“…I fell,” Bright repeated before he shuddered a breath. His throat grew tight and he sniffled. When he realized he had been clutching tightly to the thick foreleg Big Mac had wrapped around him, he managed to ground himself back in the present. Bright inhaled a fuller breath and then let it out. “I-I’m alright.”
Throughout the whole time that Bright was weaving his tale, Big Mac had been holding him snug, listening intently. He figured that Bright had a bad experience, but…that harsh rejection coupled with falling off a cliff? At that young age? Despite the warmth of the quilt wrapped around the both of them, Big Mac felt an unpleasant chill run up his spine. “Celestia Almighty,” he murmured. “Bright…I can’t imagine what somethin’ like that would do to somepony.”
A sour look washed over Bright’s face as he wiped the moisture away from his eyes. “It’s…not easy.” His voice cracked. He took another breath before he continued. “I…uh…I haven’t been getting sleep the past few nights because I get nightmares. I’ve been having them ever since that day. They’re always about those last few moments. Zap…or somepony else will attack me, I-I’ll run, and then I’ll fall.”
It truly was a shock to Big Mac that Bright had been bearing these demons for years and it didn’t seem like he had anypony to help him through it. For once, Big Mac wanted to say anything and everything to console Bright, but no words came to him. “Bright…” was all he could muster to say.
Bright inhaled as he nestled against Big Mac’s shoulder once more. He could pick up hints of hay and apple scents from his coat, which managed to soothe him a bit. He sighed. “That’s not the end of it either.”
Big Mac blinked. “What do ya mean?”
“There’s a bit more I haven’t shared yet. It was when I started to see them…”
My memory from after I fell was hazy. I don’t remember feeling anything when I hit the ground. I think my body just shut down on impact. The one thing that I do remember most was the darkness. Everything around me was just an endless void of nothingness. It was like…I was sleeping without dreaming. It was a scary place and I remember wishing for my dad to come and rescue me.
There was a ringing in my ears that slowly started to subside as I was able to discern some sounds again, though they were faint. There was the heavy hissing of rain and the rumbling of thunder. A rush of air swept past my ear, but it didn’t sound like the stormy wind. More like the wing flaps of a pegasus. Then, I could hear somepony’s muffled shouting. I could barely make out what was said.
“I found him!”
After that, everything faded away into the darkness. Some time must have passed because the next thing I knew, the darkness was suddenly and harshly illuminated by blurs of sterile white light. I could barely feel anything, but my body was stirred as though I was on a shaking bed. My hearing returned, picking up faint hoof steps on a hard tile floor, the squeaking of wheels, and the half-muted speech of the ponies around me. I had to have been at a hospital.
“…fell from a height of about three stories…laceration to left ear…signs of fractures to ribs and lumbar…internal bleeding due to trauma…”
Help me, please!!! I wanted to ask somepony for help so desperately, but no matter how hard I tried to speak, I couldn’t manage a single sound. What was worse was the blurry lights started to fade and the darkness returned, creeping back in to trap me. I was alone again.
I remember wanting to scream and wanting my dad so desperately. I waited and hoped that I’d wake up back home in Coltifornia, that it’d all be just a horrible dream, and that I’d have Dad there to sing me back to sleep with his guitar. I thought about him. When I was a colt, he’d always play one of his songs for me whenever I was sad or scared. They were my most reliable source of comfort. While I was curled up in that darkness, I tried to hum his tunes to myself.
I don’t know how long I was unconscious, but sometime later, I started to hear some nearly-silent music. Dad? As I listened harder, the music grew louder and I was able to hear a filter of static over it. I soon realized that I was listening to a radio. I heard a gentle drum beat, a rich bass guitar, and a free-flowing and vibrant saxophone. It was playing jazz music. The kind that you would hear inside of a coffee shop, like Rhythm and Brews. Another more monotonous sound grew more clear behind the laidback music. A constant and stagnant beeping from a nearby machine. I must’ve been listening to the beat of my own heart through a monitor.
