The Many Dreams of Princess Macintosh

Chapters

Chapter one: I'm a what!?
Chapter two: Princess Macintosh's Makeover
Chapter Four: Cinderella Mac
Chapter Five: The Adventures of Moon Knight
Chapter Six: Flim and Flam's mech Attack!
Chapter Seven: The True Colors of the Mayor
Chapter Eight: Pinkie Pie Breaks the Dream
Chapter Nine: Was it all a Dream?
Chapter Three: Princess Macintosh vs Jack O Lantern

Chapter one: I'm a what!?

Big Mac slowly woke up one morning with the sun streaming through his window. The stallion woke up later than usual, but it was primarily due to the strange dream he had the other night. He then slowly clambered out of bed, stretching his forelegs into the air as he did so. It would be another typical day as he would go buck apples all day. But as the red-coated stallion got out of bed, he felt something was off as he got up from bed. He had two giant feathery appendages spread themselves over his body. Big Mac blinked as he realized that these enormous red fluffy appendages were attached to his back. The stallion cried in horror as he flew up from the bed in surprise. Without realizing it, it stayed in the air for a few moments, squeaking as he landed on the floor with a loud thump! Onto the ground below, which was when a beam of green energy shot from his horn and through the wall across from him. Big Mac completely shook at what was happening and then slowly raised a hoof towards his head only to feel a bone-like protrusion coming from his forehead. That was when it all dawned on him….horn...wings!? He had that strange dream the other night about turning into an alicorn!?

The stallion's cheeks flushed red, moving his legs apart and seeing that he at least still had his stallionhood. So he wasn't a female…or at least not yet!? Whatever was going on, he needed help getting these horns and wings removed to return to being a simple farm pony. The stallion got up and went to his window, thinking of flying out, seeing he didn't want his family to see. Celestia knows Applejack would freak out while Apple Bloom would be adoring him. She probably wanted to show him off to her classmates. Big Mac paused as now that he thought about it, that wouldn't be so bad…also he could probably help Twilight and her friends save Equestria now with his newfound body. This was all starting to sound better and better! In fact, as he looked down and realized he had no idea how to fly, it was probably better just to go downstairs…hopefully, Applejack and Granny Smith won't freak out too much.

"Big Mac, what the buck happened to you!?" Both Granny Smith and Applejack cried out loud.

The stallion in question just sat at the foot of the stairs as his family was gawking at him. It was rather amusing seeing them looking so surprised and shrugging, "I have no idea I just woke up like this."

"Seriously, Big Mac, you look so cool!" Apple Bloom squealed! The little filly started hopping up and down in excitement, unable to control herself. You're a full-blown princess alicorn with wings and everything!"

"Um…well…from the looks of things, he ain't a princess," Applejack snickered, looking over her brother, who rolled his eyes at his sister's comment. The farm mare then stepped back and asked, "But at the same time, I just have to say that this is crazy!? What in the hay did ya do yesterday?"

"Nothing, I just went and did my chores, cleaned the pigs, bucked some apples, had a salad for lunch, and a pint of cider and some tofu before bed."

"So, ya didn't go out into the everfree forest or anything?" Granny asked, eying him. "Ya didn't drink any weird potions!?"

The red-coated stallion shook his head and simply said, "Ey'nope."

Applejack tapped her hoof to her chin, "well, I might just be pulling at straws here, but it could have something to do with the tantabus thingamajig we dealt with last night."

"The tantawhat?" Big Mac asked, somewhat confused about what Applejack was referring to. It sounded familiar, but it seemed to escape his mind as soon as he thought about it.

"Come on, before we do anything, we're going to Twilight's; if anypony knows how to fix magical, crazy shit, it's her!" Applejack shouted.

Big Mac considered following his sister's advice. Still, he saw Apple Bloom bouncing around him as she was over-excited about her brother's new appearance. It was settled despite wanting to go back to normal. He couldn't pass up the chance to finally have Apple Bloom's attention and admiration. So the stallion shook his head and simply said, "Ey'nope." then trotted off alongside Apple Bloom towards the schoolhouse.

Big Mac now found himself in his sister's schoolhouse and was looking around the quaint classroom with its desks lined up neatly and filled with students (who were all gawking at him). The stallion was surprised as if they were transported into the school, not remembering if they were walking into the building.

Cheerilee looked over and was somewhat startled upon seeing him and asked, "Apple Bloom is this really your brother?"

"Yes, he is!" The little filly cheered as she hopped over and hugged the rather muscular red-coated alicorn and exclaimed, "This is my big brother Big Macintosh, and he's recently become an alicorn!?"

The rest of the classmates were all surprised and had their mouths open in awe as Big Mac flashed his wings. The ponies then started to clap and cheer (meanwhile, Diamond Tiara sat at her desk with her hooves crossed over her chest). Cheerilee cleared her throat and said, "please calm down, class."

Everypony began to clamor down as the teacher sighed and said, "well, Big Macintosh, I have to say this is highly irregular as it's not family appreciation week. But considering the circumstances, I have to ask, how did you become an alicorn?"

Big Mac, who wasn't sure, simply shrugged and said, "I have no idea?"

"Well, as much as I appreciate you coming by, I have a class to teach. I would also suggest going to a hospital or something," the teacher replied. She was starting to grow a bit concerned over his appearance.

"Awww, can't he stay!?" Apple Bloom pleaded, but Big Mac bent his head down and nuzzled his sister. He would love to stay, but Cheerilee had a point; he interrupted her lessons and said, "Hey, don't worry, I'll be by your treehouse later?"

"Ok, just don't go back to normal yet! Maybe we can find your princess cutie’ mark!" The little farm filly exclaimed as she ran off to her desk.

“Ok, sure!” Big Mac chirped with a chuckle, wondering what his cutie mark would be as a princess!? And what would he be the princess of? Princess of Apples? He shrugged as it wasn’t something he would worry about at the moment. The stallion then strutted off with his head held up high, feeling proud he made a good impression on Apple Bloom (and took her school bully Diamond Tiara down a notch). But as he thought, his mane started to grow and turned to see its length by quite a lot. He blinked, wondering if it was always this long as was the length of his tail. The stallion shrugged and continued down the road to do his chores.

Back at Sweet Apple Acres, Big Mac was going about bucking apples as he was getting used to his new appendages. But his wings seemed to make it much more complex than usual. He then thought of using his magic to light his horn as he saw other unicorns squinting his eyes and trying his hardest to levitate the apples into the barrel. It was difficult at first, but eventually, the action became seamless as he took dozens of apples from the trees and placed them into fruit baskets. He started to laugh at himself, seeing that what would've taken weeks of bucking took a few minutes! Why don't they have more unicorns in the family!?

Big Mac then heard a somewhat irritating cough as he turned around to see a not-so amused Applejack glaring at him and snapped, "guess you're worried ya gonna chip a hoof now!?"

The stallion scoffed at Applejack, seeing she's always been apprehensive of magic, let alone trying new things, and said, "come on? You let Twilight use her magic during Apple Bucking season before?"

"That was a long time ago! And ya know unicorn magic ruins the crop!?"

"Ey'nope!"

"Oh, just go and see Twilight already!? You're gonna regret staying like that if ya don't!"

Big Mac then shoved his flank into his sister's face and trotted off with a smug grin.

"Also, maybe if you buck more, your butt won't look so big!"

Big Mac's cheeks flushed pink as he tucked his tail between his legs, but his cheeks flushed red seeing his ass was much bigger than he remembered. The stallion took a moment and thought he should cut back on eating apple pie and fritters. He then just shrugged, not thinking much of it as he trotted off towards Ponyville, hoping to find somepony to help him learn to fly.

"Hey, Big Mac! Almost didn't recognize ya there!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she flew down next to him. He didn't realize it, but his body looked much more prominent, his face a bit rounder, and his flowing rainbow-colored mane flew over his head. However, the one body part Rainbow Dash was interested in was flying around admiring his wings! As the daredevil exclaimed, "I love your wings!? Do you want somepony to teach you how to fly?"

Big Mac got rather excited and nodded and said, "ey'yup."

Rainbow Dash shouted as she flew down from the sky next to the stallion, who gave her a proud smile as he flexed them and said, "ey'yup!"

"That is just so bucking cool!" Rainbow squealed in delight.

"Okay, let's start with take off!" the pegasus exclaimed as she took on a stance spreading out her four legs. "Now, get into a stance like mine; this is important to a proper lift-off!"

Big Mac followed suit, taking a similar stance to her mentor and spreading out her large wingspan. Rainbow Dash nodded in approval, then said, "good, now start gently flapping your wings. Once you get enough push, you should be able to lift yourself off the ground."

Big Mac started to flap like Rainbow Dash and gently lifted herself up with slow, gentle flapping. Gradually rising in the air felt more natural as he flew off to meet with his mentor.

"Hey! You're getting the hang of it!" The daredevil cheered as they were now hovering over the apple trees below.

The alicorn flew up right after her, and they started to fly together gently. Big Mac stumbled a little as she was getting used to being in flight. Still, despite his inexperience, he was in complete ecstasy with her long flowing mane trailing in the wind and the feeling of the cool breeze blowing through her feathers. But as the initial experience wafted over him, he turned to face Rainbow Dash. He saw how effortlessly he was flying through the air without a care. Then Big Mac realized how clumsy he was, stumbling about with every gust of wind and adjusting his position to keep upright constantly. Eventually, he found himself soaring through the clouds. Still, realizing something was off, he looked around and saw his body was lankier and taller than usual. That was when a horde of reporter pegasi started to swarm him; he blinked as they began to bombard him with questions about who he was. Where did he come from? And what kind of princess was he? Then they started flashing their cameras, all rather sudden and sort of out of nowhere. Eventually, Big Mac was overwhelmed and flew off, trying to escape the paparazzi and get away from all of these crazy pegasi! That was when he saw Rainbow Dash flying right towards him. He didn't remember much else but seeing rainbows before everything went black.

"I can't believe you dropped him?"

"Come on, do you have any idea how heavy he is!? Anyways he's here; let's just get him inside."

Big Mac groaned in pain while rubbing his head with a hoof and looking around to see walls made of some sort of violet gemstone; he turned to see Twilight Sparkle, who was busy flipping through books and tossing them over her shoulder. The violet alicorn looked over at Big Mac and flashed him a smile, "oh hey, you're awake!"

The stallion blinked, seeing that he had to be in Princess Twilight's castle! Upon this realization, he stammered, "yeah…um…where am I?"

"Relax, I found you crashing into my castle, and now I have to find a way to turn you back to normal!"

Big Mac scratched his head and asked as he looked over his body, "So you're going to look for a way to turn me back?"

"No worries! Just hold still; I think I have a spell to reverse what's happening to you!"

Twilight then lit her horn, and instead of his horn and wings disappearing, they grew more prominent as he became much taller in size. "Oh no! I didn't mean for that to happen!?"

"Wh…what did you do!?" Big Mac cried and gasped, looking over his body which must have grown double in size by the spell as he was now towering over Twilight.

Twilight was just looking upward with complete awe and confusion as to what happened and stammered, "I…I don't know!? I think I made it worse!?"

Big Mac turned to a mirror, seeing he looked almost like Princess Celestia being as tall as her. His muzzle was lengthened and more slender, and his hips were much wider along with his butt. His short crop of hair on his head and tail were now long wavy strands that seemed to wave on some invisible breeze!

Big Mac stared at his reflection with a wide-eyed expression and asked, "Why do I look like Princess Celestia?"

"I'm not sure, but you should stay here. I think I can assist you," Princess Twilight pleaded with a concerned look.

Big Mac was starting to freak out and just got up and flew off out the nearest window. The stallion flew through the sky, and realizing he was hovering over Ponyville, he squeaked as ponies all around were now looking upward and gawking at him. Big Mac threw his hooves over his body, feeling so exposed now showing his feminine figure in public! He quickly flew off, trying to ignore the crowds and hoping to avoid more paparazzi as he headed straight home.

Big Mac spent the next few hours in his room crying with his dainty hooves covering his face. There was almost nothing left of his old self minus his stallionhood. This was just crazy!? How did he end up like this!? And why did he look like Princess Celesta!? So many questions went through Big Mac's mind as he sat at the foot of his bed, balling his eyes out. Then he heard somepony knock, and Big Mac quickly wiped away his tears and whispered, "who is it!?"

"A zebra named Zecora, I don't know you, but I'm well acquainted with your sister Apple Bloom."

Zecora!? Upon hearing that name, Big Mac's heart leaped in his chest. He hadn't met her that much, but he knew enough from what Apple Bloom and Applejack had told him about the strange potion maker in the Everfree forest!? If anypony could turn him back into a simple farm pony, it was her!

Big Mac stood up, threw his mane over his shoulder, and quickly said, "please come in."

Zecora then slowly stepped into the room with a wide-eyed expression. She slowly walked over towards him, gawking at Big Macintosh's appearance, then said, "so it's true what Applejack has sworn? Something has transformed you into a princess alicorn!?"

Big Mac nodded and asked worriedly, "you have a potion to change me back to normal, right!?"

"That I hope is true; this potion should wake you up."

"Wake me up!? Don't you mean change me back to an earth pony stallion!?"

Zecora cleared her throat with a hood and quickly said, "Oh yes, that, I…see…just a slip of the tongue, don't mind me."

She then hoofed him a cup of tea, and he sipped; it tasted awful, but he hoped that whatever this was would result in him becoming a male earth pony again. The stallion waited, but nothing seemed to have changed, but then he groaned, feeling a hot burning sensation near his groin. Big Mac cried out in panic, looking downward as he gaped in horror seeing his stallionhood and testicles were gone!?

The stallion shoves his legs close and cried, "What did you do!?"

That was when he heard his new voice sounding rather feminine, and upon hearing his voice, he went into a panic as a beeping noise started to ring in his ears!? What was going on!? He then suddenly became quite tired and felt faint, collapsing onto the bed.

Big Mac was confused as he started to wake up in a doctor's office. He looked down to see his body dressed in a hospital gown. That was when Nurse Red Heart trotted towards him, noticing he was awake, and said, "oh my goodness!? Princess Macintosh, glad to see you're awake!"

The red-coated alicorn blinked, looking around to gauge his surroundings; it looked like he was in Ponyville general with blank walls while in a hospital bed. The Nurse was taking a flashlight and going over his eyes. He then looked around the hospital bed and shouted, "where am I now!?"

That was when he noticed his voice still sounded much more feminine, lighter, and fluffier. Still, with a tone of royalty he's heard Princess Luna have before…in fact, why did he think of princess Luna!?

That was when Princess Luna entered the hospital room with her beautiful dark blue coat as she flashed her lovely teal eyes. Upon seeing him, the princess of the night placed a hoof over her chest. She sighed as she said, "Hello, Big Mac, or should I say, Princess Macintosh, it's so good; to see you're finally awake!?"

"Princess, what!? Big Mac shouted now, getting concerned. Princess Luna gulped, saying, "you're a princess alicorn."

"Bu…, but I'm not a princess!?" Big Mac cried as he crossed his legs over his crotch area, feeling uncomfortable being in this situation with one of the princesses of Equestria, no less.

"Oh, you are now!?" Princess Luna giggled with her cheeks flushing pink as she was somewhat surprised as she asked, "well, that's ok. I mean, this is just a d-...d.. don't worry about it, ok!?"

Big Mac, wondering what she tried to say earlier, asked, "ok, why am I turning into a princess alicorn!?"

"I'm not sure, but I believe you desire to be an alicorn princess for some reason?" Princess Luna admitted she came over and started using her magic to look him over. But I'm sure a good night's sleep will solve this. But as for now, we should have you taken to Canterlot! Having a new princess this sudden, we must set up your coronation!?

"Coronation!?"

"Yes, but don't worry about that right now; just try to relax," Princess Luna whispered as she fluffed Big Mac's pillow and pulled the sheets over his body.

Big Mac tried to calm down, but he felt as if something was wrong, feeling rather desperate and scared in his present situation. He turned his attention to Big Mac and asked, "Something is wrong!? Is there any way to reverse what's happening to me?"

"Trust me, you're fine. I'm going to make sure that nothing happens to you. Now all I need from you is to relax once you do that, we can start getting you to wa-" Princess Luna then suddenly paused mid-sentence. She cleared her throat before continuing, "I mean, get you back to normal.”

The alicorn princess then lit her horn, seeming to put a spell on Big Mac. His eyelids grew heavy, and he started to feel more comfortable; despite knowing something was wrong, he felt much safer and secure with Princess Luna. As Big Mac drifted off to sleep, his last thought was that If anypony could help him, it was Princess Luna.

Chapter two: Princess Macintosh's Makeover

"It's time to wake up, Princess Macintosh!" A voice chimed rather loudly.

Princess Macintosh was suddenly awakened and slowly clambered out of the massive canopy bed. This bed is much bigger than the one she remembered sleeping in. She then turned to see a fancy-looking alicorn plush… wasn't that an old rag doll before? She then decided to look around her room. The place looked off with a thick red carpet and pink walls; there was a vanity table on the side of the room, and she could see a closet filled with luxurious, expensive-looking ball gowns. There was a part of her that made her feel that this was the same room she's been sleeping in for at least a year, but there
was something nagging at her that this was all wrong.

Apple Bloom then suddenly jumped up and shouted, "Hey! Are ya just gonna sit there all morning? Come on; we gotta get going!"

