The roosters were crowing and cock-a-doodle-dooing the morning away as they do every morning, though the chilly air made them want to stay inside of their coop for warmth. The Apple Family was already wide awake at these hours. Big Mac occupied himself with the task of loading a new crop of apples onto a cart for Applejack to pull to the market.
Work had slowed to a crawl with the start of winter. Most of the trees in the orchard had withered into hibernation and the trees that Big Mac could still buck had apples that weren’t quite ready and if there was any luck, they wouldn’t spoil too soon in the cold. All the Apple Family could do at this time of year was store their harvest and make it last as long as possible through the winter, which should be easy, being that this year’s harvest was one of their largest.
“Well! I fed the pigs, chickens, and cows!” Applejack chimed in as she came from the animal pens. “Ya got them apples loaded, Big Mac?”
“Eeyup.” The stallion nodded.
“I’m ready fer school!” Applebloom called from the porch before she scurried over to her older siblings with her schoolbags secure on her back.
“Applebloom, why aren’t ya wearing yer hat and sweater? It’s s’posed to be colder today than yesterday.” Applejack chided, tapping her hoof on the ground.
“It ain’t that cold! Ah was hotter than a billy goat with a blowtorch yesterday in that sweater!” The little filly argued.
“Well, I ain’t gonna let my lil’ sis catch a cold this winter. And if ya get sick, ya won’t go to Sweetie Belle’s sleepover this Friday. Y’all run along and get yer clothes.”
“But AJ!”
“I ain’t repeatin’ myself, Applebloom.”
“Aw, alright.” Applebloom surrendered, turning tail and running back inside the house to go to her room. Big Mac chuckled to himself at the exchange between his sisters.
“I swear that filly’s gettin’ more and more rebellious each day.” Applejack grumbled.
“She’s jus’ growin’ up. Gettin’ ta be as stubborn as her big sister.” Big Mac commented.
The orange mare rolled her eyes and her nostrils flared with a short snort before she got herself hooked up to the apple cart. “Anyway, better go to the market an’ open the stand.”
“Ya sure you can handle the mornin’ rush?” The older brother asked.
“Shucks, Mac! You know me! Ah can handle anythin’!”
Big Mac looked at Applejack and gave her sly little smirk. “Need Ah remind ya of that one Applebuck Season and the last Apple Family Reunion?”
Applejack shot Big Mac a nasty glare, then shook her head, curving her scowl into a grin. “Ya know, ya talk too much, big brother.” She chuckled as she began her trot to town, apples in tow. “Say hi ta Fluttershy fer me!”
The apple stallion saw his sister off with a wave and patiently waited the few minutes for Applebloom to return with her hoofstitched sweater and beanie hat made with love by her granny.
“Mac, I’m ready now!” Applebloom called, galloping to meet up with Big Mac. “Let’s jus’ go already!”
The older sibling smiled and began to walk his sister to school.
The sun began to peek out from behind the pale purple mountains that surrounded Ponyville. Big Mac welcomed the warmth that Celestia provided, savoring it while it would last. There wouldn’t be much opportunity for sun, since Cloudsdale reported in the Ponyville Chronicle that a week’s worth of snow was scheduled, starting tonight. With his green scarf snug around his large neck, Big Mac walked down the road, crossing a bridge over a small creek and approaching a small cottage that was adorned with birdhouses all over. Arriving at the front door, the stallion gently knocked. Then, the door opened a crack, allowing the soul inside a peek at the pony on her porch.
“Oh! Big Mac!” said a gentle voice. The door then opened wide, revealing the butterscotch mare within. She smiled a welcoming smile at Macintosh. “I must have lost track of time. Please, come in!”
“Thank ya, Fluttershy.” Big Mac returned the smile as he entered the humble cottage. Inside, there was a chattering that came from some squirrels and chipmunks that were scurrying around the living room, as well as some birdsong from the birds sitting comfortably on some perches that were built specifically for them.
“I was just getting these little critters ready for hibernation. They won’t be able to sleep well unless I help them gather their nuts and read them a bedtime story!” Fluttershy explained.
“Eeyup.” Big Mac nodded in understanding. “Do ya need some time?”
