A Canterlot Courtship

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and it's characters are the property of Hasbro, Lauren Faust, and all her minions. I claim no ownership and seek no profit.

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Applejack shook her head, looking at the mountainous form of Big Macintosh, sitting out on the front porch of their home gazing up at the summer night’s sky. Many found the huge farm-pony to be an enigma; as far back as she could remember he'd always been a quiet one. But for Applejack, her brother was an open book. And right now, he was a sad story.

“Got room for me?” she asked, trotting up to the porch. Macintosh turned his eyes from the stars and glanced at her briefly.

“Eeyup. What's with the saddle bags?” he asked.

“Took a trip down to the root cellar,” she said. She opened the flap on one of her bags, and withdrew two brown glass bottles of the family's homemade hard cider, but not from the same run that the Apple Family sold to the general public. This was from what they’d personally reserved from the best of the lot, strictly for friends and family, and not for those weak at heart - or liver.

She sat the bottles down between them and gave him an intent look. “I think I might be needin' 'em for the conversation I'm 'bout to have.”

He raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

“Don'cha give me that,” the orange mare said, before picking up one of the bottles in her mouth and deftly popping the cork with her hoof and pouring the amber contents in a mug she'd produced. “I can tell somethin's eatin' at ya. The whole 'Element of Honesty' business works both ways. And I'm not leavin' until ya come clean with me. I can't help ya till ya do.”

He sighed. “It's nothin' AJ. I do appreciate ya thinking about me, but nothin' worth worrying 'bout.”

“Clearly it's not nothin',” she said as she poured the second bottle for herself. “Ya may be able to pull the wool over the eyes of other ponies, but you and I, we're kin.” She took a healthy sip from her mug. “I mean... ever since we've been runnin' this farm I've watched ya. Up before dawn, work twelve hours, back in at dusk. Every day. But lately... twelve hours became fourteen, then sixteen. Heck this is the first time I've actually seen ya today, y'know. Somethin' ain't right, Macintosh, and I'm worried for ya.”

Macintosh looked as if he was about to say something for a moment, but then reached for his mug and took a huge drink.

“Drink up. I brought up eight bottles for the two of us to split. An' we're gonna keep drinkin' till ya decide to talk to me,” Applejack said firmly.

Macintosh glared at his sister, though there was little heat in it. “Ya sure are a subtle one.”

“Hardly, but I get results.”

He sighed and turned back to his drink wordlessly.

Applejack finished her first mug and reached in her bag for a second bottle, silently thanking Celestia that she wouldn’t be working the fields the next day. This would not be the first time she’d gone cup-for-cup against her elder brother. Despite her smaller size, she could hold her own. Usually. Truth to be told, it was a calculated risk, but one she was fairly confident in; a few drinks had managed to loosen the stoic farm-pony’s tongue on occasion in the past.

Macintosh finished his first cup and pushed it away, making as if to leave. “Look, I really do appreciate the concern, AJ, I love ya for it, but I can’t sit here ‘n do this. I have to work-”

“No ya don’t,” Applejack cut him off curtly, as she poured a second drink for him. “Ya don’t have to work tomorrow. In fact. I highly recommend ya don’t,” she said ominously.

“But the tomatoes in the south field-”

“Rain.”

“There ain’t no rain scheduled tomorrow,” he said flatly. “I keep up with that kinda stuff.”

“It’s a very localized storm, I reckon,” Applejack said mildly, sipping her cider. “An’ by ‘localized’ I mean that I gave Rainbow Dash six bottles of cider in exchange for keeping an eye on th’ Acres and dumping a full thunderhead’s worth on top of the area surrounding a certain large, red mule if she spots him.”

Macintosh could only gape at her.

“So, ya got tomorrow off. In fact, we all do. So why don’t ya sit here, have a drink or two and talk to yer sister?”

He frowned and thudded back down on the porch beside her again, taking the cider she offered and draining about half the cup. He looked as if he wanted to talk, but the minutes continued to pass silently.

“Ooookay, how ‘bout we try this, Mac,” Applejack said. “I’m going to try this all logical-like. Ya’ve been down in the dumps since, what? Late spring?” she asked. Truth to be told, Applejack thought she already knew the answer to what the cause of his problem was, but she also knew her brother well enough to know that if she couldn’t get him to talk about it before she did, he’d simply deny it. She’d have done much the same thing herself.

He made a non-committal noise and continued to sip his cider.

“Yeah, I thought so too,” she mused. “So, what could’a happened that’s got ya so bent out of shape? Plantin’ went in fine.... ain’ no evidence of pests on the orchard... Applebloom’s grades were very good this time around,” Applejack said, a brief look of pride on her own face. “What else could’ve- oh wait, I remember, that’s when Twilight Sparkle moved back to Canterlot,” she said offhandedly as she poured yet another cup for herself.

Hearing the large stallion’s sudden intake of breath was all the confirmation she needed. She looked back over at Macintosh and caught him looking down at his hooves, a strange expression on his face. Soon enough, he caught her looking, and assumed his usual impassive mask. “Eeyup, that was a sad time for all of us, that’s fer sure,” he said.

“Sure was,” Applejack said. “I mean, she was almost like a sister to me. I’m sure that fancy teachin’ job at the Royal Academy is just the sort of thing she’s always wanted. But even so, I could tell that a part of her didn’ want to go. A big part, in fact.” She took another drink and pursed her lips, feeling the tip of her muzzle getting a bit numb. She knew she’d have to finish this soon. “Why, I don’ think it’s terrible far-fetched to wonder that if maybe if she’d been asked the right way, by the right pony-”

“Applejack,” Macintosh said quietly, bringing her up short for a moment. He rarely used her full name. “I think maybe ya let yer imagination run a bit wild, here.”

“Have I?” she asked archly. “Well then obviously there’s some other thing I’m missin’ here. Do enlighten me,” she said, giving him a long look over her mug as she sipped.

After a moment’s resistance, he ducked his head. “Am I really that easy to read? I mean... how many of th’ others-”

“None,” Applejack said gently, “None of them seem to have noticed, near as I can tell. So I’m thinkin’ the secret’s safe. But now I gotta ask why this is even a secret ‘n the first place. Bein’ sweet on Twilight Sparkle, that’s hardly somethin’ ya should be ashamed of. I mean, she’s a great mare. She’s pretty, she’s real smart, got a good heart. Maybe a mite bit high-strung at times, but that’s not somethin’ the right stallion could help out with,” she said, giving her brother’s shoulder a slight nudge. It was nigh impossible to tell if the red farm-pony was blushing, but she was fairly certain of it. “Maybe yer that stallion. I know yer a shy one, Mac, ya always have been, but you should give it a go. Bet she’d like ya plenty.”

“That's real nice to hear, AJ,” he said softly. “An' I know yer tellin' the truth. I could never talk to a mare like her, though. Like ya said, she’s a smart one. Really, really smart. The Princess' star pupil.” He had finally stopped actively avoiding Applejack's eyes, and she could she how genuinely sad he was. “If I ever tried to talk to her, I’d mess up and she’d just think I was some sort of dumb yokel.”

Applejack ground her teeth in irritation. 'Don'cha put yerself down like that,” she said hotly. “Cuz we both know that's horseapples. A dumb pony couldn't do all this,” she said, gesturing out to the orchard. “Even if a lot of ponies don't know it, we both know that there's a heck of a lot more to runnin' this show than buckin' trees and draggin' plows. It takes a strong brain and a strong back to do this, especially as young as ya had to start, after Ma and Pa died.” There was brief surge of emotion at the thought of her dearly departed parents, but it wasn't overwhelming after so many years. “Remember, ya ran the farm practically by yerself for a good long while till I came of age.”

“Granny Smith showed me most of the business end of it, though,” he said.

“That's true, she showed ya, then you went and did it all yerself. Takes smarts to pick that up so easy, and don't ya forget who showed me how things were done. “ She gave him a warm smile and patted his shoulder with a free hoof as she sipped her drink, feeling the pleasant warmth of the alcohol. “Always wondered if ya might eventually strike out on yer own, start yer own farm, sorta like Braeburn did. After ya met a nice mare, that is,” she said knowingly.

“If ya mean Twilight Sparkle, I guess that ship's sailed, ain't it?” Macintosh said bitterly. “Fact is, I was too shy to talk to her. I just get quiet around pretty mares.” At his sister's rather incredulous look, he shrugged. “Alright, quiet-er.”

“Maybe so, but it's hardly too late,” Applejack said. “I mean, she's only been gone a couple months, I doubt she's met a stallion that quick, even in Canterlot.” Truth to be told, Applejack was almost totally confident Twilight hadn’t; her friend was almost as awkward with stallions as her brother was with mares, but she wasn't going to talk bad about her friend behind her back, even for her brother's benefit.

“It’s... it’s a real nice thought, AJ,” Macintosh said, “But I guess it is what it is at this point. I can’t tell her somethin’ like this in a letter, that’s just not proper. And I can’t just up and go to Canterlot. Yer gonna need my help around here, especially once the vegetables come in. That’s what keeps us goin’ until the apples are ready for buckin’.”

Applejack groaned inwardly. “Confound ya and yer logic,” she muttered. “All right, but this ain’t over, brother-mine,” she warned, before leaning over and giving him a quick nuzzle. “I just don’ like to see ya sad, y’know?”

“I’ll be all right,” he said, returning her affectionate gesture. “Thank ya for caring so. Yer a great sister, AJ.”

She nodded. “I know,” she said without a trace of modesty, which earned a laugh from him. “But...we’re still off tomorrow, and it’d be a shame to let the rest of this cider go to waste, right?”

*****************************

As the sun began to crest the horizon the next morning, Big Macintosh could definitely feel the effects of not letting the previous night's cider go to waste. The headache and dry mouth were less than pleasant, but not anything beyond endurance. He slid out of his bed, washed up in the hall bath and shrugged his way into his harness much as he would on any morning. As quietly as he could manage, he crept downstairs and grabbed a small basket of apples for an impromptu breakfast as he got prepared for his day. Holding the basket in his mouth, he worked the outside door open with a hoof-

And then found himself looking into the bloodshot eyes of his little sister.

“Oh, uh- mornin’ AJ,” he said, after hastily setting down his basket.

“Mornin’.” She was clearly not pleased. She was also clearly quite hung over.

“Uh, ee- I was just- I mean- whatcha doin’ up so early?”

“Oh, just meetin’ someone,” she said. She turned and waved a hoof up at the sky, and Mac could see a small blue figure perched on a tiny, solitary dark raincloud return the gesture.

Applejack turned back to him with a penetrating look. “So whatcha got planned for yer day off?” she asked, almost sweetly.

Macintosh had totally forgotten about the previous night’s ultimatum. He knew Rainbow Dash would follow through on his sister's threat with glee. “I was...” He racked his brain for an excuse, then remembered the basket of apples. “Apple Waffles for breakfast?” he said with a slightly forced grin.

She gave him a long look, then walked in, giving his shoulder a firm bump as she passed him. “I like mine a touch burnt, just around th’ edges.”

“Eeyup.”

“Plenty of syrup too.”

Mac let out the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding; not the most graceful dodge ever, but he’d take it. Before he closed the front door he noted yesterday’s mail still laying on the doorstep, and slipped it into the basket to carry back inside.

His sister was finishing a large glass of water, and was about to pour herself a second as Macintosh entered the kitchen. “Why’d I let you talk me into doin’ all that drinkin’ last night? Darn foolish idea,” she chided her brother.

He chuckled softly. “Lots o’ water, AJ, and you’ll be right as rain in no time,” he said as he sat the basket on the table. “Take a look at th’ mail while I get breakfast started. I can have it ready before Applebloom and Granny Smith wake up.” The two siblings habitually rose earlier than the other two family members.

Macintosh could hear the envelopes being opened as he turned to the counter and began mixing ingredients for the waffle batter. A moment later, his sister gave a rather amused little laugh. “Letter from Cousin Braeburn,” she said. “He says hello, asks about Granny and Applebloom and-”

“Needs a loan,” Macintosh finished for her as he finished the batter and began mincing the apples that would be added in. “How much?”

“Not much this time,” Applejack replied. “Says he’s runnin’ for Mayor of Appleoosa, and is askin’ for a ‘contribution.’”

“But we don’ live in Appleoosa,” Macintosh said. “Is that even allowed?”

“I dunno. But I will say maybe it’s a good move for Braeburn. That pony’s got the gift o’ gab, sure enough, and he does love that little town. Handled himself real fine in that ruckus w’ the buffalo while me and the gang was there.”

He nodded, recalling the story. “I guess we can help out, if it’s allowed. We had a good year last year.”

“The best year in the history of Sweet Apple Acres!” Applejack said, setting the letter aside and sipping her water. “That new Ambrosia hybrid really paid off. I admit, a few years ago, I was skeptical, even if they were Ma and Pa’s last project. Those trees just looked like runts, to me, but when they finally came through...” she grinned. “An apple that’ll keep for six months or more? Who’d have thunk? You can ship th’ things all over Equestria, and they’ll still taste like they just came off of th’ tree!”

He smiled and nodded. “Our folks were smart ponies, comin’ up with that.”

“My brother’s a smart pony for talkin’ me out of clearin’ that field for somethin’ else,” she added.

“Applebloom helped,” Macintosh said. “Ya can’t say no to those eyes.”

She chuckled. “Yeah and she’s the one that told Twi, who told people she knew back in Canterlot, and got our stuff sellin’ there.”

“Too bad she didn’ get a cutie mark for it,” he said with a smile. “She probably deserved it.”

Applejack laughed. “I’m glad she didn’t. All that energy of hers needs to go somewhere, at least till she’s old enough to really help out on the farm.”

Breakfast was done shortly thereafter, and Macintosh and his sister ate in quiet, companionable silence, enjoying the food and the calm before Applebloom and Granny Smith woke for the day. As they ate Applejack nosed through the rest of the pile of mail, picking out an envelope that stood out from the rest. “Mac, did ya look at this?”

Macintosh set aside his empty breakfast plate to investigate what she’d found. The envelope was large, thick and made from a heavier than usual-seeming paper, possibly quite expensive. He saw that it was addressed to “The Apple Family,” and that there was no listed return address. On the back of the envelope, however, where it closed-

“Applejack,” he said quietly, “That’s the Royal Seal. This is from-”

“The Princesses,” she said in awed tones as she touched the red wax sealing the envelope shut.

“Well, go on, then,” he urged.

“Why me?”

“Well, ya’ve had more dealin’s with the Princesses than I have, that’s for certain.”

Applejack took a deep breath and broke the seal, extracting the documents contained within. “After a few moments her eyes grew wide. “Macintosh... It’s... We’re being honored by the Princesses,” she said in an awed voice. She cleared her throat slightly and read aloud from the letter.

“‘In recognition and appreciation of Tenacity, Ingenuity, and Dedication, we, Their Royal Highnesses Celestia and Luna, do hereby decree that The Apple Family of Ponyville, Proprietors of Sweet Apple Acres, are forthwith from this day to be the sole provider of apples, of all varieties, to the Crown direct and all official facilities in the Royal City of Canterlot.’”

Big Macintosh stared at her, mouth slightly agape. “I... huh, I guess them Ambrosia’s were a real big hit, eeyup.” he said at last. He moved next to her to drape an affectionate foreleg around her neck.

Applejack was still reading, eyes wide as saucers. “Mac, there’s going to be a ceremony in Canterlot in ten days honoring us, giving us some sort of award for ‘contributions to agriculture’ and some stuff like that. We’re requested to have a representative there to accept in person if possible.” She looked back at him with a beaming smile. “It’s wonderful, Mac! It’s the sort of thing Ma and Pa always wanted!”

He smiled. “Hope that dress Miss Rarity made for ya still fits,” he noted.

She nodded, but then stopped suddenly, a strange look of concentration coming over her face, as if making a decision. “How ‘bout you? You got anything other than that smelly ol’ yoke to wear?”

“Beggin’ pardon, AJ?”

“Ya heard me, because you’re goin’ to Canterlot, brother mine,” she said firmly.

“Huh? Sis, there’s no way, we can't both be away from th’ Acres,” he said. “Granny Smith can’t run the show by herself. You and I are the majority owners, and that’s a responsibility.”

“Yer absolutely right,” she said. “You go, I’m stayin’.”

He stared at her in astonishment. “Now that’s jus’ crazy, AJ. Me in Canterlot? With all those fancy ponies?”

“Sure,” she said. “Those fancy ponies need t’ be reminded who puts food on on all that expensive china they eat off of.” She laughed a little and and gave him an affectionate hug. “Mac, I’ve been there, I’ve been honored by the princesses. All that Element of Harmony stuff is grand but sometimes I feel like you ain’t appreciated enough. And it doesn’t help that ya don’t let yourself be appreciated sometimes,” she said, giving him a playful little punch in the shoulder. “I'm tired of takin' credit that should'a gone to you all this time and I ain't doin' it now.”

Mac looked down at his hooves, so she wouldn’t see the worried frown he wore. "I don't do much, Sis. What I do is easy. Anypony can pull a plow. Or arrange the planting, or do th' books. You're the one who sells the apples, and makes the money, and brings in the reward for all the hard work. I mean... shucks, I don' want to embarrass us or anything in front of th' princesses."

"Not just anypony and you know it. Maybe some of them city ponies won't realize proper talkin' when they hear it but I know you don't need to care about them. Twilight's always known just what I've been sayin' and she's the most educated pony I'll ever care to know."

He sighed. “All right, AJ. I’ll go.”

She grinned and nuzzled his cheek. “Thank ya kindly, big brother.”

He returned the gesture, then something she’d said occurred to him. “Applejack, ya sure yer not just insisting I go because of that talk we had last night?”

Applejack’s face took on a look of poorly feigned innocence. “Whatever do ya mean, Macintosh Apple?” She patted his cheek. “Now, since ya don’t have any work in the fields today... why don’t ya dash on over to Rarity’s place and get her to make ya up a nice suit?”

“I don’t have enough bits for any o’ Rarity’s sort of clothes,” he said.

“Sure ya do,” she said. She she shuffled through the stack of papers that had come with the Royal letter, and pulled a particular one out. “The Princesses gave us this letter of credit with the commendation... six months advance on the first load of apples, with a bit additional tacked on to account for securin’ transportation of th’ apples, hiring on new help to expand our business...” She smiled. “Why don’t ya take a look at the number?”

Macintosh did. And he nearly fainted. “That’s.... a lot o’ zeroes...” he said breathlessly.

She nodded. “Yessir, and you don’t need to worry none ‘bout me runnin’ the show back here by myself. I can hire on any help I need with that.” She pushed the credit letter over to him. “And have more than enough left over. Now... why don’t ya just go ahead and take that to th’ bank on your way over to Rarity’s?”

He nodded. “Eeyup. I’ll get m’bags, “ he said before rising to trot back up to his room.

After a moment’s wait to make sure he was in his room, Applejack chuckled a little mischievously and quietly slipped from the table to her her own room; she had a letter to write to Princess Celestia. If it all worked out like she was hoping, somepony was going to learn all about friendship, and maybe more.

*****************************

The trip to Ponyville was not a long one, and was only marred by the over-zealous Rainbow Dash giving him an impromptu shower with her little thundercloud. It took a good minute of explanation to get her to understand that he wasn’t actually out to do work, but he finally managed to get through to her. She apologized profusely after turning the rain off, but the stifled giggles had Big Macintosh doubting her sincerity.

Fortunately, the rest of the walk gave him the chance to dry off before stopping off at the bank to deposit the credit from the Royal Treasury. Once that business was attended to (with Macintosh admittedly enjoying the astonished looks the teller gave him when she saw the amount,) Big Mac cut around the edge of town towards Carousel Boutique.

Macintosh had never had occasion to visit the Rarity’s place of business before; he was rarely given to wearing any sort of finery. He was somewhat less than surprised to see the building, true to it’s name, looked liked a fancy carousel, like one might have seen on an old fairground except merged with some sort of pastel- colored fairy-tale castle. Various little whimsical details in the architecture gave the building an almost surreal quality compared to much of the rest of rustic Ponyville.

Gingerly he approached the door and knocked when he heard a voice call “It’s open!” from inside. With a deep breath he entered the building, the bell over the door ringing as he did.

The interior, or at least the first floor of it, was dominated by one large room, decorated in purple and pink drapery, with many fancy gold-framed mirrors all around on the walls. Here and there towards the edges of the room were many ponyquins showing off a wide variety of fanciful feminine garb, many detailed with Rarity’s signature gemstones.

Macintosh saw Rarity herself attending to one of these, adjusting an ornate tiara and train on what appeared to be some sort of wedding dress, before turning back to face him. “A good day and welcome to Carousel- Oh, Macintosh! This is a pleasant surprise! ... Wait, it is pleasant, correct? Sweetie Belle didn’t do any damage at the sleepover last week? She can be a bit... rambunctious,” she noted with a worried look.

“Nope,” Big Mac assured her. “All th’ girls was very well behaved. Actually, I...um... I’ll be needin’ your help, Miss Rarity.”

