In the Name of the Princess

Farmer bucked the last apple tree and watched as the ripe, shiny fruit fell from its fat branches. The smell of success and sweat hung about him in equal measures like a pungent cloak. This moment was priceless, and he would savour every second of it. Unfortunately, fate had decided that this "moment" would last all of two seconds before a familiar voice broke his concentration.

"Hey, farmer"! Called a rather smooth deep voice . "Mac, I need to speak to you".

Farmer let out a rather irritated sigh, but continued to work. 'Well it was good while it lasted', he thought to himself as he turned to face the one with the gall to interupt his moment of accompishment, an ageing stallion with a charcoal grey coat and a silver mane, sporting a cutie mark of a cracked boulder. "What do ya want Petra?" Asked Mac as he began putting the last of the bushels into his cart.

"What if I just wanted to talk to an old friend?" Said Petra, in a not too serious tone. Big Mac gave him a look that could have cut through the crap in any conversation and went back to hooking up the harness on the apple cart.

"This would be easier if you just speak. We aren't animals, and ponies do hold conversation from time to time." Said Petra in a rather irritated tone.

"Well then, why are ya here Petra?" With an equally annoyed voice. Petra's face got a dead serious look then and he said, "timberwolves have been seen moving in large packs near the edge of the Everfree lately, and some ponies are saying that they look organized somehow."

Mac couldn't help but laugh at that. "organized?" He said. "Since when can timberwolves organize anythin' beyond stealin' sheep?" Big Mac said jokingly. Nevertheless Mac was worried, Petra was a joker, and if he was so spooked he was being serious, then Mac shoulde be scared.

"Hey!" Shouted Petra indignantly. "I know sheep who lost family to those timberwolves". "Alright, alright, calm down, ah didn't mean no offense to yer friends". Said a rather guilty looking Mac. "Anyways, what did ya want me ta do about it"?

"I was hoping you would be able to help protect the town". Petra said matter-of-factly. Mac paused in the middle of hooking the apple cart to up his harness and looked Petra dead in the eye.

"I ain't a fighter no more Petra, and you know why that is, so don't ask".

At that moment, an unusually beautiful vioce rang out in sing-song. "Supper's ready honey."

"ah'll be right there sugarcube". Shouted Big Mac as he finished attaching the cart and started to pull it towards the barn. "would ya like ta' stay fer supper Petra?" Asked Mac.

"Sure, anyone can give me free food". He replied jokingly.

"Oh, Prance! how long has it been? Oh who cares, you must be starved, i'll go get you some food. Oh but do remember to wipe your feet on the mat." Mac's wife was, without a doubt, the most generous pony in Equestria. She was, after all, the element of generosity, and sharing a meal with an old friend was certainly the least she could do. "Lapis, oh Lapis!" Shouted Rarity in her usual sing-song voice. "daddy's back, and he brought uncle Prance!" As soon as these words were a spoken, a little unicorn filly with a blue mane and a light gray coat came barreling down the stairs at the speed of a raging cerberus, and somehow made almost as much noise.

"Ohmygoshdaddyi'msogladyou'rehere'causeyou'llneverguesswhatIdidIfinallylevitatedsomethingwithmagictodayandit'smyfirsttimeeverandi'msohappy!" How she had enough air in her lungs to accomplish the feat of saying all that without pause for breath was a mystery none would ever solve.

"Woah there Lapis, take a breath now and speak clearly." said Mac in a tone of genuine concern. Lapis paused to take in a huge gulp of air and was about to speak again when Mac said. "Clearly means slowly Lapis, yer dear old pa jus' ain't fast enough ta keep up whitcha."

Lapis closed her mouth, nodded and then said at regular speed, "I finally used magic today, it's my first time ever and I'm so happy!"

"Great job sweetheart, ah bet you'll be a mage some day at this rate." Mac said before proceeding to give her a noogie. Lapis giggled and tried to get away from him, but Mac, for all his bulk was still faster than a little filly. "Ok! Ok! I give up! Just Stop!" Lapis yelled betwwen fits of laughter as Mac tickled her in the belly. Luckily for Lapis, Rarity picked that moment to interject.

"Dinner's getting cold dears, come on in and eat, and do stop torturing your daughter Mac, you ought to know better by now."

