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                        And She Was                        
                  -by Closer-To-The-Sun-                   
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                     Ch. 1 In My Place                     
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Ch. 1 In My Place
Chapter 1: In My Place
Applejack was trotting across her family's farm. The late afternoon sun was still beaming down warmth across Equestria and Ponyville was no exception. The orange mare trotted in the heat to the farthest reaches of the groves to find a familiar red stallion, her brother.
"Big Mac! Where in Celestia's name are ya?" Applejack shouted into the grove of trees.
Before Big Macintosh could reply, Applejack found him with the wagon attached and hurried up to him. The stallion's body looked tired despite it not reflecting on his face.
"Have ya been out here in all this heat, Big Mac?" Applejack asked, looking at his sweaty red coat.
"Eeyup," the stallion spoke his usual phrase.
His sister gave an displeased expression, "And what have ya been doin'? It's not even applebuckin' season fer 'nother two months."
"Well, Ah've been clearin' out the out the debris underneath the orchards in prep fer the upcomin' season," Big Mac explained.
"But ya don't have ta, Big Mac. We're in the down season right now."
"But-"
"But nothin'!" Applejack interrupted her brother, "Look, yer really workin' hard, and all of us appreciate it and all, but all of us think yer workin' too hard."
Big Mac raised an eyebrow, "Us?"
His sister answered, "Granny Smith, Applebloom, and mahself."
"Oh."
"So, that's why ah got somepony to help ya take a few days off," Applejack stated proudly.
"Got somepony?" Big Mac echoed, pondering what his sibling meant.
As if on cue, a pink earth pony appeared out of nowhere to near the Apple siblings, "Hiya~!" she spoke energetically.
Not phased by Pinkie Pie's sudden arrival, Applejack raised a hoof and pointed to the frizzled-mane mare, "Her."
Big Mac was still startled from the unbelievable and random appearance, "Oh, um, howdy Miss Pie…."
Pinkie Pie giggled and snorted, "Oh please, Miss Pie was my mommy! And my nana! I'm Miss Pinkamina Diana Pie, or just Pinkie Pie! And Applejack told me that I need to help you relax and not work so hard all the time!"
The stallion was still hesitant about the whole idea, "Ah'm really flattered that ya would be willing ta do such, but ya really don't have t-"
"Ah, hush up, Big Mac!" Applejack interrupted her brother again before turning her attention back to Pinkie, "You can continue, Pinkie Pie."
"Thanks! Now, I got so many super-duper plans for us to do that will help you unwind and have some fun!"
Applejack chimed in, "Ya do need to take some time off, Big Mac. You've been workin' harder than worker bee in a busy hive. So, Pinkie here is goin' to help, got it?"
"E-Eeyup…." The stallion finally agreed.
"Yay~! We'll start tomorrow, Big Mac! I'll see you bright and early!" Pinkie exclaimed happily before bouncing off back to Ponyville.
While the Apple siblings watched, Big Mac quietly asked himself a question aloud, "What did ah jus' agree ta?"
"Oh, hush, ya'll like it," Applejack jeered with a sly smirk.

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                      Ch. 2 My Friend                      
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Ch. 2 My Friend
Chapter 2: My Friend
Early the next morning, before the Celestia's sun began to peek over the mountains and light up Ponyville, a pink pony was bouncing her way in the moonlight to Sweet Apple Acres. With a smile on her face and who knows what crazy ideas in her head, she hopped up to the porch of the Apple family's house. She knocked a few times, but no answer. The mare decided to go in via a window.
The pink pony got up onto the awning of the house and looked through one of the windows. She came to the conclusion that it was the correct room. Opening the window, she climbed through and trotted over to the bed where a red stallion was sleeping.
She carefully leaned in to look at the pony before she abruptly and suddenly spoke at a loud volume, "Hiya~, Big Mac! Are you ready for your super-duper fun day?!"
Startled awake, Big Mac jolted back in his bed and eventually fell off the bed and landed on the wooden floor. Finally making sense of what just happened, the stallion looked at the figure in his room, "Uh….Miss Pinkie Pie?"
"Howdy!" she said with a giggle.