“Actually, I’m sure that my little friends can wait for two hours while we rehearse our songs for the Hearth’s Warming Festival.” She assured, while the animals she was caring for chirped and chattered in agreement.
Then came another knocking on the door. “That must be the others.” Fluttershy hovered to her front door, taking another peek outside seeing that her assumption was correct. “Good morning, Rarity! Toe-Tapper! Torch Song! Please, come in!”
Entering the abode were three new ponies: a white unicorn mare with her curled and styled purple mane, a blue earth stallion of a slim, slender frame, and a curvy earth mare with a pale peach coat and reddish mane, styled into a bun and adorned with many beads.
“Sweet Celestia, darling! You would not believe how frigid it is outside!” Rarity fussed while she removed her pink scarf with her magical levitation, setting it neatly on the coatrack near the door. “It’s not even snowing yet and already I feel the winter’s merciless brutality!”
“Oh, it’s not that bad, Rarity. I like cold mornings like these! Perfect for having a nice cup of java and a croissant.” Toe-Tapper commented.
“I will forever admire your tenacity under such conditions, Tapper. Good morning, Big Mac! Now then, Ponytones! The Hearth’s Warming Festival is nearly a week away and we must have all our harmonies in pitch perfect tune! Shall we begin these rehearsals?”
“Uh, before that, Rarity.” Torch Song spoke up. “I have to let you know that I won’t be able to come to rehearsals on Saturday. I’m going to visit my sister in Canterlot to support her poetry slam.”
“Ah, I see. Well, Song, my dear, I understand completely. You are excused.” The unicorn smiled and nodded.
“Thank you, Rarity!”
“Now, back to business! Vocal warm ups, everypony!” Rarity chimed with a short clap of her hooves.
It was a shame that the pegasi had to bring in the clouds so soon, and while Big Mac was on his stroll down the tranquil path back into town, no less. Morning sunshine was something that Big Mac was particularly fond of, but the snow clouds had to be unloaded from Cloudsdale’s weather factory and apparently somepony wanted it done sooner rather than later. The snowfall wasn’t even due until tonight. The stallion shrugged without much of a reaction showing on his ever expressionless face. It couldn’t be helped. Besides, there was no use in bellyaching about it when he had more free time to himself.
With the harvest season done, Big Mac didn’t have anything to do until he had to take over for Applejack this afternoon. This time of year was always a nightmare. Next to no work to be done for weeks. Big Mac was so used to years of tending to the farm that whenever the family hit down time in the winter weeks, he was always itching to find something to do. It was an annoying itch that the work horse could only barely scratch. Big Mac bit the corner of his lip and thought for a moment, wondering if Spike wasn’t too busy today. He might as well see, if only just to kill time.
Upon arrival at the castle, the workhorse walked up to the broad golden doorway and knocked three times. A short moment of silence, then one of the doors wedged open and out came Spike.
“Hey, Big Mac!” The little dragon smiled. “What’s up? Hoping to hang out a bit today?”
“Eeyup!” Big Mac nodded in confirmation.
“Well, I am supposed to help Twilight with getting the library organized, but I don’t think she’ll mind. She has somepony else helping her out anyway! Come on inside!” Spike invited, ushering Macintosh to enter.
The stallion couldn’t quite get used to the hugeness of the castle. The hallways were so tall and so wide open that it felt a bit isolating. Each hoofstep he took echoed around the corridors and it was a bit unsettling. Twilight could do a bit more to make the decor at bit more welcoming and friendly. Or maybe Big Mac just prefered the snug warmth of his smaller home. At the very least, though, the colors of the crystal and tapestries on the walls were pleasing to the eye.
Spike scurried to the doors of the library and poked his head inside through the door. “Hey, Twilight! I’m gonna be in my room with Big Mac!
“Alright, Spike. We can handle things here.” Twilight was heard replying.
Big Mac stood behind Spike and took a peek through the gap in the door. Some of the shelves within the library were empty while books were stacked high on the tables strewn about the room. There was clearly some reorganizing and renovation going on, like Spike said. Then, the stallion’s eye wandered to the pony that stood across the library, a blue unicorn. Ain’t that...Bright? Big Mac thought. He looked closer. Purple mane and a crescent moon cutie mark. It certainly looked like him. And it looked like he was chatting with someone beyond Mac’s field of view.
