//------------------------------// // Chapter 10 // Story: Macintosh // by TotalOverflow //------------------------------// Macintosh By TotalOverflow, '11 Chapter 10 Father walked around.  He walked in circles.  He pulled on his harness.  He took off his hat and put it on again.         "Pa?  Y'all okay?" Applejack said.         "Uh, yeah, fine." He took off his hat and squeezed it in his hooves.  He nibbled on it. A white mare came in. Father was sweating.         "Well?  Well??"         "Oh, sorry, not yet." She went through the other door.  Father groaned. He chewed on his hat. He bit hard.  He took a big bite out of it. Applejack stared.         "Pa!  Yer hat!" His hat looked funny now. He put it on and walked around again. I heard something.  It sounded like mother.  And then crying. Another mare walked in.         "You may come inside, now."         "C'mon kids." We followed him down the hall.  The crying got louder.   Applejack looked worried.  I wasn't. We went into the room.  Mother was in the bed.  She looked very, very sleepy.         "Lookit, our daughter."         "Lookit her!  Kids, come lookit yer li'l sister!" We came close.  It was another tiny pony.  It cried.         "A sister?  Yay, I have a sister!"         "Ya sure do, Jackie."         "This is yer li'l sister, kids." Mother held it out for me to see.  It opened its eyes. They were also orange.         "Li'l Apple Bloom, meet yer big brother an' sister." ***         Macintosh jerked awake at the sound of the clock tower’s bells.  Although he and Pinkie Pie were on good terms again, he still felt incredibly drained after spending even five minutes with her, so he made his way back to his favorite tree and promptly fell asleep.  Pinkie promised him a party, he recalled with a shiver, but she also assured him it would go much better than last time.  He stood, stretched and shuffled a little in his harness, his mouth sticky from the sugary treats Pinkie had forced upon him.  She was a nice filly, extremely sweet (possibly literally: her mane looked like a massive, tangled ball of cotton candy) but also very driven.  He felt bad for misjudging her, and agreed with Daisy: there WAS nothing worse than seeing Pinkie Pie upset.  Thankfully, the whole ordeal was behind them now.  That was hard, he mused, incredibly hard to apologize to her.  But it was worth it.  He felt as though a weight was taken off him.  Of course, there was the weight of his harsh words to her and the fear of being embarrassed and all that, but there was something extra: a sort of oppression that he'd been feeling for many, many years had finally drifted away.  He couldn't quite put his hoof on what it was, and having just woken up certainly didn't help, but it was gone, and he felt like a new stallion.          The roads and parks of the small town of Ponyville were bristling with activity.  The foals had today off school, so families were out enjoying walks through the city; colts and fillies were begging for spending money from their parents while older folk sat and enjoyed the morning sun.  It was surprising, seeing so many ponies out and about this early, but, Macintosh supposed, the opportunity to spend a whole day with loved ones was a powerful enough allure to get even the most sleep-loving ponies out of bed early.  Sure would be nice if Apple Bloom, AJ, Gramma and I could spend some time together today.  Maybe this afternoon we could all go for a walk or something.  He began ambling around the park, breathing in the warming air.  Glancing around he happened to spot Fluttershy trotting towards him, her hooves hardly making a sound.  She smiled when he noticed her, her pink mane fluttering softly in the breeze.         "Good morning, Big Macintosh!" she said sweetly, her soft voice a little stronger than usual.           "Mornin' Fluttershy," he bowed his head, "ya sure are quiet on yer hooves, there."         She blushed a little.  "Oh, um...Pegasus ponies are light on their hooves.  We don't weigh a whole lot, actually, which is partly why we're able to walk on clouds," she said matter-of-factly.         "Walk on clouds," Macintosh repeated dreamily.         "How are you today?"         "Ah'm fine, thank ya kindly.  Yerself?"         "Busy," Fluttershy said, "the bunnies have been...um...busy this year, so the Annual Rabbit Roundup is happening a little early.  