Then, I heard a soft, silvery voice break through the beeping and the music. “This music always helps me relax. I don’t know if you can listen, but I hope it helps…”
The voice I heard sounded like a mare’s. I thought perhaps she was a nurse. Still, even though I wished to speak to her for company, I couldn’t manage to do a thing. I heard her sigh.
“It’s terrible that something like this happened to a colt. You’re lucky you got here when you did. I dread to think what would’ve happened if you arrived any later. It looks like you’re okay for now though. I pray that you still have a future ahead of you, little guy. Rest well.”
A short click and a receding sound of soft hoof clops signaled to me that she had left. Am I really that hurt? I thought. Was I really so close to…
The jazz on the radio and the beeping heart monitor started to fade away. I was falling back into the darkness again. I wasn’t as scared as before, thinking that if I came out of it like I did just now, I’d do it again. Perhaps, I’d even wake up. I waited again, with only my dad’s songs to keep me hopeful.
I’m not entirely sure how I’d describe waiting in the dark. Somehow it felt like an eternity had passed, but at the same time, it was instantaneous when I’d resurface. The next time I did, I started to gain feeling in my body again, but that wasn’t necessarily a good thing at that time. My chest and foreleg felt like they were poked and prodded by hundreds of glass shards while also being tightly wrapped with gauze. My lower back ached terribly, my head was throbbing, and it felt like I was breathing through a thin mask on my muzzle. All the pain that came with that fall finally caught up with me and it was excruciating. I wanted to cry out for the nurse or a doctor, but my body still refused to do anything. I wished I could return to the dark if it meant I could save myself from that agony.
Then, I felt something new. There was somepony touching my foreleg. I could recognize the touch: a gentle, yet trembling hoof bristled with unshorn fetlocks.
“I’m sorry…” Dad’s voice rang true, loud and clear, in my ear. He had to be right there next to me. “I’m so, so sorry, Bright.”
Dad! I tried to open my eyes with all my might, but I could only hear and feel him. I wanted to wake up so badly just to wrap my hooves around him for a tight hug and finally end the nightmare.
Dad’s hoof delicately brushed over my mane. “My poor little colt…” His voice quivered, as though he was holding back from completely breaking down, then and there. I heard misery and anguish, like none I’ve ever heard before. “You know, I got your letter and all the other ones you sent. I-I’m so sorry I never replied.”
I didn’t care about the letters. The only thing that mattered to me at that moment was that he was right there and I just barely couldn’t reach him. There was a short pause. I heard Dad sniffle before he held up my hoof and fondled it with both of his.
“I should’ve talked with you sooner about this. It’s true that thinking about your mom just…hurts so much. When we wanted to have a foal, I was looking forward to everything we were going to do as a family: our first Hearth’s Warming, helping you take your first steps, your first day of school, and so much more. I thought your mom and I would be there for all of it.”
If only… I thought. I could only imagine what our family would’ve been like if it were the three of us, or even what sort of things I would’ve done with Mom. Dad gripped my hoof tighter.
“But her death was never your fault, Bright. I never meant to make you feel like it was. When Nova was giving birth to you, she had…complications and she couldn’t handle the stress. When she finally got to hold you in her arms, she was so exhausted that her body just…gave out. I lost her…but I gained you, my starry-eyed colt. I guess…raising you by myself left me little time to grieve. My heart just aches so much when her birthday comes around. Before she passed, I’d dedicate a song to her every year for her birthday, but it’s so hard for me to sing over her grave,” he sighed. “I miss her, Bright, but you mean the whole world to me too. I could never trade you away for anything.”
This was the first time I can remember Dad being so emotionally honest with me. I mean, I noticed that he’d be almost silent and he’d walk around with a hunched back around Mom’s birthday, but I never knew the gravity of how it weighed on him until then. He’d been there for me all my life, and right then, I was so ready to wake up and let him know that I wanted to be there for him too…
…but then, a sharp twinge of sudden pain pressed on my chest. A deathly coldness manifested from my heart and expanded through my whole body. Something was wrong. I couldn’t breathe and the rhythmic beeping from the heart monitor slowed until it stopped with a long, sustained tone. I could feel the darkness start to surround me once more, though this time, it felt heavier, like it would completely consume me. I-I was dying. D-Dad!!!