“Hm?” the white unicorn asked with a raised brow.

“Eeyup. I um... I’ll be needin’ some clothes.”

“Oh! That’s... rather surprising,” she mused half to herself. “I mean, I’m sorry, do go on.”

Macintosh looked at her helplessly. “Uh, fancy clothes?”

Rarity blinked. “You cannot be just a trifle more specific?”

“I’m real sorry, Miss Rarity, I’m not terribly knowledgeable about these things. Ya see, I’ve been sorta... invited to this shindig at the castle in Canterlot, an-”

“Oh, why didn’t you just say so, dear!” she exclaimed, rushing to his side. “We simply must have you prepared- and did you say ‘the castle?’ The Princesses will be there?”

“Ah, Eeyup?”

“Oh my,” Her big blue eyes focused into an intense gaze and she walked slowly all around Macintosh, giving him a look that was frankly a bit too... appraising for his comfort. “Yes, yes,” she muttered to herself. “Yes, I think- oh indeed! Very nice.”

Big Mac was about to turn to face her. “Uh, Miss Rarity?” He could feel his face heating up.

“No, please hold still, darling, I’m working,” she murmured. She was spending an uncomfortable amount of time gazing at his rump, pursing her lips thoughtfully. Then she nodded firmly and walked around to face him. “Indeed! You shall be stunning, Macintosh, simply stunning.”

“So, uh... you’ll make me a suit?”

“Much more than some mere ‘suit,’” she assured him. “I’ll make you look positively kingly.”

“Nothin’ too.. flamboyant,” he pleaded.

“Naturally,” she said with a glittering smile. “I make clothes to suit the pony, dear, and simplicity can be very dashing. Now, If you’ll follow me, I’ll get a few measurements.” As she walked towards an elevated platform at the back of the room, she levitated a tape measure and a pair of glasses that perched daintily on her muzzle. “Just leave your saddlebags and collar by the door, please.”

‘A few measurements,’ as it turned out, took the better part of the next two hours, during most of which Macintosh had to remain statue-still while the unicorn buzzed around him like a honeybee, always humming or muttering to herself as she measured every single inch of him. Macintosh had seen plenty of unicorns moving objects around with their magic, but Rarity was amazing; scissors, thread, pins, bits of fabric, and a pencil and pen seemed to orbit her all at once, like little moons.

“I do appreciate you being so patient, Macintosh,” Rarity said to him as she worked. “I have to be extra-attentive to these templates. After all, I’m not going to find a ponyquin in anything approaching your strapping physique,” she said in an appreciative voice. “We are almost finished here, I assure you.”

“I thank ya kindly, Miss Rarity,” Macintosh said.

“Sooo, this is your first time going to Canterlot?” Rarity asked as she took a measurement from his withers to the point of his shoulders and wrote it down on the note pad that was floating next to her head.

“Eeyup,” Macintosh said.

“Exciting,” she said. “Oh and while you are there, you simply must call upon Twilight Sparkle. She’ll be overjoyed to see you, I’m sure. She grew up there, you know, she could show you where all the fun places are.”

“I-I’d really - I mean, eeyup, that would be right nice,” he stammered out. The previous night’s conversation with his sister was still very in his mind.

Rarity’s smile was radiant. “Indeed it will be.” She noted a few more numbers on her pad. “There, I think I have what I need. You said this event in Canterlot was ten days hence?” She tapped one hoof on the floor as she thought. “Then you should look to take the train to Canterlot seven days from now. That will give you a day to rest from travel, and a day for you to get your bearings around the city before the ceremony. So.... return here in five days, and we’ll do a fitting, and if all meets with your approval, that will give me a day to make alterations and perfect the work before delivery.”

“I can’t thank ya enough for this, Miss Rarity,” Macintosh said gratefully. “I’m sure whatever ya make will be great. Should I be giving ya an advance for all the work?”

“I won’t hear of it, Macintosh. My personal policy is that payment is collected only once the customer is satisfied. And in this case, no payment shall be necessary.”

“Miss Rarity, ya don’t have to cut me any special breaks,” Big Mac assured her.

“Oh, but Applejack is my friend, and that makes you my friend as well, darling,” she said. Then she grinned a bit. “And... I admit, you will actually be doing me a favor.”

Mac cocked an eyebrow up curiously.

“I was planning on branching out into gentlecolt’s fashions already, but I have not been able to find the proper occasion for my debut, to make the proper... splash,” she explained. “Nor a worthy model,” she added with a wink.

“Ee- wait, ya mean me?” he asked incredulously. “Miss Rarity, I don’t know nothin’ about modelin’ or doin’ anything like that.”

“But you don’t actually have to do much of anything, dear Macintosh,” she said. “Just wear what I design for you, looking just the way you do, and if anypony asks you where you acquired your ensemble, steer them my way, that’s all.”

“Sounds... easy enough, I s’pose,” Mac said.

“Wonderful!” she exclaimed. “Now for colors, I was thinking something in a russet brown, or-” The ringing of the bell over her shop door interrupted them, and Rarity turned to greet her customer. “Welcome to- ah, hello Fluttershy. Wait, is it Wednesday already?”

“Mhm,” the soft-spoken pegasus said. “I know how much you love spa-day.” The one eye that Macintosh could see peeking out from behind her long shell-pink mane widened when it noticed him. “Hello, Macintosh. I never expected to find you here,” she said, shuffling one front hoof nervously. “I’m not interrupting, I hope.”

“Hello there, Miss Fluttershy.” he greeted her with a polite nod. “Did those animals of yours appreciate the food last week?”

She nodded, her manner a bit less reticent. Big Mac and Applejack often shared surplus fruits and vegetables that weren’t market-worthy with Fluttershy to help her keep her menagerie well-fed. “I can’t thank you enough, Macintosh. The apples especially - even Angel Bunny liked them!”

“I’m glad t’hear it.”

She gave him shy little smile and turned back to Rarity. “Are you too busy for the spa today?”

“Not at all, darling, Macintosh and I are just finishing up, and...hmmm...” She looked at Big Mac with a sort of speculation in her eyes. “Macintosh, my dear, your mane... it really is quite handsome, and the scruffy look is tres chic this season for stallions, certainly. But perhaps just a little judicious trimming, just to accentuate your wonderfully masculine features, and hm...” she tapped one hoof in thought.

“A hoof-polish?” Fluttershy offered.

“Indeed! That is a tremendous idea! You should definitely accompany Fluttershy and myself to the spa.”

“Ah, Miss Rarity, I don’ think-”

“Please?” she said, with a calculated little toss of her elaborately-curled mane. “It’ll help you look your best for Canterlot. That will be doing us both a favor. I’ll even treat.”

He looked over at Fluttershy. “I don’ want to be a bother-”

“Please?” Fluttershy said with a smile that shone with pure innocence, despite apparently being more than willing to help with her friend’s plan.

He sighed. “Lemme get my collar.”

******************************

The following week seemed to fly by. Rarity was as good as her word; the fitting went without a hitch and she promised him that once a few final alterations were done he’d be owner of a suit that would be the envy of every stallion in Canterlot. The double-breasted jacket was a warm golden brown, just a shade or two darker than Macintosh’s mane. The outfit also sported an impossibly light white cotton shirt and a green silk tie that Rarity assured him made his eyes ‘glow like emeralds.’ Big Mac was fairly certain that the fasionista unicorn was being a bit metaphorical but he did have to admit - he didn’t look bad at all. As he looked at himself in the mirror at Carousel Boutique Mac felt that perhaps this whole thing wouldn’t be so bad after all.

At last the day of departure arrived and after the previous night’s inevitable and uproarious Pinkie Pie Party (how she managed to fit near the entire population of Ponyville into their barn, Macintosh still couldn’t figure,) Macintosh stood on the train platform with his sister, awaiting the call to board for departure.

“Well, first time leavin’ Ponyville, big brother,” Applejack said. “Nervous?”

He took a deep breath. “Eeyup, a little.”
She gave him a friendly punch on the shoulder. “Yer gonna do just fine, Macintosh. Yer an Apple, after all, and we always float to the top.”

“Sis, that’s... pretty lame.”

“I know, I’ll work on it,” she said with a grin. She laughed and threw her forelegs around his neck. “I’m mighty proud of ya, Mac. and Ma and Pa would be too.”

Macintosh returned the affection in kind. “Eeyup, they’d be real proud of ya too, sis. Ya will tell Applebloom I love her, right? I know she wanted t’ be here.” he chuckled. “And I think she wanted a day off from school too, th' little scamp.”

“I will,” Applejack promised. “Granny too.”

Just then Big Mac felt a sold impact on his back and there was suddenly a new participant in the hug, pink and with the scent of vanilla and cotton candy. “Awwww, Mackie! I’m going to miss you so much! But I’m so proud that one of my friends is being honored by the Princesses, That’s always so great! You need to come back soon so we can have a party in your honor...I mean I know we had a party last night and I'm sorry that the last party was so small but the coming-home party? It's going to be even bigger! Especially if you can get Twilight to come visit us again when her classes are over not that she'd take much convincing, she always loves my parties and I’m sure if you ask her she’d-"

“Uh, I thank ya, Pinkie Pie,” Macintosh said as the eccentric pink Mare nuzzled his neck affectionately. “Last night’s party was just dandy, ya know, I was real touched.” Not to mention fairly tipsy by the end... he was still trying to figure out how he ended up with a lampshade on his head, as there were actually no lamps in the barn where the festivities had taken place. “But... bigger?”

“Mmhm! It's not that you aren't a popular pony, Mackie, it's just that Applejack insisted we only invite ponies of a certain age due to all the special cider, but the coming-home party will be foal-friendly all the way! Miss Cheerilee's students still think the world of you, and-"

"Uh... lookin' forward to it, eeyup," he said nervously.

Pinkie Pie seemed to have gotten completely lost in her ramblings "-And we'll have a party for the orchard, too, because of the big award! It's really exciting that all your work is turning into something that's even more deserving of a party and maybe we could even get Princess Celestia to come! Oh, and Luna too and we could have some fun scares like on Nightmare Night and-"

“Ah, Pinkie Pie,” Applejack said, cutting her off gently, “The train’ll be boarding soon, and I don’t think Mac’s got enough room in his saddlebags for ya.”

Pinkie Pie nimbly hopped off his back “Okay, but I hope he’s got enough room for these!” She reached into her own saddlebags and withdrew a cardboard cake box. A large one, in fact. Probably to large to have actually fit into her saddlebags, but Macintosh chose not to ponder that. Instead he peered into the box as she opened it.
“Cupcakes?”

Pinkie Pie nodded vigorously. “Uh-huh! For the train ride! The train food is seriously BLEAAAAAH so I wanted to make sure you had enough to eat for the trip and I think I got one of every flavor I know how to make in there, but then I was like ‘OH! But what about all the flavors I don’t know how to make!’ and so I went and I got Mrs. Cake’s special secret recipe book and-”

Big Mac accepted the box. “I thank ya, Miss Pie, I’m sure they’re delicious, every one.”

Pinkie Pie was about to open her mouth to continue, but fortunately fate intervened. “Macintosh!” came a call from behind him.

He turned towards the voice. “Miss Rarity?”

The unicorn was galloping up from the station to meet them. “Yes, I did want to see you off, and I was worried I’d missed you but I lost track of time working on these.” She reached into the saddlebags she was wearing and withdrew several boxes that she passed to Applejack. “There are several more outfits in those, all sized to fit.”

“But Miss Rarity, ya already made me clothes for th’ ceremony.”

“Indeed, but this is Canterlot!” she almost sang. “You never know what sort of company or situations you might find yourself in there, so it’s best to be prepared.” She smiled warmly, clearly relishing his surprise. “And I’ll hear nothing of payment, these are a gift, darling.”

“Well, I gotta say, I am overwhelmed,” Macintosh said “Ya sure are a true friend.”

Applejack spoke up, once she was finished adding the new outfits to Mac’s already bulging saddlebags. “Hey, Rarity, what about the...” She made a vague gesture with one fore-hoof.

“Oh yes! Macintosh, at your sister’s suggestion, I made contact with some ponies I know in Canterlot on your behalf, just to make sure you’re properly taken care of. I even managed to secure the same rooms in the castle for you that I stayed in once, they’re simply divine! Oh, and somepony will be meeting you when you arrive, so there’s no fear of getting lost.”

“Who should I be looking for?” he asked.

“They’ll be looking for you, don’t worry, dear.” She poked his yoke with one hoof. “I don’t see you finding much use for that in Canterlot, you know.”

“It’s sort of a good-luck charm, y’know,” he replied.

“Ah.”

Suddenly the waiting train sounded its whistle, piercing the air, and the call for boarding came.

“Well, I s’pose this is it, then.” Macintosh gave each of the mares a warm hug before boarding the train. Macintosh managed to get a window seat so that he could wave at them all as the train chugged away from the station.

The three friends returned his wave until the train had faded to a speck in the distance. “Hey Rarity,” Applejack said as they turned to leave, “Who did ya get to meet Macintosh in Canterlot?”

The white unicorn smiled. “Why, the mare of his dreams, of course,” she said. “Mutual acquaintance.”

Applejack's jaw dropped. “Ya mean you know about his crush on-”

“Suspected,” Rarity said, “Only confirmed from watching his body language when I dropped a few hints.”

Pinkie Pie gasped and drew in closer to the pair. “You mean you guys knew he had a crush on Twilight too? I thought I was the only one that noticed! Lucky for him Twilight kinda doesn't pick up on these things!” she said in a whisper that probably could've been heard in Stalliongrad.

“Well, I suppose all of us knowin' does make this all sorta easier,” Applejack said.

Just then a bright blue blur descended from the sky, and came to less-than-graceful landing next to them. “Hey there,” Rainbow Dash gasped out, “I'm here to- aw crud, I missed the train! I wanted to say goodbye to Mac!”

The other three looked back at her, noting the stack of Wonderbolts memorabilia sticking out from her saddlebags.

“What? I wanted to see if he could score me some autographs in Canterlot too,” she said, nonplussed. “Doesn't mean I don't care about the big lug, you know. Say, what's got y'all looking so sneaky?” she asked.

“Should we tell?” Pinkie asked, “I mean, he didn't say it was a secret but-”

“I'm pretty sure she knows too,” Applejack said. “We're talkin' 'bout Macintosh's crush, Rainbow.”

Rainbow Dash sighed. “Yeah, poor guy. Don't worry though, soon as he gets back, I'll let him down easy, I promise,” she assured them.

The three facehooves that followed couldn’t have been more in sync if they had practiced beforehand.

“What? I'm just not ready for commitment!” Rainbow Dash called as she followed her fleeing friends.

To be continued.....

***********************

A very special thanks must go out to They-Call-Me-Orange, for inspiration, insanity and awesomeness, and Calliopemused who's gone above and beyond helping me write and edit this beast. (Welcome to the herd, darlin!)

**brohoof**
The Doktor

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters or places, Hasbro please don’t sue me. Lauren Faust and co. are the greatest.

**************************************************************************************************

The journey to Canterlot from Ponyville via train was an overnight trip, so Big Macintosh had thought it prudent to spend a few extra Bits on a small single-sleeper cabin for himself. Trains were cramped by nature and things would probably be awkward enough for a pony his size without having to share space with another passenger. Even so the cot provided was just small enough to have him worried about falling out in the night. There was however a small table that would give him just enough room to spread out his possessions and organize his last-minute gifts.

Macintosh first examined the extra outfits that Rarity had graciously provided him... there was another suit jacket, similar to the one she’d made for him originally, but of a somewhat heavier cloth (wool, from the feel of it,) dark green in color, matched with a sunlight-yellow necktie. The second box contained a long tweed coat, in gray. Big Mac reckoned it would probably be too warm for such a thing during the current time of year, but Rarity did seem to be a thorough pony. The contents of the third box nearly took his breath away - within was a very expensive-looking black tuxedo jacket, cut long in the back, with a white shirt and a curiously-designed deep red silk necktie with gold silk brocade worked into it,with the free ends secured with an emerald tie-pin, the combination of scarlet, gold and green echoing his coat, mane, and cutie mark. Also enclosed was a note, written in elegant, flowing calligraphy-

Macintosh-

The green suit jacket is slightly heavier and more suitable for evenings. The overcoat... well, do remember you will be at some altitude in Canterlot, and even in the summer the temperatures can be somewhat unpredictable at times, particularly at night.

As for the Tuxedo... yes, I do know that you did not wish anything too ‘fancy’ and even though your appointment at the castle is a fairly informal affair, there are some establishments (restaurants and the like,) that insist on formal wear for all ponies in attendance. Canterlot society has a way of sneaking up on a pony, and I would be remiss in my duties as a friend and fashionista if you were not properly prepared! And do not be intimidated by the Naud Gordein-style ascot... I have already properly knotted it myself; all you should have to do is tighten the knot upon donning it. It was Fluttershy’s suggestion actually, and a very good one I think. I should be most grateful that pony has never decided to enter fashion herself!

Do remember to get these all properly pressed before wearing! The housekeeping staff at the castle provide this service gratis for all guests.

Above all else, though, please remember to relax, enjoy the moment and be true to yourself... as much as I do adore the glamor of the capital, being from Ponyville is something to be proud of, and you shall represent us well no matter what is on your back.

Truly Yours,
Rarity

P.S.- I wanted to include a hat, but I ran out of time... perhaps upon your return I shall have one ready?

Macintosh shook his head in amazement; Element of Generosity indeed!

Carefully repacking the garments and setting them aside, Mac spent the next few hours reading through several tourist guides to Canterlot that were provided for him in his little cabin. While enthusiastic enough, the information about the city provided was so generalized and bland that he could barely keep his eyes open. Perhaps Rarity was right.- he could ask Twilight Sparkle to show him the real Canterlot, not just the tourist traps.

It was a nice dream, but probably just a dream, Big Mac told himself. He had no doubt Twilight would be friendly when and if they saw each other - he couldn’t imagine her being anything other than gracious. But he couldn’t realistically expect her to take him by the hoof and play tour guide. She was an important pony, a student of Celestia herself, an instructor at the Royal Academy. He was sure she had lots of duties, responsibilities... and friends. Probably even a....

Macintosh took a deep breath and closed his eyes, listening to the clicking of the train-wheels on the tracks. It was no business of his if she’d met someone. There would be no jealousy. He was a better pony than that.

Around then, the aching from the empty space in his stomach managed to distract Big Mac from aches of love sickness, and he decided to investigate his other going-away gift. Not without a degree of caution; Mac liked sweets as much as the next pony, but sometimes Pinkie Pie’s confections gave him cavities on sight alone. However upon opening the box, he was shocked to see that Pinkie had provided him with an entire four course meal - entirely in cupcake form. The carrot cake cupcakes were not totally unexpected but there were also zucchini-bread cupcakes (or maybe they were muffins? All that mattered to Mac was that they were surprisingly good,) potato cupcakes (touch on the starchy side, if he was being honest,) and even a set of tomato flavored cupcakes. And of course there were dessert cupcakes a-plenty... from vanilla-fudge swirl to peanut butter iced, to a rather elaborate raspberry-filled confection with chocolate icing and sprinkles. And yet, nothing incorporating apples... either an oversight on Pinkie Pie’s part, or the eccentric baker had developed a rather subtle sense of humor somewhere along the line. Mac leaned towards the former, knowing what he knew of the strange mare.

Macintosh had only intended to sample one or two of the pastries, but soon found himself covered in crumbs with an empty cake box keeping him company. Glad that nopony else was around to witness his gluttony, Macintosh took a look out of the window of his cabin. The train had no more stops before Canterlot, but they still seemed to be several hours away from the base of the mountains, at best, and he knew they would slow considerably for safety’s sake as they began the climb up the the cliff-side where the city was perched. The sun was already dipping below the western horizon and with nothing else better to do, he decided to turn in.

********************

It was early morning when the bright sunlight woke Macintosh. He sat up in his bed and peeked out of his cabin window, and was struck breathless by the vista outside.

Canterlot was situated on a cliff high up on one of the largest mountains in Equestria (the cliff had been hewn artificially by the magic of Celestia and Luna, according to one of the complimentary tour booklets that came with the cabin.) Celestia’s sun had been up less than a quarter of an hour, Mac reckoned, and there was still a light fog over the glen on the cliff-top. Below them the vast plains and hills of Equestria stretched off into the distance; Macintosh thought he could even almost see Ponyville far off near the horizon. Ahead of them, perhaps less than an hour away was the Royal City itself, it’s white and gold spires set to blazing by the sunlight. Behind the city clinging impossibly to the side of the mountain was the vast Royal castle itself, towers and minarets looking vigilantly out over all below.

Judging from their rate of travel, Macintosh figured he’d have just enough time for a quick breakfast before they pulled into the station. He gathered all his belongings into his saddlebags and tidied up his cabin before heading to the dining car.

