Big Mac's Carnival Ride

by CrimsonRose97


Prologue

Night had fallen over Equestria as Bright Mac and his young son, Big Mac were traveling down the Everfree Forest. The two carrying lanterns in their hooves as they made their way down the trail.

Big Mac, barely in his early teens looked up at his father, teeth nearly chattering from the cold. "Eh Pops, why are we out here this time of the night?" The colt asked his father as they walked along the woods. "Ain't there 'em Timber Wolves running amuck?"

"Ah told ya this before, Macintosh," Bright Mac said, adjusting his stetson with a hoof. "It be parasprite season soon. Last time 'em vermin came 'ere ta Ponyville, they darn near destroy the orchard. Ah know your mother drove 'em out with her music but we need to get something to prevent 'em fer ever comin' back."

"But still doesn' explain why we are wonderin' through the Everfree in da first place."

The father looked at his son, looking down with chuckle. "There's a special herb down here in these woods, a herb that is told that can repeal dem varmints away from our home."

"Well, what does it look like?" Big Mac asked then.

"The herb has orange and green pokeadotted petals, yellow stem, that's what Golden Delicious told me." The mare he was talking about was their great great aunt that lived near the cave of fears with a thousand cats.

"But what about dem Timber Wolves?" Big Mac asked, his short orange tail folded over his green apple cutie mark out of fear. He heard the wolves howl from his bedroom. There was no telling how many times Mac had nightmares just thinking of those wolves running about chasing him down the woods and eating him.

Bright Mac smiled before stopping. He put the lantern down and digging through his saddle bag before pulling out a revolver, fully loaded. There were magical crystals inside the weapon, it mimics a unicorn's blast. Bright Mac had aleast fifty tiny of those powerful crystals. Big Mac eyed the piece with awe. "If those creatures show their ugly faces-" He took a shot at a tree, a pink beam shot out of the barrel and splintered the tree in half. It even sounded like a blast from a unicorn "-nothing like a few blasts from this puppy will take care of dem Timbers."

Big Mac looked at his father's weapon like it was the most amazing thing in the world. He knew his father and Granny Smith kept the others locked up in a cabinet near the dining room. He would sit in front of it looking at the guns they had, imagining him holding it in his hooves. He'd play with wooden toys but nothing compares to an actual thing.

"Say, Pops, can Ah hold it?" Big Mac asked, looking up at him with big puppy eyes.

Bright Mac spun the gun in his hoof before putting it back in the saddle bag. "Ooh, no." He chuckled. "If yer Mama and Granny heard Ah let ya even hold it, they're gonna skin mah hide and leave me out here. Ah ain't taking that chance."

The colt sighed, his ears droop. He really wanted to hold it.

The father caught the sadness and sighed, bending down to his height. "Yer about to be thirteen soon right?"

Big Mac nodded.

"How about this, Ah take ya to the shootin' range in town. We try out all the guns and whatnots. Just you and me."

Big Mac gasped and smiled big. "Really Pops?"

Bright Mac nodded. "Yes ser, Macintosh." He matched his son's smile and ruffled his son's mane. "Mah son's growin' up. Pretty soon ya'll run the farm all on yer own, with yer sister and brother of course. That's why Ah have ya out 'ere with meh. To teach ya all ya need to run the farm." He boops his nose with his hoof.

The colt giggled before hearing a branch snap, followed by deep, gutteral growls and howls. Big Mac jumped before hiding behind the elder Stallion. He knows those growls all too well.

Stepping out of the bushes, a lone Timber Wolf stood in front of the ponies. The wooden monstrosity snarled at them, sharp jagged wooden teeth flashed them, deep glowing yellow eyes filled with hunger.

"Don't move, son." Bright Mac told his son as he slowly reached for his saddle bag to grab his gun. To only find out that the strap to the bag was stuck.

The Timber snarled at the two as it slowly stalked the two. Big Mac gulped, his knees buckled and his little heart beating out of his chest. Bright Mac struggled to get the strap unstuck, tugging it with his hooves and teeth. He just had the friggin' thing out! Why do things like this happen when he needed them the most?!

"Pops," Big Mac whimpered, clinging to his father's bright red tail that matched his red fur.

"Gimme a sec, Mac," Bright Mac told him, hastingly struggling to get the strap undone.

The wolf snapped at them with it's teeth, circling around them, it's wooden ears flung back. Body crouching down, the moon shining over the clearing of the trees made the wolf even more terrifying than it already looked.

"Dad..."

"I say give me a se-"

The timber wolf took a pounce at the two.

This bright yellow beam shot out of nowhere, reducing the wolf into splinters. A purple blast shot Bright Mac's stetson off his head, scaring the crap out of both father and son. But Bright Mac quickly calmed down when he heard a familiar giggle.

"I think you have my saddle bag, love," It was the lovely Buttercup, coming into the light. Holding a twin barrel shot gun in her hooves smoking. Bright Mac's heart fluttered everytime he sees her, as if it was the first time all those years ago when their families were having that ridiculous feud. Her curly orange mane up in a ponytail, her coat prestine and carrying their third child.

Though happy to see his momma, Big Mac couldn't stop shaking. He was really scare, thought that wolf was gonna eat them both.

"Thank ya, baby," Bright Mac smiled at his wife before trotting up to her and giving her a kiss. "Why ya out here? It's too dangerous for a pregnant filly such as yerself to be out here."

"I could say the same thing to you," Buttercup said, poking him in the chest. "Are you crazy taking our son out here? You two are lucky that I came along."

"And we appreciated," Bright Mac sighed, looking at her with love and compassion to her. "But serious though, yer with child. And leaving AJ back home?"

"Honey, Granny Smith has her. But If I stay in that house for one more moment, I'll go stirr crazy."

"Not as crazy I am with you."

That was so cheesy to Big Mac, he could actually smell it. He stuck his tongue out, pointed down his throat and made a puking sound.

"Now, let's get that herb. It only grows when the moon is out." Buttercup said, replacing the crystals in her gun before treking down the trail.

Bright Mac went off for a second to grab his hat, knocked some dirt off it it before placing it back on his head, grabbing his lantern and walked towards his son with a chuckle, watching his wife swinging her hips as she walked. He turned to Big Mac and grinned. "Son, when ya get old enough, find yerself a filly like yer mother. Ya be set for life."

"Just don't make her mad?" His son asked.

Bright Mac ruffled his mane once more. "Especially if she's pregnant and can shoot like there's no tomorrow." Then follows his wife.

Big Mac hung back for a second, he could hear his parents discussing if their kid was a boy or girl, if they should call them Apple Buck or Apple Bloom. When he feels as if he wasn't in danger, he goes to take a step before the sound of music stopped him dead at his tracks.

It... It sounded like carnival music. Big Mac looked to where his parents had gone off to, seeing them disappearing from view before going at another direction, following the music.