“No…No! Bright!!!” I heard Dad shout, but his voice grew distant as the darkness dragged me down into its frigid, suffocating depths. “Somepony, help my son!!!”
Everything faded away…I was suspended in the void with my life waning into the aether…
…
Then, there was a flash of white light. All of the panic and pain I withstood at that moment just vanished, leaving me with just…peace. I was calm and content as I managed to open my eyes. After adjusting to the light, I saw…myself, lying on the hospital bed. It was a bit hard to tell at first with the gauze that was wrapped around my head and over my eye, and with the respirator strapped over my muzzle, but it was me. I…I was a ghost, suspended over my lifeless body. Dad was there right next to me, holding my hoof, crying and begging for help while a unicorn doctor and a couple of nurses burst into the room. I found myself hovering beside him and I reached out my hoof to touch him, but it went right through him.
Just then, I could feel something on my shoulder. It was such a tender touch and something deep in my soul stirred, like something precious lost long ago was suddenly found.
“It’s so nice to see you again, my little pony,” a bittersweet voice said.
I turned my head and I saw her. It was Mom. My mom was standing right there next to me. She had a smile that was so much lovelier than the pictures of her we kept at home. Her plum curled mane bounced and her dazzling amethyst eyes glistened with tears that shimmered into stars as they fell down her cheeks. She was like an angel.
“M-Mommy!” I cried as I threw my hooves around her and she pulled me into a tight embrace, so tight that it was like making up for a lifetime of hugs. She was right there with me and I could finally feel her. Her mauve fur coat was silky and soft, as if it came from a dream. I wondered to myself if I really was dreaming. It felt too good to be true, but after being trapped in the dark without any way to reach out to somepony else, I was just so glad to be comforted that I couldn’t help but cry my eyes out. “Is…Is it r-really you?” I asked, quivering. I felt her hoof brushing the back of my head.
“Yes. It’s okay, little comet. Mommy’s here,” she assured. “Oh, Bright…I’m so sorry you went through something so scary like that. You’re far too young…You had your whole life ahead of you.”
For a short while there, I just buried my head against her chest and wept. Then, Mom lifted my chin so that she could look at me and wipe away the tears from my eyes.
“S-So…does that mean I’m…?” I muttered between sobs.
“Yes…I think so,” she answered solemnly.
I turned and looked back at myself on the bed. The doctor and one of the nurses had surrounded my bedside and Dad was pulled aside by another nurse, out of the room. I could see him lean against the glass of the bedroom’s viewing window, helplessly watching. I pulled away from Mom and managed to drift through the air to meet Dad on the other side of the glass. His eyes were red and there were dark circles and bags underneath them. The fur on his cheeks were moist, his maple brown mane was unkempt, and the feathers on his wings were so ruffled and dusty with dirt that I doubted he could even fly properly in that condition.
“Please…don’t leave me too, Bright,” he deeply lamented, pressing his forehead to the glass.
Right then, I could see that, if I died, Dad would never be able to recover. He’d be alone and broken all over again. What could he do after losing a wife and a son? “Mom, I…I-I can’t leave Dad. Look at him. I don’t want him to lose both of us,” I worried.
Mom placed her hoof on my back and spoke with a defeated tone. “I wish I could help, Bright. I love your father so much and I know it’s not fair, but…there’s not much that can be done. I’m so sorry…”
I felt so useless. I was going to be torn away from Dad and I couldn’t do anything to change that. What would happen to him when I was gone? What would he do? All I could do was sit and watch him get destroyed as my life ended so abruptly.
