//------------------------------// // Winter Wrap Up Begins With a Dim Sparkle of Red. // Story: Mac's Daring Dash // by SparityLoveisForever //------------------------------// Winter Wrap Up Begins With a Dim Sparkle of Red. Snowflakes melt, the sun starts to shine through the gray clouds, the chill in the air starts to ebb. In Ponyville this means, Winter Wrap-up, will be happening shortly. Twilight and Applejack had since resolved their differences after about month, yet, over the past three months Big Mac had been coming in every evening to the farm-house to sleep on the couch. He hadn't found the time or the words to tell Miss Sparkle he was sorry. Nor did he think he was the one who had to apologize regardless of what his sister said. After all he was the one who got his heart stomped all over, not the other way around. He wasn't the kind of stallion to do that to a mare. He woke up on the first day of, “Winter Wrap-up,” to find an orange mare in a Stetson on his chest. “Ugh... AJ, get off,” Big Mac said with a discontented sigh. “Nope,”his sister said in a definitive tone. “Let me guess... If I agree to go straight over to Twilight's to apologize, then ya will get off?” Big Mac said this with as much disdain in his voice as he could muster. “Eeyup,”Applejack said in a mocking tone to match his normal tone of voice. “Fine... But I ain't done nothing wrong.” Big Mac just wanted his sister off saying the most appeasing thing he could. He shook his chest his first attempt to throw his sister from him. She just hopped off of him going to start breakfast. He shook his head, 'Mares,' he thought. Slowly heading to the bathroom to get himself cleaned up a bit if he was going to apologize he wanted to at least smell nice. When he was done breakfast was ready and Apple Bloom was awake. Applejack had made some pancakes, the aroma of cinnamon and apples flooding out from the kitchen. She put out four plates on the table. Two which had seven pancakes, and two which had three. After a wonderfully hearty breakfast Big Mac went to his room, and put on his harness and his goggles deciding to head out into the morning air. The fresh chilly air hit his face, he knew it was going to be a long cloudy day. The crisp clean snow under Big Mac's hooves felt much like it had the night he had bucked the trees down. He walked towards the town at a steady pace, it was rare for him to head off without his family towards Ponyville. His two sisters would be along shortly since Winter Wrap Up took almost everypony in Ponyville to complete. He passed by the cottage of Miss Fluttershy, a yellow pegasus mare, whom was also a friend of his sister. She was a bit timid so he never really got to see her much and knew less about her than he had either Miss Sparkle or Miss Dash. He did know that, she was usually more nervous than a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. The closer Big Mac got to the library the more he thought about Miss Sparkle. Apparently she had been refusing guests since Hearths Warming Day. The last she was seen in town was issuing farewells at the train-station the next day. She almost hadn't let Spike back into the library the next day, yet after some major convincing he was allowed back in. Spike had been doing all of shopping around town according to AJ. 'Maybe today was the day to apologize to her,' thought Big Mac. Soon Big Mac was standing in-front of the Golden Oaks Library the outer appearance hadn't changed much. He used to spend a lot of time here when Ma and Pa were still around. He soon knocked with a steady tap of his hoof which sounded thunderous inside the library. Soon there was a disgruntled baby dragon at the front door. He looked up at the red stallion with a bit of disdain. At the fact he had been run ragged these last few months trying to get Twilight to improve her mood, “You... uh need something, Big Mac?” Spike would never get those few minutes of sleep he had been roused from back today, but if by some cosmic alicorn the red stallion had brought himself over to apologize to Twilight, it would be worth it in his books. “Ah... Ah need to speak to Miss Sparkle, Spike. If ya could get her Ah'll just wait in the main room.” Mac just looked around slowly at all the books lining the walls, Spike having kept up with Twilight's work load, buying supplies, and organizing a whole library. 'Spike is becoming really independent,' Big Mac thought. He picked one of the more interesting titles from non-fiction, and began reading while he waited. The stallion reading his book heard a clamor of noise from the upper library room. Soon the sound of hoof-beats was coming down the oaken steps. Twilight came into the room surprised to see Big Mac reading something. She moved over to him and sat down on a pillow beside him where he had just opted to lay on the floor. Looking over his shoulder she could see it was a physics book explaining the basic principles of gravity. This only shocked her even more than the stallion being here in the first place. She quickly asked, “You understand what's in that book?” He hadn't even really noticed her sitting beside him saying, “It's pretty basic stuff. If Ah had been trying to impress ya. Ah would have gone with that one.” Pointing up at a book a shelf higher than the one he had taken. Twilight in her lavender aura grasped the book being pointed to, bringing it to closer to her. She examined the cover of the book. It read, “Advanced Aerodynamics of Pegasi.” She was stunned again and could hardly believe her eyes. It certainly would've impressed her to see Big Mac reading that book. The shock of Big Mac being able to follow these books at all was pulling Twilight out of the funk she had been in the past few months. She responded again quickly, “I... never knew you liked reading so much, Big Mac.” “Well, maybe, Miss Sparkle, if everymare took a chance to get to know me, rather than swooning at my feet as Ah come into town. They might know more about me than they do you. Ah came by to apologize fer running out on Hearth's Warming. But, ya seem to doing just fine. I'm sure running Winter Wrap Up will be good for ya this year.”Big Mac closed the book he had been reading and placed it back on the shelf before slowly trotting back out into the cold morning. Twilight raised her hoof to try to say something, but he was out the door much like at Hearths Warming when he left. She had been judging him by his cover, just like she had with Zecora after the poison joke incident. What was worse was that she had been doing it unintentionally, and to the brother of one of her best friends. He had every right to trot out both times and she knew that. The only problem was the more he left her in her library, the more she started to realize what a great stallion he really was. Everymare in Ponyville knew he was a catch, but Twilight Sparkle was just starting to understand how much of a catch he really was. She had to get ready for Winter Wrap Up it was going to be her chance to get him back. Quickly she asked Spike for parchment and a clipboard. Big Mac had moved out into the brisk morning air again it felt good on his coat. His harness around his neck was all ready for the hefty work load he we would likely be under today. He moved away from the library heading towards the town square. There were very few ponies up and about however, coming into the town square Big Mac noticed a rainbow streaked tail hanging down from a cloud floating very low just above the heads of most. Big Mac called out to the cloud, “Umm... Dash, you awake?” Rainbow Dash shook her head from the cloud she had been resting in. and looked around the edges to see who called out her. Noticing it was Big Mac she said, “Oh. Hey, Big Mac. Yeah I was just resting my eyes a bit till Twilight gets things started.” Big Mac nodded knowingly responding, “Yeah, she gets things pretty organized. Dash, do ya think Ah did something wrong at Hearths Warming?” Looking down at him from the cloud, Rainbow Dash was filled with conflicting feelings. