//------------------------------//
// Red Apples, part 4 
// Story: Sunflower - Side Projects 
// by Hoopy McGee 
//------------------------------//

  As the days went by, Macintosh now found that he had plenty of legitimate reasons to head into town, even with Applejack now back at the farm, but he had very little interest in doing so. Still, deliveries had to be made, supplies needed to be bought, and life on the farm had to go on. 

Lucky for the Apple family, Sweet Apple Acres post-cider season wasn't nearly as busy as it was the rest of the year, and even though they'd been short-hooved for a while, they'd quickly gotten caught back up on the chores needed to prepare the farm for the winter. 

But it didn't help Mac's mood that wherever he went he overheard ponies talking about the announcement from Canterlot. All anypony seemed to want to talk about these days were humans, humans, humans, and what that meant for Equestria. Big Mac tried to block out the gossip from the mares behind him in Holdin's General Goods store while he packed up his purchases into his saddlebags, but it was impossible to do so. The more he tried to tune them out, the more he ended up overhearing. 

"I hear they haven't got any fur. None at all," Rose said to her two companions. "They're all smooth, like frogs." 

"Eew," Lily said, scrunching up her muzzle. 

"Wait, that's not true," Daisy said, snorting. "I heard they have a tuft of fur on their heads, like a mane, but only on the very tops of their heads." 

"Well, everypony knows that," Rose said defensively. "And I hear the males can grow beards, too." 

"Is it true that they eat meat?" Lily asked with a shudder. 

"Yeah! Just like griffons!" 

"I didn't like that griffon we had here last year, she was very rude," Daisy said. "Do you think humans are the same way?" 

"How should I know?" Rose asked. "I'm only telling you what I've heard, I've never met one!" 

"Yes, you have," Mac said, and the three mares stopped their gossip to stare at him in blank bewilderment. He closed the flap to his bag and cinched it tight with his teeth, making his way past the three as he did so. "Excuse me." 

He made his way past the mares and out into the street, taking a deep breath of the fresh air. Ponyville was abuzz with gossip like that, and it drove him to distraction thinking that he'd known a human for weeks without realizing it, one who he had developed feelings for and had cared about, and that he couldn't talk to anypony about it except his own sister. 

As if thinking about her had somehow summoned her, Macintosh saw a brief flash of light brown coat and auburn mane coming from Sugarcube Corner. Thinking he had to be imagining things, he followed at a distance, slowly becoming aware of a crowd gathering around him as he did so. The crowd was gossiping and chattering to each other as they followed Sunflower through town. For once, Mac strained to hear what the other ponies were saying. 

"That's not a human, that's a pony," Raindrops said in a loud whisper. 

"Look, I'm only telling you what Speedy Parcel at Fet-Ex said," Carrot Top replied. 

"That's obviously a pony. In fact, I know her," Junebug said. "Her name is Sunflower. She used to come into the cafe all the time, though I haven't seen her for a while." 

Mac frowned as Sunflower flashed a wary glance at the crowd behind her and then quickened her pace. The crowd of Ponyvillians, never willing to let the source of good gossip get too far ahead of them, hurried up and matched her speed. He hurried as well, a numb sort of curiosity coming over him. In his mind's eye, he was envisioning her as some kind of bipedal frog-like thing with a tuft of hair on her head. It was hard to reconcile the two images.

In the back of his mind, he was playing out scenario after scenario of what might happen if he confronted Sunflower with the truth of what he knew. Would she confess or deny? Or would she just play it off like he was crazy? Would she laugh about it, how she'd pulled the wool over his- everypony's eyes?

Would she cry? Part of him felt a certain grim satisfaction at the thought of the alien pony breaking down in tearful confession and begging his forgiveness. Would he comfort her, or would he turn his back on her? Both were pretty appealing... 

What the hay am I thinkin'? he asked himself, shock flooding over him as he realized that he'd been eagerly anticipating the tears of a mare he'd once cared deeply for. And maybe still did. 

