6.00am Saturday
Big Mac started his day the same way he started almost everyday of his life, Too damn early. The young stallion's joints ached and creaked loudly as he tries to lean out of bed just enough to reach the ringing alarm clock while still having most of his body under the warm cloth coveres.
As the sound of a small hammer hitting the bells of the alarm rang out into the small bedroom Big McIntosh fought the urge to just turn the other way, cover his ears with his pillow and simply sleep through the assaulting noise. It wouldn't be the first or last time he would have to sleep though chaos and noise. After what felt like a hour of trying to find his bedside table without looking Mac's hand found the ringing alarm, It's irritating noise causeing the whole surface of the table to shake slightly.
With a determined grunt Big Mac raised his hand up in the air, made a fist and slammed it hard onto the wind-up clock.
BANG
The machine was small compared to Mac's fist, infact just about everything in the bedroom was small, to the old wardrobe holding what little clothes he owned to the hanging bookshelf that was only able to hold up four of his six agricultural books (which sadly are the only 6 books that he owned). Even the wooden framed bed, inwhich he slept was clearly meant for a much smaller horse, evident by how the towering stallion had to curl into a ball just to be able to fit in the single sized bedding.
For afew minutes Big Mac laid in his bed enjoying the rare instance of quiet alone time in the privacy of his own room. Normally in the afternoon the house will be alive with music, the sounds of cooking and his two younger sisters arguing. He knew that even at night the noise wouldn't stop either, Applejack would be up stressing and worrying over something or Applebloom, the baby of the family will be singing and playing all though the night, or even worse granny could start snoring in her sleep unintentionally waking up the whole farm.
But for just under ten mintes every morning Mac didn't have sisters or a farm to run or endless chores to do. For just under ten mintes he was the master of his own destiny.
When Mac finally got dressed and left his room, he came downstairs to find his grandmother and two sisters already sitting at the table, munching away on a meal of apple jam toast and eggs. Granny Smith was the unquestioned matriarch of the apple family, but its not like she was mean or strict, she was just the wisest and most caring pony in the whole of town (or atleast in her family's humble opinion). Sitting to the sides of Granny was the two girls who where the cause of the majority of Mac's problems in life, but also most of his joy aswell. Applebloom, the yougest of the family was excitedly telling Granny about all the new games that she had planned for her friends this weekend.
Applejack seemed to be scribbling away in a small notebook with a small hand calculator sitting next to her plate of half eaten eggs. She was also already dressed, but Big Mac noticed that instead of her work boots and typical overalls she was wearing her "town clothes". That was basically the same as her work clothes, but not covered in the sweat and muck that would've built up over the course of the week.
"Mac, Did yer count how many of our trees got root rot last year?" Applejack asked without looking up from her paper. Unfortunately this kinda thing had become expected as the middle child of the family was always running around stressing about the farm. McIntosh rolled his eyes, but made sure that his no nonsence sister couldn't see the disrespectful act.
"Why, Howdy sister, yes Ah did have a lovely sleep. Thanks for asking." Now, of course he would never say that outside of his own head, so instead he just said "Eeyup, I'll tell ya after mah coffee." The oldest of the three children tried to make his way past the table to the counter where his favourite instant coffee was waiting for him, but was stopped by AJ swinging back in her chair to block Mac's path.
"Mac, Ah told yer Ah need them numbers. Yer coffee can wait a minute," she stated as if that the whole crop and the future of their family rested souly on AJ's sholders alone. Granny stopped listening to Applebloom talk enough to intervine with the other two.
"Now AJ, Y'all leave ya brother alone, he's barly awake and what did I tell ya about numbers at the table?" Granny finished with eyeing AJ untill she finally set her chair back on all four legs and picked her fork back up to resume eating.
"Ah sorry, Granny, but Ah think Ah might be able to track the rot ... and finally prove that the rot came from that no-good pear family next to us," AJ said with a sigh, clearly she has spent the whole early morning obsessing over a minor detail once again.
"If only Applejack's friends knew how stressed out and on edge she can be about farming and yet they thinks she's some cool and collected type," Big Mac mused to himself as he grabs his favourite apple themed mug and made himself a cup of coffee. He grabbed himself a plate of toast and eggs (hold the apple jam) and took a seat next to Bloom, who he could already tell was getting ready to talk his ear off about how here week has been.
