//------------------------------// // Chapter 7 // Story: Night Apples // by RangerBeef //------------------------------// As Luna arrived at the garden she was well aware she was later than usual. She was anxious. She didn't want her feelings to make things awkward and thought maybe Macintosh would be gone by the time she got there. He wasn't. Big Mac meandered around the garden. Inspecting each of the trees and noting things of interest. Several had small apples already growing on them and he was excited for that. It took him a moment to notice Princess Luna standing by the fence and watching him work. He gave her a wave and a smile and he finished the last of his inspection. Luna melted at the smile and felt herself smile dumbly back before she shook her head. Come on, Luna. He hasn't even said hello yet. Don't melt that easy. She remained leaning on the fence until Macintosh approached her. "The trees are looking good. Most even have a few tiny apples growing on them. I'd say by the end of the week they should be good and ripe." Big Mac smiled excitedly. "Excellent! I apologize for being late. I was finishing my final preparations for this shroud spell." And now you're lying to him to cover yourself. That's a healthy foundation for any relationship. "That's alright. Not much left to do anymore but watch the apples grow, anyway. Is the spell a hard one?" "A bit," No, it's not, "It will take a bit of focus to cast." "Well, you go ahead and do what you have to." He moved outside the gate and a bit farther away, "I'll just wait over here til you're done." Luna nodded at him. She secretly wished he had tripped into her like he did on other nights. As he exited the gate, she entered and stood in the center of the garden. "Try to be mindful of where the fence is, this will be barely enough to overlap it." She closed her eyes and charged her horn, channeling the spell. Big Mac watched as what looked like a dense fog appeared all around the fence he had built. The glow from the trees was gone and it looked as natural as anything. As Luna closed the fog around the garden, she opened her eyes and watched Macintosh fade. She finished the spell and slowly made her way to the fencing. Unfortunately, she had made the fog a bit thicker than intended and rolled her ankle in a small hole in the ground. "Ow!" She cried out as she limped over to the fence and leaned against it. The cry of pain made Big Mac's heart skip a beat. He couldn't see her and she was now in pain. He rushed toward the fog in a full sprint, intent on saving her. However, he ignored her advice on remembering where the fence was and ran headlong into it and her. Big Mac crashed through the fence and fell on top of Luna as they tumbled to the ground. Their head banged off of each other as they landed, causing a cut in Big Mac's forehead. As they lay on the ground for a moment in pain, Luna was the first to realize what had happened, and that the stallion she pined for was now laying on top of her. Not exactly for the reason she had ever hoped but right now she wasn't picky. As Big Mac's head cleared he realized he was on top of Luna and he scrambled to get off of her but as he set his hooves on he ground to stand up, his right foreleg gave out and he merely rolled off to Luna's left. Luna was immediately sad at his absence but there was a more pressing matter to attend to. She righted herself, staying gingerly placing weight on her foot and bent down next to him. "Macintosh, are you alright?" "I'm fine, Princess.". Big Mac made a move to stand up and collapsed again. "I do not believe being unable to stand is fine. Which leg is hurt?" Luna's voice was full of concern. Not simply because she liked him, but because she had never seem him look weak. Big Mac held out the injured leg and Luna bowed her head and charged a spell. As she went to cast it, there was a fizzling sound. She tried a second time with similar results. "Hmm. It seems the blow to my head has shorted out my magic. Do you have first aid in your home?" Big Mac sat up on the ground, his mind raced with what the family would say when he brought an injured princess into their home. "I do but we can't go there." "Why can we not? You have medical supplies and that is the closest place." Luna thought him odd, even in her raised state of concern. Big Mac thought up the quickest reason he could, which was also the worst. "Well, I can't walk, so I'll just sit her til it feels better." Luna rolled her eyes and ducked her head under his right foreleg. "We will not wait in the darkness. Now walk with me," she said in a slightly more commanding voice. Big Mac feared the wrath of his family but what other options did they have? They limped along together, slowly making their way to the farmhouse. About halfway to their destination each realized this was the closest they had ever been. They both shot the other a worried glance and were thankful for the darkness to hide the blush they shared. As they entered the farmhouse Luna sat Big Mac at the nearby table. "Where is your aid kit?" Her voice was low. "Up the stairs behind you. Third door on the right. Under the sink." Big Mac spoke as softly as he could through pants, the walk had been exhausting for the both of them. Princess Luna moved noiselessly through the house. As she crested the stairs and continued down the hallway, she counted the doors. Two on the left, both closed. The first on the right was closed, as well. The second on the right was open and she stepped inside for a moment. She spotted a small notebook on a table and flipped it open, silently. Reading through the notes she recognized it as everything he had recorded about the usiku trees. Macintosh was keeping similar notes to her own and they included a bit more detail than what hers did. She closed the book and replaced it on the table before moving out of the room and to the next door on her right. She froze as the door opened as she approached it. Apple Bloom walked groggily into the hallway and bumped into Luna's legs. She looked up and smiled. "I always wanted another big sister," she said, sleepily. Before Luna could think to respond Apple Bloom walked around her and back to what