"How did ya get in mah room?" he asked, puzzled.
"Through the window, silly! But enough about those little details, are you ready for your super-duper fun day?!" Pinkie repeated her original question.
Big Mac had to process the question before coming up with an answer, "Ah guess so, since ah'm already up an' all."
Clapping her hooves together, Pinkie was excited, "Yay~!"
Leading the pink mare downstairs, Big Mac stopped in the kitchen to get something for breakfast for the two of them.
"Are you excited for today? 'Cause I was excited, and I'm still excited! In fact, I'm getting more excited by the second! Like this second here, I've never been more excited then this second! No, this second! This second isn't as exciting as the last. Oh, so far so good on this second! Yay!" Pinkie Pie's energy seemed to be at its peak already so early in the morning.
This led to Big Mac tossing her an apple, so she could eat something, but to also get her to calm down slightly. It didn't help. "Ooo! An apple! Thank you, Big Mac!" Taking a bite of the fruit, she continued talking while chewing, "What's your favorite type of apple? Mine is red delicious! Ooo, but I also like granny smith apples too with their sourness-ness! But I also like gala apples! Surprisingly, there weren't any gala apples at the Grand Galloping Gala. You would think they would, right?"
As soon as the mare finished speaking, Big Mac finally was able to reply, "Eeyup."
"That's why I like you, Big Mac! You always know what to say!" Pinkie said, chewing the last part of her apple and swallowing it, "Now, are you ready for our super-ee-duper-ee exciting day?"
"Eeyup," the staillion replied, "What exactly do ya have planned fer us?"
A sly smile appeared on Pinkie's face, "That's for me to know and you to find out!"
Big Mac raised an eyebrow at Pinkie's cryptic answer, "Alright then, lead the way then, Miss Pinkie Pie."
With a spring in her step, Pinkie did just that. The two ponies exited the Apple family's home. The beams of light from Celestia's sun began to shine over the mountains in the distance, lighting up the landscape more and more with each passing moment. Pinkie led the way for Big Mac to follow by bouncing.
After an hour of following Pinkie's hopping, he gave up trying to figure out what they were going to do. Finally, Pinkie Pie stopped and exclaimed, "We're here!"
"An' where is here?" Big Mac asked, looking at the unfamiliar surroundings around him. It was a meadow that seemed to be very far away from any civilization.
Pinkie Pie didn't answer. Instead, she began to roll randomly on the grass. After giggling and snorting multiple times, she urged Big Mac to join in, "Come on, Big Mac! It's fun!"
"Ah'm quite fine, thank you," the red pony insisted.
"Fine, if you are going to be like that…." Pinkie got to her hooves and then ran at Big Mac and pouncing on him, tackling him to the ground. The two rolled for a bit until they came to a stop, both of them lying their backs among the grass.
While Big Mac was astonished that he was just attacked, Pinkie playfully giggled at what just happened, "See, isn't that much better?"
While he was just about to object, the stallion had to admit that Pinkie's impulsiveness did give him a pleasant adrenaline rush and the grass tickled his back. "Eeyup" he answered.
"Eeyup," Pinkie mimicked Big Mac's voice before giggling and snorting, "I really like how you say that! And it's so fun to say!" The pink mare then began to roll down the slight slope. Puzzling the red stallion, Pinkie shouted, "Yay! Grass!"
With a sigh, Big Mac followed suit and rolled down the slope as well. What surprised him was not how much the grass tickled him as he rolled down, or how Pinkie Pie was completely fine when he accidently rolled into her, but how good it felt to just relax.
"Having fun?" Pinkie Pie asked, looking down at the red stallion who was still lying on the grass.
"Eeyup," Big Mac truthfully stated with a smile.
The mare happily clapped her hooves together, "Yay! Mission completed!"
For the rest of the day, the two ponies continued playing in the meadow like a couple of schoolponies at recess.