He watched as she paid for a ticket at the train station and made her way to stand nervously in the boarding area. The crowd, not willing to pay for their own tickets just to satisfy their curiosity, muttered and stared at the mare from beyond the ticket booth. Mac saw Sunflower's eyes sweep over the crowd briefly, though she didn't seem to see him. 

Eventually, a mint-green unicorn mare shouldered her way past the crowd, bought her own ticket, and then went to stand by Sunflower, apparently striking up a conversation. Mac stared at the alien mare, who was currently looking hard-pressed and slightly frazzled, for another minute, then turned on his back hoof and headed home. 


~~*~~


Gossip about humans had barely had a chance to start dying down in the marketplace before new rumors had spread through Ponyville. Alarming rumors, ones that struck fear into the hearts and minds of everypony who heard them. 

Somehow, in some way, Celestia had gone to the human world and been struck down. Initial reports that she'd been killed were quickly refuted by the Mayor's office. But in order to calm those particular fears, the Mayor had to confirm that Celestia had, indeed, been overwhelmed by the entity consuming the human world, this Black Tide. It was all that anypony could talk about, and it shook the small town to its core. 

For the most part, sympathies had swung around. Before Celestia had been injured, the prevailing sentiment was that the humans should stay in their own world, and deal with their own problems. But now, after what had happened to Celestia, there was a steadily growing current of determination rising amongst the ponies. 

This thing, whatever it was, had hurt their Princess. As far as the Ponyvillians were concerned, humanity was more than welcome here in Equestria. The ponies of Ponyville now felt as if they and the humans had a common enemy in the Black Tide. 

As for Mac, he didn't know what to think. As angry and betrayed as he'd felt before, he now had some inkling of what the humans were up against. He knew that ponies, when faced with that kind of a desperate situation, might make decisions that they'd never even consider otherwise. And humans, judging from how Sunflower had acted when she'd lived in town, weren't all that much different than ponies. 

He tried to put all of that out of his mind and concentrate on working the farm during the rapidly-fading good weather that remained. He was almost successful. 


~~*~~


Winter had come late this year, but it came with something of a vengeance. Last night had been a blizzard that, though Granny assured them that it was plenty fierce, was nothing compared to what they'd see in the old days. Today was much nicer, though. Slightly warmer, with only the occasional snow flurries and gusts of wind to keep things interesting.

Macintosh wound his wide green scarf around his neck several times and stepped out the door. Applejack was already standing in the snow outside, regarding him curiously as she waited. She was also wearing a scarf, and her trademark Stetson was slapped down over a red woolen cap that Granny had knitted for her a couple of years ago. Unlike Mac, though, AJ was also wearing boots and had a light red blanket draped across her back to ward off the chill. 

"That all you wearin'? It's pretty cold out." 

"Eeyup. I'm ready," he said. She shrugged, and together the Apple siblings headed towards town. 

The blanket of new snow muffled the normal sounds of the orchard, the crunch of their hooves being the only thing they heard as they walked, the unblemished white around them making the whole countryside look fresh and clean. They were almost to Ponyville before either of them broke the silence, AJ first clearing her throat before saying, "Y'know, I figured you'd probably rather not come. With how you feel about things, an' all." 

He nodded. "I ain't plannin' on going in, AJ. I just... I wanna see what she really looks like, is all." 

"You sure you're gonna be okay?"

He winced slightly at the concern in her voice. Even though they'd talked about... well, the situation, from time to time, AJ was still under the impression that he was still heartbroken. 

"Time heals all wounds, AJ. I'm fine." 

She looked doubtful, but accepted what he said, which he was grateful for. Even though his pulse was ramping up, even though he was more nervous now than he could remember being in a long, long time. He was fine. He was over her. It was only idle curiosity that drove him to take a look at Sunflower, or Erin as she was apparently called. As they approached the cafe, he kept telling himself that. It didn't really help. 

"Well, would you look at that," AJ said disapprovingly. Mac looked up and saw a crowd of winter-attired ponies all staring eagerly through the cafe windows, whispering urgently to each other. "That just takes the cake, don't it? Hey, now!" The crowd of ponies all jumped at Applejack's sudden shout as the irritated mare trotted up. "This ain't how we treat guests here in Ponyville, is it? Gawkin' at her like some animal in a zoo? Go on, now! Git!" 