Macintosh was just finishing up a serviceable but unspectacular muffin with a glass of orange juice as the train slowed and entered the station. He dropped a tip on the table for the waiter and hoisted his saddlebags, making for the door just as the train came to a stop. As the doors opened his senses were practically assaulted by the overwhelming sights and sounds of the Equestrian capital. The buildings were built all of a fine white stone, with colorful highlights on the roofs and trim. Apparently the train station was very near to a market, as Mac could detect the scents of produce and baked goods in the air.

Many ponies were gathered at the station, all calling out for friends and acquaintances they were meeting; despite Rarity’s assurances, Macintosh was not sure how he was ever going to find the pony that was supposed to be meeting him there. Then he noticed it... a sign, bearing his sliced green-apple cutie mark (hoof-painted from the looks,) being held aloft above the throng by a pale nimbus of magic. Mac thought that could only be the pony Rarity spoke of before he left, so he gradually made his way towards the pony holding the sign, still obscured by the crowd pressing around him. It took time, but he gradually managed to negotiate the crush, and found that the pony waiting for him was none other than Twilight Sparkle.

As soon as she saw him, her violet eyes widened and a radiant smile lit her face. “Big Macintosh!” she exclaimed, dropping her sign (and earning a rebuke from a nearby pegasus that she seemed not to notice,) as she rushed up to him and wrapped her forelegs about his neck, hugging him tightly. “I am so glad to see you here! I’ve missed you so much!”

Macintosh was sure his heart was about to explode out of his chest, at any second. “I-I really missed ya too, Miss Sparkle!” he stammered out as he gently hugged her back. “Things sure ain’t been the same back in Ponyville without ya.” Macintosh had rarely been this close to the lovely unicorn, and certainly had never had so much physical contact- she felt so tiny and delicate next to his own hulking frame. Sustained, rational thought was becoming rather difficult for him, and he wondered if she could feel him trembling just a little - Mac felt like his insides had turned to Zap Apple jam.

Twilight smiled bashfully at him. “Well, I’ve missed Ponyville. I mean, I may have grown up in Canterlot, but after the last few years I think I’m a Ponyville filly at heart,” she said. “But what about you? I mean, I was so excited when I heard the Apples were going to be part of the Canterlot Honors! That’s a real big deal you know, but you and A.J. work so hard, you really deserve it.”

“Well, Granny Smith n’ my sisters are all pleased as punch, that’s f’sure. I never realized that what we did on th’ Acres would get this kind of attention. Heck, I’m just a simple farm-pony, I don’t know anything ‘bout all that,” he said humbly. “But I guess it’s nice t’ be noticed.”

She nodded. “Exactly! Which is why I’m so glad it’s you here. I mean, I’d love it if Applejack was here too, but you never seemed to get any of the credit for what Sweet Apple Acres accomplished, and you were such a big part of everything. You were always every bit as reliable and kind as your sister ever was, in your own quiet way.” Twilight gave him a friendly pat on his shoulder. “I think it’s great that other ponies will get to notice you now.”

Macintosh flushed a bit at that. “That’s mighty nice of ya t’ say, Miss Sparkle. My sis said much th’ same.”

“She’s a smart mare,” she said, “And please, Macintosh, we’re friends, call me Twilight. Now then, I’ve got a few hours before my class, so I can get you up to the castle and settled in your rooms, at least.”

He nodded and followed her as she deftly wove her way through the crowd, away from the station and through a large marketplace that was obviously designed to cater to tourists. The thing that struck Macintosh most was the noise. Well, not that any one pony was particularly noisy (though the one trying to cajole passers-by into a gypsy hoof-reading was definitely trying a little too hard,) but the sheer mass of ponies around him made things so loud Macintosh could barely hear his own thoughts. Then there was also the crush; Mac had never considered himself a claustrophobic pony, but he was suddenly very conscious of just how large a pony he was in very tight quarters. More than once he had to trot gingerly to avoid stepping on anypony’s hoof.

Once they got clear of the market, things got a bit better. Though the streets ahead were a confusing spiderweb to Macintosh’s eyes, Twilight’s stride was confident. She looked back at him and gave a sympathetic smile. “It’s a bit much, the first time here, yeah,” she admitted. “But you get used to it quickly.”

“I reckon so, sink or swim an’ all, eeyup,” Mac replied, still somewhat taken with the fact she was talking to him, as in directly to him. It occurred to him that this was probably the first time he’d really been anywhere with her without his sister or one of her friends around.

She giggled a little. “You’ll be just fine, Big Macintosh.”

“Ah, you can call me Mac, if you prefer it, Twilight. I mean, if ya like,” he said, hoping he didn’t sound too nervous as he followed her.

She seemed to mull it over. “Hmmm... Mac. I do like it,” she affirmed. “C’mon, Mac, let’s get you to the castle.”

It was a substantial hike from the train station to the gates of the castle itself. Twilight introduced Macintosh to the pair of guards at the entrance. “The guards here have really good memories, and since I’ve just informed them who you are and that you’re staying here, they probably won’t challenge you,” she said as they passed across the drawbridge and under the great portcullis.

“I see, but what ‘bout later, when th’ shift changes?”

She nodded, and reached into her saddlebags. “That’s why you need to keep this on you, when you leave the castle for anything,” she said, passing him a small piece of paper, bearing his name at the top and elegant hoofwriting below, stating his purpose in the castle. “Show that to a guard if they have any questions for you. It’s enchanted, so it can’t be damaged by water, and can’t be easily torn. Also, since the enchantment comes directly from Celestia herself, it can’t be replicated in a forgery. Don’t worry too much if you lose it or something, though. That just means the guards will have to check with someone who knows before you can get in... it just takes a while, and it’s annoying.”

“Huh, that’s right nifty, there,” he said, tucking the identification into his own bags.

Twilight nodded. “Indeed. they didn’t use to go quite that far around here, but my brother thought it would be best to take a few precautions after the whole episode with Queen Chrysalis a while back.”

“Yer brother? Oh, ya mean Shining Armor, Captain of th’ Guard,” he said, remembering his sister’s account of that adventure. “He’s still here, then?”

“Mmhmm, though he’s been away on some sort of review of a garrison in Trottingham,” Twilight said. “Actually, he’s due back tomorrow, if all went well. You might even get to meet him.” She laughed brightly. “I think he’d like that, actually. He always complains that he’s-” she cleared her throat and affected a rather silly masculine voice, “‘Surrounded by flighty mares, all day, every day!’”

Macintosh grinned. “S’pose we might have somethin’ in common, then. Though I wonder what th’ Princesses might say.”

“Oh, they giggle at it. Those two are probably the least formal ponies here. Princess Celestia’s always had a bit of a... I guess you’d call it a mischievous streak. And Princess Luna’s relaxed a lot recently, though she’s definitely more of an introvert than her sister.”

The castle itself was not just one building, as Big Mac had assumed, but rather a complex incorporating the main keep, build into the mountainside itself, and many smaller buildings situated on the grounds. The ponies they passed on the way were much more quiet and serious than the crowd in the city earlier, and seemed a good deal more official, though everypony was totally cordial, despite a few curious glances at Mac’s yoke.

As they proceeded through the grounds, Twilight pointed out areas of interest with the enthusiasm of someone proud of her home, including the path to castle gardens and the tower where she was living, easily recognizable from a distance due to the large telescope the projected from the domed roof. Finally their path led to a tall stairway that wound up the side of the castle itself, leading to a tall, slender spire rising from the side of the keep itself.

“And here we are, your home away from home,” Twilight announced as she opened the door for him. The tower had a large central room, with a fireplace, a writing desk by a large window off to one side, a wardrobe and a bed easily big enough for even Macintosh’s huge frame. He could see an open door off to the side that led to a bathroom.

“They’ve redecorated, I see,” Twilight said, smirking. “It was a bit frou-frou when Rarity was here, so that’s a good thing. Not really your style, I’d think. Oh, before I forget, take this.” She produced a folded sheet of paper from her packs. “It’s a map of the city. It was Rarity’s idea, actually, though I made it myself. She suggested it when she wrote to me and told me you were coming.”

“That’s right thoughtful of both of ya,” Macintosh said, accepting the gift.

“You’ll notice the circles on there... those are points of interest. Restaurants, stores, and other fun places. I color-coded it for your convenience - the blue ones are the ones Rarity suggested, the purple ones are my personal favorites.”

Macintosh thought it was good to see that a change of scenery hadn’t stopped Twilight Sparkle from being the queen of organization. “I thank ya, Twilight, this’ll be handy f’sure.”

She smiled prettily at him, then glanced back out at the sun through the open door. “Argh, almost ten o’clock, I have to go get ready to give my lecture at the Academy on political relations between earth ponies and unicorns in the pre-classical era. If you need anything, all of the staff around here are very helpful, or if you like, stop by my tower for a visit. Even if I’m not around, Spike will probably be there.”

“I-I’d surely like to do that, Miss Sparkle,” he stammered out. “Visit, I mean, while I’m here.”

She smiled. “You did remember you can call me ‘Twilight,’ right? Though, it’s good to see there are still some gentlecolts left in the world.” She trotted up to him and gave him another hug. And just like before, Macintosh had to remind himself to breathe, though returning the hug definitely came more naturally this time. “I’m sure we’ll run into each other again soon. Hope I see you soon, Mac!” she said with a friendly little hoof-wave before turning to canter out the door.

Mac returned the wave, savoring the rush of seeing the mare he was so infatuated with again. And she’d talked to him! Quite a bit, actually. Honestly, Big Macintosh had always figured he didn’t rate very high in the awareness of someone like Twilight Sparkle, with all her other friends and duties as a pupil of Celestia.

That was a revelation both gratifying and terrifying to Macintosh. Had he already made all the impression he was ever going to? Was he just Applejack’s brother, just a friend forever? The large earth pony mulled the matter over carefully as he laid out his belongings in his rooms. His sister certainly seemed to be rooting for romance between them, and she seemed to think it was possible. But truth to be told, Macintosh had no idea how any of this part of life really worked. Perhaps if he’d have known better if he hadn’t had to drop out of school when his parents passed away...

Mac cut that train of thought off immediately. It had been for the good of the farm, and he knew from experience where such morose musings would take him. Normally when thinking got to be too much, Macintosh would find some easy, menial task to occupy him. That wasn’t really an option here, and it bothered him.

But... he was on vacation for the first time ever, and he was supposed to be enjoying this experience according to all his friends and family. He glanced down at Twilight’s annotated map, and decided to see if Canterlot really lived up to the hype.

********************

Macintosh found that folded maps were definitely not designed with earth ponies in mind. Unicorns certainly would have no problems simply levitating the paper and referring to it as they walked, but there was no dignified way for him to use the thing; he had to stop every five minutes, fight a ridiculous battle with the rather sizable document as he tried to unfold it on the ground using his hooves and mouth, and check to make sure he was still on the right path to his destination. The sniffs and disdainfully shaken heads of all the high-class ponies that passed him during his struggles were beginning to grate on his nerves. Finally tiring of it all, he decided to duck into an unassuming-looking restaurant on one of the main thoroughfares and have some lunch while planning his sightseeing.

The food wasn’t quite as spectacular as Granny Smith’s cooking, but it was good and it gave Big Macintosh the chance to study the map in more detail. Once he’d finished he settled the bill and left the restaurant to take a quick look around to get his bearings. Twilight had noted a few interesting things that seemed to be fairly close to his current location, if he could only find his way around the confusing warren of side streets and alleys that weren’t always clearly marked out on the map. He was about to head back into the restaurant to ask directions of a local when his ears caught the sound of a squeaky wagon axle accompanied by distinctly pained muttering. Looking down one of the streets that ran nearby, he caught sight of a sight of a large wooden covered wagon being drawn by a rather slight light blue mare, her mane and tail with alternating powder blue and white stripes. She was dressed in a rather outlandish costume consisting of a cloak and a tall pointed hat, both purple and decorated with pale blue stars. There was something oddly familiar about her, but Macintosh couldn’t for the life of him figure out why.

The street ran on a rather steep incline and the weight of the wagon was clearly proving to be almost too much for the small pony. As she stopped briefly to catch her breath, her rather ridiculous hat levitated from her head, revealing a unicorn horn beneath. She sat her hat on the ground and attempted to levitate a cloth from inside her cloak to wipe her sweat-soaked brow, but before she could her wagon gave a lurch and began creeping slowly back down the sloped street, threatening to drag her down with it. She braced and managed to slow its retreat, but the weight was simply too much for her.

Fortunately Big Mac, despite his great size, was also quite a quick pony. Lowering his head, he dashed down the street and managed to get to the back of the wagon. Setting his massive neck and shoulders against the back of the vehicle, he planted his hooves firmly and braced himself, stopping its descent. With a grunt and and a heave, he began pushing the wagon up the slope towards the flatter ground in front of the restaurant. It was hard work, but that was one thing that Macintosh was perfectly comfortable with.

Once the wagon was settled, Macintosh approached the mare, who was still panting from effort. “That was a close one, Ma’am. Are ya all right?”

Her violet eyes narrowed and she gave a curt nod. “Trixie is grateful for your assistance,” she said, with a somewhat haughty air, “Though she had the situation well under control.”

Mac cocked an eyebrow at that. “Are ya entirely sure ‘bout that, Ma’am? That harness ya have there is entirely unsuited to th’ sorta pullin’ ya have to do to move that monster o’ yours,” he said, too polite to mention that the pony in the harness might also be rather unsuited for the task. “Not t’ mention that the streets only get steeper from here fer a good ways.”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie requires no further assistance, thank you,” she said with a sniff.

“Th’ who?”

“I! The Great and Powerful Trixie!” she exclaimed grandly, rising to her hind legs and striking a dramatic pose. “The most magical of all unicorns! Trixie, who has delighted and entertained ponies from Las Pegasus to Baltimare! Trixie, whose knowledge of the mystical rivals that of the famed Starswirl the Bearded of antiquity! Trixie, who faced down the dreaded Ursa Maj-” she stammered briefly. “-Ursa Minor! Surely you must have heard of Trixie?”

Suddenly Macintosh knew who this bizarre pony was. He had stayed up on the farm when the debacle involving a magician pony and the Ursa Minor happened, but he’d heard the story from his sister, including how Trixie had embarrassed her in front of most of the town. He knew from Applejack’s account of the tale that Trixie had indeed faced the Ursa Minor... and then ran from it like a scalded dog shortly thereafter, leaving Twilight Sparkle to save Ponyville from a disaster all by herself. A rather mean part of Mac wanted to point that fact to the egotistical entertainer, but he decided to be nice and not mention anything regarding Ponyville at all. “Ah, eeyup. Now I remember ya. Now then, if ya want I could give ya a hoof with that wagon-”

“Trixie does not require charity,” she said disdainfully. “Though.... hm. You are clearly a pony looking for work,” she speculated.

“What makes ya think that?” Macintosh asked.

“Why else would you be wearing that, in a place such as Canterlot?” She said, gesturing to the pulling yoke around his neck. “A workhorse in Canterlot is must assuredly looking for some employment. If you help Trixie to the location of her next performance, she would be willing to generously share in the proceeds, for today only.” She grinned. “Five percent seems fair.”

It hardly did, but... Trixie was clearly completely out of her depth, and even if a rather mean voice in the back of his mind suggested that he should leave her to her fate, Mac just couldn’t stand to turn his back on a pony in need, particularly a mare. After a moment’s consideration, he decided to play along and see where this all went. “Eeyup. I’ll do it.”

“Trixie is pleased to hear that!” she said with a satisfied smile. “Hitch up and follow, and Trixie shall show you to the place for the first performance.”

The magician led him to a public square in Canterlot’s bustling, affluent business district where he set up her wagon. One of its sides dropped down, revealing a stage and curtains, along with an array of strange devices that Trixie informed him were pyrotechnics involved in her act. She seemed loathe to let him near them, being trade secrets of hers, so once the stage was set up Macintosh spent about a half hour circulating among the well-heeled business ponies, passing out fliers for Trixie’s act.

At last the time came, and Trixie did her very best to astound the crowd, with fireworks, impressive feats of precision telekinesis, and illusions. Macintosh found those aspects of her act to be quite impressive, when Trixie wasn’t getting in her own way with exalted (and obviously exaggerated) accounts of her adventures and exploits. He could see that the rest of small crowd that had gathered was quickly growing tired of the show, however, and Big Mac’s concerns were confirmed when her hat was passed around at the end of it all.

“Ten Bits?” Trixie exclaimed. “Ten! And three hundred Bits worth of play money from a Ponopoly board game! Who even carries that with them?” Growling, the unicorn kicked at one of the wheels on her wagon. “Ingrates! Trixie has never been so insulted, her performance was astounding!”

“Miss Trixie, beggin’ yer pardon, but I don’ think the act was th’ problem,” Macintosh said as he lifted the side of her wagon and shut it.

“What ever do you mean?” she asked.

“The act was fine. Well... there are a few things that could use a bit o’ work,” he admitted. “But yer magic tricks ‘n all, those were just dandy. I think ya might’ve chosen the wrong audience.”

“But these are some of the wealthiest ponies in Canterlot,” she said. “Trixie has to go where the money is to make a living.”

“These ponies are wealthy, sure ‘nuff,” Macintosh agreed. “But many rich ponies stay rich by bein’ mighty tight w’ their money. They squeeze every Bit until it bleeds. They’re not real inclined to be generous tippers, y’know.”

Trixie’s pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Go on,” she prompted.

“And what’s more, now... I ain’t one to talk bad about other ponies, but I do get the feelin’ that these ponies weren’t real impressed with ya because they’re hard pressed to be impressed with anypony ‘cept themselves, honestly. It’s just how things are here with a lot of th’ fancy ponies,” Macintosh said. “Now... I might have an idea, if yer willin’ to give it a chance.”

The powder-blue unicorn sighed. “Trixie has little to lose.”

Macintosh nodded and hitched himself up to her wagon. “I saw a promisin’ place on th’ way here,” he said. “We can be there in just a bit.”

Macintosh led Trixie not more than a few city blocks back the way they came, until they came to a spacious open park, it’s well-manicured lawns dominated by a large statue of the historical unicorn hero Clover the Clever in its center. A number of school foals were gathered, many too young to even have cutie marks.

“Foals?” Trixie asked in disbelief. “You expect The Great and Powerful Trixie to be able to feed herself playing to foals?”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac affirmed as he began setting up her stage. A few of the young ponies had already begun gathering around in curiosity.

“How? Foals don’t have money.”

“Nope.” Macintosh agreed as he put the finishing touches on the stage. “I’m guessin’ ya ain’ got any foals of yer own?”

“Trixie has no time for such things,” she answered.

“That’s ‘bout what I thought,” Macintosh said. “As ya said, foals ain’t got money. But they do.” He nodded towards a gathering of rather tired-looking adult ponies on the park benches beneath some shade trees, watching over the chaos of the foals at play. “Those are th’ parents. And I figure right about now, they’ve been run pretty ragged tryin’ to keep up w’ their foals, an’ keep ‘em out of trouble. I figure they’d be right generous with anypony who could keep ‘em sittin’ still and entertained for a little while. And I think your show is just the kind of thing young foals would just love t’ see.”

“You really think so?” Trixie asked, sounding slightly skeptical.

“Eeyup. I did help raise two lil’ sisters, after all. And if it goes well word will get around, and ya can play here every day, a few times each day, and make a right tidy sum, I think.”

Trixie sighed. “It is worth a try, Trixie supposes.”

Mac gathered up a stack of fliers and gave her a nod before leaving to drum up some business. “If it don’ work, ya can keep my share of the profits.” Mac said.

But it did work, indeed. As soon as the first volley of fireworks went off, every pony in the park who wasn’t already gathered at the foot of the stage rushed over to see what was happening. Soon what had to be near a hundred foals sat entranced as Trixie wove her magic. They clapped their hooves enthusiastically after every trick, even the ones that were slight misfires. Their eyes were wide as Trixie wove her tales of adventure and magic. Trixie herself was being caught up in the moment, clearly feeding on the energy of her youthful fans. The smug, haughty sneer that had graced her face during the earlier performance was soon replaced by a smile of genuine delight. When the time came to collect Bits at the end of the show, Macintosh actually had to run back to Trixie’s wagon for a bucket, for her hat simply wouldn’t hold the considerable amount of money the grateful parents contributed.

“That was amazing!” Trixie said after the performance as she counted out every gleaming Bit, dropping them into a safe built into the floor of her wagon. “Trixie has never made so much money from a single performance! Nor enjoyed performing so much! They adored Trixie!” The unicorn straightened and, surprisingly, doffed her hat and bowed to Big Mac. “Trixie never thought that a simple work-pony could have such wisdom, but she is in your debt. Is there any chance that Trixie might be able to hire you on full-time, Mr.-?” she never had asked his name, the whole time they’d worked together.