I've already been busy getting all the forms and everything ready, but in a day or two I'm going to have to start the actual census."         "Ah see," replied Macintosh, "would y'all like any help with that?"         Her eyes widened, her face paling slightly.  "Uh, um, well, uh, I...I suppose I could use the extra help," she said quietly.         "Ah'm pretty good at herdin'," Macintosh smiled reassuringly, "got lotsa practice back on the farm."                 "Well, okay, thank you," she said, her voice a little shaky, "but, um, you won't...you won't bring Winona, will you?"         Macintosh stopped.  "What!?" he stared at her, dumbfounded, "bring a dog ta round up li'l bunnies?  What kind o' silly pony would do somethin' like that?"         She chuckled and stood a little straighter. "Oh, that's a relief.  I'd appreciate the help, then.  Meet me at my cottage on Saturday morning and I'll give you the forms you need."  She smiled, her large azure eyes sparkling in the sunlight.  "Thank you, Macintosh.  You're...you're very thoughtful."           "Ah try," he grinned.  The two walked quietly through the park, just looking around and enjoying the relaxing scenery.  Fluttershy sure is a nice pony, Big Mac thought to himself, it's no wonder all those little critters feel so safe around her.  Still, I can't shake that feeling: there's something familiar about her...Oh well, maybe I'll figure it out eventually.         "So, how's Angel doin'?" Macintosh asked after a minute or two.         "He's doing well, thank you," she sighed, "he liked you, actually."         "He did?"         She smiled.  "Yes, he did.  He doesn't get along very well with others, but he seemed to like you a lot."         "Ah wouldn't have thought so..."         "Oh, he acts all mean and grumpy, but..." she paused for a second, "well, I don't know.  I have some trouble with him.  He...his mother was one of the first animal friends I made.  A little while after he was born, his...his mother and his brothers and sisters were killed by a wolf."         "Ah'm sorry."         "It's okay," she said, standing a little straighter, "when you work with animals as much as I do you need to learn to brush off death.  I mean, I'm not saying it's not a big deal!  It is, it's just...um...er..."         "S'all right, Ah understand.  Ah help run a farm, 'member?  I have ta deal with the same thing."         "Oh, right, of course."  She sighed, brushing her mane out of her eyes.           "But, Ah thought wolves were a civilized folk, an' they dun' even live in Equestria."         "Yes, you're right, but...well, I'm not sure what happened to that wolf, but it seemed feral, wild.  Maybe something happened to it a long time ago, back home, but...somehow it found its way here, hungry and savage.         "Anyways, the wolf attacked me while it was...after it had killed Angel's family.  The sight of..." she shuddered, "it was a terrible sight.  I was...confused and scared, and then the wolf...when it came at me I wasn't able to react at all.  But...Angel...he was just a baby, but he jumped on the wolf and bit him.  The wolf turned on Angel Bunny, and I was so angry that I..."  Her eyes were large, focused and piercing his.  He felt his mane stand on end beneath her intense gaze.  "It killed his mother.  It killed his brothers and sisters.  It attacked me.  And now, it was going to kill little Angel."         Her eyes glimmered.  Macintosh felt a little dizzy.  Peering into the depths of her eyes, he felt a sudden shiver of fear take hold, as though this pegasus could unleash hell should he get on her bad side.  He swallowed, but wasn't able to look away.  Finally, she broke their gaze.         "Oh, sorry, um, I'm...sorry.  Thinking about it just makes me...angry.  It...I used my Stare on the wolf.  That was the first time.  That wolf...I guess I feel a little sorry for it...it...I never saw it again.  It ran, and didn't stop.  Little Angel was hurt, but I was able to save him.  He...saved my life.  He was my angel.  My little Angel Bunny."         "That's..." Macintosh stuttered, still feeling a little shaken, "that's..."         "Angel became...well, he became sort of difficult after that.  He wasn't as friendly or trusting anymore, and he never made any animal friends, but...he's never left my side, either.  