Shame-faced ponies slunk away from the window, which, conveniently enough, meant that Mac had plenty of room to do his own gawking. AJ scowled after the fleeing ponies then turned to face her brother. 

"Well, I guess I'll leave ya out here, Mac. You sure you don't want to come inside?" 

"Eeyup. I'll head home when I've gotten my curiosity satisfied." 

AJ shrugged at him with a smile that was probably meant to be comforting but just looked worried, then opened the door to the cafe and went in. A rush of heat and noise escaped from inside, cutting off sharply as the door closed fully. Mac turned his attention to the window, looking in through the frosted glass and seeing her almost instantly. His breath caught as he saw, for the first time in his life, an actual human. 

She didn't look at all like a frog, he was oddly relieved to see. Her skin, fur-less like the rumors said, was a pale beige in color, and looked soft and smooth, rather than the slick and shiny of a frog. The mane was pretty much the same, a slightly-curly auburn that cascaded down to her shoulders, and her eyes were the same green as he remembered, as well. Her face, though, was completely different. Flatter than a pony's face, with an odd little bump of a nose. He couldn't spot any ears, at first, until she used a delicate, slim-fingered hand to brush her hair back. Her ears were little round things on the side of her head. They didn't look like they could move at all. 

Mac had heard that humans wore clothes everywhere, and Sunflower wasn't any exception. She was wearing a green and white woolen sweater and red pants of some kind, though he had a hard time making out much else, with her sitting down and obscured by the table. The sweater looked a lot like something Granny might knit during the winter months, though obviously shaped for a human instead of a pony. 

Sunflower was saying something to Twilight Sparkle, with Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Rarity all listening in, when AJ approached the group. A huge smile appeared on the human's face, and she got up and walked over to his sister, throwing her arms around her in a big hug. AJ looped a foreleg across the human's shoulders and hugged her back in return. Then Sunflower went back to sit down, and he realized that her smile was the same, as well. A genuine, warm smile that reached up all the way from her mouth to her eyes, bringing her whole face into one single expression of happiness. He felt his lips quirk slightly in sympathy, turning up into a smile of his own. 

"Hiya, Macaroonie." He turned his head, somehow not surprised at all to see Pinkie Pie standing next to him at the window, an absurd blue bobble-topped knit cap on her head, which scrunched her poofy mane down until it all spilled from the bottom of the cap in a typical Pinkie-style mess. "Looking at Sunflower?" 

"Eeyup." When that didn't seem to be enough to prompt Pinkie to reply, he added, "Was curious about humans." 

"They're pretty interesting, all right. They have the neatest inventions." She looked up at him, her eyes fluttering away the big flakes of snow that were falling. "You going in, or just standing out here like a lump?" 

"Like a lump sounds good," he said with a chuckle. "No, I ain't gonna intrude. Was just curious, is all." 

"Do you still like her?" Pinkie asked, as blunt as ever. Mac spluttered for a while before sighing. 

"She ain't a pony, Pinkie Pie," he said. "I like mares, not humans." 

"And she likes men, not stallions. But that's not what I asked, is it?" The unexpectedly serious tone caused him to look down at her, and he blinked in surprise at the grave expression on her face. "She's still the same person on the inside, even though she looks different on the outside. Does it really matter to you what she looks like?" 

"Well... Yeah, a little bit," he said, slightly uncomfortable. She frowned at him, then sighed. 

"At least you admit that looks play into it, I guess," she said. "So many stallions will say silly things like, 'I like you for who you are, not what you look like,' but they usually only say that to the mares they think are pretty already."

"Well, it ain't so much as looks as species, Pinkie," he said. 

"All right, fair enough. I guess what I'm asking is, if it weren't for the species difference, would you still want to have her be your special... someone, I guess?"

"I don't know. It don't seem likely, I guess." 

Pinkie sighed and looked back through the window at her friends. "She's not staying a human forever, you know. She's going to turn back into a pony. What then?" 

"She's turning back?" 