The alicorn then turned to see her little sister Apple Bloom standing near her bed. Her sister looked much more adorable than usual as she sported her big pink bow tied in her mane; she also wore a frilly pink dress with a big cheery smile.

"O…ok? What for?" the alicorn princess stammered as she clambered out of bed. The princess yawned and stretched out her large wingspan with the massive appendages across the room. She turned to see Apple Bloom jumping up and down in excitement as she shouted, "Come on! Stop wasting time; we're gonna be late!"

The little filly then tugged on her sister's hoof out of bed with Princess Macintosh. She was somewhat surprised by her excitement but was also happy to see her sister giving her so much attention. The princess then allowed Apple Bloom to pull her through her massive bedroom as she asked. "Late for what!?"

"Seriously!? How could you forget!? It's the Apple Blossom Celebration!? It's the day you saved Equestria from the Nightmare Jack O Lantern, remember?"

Princess Macintosh blinked, having a vague memory of him fighting an orange-coated alicorn princess wearing a mask in the shape of a pumpkin with a cruel-looking face carved into the face of it. A nauseating headache overcame the alicorn as she groaned and rubbed her head with a hoof. She knew that something was off and her memories were wrong, but she didn't sure. Was she an alicorn princess? Wasn't she a simple earth pony stallion named Big Mac? The alicorn shook her head, putting a hoof to her forehead, and mumbled, "yeah, I do remember…."

"Ok, then go get ready! Granny's already made breakfast!" Apple Bloom exclaimed as she pushed onto her sister's flank.

"Hey, stop that!" The princess shouted as she found herself suddenly shoved into an oversized bathroom. Like her bedroom, the bathroom was massive, with an oversized sink and a beautiful hot tub in the middle of the room filled with hot steaming water. Princess Macintosh was amazed at how luxurious things were. Her memories of being Big Mac, the simple Earth Pony stallion, he was much more accustomed to a more rustic lifestyle. But regardless if this was real or if the memories of the stallion known as Big Macintosh didn't matter. What mattered was her getting ready for the day when she had to figure out the truth. The princess then slowly trotted towards it and went about pouring a container full of bath salts into the water below. The alicorn princess lowered herself into the hot steamy water as she threw her wings up and moaned, feeling her muscles relax and aches and pains melt away.

Meanwhile, Princess Macintosh felt the soft, sweet-smelling water envelop her entire body as she closed her eyes and sighed deeply. The princess then lowered her head into her chest and slept soundly in the spa. But her nap didn't last long as she was suddenly awoken by two ponies exclaiming at once.

"Apologizes, Princess; sorry we're late!"

The princess blinked as she looked somewhat confused and turned to see a cute pink coated earth pony with a wavy blue mane; she came alongside her sister Aloe who looked almost exactly like her, but her mane and tail were the opposite colors of her sister Lotus. The two mares slowly trotted towards her as Princess Macintosh smiled at the two trying to be polite and asked, "oh, Aloe and Lotus? Why are you here?"

"We're here to get you ready for your ceremony!" Aloe exclaimed. as Lotus went about rubbing shampoo and conditioner into her mane and chimed, "yes, there's so much to do; we need to make sure you're ready for your celebration."

Princess Macintosh wished to protest being touched or cleaned, but little could be done as the mares went to work. Aloe went about scrubbing her body with a scrub brush, all the while, Lotus washed her mane, moved down to the princess' flank, and washed her tail as well.

The princess squeaked and cried as her entire body was scrubbed down. She could feel somewhat squeamish when Aloe made her way towards the alicorn princess' nether regions. Princess Macintosh instinctively as she cried, "is that really necessary?"

"Yes, it is; now hold still, princess; this will be just a moment," Aloe responded curtly as she went and progressed to scrub between her back legs, making the princess cry out in ecstasy. All the while, Lotus finished washing her mane and tail with the sweet-smelling soaps, and she started to pour the soft spa water over her entire body. Lotus then came up to her with a platter full of some creamy green substance and began to lather her face with a thick green mud mask, and finished it off with two cucumbers being placed squarely over her eyes. Despite the stuff feeling so chalky and heavy, she could feel her face already softening up and feel that there was a reason mares do this…wait wasn't she always a mare? Princess Macintosh's thoughts were interrupted as Aloe asked, "Now, princess, just relax and let this mask remain on your face for an hour."

The princess could no longer see but was too relaxed and pampered to care as she gave a nod. Aloe and Lotus then went around the princess as the alicorn laid back in the spa and asked, "stretch out your wings, please!"

Princess Macintosh did as the mares instructed, throwing her wings out to their full wingspan, and that was when the preening began. She could feel the spa mares slowly going over each feather, making sure the dirt and grime between the individual feathers were cleaned out and bent ones being pulled. The entire process made the princess squeak and cry in shock at her wings' sensitivity. But it was never out of pain as she could feel her wings becoming much lighter and could tell the Spa sisters were good at this. So she did her best to relax as they went and preened her wings. Eventually, she grew accustomed to the feeling of a feather being pulled out or her feathers being rustled by the mares as they cleaned out more dirt. Then without any warning, one of the mares took the pumice stone and started manicuring her horn, grinding and chipping away. The sensation wasn't terrible, it just felt rather tingling as the spa mares were being rather delicate, ensuring to be as careful as she could be.

Meanwhile, somepony went about scrubbing down her hooves with a pumice stone and going over each one as she chipped dirt out from beneath them. Princess Macintosh did her best not to shake about despite feeling antsy with the spa twins picking and prodding through her most sensitive body parts. But she eventually could lay back her head and allow the mares to do their job as she did her best to relax. It wasn't long until the princess couldn't feel the spa mares touching her anymore. Still, she felt the spa becoming slightly hotter and filled with more bath salts as the sweet-scented fragrance hit her nostrils. This was indeed a bath she would never forget, and yet, this is something that she does every day. It was hard to believe she was used to being pampered like this. She could only wonder what else was in store for her.

"It's time to wake up."

Princess Macintosh blinked in confusion as she was now up, looking around, trying to gauge where she was. The alicorn princess was now standing upright in a studio with Aloe and Lotus still working on her! Aloe was going about grooming her long flowing straw-colored mane while Lotus brushed out her tail, and she could see her reflection on all sides. Her face mask was gone, and she saw how tall and elegant her body was, her tall, sharp horn, her beautiful wings, long muzzle, and thicc flank. She was indeed an alicorn princess, as any hint of her being a bulky Earth Pony stallion was gone.

"Can you lift your hoof, princess?" Aloe asked as she lifted one of her front hooves. The princess simply nodded as, at this point, she was just going along with whatever they wanted of her body.

The pink-coated spa mare then went and polished each front hoof with a rag soaked in oil, and she went and polished each hoof until they gleamed in the light. Lotus then finished off the makeover by applying makeup on her face, eyeliner over her eyes, and a powdery blush on her cheeks. Meanwhile, Lotus went and sprayed her down with apple cinnamon-scented perfume which wafted over her like a cloud. The spa twins then picked out her regalia, having her bridle clasped over her chest with an orange gem carved in the shape of an apple placed squarely in the center. Then the mares placed a gold tiara over her head along with slotting some fake eyelashes over her eyelids. Princess Macintosh could see her all happened rather quickly as she stared at her reflection with a confused look. She still couldn't believe the beautiful sexy alicorn in the reflection was and asked out loud. "Have I always looked this beautiful?"

"Yes, of course, Princess, you're absolutely gorgeous," Aloe and Lotus chimed at once! The two spa ponies then escorted her down the hall with guards saying good morning to her as they made their way to the dining hall for breakfast.

The halls were filled long and grand with pictures of her family. The carpet beneath her hooves was a bright scarlet with green emerald apple designs sewn throughout the fabric. But it wasn't just that guards at every intersection of the halls saluted her as she passed while butlers and maids were cleaning and dusting furniture and paintings. Not only that, as she passed, they would bow or curtsy at her presence as if she was Princess Celestia or Luna herself! This was all somewhat overwhelming to the alicorn princess, who paused midway as Aloe looked up and asked, "is something wrong, princess?"

"N…no! Let's proceed."

Princess Macintosh continued down the hall towards a grand spiraling staircase; once she was down on the first floor, she found herself in a luxurious-looking dining hall with her other family. Apple Bloom was standing on her seat wearing a cute little pink party dress, while Granny Smith was wearing a simple maid's outfit consisting of a silky black dress and a white apron tied around her waist.

"Princess Mac! You're here!" Apple Bloom squealed; she ran over and jumped into the princess' hooves; she held her sister in her chest.

Apple Bloom peered upward and cooed, "oh, you're so beautiful! And you smell like apples and cinnamon!"

Princess Macintosh's cheeks flushed a little pink, and she said, "yes, that would be my perfume."

"Good! Don't want ya smelling like a farmhand; now come and eat! Can't go do your royal duties on an empty stomach!" Granny Smith blurted out.

The alicorn princess chuckled and nodded; she then trotted to the dining room and sat at a significant long rectangular table. She then sat down at the table and started to eat her breakfast made up of apple cinnamon pancakes with a cup of tea and being as "delicate" and "princess-like" as possible. The princess turned towards the old mare serving the rest of her family. She could see that outside there was a sea of apple trees, which meant that the castle was situated in the middle of Sweet Apple Acres with a group of mares and stallions outside bucking away. That was when she realized that they were her servants!?

"What's the matter?" Apple Bloom asked, looking at her with a concerned expression.

"N…nothing…" Princess Macintosh stammered back, unsure of what was still happening as she was not used to this kind of treatment. She was fully aware that something about all of this felt off, but it also felt like this was all normal routine. The princess asked, "did we always have servants do the apple bucking?"

"Of course! Ya can't go chipping your hooves before you go off and do your royal duties!" Apple Bloom chimed.

"She's got the point you're a princess now; ya should be acting like one," Granny Smith growled.

Princess Macintosh blushed, seeing Granny had a point; she was indeed a princess and shouldn't be worrying about the apple bucking; that was something Big Mac would worry about, and she was no longer him. But there was one question on her mind: where was Applejack?

"Um…w… where's Applejack? Is she up yet?"

Granny Smith and Apple Bloom suddenly became silent, and the mood became somber. The little filly bent her head, "let's not talk about that?"

"O…ok…" Princess Macintosh stammered; she was now somewhat worried. Did something terrible happen to Applejack? Maybe she was on a long trip? Regardless of the answer, there was a sense of urgency, and she finished her meal rather quickly and dabbed her lips with a handkerchief. She then turned to see Princess Twilight Sparkle trot inside the castle with a smile. "Hello, Princess Macintosh!"

"Princess Twilight!? How are you?" the red-coated alicorn asked, surprised she was here.

"Oh, we're having that meeting with the other princesses. I thought it was best to come here early!" the violet alicorn exclaimed as she trotted over and placed a book down. Twilight then flipped it open and said, "now it's concerning the annual Apple Blossom ceremony! I mean, it's not that we have to get the notes down for how many ponies will come to Ponyville. So we need to be ready to host the influx of ponies; plus, we'll need to discuss when we will be doing our speeches and how long each of us has before the Grand Ball begins."

Princess Macintosh blinked, somewhat surprised at being a part of all of this, and stammered, "I…I see…"

"Well, you don't worry about anything. I've got everything prepared. All you need to do is remember your speech. Ok? Trust me, I'm new to being a princess too, so I can see how you're lost."

"Ye...yes I…I'm not lost," The princess stammered out, feeling a bit angry at being patronized in such a way despite not really understanding what was happening. Princess Macintoshtook a moment to sip at her tea and said, "I'm just getting up; please let me at least finish my tea."

Princess Twilight Sparkle put a hoof to her mouth and chuckled, "come now? This can't be any worse than us teaming up to take down Jack O Lantern?"

"Right, no…of course not, it's just I must've not gotten a good night's rest, is all," Princess Macintosh admitted as she felt somewhat exhausted.

Twilight took a cup of tea herself and sipped at her cup as she suggested, "well, you can go take a nap? The celebration won't start until much later, and Pinkie Pie has already taken care of getting the games and food ready. All we need to ensure there is enough bits to pay for everything."

Princess Macintosh sighed relief as she was scared she would have to perform more duties than she was ready to do. But she didn't feel like going back to sleep and said, "thank you for the offer, but I'll help with the preparations if needed. You shouldn't be doing all of this planning on your own."

"Alright then, just try to keep up with me, ok?" Twilight chirped. She then took out a giant ledger from almost out of nowhere as she went over all the boring details of the celebrations, budgeting, taxes, seat assignments, etc...

Princess Macintosh just sat there nodding her head like an idiot feeling somewhat useless, only adding a sparse comment here and there. It wasn't long until she started to feel tired again, her mind began to drift, and her eyelids grew heavy…and soon she was slipping back into sleep.

Chapter Four: Cinderella Mac

Big Mac suddenly woke up in his bed, which was normal! It wasn't oversized or had a canopy; it was a plain old bed. The stallion then inspected his body, seeing he was his normal Earth Pony self, with no horns, wings, or weird elongated body. The stallion was just a simple earth pony once more! The stallion then got out of bed and rushed around his home, seeing it wasn't a palace; there were no servants, no lush carpet with simple creaky wooden planks covering the floor, no fixtures, and looking rather dusty with cobwebs covering the ceiling of his bed. In fact, his room looked rather dreary and decrepit and seemed like an attic.

He then turned to see that there was a prench maid's outfit dressed over the ponyquin, his cheeks flushed pink seeing he's been wearing this outfit for years, but he's gotten somewhat used to it. It was to mark his lowly status as a servant to the Apple family. The stallion then went and fixed a bonnet over his head, feeling so insecure and nervous as he tied the strings under his neck. Looking at a cracked mirror, he saw how ridiculous he looked in such an outfit. The black silk dress with a frilly white fabric stitched to the bottom of the skirt and with poofy sleeves around his shoulders, not only that stains were covering the material along with random patches of cloth sewn to cover the holes, along with his apron weathered from age and splattered with tea stains. The truth was he seemed to have memories of his life as always being the maid to his family. That was how things have always been, as the rest of his family were alicorns, yet he was born a simple earth pony.

After reminiscing about his position in life, Big Mac then trotted through the door, looked around, and saw a long hall with tons of windows aligned with vases filled with apple blossoms. He was in some sort of mansion, wondering exactly where the buck was. The stallion then slowly trotted down a massive flight of stairs made of marble and gilded rails. He then spent the morning going outside and feeding a bunch of cows, chickens, ducks, and the family dog Winona. The outdoors were much different, with a rather large apple orchard, but few other farm animals were milling about. They all seemed to enjoy his company, and they enjoyed the food that he handed out. After he finished feeding the animals, he went to the kitchen. He started preparing breakfast, making apple cinnamon pancakes along with making tea. As he prepared three separate platters nearby, a cacophony of bells rang as voices chimed, "Big Macintosh!" in a shrill but demanding voice for his family.

"Coming," he grumbled as he picked up three platters carrying all three on his back and slowly made his way upstairs, trying to balance them on top. They went into each of their rooms, serving them breakfast. First, he came to Apple Bloom's room which was now decorated in a super girlishly pink, along with the plush carpet. The room was covered in plush animals. Apple Bloom herself, with her stubby horn and tiny buttery yellow wings, sporting a frilly pink dress, was sitting on a fancy tea set spread out with a bunch of teddy bears set up in chairs around a little pink plastic table.

"It's about time!" she shouted with her snout. Big Mac was taken aback by her rude behavior but continued to serve her platter before performing a curtsy and slowly moving out of the door. He then trotted down the hall to Applejack's room. As Big Mac slowly approached the door, he could hear rather beautiful piano music playing from her room. He then slowly entered the room and saw that it was lovely, with a lavish orange carpet, a crimson red apple-shaped rug in the center of the room, and a canopy bed. He slowly went through the doorway, and she waved a hoof at him as he put her platter of food down and curtsied. She didn't even look up from her music book as she continued to play with her hooves dancing on the keys of her piano. He even noticed that she was an alicorn now with two massive wings covered in orange feathers perfectly preened and a massive horn protruding from her forehead. The stallion then slowly and quietly left the room as he trotted off towards the hall and continued down what felt like a never-ending hallway. He then came upon two double doors to Granny Smith's bedroom, entered the old mare's room, and slowly opened the door. His grandmother looked up from a book revealing her massive green wings and dull horn looking sharp but weathered from age. She was still lying in bed, looking rather angry as she growled, "you're late."

"Y…yes, I apologize," Big Mac stammered. He then slowly slid the platter near her bed; she then went back to reading a book and started to sip her teacup. The stallion then performed a curtsy before slowly taking his leave through the door and slowly closing the doors behind him. He then sighed, relieved he didn't piss his grandmother off before going off and taking a scroll out and seeing the long list of chores he had to perform. He rolled the scroll back up, took out a broom and dustpan, and went downstairs to start his daily routine.

As Big Mac spent the rest of the day cleaning, his sisters would walk by, barely noticing him as they went about their business. Big Mac was surprised by their coldness and how rude they acted towards him. But from many memories, he could only ever remember them acting this way, either barking demands at him or acting like he didn't exist. Was this to be his life? A servant to his family? Yet he had to serve them because that was his duty as their older brother. So he continued to clean the manor, sweeping and mopping the floor while thinking about something nagging him at the back of his mind. His dream last night…somepony he couldn't remember who told him to go see Princess Luna at the gala, and it seemed that he wasn't going to be allowed to go…maybe he asked Granny. He turned to the posh older mare trotting through the halls with her head Big Mac trotted over meekly and asked, "Granny Smith would it be ok if I go to the gala?"