“Macintosh, Ma’am,” he said, bowing his head politely. “And I’m ‘fraid I already have things t’ see to, so no. But with the amount of money ya’ve made here, ya should be able to look into hiring some more long-term help. Keep yer performances here for the summer, and ya should do fine, ‘specially since school lets out soon. Ya might have to look into other arrangements once school starts again and all th’ foals are back in class, but by then ya might have a reputation that’ll serve ya when it comes time t’ cross that bridge.” Mac glanced up at the sun, estimating the time to be early afternoon. He reckoned it would be a good idea to head back up to his rooms at the castle soon. “An’ speakin’ o’ that, I’m ‘fraid I should be goin’ soon.”

She nodded. “Trixie is grateful for all your help.” She counted out some of the bits from the safe. “Trixie agreed to share five percent of the profits with you, Mr. Macintosh, but she feels that you have more than earned ten percent,” she said, sliding him about thirty-five bits, a fairly tidy sum for a few hours of fairly easy work, by Macintosh’s standards.

“Much obliged,” he said, accepting the coins, and dropping them into his bags. Then he smiled and reached back into them, producing a large gleaming golden 100-Bit piece, a small portion of the amount of money he’d withdrawn from the generous payment the Princesses had given to his family. He dropped the coin into the safe as she looked on, wide eyed.“I was mighty entertained by th’ act, Miss Trixie, and I thank ya kindly,” he said with a wink, relishing her astonished face as he turned and trotted off towards the castle.

********************

The shift had changed for the guards at the castle gates, but with the pass Twilight had given him Macintosh had no problems, and was soon trotting through the castle grounds. And it short order, he became lost. The map he’d been provided had no details on what lay inside the castle walls, probably for security reasons, so Mac figured he’d just wander around until he saw something familiar - or got frustrated enough to ask for directions, whichever came first. Before too long, his meanderings brought him to the Royal Gardens.

Big Macintosh had thought that the private gardens of the Princesses would be nothing short of grand, and indeed, the sheer scope of them was impressive. Vast flower beds and ornate water features shared space with intricate topiaries and elegant statues. There were plenty of shade-trees, as well as a large hedge-maze. But upon closer inspection, the farm-pony noticed a few details that gave him pause. The hedges, while generally in good shape, needed a judicious bit of pruning. The lawns definitely needed some weeding, and the flowers didn’t seem to have received any sort of attention at all, judging from the large amount of dead flowers still clinging to the plants. Macintosh figured that the Princesses had the very best gardeners in Equestria at their beck and call... he wouldn’t have expected things like this to slip past them.

Macintosh was so lost in his critical examination that he almost didn’t notice the voice calling his name. He looked up and saw a Twilight Sparkle trotting towards him. “Hey there! Going out or just getting back?” she asked, adjusting a heavy set of saddlebags, bulging with books.

“Hiya Miss... I mean, Twilight,” he said, still feeling slightly sheepish about being so familiar, but she gave him an encouraging smile. “Just gettin’ in, actually. Went out fer lunch and saw a few things in th’ city.”

“Nice! Wish I could’ve given you a personal tour but...” she winced and adjusted the bulging pack on her back again. “...Duty called.”

“Where are my manners, I can take that for ya, Twilight,” he offered.

“I don’t want to be any trouble, I mean, you’re a guest!” she said.

“Ain’t no trouble at all, Ma’am,” he said with a little half-bow. “T’would be m’pleasure, actually.”

Twilight giggled and bit her lip, looking for all the world like a school-filly. “If you’re sure... okay!” Her horn glowed and the heavy book-bag rose from her back and settled onto his broad shoulders, resting comfortably just behind his collar. “That good, right there?”

He nodded. “Not a burden to bear, at all,” he replied with a smile. “What brings ya out here?”

“I like to cut through here on my way back from the Academy,” she said. “It’s kind of the long way home, but I like it. What brings you out here?”

“I got lost on th' way back to my rooms.,” he admitted sheepishly, earning a laugh from her. “But I’d certainly not mind walkin’ ya home myself, pretty confident I can get my bearings from there.”

“Sure thing, I think I’d like the company,” she said, and they set off at a leisurely pace through the gardens. “I think I like it here because of all the trees and flowers, I think they remind me of Ponyville. I mean, I like the architecture of Canterlot, and I grew up here, but I loved being in Ponyville and I like to keep that close to my heart, too.”

“I suppose I can see that,” Macintosh sad. “We sure do miss ya, but we’re also happy for ya, each and every one of us. We are expecting visits, ‘course.”

She grinned. “Just try and keep me away when you and AJ bring out the cider.” She looked ahead, and seemed to spot something. “Awww, I was hoping it had bloomed,” she murmured, sounding a bit disappointed.

Macintosh raised an eyebrow curiously.

“Oh, I mean, here, I’ll show you,” she said, leading him towards a sheltered little area a fair bit away from the walking path. A large tree (a magnolia, Macintosh reckoned from the broad leaves) grew over over a circular bed of mossy ground, its old limbs stretching wide. A group of large rose bushes bordered the shaded area in a rough semicircle. While they appeared fairly robust, Macintosh noted they lacked any new growth or signs of putting out flowers.

Twilight wandered around the tree, her face bemused. “Back when I was a filly and being personally tutored by Princess Celestia, this was my favorite place,” she said. “I used to come here to study or just read for pleasure nearly every day.” She laughed softly. “I’d lose hours here, off in my own little world. I bet if we looked hard enough we could find indentations left in the ground by my rump and whatever book I happened to be reading. Quite a few times, I’d sneak off to the kitchens first and filch a few things and have a little impromptu dinner while I read.” Her eyes suddenly widened. “Hey! I just remembered, I’m going to be done with work early tomorrow. Feel like going out for dinner? It’d give us a chance to catch up on everything, and I know a few nice places,” she offered. “I mean, if you don’t have any other plans.”

Big Mac’s mouth was suddenly quite dry. “Why, uh, I mean....um, no, ma’am, I, uh, I don’t have plans, at all,” he said a little breathlessly. “I’d be right pleased to be with ya. I-I mean t’ go out with ya, get some dinner and such.”

She beamed at him. “Great! Honestly, I was feeling like I was letting you down a bit, as a host and all. This’ll be nice. Just meet me at my tower around five o’clock in the evening tomorrow.”

He nodded vigorously. “Eeyup, that sounds just fine.”

“Excellent. To be honest, it’s probably going to be good for me to get out a bit, anyway.” She made a disgusted face. “Tomorrow, I have an appointment with the Royal Equestrian College of Medicine. I published a paper shortly after I arrived, with some medical ideas and theories based on what I’d learned from Zecora while in Ponyville. Some of it was a little... radical, by conventional wisdom, and the board wishes to ‘discuss these theories in greater detail,’” she said in a clipped voice. “What I actually think that means is I’ve bruised a few egos and they want to put me in my place, the jerks. And of course they want to do this early in the day, as in the crack of dawn, and I am definitely not a morning pony,” she growled, her ears laying flat on her head. She sighed. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to gripe at you, Mac.”

“It’s quite all right, Twilight,” Macintosh assured her gently. “We’ll have ourselves a nice time tomorrow night t’ make up for th’ aggravation.” He touched one of the rose bushes gently with his nose. “What color did th’ roses happen to be?”

“A deep purple, actually,” Twilight responded.

“Indeed,” said a richly musical female voice from behind them. “Not too unlike your coat as I recall, Twilight.”

The pair turned around and found themselves in the presence of Princess Celestia herself. Twilight gracefully dropped to her knees in deference, Macintosh followed much more awkwardly after a brief, stunned delay, awestruck by her presence.

The farm-pony had only seen The Sun Princess in the flesh once before, and that was a brief glimpse from afar in the aftermath of the Summer Sun Celebration incident all those years before that had led to the return of Princess Luna; being in her immediate vicinity was a far different experience. Her height struck Macintosh immediately - he hadn’t had to look up to meet another pony’s eyes since he was a colt. Contrary to his bulky mass, though, she was slender, feminine, sculpted as if from pure white alabaster. Despite her size, it seemed that her golden-shod hooves barely touched the earth as she approached them, the grass completely unmarred by her passage. Her mane and tail seemed to be not hair but coruscating veils of pure rainbow-hued light, perpetually tossed by a breeze that couldn’t be physically felt. The eyes that regarded them were pale violet, and glowed with wisdom, warmth, and mirth.

“Please rise, My Little Ponies,” she addressed them fondly, “It’s far too nice a day to worry about formalities.”

“Princess Celestia,” Twilight Sparkle said after standing, “This is Macintosh Apple, a good friend from Ponyville. He is representing his family at the upcoming Honors Banquet.” Macintosh bowed again at his introduction. Even if she was encouraging informality, he was determined to be polite to the Princess.

She bowed her head deeply in return. “It is a great pleasure to have you here, Macintosh,” she said. “I’ve known the Apple family for years and seen their dedication to their work; this is an honor long overdue, I think.”

“You are too kind, Your Highness,” Macintosh replied, speaking carefully. “And I’m real honored that I’m being allowed to stay in the castle.”

“Think nothing of it,” Celestia said brightly. “It’s always nice to have guests.”

“What brings you to the gardens, Princess?” Twilight asked.

“A few things. Mostly, I saw you and Macintosh from my tower-” she pointed her horn up at the tallest spire, “-And thought it’d be nice to introduce myself before things got too dreary and formal later on. Also, I wanted to let you know that the local Pegasus Weather Corps has rescheduled a few things, and we’re due for a good little rain in about twenty minutes. You might want to be indoors by then.”

“We appreciate th’ warning,” Macintosh said gratefully.

Celestia smiled back at him. “In truth, our gardens certainly need the rain.” She regarded the old rose bushes critically. “About two months ago, our long-time chief gardener, Greenhoof, retired and moved back to her family home in Fillydelphia. Her health was slipping, and it was all rather sudden. And I fear we weren’t prepared to find a suitable pony to take her place.” She turned to Macintosh. “I’m sure you noticed that some things aren’t being taken care of as good as they should be around here.”

He nodded. “I did, Your Highness, though I’m sure you’ll have no trouble finding somepony worthy of the task to take over.”

“You’d be surprised,” Celestia said. “Canterlot is a unicorn city, primarily, and the magic of that which is green, that which grows... that has ever rested within the hooves and hearts of earth ponies.”

“Magic?” Macintosh asked, surprised at her use of the term.

“Just look at what your own family has done with Sweet Apple Acres,” she pointed out. “When I granted that land to your forebears, it was wild, rough, and almost inhospitable. And now... well, who needs to even say it? All of Equestria is enjoying the fruits of your labors, quite literally. What you do is as magical as pegasus flight or unicorn spells.”

Macintosh bowed his head, smiling but silent at her praise.

Celestia smiled and touched her horn to the same rose bush he’d been regarding before. “Many of the trees and plants here, they are like old friends,” she said quietly, her eyes deep and mysterious. “The tree we’re standing under, I remember planting it from seeds taken from its predecessor, over two hundred years ago.”

“Amazing,” Macintosh said. “This whole garden is, I mean. I should love t’ see it once it’s in full flower again.”

The Princess gave him a speculative look. “Good Macintosh, how long were you planning to remain with us here? Don’t think I’m pushing you out the gates, mind, I’m just curious.”

“Why, I...I hadn’t given it much thought, Your Highness,” he said. “I’d like t’ see a few things, I suppose, before I went back to Ponyville. This is my first time away from home, ever.”

“An adventure,” Celestia said, her eyes sparkling. She nodded, as if confirming something to herself. “I’d like to make you an offer, Mr. Macintosh. On a temporary basis, how would you feel about remaining with us a while, and overseeing the task of bringing our gardens back to their former glory? Now, I stress, this is an offer, and a request, not a command,” she said gently. “You are under no obligation to accept, and even if you do, you will be free to leave at any time. And of course, you will be paid a stipend for your work, matching the compensation Greenhoof and those that did the job before her received. We have seen what you are capable of, and we know you are more than equal to the task.”

Macintosh was stunned. The Princess was personally offering him a job? “I... I would...” he took a deep breath. “If it’s temporary? I mean... I’d have to check with m’ sister back in Ponyville, make sure she doesn’t mind me bein’ away for a while longer, Your Highness... and I’d want to be back for Applebuck Season, at least.”

“Of course, I’d expect nothing less,” Celestia replied. “So... tentatively?”

He glanced over at Twilight, who gave him a huge smile of encouragement. Macintosh took another deep breath, and bowed. He felt he was getting better at that. “If it can all be worked out... I’d be honored, Princess Celestia.”

“Wonderful!” The Royal Pony said, smiling broadly. “We will, of course, ensure that Applejack has help to compensate for your extended absence.” She turned to Twilight Sparkle. “Twilight, when you get a chance, could you perhaps go over to the School of Agriculture and talk to a pony named Mayflower? She’s the Dean there. Ask her, per my request, to choose one of her best first-year undergraduates to send to an internship at Sweet Apple Acres.”

Twilight nodded. “Of course, Princess.”

Celestia glanced at Macintosh, and suddenly chuckled merrily. “On second thought, ask her to select three undergraduates.... our Macintosh here is quite a stallion, isn’t he?”

Twilight shared the laugh, and gave his shoulder a gentle touch with her own. Macintosh could only smile and duck his head a little. It was a little embarrassing, but it was clearly all in good humor.

Celestia glanced up at the sun, suddenly obscured by a few small clouds. “Oh, but you two should be going,” she said. “The rain will be coming soon.” She nodded to Big Mac once more. “Again, thank you, Macintosh.”

“It’s my honor, Princess,” he said.

“It’s always nice talking to you, Princess,” Twilight said. She turned to Macintosh. “You’re still going to walk me the rest of the way home?”

“Of course,” he replied.

She smiled in return. “Such a gentlecolt,” she said, before leading him back to the walking path.

Princess Celestia watched the two young ponies depart. The were so young, those two... there were certain things in the air that they couldn’t quite feel at work.

Celestia was not young, except perhaps at heart. She could feel what was happening. She’d seen it many times in the past, after all.

She couldn’t keep the smile from her face as they trotted out of sight together. “You are such a naughty pony, Celestia,” she said to herself with a little laugh, “But it’s fun.” The smile didn’t leave her face as she flew up to her tower while mentally composing her reply to Applejack’s letter.

To Be Continued......

***********

Many thanks to my three pre-readers/plotting saviors, Badriddance, Calliope, and They-Call-Me-Orange. If this is any good, it’s probably because of them!

Regards,
TheDoktor

Chapter 3

Hasbro owns everything, I own nothing, just playing with the ponies for a while!
********************************************************************************************************

Macintosh awoke the next morning to knocking upon his chamber door. He looked out through the window and noted that he’d slept in much longer than was his custom; perhaps all the time off was making him lazy.

“Hold yer horses, ‘m comin’,” he muttered blearily. The knocking continued as Big Mac finally slid out of his bed and shuffled towards the door. He opened the door and saw a young pony, just a few years too old to be called a colt, dressed in the livery of the Canterlot Castle staff standing before him, one hoof raised to knock.

The servant put down his hoof and nodded politely. “Ah, uh.... Mr. Apple?”

“Macintosh,” Big Mac murmured, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He always hated being called by his family name alone for some reason.

“Yes, sir,” the servant said, his voice cracking slightly. “I am here to inform you that you have a visitor looking for you. They are waiting for you just outside the main gates.”

“Who is it?” he asked.

“A Miss Rarity, Sir.”

That gave the farm pony a bit of a start. “I’ll be down in a just a bit t’ see her.”

“Very good, Sir, I’ll inform her,” the servant said before departing.

Macintosh took a few minutes to get cleaned up before putting on his saddlebags and collar and heading down to the main gates.

Rarity was indeed waiting for him when he arrived. The fashion-pony seemed to fit in naturally with the gathered high-society unicorn ponies, resplendent yet somehow modest in a wide-brimmed white sun-hat. “Good to see you again, Macintosh,” she said with a wide smile.

He gave her a polite nod. “Miss Rarity, ya look right pretty.”

“Oh, this? It’s nothing; just a giant hat, really,” she said with a girlish titter. “I trust you’re enjoying your stay in Canterlot?”

“Well, it sure is big,” he said. “And I ain’t had much chance to do anythin’ yet. But I’m enjoyin’ myself. I haven’t really had a lot of chances to do th’ stuff ya had circled on that map ya made up with Twilight, but I’ll get there. What brings ya up here?”

“Well, shortly before you left Ponyville I’d written to some friends I have here, and mentioned your forthcoming ceremony, and they’d written back to let me know they could get me a place at the Honors Banquet,” she said. “I received the letter right after your train left town, and I immediately made arrangements to depart the next day. Naturally I’d not miss your big moment if I could help it,” she said.

Big Mac grinned crookedly. “Not t’ mention ya could keep an eye on th’ amateur model that’s showin’ off yer fancy clothes?”

Her sly grin matched his. “I can claim it as a business trip on my taxes.”

He chuckled. “Did ya have a chance t’ get any breakfast yet?”

She shook her head. “Actually I was just going to ask you if you wanted to join us.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Ya got somepony with ya?”

“I do dislike travelling travelling alone, and I needed a helping hoof to assist me with some, er... cargo.” She turned to look back down the broad avenue leading away from the castle. “Ah, there she is now.”

Big Macintosh followed her gaze down the street and saw Rainbow Dash approaching, pulling a small wagon behind her loaded with quite a few items of luggage (all in colors that indicated they belonged to Rarity) and what looked like three small barrels. “Sorry I took so long,” the pegasus said to Rarity, “The pony at the cargo-car gave me a hard time about all this stuff. And I thought Applejack had the hardest head in all of Equestria. Oh hey, Mac. You don’t have to tell your sister I said that, just sayin’.”

“Eeyup.”

“So I bet you’re pretty psyched that I get to be there for your big day, huh?” Rainbow Dash said. “You and AJ getting this award-thingy is all over the paper back home, everypony’s talking about it. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “The Wonderbolts giving an exhibition after the banquet has nothing to do with it?”

Dash looked faintly hurt. “So? So what if the trip comes with a perk? That doesn’t mean I’m any less Mac’s buddy. That just makes up for me having to cart your stuff all over Celestia’s creation.”

Rarity sniffed. “I have traumatic history with carts.”

Macintosh was investigating the contents of the wagon as the two mares bantered. Rarity’s wardrobe was not unexpected, but the barrels looked quite familiar. Walking around to the back of the wagon he noticed the markings on the lids. “This is Apple Family cider,” he said.

Rarity nodded. “Indeed, I purchased it from your sister before leaving. The friends I mentioned writing, they are connoisseurs of fine food and drink, and I thought this would be a fine gift since they are being gracious enough to let Rainbow Dash and I stay with them while we’re in Canterlot. After all, even I enjoy it, and I’m really more of a wine pony, myself.”

He carefully noted the markings logging the contents. “This run was a blend of Foxwhelp and Brown Snout. Some o’ the finest stuff we’ve ever made. AJ was right proud o’ it.”

“I asked for the best,” Rarity said.

“How come I don’t get the best?” Rainbow Dash asked with a surly frown. “You Apples been holding out on me?”

“Please, Rainbow Dash, I’m sure when we get settled Fancy Pants and Fleur will be happy to let us sample the cider with them,” Rarity assured her. “But all that can wait; I believe we were discussing breakfast, Macintosh? I happen to know a good café not far from here so... if we could perhaps impose on these formidable-looking castle guards to watch over our wagon while we adjourn for our meal?”

The guards were less than receptive when Big Macintosh asked, but were much more agreeable when Rarity did. As she led them to the café she explained to Mac that it had something to do with eyelashes.

The café was an open-air affair that served a splendid hot tea and some rather amazing fruit turnovers. Macintosh was already halfway through wolfing down his third one when he noticed Rarity was still daintily nibbling on her first, and forced himself to slow down. “So, ya got t’ see AJ, before comin’ here?” he asked her, mostly to cover up his embarrassment.

“Yes, she’s doing quite well,” the unicorn replied. “And very proud of the honor your family is receiving.”

“I was kinda wonderin’ because.. um... I might not be goin’ home for a while,” Big Mac said, feeling strangely nervous about what he was about to reveal. “Princess Celestia has offered me a job, helpin’ get the Royal Gardens in line. If I accept I might not be leavin’ Canterlot for a bit, maybe as long as a few months”

Rainbow Dash looked up from where she was devouring her own pastries. “Well, did ya accept? I think you should, I mean, this is the Princess asking you, it’s a big deal. And she did just, y’know, ask, right? There’s no threat of throwing you in a dungeon if you say no?”

“Now Rainbow Dash, you should know Princess Celestia better than that, by now,” Rarity rebuked her friend.

“Yeah...” Dash said after some thought. “Luna would, though.”

Rarity shrugged a little. “Maybe...but we’re getting sidetracked. Macintosh, have you given the Princess an answer yet?”

He nodded. “Sorta said I’d do it."

“I think that’s the right choice,” Rainbow Dash said. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing. You have to reach out and grab it!”