Suddenly, I felt a jolt in my chest and some invisible force pulled me back towards the bed my body was lying on. I turned my head to look and saw the doctor standing over me with a defibrillator, one that was powered by the magic in his horn. I realized that he was trying to revive me.
“Look, Mom! M-Maybe, I still have a chance,” I grinned, eagerly gliding over my body before another thought occurred to me. I turned back to Mom. “I…have to leave you.”
I remember being so torn up at that moment. I just met my mom for the first time and there was so much that I wanted to ask her…So much I wanted to tell her about. I wished I could have had all the time in the world to stay with her, but I didn’t. If I stayed, Dad would have lost a family and I didn’t want to think of what would have happened after that devastation.
Mom moved closer to me and she smiled a sad smile while cupping my cheek with her hoof. “I understand, Bright. I’ll always be here with both of you.”
I managed a smile in return before leaping into her arms for one more hug. “I love you so, so much…”
“I love you too, Bright,” she whispered before kissing my forehead. “I’m so proud of how you’ve grown.”
Then, when the doctor pressed the metal pads on my chest, another shock came. I was ripped away from Mom’s arms and instantly pulled into my body.
Beep…Beep…
I couldn’t see anything, but I could hear the faint rhythm of the heart monitor and the muffled chatter between the doctor and nurse. I had returned to the darkness. The pain I felt in my body returned, but I knew I had to endure if I wanted to stay with Dad. Then, after a minute or two, I could feel his hoof on mine, clutching it tightly.
“Thank you, sweet, merciful Celestia. You’re going to be okay, Bright. I’ll be right here.” I heard him say before he kissed my hoof.
“And me too, my little comet…”
Mom…? I thought.
I could hear Mom’s voice so clearly above Dad’s and over all the sounds around me. At the same time, I could feel her presence nearby and she never strayed far for the remaining time I spent recovering in the hospital. I think that was the moment when everything changed for me.
I managed to stay stable for the next few days. I’d only fall unconscious in the dark a couple more times and I felt the time that I spent there gradually waned as I rested. Then, there was one day when I remember feeling so uncomfortable with the soreness that I just had to move. I struggled, persisted, and with a bit of time, I managed to open my eyes. Everything was so blurry at first, but as my vision adjusted to the bleached light, I could see my dad, sleeping at the foot of my bed. And just above him, to my shock, I could see my mom, floating above him.
“D-Dad…?” My voice came out hoarse and weak.
Dad’s ear twitched and he stirred awake as I called more for him. He lifted his head as he and Mom both looked at me. I could see the way they lit up with joy, seeing my eyes open.
“Bright! You’re awake!” Mom cried as she floated closer to my side and nuzzled my forehead. I couldn’t feel the silkiness of her coat anymore. “Oh, stars, thank you!”
“Bright! I’m so, so sorry! I’ll never disappear like that again, ever!” Dad almost sobbed, pressing his forehead to mine.
“I…see Mommy,” I struggled to say.
Dad pulled away and wiped his eyes. “I-I’m sorry, son. What did you say?”
“I see Mom…She’s right here.” I tilted my head towards her, looking her way. I didn’t know at the time that I was the only one who could see her. I naively thought somehow, perhaps by magic, that she could be seen.
Mom’s face turned awed as she looked back at me from over my bed. “You can still see me?” She asked.
I managed to nod.
Dad looked at me with confusion in his eyes before he shook his head. “It’ll be alright, Bright. Just rest,” he said, brushing my mane.
“But, she’s here…She’s…” I was still too weak and in pain to say anything more. The little energy I had was spent and I just fell back asleep. Lucky for me, I wasn’t stuck in the dark after that. The worst of it was over and, by the end of it, I was just glad that I survived and Dad wouldn’t be without me, all alone.
“…I suppose the rest is history,” Bright finished.
Big Mac sat and contemplated everything that Bright had recounted. It was such an astonishing and horrifying experience that Big Mac was dumbfounded that Bright had the courage to share it, despite the clear scars it left on his heart and mind.