Granny Smith threw her head up and, disgustingly, scoffed, "you go to the gala!? You have nothing to wear and would do nothing but embarrass the family!"

Big Mac shook his head as he felt everything was; for some reason, he knew Granny Smith shouldn't be acting like this, let alone look so posh. Something was definitely off despite having memories of her acting like this, but it still felt wrong. Regardless he was compelled to go to the Gala no matter what. He then looked up and asked, "so…if I get something to wear, I can go?"

The mares all laughed again as Applejack looked towards him with her snout in the air as she scoffed, "wear what!? Nothing but rags will ever fit you."

Both Apple Bloom and Granny Smith laughed at her mean comment as Big Mac lowered his head feeling shame for even asking such a question. They were right; he was just a lowly servant unfit to attend such a ball; he should've just kept his mouth shut. Apple Bloom nuzzled her sister, "Come on, let's get out of here; let's just go to the spa and get our manes and hooves done!"

"What a wonderful idea Apple Bloom!" She then nuzzled her little sister, and they trotted off with their heads in the air. Big Mac just watched with utter confusion, wondering why his sisters were acting so rude and mean. Granny Smith turned towards him with a scoff, "you may go to the gala…."

"Yes…"

"If you find something to wear and…." The mare then led him outside, and there she pointed to the apple orchard and said, "you buck every apple and store it in the barn. You may go if you can get that done, clean yourself up, and find something to wear."

"Th… that's impossible!?"

She chuckled evilly and said, "of course it is, now stop being an idiot and start bucking! You won't be able to come back inside until every last apple is bucked."

"Yes, Granny," Big Mac grumbled under his breath. He then went off to go onto his work bucking despite knowing it was impossible to buck all these apple trees in time to trend the Gala let alone find something suitable to wear. He might as well just give up on going and resign to his life as a servant…

Big Mac bucked apples all through the afternoon as day turned into night. It must've been at least a dozen hours, and yet looking over the sea of apple trees; Big Mac saw he was barely halfway done. There was no way he would be done by the time the Gala started, let alone get ready for it. If he was stuck here, does that mean this? He thought about just breaking into the party but…seeing how the dream was, he would be thrown out and be put in a much more precious situation as pissing off his "family" could make things even worse; he started to tremble thinking about his dream as a princess alicorn wishing that was the case. Just then, he heard fluttering and looked up to see a beautiful white-coated unicorn fluttering above the trees with a pair of gorgeous butterfly wings protruding from her shoulders. The mysterious unicorn flapped slowly as she descended to the ground. She had a wand in her right hoof and proclaimed, "did somepony wish to become a princess!?"

Big Mac just stood there with a confused expression on his face seeing that she was some sort of fairy. "Uh…who are you?"

"I'm Rarity, your fairy godmother! And I'm here to get you ready for the galloping gala!" she then whisked her wand out as he scoffed, "seriously!? You don't recognize me!?"

Big Mac blinked, somewhat confused. He had seen her before, but for some reason, her name was hard to recall…but then it came to him rather suddenly and exclaimed, "Rarity!? That's your name, right!?"

"Yes …yes, it is!" The mare then flashed him a smile as she asked, "Come now? You want to go to the gala, don't you!?"

The stallion looked down; he seemed unsure, as if he was unworthy of his goal and would only bring shame onto himself and his family. Rarity, seeming to see he was looking rather uncomfortable, asked, "do you want to go to the gala? Not if your family wishes you should go?"

Big Mac paused and looked up at the moon above as, despite his feeling of shame, the idea of going to the Galloping Gala was compelling. He then gave a slight nod seeing that this might be his only way in. He wanted to do this for himself and reluctantly said, "ey'yup."

"Alright, darling, just close your eyes and let the magic begin!" She then whisked her wand as sprinkles of magic fella around massive wings sprouted from the sides of his back; a horn appeared on his head. It wasn't so much that they grew, but it seemed like they were always there. Rarity flew upward as she chirped, "if you're surprised by that, I'm just getting started."

She then flicked her wand as Big Mac's maid uniform was transformed into a gorgeous emerald green gown as shiny glass slippers appeared beneath his hooves. Rarity then fluttered above him and sprinkled fairy dust over him. He could feel his mane elongate and something now sitting squarely on his head. Meanwhile, makeup brushes started trailing mascara over his eyelashes, as small brushes applied makeup under his eyes and lipstick applied to his lips. Then a powder pad dabbed light blush on his cheeks, making him cough a little. He then squealed as he turned around, seeing his tail had grown out and brushes were attacking it as a shiny green bow near where the base of his tail met his flank.

Rarity just stood there in front of him with a smile as she exclaimed, "oh my! This has to be my best work yet!"

"You've done this before?" Big Mac asked rather squeamishly and squeaked, hearing how girly his voice sounded rather soft-spoken such as a yellow-coated pegasus whose name he couldn't recall.

"Yes, that's a perfect princess voice if I could say so myself!"

Big Mac was rather furious at his changed voice, slamming a hoof down and shouting, "Change my voice back now!"

Rarity threw her hooves over her chest and rolled her eyes. "Come now? You don't want your family to recognize you do you?"

Big Mac paused, seeing if they did see him there, they would expose him, and gave the nod and said, "you have a point."

He then flared his wings, planning to fly towards Canterlot, but Rarity flew in front of him, unfurling her wings and shouting, "what do you think you're doing!?"

"Going to Canterlot?"

Rarity tore at her mane and shouted, "A princess doesn't just fly by herself! You don't want to ruffle all your feathers and have your mane become a tangled mess." She then threw a hoof over her face as she laid her head back and cried, "Or worse, if it ruins, your mascara would run all over your face!"

Big Mac rolled his eyes, not really caring about his appearance and seeing that Rarity was over exaggerating and asked in an irritated tone. "Ok, so how am I going to get there?"

Rarity whispered her wand again and exclaimed, "Come now, darling! You just need proper transportation fit for a princess!"

She then flicked her wand and sent her fairy dust over an apple on the ground. The two then watched the fruit suddenly transform into a beautiful white chariot in the shape of an apple with wheels made of gold. She then zapped two cows with her wand. They were suddenly transformed into white-coated blue-eyed pegasi mare soldiers sporting gilded armor as they were hitched to the chariot.

Big Mac was somewhat surprised and impressed with his two guards as he came over to check them, and he couldn't help but put a hoof to his mouth, seeing they also had massive teats underneath their armor. But he suddenly squeaked as he was levitated and placed inside the chariot. Rarity skipped over and chirped, "now, before you leave, I have to explain that the spell wears off by midnight. So please be back then, ok darling?"

"Ey'yup!" Big Mac squeaked, still being rather uncomfortable about his situation and getting the gist. Rarity then closed the door, and the pegasi hitched to it and then took off into the air, with Big Mac flinging his hooves over his dress and squeaking at how sudden the take-off was. He then laid back as the chariot leveled out. He then noticed a tea set in the middle of the chariot; he used his new magic to levitate a cup up to his lips and sipped it as he tried to relax. But he couldn't help but feel jittery and nervous seeing he didn't finish his work, nor was he invited to the Gala. All of this was hanging heavy on his mind wondering if he'll even be able to attend.

At the gala, Big Mac's chariot landed right over the red carpet, which was situated in front of the palace. One of the guards unhitched herself as she opened the door. He slowly came down feeling somewhat embarrassed, seeing he was sporting drag to a fancy ball. Big Mac saw he was outside Canterlot Palace with a few fancy-looking ponies waiting to attend outside. As he trotted through the crowd, he started to get stares, but the crowd seemed to mostly just smile at him or bow, seeing he was an alicorn. It was odd as, unlike his previous princess form, he still looked reasonably masculine…in fact, other than his horn, wings, dress, and shoes, he was still a stallion. But from the expressions of the stallions checking him out as mares swooned, they must think he truly is a princess Alicorn. He continued to slowly trot towards the castle's entrance and slowly came up to Princess Celestia. She was standing outside with a massive checklist in front of her. She then looked over her massive scroll and blinked, somewhat surprised as she asked, "oh, another alicorn!?"

"Ye…yes…" Big Mac stammered, somewhat nervous, as his voice sounded so girlish and high-pitched, unlike his deep masculine tone.

The mare chuckled under her breath as she looked down at her guest list, then her eyes lit up and asked, "Pr…princess…princess…Mac…Macintosh?"

"Princess Ma…Macintosh, it seems that somepony is here to see you."

The stallion turned to see that a handsome-looking alicorn prince standing across the ballroom looked rather dashing, sporting a silky green coat, slick violet hair, and dashing red eyes. He was wearing a tuxedo, but beneath his jacket was an interesting cutie mark, a flask with some bubbling liquid coming out the top, and a small apple. The scary part was how the prince looked exactly like him, being rather muscular with broad shoulders and stocky. He looked more like an earth pony who happened to have sprouted a pair of wings and a horn. The prince then slowly trotted towards him, bowed, and asked, "may I take this dance?"

Big Macintosh wasn't sure, but despite looking rather feminine, he was still a stallion and wasn't comfortable dancing with a pony of the same gender. However, he was the one who put his name on the guest list, so maybe he should return the favor.

"Ey'yup," was all Big Mac said in his soft-spoken tone, then gently laid out a hoof, and they started to perform a ball dance. Despite never having ball danced in his life, the red-coated stallion thought he would be clumsy and awkward. Still, he was dancing to the beat of the classical music playing in the background as his dress swished around his body. He started feeling less embarrassed and self-conscious about being at the gala. They must've danced for some time as he was beginning to feel somewhat exhausted, and the prince then led him to a lavish dining hall. The two then went to a long buffet table and picked out some horderves (with both stallions trying to fill their plates, seeing how small the portions were) and some glasses of wine. The two then sat across from each other as the mysterious prince sat back with his hooves crossing his chest and asked, "so, Princess Macintosh…or do you prefer Big Mac?"

The stallion in drag was somewhat surprised as he slowly came over and asked, "Big Mac is fine…Now, who are you?"

The prince chuckled as his eyes glowed and said, "The name is Prince Poison Apple, but you can just call me Poison Apple."

"Poison Apple?"

Poison Apple swished his wine about in its glass as he said. "Yes, an odd name, I know, but let me assure you I'm not dangerous. I'm here to help you."

Big Mac eyed him and then asked, "Help me how?"

Poison Apple chuckled and continued, "yes, you see, Princess Luna created this dream in hopes she can take you away from me and get you to wake up."

Big Mac paused, somewhat confused and still not trusting; this stallion asked, "why would she be doing that?

Poison Apple drank from his glass of wine before saying, "Because she thinks I'm a villain, and she also thinks I'll turn you into a monster like what happened to her with Nightmare Moon."

Big Mac paused as he figured he was in a dream, but he couldn't wake up no matter how he tried! He shouted, "Did you turn my family evil!?"

He rolled his eyes and scoffed, "Of course not."

Poison Apple rose from the table, held out a hoof, and said, "I think it's better to show you everything, come." He then led Big Mac into the garden; on the way, he would lay his coat out over a puddle so she wouldn't get his hooves dirty and even picked out a rose and place it in his mane. Despite how dark his name sounded, Poison Apple was so gentle and kind that he wasn't gay, but he had to; if he was, he definitely would date him. The stallion then led him to an area with two pools full of water. The two pools began to ripple, and soon two images appeared; where one was his previous dream of being a princess and having ponies adore him; he was loved by Apple Bloom and going on fantastic adventures with Princess Twilight and her other friends. Then he turned to another pool which showed him just bucking apples and going about his day in solitude. Meanwhile, Apple Bloom showed her love to Applejack, who also saw his sister going on adventures with Twilight and her other friends. At the same time, he was ignored by everypony and just in the background.

The prince trotted towards him with a sly smile. He continued, "Believe it or not, you are starting to understand that this is your dream, and it's one crafted to the feelings you bury deep down. I've done nothing to influence how you really feel."

Big Mac paused, seeing Poison Apple may have a point as feeling left out and alone was something he felt a lot of the time but has tried to ignore. The green-coated stallion then trotted right in front of him until they were face to face and said, "you feel discarded, and I know that your greatest fear is losing the love of your family. If your life continues the way it is now, that will happen, and you'll die alone and in misery."

What Poison Apple said stung as he put a hoof over his chest because he wasn't entirely wrong. The prince then pointed to the other pond where he was an alicorn and continued, "I can make this reality true; you will have the admiration of everypony in Ponyville and be a hero, you'll be more popular than Applejack and her friends, and Apple Bloom will adore you forever. And at the end of the day, that's all I'm offering you."

The green-coated stallion pointed a hoof to his chest and concluded his speech, "I'm not evil; I'm just offering the opportunity to give you what you always wanted. That's all."

Big Mac blinked as he was actually tempted to take the dream of becoming an alicorn. Still, he knew deep down this wasn't right, but the worst part was Poison Apple wasn't entirely wrong. He didn't know what to choose and was somewhat uncomfortable with such a significant decision being thrust upon him. Big Mac then looked over his shoulder and asked, "Do I have time to decide?"

Poison Apple took out a pocket watch and shook his head, then said, "Sadly, time is running out; you have to decide soon."

A loud "Bong!" sound reverberated across the garden as the prince closed his pocket watch and stuffed it beneath his shirt as he explained, "by the twelfth bong, this dream will end, so decide."

Big Mac gulped as he looked downward at the pools once more. More than anything, he wanted the reality where he was popular, had all that fame and had the admiration of Apple Bloom. But there was a pang in his chest at the thought that something was wrong and he shouldn't take the offer. It was as if his gut was telling him that was a bad decision. He shook his head and replied with a stern, "Ey'nope." The prince didn't seem disappointed with his determination. He simply shrugged as he said, "too bad, we can always try again tomorrow."

Another Bong! He Rang out, and then that's when he saw the stars above start to disappear, with the night sky turning into a dark void that was engulfing the night sky. Big Mac looked around him, seeing
The garden was now being swallowed by the darkness. Big Mac started to panic and began to run in the opposite direction back towards the Gala. As he ran through the ballroom, he could hear ponies all around him making cruel laughter at his expense as if they saw through his disguise.

"Look, it's just Big Mac dressed in drag; he's not a princess!" he heard Apple Bloom shout.

Bong!

"What a moron; why did he think he could be a princess? He's such a pathetic excuse for a brother," He heard Applejack snort.

Bong!

"He should've stayed home and bucked apples; it's all he's good for." He heard his grandmother snicker in a harsh tone.

Bong!

Big Mac continued to run, ignoring the laughter and hurtful words and knowing that "his family" wasn't real. Still, he would be lying if what his fake family was calling him wasn't hurting him. But he couldn't focus on that now as he looked behind his shoulder to see the crowds of ponies being swallowed by the shadowy darkness. Big Mac then looked forward, sprinting back outside through the front doors of the palace, sprinting past Princess Celestia and stumbling right into his chariot as it flew off into the air heading back to Ponyville. Then as another Bong! Reverberated across the sky, his pegasi guards were suddenly turned around into cows. His chariot slowly collapsed onto itself as it turned back into an apple. Big Mac had to smash his way out the door, fly down his wings, and use his magic to slowly alleviate the cows back to the ground. Dream cows or not, he wouldn't want anypony or cow to be harmed on his behalf. He then gently fluttered down to the ground just as an apple bonked on top of his head as the cows ran off in terror. As another Bong! Echoed across the orchard, his fancy emerald dress was turned back to a dirty maid's outfit, and his tiara was now back to a maid's cap.

"Big Mac, are you ok?"

The stallion heard somepony ask; he then looked around to see Princess Luna standing over him and sighed with relief, seeing she was here. He hugged her, feeling her soft fur against his face and the smell of lavender wafting over him. Big Mac had never felt so scared in his life, and he felt rather pathetic, like a child clinging to a doll for comfort. However, Princess Luna wasn't perturbed by his behavior as she whispered, "I'm so sorry I didn't expect Poison Apple to invade the dream I created. This wasn't how things were supposed to go."

Big Mac then broke from the embrace and asked in a threatening tone. "Wh.. what's going on!? What are you talking about!?"

"Listen, I can't help you now…I can only guide you, but I'll try to get you into the next dream."

"H…how!?" Big Mac cried, seeing that most of the orchard was slowly devoured by the shadowy void.

Bong!

Princess Luna gulped and said, "you…you have to end this dream or be trapped in its cycle forever."

Bong!

The dark void was coming closer to him and Princess Luna; he just stood there in fright, stepping back from it. But Luna was unperturbed by the shadowy mass coming towards them as she exclaimed, "Kiss me!"

"What!?"

Bong!

Luna shouted, "you have to kiss me! Do it!"

Bong!

Big Mac groaned as he didn't feel like kissing anypony, let alone a princess but seeing the shadowy substance coming towards him made the stallion realize he had to do something! If he didn't, he would probably be stuck in this dream, forced to be a servant until being whisked to the Gala, only to be confronted by Poison Apple with the choice of staying or becoming an Alicorn. Bong . Realizing he was thinking too long, without warning, he placed a kiss on Princess Luna's lips. As the two ponies embraced, Big Mac couldn't help but feel so awkward and alarmed by the kiss as the shadowy substance came over himself and Princess Luna engulfing them in a tidal wave of darkness.