I think he considers me his family now.  Maybe he even feels that I need his protection.  I...um, I guess I do, a little.  He sort of...I know this sounds silly, but...well, sometimes he acts as my conscience."         Macintosh frowned a little.  Fluttershy cleared her throat, kicking a small stone.           "He's always there whenever I'm acting...or when I'm...or if I go too far..." she began speaking very quietly, almost in whispers.  "Even though he's so little, he...he feels like...a guardian, or older brother, in a way.  I do need him.  My little angel."         They walked in silence for a while.  Macintosh needed some time to let it all ruminate in his mind.  Angel Bunny...so that's why you liked me.  You're a very perceptive little critter.  Somehow, just from looking at me, you could tell we have a lot in common.           "I should probably go," Fluttershy began after several minutes of quiet walking, "it's almost time to feed the fish.  Macintosh, I..." she looked up into his eyes.  This time, her gaze was warm and loving, making him just want to curl up and fall asleep next to her.  "Thank you for listening.  I...it's really nice to have a friend who will just listen for once.  Sometimes it's hard...I mean, my friends tell me all about their problems, and I'm glad they want to confide in me and that they trust me, but...well, sometimes even us 'listeners' need to talk to someone too."         "Well, Fluttershy," he said, smiling widely, "it's mah pleasure.  Feel free ta come by the farm sometime."         "Thank you," said the yellow pegasus, turning to canter away, "I'll see you later, Big Macintosh."  She walked a few steps, then, with a glimmer of her wings, took to the air; a bird from a nearby tree flew after her.         Macintosh sighed.  Running a hoof through his orange mane he set out for town, his eyes focused ahead but unseeing.  It's not even ten in the morning, and already this feels like a full day.  But it's so much more...interesting than life on the farm.  Maybe...maybe someday, if Applejack feels she can run the farm alone...he shook his head as the memory of his talk with Applejack last night resurfaced in his mind.  No.  I made a promise.  My family still needs me.  He knew his sisters were a capable pair: Applejack ran the farm (even though Macintosh did most of the behind-the-scenes work) and Apple Bloom could handle herself in a sticky situation, even traveling alone through the EverFree Forest to that zebra's place once.  Still, they were children, as much as Applejack would like to think otherwise.  Sure she is strong, dependable and an honest worker, but she overestimated herself far too often.  Her escapades attempting to harvest the whole apple orchard alone was not the first time she found herself in over her head, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.  As loyal and dependable a friend as she was, she still needed somepony else to be there to reel her in when she got out of control.  Her friends couldn't be there all the time, and until Applejack learned enough discretion, he'd have to be the one to catch her when she fell.         Apple Bloom, on the other hand, seemed to be growing up too fast.  She had already attempted a greater variety of activities and jobs than Macintosh ever had in the hopes of earning her cutie mark.  She sort of had to be independent, growing up without parents proper and all.  Macintosh, Granny Smith and Applejack did their best to raise her, but with a whole farm for them to run, the young filly often found herself on her own for the day.  Maybe for this or some other reason, Apple Bloom was a very perceptive girl.  She was able to sense when somepony was feeling upset or scared, and often nestled herself up to them, comforting them; unless it was during a thunderstorm.  Then she'd be under a bed somewhere.  The few times Macintosh found himself emotional or depressed Apple Bloom wasn't far away to cheer him up.         In his mind's eye, he saw them: Applejack, standing tall, her hat with the bite taken out proudly perched upon her head.  Apple Bloom, her large, orange eyes filled with love, the pink bow resting sweetly in her mane.  After a moment, their image changed...In Applejack's place was a large, strong, yellow stallion, the same hat upon his thick brown mane.  