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                     Ch. 3 Little Bit                      
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Ch. 3 Little Bit
Chapter 3: Little Bit
A week past since Pinkie Pie had began taking Big Mac away from his normal duties around the farm to have the red stallion relax and unwind. To Big Mac's surprise, each day he was looking forward to seeing the pink party pony more and more. There was something about the mare that aided in having fun in the activities they would do with each other. Whether the two ponies were doing simple activities like baking cupcakes and watching over the Cake twins or ziplining through the Everfree Forest (something that scared Big Mac on his first attempt), Big Mac always would enjoy spending time with the hyperactive Pinkie Pie. Even if he could only get a few words in at a time.
Trotting back to the farm, Big Mac was accompanied by the bouncy Pinkie Pie after their recent activity of painting.
"….and that's why I painted balloons instead of the fruit bowl that was in the middle of the room! That pear looked sad next to that orange. And don't get me started on that guava!" Pinkie was running her motormouth again as they made there way down the path to Sweet Apple Acres.
"Miss Pinkie Pie? Can I ask ya somethin'?" Big Mac was careful with interjecting his question in the middle of Pinkie's monologue.
"But you already are!" the mare giggled, "What is it?"
Taking a calming breath as he stopped his trotting, the stallion began, "Ya think that tomorra, ah could decide on what we do? Ah really appreciate what ya've done fer me dis past week, an' ah'd like ta do somethin' nice fer ya."
Pinkie Pie's face lit up at the offer, "Oh my Celestia, yes! I would love to see what super fun thing you have us to do! Does it involve candy? Or maybe cupcakes? What about candy AND cupcakes? Huh? HUH?"" The mare looked at Big Mac, inching her face to his closer with each question.
"Uh….eenope, not those things, but still something I hope ya'll like it," Big Mac's face gained a slight pink tint as Pinkie moved closer to him.
"Okey dokey, then!" Pinkie Pie chimed happily "I'm most certain that I will, I have fun everywhere! I'll see you tomorrow then, Big Mac! Buh-bye!"
Pinkie Pie turned around to hop back to Ponyville before Big Mac managed to call out to her, "Miss Pinkie Pie?"
"Hm?" the party pony turned her head back to see the red stallion.
"Golden delicious."
Pinkie tilted her head in confusion, "Huh?"
"That's mah favorite apple. Ah recale ya asked a while back about what mah favorite was. Well, it's that," the stallion explained, looking slightly away from Pinkie Pie due to be a little embarrassed.
With a big gasp, Pinkie replied with astonish and with volume, "I LOVE THOSE TOO!"
Smiling, Big Mac nodded, "Ah'll be sure to remember that. Ah'll see ya tomorrow then."
Waving frantically, Pinkie Pie said goodbye to Big Mac yet again as the stallion slowly trotted up to his home. On the porch was a familiar orange mare with her brown hat.
"Howdy, Big Mac. How was yer day with, Pinkie?" she asked.
"Howdy ta ya too, Applejack," Big Mac replied to his sister, "It was quite enjoy, ah must say."
A smile appeared on Applejack's face, "Ah told ya that ya would have a fun time with Pinkie. She can make even da most grumpy and stuck-up ponies to unwind and loosen up."
"Are ya implyin' that ah'm grumpy?" the stallion raised an eyebrow at his sibling's comment.
Laughing, Applejack replied, "Now ah never said that. But ah did hear ya askin' Pinkie if ya could decide what ya do tomorra."
Big Mac's face grew pink again, "S-So? What's wrong with that?"
Applejack seemed puzzled, "Ah never said it was a problem or nothin'."
"O-Oh…." Big Mac trailed off.
After a bit of silence, Applejack spoke again, "Are ya keen on Pinkie Pie, Big Mac?"
Silence.
"Big Mac?"
"A little bit…." he finally spoke, his cheeks burning pink.
Smirking, his sister retorted, "Yer face is sayin' it's more than just a bit."
"Sh-Shush up," Big Mac tried to say without blushing more, but to no avail.
With a chuckle, Applejack placed a comforting hoof on her brother's back, "An' here ah thought that ah'd never see may big brother be bashful over a mare."

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                        Ch. 4 Maps                         
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Ch. 4 Maps
Chapter 4: Maps
The next morning, Big Macintosh woke up a bit earlier than he had originally planned. Taking great care into packing his saddlebag in the kitchen, he wanted the day to go off without a problem. He placed some apple turnovers in his bag as well as a few golden delicious apples before closing it up. Just as he was about to trot out the front door, he paused and turned around, trotting back up to his room. On his dresser was a piece of paper. Scribbled onto the paper was a map that the stallion drew up from memory the night before. He quick placed in his bag securely before going back downstairs to exit the house out into the cloudy and windy morning.