"-and then Miss Cheerilee taught us about how ponies used to make kites by hoof before they realised it would just be easier to use a machine and then she made us split into groups and told us that for homework we gotta make kites all by ourselves!" Applebloom was talking so fast that Mac wasn't sure if she was even breathing between sentences, it took the young filly a minutes to even realised that her brother sat down next to her.
"Good morning, Big Mac. Say have ya ever bulid a kite before?" Bloom asked with such energy that she was basically shaking in her chair.
"Eeyup" was all mac said through his mouthfull of breakfast. Applebloom gasped with so much excitement that Mac could feel the air around him change as if Applebloom had to literally suck in the energy of the room in order to keep talking.
"That's perfect, then ya can help me and the girls with our project, I bet with ya help that we'll build a kite big enough for me to fly on an-" AppleBloom was cut off by Applejack.
"Nuh huh! You ain't gonna get Mac to do all of yer homework again, little missy. You are gonna do that work honest and fair like an Apple should." AJ stood from the table and brought her plate and glass of milk to the sink before quickly scrubbing her dishes.
Big McIntosh leaned in his seat towards Applebloom and says, "Don't you worry, Bloom. I'll help you after your chores today, me and AJ are gonna need all hands on deck for this"
Followed was a moment of silence, the first moment of silence that the family has had since breakfast started.
"Well actually, Mac," Applebloom spoke, "Granny says that I could have the day off since imma be with the girls all weekend workin' on our kite."
"Yep that's right and Applejack also can't work today, says her poor friend Fluttershy is havin' troubles with her animals, ain't that right, dearie," Granny said twisting in her chair to face AJ as she she dried her hands with an old red washcloth.
Big McIntosh couldn't believe what he was hearing, a day off was a rare thing on the farm. Typically, maybe once a month, one of his two sisters will asked Granny for a day off and if they were lucky she'd agree, but that was in cases of emergencies or some kind of occasion. But now it seems like the whole family was going to have a day off. Big Mac had visions in his head of heading straight back to bed to sleep for another hour before taking a nice long hot shower and heading to town.
He could go to the cinema, or the streets of new shops and restaurants. He could even finally take Miss Cheerilee on her offer to go to a café and try all those fancy sugary drinks that he's seen ponies walk around with. He could buy himself some new clothes before the stores close, and then he'd finish the night with having a drink at home while listening to his parents old records.
Mac couldn't help grinning as he imagined a day off, but his hopes came crashing back home where they belong when Granny Smith turned back around in her chair and opened her mouth to say, "And that's why, Mac. Imma need ya to run the market today"
The stallion chocked hard on the piece of dry toast in his mouth. "WH-kOOF! Wh-what do ya mean, Granny?" Mac tried to regain his composer, but the sharp pain in his throat was making it hard to be his normal nonchalant self.
"What Ah mean, young-en, is the whole farm can't just stop for a day. We need to always be working if we want to stay the strong family that the town needs us to be, so Ah'm sorry but your gonna have to do the market today and the harvesting by yerself. Yer understand, dearie?"
The two Apple sisters were quiet as they watched their brother take in the information. Sure it was alot of work, but this is the Big Mcintosh we're talking about; the quite stallion of few words, but many responsibilities. You tell the stallion that you want something done and he does it all, or atleast that's how people perceive Mac. In truth Mac was panicking internally, he cringed at the word market alone. The thought of him standing in the middle of town, demanding attention and trying to sell fruit turned Big Mac's stomach.
"Ever since Ah was a colt. Ah've hated talkin' to ponies Ah didn't know, y'all know that. Yer really think ah want to stand in the middle of town and bother strangers who are out having a much better day then Ah am. Do y'all really think Ah'm happy to be stared at and talked about, cause ponies in town, that's all they do when they see me. DO YALL EVEN UNDERSTA-" His thoughts were interrupted when granny repeated herself.
"McIntosh, I said do yer understand?"
He looked around to see that his sisters had already left the room, leaving him and Granny Smith in the room together. He was sure they were both getting ready to go out and have fun.
Big Mac sighed and looked to the Apple matriarch.
"Eeyup"
Author's Note
I hope you enjoy the first chapter of this story. I have many ideas and themes that I want to play with including grief, coming out, hell even worries about infertility.
🥂To many chapters still to come🥂
I'm open to any advice or any comments that you may have.