In Apple Bloom's, a soft, light orange mare, her auburn mane adorned with that pink bow.  Although their bodies had changed, their eyes stayed the same.         Macintosh chuckled.  In a way, that was to be expected, I suppose.  The mental image faded as he took a deep breath, his heart filled with the hope of spending some quality time with his family later in the day.           Macintosh decided to head for the library, mentally deliberating on a new subject he and Twilight could study.  Maybe history?  I am interested in the old legends around the Princesses...As he walked down the roads however, he caught sight of the fan shop from yesterday and was suddenly very aware of the fan he forgot to bring with him.         "Horse apples," Mac muttered, swiftly turning and galloping in the other direction before that Breezy pony could see him.  A run and fifteen minutes later Macintosh let himself into his house, grabbed the offending fan from the living room (taking care not to wake Granny Smith from her morning nap) and sped down the road to return it.  By the time he reached the shop he found himself gasping for air as he reached to ring the bell.  It played a gaudy tune as the curator opened the door, his weird green hat still perched upon his head.         "Top o' the mornin'!" he cheered, "you're up bright and early!  I like that!  Good blood, eh old boy?  Ah, I see you brought my fan!  Good show!  Come in, come in!  Make yourself at home!  Please, put it anywhere, anywhere is fine at all."  Inside the shop Macintosh beheld dozens of boxes, piled and sorted all over the place.         "What's goin' on?" Macintosh asked, setting down the fan, "movin'?"         "Correct!  Excellent work old chap!  Right as rain, I say!  Your keen eye is right on the money!  Do you know Mr. Davenport?  Runs the Quill and Sofa Shoppe just down the road?  No?  He sells quills and sofas, you know.  Well, he and I had the brilliant idea of a joint venture!  Imagine!  Combining our little shops into a trifecta!  Why, it will be the talk of the town!  Who, I say who can resist the convenience of fans, quills AND sofas available for your perusion all in one place?  Truly outstanding!  Is 'perusion' a word?  Should be!  Remind me to ring up Mr. Webster.         "Now I'm sure you're wondering what will happen to this place!  Come on, lad!  Hasn't your inner detective already figured it out?  I'm selling, dear boy!  Or, perhaps I should say, am going to sell.  For you see I haven't as yet found a buyer.  I find myself in the unfortunate position of owning an empty shop!  Such a travesty!  Perhaps I overact?  I still have time to sell, after all!  I shan't be moving my inventory into the other shop for a few weeks yet.  I say, I certainly hope I can find a buyer in time!  Chum, you wouldn't happen to know anypony interested in an establishment of their own, would you?"         "Ah'll keep an eye out.  Say, what's that?"         "Aha!  Dear boy, what you have just pointed out is none other than my most prized possession!  It looks like an ordinary fan, you say?  Feast your eyes as I turn it on!  See?  See?  This fan had the blades inserted backwards!  Oh, why does this matter you ask?  Well, this particular fan was handcrafted by the great Marcello Fantastico!  I'm sure you've heard of him!  Well, although his first attempt was a disaster, it still became a much sought after collector's item!  I say, when I first saw it at that auction..."         Macintosh quietly clicked the door shut and, taking a deep breath, left the shop in the dust.           "That was painful," he groaned, promising himself to never ever buy a fan.         It took Macintosh a minute to remember that his original goal was the library, so, with a smile he cantered in the direction of the tree/house.  As he approached the door he found it to be ajar and heard voices from within.  Peeking his head inside he saw a small crowd of fillies and colts (including the Cutie Mark Crusaders), their eyes and ears riveted on the purple unicorn filly as she read from the blue book.         “Frost, from high up on the tall cliff, could see Blaze standing far below.  The colt held his silvery wings at his sides, ready for the signal.  Frost flicked her hoof and fastened her new goggles over her eyes.  ‘Blaze!’ she called.  ‘Yes?’ was the reply. ‘Ready?‘  ‘Yes!‘  Frost breathed a shaky breath.  Stretching out her wondrous white wings she focused, and gasped as she saw them glimmer in the sunlight.  They sparkled and shined, flashing with the light of a hundred small, shimmering snowflakes in the sun.  An electric prickle ran down her neck.  So this is what magic felt like!  She took a deep, deep breath and ran to the edge of the cliff, kicking and jumping with all her might.  At once, Blaze twisted and turned his shining wings.  The warm sunlight bounced of his wings as though they were a pair of great feathery mirrors on his back.  The hot air became even hotter and gave Frost just the lift she needed to soar.  She flew higher, higher, higher until she flew as high as she could go.  She flew so high she shivered in the cold and her lips froze shut.  ‘Perfect.’  She closed her eyes and closed her wings and fell.  She went faster and faster, pulling her wings to her sides.  The ice on her body cracked off with a terrific crackling noise, and all the ice spun around and around the filly.  Spinning as she fell, all the frigid snowflakes around her formed an incredible storm of ice, swooshing and swishing through the air sending a wonderful fluffy blanket of snow to the ground behind her.  It floated around Blaze, who looked up to Renaldo.  ‘Magnificent,’ he said.’  Oh!  Macintosh!         All the children turned to look at the stallion, his sister and her friends grinning widely.                  "Howdy Twilight," he said, stepping inside.  Oh well, I guess I can always study another time.  "Enjoyin' the story, kids?"         They all nodded and spun their attention back to the unicorn who smiled and flipped the page as she continued reading.  Hopping down the stairs came Spike, holding a stack of books which he replaced on a shelf.  Macintosh walked over, and kept his voice low so as not to disturb the reading.         "Howdy Spike.  How's it goin'?"         "Hey Big Mac!" he grinned, "what's up?"         "Not interested in the story?" Mac chuckled.           "Actually, I went ahead and read the rest of it last night.  Awesome story!  I really love how it turns out that the seven-legged monsters are actually-"         "Shh!  Dun' spoil it fer the foals!"         "Oh, right, sorry, heh."  They leaned back against the wall, casually listening as Twilight continued telling the enraptured children about the strange woman Blaze had met, and how she seemed so very friendly.         "So Spike," Macintosh said quietly, "what's new?"         "Not much.  Well, an old friend of mine from Canterlot is coming to visit this afternoon."         "Canterlot?"         "Yeah, me and Twilight used to live there.  Pretty cool place."         "Lots'a higher ups there.  Y'all know many ponies there?"         "Well, let's see...I know..." he counted on his fingers, "just about everypony there.  I was the one who mentioned Rarity's fashion show to Hoity-Toity, you know!  And, I don't want to brag," he said, rubbing his claws on his chest, "but I maaaay have pulled a few strings to get her a feature article in 'Clothes Horse Magazine.'"         "Never heard o' that, but it sounds mighty impressive," the stallion acknowledged, "so what's yer friend do?"         "He's a royal event planner," the dragon said nonchalantly, "oh, did I forget to mention I'm on a first name basis with the Princess?"         "Really?" Macintosh looked down his snout, a look of mock surprise on his face.         "Uh, no...But I am one of her royal messengers!  Anyways, my friend said he needed some advice to plan this year's 'Summer Sun Celebration.'"         "Ah heard Twilight mention somethin' 'bout that.  Ain't it happenin' in a couple days?"         "On Sunday, but yeah, it's no big deal.  Y'know, it'll be in the royal hall, the princesses will be there, as well as anypony who's anypony - including me and Twilight, but yeah, same old, same old," he said, feigning boredom.  Macintosh chuckled as he turned his attention back to the purple unicorn who was replacing her bookmark.         "All right," she said, "why don't we take a little break?"         "Aaaww!" the kids whined.         "Just a ten minute break, then we'll read some more," she said, closing and placing the book on a nearby desk.  