Chapter Five: The Adventures of Moon Knight

Big Macintosh suddenly woke up from a crazy dream. He looked around and saw that he was in a weird apartment building. It was relatively small and rather dull looking, minus the few posters plastered over his walls. He yawned, stretched his forehooves, then slowly trotted to his relatively small kitchen, where he filled up a pot of coffee. As the pot filled, he thought about the dream he had last night of being Cinderella and kissing his co-worker Luna. His cheeks flushed red at the thought, and he threw some sliced bread into the toaster. He then heard a radio chime as an announcer exclaimed, "good morning, citizens of Metropolis! This is Spike here, and I'm here to tell you all about the crazy events we had last night. The supervillain, the Mane-iac, struck again! and was going to amplify the power of her mane and use a massive hair dryer to make everypony's mane go crazy! Luckily the mysterious hero is known only as Moon Night! Once again, our city is safe, yet we still don't know the identity of this mysterious hero! If anyone has any information regarding who this hero is, don't hesitate to get in touch with the Maretropolis radio station! We would love to interview her and get the scoop on who she is and her powers!"

Big Mac sipped his cup of coffee as he listened to the report and shrugged as if it wasn't his problem, but it was cool to hear that Moon Knight struck again! She was a fantastic hero fighting crime and supervillains, then slinking into the night. Nopony knew who she was, but everypony in the city honored her like a celebrity. Every reporter in the city has been after her trying to get an interview from her, but the most they could ever get was a picture if they're lucky. His dream was to find her and get to know her more. But then he turned to see a clock and saw that he had an hour before he had to be at work. Big Mac then took a shower, brushed his teeth, combed his mane, and slipped on a suit. He then trotted out of the apartment and walked through the streets of Metropolis. The city was relatively bustling, with ponies going to and fro to their jobs. Big Mac mingled with the crowd, just being another nameless face. He didn't mind, but he always wished he could be a superhero or do more with his life than be another worker bee.

The stallion eventually made it to the building he worked at. Looking upward, he could spot a massive metallic globe on top of it with "Maretropolis Gazette" engraved into the side of the metal orb. The stallion then slowly approached the building and showed his press badge to the secretary at the front desk. She nodded and waved at him without a word. The stallion rolled his eyes as he took the elevator to his office, where he sat down and typed away with his massive hooves over his tiny typewriter. It looked like he could easily break it, but he's been doing this for years, so he was used to it. After typing away, he looked over to see his shoulder co-worker Luna trotting over. The alicorn looked exhausted, with bags under her eyes, as she seemed like she didn't get any sleep last night. The mare trotted over to her desk while sipping a cup of coffee with her magic. When she sat down, the mare looked somewhat jittery. It seemed she must've had more than a few cups already. He looked away at first, rather anxious to say anything, but he didn't want to look rude and quickly said, "good morning."

"Good morning," the alicorn mumbled as she went to work, clacking away at her typewriter.

The two then worked silently for some time, clacking away at their typewriters without many conversations. Big Mac's cheeks flushed pink as he thought about asking her out to lunch. The earth pony has been interested in her for some time and always wanted to ask her out. But he's always been too cowardly even to try.

However, things were different as that dream of him kissing her last night was still on his mind. The hours flew by, and he saw it was nearing noon; if he wanted to ask her out to lunch, he had to do it soon. Big Mac then slowly got up and trotted over the stallion, getting nervous by the second with his forehead sweating and his heartbeat getting faster. He eventually came up to his co-worker and pulled on his collar before asking, "um..h…hello Luna."

The mare looked up and flashed him a smile, "oh hey, Big Mac need something?"

The stallion shivered as his heartbeat got faster, but he couldn't help but think about what he wanted to say, and he had to say something, or he'll stand here looking like an idiot. He then asked, "would you like to go out to lunch with me?"

Luna put a hoof to her mouth then, snickered under her breath then said, "yes, that sounds lovely."

Big Mac gave a deep sigh of relief; seeing that it was over, he wiped the sweat off his brow as the alicorn rose from her seat and followed after her. Big Mac couldn't believe they were going out on a date!

They then went to a small luncheon nearby, ordering some sandwiches and drinking tea as they enjoyed their lunch in silence. Big Mac lowered his head as he was having trouble saying anything, not knowing how to bring out conversation. But seeing Luna looking so tired and bored, he asked, "um…I don't mean to pry. But why are you so tired all the time?"

The mare sighed deeply as she took a sip from her tea. The mare looked rather exhausted and even somewhat hesitant to say something. Still, eventually, she explained, "I have another job I have to do at night, and it's rather exhausting."

Big Mac paused, wondering what he should say next; he tapped a hoof to his chin before asking, "so, do you like this job?"

Luna took a bite from her sandwich and said, "I do enjoy it, but things keep piling up between that job and my day job, leaving little time for sleep, let alone doing anything else."

Big Mac nodded, seeing how crushed Luna was and wondering if she only went on this date because it didn't involve working. But at the very least, the two are talking and getting to know each other more. He cleared his throat and was about to say something, but then dark clouds started to form overhead, with lightning flashing and thunder clapping overhead. Then there was maniacal laughter as an evil-looking alicorn with bat wings flew downward, her head rearing up and continuing her laughter. Nightmare Moon started to zap chariots and blew them up with her magical blasts while laughing maniacally. Big Mac cried in horror and was under the table but saw the masked hero Moon Knight fly across the sky. The mare was spriting a dark flowing cape with a silver-colored moon mask and sporting what appeared to be armor underneath her clap. The badass-looking mare then flew towards the other alicorn at breakneck speeds shooting out a beam of magic at her rival. Nightmare Moon was ready as she created a shield then the two started to battle it out in the streets. Nightmare Moon seemed to be winning at first, using massive blasts of magic at Luna as she devastated the city. The hero seemed to be much more agile as she was able to dodge Nightmare Moon's attacks and took the opportunity to wrap a magical rope around her arch-nemesis. Then Nightmare Moon slams down into the streets, kicking and swearing, "Luna, I swear! You won't hear from the last of me!"

Moon Knight stood over Nightmare Moon, who was now tied up with her horn lighting up as she sighed, "I bet I won't. But until then, you're going back to the moon."

As Nightmare Moon was slowly being sealed back to the moon, she screamed, "I'll come back; you'll see!"

Big Mac watched Moon Knight fly off towards an ally and saw that this was his chance! If he could get to her, he could get an exclusive interview with her which would give him a ton of bits and maybe even a promotion. Big Mac was determined to go through with this as he didn't want to be stuck writing stupid boring articles for the rest of his life! He then ran through the streets going after Moon Knight, then caught her slinking down an alley. Big Mac continued to chase, slowly descending the path, then quickly jumping into an empty dumpster, peaked his head up, and saw Moon Knight looking around her. She slowly took her mask off, and his mouth dropped, seeing Luna's face! She then looked towards him, but he quickly ducked back under the dumpster with his heart racing as he wondered if she saw him. He waited for hours, then slowly peeked out again to see Luna was gone. Big Mac clambered out of the dumpster, stunned as the realization that his co-worker was a superhero was dawning on him.

Later that evening, Big Mac was trotting back and forth in his apartment with a worried look. Learning that Moon Knight was his co-worker was crazy!? Now he knew Luna was the hero, what should he do? Should he try getting an interview with her? Should he keep her identity a secret!? But she would be so pissed knowing he found out her secret. Should he wait? If so, for how long!? So many questions were going through his mind he knew that he had to do something!? Big Mac tore at his mane and shouted, "what do I do!?"

The stallion then remembered in the report yesterday that there might be clues he may not be able to ask her questions. Still, he wanted to see if he could find more information on her before confronting her. He then remembered Spike on the radio earlier, saying something about a massive battle between Moon Knight and Mane-iac. Maybe before engaging Luna, he should learn more about her villains to understand her better. It sounded rather stupid, but it was better to appreciate his co-worker more before just coming out at her with her secret. The stallion then slowly snuck out of the apartment in the middle of the night, heading towards the warehouse where Moon Knight and Mane-iac had their last battle the previous night. Big Mac slowly trotted through what appeared to be an empty warehouse. The place was trashed, with boxes and fences torn apart, and there was a giant hole in the ceiling. The most exciting thing in the warehouse was a massive hair dryer that was smashed to bits. Big Mac continued trotting around the smashed spray bottle and spotted an amulet on the ground. The stallion then slowly picked up what appeared to be a silvery crescent moon. The piece of jewelry started to vibrate and glow then, out of nowhere, the moon amulet attached itself to his chest. His mane and tail grew outward as his face elongated, a cute light green skirt came over his flank, and a golden bridle collapsed over his chest. His eyelashes grew longer, and lipstick and makeup suddenly appeared on his face. The stallion then turned to see his reflection in a puddle of water, and upon seeing his reflection, then started to freak out, seeing he looked like a princess alicorn!? He screamed then cried out, hearing his soft feminine voice and cried, "am I a girl!?"

"What do I do!? What's going on!" Big Mac cried out, and he started to panic. However, as he calmed down, he felt that his genitals were still present. Other than his physical appearance, he still felt like a stallion. The amulet must've only altered his appearance.

Big Mac squeaked as he heard somepony coming as he hid behind the remnants of the giant hairspray. The new feminine alicorn started to crawl through the metallic cylinder and peeked through a hole, where he saw Mane-iac come inside, using her tentacle-like mane to crawl through the ceiling. She looked rather suspicious, looking around to make sure nopony was around. She then took out some test tubes and samples of some toxic green liquid on the ground. The villain then raised the vials in the air and laughed maniacally as she shouted, "even though Moon Knight destroyed my hair, dryer! I can create a formula replicating my crazy mane and spread it over Maretropolis another way!"

"Not this time Mane-iac!"

The supervillain looked upward and saw that Luna was coming through the ceiling hole, with the moon's glow above outlining her. The hero slowly flapped her wings through the hole in the ceiling, sailing right at her. The two then slammed into each other, with Moon Knight shooting magic beams at the tentacle-like appendages that made up the Mane-iac's mane. But there were too many of the slimy green tentacles to fight off, and a few were able to wrap around the hero quickly. Moon Knight screamed in pain as they tightened her grip and shouted, "I won't let you get away this time, Moon Knight! You're going to be crushed!"

Mane-iac slowly tightened her grip with Moon Knight kicking and screaming for help. Big Mac then realized if he didn't do anything, Mane-iac would crush Moon Knight! He had to act fast, so without thinking, Big Mac flew up on his wings, soared through the air, and blindly zapped the supervillain with his horn. Mane-iac was caught entirely off guard as a few of his wild blasts of magic hit her, knocking the villain out cold. Then the tentacle-like mane loosened its grip on the alicorn she captured. They then together wrap up Mane-iac in her mane.

"Thank you for saving me; I…I must be getting rusty," Moon Knight laughed rather sheepishly.

"N…no problem.." Big Mac stammered, somewhat embarrassed.

The mare nodded as she picked up Mane-iac and said, "hey, let's catch up after we drop her off."

"Right," Big Mac chirped as Luna rose and spread through the air. Big Mac was somewhat surprised. He then spread out his wings, flew up into the air, and followed after her.

After the alicorns placed Mane-iac back in the Maretropolis asylum, the two flew to the top of a building. It was rather beautiful, the moon outshining its silvery glow on a bustling city with the building's lights aglow. As you looked down, ponies still trotting about could be seen below like toys. It was all rather breathtaking, and he could probably sit here admiring the view for hours. But then he turned his head towards the alicorn, and she asked, "It's a nice view, isn't it?"

"Ey'yup!" Big Mac chirped, seeing he was admiring the view as well.

Luna looked out over the city, seeming rather impressed with the view as she said, "It never gets old. I could stay up here for hours…too bad I have to spend most of the time-solving crime."

The stallion nodded and said, "well…you help people, isn't that awarding?"

"Yes, it is…but this job can become rather tedious," Luna sighed; she whispered, "also, I want to say thanks for helping me. I haven't been on my A game recently."

"It…It was no problem!" Big Mac squeaked in a worried voice, still being rather sheepish, having saved the city's most popular hero.

The mare turned her head towards him and asked, "So you're new to being a hero, huh?"

Big Mac paused, not knowing what to say right away, but he didn't see the point of lying and said, "Ey'yup."

"That's cool. Have you thought of a superhero name?"

Big Mac started to feel sweat then stammer, "m...my name is um…um…."

Moon Knight chuckled as she threw a hoof, "it's fine; you don't have to tell me right now. It took me a few nights before I decided to name myself Moon Knight."

Big Mac nodded, seeming to enjoy the name Moon Knight, then got up, held out a hoof, and asked, "would you mind helping me patrol tonight? I could show you the ropes of being a hero, and I could use the help."

"Yeah, sure!" Big Mac squeaked as he got up on all fours and followed her through the city skies. They flew through the air soaring above the city skyline. He was thrilled flying alongside the city's most famous euro, and knowing she was his co-worker, Luna made this all the more worthwhile. But he had to stay focused and learn from her about crime fighting and using his powers. Looking up at the moon, he had a smirk on his face seeing the silhouette of an alicorn on it. Knowing that Nightmare Moon will escape again next time she does, he'll be ready to help Luna take her down.

Chapter Six: Flim and Flam's mech Attack!

Big Mac slowly woke up, still feeling rather tired, dark with bags under his eyes, and after staying up patrolling nearly all night with Luna. The stallion groaned as he rubbed a hoof over his forehead; he barely got any sleep, as it's been almost a month since he got his powers. Big Mac's head was pounding from a headache as his alarm continued to ring, and he slammed a hoof on it. The stallion took a second to rub a hoof over his forehead with a hoof as he was somewhat groggy and tired still after the long night of patrolling Maretropolis the night before. Things have gotten rather exciting with being a hero taking down bad guys, and learning how to fly and use magic. However, it was also rather exhausting and challenging to do while trying to maintain his day job.

"Good morning, Metropolis! We have news for you! The Maniac broke out of her asylum again last night and tried to take over the city. Luckily for us, Moon Knight and the new hero Orchard Blossom have been taking the city by storm. We still know little about this mysterious hero, but many folks in the stress enjoy seeing a new face to save the day. Again we don't know the identity of this new hero who came to patrol the streets and keep us safe. We shall see what she can do, so stay tuned in! As I Spike will keep a close eye on the events that unfold!

Big Mac just chuckled as he thought about his superhero name Orchard Blossom. He wasn't exactly sure why he chose the name, but it fit his new persona well. He then squeaked out surprise upon seeing the clock above and rushed off to eat breakfast. He got ready in the bathroom, took a shower, brushed his teeth, and threw on a suit over himself. Big Mac was about to run out of his apartment, but as he was leaving, the stallion slammed a hoof into his face and shouted, "Buck!"

Big Mac then rushed back into the apartment, retrieved his amulet, and placed it within the folds of his suit jacket. He gave the enchanted jewelry a few pats before he ran out of his apartment and headed toward his place of work.

A few hours later, Big Mac was clacking away at his typewriter on his desk. He was deeply involved in his work, trying to forget about being a superhero and focusing on writing an article. The stallion then looked over at Luna, working away. It wasn't long until he thought about talking to her about his secret identity. How the stallion really wanted to confront her about being a hero. Big Mac just stood there with an unsure look on his face. Luna then looked over at him and asked, "um…Big Mac, do you need something?"

The stallion squeaked as he stumbled about with some files they spilled all over the place. Luna squeaked in surprise as she went to help him pick up the files as they finished. The mare chuckled then asked, "so…Big Mac, was there something you want to tell me?"

"Well, I…um…do…do you want to go out with me again?" The red-coated stallion asked with a sheepish grin.

Luna then snickered beneath a hoof then said, "of course! It only took you a month. Let's just put these files away, then get out of here. I'm starving."

She then went to help Big Mac sort them out and placed them in alphabetical order. Meanwhile, Big Mac seemed to look over at Luna and could not tear his gaze from her. The stallion was still unsure how to talk about it, knowing she was really Moon Knight. But he shut his mouth and slowly trotted out of the office as they went to their favorite sandwich shop.

About an hour later, Big Mac and Luna went out to lunch, and as they sat across from each other, they sat down, ate sandwiches, and drank tea together. The two just chatted about their work day with Luna snickering under her breath, "so it seems you took a night job too?"

"Eyup," Big Mac replied with a loud yawn as he was somewhat exhausted from the night before, and sleep was finally catching up with him.

Luna got up, kissed him on the cheek, and then took a long look at him. She eyed his features for quite some time and asked, "hey…do you work the same night job as me?"

Big Mac gulped, seeing Luna was on the verge of discovering he was a superhero and had been working with her for a month. But his train of thought was broken when he saw a giant mech starting to stomp toward them. It was unlike anything he's seen before. The machine was bipedal with two massive legs and a body with two giant arms with Gatling guns attached to both of them. Although the Mech's all-encompassing powerful look, it looked like a DIY project made of wood with plates of metal attached to its frame. The most exciting detail with this Mech was that the entire machine had tubes connecting throughout its limbs and ligaments. The tubes ran some dark orange liquid throughout the Mech as it had two massive barrels on its back, pumping the fluid throughout its mechanical body. The Mech then slowly started to smash through the city, being able to raise its massive arms that had two Gatling guns attached to them, and started mowing the town down. In contrast, it began to shoot missiles from its back, blasting buildings to rubble.