"Yuh-huh," Pinkie said with a small smile. "She wants to study pony magic, and she needs to be a pony to do that. I guess the question is, are you going to try again when she's back in Ponyville to stay?" 

He was about to answer when a laugh came from inside the cafe, muffled as it was by the window between them. And there it was, that once-familiar head-tilt coupled with the sparkling curiosity in her green eyes. His heart caught between beats for a moment, and when that moment passed, he was no longer sure he had any answers at all. 

"I don't rightly know, Pinkie," he said somberly. 

"Well, you'd better figure it out," Pinkie said. "It's really no fun when you wait too long, and the pony you've had your eye on gets their heart set on somepony else." She turned to look at him with an odd half-smile and added, "In fact, it really stinks." 

She held his gaze for a moment longer, then turned abruptly and trotted to the door of the cafe. "Pinkie?" he called after her, but she didn't stop, continuing on and shutting the door behind her. Mac turned back to the window in time to see the reaction on the friend's faces when Pinkie joined them, with an accompanying burst of glass-muffled noise in greeting. He watched them all talking for a while, Pinkie smiling like she always did while the others welcomed her, and wondered if he'd imagined things. 

More confused than ever, he turned to look up at the sky, and at the first few stars appearing in the clear air overhead. He stared up, letting the chill air clear his mind as the winter air curled eddies of snow around his hooves and the snowfall settled on his back. He was about to leave when a pulse of warm air and noise behind him alerted him to the fact that the cafe door had opened again. 

"Macintosh?" It wasn't fair. Her voice stayed the same, too. 

He turned to see her standing in the doorway. She stepped forward, and he was surprised to find that she stood as tall as he did, now. Maybe taller, though she was still thin-framed and delicate-looking. "Pinkie said you wanted to talk to me about something?" 

He almost panicked, but found refuge in stoicism. "You didn't have to come out. I only wanted to see what you looked like as a human." 

"Oh?" she asked, and he couldn't look away from her eyes. "Why stand out here in the cold, then?" 

"Didn't want to bother y'all. Just wanted a quick look, then I'll be on my way." 

"Oh. Well, ta-daa!" she said, and posed with her arms spread while she grinned at him. Just then a gust of wind ripped down the street, and the human drew her arms back in and hunched over. "Oh, wow, that's cold," she said, rubbing her hands up and down on her arms. Without thinking, Mac took his scarf in his teeth and draped it across her shoulders. 

"You're sure?" she asked. 

"I ain't all that cold, and you ain't got no fur," he said, nodding. 

"Oh. Well, thank you." 

The scarf was long enough and wide enough that she was able to wrap it several times across her shoulders, as well as over her head, and still manage to get her hands under it. Mac shuffled his fore-hooves uncomfortably for a few seconds while she arranged it, and then she spoke again. 

"Macintosh, I've said this to lots of ponies already, but I haven't said this to you, yet. I'm sorry." 

"For what?" 

"For lying to you. For pretending to be a pony. I'm really sorry." He looked up and saw that Sunflower was staring away from him, at the side of the cafe. He also noticed, with some alarm, that she seemed about ready to cry. He opened his mouth, but she kept talking. "I didn't want to. Not after I found out how wonderful and friendly you all were. It was wrong, and I have no excuse. I'm luckier than I deserve to be that most ponies I lied to are still willing to be my friends, but if you don't ever want to talk to me again, I'll understand." 

Mac thought hard. Was that what he wanted? To never see her again? There was a time, not that long ago, where he was simply angry with her for the lie she'd told, and the hurt that had caused him. Two months ago, he might have told her that, no, he never wanted to see her again. But the anger had faded to almost nothing over the weeks. And now, looking at her, huddled into his scarf and so obviously ashamed of what she'd done, he felt that last little bit of anger let go and drift away. 

"No," he said. "I don't want that. We can... We can still be friends, Sunflower." 

"Thank you, Macintosh. And, it's Erin." 

"I like 'Sunflower' better," he said, and she laughed. 

"So does Pinkie Pie. She refuses to call me Erin." She grinned at him, and he smiled back. "You can call me Sunflower, if you like. So, we're still friends?"  