“Bright…” He trailed off. Big Mac wasn’t one for words, but he truly found himself at a loss for what to say. What could he say that could give Bright any sort of solace? “…I’m sorry,” was all he could muster.
“There’s nothing for you to apologize for, Big Mac.” Bright shook his head. “Like I said, it’s all in the past now.”
“I-I guess…I wanna apologize for the grief I gave ya before.” Big Mac frowned, still a bit ashamed.
“You didn’t know then. I can’t fault you for that. Besides, we’re okay now.” Bright comforted him, patting the farm pony’s foreleg, reassuringly.
“Still, it all seems so crazy,” Big Mac started before he was struck with a sudden worry. Again, it seemed as though words were working against him. “I mean, not that I think you’re crazy, Bright. I-I’m sorry. I didn’t-“
The sound of Bright’s laughter cut through his words. “It’s alright, Big Mac. I know what you meant.”
Big Mac sighed, scratching his chin with a hoof. “I’m jus’ tryin’ to get my head around this. So, ya started seein’ ghosts after this accident o’ yers? How’d that happen?”
There was a short pause as Bright considered the question. He grumbled to himself, trying to organize his thoughts.
“I think…it’s because I was dead for a short while. The doctor told my dad that my heart had stopped for about three minutes or so until he was able to jumpstart it again. Though, to be honest, I don’t quite understand the specifics of what happened,” he explained.
“Ya don’t? What d’ya mean,” Big Mac asked.
Bright’s brows furrowed a bit and his lips tightened, as if dissatisfied. “I’ve tried researching what happened to me for years. The only thing I know was that I was dead, became a ghost, and then, I came back,” he started. “With some help from Dad, I looked into other ponies that might have had the same experience. The thing is that near-death cases in Equestria are so incredibly rare and in everything I’ve managed to find, there weren’t any ponies that gained any sort of abilities, let alone seeing ghosts. I’ve even tried poking around for any sort of magical anomalies that could be related to my case, but even papers from the most studious wizards got me nowhere,” Bright growled. “I think the only place I haven’t looked for answers is the Canterlot Archives, but all the books and documents there are restricted only to the princesses and ponies with special access. I don’t have any other leads.” He paused and sighed. “If there was anything that I learned from all my research, it’s that the fine line between life and death is a huge mystery.”
Big Mac pondered on that for a moment. He could see that half a life full of questions unanswered left Bright so frustrated with himself. Coupled with everything else he’s endured, Big Mac saw Bright was suffering, needing somepony to lean on. “Well, I don’t think anypony can really understand everythin’, ‘specially what happens after this life,” he remarked while instinctively rubbing Bright’s foreleg. “…but you gotta be a one-of-a-kind stallion, Bright. This magic o’ yers is a gift.”
A sideways glance and a short sigh spoke to the contrary for Bright. “I don’t know, Big Mac. I’m grateful I can see my mom and Ivory, but growing up with my ghost vision always made me the odd one out among everypony I met. I…I’m weird and unusual, and, from my experience, nopony likes being around somepony like me. I can’t see why that would be a gift.”
“But I still like ya, Bright,” Big Mac disagreed. “Sure, we got a li’l rattled when I learned, but our friendship’s stronger than that, right?” He thought for a moment, trying to find the right words that would change Bright’s mind. “And…and maybe most o’ them ponyfolk that give ya a hard time aren’t worth yer time, Bright. L-Like, only true friends would make the effort to understand ya.”
Uncertainty lingered on Bright’s face as he thought. Is Big Mac right? He hadn’t seen it that way before, so perhaps it was true. Then again, maybe it was just a fluke. Maybe Big Mac was a one in a million chance and nopony else would care about him. Maybe…a pony so unnatural could only ever be alone, empty, and isolated. “I…I don’t know,” he muttered.
It seemed as though nothing that Big Mac could say would be enough. Words weren’t going to cut it this time. “Ah, buck it,” Big Mac growled. Acting on the very first impulse he had, the farmpony lowered his head and pressed his lips to Bright’s cheek.