Crowds of ponies were screaming and running for their lives as the Mech was wrecking the city and leaving nothing but destruction in its wake. Luna and Big Mac suddenly got up from the table and shouted in unison, "I have to go!"

Luna blinked, being instead surprised, then asked. "Wait, you have to go somewhere too?"

"I…um…eyup!" Big Mac exclaimed sheepishly, seeing he also had to change into his superhero form.

The two then rushed off together and ran down the same alley. As the two both suddenly realized they were there together. Luna and Big Mac blinked at each other as the mare's cheeks flushed red, and asked, "so… you're really a superhero, huh?"

"Eyup," was all Big Mac could say with a groan seeing he just exposed the fact he was the hero helping her for the past month and that he had just revealed the truth that he knew her identity for the past month.

Luna sighed as she threw a hoof over her mane. "Let's talk about this later; for now, we have a rampaging robot to stop."

Big Mac threw a hoof over his mane and sighed, "Eyup."

He then grabbed an amulet around his neck, transforming it into his alicorn princess form. His body started to become lankier, with a long flowing mane and tail, long eyelashes, and a cute blouse and skirt growing over his body. Big Mac then struck a pose and flashed his pretty eyelashes. The stallion couldn't believe how cute he looked and enjoyed it. But then he heard snickering and turned to see Luna standing by, watching with a smile on her face.

"Um…what!?"

"That was adorable," the alicorn snickered behind a hoof as she slipped on her costume. Now Orchard Blossom and Moon Knight flew off towards the Mech. They tag-teamed with each other, shooting beams of energy at it. Still, nothing seemed to be working from stopping or making even a dent into the machine's armor plating. The Mech then turned its attention to the two heroes as it tried to take them down, shooting them with missiles. Orchard Blossom squeaked, flying upward, avoiding them, seeing they were tracking his movements and doing his best to maintain his distance. He passed around a building and let the missiles hit the side of the building, with a loud explosion following afterward. Moon Knight flew next to him, seeing he just dodged a bunch of rockets, and was somewhat exhausted as he gasped, "ok, let's try to come at it again, come on!"

"Ok," Orchard Blossom replied, throwing his long mane back; he then lit his mane back as Luna flew out together towards the Mech to bombard the machine with beams of magic, trying to damage it with everything they had. But their attack didn't do anything again as the machine started shooting at the two with its Gatling guns, then rose into the air as far as possible. Luna turned to Orchard Blossom and said, "we need a new plan; this thing seems unbeatable."

The stallion would almost agree, seeing the main frame of the Mech was undamaged from their attacks, and it turned its attention from the city towards them. The Mech then raised the two giant packs of missiles with their Gatling guns and aimed at them. The two alicorns threw out their wings, prepared themselves for a fight, and flew off in opposite directions to divert Mech's attention.

Orchard Blossom then got close to the Mech and could smell the liquid was indeed apple cider, recognizing it almost immediately. He then saw that the apple cider was the fuel keeping the Mech moving with it, using the orange liquid being the power that gives the entire mechanical body its energy to make it run. With this in mind, he turned towards Luna and said, "We need to disconnect the tubing so that it won't be able to move anymore."

Luna was initially confused, but she seemed to catch on as she slammed a hoof into her face and growled, "It's so bucking, so obvious; ok, let's do this."

The two alicorns then coordinated their assault on the Mech, using their combined magic to blast the tubes, disconnecting them from the giant barrels on the back. Meanwhile, the machine turned its top half to face them, continuing its assault, shooting dozens of missiles at them. Despite stopping the Mech from moving, it could still fire its weapons. Big Mac then saw that the giant cider barrels must keep the cider under intense pressure. The image reminded him, for some reason, of a sweltering summer when he saw a bunch of cider barrels explode inside a barn. Then he heard sompony shout.

"Orchard Blossom, you're thinking what I'm thinking!?" Moon Knight shouted.

Big Mac gave a nod and gave a hearty, "eyup!"

They focused their assault on the Mech's back, sending waves of energy to heat the cider within the barrels on its back. They then worked together, using their magic to overheat the liquid bubbling and steaming, making the cider explode and combust from the Mech's back, showering the streets below in a torrent of cider. The Mech then started to collapse onto its knees, unable to move anymore. Now with the Mech's defenseless, Luna tucked her wings to her sides and aimed her horn at the machine. She then flew towards the Mech like a bullet while shooting out a beam of energy through the pilot seat and through the back of the Mech with two lanky unicorns dressed in lab coats encased in her magic.

Big Mac saw two lanky unicorns in lab coats, and it wasn't long until he saw they were professors Flim and Flam. She then took the two using her magic. She took them to an ally there; she and the stallion planted the two of them into a rope and stood over them with a smirk, "so, was there a reason you were attacking Metropolis with a mech running on Apple Cider?"

Flim threw his hooves over his chest and scoffed, "we're not telling you two a thing?"

"Yeah, why would we!? What are you going to do to us? You're not cops," Flam responded with a smirk but squeaked as Luna then pointed her horn right at them with the tip of it glowing as she snapped, "I could do so many things to you, and it would be painful."

"O…ok!" The stallions cried out in unison.

Big Mac trotted over, eyeing the two asked rather threateningly. "So you two ready to talk?"

Flim looked downward and grumbled under his breath, "ok fine, we were paid to do it, ok? We were told to cause some havoc, then leave."

Flam nodded and said, "yes, we were careful not to hurt anypony, I swear. All the bullets and missiles were just full of cider."

Moon Knight lowered her gaze, glared at them, and asked, "So, who hired you?"

The twins seemed to be nervous and seemed to be too scared. Moon Knight lowered her gaze aiming her horn at them as Orchard Blossom smiled at them and said, "my partner is running out of patience. I suggest you give us the answer rather soon."

Flim and Flam looked at each other with worried looks, and the brothers both sighed and said at once, "The mayor."

Later that night, the two alicorns were now sitting on a building and looking over the city, enveloping it with a blanket of the night with the moon and stars shining overhead. She sighed deeply and asked, "well, we know the truth now, huh?"

Big Mac gazed upward, seeing that it was time to let everything out he's been holding this entire time, and gave a relaxed sigh and an "Eyyup!"

Luna then turned towards him and asked, "so, you were Big Mac this whole time?"

The stallion scratched the back of his head with a hoof, then exclaimed, "Eyyup!"

The alicorn mare smirked and asked, "And you knew I was Luna?"

The stallion lowered his gaze and sighed, "Eyup."

The dark alicorn chuckled and asked, "Why didn't you tell me? I felt you were the hero, but I wasn't sure."

Big Mac turned away with a blush as he was going to expose his deepest secret. Still, it was time to finally say something and say, "well, the truth is I always had a crush on you and didn't want to ruin my chances by exposing your secret."

The embarrassed stallion then threw his hooves over his eyes and felt stupid for asking such a question. Still, then he heard Luna whisper, "You know, I… I've been thinking about you a lot too."

Big Mac's cheeks flushed pink as he looked up at Luna, gazing at him with her beautiful teal eyes, and asked, "so…you…you wanna make this official."

Luna turned away with her cheeks flushing pink as she didn't answer directly, then said, "come on, fly with me."

The alicorn then threw out her enormous, beautiful blue feathery wings then flew out into the night sky as Big Mac followed her up into the air, and they nuzzled into each other. They just took the time to fly together through the rather lovely night. Despite enduring a significant battle, it didn't affect how Luna and Big Mac felt. They were relatively relaxed as they went on their peaceful flight. They then fluttered back into the stallion's apartment. Luna then kissed him as they held each other in their embrace. They then threw their wings over each other and touched their muzzles together. Big Mac could feel Luna trembling, and it seemed she was much more scared than he realized. He held her close, and it wasn't until he was next to her that he felt himself shaking out of fear. So much happened today, with them taking on a giant mech and risking their lives. It was like they didn't think about how much danger they had put themselves in until now. But eventually, the two relaxed as Luna kissed him on the cheek and then said, "Well, I'll see you tomorrow," She then threw out her wings and flew out the window as Big Mac stood there, hoping this wasn't just a dream.

Chapter Seven: The True Colors of the Mayor

Big Mac woke up rather suddenly the following day, and this time, he wasn't alone as he could feel another warm body next to him, along with long feathery wings over his body. He then looked over at Luna, lying over him with one of her wings drifting over his body. The stallion gulped, seeing this as rather embarrassing as he realized how this may look but seeing Luna sleeping so soundly, he didn't want to suddenly wake her up. He then lay there in her embrace, but eventually, the two both got up and went to get ready for work together, both too tired to talk as they prepared for the day. Afterward, they brushed their teeth together, took turns using the shower, and then two got dressed into boring old business suits. As the two were enjoying a light breakfast of toast, some scrambled eggs, and a few cups of coffee, Big Mac took out the amulet and stared at it. The wonder of what it was continued to nag at him, and seeing Luna was here; she might be the only one to say what it was and asked, "can you explain what this is exactly? I mean, it's a moon-shaped amulet."

"Oh, that? I'm not sure I've been meaning to ask you about that," Luna replied as she looked over at it and was rather curious.

The big red stallion blinked; seeing it was moon shaped and magical, he thought the amulet was most definitely Luna's as he then said, "wait….that doesn't belong to you?"

The alicorn chuckled as she shook her head and said, "no, I'm a natural-born alicorn; why would I need an amulet to transform for?"

Big Mac felt so stupid as he shoved a hoof into his face with a blush, realizing that everypony in Maretropolis had wondered who Moon Knight was for so long. Still, it turned out to be the only natural-born alicorn in the city. He should've figured it out sooner, as Big Mac felt so stupid not thinking about this. The stallion stowed the amulet away and said, "well, we can worry about this later. We need to take down the mayor and figure out why he unleashed a giant robot onto the city."

"Right, we can do that later tonight; we have to get to work," Luna whispered as she nuzzled into his chest.

Big Mac gave a nod and a hearty "Eyyup," and then the two trotted off to work together.

Later that evening, the two were ready for a Big Mac in his alicorn form, and Luna was in her costume. Big Mac was still getting used to his alicorn form, but he turned to see Luna's sleek, stylish outfit with her long wavy mane. He couldn't help but admire her for a bit before she took notice and replied with a smirk, "you like what you see?"

Big Mac turned his head and gave an "eyyup." He then unfurled his wings, and the two flew off through the cover of night as they headed to a mysterious castle in the distance. It at first looked rather weird, mixed looking like a bright red like a barn, but it also had this dark fantasy look to the structure. It was the strangest building they had ever seen, with Luna whispered, "I looked around the place; it seems he doesn't have a lot of security."

Big Mac looked around the place, seeing no guards, security systems, or anything, as he chirped, "Eyup."

They smashed through the front doors to see a long hallway; inside, the castle was filled with bright green apples and silvery moons placed all over the floors and halls. Pictures of them with ones of Big Mac being a simple farmer in an apple orchard, while others had Luna inside a castle dressed in regal attire, looking like a Princess. Big Mac blinked, seeing that Luna was no longer wearing her costume; he then looked over his body, seeing he was back to a sturdy-looking stallion. It seemed that this place was enchanted, but there in the center of the room was the mayor, a fancy-looking earth pony stallion with a light green coat wearing a freshly pressed tuxedo while sitting down on a throne up at them with a smirk on his face and said, "Hello, Princess Luna, Big Macintosh."

Big Mac trotted over and asked, "wait … I've seen you before in a dream?"

The stallion rose with a smirk, "yes, you have, in a sense."

Big Mac slowly trotted over toward them while clopping his hooves on the ground. He said, "you both did an amazing job taking care of the city, and your relationship is so close now. But I guess this charade should come to an end."

He then lit his horn and sent waves of magic to the ponies as the two were given back their memories. Big Mac groaned as he slammed a hoof into his face. His memories of being a boring office worker seemed to reflect something about being an apple farmer his whole life. He then slowly got up, rubbed his head, and turned to see Luna staggering on her legs as she seemed to have a blast of memories enter her mind. He didn't know everything about her except that she used to be Nightmare Moon and was Princess Celestia's sister. But for the past month, they have had a relationship. He knew her favorite foods, how she would always second guess herself, and how much they seemed to want to be together. But all of that…was it really all just a dream? Big Mac then looked over at Poison Apple and growled, "you messed with our memories and forced us into a relationship!?"

The stallion chuckled as he explained, "I created this dream to trap you two. As I want something from both of you!"

Then without warning, the ground began to look liquefied as the two were trapped within the floor. The two squirmed and tried to break free, but nothing could help them escape. Big Mac started feeling frantic and looked over to see Poison Apple, who slowly trotted over and said, "listen, I'm not a monster, and there's no reason to fear me. If I wanted you gone, I could've easily dreamt you out of existence or had you trapped in a never-ending nightmare." He then stared right back at Big Mac and said, "but I didn't; I made you a hero to give you a sense of purpose and to show you what you're capable of."

Big Mac growled as he lowered his head and snapped, "no I…I made myself a hero."

Poison Apple pointed to the amulet; then, with a flash of light, the silvery moon turned to an emerald in the shape of an apple as the mayor continued, "no, your wrong. I made you a hero, and you only got a taste of what you can do. Imagine what we could accomplish together."

The stallion lowered his head at the realization that this was just a dream and that some dark version of himself was playing him.

Poison Apple then started to rise to what appeared to be right above them, holding out a hoof as he said, "Big Macintosh, you have to choose to stay here with Luna or come with me, and we can be a prince and become the most powerful pony in Equestria!"

The stallion saw Poison Apple would steal his body if he disagreed with him but looked over at Luna. She had given up trying to break free of the inky black substance covering her. The princess of the night looked up with tears in her eyes and whispered, "hey, it's ok; go save yourself. I'm not worth it."

Big Mac looked into the princess' eyes, despite the two having only known each other in a dream. The stallion wasn't going to abandon Princess Luna even if he was going to lose his body. He then shook his head as he held himself tightly into her hooves and said, "Eynope, we're in this together."

Poison Apple growled, slamming a hoof down, and shouted, "You seriously will drown her in your subconscious and allow me to take over your body!?"

Big Mac glared at this evil version of himself and snapped, "Eyyup!"

Poison Apple cursed under his breath, threw his wings out, and roared, "fine! Endure a prison of your creation; I'll take your body myself! One day you both will realize you're wrong!" He turned his gaze to the princess and said, "Luna, you will be my bride one day."

She just gave him a disgusted look and snarled, "I'd rather die first."

Poison laughed, "I expected you would say that, but I'll eventually have you."

With a cruel smile, he turned his attention to Big Mac and said, "As for you, you will learn to live with me, but I can wait; I'm patient."

Then with a flash of light, Poison Apple was gone leaving Princess Luna and Big Mac alone in the sea of black goo. As the two started to sink into the shadowy black substance, Luna looked away from Big Mac and cried, "why…why are you risking your life for me? I'm not worth it."

Despite all their heroic deeds being just in a dream and none of it really happened, Princess Luna showed how devoted she was to helping others, even at the risk of her own safety. How hardworking she was, running two jobs, being a hero, and doing a day job. How she was so much better than how, she saw herself. But he didn't have the words and didn't know how to tell her how he felt. Big Mac then took one of her hooves and closed it around his as he said, "well, you're worthy to me."

Luna gave a nervous chuckle as she nuzzled into him; they sunk into the inky abyss and were again absorbed into the darkness together.

Applejack looked somewhat depressed as she slowly walked through a hospital heading toward Big Mac's hospital room. It's been about a month and a half since he's been in a coma. She worried about him, seeing he's been stuck only to an IV. Hence, she brought one of Granny Smith's apple pies daily, hoping that the aromas or his growling stomach would wake him up. But they've done everything to help him, even with Princess Luna having gone into his head. But that was over a month ago, and now she's in a coma too. The farm mare then slowly opened the door and gasped upon seeing Big Mac. He was up but not just that; his coat was a silky green coat, and he had slick violet hair and dashing red eyes. The stallion threw out his wings and exclaimed, "hello, dear sister."

The orange-coated mare's mouth dropped, and she looked around the room, wondering who this was!? Did he break into the hospital, and where was her brother!? But then, looking at the stallion closely, she recognized her brother's physique. His broad shoulders, muscular frame, his square jaw, and despite the stallion being more articulate, she then recognized her brother's deep voice. She then stammered, "B...Big mac is that you?"

The stallion pointed a hoof at his chest and said, "call me Poison sis," He then slowly trotted over, picking up the pie and sniffing at it, then asked, "is that for me?"

Applejack stowed the pie away before shouting, "no, it ain't! It's for my brother now; what did you do to him!?"

Poison Apple smirked as he tapped a hoof to his head, then said, "oh, he's in here and is well, but that can easily change. At the moment, he's living in a perfect fantasy." He lowered his gaze and growled, "but I can easily make his life a living nightmare."

Applejack lowered her gaze and asked, "what about Princess Luna!? She's inside your head trying to help my brother."

The prince threw his head back as he chirped, "oh, she's there as well, so for now, you'll act as if I am your brother and tell nopony about who I really am, or I will destroy him. Do I make myself clear?"

The farm mare gnashed her teeth as she held a hoof with the pie out for him. "I believe you bought an apple pie for your dear old brother."

Applejack slowly gave him the pie, and he took out a slice delicately with a knife and fork as he placed it in his mouth, then dabbed his lips with a handkerchief.

