The warm summer sun had begun its decent over the horizon as Big Macintosh finished loading the last cart of apples. Wiping away the sweat that had collected on his brow, Mac began his daily ritual of climbing the tall hill that overlooked the entire orchard. It was never an easy feat, but every day he did it to remind him of the value of hard work and gratitude it gives a pony.
The sun's vibrant evening rays cascaded over the apple orchard beneath him, the warm light shining through every leaf and branch, casting a troupe of dancing shadows on the ground as the angle of light constantly changed. If he had a way with words, he would write a song or a poem about the beauty before him, but he was never the one to waste such time trying to capture something so pure and untamed. Instead, he settled with just one word as he gazed upon the natural beauty of his world, "Eeyup."
Mac continued to stand atop the hill as the sun finished setting, basking in the cool breeze that followed as the moon took to the sky. Taking a deep breath, the tired earth pony closed his eyes and smiled as his body was gently caressed by the evening wind which carried the scent of the farm with it. Opening his eyes, the red stallion took one final look over the farm before the final rays of sunlight gave way to the night; the sheep were all corralled into their pen, the cows were resting in the barn, the harvest of apples from the day had all been barreled and accounted for, and his sisters were galloping back to the house in anticipation for the dinner Granny Smith had cooked up for them.
Everything was as it should be. Some would even go as far to say it was "perfect," but for Mac, there was still something missing. Pushing the thought aside, he began walking down the hill towards the house and as he got closer he could hear the clatter of fine china being placed on the old oak supper table.
This caused him to subconsciously lick is chops, Mus' be somethin' special cooked up 'n there. Can' wait to see what it is.
Pushing the front door open with a tired hoof, Mac was greeted by a menagerie of warm smells. His family all stood around the table as they waited for the stallion of the house to join them before being seated, save for Granny who could not stand for too long without her hip causing her pain. Once he reached the table, both of his younger sisters took their seats as he walked over to them. The elder sister, Applejack, was big enough to pull herself up to the table but little Apple Bloom's hooves were too far above the ground, and try as she might she could not move her chair any closer. Big Macintosh reached a hoof over and gently pushed her into place, causing the young filly to let out a whine of disappointment.
"Ah can do it mahself, brother!" she declared, her cheeks growing red as the bow atop her head. "After all, Ah am eleven now."
"Not fer another hour ya ain't," Applejack smirked as she lightly tousled the birthday filly's mane.
This only made Apple Bloom become even more flustered as she fended off the assault. "Quit it!"
"Pipe down ya hooligans!" Granny Smith leered, almost instantly silencing their little fight. "I already told y'all that there ain' no fightin' at the supper table, but perhaps y'all need a lil' reminder..."
AJ and Apple Bloom shared a glance filled with remorse, and fear of what they know the old mare was still capable of doing to them if they didn't stop. Both shared shiver-inducing flashbacks of the old wooden paddle Granny would bust out whenever they were caught fighting. Just thinking about it caused the sisters to subconsciously move a hoof to cover their flanks. "Sorry Granny."
Satisfied with that response, Granny Smith took her own seat at the table with a satisfied grin. Mac moved over to push in Granny Smith's chair as he made his way over to the kitchen, eager to bring the mouth-watering food to the table. As soon as he walked through the threshold, Mac saw perhaps the most beautiful sight his eyes had ever experienced.
There, on the counter, was perhaps the most beloved memory of his childhood and staple of Granny Smith's cooking repertoire; apple oat salad for starters. Followed by steamed daisy and apple crisp medley with maple cinnamon applesauce and grits for the main course. Finally topped off by the Apple Family dish revered for its legendary taste and elusiveness, five Zap Apple Cake made from his mother's lost recipe.
Wars have been waged over lesser treasures, Mac thought as he fought the urge to fall to his knees in awe and thankful prayer for being blessed with such a magnificent gift. He didn't know how this miracle happened, but he was sure to share it with the ones he cherished the most in this world.