The fillies and colts moaned their dissatisfaction at this but shortly began playing games outside.  Twilight, yawning, cantered over to Macintosh.         "Good morning," she said, "how's it going?"         "Fine, thanks.  Tired?"         "Yeah, a little," she chuckled, "those little ponies had me read so much to them yesterday that I had to stay up late to finish my studies.  But I don't mind.  It's worth it to see the library get some use.  Some of the foals have started taking out books of their own!" she said, a smile spreading across her face, "I guess a lot of them didn't realize how many good books are out there.  Although," she coughed, "I don't think I’m up for reading a story like that again."         Macintosh laughed.  "Dun' worry, Ah'm sure they'll start reading on their own or get their parents ta read ta 'em."         "Do you want some tea or something, Twi?" Spike asked, concerned.         "Oh, that would be great, thanks Spike," her voice was a little hoarse as the dragon hopped away into the kitchen.  "Until now," she began suddenly, "until now I sort of felt bad about the public service budget the mayor set aside for me.  You know, checks for maintaining the library although I was the only one using it.  Those checks are my only form of income, so it was kind of awkward to accept money for, essentially, living in my own private study hall."         "Ah see," Macintosh said, nodding his head, "sounds like it's all working out fer ya then."         "It is, thanks again," she smiled.  Spike returned with the tea and offered some to Mac (passing the red stallion a larger mug which he could actually hold) and the group sat quietly and enjoyed the hot drink.  After a few minutes Twilight rounded up the kids who eagerly plopped down onto the floor as she hovered the book in front of her.         "All right, where were we...Ah, here it is..." she cleared her throat, "'The duchess, her long green dress flowing gracefully, showed Blaze to a throne in the middle of the woods.  As she pointed, a-'"         Knock knock knock         Everypony in the room turned to look as the door creaked open and two fillies awkwardly stepped inside.  They were the ones that gave Macintosh trouble yesterday; Diamond and Silver something.         "Um," the one with glasses began, "we were kinda wondering...um...if we could hear some more of the story."         A few minutes later the two fillies had been readily accepted into the group (although there was some short lived teasing from Apple Bloom and her friends) and were brought up to speed on the events of the story.  Macintosh excused himself, grinning from ear to ear.         "Ah knew that story would get 'em," he chuckled.   ***         "Y'all okay over there, Ma?  Ya jes' need ta press-"         "Ah ken figure this dang thing out on mah own!"         "Hush, Apple Bloom, just hold still a little longer..."         "All right kids, ready?"         "Wait Gramma!"         "What is it, Jackie?"         "Yer hat's crooked, Pa!"         "Ah, better.  Thanks Jackie."         "Ready now?"         "Apple Bloom, no!  Jes' stay put!"         "Hee hee, she's chewin' on yer bow, Ma!"         "Leggo, Apple Bloom!"         "Ah said, are y'all ready yet?"         "Ah think so."         "Macintosh?  Ya ready?" I looked back up to Mother.  She smiled.  She was happy.  My sisters were happy.  Grandmother was happy.  Father was happy. I was happy too.           "Ah'm ready."         "All righty then, say cheese!" ***         Grinning and humming a little, Macintosh cantered back through town, his harness clinking happily with each step.  Once he spotted his friends and their flower stand a little ways away, his smile stretched even wider.           Blues was extolling the virtues of a bouquet of flowers (daffodils, apparently, as he overheard Rose correct and berate him for calling them dandelions) to a customer, but, his sales pitch failed, turned and saw Macintosh on approach.         "Hey Big Mac!" he waved.  The others turned and smiled.         "Howdy y'all," Mac returned.  He looked over to Daisy.  "So?  How'd ya like yer present?"         Daisy blinked.  "What present?"         "Oh!  I forgot!" Rose slapped herself.  She reached into a cabinet and pulled out the sapling, passing it to Daisy with an embarrassed smile.         "What is...an apple tree planter?" Daisy said, a smile growing on her face, "Macintosh!  Wha!"         "Ah thought it could help ya out.  If'n ya need any help with it, jes' let me know."         "Wow!  Thanks!"         "Eeyup.  See how it works out fer ya, an' then ya'll get an idea if they'd work ta sell."         Daisy nodded, turning over the planter and examining it with wide eyes from all angles.  The others laughed lightly.         "Oh, an' there's one other thing," Mac said nonchalantly, "do any o' y'all know somepony who'd be interested in buyin' a shop?"         Their eyes locked on his as he looked at each one in turn, unable to hide his mischievous smile anymore.         "Y-you mean-!" Rose stammered.         "Eeyup.  Mr. Breezy is lookin' ta sell his shop an' needs somepony ta take it off his hooves."         The three fillies gasped, their eyes massive with excitement.         "This is wonderful!" Rose cheered.         "I can't believe it!" Lily shouted.         "What an incred...ah crud." Daisy faltered, "there's no way we could afford to buy a shop!"         "Oh, yeah, you're right..." Rose deflated.  Macintosh sighed and kicked at the road.         "Well, he said he's still got some time b'fore he needs ta sell, so maybe somethin'll work out."         "I doubt it," Daisy groaned.         "Aw, c'mon!" Blues said supportively, "who knows?  The money could turn up!"         "Yeah!" pitched in Lily, "like, like, maybe!  Maybe a dragon will come to town!  And he'll be all 'RAR, I'M A DRAGON' and I'll be like 'I'ma slay the dragon and take his shinies!' and then, then, an alien will land, and give me his laser gun, and I'll be all 'PEW PEW PEW' and the dragon will be like 'HARK I AM DEAD' and I'll take all his money and diamonds and stuff and we can buy the shop and get married to the princes we saved and eat yoghurt!"         "Speaking of dragons..." Daisy said, completely monotone as she pointed down the road at Cherry, who impatiently tapped her hoof.         "Aw, man, I gotta go," Blues whined, "I'll meet you guys later!"  As he stepped away, Cherry disappeared around the corner.  The others waved goodbye, but Mac quickly joined the blue colt.         "Blues!  Wait up!"         "Oh, 'sup, Macintosh?" he said, slowing down his pace a bit.         "Well, Ah wanted ta talk ta ya fer a bit."         "Uh, okay, what's up?"         Macintosh cleared his throat.  I guess I'll just come right out and ask it..."So what's the story with you an’ Daisy?"         "Me and Daisy?" he repeated, looking sideways at the stallion, "what do you mean?  There's no story."         "Really?" Macintosh pressed.  The blue colt looked up into his eyes, then sighed and stared ahead.         "She and I went out for a while.  It was nothing special, and once I met Cherry I broke it off."         "Oh..." Mac said quietly.  "Ya said Cheerilee introduced ya ta Cherry, right?" he continued after a moment, the dots slowly connecting.         "That's right, it was during Winter Wrap Up.  Anyways, me and Daisy are all good now."  He said quickly as they made the corner and cantered towards a scowling Cherry.  "Anyways, I need to go.  I'll talk to ya later!"         "All right," Macintosh replied as he slowed down and walked back the way he came, away from the cherry red filly and her stand of fruit.  So Blues and Daisy were a couple, he mused, I sort of suspected as much, but...well, I certainly wouldn't say they're 'all good now,' or at least Daisy sure isn't.  He kicked a loose pebble with his huge hoof.  Wait, they broke up right during Winter Wrap Up?  But that was just after they all lost the-         "MaaaacintooooOOOOOOOOoosh!!" something shrieked as it barreled into him.  A pink something that was very messy and covered in flour and dough, its hooves sticky and poofy mane filled with bits of candy.         "Yes, Pinkie Pie?" he asked slowly, returning to his hooves as she clung to him.  Stuck to him would be more accurate.         "Oh it's terrible!  It's an absolute disaster!  It's the worst possible thing that could ever happen ever!  Come on!" she blurted as she grabbed his hoof (the gooey frosting that coated it ensuring he couldn't pull away) and dragged him off down the road, their destination a familiar bakery with a large, grey plume of smoke rising from the windows.         "Oh boy," Macintosh groaned.