“Come on, Big Mac! I got some new hoofball cards to show you!” Spike chimed, tapping the earth pony on his large fore leg before he started to lead him to his bedroom.
Big Mac looked down at the dragon and nodded, following him. His thoughts wandered, back to the evening before when he was walking home with Bright. Not much happened. Hardly any words were exchanged. It was just a peaceful evening stroll...and it was nice. Big Mac had had plenty of nights when he would walk home after closing the market stand, but it was always just another tedious stroll. Other times, he’d make the trip back to the farm with his sisters and that was good and all. He loved them, after all. But having Bright’s company last night was...pleasant. Maybe because no one other than his family ever asked to walk with him before.
“Try and hold your excitement, Big Mac, because after you see what I got, you’ll be begging me to trade something for your Double Wing card.” Spike smugly chuckled as the two arrived at his room.
The stallion let out a laugh. “I’ll be the judge o’ that.”
The late afternoon was a gloomy one. The sky was already well stuffed with snow-filled clouds and it had gotten a tad dark, even though the sun was still up. Grey and dim light was glowing over Ponyville from the clouds while Big Mac was occupied with hammering another nail into the apple stand. Another evening shift after Applejack took the morning. She already left after Big Mac came to take over and most likely picked up Applebloom from school before heading back to the farm. The stallion sighed in satisfaction after he finished his repairing of the stand. Now the darn thing shouldn’t be as rickety or wobbly as before.
That left the red stallion with the apples he had to sell as well the nearby market stand owners for company, not that he’s in any rush to make conversation anyway. There were a good number of ponies passing through the marketplace already for the afternoon rush, so earning a profit for the farm shouldn’t be any different from any other day. Really, Big Mac was pretty much alone with his thoughts.
That little snake of a dragon with those first edition cards... He chuckled to himself as he thought back to his visit with Spike. Spike wasn’t totally wrong with his claim. He did gain a few rare hoofball cards from a collector’s shop in Canterlot. Must be nice ta have that luxury… Being a dedicated farmpony, Big Mac didn’t get much opportunity to travel outside of Ponyville. Only a hoofful of times had he done so and even then, he’s only travelled as far as Cousin Goldie Delicious’ home, which isn’t much farther than Canterlot. Spike, and for that matter, his sister, got to see more of Equestria than he did, not that he was angered by it, by any means, but he couldn’t help but feel a bit envious.
The clock ticked away as ponies came to the stand, purchased their bushels of apples, and left on their way to continue shopping. It was business as usual for Big Mac, but he never failed to thank his customers for their support. After all, it was their loyalty that kept the farm running. The sky grew dark as night began to fall and the lanterns laced around town flickered to life to illuminate the streets. It was just about time to close up the stand for the day. The stallion turned to scan the inventory that he had left and was surprised to see that only a little more than a dozen remained. Guess ponies must be stockin’ up fer winter… Big Mac shrugged, gathering the apples into a barrel before loading it onto his cart.
“Hey there!” A somewhat familiar voice greeted. The stallion looked up and saw that Bright stood there from across the apple stand. The blue unicorn was gazing up at him with a friendly smile. Then, Big Mac didn’t notice it before, but he saw that Bright’s eyes were mismatched. His left eye was crystal blue while his right was a shimmering amethyst. Not only that, but the tip of his left ear was damaged, slightly chipped. “Closing up for the day?” Bright asked.
“Eeyup…” Big Mac answered, blinking out of his short trance.
“I’m on my way home too. Do you want to walk again tonight?”
The earth pony thought about it. Well, the company would be good. And he was a bit curious to ask if the unicorn was at Twilight’s Castle earlier that day. Then again, Big Mac wasn’t really one to be forward and ask questions. It was kind of intrusive, but what’s the harm in just another quiet stroll?
“Eeyup.” He nodded in agreement, turning to quickly load some empty barrels and hitch himself up to his cart.
Bright beamed and let the earth pony catch up with him before they started to saunter home. The air grew colder with the darkened night, making even the gentlest of breezes feel frosty at the tip of Big Mac’s nose. He gave a small snort as he wriggled the end of his muzzle, giving it a short warm rub with his hoof.