"Eeyup. Still friends," he said. And what happened next startled him to his hoof-tips.

"Oh, thank you," she said, stepping forward. Before he knew what was happening, she had her arms wrapped around his neck in a hug. Out of pure reflex, he brought a foreleg up and hugged her around her middle. She smelled... different. Strange, but not unpleasant. And she was wearing some perfume, a scent that reminded him of spring. Feelings he'd hoped were long gone once again moved in him. "Thank you," she said again into his mane. 

The unexpected hug lasted for a few seconds until she broke it off and stepped away. They shared a smile and a comfortable silence for a moment, and then Sunflower stretched slightly. "Well, I suppose I'd better-" she began, before Mac interrupted. 

"You're comin' back to stay, I hear?" he said. "To study magic?" 

"Oh, yes. I'm really looking forward to it. I love it here!" 

"And... as a pony? You're changin' back?"

"Yeah, I have to. If I want to study pony magic, I need to be a pony." 

He didn't seem to be able to stop himself. The rekindled feelings welled up in his chest and just pushed the words out of his mouth. 

"I don't s'pose, when you're back, when you're a pony... I mean, I understand if'n you ain't got the interest, but I don't reckon... I mean, I could... we could... if you wanted? I mean, if you don't want to, I figure, well, better to know, but I... I really like you a lot, and I was thinkin', maybe... I don't know what I was thinkin', I guess. I was hopin'. Hopin' more than thinkin', and it's probably... you think I'm dumb, now, maybe, but I was just hopin', I mean, when you're a pony again that... we could... be more'n just friends?"

Whatever mysterious force that was driving his mouth finally dried up, and he just stood there, snow settling gently on his back and shoulders, staring at the shocked expression on her face. His brain finally caught up with his mouth, did a quick and horrified check over the last few seconds, and he started talking again while backing away. 

"Right, I reckon that was... s-sorry, I shouldn't have said-" 

"Macintosh." He stopped, looking into her eyes, unsure of what her expression meant. "I didn't know. I... How long?" 

He lasted a few seconds before his resistance crumbled. "Since I first saw ya," he said miserably. 

"Oh, Macintosh... I'm so sorry." 

She didn't say any more, then, but she didn't need to. He knew. "It ain't gonna happen, is it?" he said softly. She sniffled a little in response, and he was amazed to realize that she was crying, looking down towards her feet. 

"I should have..." she said before breaking off. "I should have realized. I didn't know. " 

"I didn't tell ya," he said softly. He placed a hoof on her shoulder, very gently, and she took looked up at him with tearful eyes. "Look, I reckon' it's my fault that I got my hopes up, more'n anything." 

She smiled sadly and looked away, resting a warm hand on his cheek. "I should have been more aware," she said. "I'm sorry." 

"It's... it's all right," he said. And, amazingly enough, he found that it was true. He felt good, for the first time in a long time, as if a huge weight had been taken off of him. 

Maybe just tellin' her how I feel is enough.

"Why didn't you say anything sooner? We knew each other for weeks..." She took her hand away from his face, but the warmth stayed for a moment before fading. 

"Applejack told ya when we first met, remember?" he said, with a slightly pained chuckle. "I'm downright shy." 

"Still... You're a good stallion, Macintosh. Kind and generous, a hard worker and a good friend. Any mare in Equestria would be lucky to have you." 

"You say that, but it ain't so easy." 

"You remind me of my little brother," she said with a sigh. "He would always pine after a girl from a distance. I'm amazed he ever got married." 

"But he did get married, right?" 

"He met a girl who went after him, instead of the other way around," Sunflower said with a laugh. "Don't make the same mistake he did. If you find a mare you like, just ask her. Don't wait to fall in love, go after it. The worst she could do is say no." 

"Seems forward," Mac said, pawing at the snow, distinctly uncomfortable to be receiving dating advice not only from an alien, but from a female alien with whom he'd been infatuated at one time. "What if she don't like me doin' that?" 

"You're a nice guy, Macintosh. No female of any species that I know of would be too upset about politely expressed interest, provided he's able to take 'no' for an answer. Well, at least not anyone who's worth your time. If she gets upset that easily, then you're probably better off looking for someone else, trust me." 