"Mac!" Applejack hollered. "What's takin' ya so long?"
After taking a moment to wipe away the errant stream of drool running down his chin, the large red stallion deftly loaded the trays of delectable food onto his back with a practiced balance he had learned over the years. Satisfied, Mac pushed the kitchen doors open and ambled over the slightly elevated threshold, taking great care not to be tripped up.
As soon as he entered the dining room, he noticed Applejack's ears perk up as the scent of the meal reached her muzzle. Mac could swear that he saw her pupils dilate as soon as her eyes landed on the desert tray, followed by other symptoms that he had experience not just moments ago.
"I-Is… Is that…?"
"Eeyup."
"B-But how?"
Granny Smith let out a raspy laugh.
"When lil' Applebloom and I were cleanin' the barn early this mornin', we found yer ma's ol' cookbook," she said before gesturing to Applejack whose mouth threatened to overflow with saliva. "We also found yer pa's secret stash of cider. Run on down to the cellar an' grab it, would ya?"
Before Granny had even finished her sentence, AJ bolted out the door with a speed that rivaled that of her friend Rainbow Dash, her wake pulling the door shut behind her.
"Why is she so excited, Granny?" Applebloom asked. "Is just cider."
Big Mac could swear he could see the old mare's eye twitch a few times. "Youngin', don' let yer sister hear ya sayin' stuff like that. She might jus' wash yer mouth out."
Still, his little sister was right. Normally AJ didn't get so worked up over such things, but this wasn't any ordinary food or cider. Their mom was renown for her sweets, having worked with their cousins at a bakery in Manehatten before settling down here in Ponyville with their pa. Even the Cakes wanted the recipe to her Zap Apple Squares despite already having so many wonderful apple-based dishes.
As for their pa's cider? Well, there was nothing that could knock a full grown stallion on their flanks faster. It reminded Mac of the time he had snuck out to the barn late one night to watch his pa and the other workers playing poker. The crops weren't great that year, so instead of betting with bits, they wagered their livers in a truly awe-inspiring display of intestinal fortitude and manly toughness. Even though it was so late, the barn sounded more like a bar and smelled of cinnamon, apples, and enough liquor to take down a city district. He had watched them play their game for hours and saw each and every one of them get so drunk they started sliding down their chairs and under the table. Every one of them except for his pa who sat there, head held high and chest puffed out even though he had lost more hands than any two of them combined. It was quite the sight to see.
The large stallion was pulled from his reminiscing by a twinge in his chest. It had been years since he last saw their faces, heard them singing, felt their loving touch. Granny had told him that eventually it wouldn't hurt as bad and she was partly right, but it was moments like these that made Mac long for them to...
A loud bang shook the house as the front door flew wide open, threatening to jump off the hinges. In the door frame stood a mass of cider pitchers that all but eclipsed the young mare holding them up.
Mac didn't even wait for his clearly encumbered sister to ask for help before he made his way to her, swooping up the mass of beverages in one foreleg. He had no idea how she managed to get all of them from the cellar to the house without falling or dropping them, but just chalked it up to her overwhelming enthusiasm.
"Ah... Ah can' wait ta have a drink," she said through ragged breaths. It's funny, whenever she got really excited, her accent got thicker than Granny's at times, which was saying a lot. Mac was almost unable to stifle a chuckle as she continued to ramble on, her words slowly slipping into in-coherency.
"Now calm down," Granny Smith warned. "Ain' nopony can understand ya when yer this worked up."
Applejack nodded and took a few deep breaths before she planted down on her flanks with the most sobered expression she could muster, "Ah'm calm."
The old mare just rolled her eyes before turning to Applebloom, who was wearing a rather sour expression.
"Don' ya worry, youngin'," she said with a warm smile. "There's a bottle a normal cider here jus' for ya."
Applebloom perked up a bit, thankful that she would not be entirely left out of all the festivities.
o.0.o