“Suppose yer right,” he said, “But I still feel like I’m runnin’ out on m’ family, just a bit. I’ve always been there to help them, always, ever since I was little more than a colt.“

“It’s all very new, very strange, I’m sure,” she agreed sympathetically. “But I agree with Dash. For one thing... this could be helping your family, being here for a time. After all, I understand this honor you’re receiving comes with a new market for your products opening up here in Canterlot? To me, it makes perfect sense for there to be a smart, level-headed pony who’s intimately familiar with the ins and outs of all aspects of the Apple Family’s business to be here to manage the process at this end, especially right now as it’s just starting to get in place. You’re a natural choice for that.”

“I guess I hadn’ thought about all that,” Big Macintosh admitted.

“Truly, this is a critical juncture for your business. Applejack might very well want you to be here herself, if she could do it. There’s simply nopony else she’d trust, I can assure you. You’re the best pony for the job, Macintosh.” She pursed her lips thoughtfully. “If you would permit me, I could make a few introductions to certain ponies I know, at the ceremony and after. I think they could be most helpful to you in this endeavor.”

“I’d... I’d be right grateful for that, Miss Rarity,” he said. “I figure doin’ that an’ tryin’ to fix the Gardens at the same time’s gonna be a hoof-full.”

“That’s all real nice,” Dash interjected, “But that’s work, and there’s more to life than that.” She turned to Macintosh. “Mac, your sis told me that you’ve never been out of Ponyville? Like, never-ever?”

“Eeyup, that’s right.”

“Well that’s lame! This is Canterlot! You should get out, see the sights!” she proclaimed, gesturing broadly with one hoof. “Go to concerts!”

Rarity snickered. “Eat the food?” she suggested, pointing at the crumbs on Dash’s neck and chest.

“Yeah, that too,” she said, brushing herself off without shame. “Point is, there is more to life than just work.”

Macintosh nodded. “I getcha. Well, I got that map with th’ stuff circled on it, n’ I can ask Twilight Sparkle about more things t’ do when I meet her tonight fer dinner.”

Rarity, who had been levitating her teacup to her lips, seemed to fumble for a moment, almost dropping her drink. “Macintosh... did you just say you’re meeting Twilight for dinner? Tonight?” she gasped, her eyes intent.

“Eeyup.”

“The two of you? No family or friends or anypony else?”

“Uh.. eeyup?” he responded, very confused by her suddenly intense manner. “Is there something wrong with that?”

“What? No, not at all! I’m very pleased!” Rarity proclaimed.

“Yeah, it’s awesome that you have a date!” Rainbow Dash added.

“A....” Macintosh felt the breath catch in his throat “Ah...that’s n-not what this is, at all!”

“Aw, c’mon, you can’t deny it,” Dash sneered. “Mac, we all know you totally have the hots for Twilight, it’s plain for everypony to see.”

Rarity looked over at her friend with a strangely amused expression.

“...Don’t even start,” the blue pegasus groused, holding up a fore-hoof in Rarity’s face. “Don’t wanna hear it.”

“Did AJ tell y'all this?” He asked, not wanting to believe his secret had been betrayed.

Rarity gave her pegasus friend one more strange little smile, then turned back to Macintosh. “No, Applejack was as surprised as you are that we knew. Rainbow Dash is right, though. We do know you have feelings for Twilight, and it’s wonderful that you have this chance to make inroads, so to speak.”

“But I told ya, s’not a date, or anythin’ like that!” Big Macintosh objected. “She just invited me t’ dinner, nothin’ more. I’m sure she don’ have any sorta feelings of... y’know, like that fer me.”

“Two points,” Rarity said. “First, you cannot be absolutely sure of that, at all, and second, even if that’s the case, she clearly thinks highly of you and that might give you the opportunity to move her heart in the direction of those feelings. Perhaps she doesn’t see this as a date, but maybe it can be one for you.” She reached over the small table they were sharing and gave his shoulder a gentle pat. “Fortune favors those who are bold, dear.”

“Rarity, Dash I...” Macintosh could feel his face heating up under his fur as the two mares looked at him intently. “...Look, I ain’ got a clue what t’ do on a date in the first place!”

Rainbow Dash chuckled. “What, you’ve never been on a date before?”

“Nnope...”

Her eyebrows shot up. “....Really? Just sayin, because like, around the spa? A lot of the mares like to talk about-”

“Dash, you aren’t helping,” Rarity said quickly, cutting her off. “Macintosh, darling, it’s not as if there’s a set of objectives that one must accomplish on a date, like on a checklist or some such nonsense.”

“Twilight probably has a checklist,” Dash noted.

“Be quiet,” Rarity said absently. “What I’m trying to say is, the most important thing is for you to just be yourself, not go off on some great tangent to impress your lady-love. Be calm, be confident, be natural.”

Macintosh thought he got the gist of what she was saying. “I kinda always thought there was flowers n’ dancing n’ stuff.”

Rarity nodded. “There can be that, too, but it probably would be a trifle excessive for a first date. Especially with Twilight Sparkle; she is not the most socially adept pony, I must admit. I would say you should just treat this almost as if it’s merely a pleasant evening with a good friend - except that you’re paying just a slight bit more attention than normal. Make light conversation. Talk about families - but do stick to the less dramatic stories about them.”

Rainbow Dash was listening also. “He should be sure to tell her she’s pretty, though.”

Rarity opened her mouth as if to object, then stopped and seemed to consider it. “That’s... hm, that’s actually a good idea, Rainbow Dash - as long as he can do it so that it doesn’t come out of nowhere. I don’t think Twilight quite understands the concept of flirtation, but a compliment like that might have a positive impact. I will trust your judgement, Macintosh.”

“I’m glad ya do, Miss Rarity,” Macintosh said. “I know she’s a close friend to ya. I still don’ know if ya have this pegged right, but I promise I’ll do right by her, no matter how this goes.”

Rarity smiled. “I have no doubts, dear. Now... I suggest we settle up the tab and head back to the castle to retrieve our belongings. On the way you can give me more details about this date... did she mention what sort of establishment she’d be taking you to? I’m thinking casual dining, so you shouldn’t need any attire. Hmm... we really should at least see to your mane, though....”

********************

Twilight Sparkle let out a long sigh as she closed the door behind her. “Spike, I’m home!” she called.

Her young dragon assistant came down the staircase from one of the upper levels of her tower, where he’d been cleaning busily cleaning the bookshelves. “There you are, Twilight. I was starting to get worried; you’d said you didn’t expect your meeting at the College of Medicine to be all that big of a deal,” he said as he laid his feather-duster aside.

“It shouldn’t have been,” the unicorn growled. “My paper said everything that needed saying by itself. All the board should have had to do is arrange for some other ponies in the college to perform proper peer review and verify what Zecora had already shown me. But apparently they think that I was just trying to rock the boat and ‘debunk accepted theory’ to make a splash and get noticed, or something. I mean... that’s why it’s theory and not fact! It needs to be tested!” she cried, dropping her saddlebags on the floor as she trotted to the center of the large ground-floor chamber that served as a living room.

“Then what?” Spike asked as he took her book-bag from the floor and moved it to a small table by the doorway.

“Then they all decided to adjourn and said they’d discuss the matter further and get back to me. So basically, I just wasted an entire morning with them.”

“Doesn’t sound very efficient,” Spike agreed. “But the rest of the day is yours, right?”

Twilight thought about it a moment. “I think so... Spike could you check-”

“Already am,” Spike said as he opened a scroll that had been on the living room table. “Hm... today’s the 11th? Hm... yes... yep, that was your only appointment - well, only work appointment. Remember after you came home yesterday? You had me jot down that you were meeting Big Macintosh for dinner tonight, right before you fell asleep on the couch?”

“Oh Celestia, I’d almost forgotten,” she said. “And I haven’t even figured out where to take him.”

"Could take him to Donut Joe's," Spike suggested.

"Donuts for dinner? You can't be serious," Twilight stated flatly.

"Well I think it sounds great," Spike said with a little sniff. "But I would suggest you stay away from all those fancy places over on Posey Lane. Something gives me the feeling that Mac isn't the kind of pony that's into puffed pastries and micro-green salads. He's a stallion, an alpha-male, he needs real food."

Twilight considered the matter a moment before responding. "There is that little bistro near Fyre-Flye Plaza. Very casual atmosphere there. And I seem to recall the food meeting with the approval of the only other alpha-male I know," she said with a knowing grin.

"The hay-fries were awesome," Spike noted, patting his belly. "I think that's a great choice."

“Truly you are the best assistant I could ask for,” Twilight said dryly. “But it is a good choice, the snotty ponies tend to pick fancier places to be seen. I’ve had enough of them for one day, and I definitely don’t think that’s Big Macintosh’s sort of scene.”

Spike nodded. “For sure. Hey, wonder why he’s here, and not Applejack? I mean, It’s great to have a chance to see him again, but I wouldn’t expect him to volunteer to come here. He’s practically a part of Ponyville itself, like a bit of the scenery.”

Twilight snickered. “I kind of doubt he ‘volunteered.’ Applejack’s been talking about trying to convince him to take a vacation for a few years now. And I’m thinking this business with the Honors Banquet gave her an excuse Macintosh couldn’t slip out of. It’ll be good for him I think. He works so hard, and I know he enjoys his work, but he should be able to relax every once in awhile.”

“I wonder if he even knows how to relax?” Spike mused.

“I know, right?” Twilight smirked a little wryly. “Not that I’m one to talk, I suppose. I wasn’t real great at relaxing either, especially not before I moved to Ponyville.”

“You still aren’t exactly a master.”

Twilight responded by sticking her tongue out at her assistant before continuing. “You know, I spent a lot of time with the Apples, but I don’t think I’ve ever talked to Macintosh very much, one-on-one. He was always quiet around me. Not in a rude way, I just got the sense he was a little on the shy side. It’ll be good to get to know him. His sisters both think the world of him.”

Spike nodded absently as he began to go through the books in her satchel, organizing them to be returned to their proper shelves in Twilight’s personal library. “Sometimes I miss it. Living in Ponyville, I mean. I like Canterlot, with all the history, and being so close to the Princesses, but the city’s so....” he made a strange face. “I don’t know how to put it, but everypony here acts like whatever they’re doing is the single most important thing anypony anywhere in the world is doing, even if it’s the most mundane thing. And everypony is in such a hurry; the only ponies who hurried in Ponyville were Rainbow Dash when she overslept and ended up late for work, or Pinkie Pie if she was trying to get invitations out to whatever party she was putting on that week. It was all so much more laid back. Well, except when we had demonic Mares from the Moon or ancient Chaos beings causing trouble, anyway. Then we kinda had to hurry.”

“Not so much of that stuff these days, and that’s something I certainly don’t miss, the dangerous stuff I mean.” Twilight said, “But I do understand why you miss Ponyville. I do too, to be honest. I don’t regret taking the position at the academy - it’s a great honor and I love learning and helping others learn - but I do miss the quiet life.”

“Well, it was usually quiet as long as Pinkie Pie wasn’t around,” Spike observed.

“Yeah.”

Just then there was a knock at the door, which Spike answered. “Oh, Princess Cadance,” he said upon opening the door. “Good to see you!”

“Good to see you again too, Spike,” the pink alicorn said as she entered. “Hello, Twilight, glad you happened to be in.”

“Something I can help you with?” Twilight asked her old friend. She gave Cadance a critical look. “You look a little tired.”

“That’s funny, because I feel a lot tired,” Cadance admitted as she gave Twi an affectionate hug. “My sleep’s been off lately. I don’t think it’s anything to worry about, even though Shining finally badgered me into making an appointment with the doctor before he left. I have that tomorrow, after the Honors Banquet. Ah, and that reminds me, before I forget, Shining should be back from Trottingham tomorrow evening, thought you’d like to know.”

“Thanks for letting me know, we’ll have to get together and catch up once he’s settled back in,” Twilight said. “Now about this not-sleeping stuff?”

“Hmph, you’re as much a worrywart as your brother,” Cadance noted. “But I don’t think it’s a big deal. Mostly I think it’s just from staying up late studying. Celestia’s asked me to lead an informal goodwill visit to the Gryphon Confederation, so I’ve been boning up on their culture so I don’t accidentally start a war, or something. I was wondering if you had any good reference material on them in your collection that I could take a look at?”

“Absolutely! I’ll be glad to show you what I have.” She turned to her assistant. “Spike, would you mind heating up some tea for us?”

“Sure thing, I’ll make up a few snacks too,” he said before heading back into the tower’s small kitchenette.

“You don’t have to go to all the trouble,” Cadance said as Twilight led her up to the second level balcony of her tower. “I don’t want to be a bother.”

“It’s no bother at all,” Twilight Sparkle assured her as she took Cadance to the shelves where she kept her volumes on foreign relations and diplomacy. “These are the volumes on the recent relations between ponies and gryphons. I figured you’d want to stick to the last few hundred years, though I have books going back to the third century of Celestia’s reign.”

Cadance shook her head as she randomly selected a volume and levitated it with her horn. “I don’t know how you can keep all this straight,” she said, looking around at the numerous bookshelves lining the walls of Twilight’s tower.

“I don’t,” Twilight admitted. “You have Spike to thank for that. He’s the one that makes sure everything is in its proper place. I have a nasty habit of just dropping books on the floor when I’m done with them.”

Cadance smiled. “Yes, I never could get you to put your toys away when I was foalsitting you.”

“I’d be lost without the little guy,” Twilight said. “He’s a huge help finding anything around here. Oh, and you can stay here as long as you like and research with his help, I’ll be heading out in a bit. I’m going out to dinner with a visiting friend from Ponyville.”

“Oh, that sounds lovely. Glad I’ll be able to keep Spike company while you’re out with your friend. When are you leaving?” Cadance asked as she glanced through her book.

“If I’m remembering right, I told Macintosh to meet me here around Five o’clock, so I’ve got a few hours yet to help with your research.”

Cadance looked up from her book, her eyes strangely intent. “Macintosh?”

“Mmhmm,” Twilight said as she scanned the bookshelf, selecting the volumes she thought would be helpful.

“That... sounds like a stallion,” the older pony observed.

“Yeah, he’s Applejack’s brother. You remember Applejack from your wedding, right? Orange earth pony, runs an apple orchard? Well, not just apples, they’ve branched out into other things, but it’s the apples that put them on the map.”

“Yes, yes, I remember,” Cadance said absently.

Twilight turned to look at her friend, and was taken a bit aback by the intensely scrutinous look she was on the receiving end of. “What? You’re looking at me like my horn’s on upside-down.”

“Oh, um... just thinking,” she replied, still seeming a bit too intent. “I think... think I’ll go see if Spike needs a hoof with that tea. I’ll be right back,” she said suddenly..

Twilight watched her friend trot off, feeling distinctly confused. “Weird... she must really need to catch up on her sleep,” she said to herself.

Several minutes later, Cadance returned, levitating a tray with a steaming teapot, sugar, lemon, and several cups. “There, tea is served!” she announced with a bright smile. “Spike’s working on snacks for us, or something, he’ll be along in a moment with them.”

“Oookay...” Twilight said, looking at her old friend suspiciously. She certainly was acting a bit odd. “Glad you were able to help with that. I kept your place in the book on gryphon history you’d selected.”

“Thank you, Twilight,” Cadance said as she poured their tea. “No hurry, though, I’ve got all night to read over this stuff and I’m rather enjoying just spending time with an old friend. Things have been so busy lately. With you moving to Canterlot, I was hoping we’d have more time to catch up.”

“Well, I’m sure things will settle down at some point, and we can do some family stuff. Oh, that’s right! You’re family now, so we can use that as an excuse,” Twilight offered. “Citing ‘family obligations’ should let us get at least a day or two off, shouldn’t it?”

Cadance smiled. “I’ll talk to my Aunt about it.” She gave Twilight a grin. “We can start catching up now, though. I know what we can do... remember how we used to style each other’s manes when you were younger? Let’s do that!”

“What... now?”

“Yes! It’ll be fun!” Cadance assured her.

“What about gryphons and-”

“They can wait, this is important,” the Princess said firmly.

“My mane is more important than Equestrian foreign relations?”

Cadance seemed to think it over. “You read the book and tell me what you think I’ll need to know. In return, I’ll make your mane pretty. Sounds very fair to me.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Sounds like we’re flashing back to your college days, to me. I’m not going to win this argument, am I?”

“No, and besides, you used to love this. Now have a seat and we’ll get started.”

Twilight spent the next several hours giving Cadance an impromptu primer on the last several centuries of Gryphon-Pony relations, while having her mane gently manipulated by the alicorn’s magic. Spike made his appearance shortly after they started, carrying a tray of small sandwiches for them to snack on. In appreciation for this, Cadance immediately sent him off to find combs, hair pins, and ribbons, to aid in her work on Twilight’s mane. For all her earlier protests, Twilight did find herself enjoying the treatment, being reminded of the many pleasant evenings she’d spent with her foal-sitter when she was younger.

“Well, I think that about covers the most important recent developments,” Twilight some time later, closing a particularly heavy tome. “I think the Gryphons will be most curious about Luna’s return, so you should watch out for that. We had almost no dealings with their race in the days before the coming of Nightmare Moon, so she’s an unknown quantity to them.”

“Duly noted, and I thank you for your hard work,” Cadance said. “And now...let’s see what you think of my work. Spike, the mirror?”

The young dragon approached, holding up a small mirror for Twilight to see herself in. “I think she looks great,” he said emphatically. “She should get her mane done more often.”

Twilight chuckled. “Spike, you’re silly, my mane is nothing that special.” When she did see what Cadance had done, however, she was very impressed; Her bangs had been left in place, ending just over her eyes, but the rest of her mane had been pulled back into a single amazingly complex braid that hung down over one of her shoulders. Cadance had even taken care to separate the lighter purple and pink streaks from the darker mass, weaving them in and out within the plait in a carefully symmetrical pattern, and securing it all at the end with a purple ribbon. “But I have to admit... this is amazing! Thank you Cadance,” she said sincerely. “I think maybe your cutie mark kind of missed the mark when it came to your special talent.”

“Oh, I’m pretty good with the matchmaker magic too,” She quipped.

The friendly banter continued for a bit longer, until a knock came at the door. Spike rose from his seat on the floor between the two mares, but Cadance was quicker, and seemed to race for the door. Twilight and Spike were just reaching the bottom as Cadance was letting Big Macintosh into the tower. “I’m Cadance, an old friend of Twilight’s,” she said by way of greeting, giving the farm pony a polite little curtsey.

“Ah, Macintosh Apple, Miss- I mean, uh, Princess,” he said, clearly confused at being greeted so by an Alicorn Princess. “Twilight had invited me t’ go out fer dinner, I mean, if that’s still all right, I don’ want t’ be a bother.”

Twilight couldn’t help but smile - seeing the huge stallion so deferential to a mare was adorable, even if Cadance was an Alicorn Princess. “Here I am, Big Macintosh,” she called to him.

He seemed to do a bit of a double-take. “Twilight, I’ve never seen ya wear yer mane like that, it’s real pretty,” he said with a smile. “I mean, it always is, but I like that a lot.”

“Do you?” Twilight said, feeling a touch bashful, but enjoying the admiration just a little.

“Eeyup!” Macintosh had refrained from wearing his work-collar. It was a bit odd to see him without it, but it wasn’t a bad change, at all. It somehow made him look rather coltish, especially with his mane combed into a slight semblance of order.

“Well, I’m glad! Oh, we’d better get going, the place we’re going fills up quick.” She turned back to Cadance. “You’re free to stay and study as long as you like, Spike probably can help you better than I can, though he doesn’t have a mane for you to work wonders on.”

Cadance giggled. “No worries. You just have a good time out there, okay?”

“Okay.” She turned back to Macintosh. “Shall we?”

He nodded and led the way out the door. Just as she crossed the threshold, she turned back to her old friend. “Oh, just so you know, in case Spike gets any messages from Celestia, you should-”

“Twilight,” Cadance cut her off. “We’ve got this. Go have fun!” she said, before firmly closing the door.

“Huh,” Twilight said, staring at the door to her tower in confusion, before shrugging it off.

“Somethin’ the matter?” Macintosh asked.

“Oh, no, not at all. She’s just acting a bit... silly.”

Macintosh smiled a bit. “Heck, we all got t’ act a little foalish sometimes, I reckon. It’s a natural thing.”

“Yeah... that’s probably it,” she said. For a moment, it seemed like Cadance had actually winked at her before closing the door, but it was probably just her imagination, really.

As she led Big Macintosh into the city, Twilight made a mental note to keep an eye on her Cadance’s odd behavior, and also to make sure she was properly treated for her apparent sleep disorder before she started acting any more eccentric.

********************

The restaurant Twilight Sparkle led Macintosh to was a modest little place tucked onto a side-street in a quieter section of town, with a cozy dining room with low, warm lighting and rustic decor. Mac was glad to see that none of the rest of the crowd in the dining room were attired in the typical finery of Canterlot society. When he pointed this out to Twilight, she nodded her agreement. “I like this place, very low-key. Kind of reminds me of the sort of place you might find in Ponyville. I mean, I can do with fancy once in awhile, but this is much better, most of the time. Oh, and Spike recommends the hay-fries. I practically had to carry him out of here last time we came.”