must have been her room. She felt a weight lift off of her and let out the breath she had been holding. She moved swiftly into the bathroom and retrieved the medical kit before making her way downstairs again. Big Mac sat at the table, leaning over and staring at the ground. As Luna sat down next to him she noticed a small dark pool below Macintosh's body. She leaned in and looked at it as another drop fell into the puddle. She followed the drop and realized that Macintosh was bleeding and had apparently passed out. She swore to herself and gently used her hoof to lift his chin. Leaning in closely to inspect him for cuts she wished that it wasn't dark and that he didn't have a red coat. She felt a droplet of blood reach her hoof and she redoubled her efforts, leaning in mere inches away from Big Mac's face to find the cut. As she found it, she flipped open the medical kit with her magic and readied a small rag with some ointment. She held the rag up and hesitated, speaking to him softly, "This may sting a bit." She pressed the rag to his forehead and his eyes shot open and be made a rather loud moaning sound. Luna shushed him and told him he was alright. "It'll stop in a moment. Just bear with me." They stayed like that for a minute. Luna leaned in close to Big Mac's forehead as she removed the rag and blew on the cut gently. Big Mac shut his eyes and fell silent again. She noticed his weight on her had increased considerably. She swore again and tried another spell. Still it fizzled. Luna tipped Big Mac's head up to make sure the bleeding had stopped before she leaned him on the table once again. She made her way back upstairs and entered the first room on the right. The placard on the door labeled it as Applejack's. Luna was unsure how to go through the motions of waking up someone in their own home so she shook Applejack gently and called her name in the same tone Celestia sometimes used to wake Luna up. It took a minute but Applejack sat up quickly and looked at Luna. "Princess Luna? What're you doing here? Am I dreaming?" "I assure you this is not a dream, Applejack. I need your assistance. There was an accident and Macintosh is hurt. We need to get him to the hospital." Luna spoke softly but sternly. She wanted Applejack to believe her and not ask many questions. Much to Luna's pleasure, Applejack only asked where Big Mac was before she was on the move with the princess. Together they loaded him into a cart to transport him to the hospital. Applejack had a moment of pause when Luna strapped in to pull beside her but Princess Luna assured her that just because she was a princess, didn't mean she couldn't do work. Together they arrived at the hospital where the staff did most of the work carrying Big Mac inside and to his room. As they waited in the waiting room together Applejack asked the obvious question, "Princess, how did you know Big Mac was hurt?" Princess Luna took the time to explain everything about the usiku trees and how she and Macintosh had become friends and bonded over them. She apologized for keeping the secret but Macintosh had told her it would be a great surprise for the Apple family. Applejack listened and nodded along, glad to know the real reason Big Mac had been acting strange. "Well, we certainly owe you for helping Big Mac out, Princess. I don't know how we could ever thank you." "As soon as we know Macintosh is okay, that will be all the thanks I need." Luna smiled at Applejack, who returned it in kind. But as the doctor entered the waiting room and looked at both of them, their smiles faded. Big Mac had a serious concussion and was lucky that he hadn't slipped into a coma when he passed out. He told them that Big Mac would be alright but he would probably be asleep for a day or two as a result of the medications they had him on. They nodded their understanding and asked if they could see him. The doctor advised only family, but he figured the nurses would make an exception for a princess. Together they went to Big Mac's room and stood over him. Applejack held back her tears as she held her big brother's hoof. From the opposite side of the bed, Luna squeezed his other hoof gently. "I'll make sure the trees are cared for, Macintosh. By the time you're feeling better we'll have their apples to enjoy together." Luna looked outside and noticed the sun was already coming up. She excused herself to Applejack, as she did have duties to attend to, but as she flew outside she noticed the moon was not in the sky. She flew to the castle and waited for her sister to return from setting the sun on it's path for the day and asked her why she had done that. "Because you had more pressing matters to attend to, dear sister. Saving the life of a beloved friend is far more important than having the moon in the sky. So I set it for you so you wouldn't have to worry." Luna didn't usually get emotional but she hugged Celestia in that moment. Thanking her for all she had done for her in their long lives. As she broke her embraced, she asked Celestia, "How did you know about Macintosh?" "I've been around a long time, Luna. I see lots of things that no one thinks I do." Luna smiled at her ever puzzling sister and let the question go. It wasn't important anyway. "You were right, by the way, sister." "About what?" "I do have feelings for him." Luna spoke sheepishly. "Well, now that you know it, maybe you should tell him." Celestia gave her a coy smile. "I do not think it would go so well." The negativity did not suit Luna. Celestia repeated what she had said to herself from only the day before, "Be careful, dear sister. Deny your feelings too long and the one you hold them for will be gone before you've had time to enjoy their company. I think that's especially true for you right now. We're all lucky Big Macintosh is still with us. Don't let how he might react sway you. Because you never know, he might just share your feelings." She winked this time. Luna nodded and accepted her sister's logic. She retired to her bedroom to get some rest and as she lay on her bed, her mind stayed with Macintosh. "He might just share your feelings." Luna's mind replayed the wink. That curious Celestia wink. Is it possible?