No more loneliness. No more pain. Bright was a star that had yet to shine, but Big Mac could clearly see the light inside him. He only wished for Bright to see that he was absolutely worthy of being loved.
Big Mac’s kiss was a sudden warmth that Bright didn’t know he needed as it shoved aside his invasive, negative thoughts. Now, the only thing on Bright’s mind was that this big strong stallion, who had bundled up with him in a warm blanket and held him snug to keep him comforted, was now kissing his cheek.
Before then, Big Mac had never considered stallions before, but somehow, Bright had managed to find a way into his heart. Perhaps it’s because, in a number of ways, the two of them were very alike. They were both timid and gentle souls who valued the close-knit bond of their families. Big Mac always admired unicorns from afar and Bright was a unicorn with extraordinary magic. The farm pony started to feel as though the both of them just fit together, like puzzle pieces in a way he couldn’t describe.
Then, when Big Mac pulled away, both stallions looked into each other’s eyes. Bright’s face was red with warmth and Big Mac’s freckles disappeared as he chuckled bashfully.
“I like ya, Bright. Heck, I more than like ya. I don’t care what you see with those starry eyes o’ yers. I care about you.” He smiled.
For a moment, Bright had a stupefied look on his face before he started giggling like a lovestruck fool. Big Mac soon broke into laughter alongside him, which only made Bright laugh harder and grow redder in the face. He covered his eyes with his hooves, embarrassed, but truthfully, he had never felt so valued by somepony other than his father before.
“Okay! Hahaha! Okay! You win!” Bright conceded when he regained some composure.
Big Mac’s grin refused to disappear and he brushed aside a bit of Bright’s mane from his face as he looked at him once more.
Bright gave one more chuckle and took a moment to revel in Big Mac’s cozy embrace. “So…if you like me that much, then does that mean…“ He trailed off.
“Hmm?” Big Mac hummed.
“…Are we coltfriends?” Bright asked softly, almost a whisper.
“Eeyup.” Big Mac didn’t hesitate with his answer. He might not have had any experience with dating stallions before, but that wasn’t going to stop him from being the support that Bright needed. “I’m happy to be here for ya.”
The redness that painted Bright’s face lingered just a bit longer. He had a coltfriend, something that, for the longest time, he wrote off as just a fantasy, but now it was a fact. Bright’s heart raced.
“W-Wow,” he marveled.
Again, Big Mac smiled and he felt the need to nuzzle Bright’s cheek with his snout to confirm his feelings. Bright giggled in response.
“Do ya feel good enough to go back inside,” Big Mac asked.
“Yeah, I’m feeling fine, thanks to you.” Bright nodded. “Let’s go.”
The blanket covering the two of them slipped off while Big Mac stood up. While it wasn’t freezing, the frigid air was enough to make the fur on both of their coats stand on end. Big Mac offered Bright his hoof to help him up and onto his own. Then, after Big Mac blew out the dwindling flame of the oil lamp, the two of them exited the darkened barn. Big Mac walked closely next to Bright, enough to have their hides pressed together as they made their way back to the Apple home. Bright could feel his heart jump.
“You don’t think we worried your family with how long we’ve been out?” Bright asked.
“Nnope. Only been less than an hour,” Big Mac replied. “Though, uh…ya don’t mind if we keep bein’ together to ourselves fer a bit? I don’t know how they’ll react.”
With how patient Big Mac had been with him, it only made sense to Bright for him to do the same. “It’s okay,” he assured. “I understand.”
As they both approached, Bright could smell the spicy scent of cinnamon and soothing pine, reacquainting him with the welcoming atmosphere of the family home. Big Mac opened the door for Bright and, while Bright greatly appreciated how Big Mac offered to bundle up together in the barn, it felt good to step out of the cold.
Applebloom was sitting by the Hearth’s Warming tree, fiddling with the star in her hooves. Granny Smith was solemnly rocking in her chair until she saw the two stallions ambling in. She carefully slid off and onto her hooves to approach Bright.