"Curses, foiled again!". Shouted Mac with the slightest bit of sarcasm. "Looks like mother saved ya from the tickle monster once again, but I'll get you one day you'll see!" Mac called playfully as Lapis ran into the kitchen.

"I didn't know you could string that many words together at one time Macintosh." muttered Petra half to himself.

"ah heard that Petra, and unless ya'll want me ta start callin' ya by yer first name, ah'd suggest  ya'll watch yer mouth." Growled Mac."

"You must really like me, that's more words than i've heard from you in the last three years." Petra said through a smirk. Mac gave him a blank look for a second before he spoke.

"Whatever ya say... Prancing." He had to avert his eyes and pretend to cough to keep from laughing out loud like a colt. Petra had never been fond of his first name, and hadn't liked any of it until he found out that his name basically meant "walking rock". Nevertheless, he still hated being called Prancing, and only tolerated Rarity calling him "Prance" because she was, well, Rarity.

"Didn't I tell you to never call me Prancing?" Petra said between clenched teeth.

"Well ah did give ya a fair warning didn't ah?" Mac taunted as he walked towards the kitchen with a coltish grin still plastered on his face. "Come on, hurry up an' get in here 'fore the food turns ta ice.

Twilight panted in pleasure as he gave her a long, deep kiss. It was the type of kiss that took women's breath away, if she had kissed other men before though, she might have been more suspicious about how much it really did drain her.She held it a moment longer before she finally broke it."Stop", she said, already out of breath. "I just... need ... a moment." She was panting like somepony who had just finished weight lifting with an ursa major. "How do I always feel this way after being with you Venenatus?" She asked frustratedly.

"Perhaps love does that to a mare." He said more as a statement than a question.

"What do you know about love Ven?" Asked Twilight in a rather hushed tone. Venenatus thought a moment before answering. "I know that poets claim they would die for it." He whispered.

"Would you die for my love Ven?" Twilight asked quietly.

Ven smiled and again paused to think for just a moment. "Perhaps I would, in a poem. Personally, i'd rather live for your love, if it's all the same to you.

" Twilight couldn't help but giggle just a bit at this. "Well if you would prefer that, then perhaps you could stay just a bit longer?" Twilight gave Ven a begging look, complete with puppy-dog eyes and a pouty lip.

"How can I say no?" Ven said sarcastically," but just for a few more minutes, unfortunately. My duty calls after all."

"Speaking of which, are you ever going to tell me what it is you're working on that's more important than me?" Twilight looked at him with that face again, it worked with everyone, usually, but Ven was the exception.

"It's a surprise Twilight, and you know I can't give away a surprise." He said with an almost devious smile.

"then can you at least hold me close until you go?" She asked pleadingly.

"Of course Twilight." He said in the softest, smoothest voice he could muster. Twilight fell asleep less than a minute later.

Venenatus Magicae slowly got up out of the bed and silently teleported back to his lair. Once there, he took the medallion that had been hidden under his mage robes in a hoof and looked at it. The medallion was a large blue sapphire cut into an oblong diamond shape, with gold trim along every edge and a gold chain. the sapphire in the medallion seemed to blaze internally with a purple fire. Venenatus smiled a distinctly maniacal smile as he said to himself "everything is going according to plan, and now, not even the great Celestia and her pet student Twilight can stop me. The throne will be mine Luna, your foalish reign is at an end."

"Twilight?" "Twilight?"  A voice called to twilight in her dreams. She didn't care. All she could focus on was the horror unfolding before her. Entire villages being burned down. Men, women and chidren being killed or taken by unspeakably ugly beasts, and worst of all, Canterlot; with its high towers and beautiful architecture, burning, its towers crushed, its walls breached, and all of its inhabitants killed or kidnapped. "Twilight." The voice was louder now. "Twilight!" "Wake up!" Twilight nearly jumped out of the bed. "What happened Twilight?" Twilight recognized that voice now that she could focus again.

"Celestia?" Asked Twilight hopefully"

"Yes twilight I am here." She said lovingly. "Can you tell me what's wrong Twilight?"

When Twilight spoke, she did so shakingly. "I saw a vision, a vision in which Canterlot was razed and beasts of the worst sort killed or took all the inhabitants of every town, city, and village between here and Marewaulkee. It was horrible."

