//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Magical Filly Macintosh // by Spider-Mane Noir //------------------------------// "Just another day like any other," Thought Big Macintosh as he loaded a barrel full of apples into a his cart. Not that he particularly minded of course. A nice calm orchard, a mug of cider, and some time alone with his thoughts was all Big Mac needed. He preferred to leave the more exiting stuff to his sister. Sitting down for a brief rest, Big Mac looked around at the now empty trees surrounding him. At this rate he'd be done with today's work well before dinner. If he kept this pace up he'd probably have most of the orchard harvested before Applejack got back from whatever shenanigans she and her friends were mixed up in. As he got back to work, Mac wondered to himself what sort of thing it might be this time. Maybe some ancient unspeakable evil, perhaps a misguided sorcerer trying to seize power, or maybe it was a problem that could be fixed with a simple talk to clear up a misunderstanding. "Ah bet Rainbow Dash would be mighty annoyed if that was it," he thought with a chuckle. Of course, it wasn't as if he didn't appreciate all the work they did. Heck, he and everypony else in Equestria owed them their lives several times over. But even the greatest heroes couldn't be everywhere at once. As Big Mac filled yet another bushel with fruit his mind flashed back to a fateful meeting in the Everfree forest. He couldn't help but wonder what the odds were that he, of all ponies would've been in just the right place at that time. Well, in any case, he had more harvesting to get to. Just as he was getting back to work, a blood-curdling shriek shattered the silence. The sounds of ponies screaming could be heard from town. "Another one already?" Thought Big Mac, "Ah swear to Celestia, its like those darn things can read my mind." He looked up and saw a black cat sitting perched on a branch above his head. Not that he needed the reminder. He already knew what he needed to do. (One year ago) "Here Winona! Here girl!" Big Macintosh called out for the Apple family dog. He stood at the edge of the Everfree forest where she'd just run in while chasing a cat. Now it wasn't unusual for Winona to chase after some critter, but normally she'd stop short of the forest. This time though, for whatever reason, she just kept on going. Big Mac hesitated for a moment, but he couldn't just leave Winona in there by herself. "Here goes nothin'," he thought as he stepped into the trees. Even with the midday sun overhead, the thick foliage made it seem like dusk. Winona had left plenty of tracks to follow but Big Mac couldn't help but worry that one of the Everfree's many monsters would get to her before he did. Even though she could be a bit of a hoof-full at times, he could bear the thought of her getting hurt out here. After nearly half an hour of searching, he finally heard the sound of excited barking. Big Mac hurriedly galloped towards the source of the sound. It seemed to be coming from inside a small cave. Cautiously, Big Mac poked his head inside and sure enough there was Winona standing over some sort of lumpy bundle. "Winona! Oh thank Celestia," Now that he was no longer concerned for her safety, Macintosh adopted a sterner tone, "You know better than to run into the forest by yerself girl. What if Ah hadn't..." Whatever Big Macintosh was about to say next never came, because he suddenly realized what the dog had found in the cave. A pony. He quickly scrambled in and to the strange pony's side. The pony, a pegasus mare as he could now see, had clearly been victim to some sort of attack, though by what he couldn't say. "Miss? Miss can yah hear me?" She opened one eye part way and looked at Big Mac, but said nothing "Can yah move at all?" Again no response. Realizing this was going nowhere, Big Mac decided to stop wasting time and simply take her to someone who could help. "Ah'm gonna give yah a lift inta town alright? There's a doctor there who can help yah." But before he could make a move, she held out a hoof. "Don't bother," She said weakly, "Its too late for me." Before Big Mac could object, she continued. "I need you to listen to me. They're coming for Ponyville. You need to stop them." "Who? What's comin'?" Rather than respond the mare pressed her hoof to his. "Please promise me." she whispered, clearly struggling to speak. For a fraction of a second, Macintosh hesitated. This whole hero thing was more Applejack's forte. But as soon as that thought entered his mind, he shook it out. He couldn't just shrug off a dying pony's request, especially when the lives of everypony he knew could be at risk. "Ah promise," he said with a nod. With that, a golden glow surrounded the stranger's body, working its way to the end of her forehoof. Where their two hooves met, the glow spread to Big Mac. As it covered him, a strange tingling sensation engulfed his body. Finally the light faded and the mysterious mare gave a small chuckle. "Heh. A stallion. I don't think anypony ever expected this," She looked Big Mac in the eyes, "Thank you." With that, she closed her eyes and her body simply faded away. Big Mac took a few steps back, trying to process what had just happened. The tingling sensation was still there, and now he found himself fighting back a sudden wave of nausea. He turned to leave, took a single step forward, and passed out. ---------------------- With start, Big Mac awoke. He was in his room, lying in his bed. Had that all been a dream? He couldn't remember coming back home, and one look out the window let him know that it was night and had been for some time. Just as he determined that it must have been an incredibly vivid dream, he felt his stomach lurch. "Well that was real at least," he thought, rushing to the bathroom. After vomiting up the remains of yesterday's dinner, Big Mac happened to catch his reflection out of the corner of his eye. But... something seemed off. He turned his head to get a better look. Staring back at him was the face of a young mare.