“Sounds good t’ me,” Mac agreed as a smiling waitress seated them. “Thought those gemstones were his favorites, though.”

“Yeah, that’s right,” the unicorn replied. “Actually he needs them, especially as he’s growing- the mineral content in the gems gets broken down by a dragon’s powerful digestive system and helps build those hard scales that protect his body, as well as reinforcing their skeletons so that they can support their own weight as they grow massive. If it wasn’t for that they’d barely be able to stand, much less walk, and... and I’m boring you aren’t I?” she asked sheepishly. “I’m sorry, when I get on a subject it tends to kind of take over my brain.”

“No, no!” Macintosh assured her. “I like t’ hear about this sorta stuff. I mean, bein’ a farm-pony, I ain’t had much time or reason for knowin’ things just fer th’ sake o’ knowin’ ‘em, th’ way a smart pony like yerself does. ” Their waitress brought their drinks, a sweet tea for Macintosh and a candy-colored fruit concoction for Twilight.

Twilight smiled a bit at the compliment. “Pure scholarship is nice, but I actually had more time for that in Ponyville than here. I love the teaching I do, but I don’t have much time for my own studies like I used to. And when I get home I pretty much just fall asleep as soon as I get within five feet of anything that has a cushion on it.”

“Ya sound a lot like a farm-pony yerself, with that,” Macintosh noted. “Early t’ rise, early t’ bed. Yer usually too tired much else by the time th’ sun sets.”

She smiled a bit. “I’m really not a morning-pony, at all. But I guess that’s in your blood, with your whole family being farmers for generations back. But then... I think Applejack once mentioned you guys having family in Manehattan?”

“Eeyup, that’s right. Pa’s side, they were farmers as far back as anypony could remember even back when Granny Smith was a filly. Ma though, she wasn’t a farmer, not originally. She was from a classy family in Manehattan, before she met Pa.”

“Now that sounds like an interesting story,” the unicorn said. “Not that I want to pry into your memories of your parents, of course.” She face betrayed a touch of awkwardness at where her curiosity had led her.

“It’s all right, Twilight,” Macintosh assured her. “I like talkin’ ’bout m’ folks. I don’ remember a whole heck of a lot o’ th’ story ‘bout how they got together, though,” he said. Then he remembered some of Rarity’s advice from earlier. “But I’d be right happy t’ share what I do know with ya, if ya want.”

Twilight nodded eagerly. “Absolutely.”

They paused for a moment to order their meal when the waitress returned (A clover and daisy salad for Twilight, hay-fries for Macintosh,) before Big Mac started into the tale. “My ma was originally from Manehattan, sure ‘nuff. Now, back when she was a young mare, right after she she got out o’ school, she told me that she got an itch in her hooves to go travel, see Equestria, just kinda drift around. She got to see Hoofington, Prance, Trottingham... heck, she was planning to take a ship out to see Neighpon, but she kinda ran out o’ money when she got t Ponyville. Now Clementine... uh... that’s my Ma... she was kinda on th’ outs with her own family, on account o’ all her wanderin’. They told her they was only going t’ give her money so that she could go back to Manehattan and start actin’ like what I guess a proper high-class Mare is s’posed to. And that didn’ appeal t’ her a bit.”

He sipped his drink, collecting the little pieces of the rest of the story in his head. “So, she stayed in Ponyville and decided t’ take on a job until she could get th’ Bits to move on. And as fortune had it, th’ first place she looked was Sweet Apple Acres. See, my Grandpa had just passed, an’ Granny Smith an’ her son, they needed an extra hoof for the applebuck, at th’ time. It was just s’posed to just one season o’ work, then she’d move on. But the way she told it, Ma said that the winter that year just ended up bein’ a bit more than she wanted to travel in, so she stayed in Ponyville. And when spring rolled around, she said she didn’t have enough money t’ travel comfortably after ridin’ out th’ winter. So... she helped out in the Acres again, with the spring planting. And then when summer hit? It was just too gosh-darn hot, she said. So, she stayed behind again.”

Twilight laughed a little. “I get the sense she wasn’t staying behind because of the weather.”

“Ya got it. Truth was, she’d fallen for a certain young stallion she’d been workin’ beside in the orchard. Once th’ word got out that she was marryin’ my Pa, the Oranges offered t’ pay Ma’s way home one more time, cuz they weren’t too happy about her marryin’ a workin’-class pony. She told ‘em she didn’ want or need their money anymore.”

“Awww... Macintosh, that’s such a sweet story,” she said, giving his shoulder a little touch with her hoof. “And shame on the Oranges for acting that way, that’s terrible of them.”

“Well, they did take AJ in when she ran off for a bit, “ Macintosh noted. “And they treated her good. But on my end? I don’ particularly like or dislike them. They ain’t ever really hurt us, but they ain’t ever really gone outta their way t’ help, either.”

“They should be ashamed,” Twilight maintained. “Anypony should love to be a part of your family.”

“R-really?” Macintosh said, surprised by her vehemence.

“Really.” She offered him a dazzling smile. “You know, that’s the most I’ve ever heard you talk, Big Macintosh.”

“Oh, uh... I didn’ mean to ramble on,” he said, feeling awkward.

“No, no, I loved it! It’s a beautiful story, and I’m very glad I got to hear it from you! It was very romantic. Could even be a romance novel,” she mused. “‘Love Blooms in an Orchard.’”

He chuckled a bit. “It sounds a lot more poetic, that way. I’m just a plain-spoken sort.”

“The really great stories don’t require a lot of complicated wordplay, though. They have a poetry all their own.” She nodded. “And you should definitely talk more, Mac, I enjoyed it.”

He smiled a bit bashfully, pleased that she remembered to call him by his nickname. “I’ll work on it.”

There was more talk over the meal, though they managed to leave plenty of time for eating, too. Macintosh found the hay-fries were indeed as spectacular as Spike had said. At the end of the meal they settled the bill (which Big Mac insisted on paying, as any gentlecolt would,) and took a leisurely meandering walk back to her tower, so that Twilight could show him a few sights and tell a few tales of her own. During their stroll the setting sun set the sky all ablaze, orange, then pink, then dipped below the horizon. Together they paused and watched Luna’s moon and stars set the night sky alight, with Twilight pointing out the unique ones and sharing their names and stories with him, her natural enthusiasm making him smile.

At some point during their walk home, the two ponies drifted close enough to each other for her shoulder to occasionally brush against his. Those small, fleeting touches made his heart pound in his chest, and set his mind to racing with thoughts that maybe this could all be more than just a dream, after all.

********************

Twilight Sparkle closed the door to her tower slowly, so as not to make too much noise in case Spike had turned in early. Before she even had a chance to turn around, however, a soft voice greeted her.

“Did you have have a good time?”

Twilight turned to see Cadance sprawled out on a couch in the center of her living room, a book laid out before her hooves. “Oh, I kinda thought you’d have gone home by now. And yes, yes I did.”

“Glad to hear it!” she said, smiling. “So what did you do?”

“Nothing fancy, just dinner, good bit of talking, catching up with each other. And we went for a walk around the city, showed him a few sights. Did Spike go to bed?”

“Yes, he spent most of the evening helping me with my research. Sooo... this Macintosh seems very nice. Bit on the shy side, but a very nice colt,” Cadance noted.

“Yes on both counts,” The unicorn confirmed as she walked over to a pitcher of ice water, pouring herself a glass. “Took a little bit of coaxing but he came out of his shell eventually.”

“That’s good, especially if this family business of his is expanding, what with the whole honors thing Spike was telling me about. That makes him a pretty important pony, if you think about it.”

“Yeah... uh, now that you mention it, I suppose it does.” Cadance’s musings were starting to perplex Twilight a little. She took a sip of her water to mask the confusion that must have been on her face.

“Mmhmm.” Her smile turned into a slightly wolfish grin. “Good-looking stallion, too, wouldn’t you agree?”

Twilight sputtered a bit, nearly spraying her drink out of her nose. “Ah, uh, well, I... guess...I mean...hah, sure... yeah, he uh... he looks nice.” She was amazed her face hadn’t spontaneously combusted.

“Oh yes,” her friend concurred in a dreamy sort of voice, seeming to not notice Twilight’s distress. “He’s got great eyes, and a nice coat, too. And the muscles! Not those silly show-off muscles that the stallions these days work out to get. Those are muscles that actually DO things, you can just tell.” Cadance giggled with delight. “I’d say you have a great eye, Twilight.”

The unicorn set down her cup, and shook her head. “Okay that’s it. What’s this all about?” she demanded.

“I beg your pardon? What’s what about?”

“This! You!” Twilight said, having to mentally remind herself to moderate her voice for the benefit of sleeping dragons. “You’ve been acting kooky all evening!”

“‘Kooky?’” Cadance replied, looking rather amused.

“Yes, kooky! You’re driving me a little nuts with the interrogation here.”

“Well I’m sorry,” the alicorn sniffed. “You can’t blame a mare if she just wants to make sure her friend’s date went well.”

Twilight felt as if a pegasus pony had just crept up behind her with a thundercloud and and zapped her with everything it had. “WHAT? Oh, you think we’re... I mean... a date?!”

“Well, two ponies go out to dinner, then walk around and see the sights while getting to know each other, I mean, I’m no scholar myself but I’d say that fits the criteria,” Cadance observed.

Twilight was having trouble getting her mouth to work properly with her overloaded brain. “But I mean, I didn’t know... I didn’t... he and I...with me? He wouldn’t!” she babbled

“Twilight, calm down,” Cadance said in a soothing voice.

She took a deep breath. “I just didn’t intend for this to be a date, I mean,” she said once she’d settled down a bit.

“So, you wouldn’t want to go out with him?”

Twilight started putting the pieces together in her mind. “I... well... um...honestly? I never thought about it. About he and I, I mean. I never would have thought he’d be interested in me. It just never registered.”

“You’re over-thinking this, Twi, it’s not like a chemistry experiment, you know,” Cadance said, “He seems like a good catch, and I’d say he's very interested in you. And I am a little bit of an expert in these things.”

“Well, I... I’d say that’s a nice thought,” Twilight admitted quietly. “He’s a good stallion. Very good, in fact. He’s kind, he’s gentle, he cares about his family very deeply. We just seem so different, like we shouldn’t go together.”

Cadance rose from the couch and walked over to Twilight, putting a comforting foreleg around her neck. “Still over-thinking,” she chided. “Hmm... let’s do it this way. I’m going to ask you a few questions, and I just want you to answer them, without any kind of pondering, okay?”

“Okay...”

“Did you have fun tonight?”

“Yes, definitely.”

“Do you want to do it again?”

“Yeah...”

“Do you find him attractive?”

“I...um... yes?” Twilight almost squeaked out her answer.

Cadance grinned. “Well there you go. Congratulations on a successful first date. Kissing is permitted on the second, just so you know. ”

“But I’ve never been on a date!” Twilight cried. “What if I did it wrong?”

“Twi? That’s not exactly how it works.”

Twilight barely noticed her friend’s objection, with her mind now fully focused. “I won’t be caught unprepared again!” She nodded firmly. “Right, let’s go,” she said before heading for the stairs to her personal library.

“Twilight? What are we doing?” Cadance asked as she followed behind her.

“You said you were an expert on this stuff, right?” Twilight said. “That’s perfect. I can really use that now. We have books to read, research to do and a checklist to make!”

“...Oh dear.”

To Be Continued...

***********

Author’s Note: Again, very special thanks go out to the three lovely ladies helping me with this: Calliope, Badriddance, and They-Call-Me-Orange.

Chapter 4

I don’t own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. If I did, I wouldn’t be broke. Don’t bother with a lawsuit.

************************************************************************************************************************************************************

“So... was there kissing?” Rainbow Dash asked with a smirk.

Macintosh sighed. The pegasus had been grilling him about his evening with Twilight Sparkle ever since she and Rarity had arrived at his rooms that morning. “No, Dash, and y’ know that even if there was, I’d not tell ya.”

“Well why not?”

“A gentlecolt don’ gossip that way. It’s rude.”

Her face grew sly. “Ah-ha! so I’m betting there was a kiss! You’re just being coy,” she proclaimed triumphantly.

He sighed again. “Dash...”

“So c’mon, I want details! Are we talking like, a peck on a the cheek, or full-on muzzle-mauling?”

He flushed, and was about to protest, but Rarity beat him to it. “Really, Rainbow Dash, could you be any more uncouth?” she asked, leaning around Macintosh’s shoulder to glare at her friend. “Besides, your questions are making Macintosh fidget, and I won’t be able to make sure his suit fits properly.”

“Y’ shouldn’ worry so much ‘bout it, Miss Rarity,” he assured her. The fashion pony had been fussing over his outfit for the banquet since just after breakfast that morning. “It all looks just fine, and ya still haven’t gotten dressed yerself.”

“I’ll attend to my own ensemble after I have you ready,” she said while smoothing his lapel for what was probably the sixth time that day. “And indeed, you look fine, but ‘fine’ simply won’t do for today. You must look absolutely stately, or I haven’t done a proper job of it.” She shot another annoyed look over at Rainbow Dash. “Please try not to rumple your dress, dear. It took me hours to get it neat again.” She rolled her eyes before returning her attention to Big Mac. “It’s the Gala dress I made for her a few years ago. I was delighted to see the fit was still perfect, but I swear she simply balled the thing up and threw it in a closet.”

“Yeah, kinda,” Dash replied, swishing the dress around dramatically.

Rarity winced.

“What? This is like the only clothes I actually own, pretty much, other than that bridesmaid dress you made me for when Twi’s brother got married. Who needs clothes? I look too good to cover up, anyway,” she said, preening.

The unicorn took a deep breath, her ears laying flat on her head as she visibly fought to reign her temper in. “Why can’t they all be like you, Macintosh?” She lamented. “Modest, patient, undemanding...”

He chuckled. “Don’ be too hard on her. Ya know how much she hates bein’ stuck in one place, unless she’s sleepin’.”

Rarity responded with a laugh of her own. “That’s the honest truth. You should have seen me trying to wake her her this morning.” She raised her voice so their companion could hear. “Apparently Equestria’s greatest flyer had herself a long night last night. She and the friends we were staying with decided to ‘sample’ some of the Apple Family cider we brought them. And by ‘sample’ I mean they utterly drained an entire cask.”

“It was a matter of pride,” Dash protested. “I wasn’t about to let that prissy pink unicorn out-drink me. I won, so it was worth the headache and dry mouth this morning.”

Mac nodded sagely. “Sometimes victory takes sacrifice.”

“That’s right!” Dash agreed cheerfully. “Glad somepony around here is cool. This is why I approve of you dating our friend.”

Mac blushed a bit. “Y’all don’ think maybe it’s mite early to say that we’re datin’?”

“Perhaps, perhaps not,” Rarity said as she began giving his jacket one more going-over with a lint brush. “Things did go well last night, yes?”

“Eeyup, I guess so.”

“Specifics, darling. Dinner went well, and it sounds like you got to know a little more about each other. Was there anything after?”

“We talked a while, an’ I walked her home,” Mac said, as he lowered his head so Rarity could touch up his mane with a comb. “She talked a bit about growin’ up in city with the Princess teachin’ her about magic an’ stuff.”

“Were any plans made for you two to do anything like this again?” Rarity asked.

“Hmmm, nothin’ specific, but we both said we’d like t’ do it all again.”

“I see.... well, I assume she will be attending this afternoon’s function as well? I’d say you have an opportunity, then,” she said with a nod. “Yes, this could work out very well. You should definitely ask her to accompany you on a second romantic evening, Macintosh.”

“Um... y’ sure ‘bout that? I’m... I’m not so much good w’ words,” he confessed, feeling slightly embarrassed.

“Pish-posh, you needn’t worry about such things. The words being said aren’t as important as the feelings behind them. After all, she hardly composed a grand love poem for you, did she? And you need to do the asking this time, because she took the first step herself.” He opened his mouth to interject, but she cut him off. “Yes, Macintosh, even if she didn’t quite know she was taking that step. I am positive she was very impressed with you.” Rarity glanced over at a large the large dressing mirror that stood to one side of the room. It briefly glowed with a light blue nimbus, then slid so that it faced Big Macintosh. “And with you looking like this, she’ll be even more impressed. She won’t be able to help herself.”

Macintosh checked himself over in the mirror. He had never been in any way a vain pony, or had ever considered himself at all handsome. In point of fact, he would’ve gladly confessed that he had no idea what a mare might find attractive in a stallion, at any rate. The pony that looked back at him from the mirror wasn’t a stranger, as Big Mac had feared he’d be in fancy clothes, but simply a refinement of what he essentially was. The cut of the clothes flattered a physique he’d gained from years of working the fields and orchards, doing what he loved... even the colors, the light brown of the jacket and the rich green of the necktie - they were solid colors of the earth, colors that were somehow him. In a flash of insight, Big Macintosh suddenly understood why Rarity indeed was the very best at what she did, and that her claims that she could make anypony look their very best were totally Celestia’s own truth. It wasn’t just that her designs were fantastic, though they were, even to eyes as unsophisticated as his; Rarity could see what made everypony special, and brought that out for all to see.

“I don’ have the words, Miss Rarity, and I sure wish I did,” he said softly. “‘Thank you’ will have to do until I find ‘em.”

Rarity smiled softly. “That’s more than enough, especially between friends.” Then she giggled rather impishly. “In any case, I do believe you were concerned with having flowery words for Twilight Sparkle? Save them for her, if you find them. In fact, perhaps we can talk about how to phrase your proposal for a second date to her, once I get myself dressed for the Banquet.” She looked over at Rainbow Dash, who had kicked off the intricate golden shoes that were a part of her outfit, and was now dozing in Macintosh’s bed, heedless of her own finery. “And once I get her sorted out again,” she huffed.

*****************

Their preparations did take most of the rest of the morning, but at last everypony was dressed for that afternoon’s affair- Big Macintosh in his suit, Rainbow Dash in her dress, and Rarity in a stunning blue silk gown. Mac had asked if the pair were going to accompany him to the castle’s Banquet Hall, but Rarity had insisted not, despite him still having a touch of nerves. “People would talk if a single stallion arrived at an affair such as this in the company of two mares,” she’s explained. “Tongues would wag and rumors would spread, and I will not have your reputation tarnished, especially since you’re courting one of my best friends,” she’d said with a wink. “Besides, I do prefer to be a trifle late to these sorts of things.”

So it was that Big Macintosh found himself alone as he approached the doors of the great hall, shortly after the 2 o’clock bells had sounded. He approached one of the small cadre of castle servants who stood in front of the doors, liveried in uniforms which identified them as part of Celestia’s personal staff.

“Macintosh Apple, ma’am,” he said to the servant, an orange unicorn mare with a neatly-combed pink mane and a cutie mark that looked to be a sundial. “I’m here fer the banquet,” he said before drawing his invitation from a pocket inside his jacket.

She nodded. “One moment, please.” A brief glow of her magic levitated the paper, opening it so that she could confirm the contents, while she cross-checked the information with a list that another unicorn held for her. Her eyes briefly widened. “Oh, I see. You’re a bit earlier than expected, Mr. Macintosh,” she said with a polite incline of her head.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I thought th’ paper said two hours past noon, but I s’pose I might’ve misread,” he apologised.

The mare smiled. “Oh no, you read it right, sir, it’s just that we’re used to the guests of honor at these sorts of things being what they like to call ‘fashionably late,’” she said with a roll of her eyes.

“I think I’ve heard a friend talk ‘bout somethin’ like that, eeyup,” Big Mac said.

“I think they just get a kick out of throwing all the careful planning and scheduling that goes into these things completely out of order,” she confessed. “Meeting someone who can keep a schedule around this place who isn’t a part of the Royal Guard is just a surprise. Anyhow, my name is Daybreak, and if you’ll follow me, sir, I’ll show you to your table in the hall,” she said. Macintosh fell in behind her as she led him through the huge doorway and into the grand banquet hall beyond.

The room was easily big enough to contain all of Ponyville’s town hall, possibly with some space to spare. A red carpet stretched beneath their hooves, between two rows of tables, each one capable of seating twenty ponies at least. Most of those tables were unoccupied currently, though at least fifty or so well-dressed ponies had arrived early. They circulated around the room, talking in quiet voices while a small cadre of wait-staff scurried about supplying them with drinks. Off to one side of the room, a string quartet led by a storm-cloud gray earth pony mare on cello provided a relaxing soundtrack for the proceedings.

Daybreak continued to lead him up the red carpet, past the rest of the tables up to a raised dais at the far end of the chambers. The table that was set there was just as big as the others, though it only had place-settings on one side, all of which were currently empty. She directed him to a seat near the center of the table, where a card laid with his name written in elegant calligraphy. Macintosh scratched one ear, puzzled. “I’m really s’posed to be sittin’ here?”

“Of course!” The servant replied. “You are one of the guests of honor, so you have the honor of dining at the Royal Table with Princess Celestia herself.”

“That may not do wonders fer m’ appetite,” Big Mac noted nervously.