“Is it hard to run a farm during the winter time?” The unicorn asked, attempting to make conversation, however little the dialogue might be.
Big Mac shook his head. “It ain’t hard if yer prepared. Gotta make sure ya get the harvest in and store ‘em nice and safe so they last the winter.”
“Is that all you have to do?”
“We keep busy. We got the pigs, cows, and chickens to take care of. Apples aren’t the only thing we got on the farm.”
“That’s pretty cool.” Bright finished, having no further line of questioning. He looked up at the sky, seeing nothing but clouds. They somewhat glowed, reflecting the light that shined from Ponyville’s lamps and houses.
Big Mac looked over at the other stallion. He felt the need return a question, though timidity made it difficult to form words in his mouth. That was one thing anypony wouldn't be able to tell about Macintosh just by looking at him. Though he was bigger and stronger than the average stallion, he was a shy one, regardless of what his stoic expression might lead one to believe.
“So...uh…how’s the library?” He asked.
Bright flinched and looked over at Big Mac with a questioning look. “What do you mean?”
“Er...Weren’t ya at Twilight’s Castle, inside the library today?” Big Mac scratched his ear, feeling uncomfortable for asking in the first place. Way ta make it awkward, Macintosh! He thought.
“Well...yeah, I was. I’m helping with organizing the books and preparing the place for the opening next week. How did you know?”
“...I was there earlier today. I was jus’ visitin’ my friend, Spike and I saw ya there.” Big Mac explained, averting his eyes from Bright’s, hoping that he didn’t make it sound like he was stalking the unicorn or anything else ridiculous like that.
“Oh! Okay then...The library is great, by the way.” Bright said, answering the earth pony’s first question.
“Really…?”
“Yeah, absolutely! I never dreamed of there being so many books on astromancy! Not to mention that I can read all about astronomy as much as I could ever want!” Bright chimed, his demeanor lightening up into cheerful excitement. Big Mac gave a short chuckle and a small smile as his anxiety faded.
“Ya like readin’ up on stars?” The farm pony didn't know what the hay those books could be about, but "astro" made him think space and whatnot.
“I’ve been in love with stars and the nighttime ever since I was a small colt. I’ve got my dad to thank for that. He’s an astronomer and he works at the Griffin Observatory in Coltifornia, where I’m from.” Bright explained. “Almost every clear night, he’d take me outside with his telescope and, for hours, we’d look up at the moon and the stars .” He swept his hoof across the cloudy sky for emphasis. “...or at least the stars that we could see. Coltifornia isn’t really the best place for stargazing, what with the big city lights polluting the sky.”
Big Mac nodded, intrigued by Bright’s background. “Well, horseapples. Coltifornia’s a pretty long way from here. Why’d ya move here ta Ponyville?” He asked.
“Ponyville’s a vastly smaller town than back at my old home. There aren’t a lot of lights that brighten up the sky, which means here, at night, I can see far more stars than I could before. And someday, I'm going to own an observatory here where I can see as many stars as possible every night.”
“Heh. Ain’t that some dream ta shoot for.” Big Mac remarked with a smile. Then, before the two stallions knew it, the road they walked on hit a fork. One path lead to Sweet Apple Acres, the other snaked its way to Ponyville’s outskirts. This was where the two parted the night before.
“I guess we go our ways here.” Bright stated.
“Eeyup.” Big Mac nodded. He turned toward the unicorn. “...Thanks fer the walk, Bright...and fer the walk yesterday. It was nice.”
“You’re welcome, Big Mac. Anytime! Maybe I’ll see you same time tomorrow night.”
“Sure. I’d like that.”
Suddenly, a speck of white fell down upon Bright’s snout, to which Bright reacted by jerking back a bit and rubbing the spot where the speck fell. It was cold and moist. The two stallions looked up and saw that snowflakes were falling down from the clouds above them. It was the first snow of the winter. Their eyes met again and Bright gave a short chuckle.
“I’ll see you later, then. Have a good night!” Bright sent-off to Big Mac as he continued on his path home.
“You too.” The apple stallion replied with a short wave of his hoof. Then, he resumed his walk, following the same path that led back to his home while he tightened his scarf around his thick neck. The snowfall started to pick up, coming down fairly frantically in the short minute since it started. Winter’s really startin’ hard this year.