Trotting to Sugarcube Corner, where Pinkie Pie was living with the Cakes, the red stallion began to grow nervous. He couldn't exactly place the reason why he was feeling such, but the thought of being with Pinkie on this day was enough to have butterflies. Taking calming, deep breaths, Big Mac continued his movement to the bakery. As soon as he trotted up to the door, he knocked and waited for a reply.
Unbeknownst to the stallion, a pink pony appeared out of nowhere behind him and spooked him, "Hiya, Big Mac~! Are you here for our fun day?!"
Jolting upward a bit, Big Mac turned to see the pink, party pony, "Oh, heh, howdy, Miss Pinkie Pie. Ya know….no matter how many times ya do that, ah can never get used ta it."
Pinkie giggled at the comment, "But if I don't startle you like that, I lose the element of surprise! Even though I'm the Element of Laughter doesn't mean I can't be another element! So, what are we doing Big Mac-Mac?"
Slightly chuckling at the mare's play on his own name, Big Mac replied as he began to trot, "Ah know it's not much, but ah was thinkin' we'd go on a hike."
"I love hikes! Then again, I love a lot of things, like my pet alligator!" the mare excitedly spoke.
"Al-Alligator?" Big Mac was both interested and worried if Pinkie actually was telling the truth.
Bouncing happily, Pinkie nodded, "Yup yup! His name is Gummy and he is the cutest little pet reptile in all of Ponyville! He's the only pet reptile in Ponyville, but still, I had to hold an annual contest to prove that! He's been winning the title for five years in a row!"
Big Mac couldn't help but smile at her energy and her words, "But doesn't Spike count in this contest of yers?"
Pinkie went deep into thought, "You know, I don't think Spike has entered! He must enter in this upcoming reptile contest," taking a pause to take a huge gasp, the mare continued, "That means Tank needs to enter, too! It looks like Gummy has got some competition this year!"
"Eeyup, seems like he does," the red pony commented, thinking it kind of fun that Pinkie might actually hold the contest.
"I know he will do great at the 'balloon nomming' event! And I'm sure he will do well in the 'alligator in the tub' swimming event! He's a natural champ!" Pinkie spoke as fast as her mouth would let her.
As they trotted north, the two continued to talk amongst themselves. However, this talking mostly consisted of Pinkie Pie speaking as fast as she could with Big Mac listening carefully and making a few comments when the pink pony has to breath in air so she would not pass out.
About an hour, Pinkie realized she had no idea where she was going, "Hey, where are we going anyway?"
Big Mac stopped and looked at the surroundings around them, "If ah'm correct, we're not too far from were we need ya go. Though, must say it's windier than ah've ever seen it been."
Bouncing in a circle around Big Mac, Pinkie asked, "You know this place?"
Big Mac nodded, "Eeyup, just need ta get out mah map from mah bag."
"I'll get it!" Pinkie Pie offered with a cheerful tone. Before Big Mac could object, Pinkie felt around in his saddlebag and pulled out the piece of parchment. As soon as she opened the folded paper, the breeze picked up and fiercely blew. Trying to hold on to the map, Pinkie Pie let go of the paper and it flew off with the wind. "Oops…." was all she said.
The stallion noticed that the wind had carried the paper away. He turned to see Pinkie looking at the map flying away from them. He noticed her happy-go-lucky attitude was gone and all that remained was a wide-eyed filly with her ears flat against her head, looking as if she could burst into tears at any moment. The pony turned her puppy-dog eyes to Big Mac. With a warm smile, he comforted her, "It's okay, Miss Pinkie Pie."
"But….the map…." in a grief-stricken tone, she pointed in the general direction the paper flew.
"It's fine, ah still know this area. An' ah think ah know which way we need ta be goin'," the stallion spoke with confidence. The attitude rubbed off onto Pinkie who gave a small smile.