"I'll keep that in mind," he said, chuckling wryly. 

"Just don't be a pest, and respect her boundaries, and you'll be fine," she said, and he nodded his understanding. 

They stood in silence amongst the falling snow for another minute, and Sunflower started shivering once again. 

"Look, you'd better get back inside," he told her. "My sis and your friends are waitin' for ya, and it's too cold to just stand out here jawin'." 

"I... Yeah, I suppose you're right." To his shock, she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "You're a really sweet guy, Macintosh. If you were human, or if I were a pony, I would go out with you in a heartbeat." 

"Well, you're gonna be a pony soon," he joked. 

"You know what I mean, you goof," she said, punching him lightly on the shoulder. Another silent moment passed, and then she said, "Are you going to be okay?" 

He considered it for a moment, then nodded. "Eeyup." 

"And... can we still be friends?" 

"Eeyup," he said, smiling. 

Sunflower smiled back and began unwinding the scarf. She then wrapped it carefully around Mac's neck, making it snug and layered but not restrictive, perfect for a winter night. Those hands of hers were pretty good at this sort of thing, he noted. When she was done, she patted him gently on the shoulder.

"I'm going back in, then. Thank you, Macintosh. I know that... that must have been hard for you." 

"Eeyup. Thanks for... well, not laughin', or anythin'." 

"Nobody should ever laugh at you for saying what you feel," she said, frowning. "Anyone who does... well, she's not worth those feelings." 

"I s'pose you're right." 

"Eeyup," she said, and he laughed. After a moment, she joined in as well. 

"All right," she said, finally, rubbing at her eyes with the back of her wrist. "I'm cold, so I'm going back inside. You sure you don't want to join us? You're more than welcome." 

Briefly, he was tempted. But he shook his head. "Nah. Got plenty to do 'round the farm. You say 'hi' to the other girls for me, all right?" 

"I'll do that," she said. 

He turned and walked away, only looking back once when the cafe was nearly out of sight. She was still standing outside, looking after him. When she saw him looking, she raised a hand in farewell. He waved a hoof back, then turned his face towards home, covering the rest of the distance at a brisk trot. 


~~*~~


The birdsong in the air and the damp, green smell of growing things meant that spring had once again returned to Sweet Apple Acres. Right on schedule, for the third year running. Mac, himself, had participated in Winter Wrap-up less than two weeks ago. 

These were his favorite days of the year, the days when things started growing again, and when it was time to start working on the plans that the Apple family had come up with over the long winter months. The first plantings had already been completed, and now was the time to prepare for the first harvests of the year. Otherwise, his time was spent mostly idle, once his chores around the farm were done. It was a time for growth, renewal and discovery.  

It was also a time to repair the fence on the road leading to Ponyville, which had experienced some damage when a large creature, probably a deer from Whitetail Woods, had crashed through a section of it. Mac had carried his toolbox and some replacement wood and whitewash out with him, in order to replace the damaged section. 

He'd only been working long enough to pull up the damaged section of fence when he heard his sister's voice coming from the direction of Ponyville and getting closer. Looking up, he saw her walking with a strange mare, one both familiar and unfamiliar. He stopped and waited while the two approached. 

"...is why we don't usually call it 'magic'," Applejack was telling the mare. "What we do is more like a partnership, workin' hard and helpin' the earth and nature work together. So, in order to teach you how to be an earth pony, I gotta work ya plenty hard." 

"That's fine, Applejack," Sunflower said. 

"Sure, you say that now, but you ain't gonna feel that way in a while. Trust me, gettin' yourself in sync with the earth an' nature ain't an easy thing, an' it's gonna be even harder for you, since you ain't been born to it. No offense intended." 

"None taken," Sunflower replied. Then, smiling at him, she said, "Hi Macintosh." 

"Howdy, Miss Sunflower. I see you're back to bein' a pony." 

"That, I am," she said with a grin. 

"It looks like ya went all out," he said, nodding at the horn on her head. "Wings too, I see." 