The farm mare looked disgusted at how her simple apple pie was being eaten with utensils; seeing how he wasn't even acting like her brother, she said, "you know, you don't look or act like my brother."

He shrugged as he swallowed the pie, "I'll make up a lie to explain why I'm so different. All you need to do is go along with it and convince your friends and Princess Celestia not to get involved."

"What about Princess Luna? She's also in a coma with her mind stuck in my brother's head!?"

He then bent his head down next to her and said with a smirk, "oh, don't worry about her; she'll wake up soon, being much more willing to understand where I'm coming from and willing to marry me."

Applejack wanted to do nothing more than buck this imposter holding her brother's and Princess Luna's minds hostage. Also, she had to keep in mind he was using her brother's body, so if he did anything to hurt Poison, she'd end up hurting Big Mac. She got up, slowly threw a hoof, and growled, "come on then, brother."

"Of course, dear sister," Poison responded with a smirk as he trotted out of the room.

Applejack grumbled under her breath as he was forced to trot alongside this imposter holding her brother hostage. Poison Apple would flash a grin while ponies would stare at him in absolute disbelief.

Eventually, a crowd started to form, with ponies in absolute awe; at seeing a male alicorn walking around. Big Mac eventually made his way to the center of town, where he flew up in the air and proclaimed, "hello, everypony! My name is Big Macintosh!"

"No way, your Big Mac!?" Pinkie shouted as she jumped over.

She bounced over and said, "he's a big earth pony who says Eyyup and Eynope! You're an imposter!"

Everypony gasped as they turned towards the stallion, who then gazed downward at Pinkie as he took a hoof over his chest and said, "yes, you're right. I'm no longer the Big Mac you used to know."

Before Pinkie could retort, Apple Bloom burst from the crowd with tears filling her eyes; she rushed over to the alicorn prince and gazed at him for a minute. Applejack looked down at her sister with her heart in her throat, despite wanting to scream out that Pinkie Pie was proper and that this Poison Apple was really taking over her brother's body. But Apple Bloom has been the most shaken up by Big Mac being in a coma, and it would break her heart to know what she knew. So Applejack clenched her mouth shut as the little filly stammered, "B…Big Mac, is that really you?"

Big Mac turned towards his younger sister and ruffled her mane, "yes, it's true, your brother is now a prince."

"How? Weren't you just in a coma!?" Apple Bloom cried as she hugged him, Big Mac bent down and hugged her back, and they held each other as the crowd awed. Applejack just watched in silence, so disgusted and angry this Poison Apple was pretending to be Big Mac. The stallion then came close to Apple Bloom. He whispered, "Well, while in a coma, I was contacted by Princess Luna, who helped me unlock my full potential to become a prince."

"Really!? Does that mean we're going to live in a castle!?" Apple Bloom squealed.

"Eventually, we will!" The prince laughed as he then plopped the little filly onto his back. The stallion then unfurled his wings and flew above the astonished crowd. Poison Apple placed a hoof over his chest and proclaimed, "that's right! I, Big Macintosh, am now a prince. Fear not, for nothing in Ponyville will change due to my recent transformation. Please continue with your lives!"

Poison Apple's speech got a loud round of applause from ponies on the ground as he gave them a wink as he then flew off through the air as Apple Bloom squealed and laughed in delight, riding on his back. Meanwhile, everypony started to come over to Applejack, asking her questions like how was Big Macintosh awake from a coma? And how did he turn into an alicorn? Applejack stood there sweating as she gave a nervous answer, "I…I dunno how he turned into a prince or how he's awake…guess I just got a prince for a brother now. Gotta run!"

She then ran off the road heading towards Twilight's castle despite Poison Apple's warning that she needed help to save her brother and stop Poison Apple from stealing her brother's mind!

Later that evening, Applejack met with the rest of her friends back at Twilight's castle along with Princess Celestia. The farm mare explained everything she learned from Poison Apple as she lowered her head, "so that's everything this…thing has my brother hostage along with Princess Luna."

"So what do we do?" Twilight asked, "Can we dream walk with Princess Luna to help them?"

Princess Celestia lowered her gaze and shook her head as she said, "sadly, if this Poison Apple has trapped my sister and Big Macintosh's minds deep into his dream realm. If that's true, we can't get in without his permission."

"Exactly!" Poison Apple explained as he held his head high.

Twilight lit her horn, ready to blast him, but Poison Apple tapped his head and replied with a smirk, "now, we don't want to hurt Big Mac or Princess Luna, do we?"

The alicorn dimmed her horn and sat down, growling cursed under her breath as Applejack was wide-eyed as she turned towards him. "How di-"

Poison Apple rolled his eyes and blurted, "Oh please, I have all of that big oaf's memories; I knew you would gather your friends to save him."

He looked over at everypony in the room, giving him evil glares, and sighed of relief, "oh good; Applejack already explained everything. That makes this really easy."

He sat down on a chair and took out a cup of tea as he continued to explain. "Look, I'm not going to hurt any pony as long as I get what I want."

He then pointed at Applejack, "you will continue to call me Big Mac and assure everypony in Ponyville I'm the same pony but that I just changed."

Applejack grumbled, "Like I have much of a choice."

He turned towards Rarity and said, "I'll need a tuxedo. Big Mac hates clothes, but I'm quite the opposite."

"I would ra-!"

Poison Apple tapped a hoof to his head, "remember who is keeping your friend's brother hostage, my dear. Also, consider this payback having a hoof for ruining my plans."

Rarity screamed, then slammed a hoof to the ground, "fine."

Princess Celestia continued to glare at him, not leaving her eyes off him for a second, and asked, "how do we know my sister and Big Mac are still in there? For all we know, you disposed of them already."

Poison Apple continued to just lay back despite all the hostility as he continued to sip his tea. Applejack could tell Celestia was one step away from ripping him apart with her magic. Still, she knew like her that Poison Apple was holding all the cards right now. The stallion then gently placed his cup of tea and said, "Oh, you'll just have to trust me, but considering your sister is still breathing should be proof enough."

The princess' glare didn't change as she asked," So what are you going to do to take over Equestria?"

The stallion rolled his eyes as he brushed some dirt off his suit and replied rather casually, "Oh please, I may be evil, but I'm not cliche." He walked over to her until they were inches from each other and said, "Simply put, I may be an alicorn, but I don't have full access to all my power…But that will change when I have Princess Luna fall in love with me."

The anger boiling up the princess seemed to reach a tipping point as her face turned red as she snarled, "What did you just say!?"

Poison Apple waggled a hoof at her and, with a sinister sneer, said, "remember, your sister is in my hooves; do anything to me, and she's done."

Celestia was seething, and her horn was about to fire. Still, Applejack put a hoof onto her shoulder with tears in her eyes as she said, "Princess, please calm down…think of your sister, and my brother is in there as well."

The princess looked over at Applejack, and that's when the farm mare saw the tears welling up in her eyes as well, and she dimmed her horn and lowered her head in defeat. Poison Apple gave a triumphant laugh. He then glared at Twilight and added, "when that big oaf and Luna come to their senses and realize I've won. We'll become the rulers of Ponyville, so you'll step down as a princess, and I'll have you vacate the premises. I do need a castle, after all."

Twilight rolled her eyes as the stallion then turned around while whisking his tail at them. He then started to trot towards the massive doors. Still, before he left, Poison Apple looked over his shoulder, stared right at the group of ponies, and snarled, "and here's my final warning: I'm letting Applejack off the hook this once for the sake of keeping Big Mac alive because I need him."

The red-coated stallion paused as his voice became much darker as he finished, "But suppose any of you try to tell anypony else about me. In that case, I will destroy Big Mac and Princess Luna, and then I'll come after every one of you; that's a promise."

He then slammed the doors behind him as the ponies in the room looked at each other with depressed and scared looks. Applejack turned to Princess Celestia despite having only seen the princess a hoofful of times. She's never seen the regal proud, looking pony looking so defeated and downtrodden ask, "we really can't help our foalnapped siblings, can we?"

The princess had tears in her eyes as she shook her head and said, "I'm afraid not; we can't risk Poison Apple's wrath."

Everypony was silent as Applejack looked around the room, hoping somepony would say something. Still, even Rainbow Dash, the most confident of them all, looked downtrodden and worried. Pinkie Pie suddenly bounced over and shouted, "what about me!?"

Everypony turned to face her as Pinkie exclaimed, "you all forget! Princess Luna told me I'm the best dreamer among all of you!"

Twilight groaned as she replied, "yes, but that's why you shouldn't go into Poison Apple's dream. Knowing you, he would recognize you in a heartbeat."

Princess Celestia tapped a hoof to her chin as she seemed to be forming a plan in her head, then whispered, "Pinkie might be our only hope to get them back."

The princess turned towards Twilight, "Twilight, can you speed read my sister's books on dream walking? We specifically need to know how to invade a dream without detection."

"Y…yes I could… but what's your plan exactly? I…I don't want to risk Poison Apple doing anything to your sister or Applejack's brother," Twilight stammered, unsure of what Princess Celestia was saying; she then turned towards Pinkie. "Well, considering what my sister told me about the tantabus, Pinkie Pie was the best at maintaining herself within a dream. But we're going to do some test runs and see if she can meld within a dream without disturbing the dreamer."

Pinkie Pie started to cheer, "yeah! I'll be discreet and then find Big Mac and Princess Luna and bust them out!"

Applejack started feeling a shred of hope, hoping they would devise a plan. Anything that could save her brother; she had already lost her parents she wasn't going to lose anypony else.

Chapter Eight: Pinkie Pie Breaks the Dream

A week later…

After a week of training entering the dream realm, Pinkie Pie was in Twilight's bedroom with her friends and Princess Celestia. The atmosphere was somewhat tense as they all anticipated Pinkie Pie diving into the dream realm to save Big Mac and Luna. The usually optimistic and cheerful pony looked slightly nervous about what would happen.

Celestia noticed that she looked nervous and slowly trotted over to her and asked, "Pinkie Pie, are you ok?"

The pink pony lowered her head and stammered, "yes princess…just a bit nervous is all…."

Princess Celestia wrapped her wings around Pinkie Pie, gently pulled her into a hug, and whispered, "I know you're scared, and I thank you for doing this."

"Yes, princess, thank you for being here for me," Pinkie Pie whimpered as they held each other she then placed the pink-coated earth pony into bed as if she were a child. Twilight hooked up some monitoring equipment. Meanwhile, Applejack held her hoof tightly and whispered, "I'll be by your side the whole time."

"Ok, Applejack, don't worry, I'll get your brother back," Pinkie replied. Rarity then gave her a face mask and some lovely tea to help her sleep. Despite this being scary and knowing she was going into a nightmare. Pinkie felt comforted that her friends were with her, and she felt ready to confront whatever lay ahead. Pinkie Pie then slowly closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Pinkie Pie was now blinking, somewhat confused as she tried to gauge her surroundings. She eventually looked to see she was in her bedroom at Sugarcube Corner. But unlike her room filled with balloons, confetti, and streamers….well, it was filled with those things. Still, they were all orange and black, with the streamers of bats, and the room had a giant jack-o-lantern mat in the middle. She slowly got up and saw it was evening outside, with the sun now setting and the moon rising above her window. The mare was surprised as she got up and jumped out of bed, then turned to see her cutie mark, which was balloons but instead of blue, yellow, and white, they were orange, black, and red, and they were in the shapes of bats. She then pulled out her party cannon, which was now brightly colored orange. Curious about what it shot, Pinkie Pie lit the wick at the end and squeaked as it shot out candy.

"Well, that confirms it; this is a dream!" She shrugged, seeing her destiny in this dream was a Nightmare Night planner. Then she went out of her room and downstairs; most of Sugarcube Corner was as she remembered it, with not much being changed. She then saw Mr and Mrs cake handling their foals, wearing adorable jack o lantern style onesies.

"Good Evening, Pumpkin Pie!"

Pinkie Pie blinked, somewhat confused about her new name, which caused the Cakes to give her odd looks as Mr.Cake asked, "um, Pinkie Pie, are you alright?"

"Oh, I'm fine, just getting up! Happy Nightmares Night!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she had to remember to blend into the dream.

"Happy Nightmares Night!" Everypony cheered back. Pinkie Pie then jumped over to a table where she had a pumpkin pie plate with whipped cream. She then quickly went onto her breakfast, eating that along with a cup of pumpkin spice latte which she wasn't a fan of, but she didn't want to make the dream version of Mr. and Mrs. Cake suspicious.

She waved a hoof and sailed off through Sugarcube corner and into Ponyville. She could see the place was all decked out in Nightmare Night decorations with bats and pumpkin paper cutouts strung about. There were jack-o'lanterns all over the streets, foals dressed in costumes. Not just that, bat ponies were flying about with their families as well.

It was a spectacle, and Pinkie Pie was somewhat surprised that despite all the Nightmare Night decorations and the bat ponies, this Ponyville wasn't much different as well, with the simple houses with thatched roofs and dirt roads. It was a strange world despite being a dream, but it wasn't too crazy. Pinkie Pie then got up and went off to the apple farm, hoping to find Big Mac. Pinkie Pie expected right to the farm, but what surprised her instead was seeing the sea of apple trees that made up sweet apple acres; there was a sea of pumpkins making a massive pumpkin patch that stretched over the hills for miles. There were all kinds of white, green, and orange pumpkins. She didn't realize there were different colored pumpkins!? A pumpkin farmer can show her all these different kinds of pumpkins in the real Equestria. Pinkie Pie continued to admire the pumpkins as she trotted along until she came to the front door of the Apples' house. She was somewhat reluctant as the door opened; to her relief, it was normal plain old Applejack. The only difference was that this dream version of her friend had three pumpkins for a cutie mark instead of three apples. The farm mare gave him a curious look as she said, "uh, Pumpkin Pie, whatcha doing here?"

"Oh, Applejack, you're here!" Pinkie squealed, jumping over and hugging her as she laughed, "hey, take it easy! And my name is Jackie Lantern."

She was able to nudge her off, and then Pinkie asked, "so um, Applejack- I mean Jackie Lantern…I uh came to see Big Mac is here with you?"

"Uh, Big Mac is in Canterlot getting ready for his wedding."

"Wedding!?"

"Yes, wedding," the mare responded as she cleared her throat. "Anyways, I don't; know why you're still here. It would be best if you were in Canterlot helping to set things up. The wedding is happening at midnight, so you still got time."

"Right, um…yes, it slipped my mind, ya know!?" Pinkie laughed nervously, remembering what Celestia said about trying to blend into the dream.

"Alright, well, my folks and I are getting ready too. We got a chariot with some bat ponies taking us. Need a lift?"

"Oh me? Yes, of course!" Pinkie exclaimed, relieved that she was getting transported to Canterlot; as much fun as it would be to hop around this weird dream, she had to remember to keep to the mission.

"Ok, come on then," Jackie Lantern led Pinkie Pie to a royal chariot with two bat ponies hitched to it. Pinkie Pie saw that Granny Smith and Applejack were wearing dresses as well. They both seem normal as well, with the only difference was Granny Smith's cutie mark was a pumpkin pie instead of an apple pie.

"Come ere' Pumpkin Pie, sit in between us!" Granny chimed as she patted the center seat of her chariot. Pinkie squealed and chirped, "ok!" She slammed her flank between her and Apple Bloom. As the two bat ponies unfurled their wings and sailed into the sky, the mare couldn't help but reminisce about their road trip, and she couldn't believe how relaxing things were. Pinkie Pie had to keep herself from falling asleep; if she did, her subconscious would go into a different dream.

Big Mac was surprised by being in his chambers at the royal Canterlot palace; the room he was in was massive and ornamented with luxurious items, a gigantic mirror, and an ornate bed with a canopy cover. It was pretty elegant, yet there was something small and simple in the room, a bowl of apples in the middle set in the room where he was currently chomping down. He reminisced how despite being born an alicorn, he refused to be royalty. But that was until he was called to help Twilight and her friends defeat Daybreaker, the tyrannical form princess Celestia took a thousand years ago. After that, everything changed, he met princess Luna who awarded him for his efforts, and they dated for a bit. Now they're having a wedding… it was like a dream, a blur of images going through his mind as he ate his simple breakfast.

"Don't tell me that's all you're eating."

Big Mac's ears perked up upon hearing his fiance's voice; he turned his attention to the dark blue alicorn trotting into his room and responded with an "Eyyup."

"Ugh, you know we have the best chefs in Equestria, and here you are, just chomping away on apples."

"Eyyup."

"Guess you are a simple farm pony at heart," Luna whispered as she gave him a peck on the cheek. The stallion's cheeks flushed red as he rubbed where she kissed him. Luna then looked up at the clock seeing it was only around seven pm. "Five hours. We got up way too early."

"Eyyup."

Luna paused and seemed somewhat guilty as she said, "I wonder, is it odd we're doing our wedding the night I sealed my sister to the sun?"

Big Mac paused for a second, seeming not to know what to say; he then shook his head and said, "eynope."

Luna looked over at him and asked, "Why's that?"

"Because Twilight and her friends freed her, you reunited with her."

"Right…but it does feel off…not just that…" the princess groaned, rubbing her head as if she had a headache.

Big Mac nuzzled into his fiance and laid their heads over each other's shoulders. They stayed that way for a few minutes, just enjoying the moment alone until they heard Rarity knock on the door. "Darlings, I think it's time to get ready for the wedding."

