//------------------------------// // According to Plan... // Story: Applejack's Stetson Hat // by Fattymagee1 //------------------------------// The two Diamond Dogs slowly approached Big Macintosh, their paws ready to subdue the big red stallion. Big Macintosh was quite frightened, as the stallion had never encountered any such creatures in his life. He could hardly believe these things qualified as "dogs," since they were enormous and could apparently speak, unlike Winona back home. He peered between the creatures and observed the white mare Rarity cowering in her dress along the purple wall as the third creature neared her. He could make out the dog's lustful grin as he attempted to seize the mare with his massive grey paws. Big Macintosh watched as the dog picked Rarity up amidst her flailing hooves and hoisted her up over his head. Rarity was now screaming quite furiously. "Put me down, you big ugly brute! Can't you see you're scratching my gown?" She then focused on her hopeful savior, and their eyes met. "Big Macintosh! Do something! I simply cannot return to that horrid filthy place!" She continued to wail as the abhorrent Diamond Dog leader carried her towards the exit doorway. Big Macintosh, with a new sense of urgency, knew he needed to act now, or Celestia knows what the creatures would do to Rarity. He wasn't about to let that happen. At that very moment, as he gazed at the leader walk through the door with a frantic Rarity over his shoulder, something clicked in the stallion's mind. His fears and anxieties completely evaporated. Rarity's safety was the only thing that mattered to him now, and he focused on the task of protecting her like nothing he had wanted in his life. The other two Diamond Dogs were nearly on top of him. Their combined mass was nearly twice that of Big Macintosh's. He looked down at the floor and huffed in and out. These two creatures were standing between him and his mare, and that wasn't okay. "Ah gotta do what's necessary... fer her," muttered Big Macintosh under his breath. As the smaller Diamond Dog nearly placed his massive paws on the stallion, Big Macintosh quickly raised his head, spun around, and bucked the dog square in the chest harder than any tree he'd bucked before with his hind legs. The creature flew straight through the air, eventually colliding with some white ponequins at the opposite end of the room. The determined stallion didn't waste any time. Before the other dog could so much as react, Big Macintosh aimed his back legs at him as well and fired. Like his accomplice, this larger dog was catapulted with such force that he zipped across the dressing room, eventually landing in a pile of discarded multi-color fabric. Big Macintosh didn't hesitate after defeating his enemies. He galloped towards the doorway Rarity and the leader had gone through fifteen seconds prior. Upon reaching the exitway and peering through it, the stallion was mortified to see the dog, with Rarity still over his shoulder, standing at the threshold of the massive gaping hole he'd trotted around on the way into the boutique. They faced the opposite direction, and Rarity fiercely continued the struggling to break free, with little effect. His massive paws were simply too powerful. Realizing it pivotal to stop the dog right then and there, Big Macintosh charged at the pony-napper. The Diamond Dog leader was astounded when he turned and discovered the stallion had surmounted his two henchdogs, but Rarity was ecstatic to see her savior galloping towards her. "Ah'm comin' for ya, Rarity!" However, as Big Macintosh neared, a devious smile crept onto the dog's face. "You're too late, pony!" sneered the Diamond Dog leader. To Big Macintosh's utter horror, the dog placed one hind leg backwards and quickly dropped backwards into the hole. Big Macintosh listened to Rarity's desperate scream as her voice faded whilst dropping deeper into the hole. Before the stallion even had a chance to make a decision on his next action, he quickly realized he was galloping too fast towards the aperture in the ground. Big Macintosh slid across the floor as he attempted to apply the brakes with his front hooves, but to no avail. Big Macintosh slid head-first into the dark abyss directly behind the Diamond Dog leader and Rarity. However, he was zooming at such a high velocity that his head immediately struck something hard along the opposite crevice wall. A huge white flash entered the big red stallion's vision, and he felt and saw nothing but the darkest of blacks. And everything was... peaceful. "Wheeeeeeee! Whoopeeeeee!" Sweetie Belle rejoiced as Big Macintosh tossed her up and down on his back. "Come on, ain't it my turn now, Big Mac?" questioned Apple Bloom as the little filly tugged at one her older brother's massive hind legs. Big Macintosh grinned. "Oh Apple Bloom, don't ya be silly. We're all family now, and Sweetie Belle deserves just as many turns as ya." The filly didn't budge, however. She just continued to gently tug at his back right leg. He knew what she wanted. Defeated, he lowered his hind legs. "Alright, hop on. Ah guess we can celebrate your becomin' of sisters by me tossin' the both of ya." Big Macintosh engaged in slowly bending his hind legs, then quickly thrusting the two fillies straight into the air. He repeated the process several times. "Girls! Big Macintosh! Time for dinner!" Big Macintosh swung his head to the left and gazed at the source of the heavenly voice. There, fixed to the right of the magnificent setting sun amongst the mountains, stood the white and purple mare of his dreams standing by the front door. "Come on Sweetie Belle, Ah reckon Rarity and Applejack made cookies!" squawked Apple Bloom as she and Sweetie Belle galloped with their tiny hooves towards the farmhouse. Big Macintosh smiled and rolled his eyes, unable to help but think how adorable the two little filly sisters looked galloping side-by-side. He could get used to this. "You too, Big Macintosh. I believe a handsome young stallion like yourself could help me find my way to the dinner table. I seem to be lost," chuckled Rarity. "Ah reckon that'd be a fantastic idea, mah fair lady." Big Macintosh played along with the tease as he cantered over toward his mare. As Big Macintosh approached Rarity, the mare opened her front hooves invitingly. Big Macintosh did the same, and the two ponies shared a deep and comforting hug. "I love you," Rarity whispered into her stallion's ear. "Ah lov—" Out of nowhere, Rarity started to shake Big Macintosh with her hooves wildy. "Big Macintosh, wake up!" said Rarity in a suddenly worried tone. "What in tarnatio—" "Wake up I say!" Big Macintosh's head shot straight up into the air. He quickly realized he was was lying in a dirty, dark, poorly-lit stone room. "Big Macintosh! Thank goodness you're alright!" His head was in pain, and his mind was in a daze; thus, a few seconds passed before he apprehended the familiar sound in his mind. The stallion's head darted to the right. There was Rarity, sitting on the dusty ground, still dressed in her now ruined dress, and apparently crying. "Miss Rarity, thank Celestia nothin's happened to ya!" Big Macintosh wrapped his front hooves around the mare in a deep hug, which Rarity returned. "And you as well. I was greatly dreading the possibility of you not waking. You must have received a mighty blow to the head. I have been simply beside myself for the past several hours while attempting to wake you." They broke the hug, and Big Macintosh gazed at his surroundings for the first time. Rock walls were present on all sides of him, except for a brown barred-door with a couple of small torches on either side of it. "Miss Rarity, are we where Ah think we are?" Rarity sighed. "We most certainly are... and this horrid, putrid place hasn't changed one bit since the last time I was here." Suddenly, they heard footsteps. The two ponies gazed alertly at the sound and saw the three Diamond Dogs on the opposite side of the barred door. The leader dog was in front, and his two accomplices stood behind him. Both dogs had bandages on their chests where Big Macintosh had bucked them. "Good, you're awake. Now you two ponies can find the rest of the precious gems in our great cave," sneered the leader.