Wandering around for a few minutes, Big Mac led the way. Moving through the brush, the red stallion stopped to assess the area. Pinkie, who was uncharacteristically silent as she followed Big Mac, stared at the stallion as he was looking around.
A few moments later, Big Mac spoke, "Eeyup." With just that, he walked through a very talk bush and disappeared to the other side.
"Hey, wait up!" Pinkie called out as she tried to push herself through the same bush. Upon arriving on the other side, the pink mare was astonished with what she saw. Big Mac had let them up to the top of a ridge that looked down onto Ponyville. It then dawned onto the mare that Big Mac had taken them to the southern foothills of the Unicorn Mountain Range. The breath taking view mesmerized the mare into a trace until the stallion spoke.
"Miss Pinkie Pie? Would ya like an apple?"
Snapped back into reality, Pinkie noticed a hoof holding up a yellow apple for her. With a gasp, she replied, "A gold delicious apple?! YAY!" She quickly took it from Big Mac and started gnawing the fruit.
Big Mac smiled as he pulled out a turnover to eat.
About ten minutes past before either of them spoke.
"I'm sorry, Big Mac," Pinkie was the first to speak.
"Pardon?" his ears perked up.
"I'm sorry I lost the map."
"It's quite alright, Miss Pinkie Pie. It was just one I drew up last night."
"But that makes that one super-duper more special!" Pinkie turned to the other pony, empathizing her word 'super-duper' by flailing her limbs.
"But we still got here, an' that's what ah had planned fer us. So, it's all okay in the end," Big Mac gave another comforting smile, which caused Pinkie to smile back.
The smile returned to Pinkie's face as she turned back to looking over the ledge and the scenery.
Then, it was Big Mac's turn to break the silence, "Miss Pinkie Pie?"
"Yeah-huh?" Pinkie turned to look at the red pony.
Looking out over the ridge and the town below, Big Mac spoke, "Ah know this sounds really odd and quite silly, but ah like ya…."
The mare noticed a slight change in color to Big Mac's face, "Aww, I like you too, Big Mac!"
"No, Miss Pinkie Pie. Ah mean, ah really like ya….a lot…." he tried to restate what he wanted to say as his face grew a deeper pink to it.
"And I like you a lot, too!" Pinkie echoed.
Big Mac felt his message wasn't getting across, so he tried one more time. And this time, his face was burning, "Miss Pinkie Pie, what ah'm tryin' to say is that ah love ya…."
"And I love you, too! What part of that aren't you getting?" Pinkie Pie appeared next to him and knocked one of her hooves against his head, "Hello? Are you working in there, Big Mac's brain?"
"Huh?" the mare's words finally reached Big Mac, "Wait, ya really mean that?"
"Of course!" Pinkie's voice was more chipper than normal. With a loving hug to the stallion, she continued, "I've really liked you since, like, ever! And when Applejack asked if I could help you, I bounced at the opportunity! Then again, I bounce at lot, but that's not the same as this!"
"Ah never knew ya felt that way 'bout me, Miss Pinkie Pie."
Stopping her hug on Big Mac, Pinkie started hopping around Big Mac, "How can I not?! You're, like, the nicest stallion ever! You are super strong, but you are also so gentle and kind! And you are super fun to talk to!"
Big Mac couldn't help but laugh at the last comment, "Ah'm not sure 'bout that last item."
"But it's true! Most ponies just ignore me and then don't reply, but you do!" Pinkie stopped her bouncing and placed her front hooves on Big Mac, shaking him as she spoke, "And if you don't believe that, then I'll just have to tell you the millions and billions of other reasons why I love you!"
"Alright, Miss Pinkie Pie, ah get it," Big Mac still had a smile on his face.
"Good! Now you just need to get that you don't have to call me Miss Pinkie Pie! You can call me just Pinkie! Or some sort of pet name! I like pet names!" Pinkie exclaimed.
"A pet name?"
"Yeah! Like between lovers and stuffs!"
Big Mac paused for a moment and the smiled, "Alright, I understand then….Sweetie Pie."
Pinkie Pie's face lit up at the stallion's new nickname for her. She then proceeded to tackle him to the ground with a hug.
END