"There now, it will be alright, I'm sure it was just a bad dream."

She consoled. Twilight, however, was not calmed by her words. "It was not a dream, I could see it too clearly, and I remember it too well. You taught me the differences between dreams and visions yourself. Remember?"

Celestia sighed heavily. "Yes I remember, and I'm glad you do too. Just remember also that visions are the ficklest of magics, especially when seen in sleep. What you saw is what may come to pass, not what will, and besides, Luna is a great ruler, and she would never allow something like that to happen." Celestia began brushing Twilight's mane to calm her down.

"Celestia", whispered Twilight. "Do you ever regret stepping down from the throne?" Celestia paused for a moment before continuing to stroke her hair.

"I stepped down from the throne to teach you for a reason Twilight. I never regretted that decision for a moment,and don't ever let anyone tell you any differently." Twilight finally fell asleep a few minutes later.

As Celestia stroked Twilight's mane, she felt the magical energy that coursed inside her body. It seemed diminished somehow. Celestia's eyes furrowed in concentration. She examined Twilights aura with a burst of magic. Sure enough, it had been siphoned recently. Who would do something like that? Twilight had been taught to recognize and repel siphon spells, and no known mages could bypass her wards at range. Unless, perhaps it was someone she knew, someone she trusted. Celestia's eyes narrowed to slits, someone was hurting her Twilight, which meant that someone was going to be crushed.

As they sat at the table and ate, Petra filled them in on some of the day to day goings-on in Ponyville. Who was getting married, who was sick, who had foals on the way, and all the other little small talk and rumors that were always going around in a small town setting.

"Petra wanted daddy to join the guard momma". Lapis said quite suddenly.

"Now, I never said anything like that." Petra scolded. "All I said was that maybe your daddy could come help protect the town. We've been getting news of timberwolves getting uncomfortably close to Ponyville lately, and we could always use an extra hand."

"Ah ain't the soldier who fought with ya at Highroost anymore Petra, ah'm a farmer now, no more no less." Big Mac said in a half threatening tone.

"Oh please do stop being so dramatic about this Mac. Why you're acting as if he was telling you to go out and rob a store." Rarity pouted.

"Are you sure you won't reconsider?" Asked Petra.  Mac's voice was distinctly confident as he replied.

"Look Petra, we've got guards here for problems just like this. What's the worst that could happen?"

"Alright Mac. You just make sure to take care of yourself, and your family too." Petra said as he got up to leave.

"Don't go breakin' no hearts now Petra. Ya hear?" shouted Mac as Petra walked up the dirt path that lead back to the road.

It was late at night, Lapis was asleep, and outside, crickets chirped in their usual annoying sing-song. Rarity lay in the bed with Big Macintosh while he stroked her purple mane with a hoof. "How much do you love me Macintosh?" Mac was suitably surprised by the sudden question.

"Ya know ah love you honey." He said after a second's hesitation.

"I know you love me Big Mac, but how much do you love me?" She whispered.

Big Macintosh dug deep for the right words to say for a moment, and when he finally did speak, he spoke with a hard conviction. "Ah love ya enough to live in the same house as ya. Ta raise a foal with ya. I loved ya enough ta marry ya, and ah sure as hell love ya enough not ta leave ya. If that still don't answer the question then maybe this will, ah love ya with every fibre a mah being that's capable a lovin' another pony, and ah'll keep lovin' ya 'till the day ah die, and maybe even after dependin' on what's true er not."

Rarity gave him a look that seemed like something between shock and complete and utter joy. Her eyes began to tear up just a little, and she suddenly leaned forward and planted her lips solidly on Big Mac's. They held the kiss for what seemed like minutes, neither willing to back away from each other. It was Mac who finally broke the kiss.

"Ah think ah've made mah point." He said with a satisfied grin on his face. Rarity was still short of breath, but still managed to say: "are you a man of action Big Mac?" Big Macintosh smiled spoke confidently.

"Ya know ah am Rarity."

"Well then Mac, how about you prove it." Rarity was teasing him, and Big Mac loved every minute of it. "Sure" he replied almost deviously.

"Ya know ah've always got time fer action." Big Macintosh then jumped on top of Rarity and started kissing down her neck, Rarity giggling like a schoolfilly the entire time.