"Yeah," she said, blushing. "I may have overdone it, there, but I didn't want to keep going back to change into different types of pony. I don't look stupid, do I?" 

"It... looks good on ya," he said, and she blushed. 

Applejack, noting the hoof-scuffing and blushing cheeks between the two of them, cleared her throat loudly. "Well, I'm gonna head back to the farm real quick an'... an'... get stuff ready, I guess. You come along after the two of you catch up, Erin." 

"Uh, sure. Thanks, Applejack." 

"Thanks, AJ," Mac echoed. The two of them watched the orange mare trot off into the distance, and then they looked back at each other. It was Sunflower who broke the silence first. 

"Do you think... is it going to be weird between us, now?" she asked, a plaintive note in her voice. Mac considered how he'd answer that, then shook his head. 

"Nnope," he said, finally. "I ain't ashamed of how I felt about ya, or how I still feel about ya. You're a fine mare, and a good person, Sunflower. I'd be happy to be your special somepony, but if I can't be that, then I'd be glad to be your friend." 

She blushed, smiled, and said, "Thank you. I'd like that, too." 

A pair of robins flew by, distracting them both with their maneuvers as they twirled around one another in the air, eventually settling on a nearby fruitless apple tree. Mac looked down at Sunflower and caught her watching the two birds, who were happily chirping a duet, with a slightly wistful look on her face. After a moment, she cleared her throat looked back at him. "So, any luck on the dating front? Please tell me my advice helped a little." 

"Eeyup, and nope. I must have misread some signals from a certain pink mare only to find out she ain't interested in me like I thought. But at least I asked her instead of worryin' myself sick for weeks, so I'm thinkin' that's an improvement. Ain't nopony else caught my eye quite yet." 

"Aww... Wait, a pink mare? Pinkie Pie?" 

"Eeyup," Mac said, his face burning with embarrassment. "She turned me down, but she also gave me a free box of cupcakes, so it ain't all bad." The two of them shared a laugh. "How about you? Any human... Not sure what you call male humans, but any on your horizon?" 

She grunted irritably and kicked at the dirt with a hoof. "I'd thought so. There was... well, there was one guy who seemed interested in me before I became a pony, but I came back and he's already got a girlfriend. He didn't even seem to wait that long after I came to Equestria." 

"Sorry to hear that," he said sincerely. 

"Eh, no big deal, I guess. We hadn't known each other very long. Besides, any man I met would have to wait until I turned back to a human before we could have a serious relationship." 

"Don't see why," Mac said. "It ain't all about the physical side of things with humans, is it?" 

"Well, no, but..." she broke off, looking at him strangely for a minute. "You know, it really isn't." She shook her head. "Well, it depends on the people involved, I guess. It's like that for some more than others." 

"How 'bout for you?" he asked. 

"Well... the heart wants what it wants, but it's the brain that has to live with the choices," she said, chuckling. "I tend to go for nice guys over pretty guys. It's a moot point, though, until I change back again." 

It don't have to be, he wanted to say. He bit his tongue, instead.

"Well, I suppose I should get back. Your sister has promised to teach me earth pony magic, though she's spent the last few minutes telling me that earth ponies don't usually call it magic." 

"She's right," Mac said, nodding. "Once you really understand why, you'll understand earth ponies." 

"I'm looking forward to it," she said, grinning. "Working with Twilight and Rainbow Dash hasn't been all I hoped for so far, but I'm really optimistic about this!" 

They said their goodbyes, and Mac watched her walk away for a few seconds. Then he turned and looked at the tree. The birds were still there, side by side on their branch. Moving carefully so as not to startle them, Mac pushed a forehoof gently into the damp soil by the trunk of the mostly-dormant apple tree. He closed his eyes and, summoning his will, he asked a favor. 

When he opened his eyes again, the tree the birds were on had bright green leaves just starting to open on it. Life only sleeps, his pa had told him. Earth ponies tend to it, strengthening it and waking it up again when needed. 

He turned back to the damaged fence and resumed working on it. As the sun rose and warmed him, he even began whistling a happy tune. 

Somehow, he just knew that this was going to be a wonderful day.