“No need to worry, the Princess is very informal at these functions,” Daybreak assured him. “Just be sure to rise to your hooves when they announce she’s entering the room, and also when she’s leaving. She’ll introduce you to the assembled guests, say a few nice things about you, and present you with the accorded honors. You’ll get to say a few words after. The only other rule is no food-fights, unless Her Highness starts it.”

“Now yer pullin’ m’ tail,” he accused.

“Well...you might be surprised,” Daybreak said with a slight smile. “Someone should be stopping by with refreshments in a bit, and just let one of us know if you need anything, sir.” She offered him a little bow, before heading back to the chamber door.

Macintosh took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves as he sat alone at the Royal Table. Rarity had told him he’d be expected to say a few words while receiving his recognition from Celestia, and Mac knew that public speaking was hardly his strength. Even in rural Ponyville, the Apple family accent definitely stood out. As a school-foal he’d certainly endured his share of taunting from a few other students, which he’d learned to accept stoically (that teasing had definitely dropped off after a combination of constant hard work and puberty made him three times the size of all the other stallions.) It’s not that Big Mac wasn’t proud of who he was and where he came from, but he simply didn’t like being the center of attention; Applejack handled that much better than he did, which was why she was well-suited to being the public face of the family business. This was the sort of thing she excelled at; she should have been the one accepting this honor, not him.

He tried to stay calm as the great hall gradually filled with ponies, resplendent in rich clothing, all chattering with one another, making enough of a cacophony that he missed the sound of somepony clearing their throat for his attention next to him at first.

“Pardon, sir, might I have a word?”

Big Mac turned to face the speaker, and found an impeccably-dressed white unicorn stallion with a well-groomed blue mane and moustache, and a monocle in one eye. “You would be Macintosh Apple, if I don’t miss my guess?” The unicorn’s posh accent betrayed his Trottingham heritage.

“Eeyup, that’d be me,” Big Macintosh said with a polite nod.

“Splendid,” the unicorn said, taking the seat next to him. “It was most fortunate that the seating arrangements worked out to put us here. But forgive my manners.” He offered one hoof. “Fancy Pants, at your service, sir.”

Macintosh shook the offered hoof. “Macintosh Apple, but y’ seemed to already know that.”

“Indeed, sir. As it happens, I am an acquaintance of Miss Rarity’s, and she’s spoken quite highly of you. She’s told me of your family’s potential business expansion into Canterlot, and suggested I may be able to offer assistance.”

“That’s mighty fine of ya, Mr. err...” Macintosh had no idea what to call the high society stallion... ‘Mr. Pants’ just sounded far too odd.

Mac needn’t have worried. “Please, no need for formality, Mr. Macintosh, not for a friend of Miss Rarity’s,” Fancy Pants said.

“I appreciate that, an’ my friends call me Mac or Big Mac.”

“Mac then,” Fancy Pants said with a smile and a nod at a server who brought them both glasses of dandelion wine. “Very nice,” the society pony noted, “But it can’t compare to your family’s cider.”

Something clicked in Macintosh’s head. “So yer the friend that Rarity and Rainbow Dash are stayin’ with.”

He nodded. “Rarity was kind enough to bring a sample of your cider as a gift... I have to say I’ve never had any other that compares to it.”

“Yer too kind. Perhaps I’m assuming too much, but I was always thinkin’ that such high-class ponies as yerself weren’t into such things.”

“Actually, I acquired a fondness for apple cider when I was living in Dodge Junction for a time. My father gave me a position at a newspaper we own there right after I finished University. My family has long been in the publishing trade, you see. I suspect he was trying to dissuade me from any notion that I would have an easy job at one of our publications here in Canterlot or back in Trottingham, but I actually found rural life quite agreeable. I spend most of my time here in Canterlot now that I’m in charge of all my family’s operations, but I still miss the simpler way of life in the countryside.”

“That’s quite nice a thing for ya t’ say, Fancy Pants. If you ever find yerself in Ponyville, ya’d be quite welcome to visit our farm.”

“A generous offer, Macintosh! I should certainly like to visit to at least purchase some of your cider...” His expression grew speculative. “That reminds me, I may have an offer to make.”

Macintosh sipped his wine with a raised eyebrow.

“My wife has recently been looking into going into business with some of her friends, looking to open a pub in town. Like myself, she was most impressed with your cider. She asked me to inquire on her behalf to see if we could come to an arrangement. She’d make the offer herself, but she saw some ponies she knew and broke off to talk with them. She’ll be along in a bit if you wish to discuss things further.”

“Well, I’d have t’ talk it over with m’ sister Applejack,” Macintosh noted. “But I think there’s potential. Now... we don’ produce a whole lot o’ cider. My family does things old fashioned, an’ I don’ foresee us changin’ that any time soon.”

“Oh but of course,” Fancy Pants agreed. “That’s quite all right; it merely means that your product is... exclusive. Affluent ponies simply adore exclusive. If you picked up a rock off the ground and proclaimed it was a ‘limited edition,’ we’d throw Bits at you until you were buried.” He made a rueful face. “We’re rich, it doesn’t mean we’re smart.”

Macintosh couldn’t help but laugh. He definitely found himself liking this pony. “Like I said, I’ll have t’ run it by AJ, but I’m thinkin’ we might be able t’ do business.”

“Very good! And while we have a moment I’d also like to-” Before he could continue, they were approached by a large white unicorn with a blonde mane, and a compass rose cutie mark.

“There you are, Fancy Pants, I’ve been meaning to talk to you,” the newcomer said. His tone was one of a pony used to having his wishes indulged, and immediately.

Fancy Pants’ cheerful countenance flattened. “Ah, Prince Blueblood,” he said in a rather measured voice. “Might I have the pleasure of introducing Mr. Macintosh Apple, of Ponyville? Your aunt is presenting him with honors today.”

“An honor, Sir,” Mac said with what he hoped was a polite bow.

“Quite, yes,” Blueblood said indifferently, before turning back to Fancy Pants. “I was hoping to talk to you about the photographer for the upcoming interview in Gentlecolt’s Quarterly. I specifically requested Photo Finish for my pictures, and you ignored me.”

“I did not ignore you, Sir,” Fancy Pants replied. “Photo Finish is in Baltimare, at the Seapony Exposition. The Daily is paying her far too much for me to be able to lure her off that assignment, unless you wish to put forth some of your own funds...”

Blueblood sniffed haughtily. “I suppose I shall have to make do, then. Do keep in mind this article is possibly the most important thing your publication has ever carried. Many ponies look to me in these times.”

“I don’t doubt it, Prince Blueblood. Rest assured what we print shall reflect you accurately. And since so many ponies do look up to you, are you still on for the charity game tomorrow?”

“What?” Blueblood scratched his mane. “Oh, I remember , that silly hoofball game of yours. Seems like a waste of time to me.”

“I’d beg to differ,” said a throaty feminine contralto from behind them. Macintosh turned in time to see the approach of a stunningly beautiful unicorn mare. Her coat was white, and her intricately coiffed mane was a very soft pink. Her elegant white dress was cut in such a way as to accentuate her impossibly long legs and sleek body, as well as a cutie mark that resembled three stylized flowers. “Many ponies will gather to see the game, Blueblood, and many of them will be mares. If the potential for donations to my husband’s charity doesn’t influence you, maybe that will.” Her inflection made little effort to conceal her contempt for the Prince. She trotted up and gave Fancy Pants a quick kiss on the cheek. “Hello, darling.”

He smiled at her. “So glad you could join us, love. Macintosh Apple, this is my wife, Fleur.”

Macintosh rose from his seat and bowed to the lovely mare. “I’m greatly honored, ma’am. ”

She smiled, eyes twinkling merrily, and gave him a fond pat on the withers. “Oh, no bowing, please! Any friend of Rarity’s is as good as family to me, so there’s no need for formality. Besides, you’re one of the guests of honor; we should be more deferential to you, really.”

Macintosh flushed a bit at the praise. “Far too kind of ya, really. I’m just a farmer, after all.”

Fleur chuckled a bit. “A farmer who’s apparently going to be supplying apples to Canterlot, from what I hear. Once you’ve seen how this lot eats, you’ll know what kind of task you’ll be facing. Oh, apples, that’s right-” she turned to Fancy Pants. “Darling, did you-”

“I already asked him, love,” the dapper pony replied. “He said we may be able to do business.”

“Smashing! We can get the details ironed out later, and toast it with more cider, even.” She suddenly gave Macintosh a speculative look. “And since we’ve got you in such a generous mood... would you perhaps be interested in being a part of our little game tomorrow?”

“Would this be th’ hoofball game I heard Fancy Pants mention?” Big Mac asked.

“Indeed. My husband and I are involved in some of the local charities, mostly to make sure the underprivileged ponies in the city are properly fed and receive medical care, and the like. Every so often, we stage an informal hoofball game with some of the prominent Canterlot stallions. We sell tickets and put the proceeds towards those causes. It’s quite successful.” She glanced over at Blueblood, who was hovering near with a look of studied disinterest. “Many ponies can’t resist the chance to watch the cream of local stallionhood act like a bunch of foals,” Fleur said sweetly.

Blueblood rolled his eyes. “Ridiculous,” he muttered.

“There’s nothing wrong with being ridiculous once in awhile, it keeps one properly humble,” Fleur scolded, before turning back to Macintosh. “So... is there any chance you might be interested in participating? I do believe my husband’s team still has a few spots open.”

“Quite so,” Fancy Pants said. “And you’d be most welcome, Macintosh.”

Big Mac gave the matter some thought. “I ain’t played hoofball since I was a school-foal, so I can’t be sure if I’ll be any kind of good.”

Fancy Pants shrugged. “That doesn’t really matter, this is all for fun and good causes.”

Mac nodded. “All right then, I’m in. Like ya said, it could be fun.”

Fleur made a delighted little noise and gave Big Macintosh a hug. “Oh, this will be a delight! My husband will go over the details during the banquet, all you’ll have to do is show up and have a good time.”

“I’ll give it my best, Miss Fleur,” he said, a bit surprised at her informal manner.

She back to Blueblood. “And you, Sir? Might we count on you to follow this gentlecolt’s noble example?”

The Prince huffed a bit, but nodded. “I suppose. I don’t have anything important planned for tomorrow at any rate.” He turned to Fancy Pants. “Give the details to my assistant, I’ll have him find you.”

Fancy Pants nodded in return. “I thank you, Prince Blueblood.”

“I suppose it’s the least I can do for an old schoolmate. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have several other ponies I need to speak with.” He gave the couple curt nods and sauntered from the table into the growing crowd.

Fleur made a face one would expect to see on a pony who’d just bitten into a lemon. “Arrogant jackass,” she muttered. “I don’t know how you can stand to even talk to him, dear.”

Fancy Pants shrugged. “He’s far from my favorite pony in Equestria, but he is an old classmate from prep school, so I suppose he’s due some regard. And while unpleasant, he is useful, sometimes.”

“As what, an ipecac?”

“Be nice, love,” the unicorn stallion murmured, though his face betrayed amusement.

“He barely even noticed Mr. Macintosh was here,” Fleur said as she took a seat at their table next to her husband. “Deplorable manners. I apologize for that, Macintosh, you certainly deserve better.”

Big Mac laughed a little. “Shucks, as hard as I’ve been tryin’ not t’ be noticed? I’m not complainin’ at all.”

Fleur beamed at him. “Staying out of the public eye? That’s going to be hard to do in a bit. Princess Celestia is... I make it to be about a half hour late, so we should be getting started with the festivities shortly, if she’s true to form.”

Macintosh sighed, and took another small sip of his wine, “I was afraid that was the case. I think I’m expected t’ say a few words.”

Fleur cocked her head at him curiously.

“I ain’t exactly the speakin’ type, in the first place, and I reckon m’ accent sticks out a bit ‘round here.”

Fleur grinned at him crookedly. “An’ so what if it does?” she asked, all traces of her genteel diction suddenly replaced by a lazy rural drawl. “Hardly yer fault if this crowd don’ know what an honest pony sounds like. Me? Ah’m findin’ it quite refreshin’. It’ll do ‘em all good to know that there’s more t’ Equestria than jus’ Canterlot.”

Macintosh stared at her, gaping in shock.

Fancy Pants laughed warmly. “I didn’t get the chance to mention that I met my wife while I was in Dodge Junction, did I?” He gave Fleur an affectionate pat on the shoulder. “You were the Cherry Blossom Queen in... how many years ago was it?”

“Too many fer me t’ talk about unless they start servin’ something stronger than this,” she said, sipping her wine. “But yep, Ah grew up in Dodge Junction, and that’s where Ah met a certain fancy-talkin’ newspaper pony. He interviewed me at the Cherry Blossom Festival, we got friendly, and the rest as they say is history.”

“Well ain’t that somethin’,” Macintosh said. “But how did ya lose th’ accent?”

“I married Fancy Pants and we moved back to Canterlot once he took over his family’s interests,” Fleur said, her more refined speech returning. “Living here played a part, but I was also studying to become an actress, and I had to eliminate my accent in the course of doing that. But even so, believe me, it definitely wasn’t a matter of be ashamed at my roots, so don’t you be either, Macintosh.”

He nodded, seeing the truth of what she said. “Thank you, Miss Fleur, that does make me feel better.”

“You needn’t worry too much about your speech,” Fancy Pants noted. He nodded to the other end of their table, where several other ponies had taken their seats. “You do know you’re one of three ponies receiving honors today? And one of those ponies is Bulwark, the former Captain of the Guard. If I remember the itinerary correctly, he’s being presented before you, and he is notorious for being rather loquacious. Your brevity will be appreciated, I predict.”

Just then entrance doors to the chamber opened and an officious-looking pony walked in and banged one hoof on the marble floor three times, the loud reports drawing the attention of all. “Honored Guests! Her Highness, Princess Celestia!”

Macintosh rose with every other pony in the room and knelt as the Solar Princess entered the room, looking around at all of them with a radiant smile. “Please rise, My Little Ponies. I thank you all for being here today.” She made her stately way up the carpet between the two rows of tables, trailed by a pair of Royal Guards in golden armor and several other important-looking ponies - including Twilight Sparkle. She was wearing a simple yet elegant magenta dress that Macintosh somehow knew was also the work of their mutual friend. eyes locked with the purple unicorn’s briefly, which earned him a brief shy smile as she trailed her mentor towards them.

Celestia paused when she reached the Royal Table. “Twilight Sparkle, would you be so kind as to join us?”

“Me?” She asked in a small voice. “I figured I’d just sit wherever.”

“I think it’d be nice if Macintosh had a friend beside him today.” Celestia gestured to the place next to him. “And it seems we have an extra place! The staff always makes a place for my sister, even if she rarely attends our little functions,” the Princess explained. “We certainly shouldn’t waste it.”

Twilight shuffled her hooves a bit skittishly, before nodding. “Okay! Thank you, Your Highness!” She took her seat, giving Macintosh a little nudge with her shoulder as she did.

Celestia turned to guests. “Thank you all for being here to celebrate the accomplishments of these outstanding ponies. Bulwark, who for decades was the bedrock upon which my Royal Guard was built.” She gestured to a solid-looking pegasus stallion, with a brown coat and an iron-gray mane. “Also, we shall honor Clockwork, who for many years served as Professor of Engineering at our Royal Academy, and whose work as an inventor has revolutionized a diverse range of industries.” A blue unicorn mare with a mane like a fluffy white cloud grinned and offered a little curtsy. “And last but certainly not least, Macintosh Apple. Mr. Apple and his family have been agricultural pioneers for many years now. Their orchard in Ponyville has become a model for farmers across the realm, and they were recently granted a Royal Warrant to supply the Crown with apples. Macintosh will be accepting his honor on behalf of his family.” Mac nodded to the audience as they politely applauded for the three of them.

Celestia spoke once more, after the applause had died down. “Now, I came through the kitchens on my way here, and now that I’ve seen what’s waiting for us, I propose we get the formalities out of the way so we can all get right to the good part.” That got a few laughs out of the audience as Celestia beckoned the three of them to her side.

The actual ceremony was wonderfully informal - the Princess presented each pony with a medallion, gold on one side and silver on the other, with each side emblazoned with the seal of Celestia and Luna, respectively, as well as a scroll that listed the accomplishments they were being honored for in some detail, which she read to the crowd. At the end of it all they were given the opportunity to speak, and true to form, the former Guard Captain droned on long enough that Macintosh and Clockwork got by with only a few thank-you’s.

After that, to everypony’s delight, the feasting began. Everything was delightful (Big Mac hadn’t realized one could do so many things with carrots) but dessert was a particular treat, being a tart made with apples from Sweet Apple Acres. During the socializing after the meal, this fact earned him many compliments and more than a few business propositions, which he dutifully promised to respond to once he’d discussed them with his sister.

As he drifted around the banquet hall, Macintosh was beginning to feel he was getting the hang of socializing somewhat. That all changed when some of the mares began to notice him. Most were simply curious about his clothing, which was easy enough to deal with by giving a simple referral to Carousel Boutique. A few others, however were a bit more intent on Big Mac himself, and the farm-pony was beginning to run out of ways to dodge personal questions. Fortunately, he was rescued.

“Ah, there you are, Mac,” Twilight said, giving him a quick hug. “I kind of lost you in the crush.”

“Eeyup, there sure are a lot o’ ponies here,” he said. He was about attempt to introduce Twilight to the three mares that had been lavishing attention on him, but they’d seemed to have disappeared into the crowd.

Twilight smirked at him. “You were looking a little harried. You’re not used to Canterlot social-climbers.”

“I haven’t th’ slightest clue what got into ‘em,” he said. “I ain’ good for talkin’ ‘bout much except apples n’ how t' grow ‘em. Hardly what that type o’ mare would want to talk about.”

“Mac, remember, you are rather wealthy now, thanks to that Royal Warrant,” Twilight noted. “Not to mention you apparently have some proximity to the Princess. You’re going to attract attention.”

“I guess so?” Mac replied dubiously. “Still don’ know what that’s got t' do with anything.”

Twilight giggled merrily. “You’re entirely too good for Canterlot, Mac. don’t ever change.”

“Wasn’ plannin’ to,” he said. As they walked the crowd they’d found themselves at the edge of a large open area in the room that several pairs of ponies had decided to make into an impromptu dance-floor, accompanied by the music of the string quartet. Macintosh stood there quietly, watching the dance and occasionally sneaking glances over at his companion. Twilight’s eyes were focused on the dancers, though her expression was quite pensive. Several times she looked as if she were about to say something, but before she could, a blue blur seemed to drop out of the sky overhead.

“Twilight!” Rainbow Dash cried, throwing her forelegs around the unicorn’s neck. “Oh my gosh, I missed you so much!”

“Oh, hi there, Rainbow Dash!” Twilight said, returning the hug. “I didn’t know you were here!”

“Yeah, I came with Rarity to see Mac’s big day,” She turned to him and gave him a punch in the shoulder. “You really knocked ‘em dead up there, big guy,” she said.

“I barely did anything,” He noted.

“Less is more sometimes” Dash said. “Always leave ‘em wanting more. You did great. Oh, by the way, that fancy pony’s looking for you. What’s his name? Got the silly little moustache?”

“Ya mean Fancy Pants?”

“That’s him. Says he’s got stuff to talk about, something about some thing that’s supposed tomorrow.”

Macintosh nodded. “I’d better go find ‘em, but this gives ya a chance to catch up with some o’ yer friends, Twilight. Would ya like me t’ catch up with ya after? Maybe when things die down here I can walk ya back to yer home?”

“I’d like that, definitely.” She said.

“I’ll catch up w’ ya, then. Y'all say hi to Rarity for me,” he said before braving the crowd again in search of Fancy Pants.

*****************

Twilight watched Macintosh walk off for a moment. She had the sense that the stallion had been on the verge of saying something to her before they’d been interrupted. After the previous evening, she’d spent much of the night awake, trying to classify just what was happening between her and Big Mac. Cadance’s view of what had gone on had definitely surprised Twilight, but the more she’d thought about it the more the idea of having a colt-friend appealed to her. She was self-aware enough to know that she was lagging behind other ponies her age when it came to matters romantic... in the past, socializing of any sort had been secondary to her studies. And romance was merely something she read about. But now... was she ready? More importantly, were Mac’s feelings the same? This was not an area she could afford to miscalculate.

But while her efforts at data-collection had been thwarted, she couldn’t truly be mad at Rainbow Dash; she genuinely missed her friends dearly. “How long have you been here, Dash?”

“Just a day,” the pegasus replied. “We’re staying with that Fancy Pants friend of hers. Hey, we should catch up with Rarity!” Twilight found herself grabbed by one hoof and pulled through the crowd at what was quite probably not a safe speed. “She’s mingling around here somewhere.”

Indeed, the fashion designer had found staked a corner of the room out for herself, and was intent in conversation with Princess Celestia and Princess Cadance. When she saw Twilight and Rainbow Dash approach, she jumped up with a pleased little cry and threw her forelegs around Twi’s neck. “Oh darling, look at you! You look wonderful! We’ve all missed you so much!”

