//------------------------------// // Chapter 3- Acquired Hobbies // Story: MEGA Macintosh: The Life of a Titan // by BottleH2O //------------------------------// Big Macintosh stared at his desk. On it sat a piece of wood he was carving into a sculpture. Or at least attempting to do so. Last night, while he had been on one of his nightly supersized walks (accompanied by an equally gigantic Leo) the topic of hobbies had come up. “Me?” Leo looked at him in surprise, as he carefully set his humongous paw down next to a nearby city “What do I normally do in my free time?” “Eeyup,” Big Mac rumbled, brushing Cloudsdale out of the way “Ah’ve been wondering about that. What do ya and tha other critters of tha forest do when ya ain’t prowling around for yer next meal?” Leo paused, deep in thought “Well, here are a few things I do that I suppose you ponies can call hobbies,” he said “I usually try working on making the den for my mate and cubs better. You know, gathering more plants for the inside, a few flowers for my mate because she likes it, stuff like that. I also enjoy exploring the forest. Well, I used to,” the manticore chuckled, a deep rumbling sound that shook the ground. The tiny city by his big toe quivered slightly “Ever since I met you and you made me bigger, I think I’ve seen the entire forest by this point,” Big Mac smirked “Glad Ah could help ya,” Leo rolled his eyes with a small smile “And what about you? Any hobbies ponies do that I don’t know about?” Big Macintosh thought for a second “Well, there’s one Ah’ve been meaning to pick up again. Back in tha day Ah used ta carve figures and other objects into wood. Ah had ta drop it fer a little while because tha farm needed ta be worked on. But now that Ah’m starting ta free up mah workload Ah think Ah should git back into it. Only problem is Ah don’t know what Ah should start making now,” Leo pondered the question “Hmmmmm. I’m not sure,” he admitted, his paw tapping the ground absentmindedly, causing mild tremors rocking across the continent that somehow, did not wake anyone up. Leo occasionally glancing down to check and see his paw doesn’t accidentally land on top of the nearby city. Suddenly an idea hit him as he kept checking on the city. Looking back up excitedly he said “Why not make sculptures of all the cities and towns you’ve seen? Big Mac raised an eyebrow “Pardon? How am Ah supposed ta do that? Ah don’t have nearly enough wood ta make ah building. Much less a city.” Leo’s eye lit up as he reached down and scooped up the city by his paw, completely tearing it out of the ground and having it rest in his paw’s palm, holding it up to Big Mac’s face, who recoiled slightly as the tiny city was shoved directly in front of him “Why not make a carving of the city scaled like this? This was you get to make something unique as well as practice your skills with the precision you need when making all the buildings and streets!” Leo said excitedly. Big Macintosh was initially going to wave it off, but the more he thought about it, the more the idea began to appeal to him. It honestly wasn’t that bad. He glanced down at the tiny city in Leo’s paws before looking up at the beaming manticore “Alright. Ah’ll give it a shot,” he said. Back to the present day, Big Macintosh was carefully whittling away at the block of wood he was carving. He had decided to start first with making a miniature copy of Manehatten. The reason being that he had spent most of his time there when he was initially under the effects of the wild growth spell and thus had gotten a pretty good layout of the city in his mind. He took his carving knife and continued carving out buildings that he had seen. A bank, an accounting building, apartment buildings, shopping malls, the stadium he had picked up whena a game was going on, and even the building he had helped the construction workers put together while he was gigantic. The pieces of wood he had cut off fell down to his desk bit by bit as he continued cutting around the wooden block. After he was done with a rough cut of the city, he then needed to use sand paper and smooth out the ‘buildings’ he had just created. But how would he do this without damaging or breaking apart the small and fragile rectangles he had just crafted? Well, it was here he had to get a little creative. And use a bit of help from his new magic of course. Big Macintosh shrank both himself and some of the sandpaper down until the tiny model city he had been constructing began to look more like the size of the actual Manehatten. “If Ah didn’t know any better, Ah’d think Ah was in a completely different world,” Big Mac thought to himself, looking up in awe at the roughly cut geometrical shapes of the soon to be buildings. It was almost uncanny. And a little unsettling too, being transported into this unfinished world and staring up at the blocky and unfinished brown structures all around him. Shaking his head, he got to work. He started sanding the bottoms of buildings by hoof, while he used his magic to spawn in a few vines. Said vines took some of the other discarded normal sized sandpaper and worked on the buildings from above. This way Big Macintosh could prioritize working from the ground level as well as the multiple buildings all around him with the use of his nature magic. And through the night he worked. Trying to maximize his time as much as possible. Once he had finished sanding off all the rough edges of wood with a little help from the magically conjured up vines, he then took to carving out windows and floors in each one of the buildings. This time instead of using vines Big Mac reanimated some small dandelion flowers to give him a helping hoof and spread out