclosed tightly, determined to keep every last drop. The yellow marks along the pink sides seemed to turn even darker, shining with a now golden-like color. Oh, shoot! She's actually blushing!
"Awwww," Mac muttered, standing up. He blushed as well, his strong red cheeks somehow becoming even redder. He still felt totally energized and happier than he had been for so long. He stepped over and rubbed his hoof delicately along the side of the alpha tulip. It turned to his side, shaking up and down. "Well, I'll see you again soon."
The alpha tulip slunk down and buried itself amidst the pile of other tulips. Golden sparks of some kind of magic flickered across the whole plant. Mac shrugged. He waved as he turned around. He eyed the rabbit-like hole out of the clearing.
"I guess she's getting pregnant now?" he asked to nopony in particular. He tried to force all of the weird thoughts out of his mind, and he headed off. Blast it, Zecora! You need to level with me on how this all is supposed to work. He dug his head into the dirt hole.
The world turned black. He heard a swirling sound, and ended up being knocked forwards. He blew out a deep breath and wiggled his head. He found himself lying down in the same familiar riverbed as before. Zecora, I need some more info on all this... oddness. Ugh. He stood up and shook the water off of him. It's all so weird. Such mysteries everywhere with that zebra. He could at least take solace in one fact. Gardening was definitely his new favorite hobby.
To Be Continued...
The next morning...
Zecora thrust open the door to her guest hut and motioned Mac over. He coughed and finished down the rest of his fruity juice morning cocktail before following her. He wiped off his eyes and went on over along the same familiar riverbed. He still felt rather embarrassed from falling asleep so early the night before, while talking with Zecora. He flashed back to how he had barely even managed to finish their conversation before keeling over. I guess whatever magical stuff the fertile tulips had coursing along themselves... it all sucked a lot of life out of me. Oh, well. I ain't gonna complain, especially since she made me breakfast and tried to explain more things this mornin'.
He carefully made his way along the slippery rocks and broken down branches along the stream. Zecora disappeared from up ahead once again, jumping in through the mysterious magical cave over to the side. Mac hesitated, just letting the water rush along the ends of his hooves for a moment. He looked back at the empty baskets, stacked into each other, that Zecora had just carried.
"Whatever explanations she's given me have only made me more confused, blast it," he muttered, shaking his head, "Goodness! So this cotius hortus siccus goes down deep inside the Everfree, stretching down along in big underground magical roots that'll look more like a fungus than a plant? And these pretty but horny little flowery bits stick up every so often? Ain't making a lick o' sense!" He picked up the buckets. Sometimes I just wish she spoke normally instead of those blasted rhymes. He sighed, and he ducked into the dark cave besides him.
He appeared inside of the same big clearing as the day before. Yet he could sense immediately yet things had changed. A faint pastel-sort of tone stretched over everything. The grass looked paler and shorter. The trees along the distance of the clearing appeared more foreboding, curling around with gnarly branches just like a typical Everfree tree than the picturesque stuff he saw before.
Mac took a gulp. His eyes flew all over. He couldn't see Zecora or the plant anywhere. He picked up the buckets and trotted over to the far right, where the trees and the green grass of the clearing met. He made his way over in a big circle.
"Zecora? Please? Is something wrong?" Mac asked. "Uh, I guess I know that the plant-- that she-- can become invisible. But now is not really the time." He stopped, sitting down besides a mossy patch of torn branches. "We're just feeding it and talking to it right? As well as picking up the beads?" Pollination is over. Or, at least that what Zecora seemed to say this mornin'.
"The situation has much changed. Our plans must be rearranged," said a voice from somewhere. It seemed to float about the air aimlessly like a leaf in the calm breeze.
"You said... wait..." He didn't even begin to understand anything, wiggling his ears around as he laid down on the ground. "Please, Zecora. Is something wrong with the plant?"
"She is dying, dear Mac."
"Dying? Wait? What!" Mac leaped upwards, jittering his hind hooves. He glanced all around, still seeing nothing but empty trees and empty grass. "She was fine just a matter of hours ago!"
"Her roots suffered another attack."
"Where in the hay are you?" He danced around in place, looking like a dog chasing his tail.
"There's nothing to worry, my dear. We are simply right here."
He blinked. He looked over his shoulder, and he spotted Zecora kneeling besides the massive plant. He trotted nearby, standing over it. His eyes moved from tulip to tulip as a huge frown crept over his face. The colors had started to fade, with an ugly dark gray tone overwhelming the pretty yellow and pink. The vines had dug into the dirt below. Overall, he saw it moving with far less energy.
"Zecora, I... I..." He blinked. He couldn't believe it at first, but he felt like crying.
"Mac, now is not the time for tears!" Zecora stood up and rubbed a hoof around his neck. "Now is, in fact, the time for cheers!"
He slanted his head to the side. Sheer confusion just seemed to drip from his face. He opened his mouth, just letting it hang in there. His eyes flipped between Zecora's smooth, content expression and the weak-looking tulips to their side.
"You made her every dreams come true. A special pollination happened, just from you." Zecora stepped over to the side, tugging Mac several feet to the right of the plant. "Such is the ways of this species of flower. Reproduction destroys almost all of their power." Mac shrugged. She dies after mating? That sounds... awful...
Mac watched as Zecora hopped from left to right. She dug her back hooves into the ground as she wiggled her mane and tail. He didn't understand at all, scratching his chin. She smirked, and she pointed straight downward. Mac's eyes followed. He took a deep breath.
He saw a a patch of tulips forming underneath a huge tree a few feet from the older mass of flowers. These new tulips, swaying side to side with the wind, had brilliant bright stripes going up along their big, red petals. Mac's eyes slid over from flower to flower back to his own big, red flanks. Exactly the same... He closed his eyes, and he held his head back.
"Zecora, are you telling me... seriously..."
"Are you not happy to see your daughter?"
"Daughter!" Mac screamed out, bucking back on his hind hooves.
"You're lucky to have caught her," Zecora continued, grabbing Mac and pointing over along the tops of the nearby trees. Mac blinked as their bodies rubbed up against each other. She held his head up and motioned it at a tall, foreboding looking oak. "You have strong seed. Better than any flower could ever need..." Mac squinted.
"Oh, dear, Celestia," he called out as he spotted more bright red tulips popping up far overhead on the oak's tallest branches. "I guess this new plant is gonna, well, spread all over the Everfree?"
"You're correct," Zecora replied, "It's a safe bet. Your daughter has already moved out for miles, indeed. Her reach shall envelop the whole forest with great speed."
"Well, alright then," he said, sitting down. He buried his face in his hooves. I have offspring. Kids. Children. And they have petals. Oh, dear sweet goodness, what have I done? How could I let all this happen? He rubbed his temples as he tried not to pant. What on earth will happen? Will I pay some kind of 'foal's support' or something? Am I supposed to water all of them? Do I protect them if somepony tries to pick 'em? He let out a low, long whine. "What the hay should I do?"
"Mac, you silly," Zecora said, pushing his shoulder. "No need to cry like a filly."
He glanced over at the tulips that he had pollinated the day before. He saw pile after pile of bright white beads that looked a lot like pearls, only somehow even shinier, and she stepped closer. The plant appeared to whither before his eyes as he moved, growing older in seconds the way that a normal flower would go through in days.
He closed his eyes once again, trying to think. He shivered. "Zecora, what do I have to do about my... my... uh... petal-covered offspring?"
"You need not be concerned with her, Mac," she responded, and he heard her picking up the buckets that they had carried. "She will expand all over by herself and will not come back." He nodded, sitting down once again. It all felt like way too much for him to take. "She requires no gardening, not for a long while. You can set her out on her own for years, so please just smile."
"Smile," he repeated. He wished he had a thick glass of cider to wash his torrent of emotions down with.
"Listen to me and open your eyes, now. Your money problems are finished, and this is how."
Mac lifted up his eyebrows and held out his hooves. She shoved three huge baskets of jewel-like beads right in front of him. He looked down, seeing thousands of little Big Macs reflected back at him, and he grinned. He glanced over behind Zecora's shoulder, seeing the dirty blank spot in the dirt where the original plant had sat. He felt content. He felt happy.
"Sure," he said. He paused, and he headed over to the dirty blank spot, ignoring the baskets for a moment. He dug at the ground a little bit, leaning over. "You know, miss flowers, I never was able to properly say goodbye. Nor did I properly thank you for such a wonderful evenin'. That's very ungentlepony like for me." He leaned even closer. "So, thank you."
As a few golden magical sparks went off within the dirt, he understood. He didn't have to say anything more. He didn't have to hear anything more. He pressed his forehead against the ground, and he smiled once again.
Several hours later...
After an impromptu 'Welcome Back' party, the Apple family went through a long period of total elation where Granny Smith and Applejack safely stored away their baskets of rare, expensive trinkets. They talked about investing in Applebloom's college fund. They talked about fixing up the barn. They talked about hiring even more ponies to work. They even talked about a vacation over in Hoofington-- a word that had seemed like a distant dream only a few days before.
All of that died down after not too long, and ponies resumed their chores. Mac leaned out his window and gazed into the distance. "With almost all the trees ruined or close to ruined, there seems to be almost nothin' to do. Surprisin' how much farm life ends up bein' jes' buckin' time. With that out of the way, it feels like an out-of-body experience." He took a sip of his iced tea on the counter table besides his bed.
He squinted out into the distance. He put a hoof to his eyes. Of course, I'm not gonna see the Everfree like this. He ambled through his room and picked out his new telescope. He aimed it over in the direction of the forest, carefully adjusting the sights. He smiled as he came along the edge of the gnarled, spooky-looking trees.
He moved up and down. Nasty clawed things scurried through the trees. He slid the telescope up and got a nice, long look of the full moon. He shifted it along the treetops and over to a lake. He froze.
He spotted familiar looking red tulips stretching along the patches of grass besides the lake. He looked over to the right and saw them along a mass of maples. He looked over to the left and saw them along a huge pile of mossy black rocks. He traveled along the new path, and tulips dotted besides the gravel every few yards.
"My goodness," he said, stepping back from the telescope. He picked it back up and placed it over into his closet. He leaned his body over the window again, taking a deep breath. "This means that I've got some strong 'seed'... or... uh... strong 'pollen'.
He finished off his iced tea, and he prepared for bed. I wonder how Applejack will handle visiting her, uh, niece? He brushed his teeth and washed off his face. I shouldn't think like that. Biology doesn't work that way. She's my plant. Not the same as a foal, not in the slightest. But I can feel proud, shouldn't I? He hopped into the sheets, pulled them over his head, and made a pleasant sigh.
"Well, I suppose ya'll can't call it 'the Everfree' anymore," he whispered. "Now, it's gonna be 'Big Mac's Garden'." He slid to the side, and he fell into a long, deep sleep.
The End