"Right, we should get going," Luna sighed as she got up, gave him another kiss, and then asked, "maybe after the ceremony, you and I just get some alone time?"

Big Mac's entire face went pink at the invitation, and he gave a hearty "eyyup!"

He followed his fiance down the hall when they saw Pumpkin Pie bounce over with her overly cheerful smile. "Hello! Big Mac! I'll be getting you ready for your big day!"

Rarity gave a long exasperated sigh, "yes, Pumpkin Pie, please try to stay on task; make sure Prince Macintosh's hooves are scrubbed, his mane and tail trimmed and combed, wings preened, and make sure his suit is put on properly."

"Yes, mam!" Pumpkin Pie exclaimed; she then took Big Mac by the hoof, and he led away from Princess Luna as the two both looked at each other longingly.

"Ok, let's start!"

Big Mac squealed as he was now suddenly in a giant bathtub filled with bubble purple suds that smelled strongly of lavender. Pinkie Pie went about washing his mane and tail as she started to talk, "so, I have to ask some things as I'm…uh…forgetting a few things…is that ok?"

"Eyyup."

"Ok, Princess Celestia turned evil and was sealed away a thousand years ago."

"Eyyup."

"And Princess Luna is Twilight's favorite princess now."

"Eyyup."

"And I assume Rainbow Dash is a Wonderbolt?"

"Eynope."

"Right, a Shadowbolt!"

"Eyyup."

"And we are awake during the night and sleep during the day."

"Eyyup."

"Are we all vampires?"

"Eynope."

"I saw some bat ponies, so I assumed maybe vampires would be about…what about zombies?"

"Eynope."

"Werewolves."

"Eynope."

"Ok, but I saw Fluttershy has bat wings, conducting bats to sing. And her cutie mark has three pink bats. You're not telling me she's not a vampire?"

"Eynope."

"So that's a yes?"

"Ey…um…nope?"

"Ok, well, we're about done with the bath," Pinkie exclaimed. Big Mac blinked, seeing he was now outside the bath and Pumpkin was going over him like a pink tornado combing his mane and tail. "I already preened your wings, just gotta polish your hooves and get you dressed, and you're all set!"

"Eyyup."

"Also, don't worry about the wedding; I already have it all set up! It looks like a Nightmares Night party if you ask me, but seeing you're having your wedding on Nightmares Night, it's appropriate.

"Eyyup."

"And…none of this seems strange to you?"

"Eynope."

"You sure? Because what good reason would we be nocturnal if we were not vampires!?"

Big Mac sighed and then squeaked, sporting a dark blue uniform with medals on the right side of his chest. His mane was smartly combed along with his tail, and his hooves shone through a nearby window in the moonlight.

"There see! Finished in no time at all!" Pinkie chirped as she bounced before him and asked, "so did I do good?"

Big Mac was rather impressed, and despite her rambling, he always enjoyed his talks with the eccentric pink pony. He gave the nod and gave another hearty." Eyyup!"

"Alright!" Pinkie squealed as she shot out her Nightmare Night cannon, shooting out candy, orange, and black confetti. Big Mac laughed and hugged her. She then seemed rather sad and said, "listen, Big Mac…This wedding is important, but you must consider what I said. None of this makes sense. Can't you understand what I'm trying to say?"

Big Mac paused; some of the things she said made him think about what Luna said…something felt off, and he couldn't put a hoof on it. Then a clock chimed nearby and squeaked, seeing it was eleven p.m. The stallion then got up and said, "Eynope, gotta go!" He cried and hurried out of the room as he was going to be late for the wedding!

Pinkie Pie was feeling somewhat depressed. She knew her mission was to get Big Mac and Princess Luna to wake up, but they seemed so happy here, and we're getting married!? Can she ruin their wedding!? But then she remembered that evil Poison Apple possessing Big Mac and how scared and worried Princess Celestia and Applejack was. She had to ensure they didn't kiss at midnight. He was presented at the end of the aisle with Fluttershy conducting a group of bats to shriek out a soft, lovely tune as Octavia played on a pipe organ. The entire place looked like something out of an old gothic play. Pinkie Pie put a hoof to her chest feeling rather proud of herself. She then took a seat among the many ponies; seats among them were his family. On the left side was Celestia, Princess Cadance with her husband Shining Armor, and many other royals, including Prince Blueblood. He has waited for this moment to be admired and praised; despite marrying into royalty. The stallion has helped Twilight and her friends defeat many monsters and restore Celestia from her evil self. He stood there patiently, as," here comes the bride," started playing, and his fiance's soon-to-be wife went down the aisle dressed in a gorgeous night blue gown that shimmered over her body.

After they met at the altar, the two locked eyes and stared at each other longingly, Celestia gave a eulogy about how love conquers all. It was a rather long and tedious Pinkie Pie's full attention was on the couple as they both gave their vows. But she started to sweat, seeing the clock overhead showing that there were only a few minutes before midnight. She had to do something, or Poison Apple would win. He'll keep these two in the dream forever! Then right before the two kissed, Princess Celestia held up her head and said to the crowd, "if any pony desires to halt this matrimony, you may now say your piece."

There was a long pause of silence, and Pinkie Pie finally got the courage to get up and shout, "I object!

Everypony gasped as they turned towards Pumpkin Pie, a pink-coated pony who jumped out of her seat and shouted, "Big Mac, don't kiss her!"

Big Mac turned towards her and asked, "Why not?"

Pinkie paused again, unsure what to say; the dream was going to know she was an intruder now; anyways, she shouted, "Because I ...I think that's what the dream wants?!"

"What dream?" Applejack snapped.

Celestia shouted, her eyes narrowed, and shouted, "yeah, what dream!?"

Everypony in the crowd started getting angry, turning their anger to Pinkie Pie. Luna shouted, "SILENCE, I COMMAND THEE AS PRINCESS OF EQUESTRIA!"

Everypony stopped their shouting, and all bowed towards princess Luna who then looked over to Pinkie and asked, "what dream are you talking about?"

Pinkie bounced over, looked Luna right in the eye, and said, "Luna, this isn't you, your real body is in a coma, and your real sister is waiting for you."

The fake Celestia flared her wings and shouted, "But I'm her real sister! The one who is younger and adores her and is sorry for her mistakes."

Pinkie ignored her, looked over at Luna, and continued, "Luna…yo…you were the one who turned evil and became Nightmare Moon, not Celestia; you have to confront this; you can't run from it."

Luna didn't fully believe her, but she had to admit it sounded right; she turned to Big Mac and asked, "you think she's telling the truth? This is all just some sort of dream?"

Big Mac seemed somewhat reluctant to say anything, but then he felt waves of memories hit him like a truck, being a simple earth pony farmer.

Apple Bloom then slowly trotted to Big Mac in her cute frilly orange dress, swishing about her as she asked, "Big Mac, if this was a dream, wouldn't you be my favorite sibling!? Aren't I real?"

His lip quivered, wanting nothing more than this to be accurate, but he knew in his heart that was not true. Tears ran down his cheeks as he shook his head and said, "Eynope."

As soon as he said that, the guests were getting angry and shouting at them with their teeth growing pointy, and everypony now had giant leathery bat wings sprouting from their backs.

Pinkie Pie gasped loudly as she pointed at the horde of vampires and cried, "I told you they're vampires!"

The guests started to hiss, and they charged them, flying towards them in a torrent of leathery bat wings flapping through the air. Before vampires could get their teeth on the trio, Big Mac scooped Pinkie Pie and Luna into his hooves and flew upwards, breaking through a stained glass window and heading to the top of the palace. They all paused, with the moon overhead shining down on them. The trio then looked up to see that a silhouette could be seen flying toward them. It wasn't long until the profile was much clearer as the devilish Poison Apple landed among the group with a sad look and asked, "Why are you all leaving? I gave you everything you want, and this is how you repay me!?"

Big Mac glared at him, seeing he was the one who put him here and rage filled his heart. Meanwhile, Luna burned the dress around her body, lowered her head, aimed her horn at the green-coated alicorn, and shouted, "Because this is a dream you trapped me in!"

The red-coated stallion trotted next to her and shouted, "eyyup!"

Poison Apple laughed again, then said, "I trapped you in here!? You trapped yourselves! You could've left anytime, but you stayed! Because the truth is you both want to be heroes and be remembered like your more popular siblings! But the truth is that if you go back to the real world, you'll live in their shadows for the rest of your miserable lives!"

Tears filled Luna's eyes as she was becoming emotional as the words Poison Apple said stung Big Mac put a hoof on her shoulder, and he didn't have to say anything; she knew that regardless of how they felt, they couldn't stay here. She turned her attention back to Poison Apple and said, "yeah, you buried my memories, and until Pinkie Pie told the truth, I was going to stay here trapped in your warped reality. I had to face my jealousy again, so thank you for making me realize how I almost allowed myself to become a monster again!"

Big Mac nodded, seeing that he was also tempted to stay there, and gave the nod. "Eyyup!"

Poison Apple flew upwards, getting furious as he shouted, "You two are serious!? You have everything you want and a perfect life anypony would die for, and you're throwing it away!"

He then raised himself above the two as his eyes burned with rage and his horn glowed as he shouted, "I was too lenient on you two! I'm going to destroy you and this nuisance!"

Luna shouted, "Big Mac, Pinkie Pie! Remember, this is a dream! Together we can defeat him!"

"Right!" Pinkie exclaimed; she closed her eyes, and then her body lengthened as she felt her mane and tail grow out; a horn grew out from her forehead as wings sprouted out from her back, and her cutie mark returned to how it was supposed to be, except the balloons were in the shape of crowns. "Hello, everypony! Meet princess Pinkie Pie, the princess of parties!"

Big Mac and Luna flew towards Poison Apple, who used his horn to explode a cloud of purple smoke.

Luna gasped and used her magic to create gas masks for everypony, then had them fly over the cloud. "Stop, you almost were poisoned!"

"Ugh, it's a dream, Luna, remember!?" Pinkie replied as she shot out a beam of magic, turning the poison cloud into a thick cotton candy cloud. Poison Apple was now stuck in it as he shouted. "What the heck is this!?"

"Ha! Sorry, but you messed with the best dreamer in all of Equestria!" Pinkie chimed; she then turned to the horde of vampire ponies coming at them and beaming them with energy, turning their wings into butterfly wings. Their sharp teeth were replaced with proboscis-like tubes as they fluttered about aimlessly, carried away by wind drafts.

Big Mac and Luna then took the opportunity to face Poison Apple, who broke free from his prison. "Buck this! I'll leave this accursed dream and leave you here!"

He then flew off, but Big Mac took a lasso and wrapped it around his body, then he slammed the alicorn down to the castle roof below. Luna used her magic to levitate him upwards and then encased him in a bubble of her charm. He tried as he might, but Poison Apple was trapped, unable to move. "Curse you! Curse you all! You could've lived here and never felt misery again!"

Luna looked over at her sister, who was now a giant cake with Pinkie Pie topping her with candles; she chuckled and then said, "yeah, life can be miserable and hard, but we'll face the challenges ahead."

Big Mac smiled at Luna as he couldn't have said it any better himself and gave an "Eyyup!"

Poison Apple roared as he slammed his hooves at the bubble. "Wait… don't seal me…I promise I'll do anything; I'll stay here and advise or ease your pains at night. I can teach you to be wealthy, powerful, and respected!"

Big Mac looked downward at him and started to feel somewhat ashamed that this creature was born from his insecurities, and he realized then that he had to ensure he never ended up like this monster. The stallion then gave a nod and a simple. "Eynope."

Luna looked down at the pitiful creature before her. This creature reminded her of the one she had succumbed to long ago. She bowed her head in reverence, then said, "You're just like Nightmare Moon, just a symbiote looking for a host to feed off our dark desires or temptations. Sorry but this is the end for you."

She and Big Mac then lit their horns together and, with a combined blast of magic, slammed the bubble sending it toward the moon. Everypony watched as the bubble slammed into the moon, followed by a massive explosion that covered the sky in dust. When the dust cleared, everypony looked up to see that the moon was no longer round but in the shape of an apple. It was a strange and magnificent sight, but it wasn't long until a ripple of energy tore through the sky. They then saw that the fabric of reality was torn apart, throwing it into an abyss of bright white light.

"We did it! It's over!" Pinkie cheered as she flew over, throwing confetti in the air. Big Mac turned towards Luna longingly, seeing that the dreams they were trapped in were coming to an end. Before the ripple of energy hit them, Big Mac came up and planted a kiss on Luna's lips, and then everything was enveloped in a bright light.

Chapter Nine: Was it all a Dream?

The day after Luna awoke from her slumber, Big Mac was no longer possessed. The two alicorns held a press conference with Princess Celestia on a balcony overlooking the streets of Canterlot, explaining the situation. Big Mac then looked the most out of place as he now sported two giant wings and a horn; he did look a lot like one of the alicorn princesses. But his rustic mane and tail stayed , along with his study body clumsily swaying side to side as he was not used to his new wings, clearly showed how different he was compared to the royalty he stood with. The alicorns looked unsure of what to do or say as the press flashed their cameras and asked them hundreds of questions at a time. The scene was quite chaotic.

Princess Celestia then flared her wings and shouted, "Please, everypony, calm down; we'll have time for questions later!"
The crowd seemed to quiet down as she continued, "for now, I'm just going to have my sister, Princess Luna, explain everything."

She then moved out of the way as Princess Luna came over to the balcony, cleared her throat, and said, "Greetings, citizens! Princess Luna shall explain what occurred! For almost a month, Big Macintosh, a pony from Ponyville, has been under the influence of a nightmare creature named Poison Apple. I dove into his dreams to rescue him but was unsuccessful, having been caught in his web. He was trying to possess Big Mac and make me fall in love with him, making him officially royalty."

The stallion nodded and gave an "Eyyup!"

"But we didn't allow that to happen! Big Macintosh and I fought back, thanks to Pinkie Pie!"

"yessirie!" Pinkie cheered as she bounced around the crowd, shouting, "it was awesome! I was in this world where Celestia was evil! And Night was Day! And Princess Luna was going to marry Big Mac. It was so cute!"

The press then turned their attention to Pinkie as they started to ask her questions; she started blathering on about the dreams and how cute Princess Luna looked in her wedding dress.

Luna quickly interrupted, "yes, thank you, Pinkie; as I was saying, we were able to seal away Poison Apple back into the dream realm, and he most likely will never harm another pony again!"

Everypony cheered and started to clop their hooves on the ground below. Big Macintosh's cheeks flushed pink as he bowed his head, then Princess Luna came over towards him, and he seemed to regain his confidence with her nearby.

The press then swarmed Big Mac shouting questions.

"Are you going to be a princes-I mean prince!?"

"Eyyup."

"How did a dream change your body?"

"I don't know."

"Are you feeling any different? Do you feel powerful?"

"Eynope!"

"Are you still planning on marrying Luna?"

At this question, Big Mac hesitated despite their entire relationship being built up in a dream. He still had feelings for her but seeing they should date in real life before they get to that point, she shook his head and said, "Eynope."

"Are you seriously just going to return to your farm?"

"Eyyup!"

Luna was starting to get frustrated with the press and the crowd. She then came over to Big Mac's aid; she flared her wings and shouted in her royal Canterlot voice; she cried, "that's enough! Big Macintosh and I have dealt with a lot for the past week and require rest! Please leave; we will answer all your questions tomorrow!"

The press groaned as they all started to fly off as Princess Luna escorted Big Mac back into the palace.

There Big Mac was swarmed by his family. Apple Bloom was the first to hop over, and she jumped into his hooves. She buried herself in his red coat with tears of joy filling her eyes as she cried, "Big Mac, I'm so happy you're ok!"

"Me too," Big Mac chuckled as he bent down to his sister and hugged her back. Granny Smith came over with her eyes widened in disbelief, "my goodness, never expected one of my grand foals to become an alicorn?!"

"Yeah, Twilight is gonna have a boatload of questions for ya, if not a full inspection of you!" Applejack exclaimed, being just as surprised.

Big Mac came over and took his granny and Applejack into a hug. He just wanted to feel them and make sure they were real, and he wasn't stuck in another dream.

"Dangnammit! Let me go!" Granny Smith shouted.

"Oh, give it a rest, granny; let's just be happy he's back," Applejack cried with tears running down her cheeks as she hugged her brother. The mare thought she would lose her brother forever.

Luna was watching nearby with a smile but squeaked as Princess Celestia pulled her into a hug and wrapped her massive white feathery wings around her sister. She also had tears coming down her cheeks as she cried, "oh sister, I'm so happy your back! I thought I was going to lose you again!"

"Calm down, sister! As you can see, I am quite well!" Luna shouted back as she struggled to escape her sister's embrace.

After the hugging and crying ended, Luna turned to Big Mac. Without words, he knew she wanted to talk in private, as a lot happened in the dream realm, and they probably thought the same thing.

"I see you and your new coltfriend need some privacy," Celestia whispered in her sister's ear.

Luna's cheeks flushed pink as she squeaked, "he… he's not my coltfriend," she then looked over at Big Mac and was starting to feel something stir inside her as she added," at least not yet."

"Then make it official before he leaves," Celestia snickered as she nudged her sister towards him. Luna then trotted over to Big Mac and stammered, "w…would you mind talking in private?"