“So I gathered from all the hugs I’ve been getting,” Twilight said. “I’m really glad to see you here! Only wish some of the other girls could be here too for Mac’s big day.”

“Indeed,” Rarity agreed. “Sadly, Pinkie Pie is covering for Mr. and Mrs. Cake while they are on vacation, Fluttershy’s rabbits are having babies or some-such, and Applejack had to stay behind to mind Sweet Apple Acres.”

Princess Celestia nodded. “I wish I had been made aware- I would have made personal arrangements to lend help so that they could attend. I’ll try to give more notice of any future gatherings.”

“That’s very generous of you, Princess Celestia,” Rarity noted. “We should have these little gatherings more often, since Twilight Sparkle lives here now. Not to mention this is my first chance to catch up with Princess Cadance since the wedding. You look wonderful, dear.”

“Thank you, Rarity,” the pink alicorn said. “I won’t be staying too long today, I fear. I have an appointment in a bit, but I’m glad I managed to stop by and reconnect. I promise we’ll all be able to talk more tomorrow at Fleur and Fancy Pants' charity event. Will you ladies be attending?”

“Well, I certainly will,” Rarity said.

Rainbow Dash flitted about in the air above them excitedly. “Me too! The Wonderbolts will be there to meet ponies and sign autographs, you know. Wouldn’t miss that for anything!”

Twilight smiled. “Good to see some things are constant in the universe. So what’s this whole thing about, anyway?”

“It’s a charity event that Fancy Pants and his wife are doing. There’s going to be a little party and hoofball game with some of the colts. You should definitely come, Twilight! Shining Armor already let me know he was going to be there in his last letter. ” Twilight’s friend looked at her with suspiciously innocent eyes. “You could certainly ask Macintosh to come along.”

“Actually,” Celestia said, “I spoke to Fleur de Lis just a few minutes ago, and I already know that Macintosh will definitely be there.”

Perhaps that was what Macintosh had been meaning to speak to her about earlier. “Well, that could be nice... I’d be happy to go. I’m not sure if Macintosh is into hoofball, though.”

Celestia smiled. “I’d say that he is, considering that he’s playing in the game. At least, that’s what Fleur said to me.”

The thought of watching Macintosh in an athletic exercise made Twilight feel rather strange. Pleasantly so. “... Is that right?” She could feel herself flushing a bit.

“Well this is simply fantastic!” Rarity said. “I’m a bit surprised, being that Macintosh is so shy.”

“Oh, but he seems like a perfect gentlecolt,” Cadance noted. “At least that was the impression I got when he came to pick up Twilight for dinner the other night.”

Twilight almost squeaked like a field-mouse when four sets of eyes focused on her. “Why... why yes, yes, he’s an upstanding sort of colt, Macintosh is,” she said. “I mean.. this is for charity, right? He’d definitely want to be involved.”

Rarity nodded, “Quite so,” she said, giving Cadance a curious look. “He has a caring streak a mile wide. I for one wouldn't miss this for the world, even if I know little of sports."

Rainbow Dash patted her on the back. "Don't worry, I'll let you know what's going on. I’m gonna be there to root for Mac."

Cadance smiled. “This is shaping up well... It would be wonderful if you could be there as too, Aunt Celestia.”

“Sadly, I am going to be busy with matters of state,” Celestia said with a sigh. “I will be making a donation to the charity, but I won’t be able to attend the game.”

“I didn’t know you liked to watch sports,” Rainbow Dash noted.

Celestia’s grin was wicked. “I don’t watch sports, dear. I do like to watch the stallions, though.”

Twilight felt all the blood rush to her face all at once, while she and the rest of her friends erupted into peals of scandalized laughter. “Princess!” she managed to gasp out, “I can’t believe you!”

“What? What did I say?”

Cadance gave Celestia an affectionate hug. “You’re being bad again, Aunt Celestia, that’s all.”

“Well... I know I’m old, my dears, but I’m not that old.”

“And on that note, I think I should go,” Cadance said. “I have a few things to see to before Shining Armor gets home. I will definitely be looking forward to tomorrow.”

“I’ll see you to the door, Cadance,” Celestia said. “Enjoy the rest of the party, ladies.”

They said their goodbyes to the two Princesses, and Twilight and her two friends settled in to catch up on each others' lives. Twilight again found herself torn between the pride she felt at the important things she was a part of in Canterlot, and the slow, relaxed pleasure of Ponyville life. Fortunately the presence of her two friends kept her thoughts from becoming too morose.

“I will certainly stop by your tower to visit before we leave for Ponyville,” Rarity said as the evening began to wind down. “I couldn’t come to Canterlot without seeing Spikey-Wikey, after all.”

Twilight giggled at her friend’s pet nickname for her dragon companion. “I’m sure he’ll be thrilled. I won’t tell him you’re here, so it can be a surprise.”

A set of heavy hoofsteps approached them. "Miss Twilight? I wanted t' let ya know that I'd be happy t' walk with ya if yer ready t’ go." Big Macintosh said respectfully.

Somehow, she didn't blush as her two friends found excuses to slip away without clearly audible reasons. Well, to be fair, they could have been very clear, but her world had suddenly narrowed to just Macintosh Apple. "I'd like that, thank you" she said warmly as she stepped up besides him. “Shall we?”

*****************

“You have to admit, that went better than you were expecting,” Twilight Sparkle said to him as they walked through the Castle Grounds. The sun was just settling on the western horizon, bathing everything in a rich orange glow.

“Eeyup. I mean, I guess so.” He laughed ruefully. “Maybe it couldn’ have gone any worse than I feared it could. I was barely sleepin’ last night, I was so afraid I’d embarrass the family somehow. I still ain’ too comfortable talking to all these fancy ponies.”

“Me either,” she admitted.

He gave her a curious look.

“What? Just because I grew up here that doesn’t mean I necessarily feel like I belong to the culture, you know. I mean, don’t get me wrong, the ponies here are for the most part good and kind and helpful, as we all should be. But...” Twilight trailed off for a moment and looked up at the sky, thinking. “Spike and I were talking not that long ago, about how much more hectic it is here than in Ponyville. And he’s right, I wish sometimes we could all just take some time to stop and take a breath and kind of... I don’t know, just focus on the little things.”

Twilight seemed particularly thoughtful now, and Macintosh couldn’t resist. “Such as?”

“Such as fun, and family and friends and...” she paused, and gave him a an odd look. “The stuff that’s not about work or school or politics... I mean more personal stuff, stuff that’s close to the heart.” She looked away, and glanced down at her hooves rather nervously. “I-I mean that... well, I do so many important things these days, between the teaching and the research and the studying, that there’s not much time anymore.” She glanced back up at him. “Time for me, I mean. Oh dear, I sound selfish, don’t I?”

“Not in the slightest,” he said gently. “Ya gotta take time f’ yerself once in a while. Hard work’s sure important, I mean, but it’s not everything. Heck, Applejack’s been tryin’ to hammer that into m’ head for ages now,” he admitted ruefully. “Maybe it finally took. And even though I don’ know ya real well, I think but there’s more t’ ya than the studyin’ an’ teachin’.”

The look on Twilight’s face grew impish. “Such as?” she asked, almost parroting his tone of voice as she turned his question back at him.

He flushed a bit. “Well... I mean, I... y’know, I notice stuff. Like... I notice how ya tried to help out around the acres to give AJ a hoof, even when it weren’t exactly the sort of thing you were familiar with. And when ya helped tutor Applebloom in math. I mean, I tried it, an’ I’m pretty fair, with doin’ the finances fer the acres an’ all, but I couldn’ get it t’ stick with her, even though it meant takin’ time out from yer own doings. Ya’ve always been there to help out, an’ not just with the big scary stuff ya took on with th’ rest o' the girls.” He stopped walking a moment, shuffling his hooves nervously. “AJ told me about some of th’ stuff ya had to face, an’ she told me how brave ya were, and how ya always kept everyone safe. I don’ think I ever could thank ya enough fer bringin’ my sister back, every time.”

“Oh, Macintosh,” she said, clearly struck by his words. “I mean... you make me sound like some sort of hero! That’s just... after all, we always tried to look out for each other, It was always all of us,” she said shyly.

He nodded. “Eeyup. But don’ downplay yer own part in it. Yer as fine a pony as I’ve ever known, Twilight Sparkle,” he said, a little breathlessly.

Her eyes darted back and forth from his face to the ground, but she was smiling. “I never realized you noticed so much,” she said quietly.

“It’s an advantage t’ bein’ a quiet pony.”

“And last night I did tell you you should talk more,” she said. “I really like listening to you.”

“I’m really not used t’ talkin’ like I did just now,” he admitted. “But I meant it all.”

Big Macintosh took a moment to look around, having been so intent on his words that he’d lost his bearings. They had paused in a small clearing on the grounds, looking out over the plains below the peak that Canterlot was perched upon. Celestia had almost finished setting her sun, and a few stars had begun to glimmer in the twilight. Rarity had said the time and the place would matter, and that he’d know when he’d found both, and this felt right. “Miss Twilight, I’m.... I was wondering, what we did the other night, I really liked spendin’ that evening with ya. An... I mean, I was hoping that maybe, if ya wanted, that we could see each other again?”

She was quiet for a moment, her eyes quite intent. Then she nodded, smiling happily. “Yes. Yes, I’d like that very much, Macintosh.”

Macintosh let out the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. “Really?”

“Of course, ‘really’!” she chided.

Mac felt like his hooves were about to leave the ground. “That’s... this is... ya’ve made me the happiest stallion alive, Miss Twilight.”

“I told you, just ‘Twilight,’ or ‘Twi,’ or whatever,” she protested with a grin as they started the walk to her tower once again. “No need for formality, especially if we’re going to be dating.” She giggled a little bit. “I have a colt-friend!” she sang to herself, sounding distinctly pleased as she leaned into him and nuzzled his cheek affectionately.

Macintosh blushed deeply, but that seemed perfectly all right in the company of his mare-friend.

To Be Continued...

*****************

Author's Note

Apologies for how long this took! My life's been pretty insane the last few months, and my writing was not up to snuff... I hope this chapter is good enough to in some way make the wait worth it.

Regards,
TheDoktor

Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own any ponies, real or cartoon. Don't sue me, Hasbro, please?

*********

The sun was still a few hours from rising as Macintosh walked slowly through the Royal Gardens, surveying and cataloging the scope of the task that he’d accepted. Macintosh was a farmer, and early rising was second-nature to him, especially when there was work to do. The full moon along with the conveniently placed lanterns near the walking-paths provided enough light for his eyes to discern just how much needed to be done.

Big Mac felt his ears droop. Agreeing to this might have been a bad idea.

The very nature of the gardens would make things difficult - they had been laid out for aesthetic beauty, with very little regard given to the conditions each variety of plant would need to thrive. While his knowledge of plants other than agricultural varieties was limited, Macintosh knew enough to see that many of the choices that had been made were ill-considered. Delicate, sun-loving flowers were situated at the bases of trees with dense, sun-blocking foliage. Succulents from arid climates had been planted in thick, water-retaining soils that would rot their roots if watering was not painstakingly monitored. Fruit trees that needed others of their family to pollinate them stood solitary vigil, without a chance of bearing forth what they had to offer.

Big Macintosh began to fear that in his awe of Princess Celestia, and his eagerness to be helpful, he might have taken on more than he could ever handle. As he trotted on through the paths that wound through the gardens, his worries began to gnaw at him. He should have just politely declined, and returned to Sweet Apple Acres. That was his home.

Big Mac’s pace quickened. The trees and bushes all around him seemed to almost to lean over the path, spindly limbs stretching out for him, to remove this interloper. Mac gritted his teeth, ducked his head, and plunged on. He didn’t care where he was going as his legs churned and his breath whistled through his snout. He just had to get away. He didn’t belong. Not here, in Canterlot. Not here, with Twilight.

The thought brought him to a halt.

He’d come so far. Could he abandon it all now?

Raising his head, He took a deep breath, trying to calm the nervous thing that currently lived where his heart had once sat.

Despite his panicked galloping, it seemed he’d arrived at a familiar part of the garden. Over his head the huge magnolia tree spread it limbs, stately, sheltering. Before him stood the semicircle of old rose bushes, still wild and in need of a good pruning. As Macintosh walked closer, he noted that those sprawling limbs now bore numerous buds, on the verge of blossoming.

Big Macintosh wasn’t the sort of pony who believed in signs and portents; that sort of thing was for foals. Still, the image seemed to calm his panic, for some reason. It was like remembering what hope was. Peace embraced him once again.

Which left him completely unprepared when a commanding voice spoke out behind him.

“Thou possesses a speed that belies such a massive frame, Macintosh Apple.”

Macintosh nearly tripped over his own hooves as he spun around to find himself in the presence of the Princess of the Night, her starry mane blowing in some unfelt breeze as she fixed him with an appraising look. Though not as imposing as her sister, Princess Luna was more than tall enough to look Mac in the eye. Her face didn’t have Celestia’s warm, almost maternal wisdom; instead there was a sense of knowledge gained through trial and sadness, and guarded by implacable will. The eyes that examined him, though not necessarily unkind, were very sharp.

Remembering his manners at the last instant, Macintosh closed his gaping mouth and stumbled into an awkward kneel. “Y-your Highness, I-I’m sorry, I wasn’ expectin’ that I’d happen to meet ya out here,” he stammered. Big Mac had heard all the stories, both the ‘official’ ones and the less embellished version from Applejack, and he knew that Princess Luna was no longer the dreaded entity known as Nightmare Moon. That knowledge didn’t stop his knees from quaking just a bit.

“‘Out here,’” Luna said, a pensive expression on her face. She walked around Macintosh, her eyes taking in their surroundings as she made a slow circuit around him. “I see. And where precisely is ‘here,’ Macintosh Apple?” she asked as she bent her neck to study the budding rosebush.

“My Lady?”

“Where do we find ourselves, at this moment?” she said, seeming a bit impatient. She looked back at him again, and snorted. “Please rise, good pony. Such a posture sustained for a long period will wreck havoc upon thy knees, given thy great size.”

“Thank you, Your Highness,” Macintosh said, trying to enunciate his words properly. It seemed like Princess Luna was the formal type. “And this would be the Royal Gardens, though I have to admit I’m a trifle confused by the question.”

“Are we, though?” she asked. “For in truth, we are not, for thou art still in thy bed, in the arms of sleep.”

It took Big Mac a moment to puzzle out her rather archaic language. “Wait, ya mean I’m dreamin’?”

The Princess nodded. “This place is much on thy mind, and so the dreamscape reflects it.”

“Does that mean yer a dream too?”

“Nay gentle Macintosh, I am quite real.” She moved next to him, gently touching the budding rose-bush with her muzzle. “I am the Princess of the Night, and all things nocturnal fall under my aegis. This includes the dream-time. There was a time long ago when Equestria was a far more dangerous place than it is now, and there were beings that would prey upon ponykind.”

“Like timberwolves?” Macintosh asked.

“Indeed, though there were also other more nefarious entities that would pursue ponies beyond the mundane world, into the dreaming itself. I took upon myself the task of being the guardian of the dreams of all ponies, keeping their sleep safe and their minds un-scarred by torment.” Luna gave him a grave look. “Though such creatures have been long gone from our world, for the most part, I continue my vigil for all ponies, every night. It is a part of who I am.”

Macintosh sat on the ground next to her, staring at her in amazement. “Yer in the dreams of all ponies? At the same time? Scarcely sounds possible.”

Luna’s face showed the ghost of a smile. “Less plausible than the origins of Zap Apples?”

“Point taken. Though I don’ recall seein’ ya in my dreams before, Yer Highness. Yer a little hard to forget, I mean.”

Princess Luna shrugged, taking one last look at the rose-bush before settling down on the ground herself. “I normally endeavor to remain unobtrusive. I would not seek to cause distress, and I am quite aware that there are still some fears about me in the wake of my time as the Nightmare.” Her tone was matter-of-fact, but there was a hint of something in her eye that Big Mac could see - a wound that hadn’t quite healed right. “I have approached thee directly because of thy place in the heart of another; namely my sister’s protege, Twilight Sparkle.”

Macintosh felt a blush starting. “Beggin’ yer pardon, Highness, I didn’ think our.. uh... relationship was exactly common knowledge yet. Not that I mind if she’s told anyone, ‘course.”

“She has not shared, though I believe that simply stems from a lack of opportunity rather than reluctance to speak of it, for she is most pleased with thee, a fact reflected by her own dreaming, and thy place within it.” Luna gave him a rather arch look. “But perhaps it would not be proper for me to speak of the content of her dreaming in greater detail.”

Big Mac was suddenly glad he’d decided to sit down - it made the shocks easier to take. “Ah... eeyup, I think I agree,” he said.

“Yes, well, thou art much on her mind, and that should be remembered.” Luna bowed her head slightly, looking vaguely uncomfortable. “I do not normally directly contact a pony in their dreaming, barring some sort of great threat to their mind. In the past I was much more prone to direct intervention, and it did not end well, least of all for me. But things have changed, and even I have changed. I have made friends, and I count Twilight Sparkle amongst them. Her happiness means much to me, and to my sister as well.”

“I promise I won’ do wrong by Twi, I give ya m’word, Yer Highness,” Big Mac said emphatically.

She smiled gently. “I did not doubt thee, Good Macintosh. Thine caring for her is plain for all with the proper sight to see it. Many of your friends have already seen it, in fact. My concern is thine own happiness, for hers is tied to it as well. Thou dost doubt thine own capabilities regarding the task my sister has set before you... and part of thine heart wished to flee from here, did it not?”

Mac hung his head. “Eeyup, t’ be truthful, I did. I don’ really know what I’m doin’ here. I’m farmer, not a...” Macintosh looked for a word, but it wasn’t there. “I mean, I know nature, how t’ make things grow, but I don’ know anything about makin’ em’ pretty for folk t’ look at. I just got this fear that this is all gonna fail. An’ I don’ want t’ fail the Apple family name.” He paused a moment, knowing something else was within him that he couldn’t hide from the Princess. “ An’ I don’ want t’ fail in front of Twi,” he confessed.

“Dost thou think she’d render a harsh judgment upon thee?”

“No! Not a bit! She’s a kind pony, kind as there ever was, I just don’ want her to be saddled with an embarassin’ bumpkin, on anythin’ like that. She deserves better,” Macintosh said, hanging his head.

“And thou dost not deserve these underestimations of thyself,” Luna retorted, softly touching his face with one outstretched wing. “These endeavours are new to thee, and the unknown is intimidating, this is true. But have faith in thyself, Macintosh. Thou hast achieved so much in thy span of years thus far, as simply being here to trade words with me proves. And there is more yet to achieve if thou canst but find the will to embrace the new, rather than flee from it. It may take time, but that is no great matter. This garden... it is patient. As I and my sister are also patient.” She looked up at the moon, her eyes a mystery. “Changes in life are something we all must face, in our own way. I have faith thou shalt pass this test. Also remember, thou dost not do this alone. I myself struggled with that particular part of the lesson, I do admit.”

He snorted. “Well ya might just find I’m even worse, Yer Highness. We Apples are known for bein’ about half-mule in temperament, at times. That bein’ said, though, ya really have helped me out here, Princess Luna, an’ I promise I’ll do my best t’ be worthy of the help.” He remembered proper manners, and rose to his feet and offered what he hoped was an acceptable bow. “I hope t’ see ya around the gardens sometime, fer sure.”

Luna rose to her hooves, the feathers of her wings whispering as she stretched them out. “Thou art truly kind to offer, but I fear these gardens have little to offer me. I rarely wander the grounds during the daytime, for I unintentionally cause a scene when I do, and the flowers here hide their beauty during the nighttime hours, as is their nature. But I am confident we shall see each other anon, one way or another.”

He nodded. “Eey- that is, I’d like very much yer Highness.”

“Indeed.” Luna looked at him curiously, pursing her lips. “And thou should awaken now, and prepare thyself for the afternoon’s sport.”

“Oh, ya mean th’ hoofball game. Any pointers, M’Lady?”

“Mmm... I suppose the only advice I can offer on that is to keep an eye on the ball? At least, try to keep the one that isn’t on thy lady-love on it,” she said, a ghostly little laugh echoing in the air as Macintosh awoke.

To Be Continued...

Author's Note

Yeah, it's short, I'm sorry about that. An explanation for that can be found on my blog. Things have been a little hard in my corner of the world lately, and I just wanted to put this out there as a "thank you" to everyone being so patient, and also as my way of showing I'm not abandoning this story. Rest assured, I still love this fic, and I'm very grateful to everyone that reads it.

As usual, I'd like to thank Calliope and They-Call-Me-Orange for dispensing support and butt-kicking to me as necessary. Also, I would like to thank the esteemed Martian for helping me with this as well. He's an incredible writer, and if you aren't reading his stuff, you're missing out on some of the best writing on this site, IMHO.

Oh, and apologies for any awkward stuff in Luna's dialog... us southern boys ain't so skilled with the pretty words, but I did my best.