“Aw, dearie…Are ya okay? Ya looked so spooked,” Granny softly said, pressing a gentle hoof to Bright’s cheek.
“I’m fine, Granny,” Bright replied with a cheerful smile. “Big Mac helped me through it and I can’t thank him enough.”
“That does my heart good, sonny. And don’t you worry none about…” she paused. “Well, Applejack’s in the attic, storing it away.”
“Already done, Granny,” Applejack called as she trotted down the stairs. She stepped closer to Bright, removing her hat and pressing it to her chest. “I’m awful sorry fer scarin’ ya something fierce, Bright. We wanna make it right with ya.” Applejack looked over at Applebloom and gestured to her with a tilt of her head. Applebloom’s eyes lit up and she grinned widely as she galloped into the kitchen.
Bright shook his head. “There’s no need to apologize, Applejack. You couldn’t have known. Besides, you all have been so kind, having me tonight. I’m just sorry I spoiled the evening.”
“Fiddlesticks, Bright!” Granny Smith interjected. “You’ve been nothin’ but a gentlecolt in our home.”
“Helpin’ us with the tree, showin’ us the stars through yer telescope,” Applejack added. “We loved havin’ ya here, ‘specially Applebloom. She had an idea jus’ to thank ya for bein’ our guest.”
Applebloom returned to the living room on cue and balanced on her back was a plate with a sizable slice of rainbow-colored pie and a fork.
“Surprise!” she chimed. “It’s the first slice of zap apple pie! I know I never have a frown on my face after one bite, so I hope it’ll cheer you up too, Bright.”
The scent of the pie was so rich and strong, like it was some kind of magic. It was clearly cinnamon and sweet baked apples, but there was another aroma that was mixed in that Bright couldn’t quite pin down.
“Hoowee!” Granny Smith hollered. “Ya can’t ask for a pie better than this‘ne, Bright.”
“Enjoy it!” Applejack winked.
Bright was taken aback by the warmth and kindness displayed by the whole Apple family. He chuckled softly while his horn glowed its purple hue and levitated the plate and pie from Applebloom’s back. The pie’s filling was its most defining feature, colored by every color of the rainbow. The apple bits inside looked tender and juicy and the filling looked so deliciously gooey. The pie crust had a golden brown woven lattice and looked delightfully flaky. Bright almost felt guilty for what he was about to do.
Looking up, he saw that Applejack, Applebloom, and Granny Smith had their eyes fixed on him in anticipation. A bit bewildered, Bright turned his head and looked at Big Mac, who just smiled back.
“Don’t fret none, Bright. We jus’ love to see a pony’s reaction to their first bite of zap apple pie,” he assured.
“Oh, okay!” Bright nodded. “Well then, here goes.”
Bright dug his fork in for a healthy chunk of the pastry and scooped it up to his mouth.
The first thing his tongue noticed was a tiny electric zing, followed by, surprisingly, a zesty lemon flavor. The crust was warm and tender along with the filling.
“Oh, my goodness…” Bright muttered with his mouth full.
Then, as he chewed, the apple chunks burst into flavor as it transitioned to a slightly sour, but still sweet key lime, then into a juicy blueberry.
“Oh, my…!”
Grape, then cherry, then peach, before the taste finally finished with a rich and delicious apple flavor.
“SO GOOD!” he blissfully proclaimed before he scooped up another heavenly bite. All his fears and worries from the past hour were miles away while he was warm and cozy, welcomed into this home with the kindest, most loving ponies he’d ever met.
The Apples all burst into cheers and laughter from Bright’s reaction. Big Mac was especially jolly for him, happy to see him smiling even after confronting his demons. Big Mac wrapped his foreleg around Bright’s back and pulled him close while Bright, overwhelmed with joy, shed a single tear. Looking at him now, Big Mac sincerely thought the unicorn next to him was, true to his name, a very bright sight.