Big Mac nodded and whispered, "eyyup."

"Aww, is my big bro dating a princess!" Apple Bloom squealed.

"If he is, I better have some great grandfoals before I kick the bucket! And they better be alicorns!" Granny Smith blurted out.

Luna and Big Mac's faces turned a deep shade of pink as Applejack couldn't help but burst into laughter. She pulled her sister and Granny aside and said, "I apologize for my sister's outburst; we'll leave you two be; Big Mac, just come outside when you're ready to leave." She quickly escorted her family as Celestia gave her sister and Big Mac a wink before following suit.

Princess Luna turned to face Big Mac and asked, "So where to start?"

Big Mac started to sweat as he looked around the room and stammered, "well, um…d...do um?"

"Do I what?" Luna asked, somewhat confused and seeming to be a bit nervous about what Big Mac would say.

The stallion threw his new wings over his face and then cried, "D…do you have feelings for me!"

The princess of the night chuckled. She replied, "Well, the simple answer is yes, I do…but…you said earlier before we informed the public you don't wish to be royalty?"

Big Mac shook his head "no," despite being an alicorn; he refuses to live in a castle. It was nice in the dream but uncomfortable, and it was not a life he wanted.

Princess Luna, however, didn't seem deterred by what he said as she came closer to him. She then bent her head towards his ear and whispered, "well, I'll let you in on a secret…my sister and I aren't going to be princesses much longer."

"What!?" Big Mac shouted.

Luna nodded and whispered, "in fact, in a few years, when we feel comfortable, Twilight will take our place then my sister and I will officially retire."

"She…she will!?" Big Mac stammered, instead being stunned by what the princess of the night said; the two retiring and having Twilight take their place!?

Luna continued, "that's right…so in the meantime, how about we, ya know…date and see how things progress?"

Big Mac's heart was thumping in his chest as he thought it over. She liked him, and soon she won't be royalty anymore, so if he married her after they officially retired, he wouldn't have to live in a castle or become a prince. He smiled, seeing this was perfect, and gave a hearty, "eyyup!"

Luna then came over and kissed him on the cheek, "ok, well, goodbye."

"Goodbye!" Big Mac coughed out before flying off, rubbing his cheek. He was in love and was so happy that he and Luna would be dating! He then slapped himself on the cheek and looked around to see nothing had changed. Big Mac then sighed in relief this wasn't a dream. He then trotted outside to see a chariot awaited him and his family. Princess Celestia turned towards him and explained, "I know you and your family would prefer to go back home on a train. But I feel the press would harass you if you do. "

"Yay, we're flying home in style!" Apple Bloom squealed as she bounced up and down. Big Mac trotted over and sat down with the little filly plopping into his lap. Granny Smith and Applejack then sat across from each other as they gave each other death stares. As the chariot took off and soared into the sky, Applejack and Granny Smith started to bicker.

"Look, Granny! from what Twilight told me, there hasn't been a record of any pony having a naturally born alicorn. If Big Mac and Luna have babies, they'll likely be earth ponies!"

"Come on! If we had an Apple as a young baby princess, can you imagine what that could do for us? We can expand and open an orchard in Canterlot!"

Apple Bloom chimed in and said, "if Big Mac has babies, I don't care what tribe they belong to; I hope they're fillies. I always wanted a little sister!"

"That would make ya an aunt, Apple Bloom," Applejack snickered.

Big Mac just sat back with his entire coat having turned pink out of sheer embarrassment, with the guards pulling the reigns seeming to hold back their laughter regardless of the shame; Big Mac was relieved that this was his family and this was not a dream.

Chapter Three: Princess Macintosh vs Jack O Lantern

"Please wake up!"

Princess Macintosh blinked as she slowly opened her eyes and saw that she was standing in front of two giant doors, flanked by guards on either side of her. The princess was trying to figure out where she and what was she doing? The mare looked down and saw a pegasus soldier come forward with a worried look and asked, "is everything ok, Princess Macintosh?"

"Y…yes…I assume it's time for the ceremony?" the princess asked as she took a gulp seeing she remembered that much and wasn't completely clueless.

"Yeah, it is! And you're super late!" Apple Bloom chimed as she came up running beside her. "The celebrations are nearly over! And you've been sleeping here!? Seriously stop staying up all night with Princess Luna; you're basically a zombie at this point.

Princess Macintosh bowed her head as memories flooded her mind of having long talks in the night with Princess Luna. But the memories felt off…as if they were placed there, and she never actually did anything her memories said she did. But they felt so vivid, as if she was having these long, drawn-out conversations with Princess Luna.

"Ye…yes… I'll keep that in mind," The alicorn princess mumbled to herself as she rubbed her forehead with a hoof, then asked, "Now I believe it's time to proceed to the ?"

"Yes, come on! You're going to be late!" Princess Twilight already gave her speech, so we gotta hurry!"

The alicorn princess nodded as she started to trot out from her castle and towards Ponyville. Princess Macintosh took her time to trot through the streets; meanwhile, stallions would check her out while mares would look away, blushing. It was a lot to take in, seeing how she was the center of attention, and it wasn't hard to see why. She then continued walking among the ponies of Ponyville with the crowds playing games like using catapults to launch pumpkins at targets, bobbing for apples, and throwing plush spiders on webs made of velcro. The festivities were all rather interesting, seeing how fun the catapult game looked. She trotted over as ponies bowed their heads and moved out of the way.

Apple Bloom ran over with a big smile on her face, "oh! We're going to play this game!?"

"Ey'yup!" Princess Macintosh chimed.

"Let me help get you set up!" The little filly then took one of the pumpkins and placed it onto the catapult launcher. "Ok, pumpkin set!"

"Ey'yup!" the princess chimed, "now we need to set the catapult," the alicorn princess chimed with a smile watching how excited Apple Bloom was.

"Ok, shall we set the catapult, princess?"

"Yes, private Apple Bloom," the princess replied as she slowly pulled the launcher back with her magic eyeing the target and performing calculations in her mind (along with Apple Bloom pressing her hooves on top of it). The mare felt somewhat nervous as she wanted to make this day memorable for Apple Bloom. The ponies turned towards her and watched anxiously, making the princess feel somewhat uneasy.

"Target acquired. Is everything ready?" Apple Bloom asked, looking upward with a smile. The princess peered down and gave her a gentle smile, and replied, "ey'yup,"

"Ok! Let's launch on the count of three."

Princess Macintosh nodded and lowered her head, self-conscious as everypony watched in anticipation as Apple Bloom counted down slowly, "One…two…three...Go!" She released the tension and sent the pumpkin from the catapult, and everypony gasped. Their eyes followed the pumpkin sailing through the air, and everypony was watching their eyes following the pumpkin as it splatted right into the center of the target. Everypony clapped and cheered around her as they clopped their hooves on the ground. The alicorn princess was somewhat amazed at how she got a perfect shot but did not know how. But what made her happy was Apple Bloom throwing herself into her hooves, shouting, "we did it! You see!? We make a great team!"

"Yes, we did," Princess Macintosh replied with a sigh seeing she was rather impressed with them being able to get a perfect shot. But the wave of pride that came over her followed the princess as she went to a giant trough full of apples.

Apple Bloom skipped over and exclaimed, "this is the game I set up! Wana sees who can get the most!?"

Princess Macintosh lowered her head to meet Apple Bloom's gaze and said, "Oh, you bet?"

The little filly then pointed a hoof to her snout and snapped, "no magic got it!?"

"Ok, no magic," the alicorn princess laughed as she and Apple Bloom perched themselves over the top of the trough. Then a countdown began as the ponies around them began to chant, "three…two…one…Go!"

Then at "Go!" She and Apple Bloom plunged their faces into the pool full of apples. The two raced, pulling apples out from the water and placing them into a pile. Princess Macintosh could see her longer face made it much easier to snag apples, and her pile was growing much bigger than Apple Bloom's. She thought about slowing down and letting her win. But knowing Apple Bloom, she would rather win fair and square than have her give her a win, so she continued until every last apple was out.

"Wow, you got way more than me!" Apple bloom gasped, seeing she had to catch her breath. Princess Macintosh blushed and lowered her face, not feeling too prideful of having beaten her little sister. But she just laughed and ran over and hugged her. "Hey, I don't care! You're super amazing! What can I expect from the best princess in Equestria!"

Everypony around her nodded in approval and clapped their hooves, some tearing up and talking about how humble she was. The ponies' praise and admiration made her swell with more pride than what felt like a cherry on top was Apple Bloom tugging at her hoof. As she shouted, "Come on! We got one more game to play!"

They then came to a simple game where they had to toss foam spiders onto a sticky web.

"Wana try to see who can get one in the center!?" Princess Macintosh asked.

"Sure, I'll get on your giant head and toss them!" The filly chirped and then got on top of her head and watched her toss the spiders onto the sticky web. She kept missing the center, but the princess would whisper directions as she calculated how to help Apple Bloom. After several more attempts, she started feeling somewhat disgruntled, "I guess my cutie mark ain't gonna be in spider tossin'."

Her older sister noticed her last throw was near the center and said, "Hey, you almost got it that time; come on, give it one more try."

"Ok," Apple Bloom mumbled; she took another plush spider, tossed it once more, and landed it dead center in the middle of the web. Apple Bloom gasped in surprise as she shouted, "Ya see, I did it! Ya see that!" The little filly continued to squeal in delight as she bounced up and down in excitement.

"Ey'yup!" Princess Macintosh cried as she hugged her little sister again. They then went to the food stalls; the food smelled rather sweet, with apple pies, candy apples, apple fritters, and nuts dipped in cinnamon and brown sugar. Every vendor started to shove their sweets into her mouth as she sampled a portion of each one as she made her way down the line. The princess would then hoof what she couldn't eat to Apple Bloom, and she happily snacked alongside her. It was all a sight to see the celebrations going on, and it was nice to see her subjects being so happy and carefree. Despite not having the best memory of being a princess for the past year, it seemed she was doing a decent job. They eventually made their way across the square to a podium where Apple Bloom got off her sister's back and said, "alright, don't mess up your speech; ya brought your index cards, right?"

The princess gulped, feeling somewhat nervous, seeing she didn't remember making index cards; she then shook her head, "ey'nope."

"Ugh, Princess Twilight spent hours on those! Just don't screw it up, ok!?" The little filly cried out as she shoved her hooves on the princess's tush and shoved her to the podium. The alicorn princes then slowly trotted towards the podium, feeling extremely nervous. Despite the feeling that she's done this many times, this felt like the first time she's ever done public speaking before.

It felt like an eternity for Princess Macintosh to climb to her podium, and she then looked over the crowd and exclaimed, "Good evening, my subjects!"

Everypony stopped and looked up at her with their eyes glued to her, admiring her beauty. Those in the front row sniffed and sighed at her perfume, seeming to cloud over her like an aura. Stallions were peering down, seeming to look rather sheepish, as mares swooned (while others looked somewhat jealous). But what was interesting was it appeared that these ponies didn't seem to remember her as Big Mac, the simple farmer. All they saw was the regal and powerful Princess Macintosh, and she will fulfill her duties as such. So despite being nervous about having to perform her speech, she cleared her throat and started, "Tonight we celebrate the first anniversary of the Apple Blossom ceremony! It's been only a year since the reign of Jack O Lantern, the cruel Nightmare that terrorized Ponyville. With the help of Twilight Sparkle, I could seal her away. Now we celebrate not just that victory but a celebration of a good harvest of all kinds, not just apples, pears, pumpkins, strawberries, or lemons. We love all fruits in their various forms, so please eat your fill and play as many games to your heart's content. I wish every single one of you a fun-filled afternoon and hope to see you at the grand ball later this evening!"

Princess Macintosh winced as the speech sounded rather pathetic, and she wondered if everypony would boo her. But instead, she got a cacophony of clopping on the ground and chanting, "Princess Macintosh! Princess Macintosh! Princess Macintosh!"

The alicorn princess was astonished by the response pressing a hoof to her chest. She felt proud of herself and how her subjects responded to her speech. Then the night fell, and the entire town was covered with a fog-like mist as she saw an object going down from the moon as the orange-coated alicorn flying down from the sky with her wings unfurled and glowering over them. She looked much different, with her mane being a crazy wave of locks of green, looking like a comic book villain. The alicorn princess had this crazed look in her eyes. She bombarded the crowd with bombs in the shapes of jack-o-lanterns spreading a strange green mist over the crowd. Suddenly there was screaming from the ponies as they transformed into pumpkins. Everything happened relatively quickly, and Princess Macintosh had to act fast!

"I gotta stop this," Princess Macintosh cried as she leaped to action and rushed the Nightmare creature! They fought in the air, shooting beams of energy at each other as they danced through the skies. Their fight led towards Sweet Apple Acres, where the two alicorns slammed across each other as Princess Macintosh cried, "Applejack, please stop this! This isn't you!"

Jack O Lantern glared at Princess Macintosh and shouted, "Yes, it is! You sealed me away because you were jealous of me and stole it away!"

The evil-looking alicorn shoved her hooves into her chest and shouted, "I was the Element of Honesty! You stole that from me!"

The red-coated alicorn held the gem to her chest; she didn't remember if she had stolen this from her sister. She just thought it was just a piece of jewelry! The alicorn then began to stammer, "I…I…."

Tears filled the orange-coated alicorn as she cried, "not only did you steal my element! You sealed me away!" Jack O Lantern then glared at Princess Macintosh and shouted, "Now I'm back for vengeance!"

Princess Macintosh was stunned at what Jack O Lantern said. The evil-looking alicorn had to be right!? Why else was she a princess, and why was Applejack missing? Despite not knowing if she was Big Mac, the pony would never do what Applejack said he did. He was jealous of Applejack and their relationship with Apple Bloom, sure. But he would never do anything to jeopardize his relationship with his family for personal gain! The red-coated alicorn ripped the jewel off her chest, threw it to Jack O Lantern, and said, "here, I don't want it!"

Jack o Lantern paused, levitating the amulet with her magic. She seemed to look at it for a few moments, then threw it aside and shouted, "I don't need it anymore! I have a power that is much greater than that!"

She threw a couple more pumpkin bombs at Princess Macintosh, who quickly lit up a shield and used her magic to deflect the projectiles. Once she saw an opening, Princess Macintosh slammed a beam of energy into her sister's, making her scream as she was knocked unconscious. The red-coated alicorn then quickly ran over towards her sister, ensuring she didn't permanently harm her and stood there trying to shake her awake.

"Come on, Applejack! Please wake up! Please! I'll do anything!"

She then turned to see the element of Honesty not far from her with its orange glow reflecting in the light. Even if she had to give up being a princess alicorn, she would save Applejack from this fate! So Princess Macintosh levitated the amulet to her chest and, with all of her might, used her magic to send a beam of light that tore through the being that was Jack O Lantern. As the light faded, Princess Macintosh felt her slender frame become bulkier, and the feeling of being a stallion returned to him. It wasn't long until Big Macintosh was now a bulky Earth Pony stallion. But he wasn't concerned over himself as he looked down to see his sister seeing the orange-coated earth pony mare laying on the ground with her cowcolt hat covering her face. He stood there with tears filling his eyes, fearing that Applejack wouldn't wake up. But then the mare coughed and slowly opened her eyes; she looked towards her brother and asked, "hey…is that you, Big Mac?"

"Ey'yup," was all the stallion could say, being so relieved that his sister was ok.

Applejack sighed relief and hugged him, "oh, Big Mac, ya gave up a princess for me?"

"Ey'yup," Big Mac replied once more, having never wanted to be a princess in the first place, especially if it meant losing his sister.

Applejack sighed as she got up, steadied herself on all fours, and said," I know you're jealous of me..a…and I'm sorry if ya think Apple Bloom and I forget about ya. But I'm glad you didn't let jealousy consume you. When you wake up, I'm gonna have Pinkie Pie throw ya the biggest party ever!"

"Y…you don't have to do that, Applejack…." Big Mac paused mid-sentence seeing he was questioning everything that was happening. What did she mean by wake up? Wasn't he already awake!? He slowly took out a hoof touched her, and could feel her warm body beneath his hoof as he asked," are you real?"

His sister seemed to pause and looked unsure as she said, "um…yeah…sort of? I'm sorry for scaring ya being Jack o Lantern, and all it wasn't expecting that. Something is trying to manipulate you to think I was evil."

Big Mac blinked while still confused as he asked, "say what?"

Applejack just slammed a hoof to her face and groaned, seeing what she said sounded crazy, then said, "look, ya gotta trust me there are rules to this, and ya just got through a big hurdle dealing with your jealousy just find Princess Luna, and she'll help with the rest ok?"

"Where is she?" Big Mac asked as, despite not understanding what was going on, he could get some answer from Princess Luna.

"She's at the Grand Galloping Gala, find her there, and she'll tell ya everything, ok? Ya gotta listen to her."

"Grand Galloping, what!?" Big Mac shouted in shock; what the buck does the Grand Galloping Gala have to do with anything?

Then a loud beeping started to ring through the orchard, and Big Mac had to plug his ears as the beeping grew louder and louder! The noise became so nauseating, and he felt like he was going to pass out. The world around him began to warp around him as if reality was collapsing on itself! Applejack, however, seemed to keep herself together and shouted, "Find her at the Gr-" Those were the last words Big Mac heard as everything suddenly went black.