around the city. Getting in some of the more intricate details of the buildings. He didn’t know how, but somehow, someway, the flowers knew exactly what they were doing and exactly what the inside of each building looked like. Big Macintosh was enjoying the physical work so much that he didn’t even notice how much time had passed by. It was mindless, yet at the same time it was therapeutic and relaxing. Good, hard, and honest work for the soul. It wasn’t long before the sunlight began to peek through the window. Big Macintosh blinked, surprised at the sudden intrusion of light. Had time really passed by that quickly? He didn’t even notice. Wordlessly, he retracted the vines he had conjured up and stepped off the wooden replica and onto his desk. He then used one of the dandelion petals to float down to the ground and restore his size to normal. Big Macintosh looked down at his progress. So far so good. But he did need to acquire a few more details before he was fully finished with his little project. “And Ah know just how to do it,” Big Macintosh thought as he stepped out the door and walked down the hallway. That would have to wait though, right now it was time to start the day. Night had fallen on Equestria once more. Everypony lay asleep quietly in their beds as the stresses of the day washed away and they found themselves in the world of dreams. Well, all except for Big Macintosh once again. The clouds parted way as the now 4000 meter tall stallion lumbered across the little landscape. On any normal night this wouldn’t have made any difference, many would assume the red titan was on his nightly walk. But tonight was different. Big Mac had a purpose for coming out tonight. It wasn’t long before he made it to his destination. Manehatten. Only now it was as tiny as the model he was busy crafting. Reaching into the saddlebag that he had draped over his side, Big Macintosh took out a sketchbook and began to draw the city from all angles. Making sure to fine tune any lingering details in his drawings so when he actually translated the pictures into his sculpture it would look good. He even picked up the city at some point, turning it around in his massive hooves as he observed the tiny and delicate structures in his grasp. Once he was sure he had gotten everything he needed, Big Mac headed back home to resume his little arts and crafts project. After returning back to the farm, Big Mac made his way back up to his room silently. Not that there was really any need. If there was one thing he noticed while being giant was that everypony tended to sleep like rocks. Completely undisturbed. Big Mac always wondered why no one ever woke up from the ground shaking every time he took a step as a titan or heard a thunderous boom shaking the air from his mighty form walking across the kingdom. He guessed that was the reason why. Big Mac entered his room and placed his sketches all over his desk so he has his references to look at at all times. He stood at normal size this time, sitting at his desk as he continued chipping away at the wood. He had a file is his mouth as he rubbed it against the side of one of the several dozen buildings he had crafted, smoothing it out before shrinking a few more of his tools and letting more vines and roots take center stage and craft the remaining finer details of the city. Though he did have to be careful while he was doing this. Sitting on his desk was the shrunken city of Manehatten. Big Macintosh had decided to bring it back with him so he’d have the real thing with him as he worked. And it did wonders in speeding up the process. Big Mac held Manehatten up to his eye, observing one of the tallest banking buildings before turning his attention to his model and crafting a one to one replica of the real thing. Slowly but surely more and more buildings began to take shape until at long last, Big Macintosh had finally finished his creation. A complete miniature copy of Manehatten. And it looked incredible! If Big Mac didn’t know any better, he would have thought that this was really another miniature city he had on his desks. “Eeyup!” Big Mac boomed proudly, prancing in place with joy, ratting his room and shaking up the shrunken city on his desk like it was in an earthquake. Though from a certain perspective, it technically was. Big Macintosh stole a glance at his clock. About an hour before the sun came up. He had to put back the city he had plucked up fast and make it back home! Snatching up the city, he unceremoniously dropped it into his saddlebag and jumped out his window. Thankfully, Big Macintosh had achieved a pretty huge leap in mastery of his magic that he was able to spawn in a slide made up smooth stones and roots from his window to the ground. Sliding down to the grassy floor of the orchard, Big Mac activated his magic again, blinking clouds out of his eye a second later as he once more grew to gargantuan proportions. It wasn’t long before he came across the several hundred wide meter crater that once housed Manehatten. The very same crater he had left behind when he had reached down and scooped it up into his hoof. Now he was reaching down and letting the city slide off his hoof and back into the crater neatly. Big Mac’s eyes flashed green and the cracks in the earth fixed itself. Leaving behind absolutely no damage and no indication that an entire city had been picked up by a several thousand foot tall stallion. Big Macintosh snorted in satisfaction in a very equine like way before turning around and heading back home, making it back just as sunrise broke through the horizon and rose slowly into the sky. But not before leaving behind a little gift for the residents of Manehatten as thanks for their time helping him with his project. A little while later, Big Macintosh was sitting at the breakfast table with the rest of his family. Applejack sat at his right, Apple Bloom sat in front of him, and Granny Smith sat at the head of the table. All of them were devouring the plethora of apple pastries that had been baked the day before and were still extremely fresh and delicious. “Ahhhh,” Applejack sighed contently “Ah love Sundays. No work in tha field and no chores ta do. We all got tha day off,” Apple Bloom’s tail wagged excitedly “Exactly sis! That means me and tha Crusaders can try an find our cutie marks today!” Big Mac chuckled, reaching forward and ruffling her mane “Yer always trying ta find yer marks, regardless of tha day Bloom,” he said with amusement. Apple Bloom batted away the huge red hoof, puffing out her cheeks indigently (“And cutely!” Applejack added) “Well this time Ah’m sure we’re gonna git it! Ah’m sure!” “Good luck then kiddo,” Granny Smith piped up from the other end of the table. She had just finished polishing off another apple strudel before turning to her other two grandchildren, addressing them “An how are tha two of you spending yer day off?” she asked, reaching for an apple fritter. “Tha girls an I are gonna head down ta SugarCube Corner. Something about the Cakes about to have a sugar emergency for some event that’s happening in a few weeks,” Applejack said nonchalantly, tossing a whole apple pie into her mouth “Or at least that’s wut Pinkie said,” Granny Smith nodded “Alrighty then! And how about you Macky? Got any plans fer tha day?” she asked. Big Mac nodded “Ah’m gonna finish up a sculpture Ah was making in mah free time,” he said. The Apples looked at him with interest “You were making a sculpture?” Applejack asked “What of?” “It’s ah sculpture of Manehatten. Ah was trying ta challenge myself and see if Ah could replicate tha city,” Said Big Mac. “Ain’t that hard? Manehatten ain’t exactly small,” Applejack stated, looking confused. She had a small smear of apple sauce on her muzzle that had gone completely unnoticed because she was so fixated by this new conundrum. “Maybe it’s best if Ah just show you,” Big Mac said, getting up from the table and walking upstairs. Applejack, Granny Smith, and Apple Bloom all looked at each other in confusion as they heard Big Mac retreating upstairs. The sound of his heavy hoofsteps filled the air announcing his return. “Ooooo!” Apple Bloom’s eyes went wide with awe There sitting in Big Mac’s hoof was a tiny wooden replica of Manehatten. It was uncanny and looked so well done. Applejack whistled “Well slap me silly and call me apple cider! That’s some mighty fine work ya done there big brother!” she said impressed “Ya got a real eye fer detail alright!” “Thanks AJ,” Big Mac said happily “Ah’m almost done with it. Just got a few more things ta add as well as some color and Ah think this lil’ feller should be all set!” “What do ya have ta add big brother?” Apple Bloom piped up “It looks pretty finished ta me,” “Ah still have ta add tha hoofball stadium, tha famous pony statue in tha harbor, an Crystler building,” Big Macintosh replied “An of course add some color ta tha whole thing,” “You could start yer own side business with that. Making scuptures of landmarks and selling it ta ponies,” Apple Bloom piped up. “Eeyup!” added Granny Smith “Ah think that’ll be a mighty fine idea Macky. If yer good at something, don’t do it fer free,” “Alright, alright!” Big Macintosh laughed “That don’t sound like too bad an idea. Ah’m sure plenty of ponies would love ta get a city sculpture,” Applejack rolled her eyes with a playful smirk “Just don’t let Dash get her hooves on one. Then she’ll start playing ‘Dashiezilla’ soon enough’ she giggled. “Eeyup,” Big Mac agreed “Can’t say Ah haven’t been guilty of that mahself once or twice,” he thought, smirking internally. Call it a guilty pleasure if you would. “Though now that Ah think about it, Ah wonder how all them tiny ponies in Manehatten reacted to tha ‘gift’ Ah left them? It was something that would be talked about for months to come. Ponies all over Manehatten had woken up for the day, only to curiously still be shrouded in shadow. As they all left their homes and apartments, they were greeted by the most peculiar sight they’ve ever laid their eyes on. There, towering high in the sky, looming over the buildings and skyscrapers themselves, was the biggest Apple Fritter they’d ever seen in their lives. Ponies slowly and cautiously approached it, unsure of what to make of the giant treat. That is until a few bold ones stepped forward and dug their hooves in the massive desert and sampled it. Instantly their eyes lit up in delight, exclaiming how it was the most delicious apple fritter they’ve ever tasted. The outside crust was warm and flakey while the inside filling was soft and sweet. Never overwhelming or overpowering. It was perfect! And thus, the flood gates opened, ponies clamoring all at once, trying to get closer to the giant apple fritter so they could try a piece for themselves. But rest assured, there was plenty to go around! But they were so enamored with the desert that they almost completely overlooked a note laying next to the apple fritter. A normal sized paper next to it that said “Thank you for your help, here’s a little something in return as thanks. Hope you enjoy it!” Nopony could really understand what the mystery pony was thanking them for, but it wasn’t like they were going to turn down giant sized free food. Needless to say, everypony in Manehatten ate good that day. And the rest of the week too, thanks to Big Mac’s magic always keeping the Apple Fritter fresh.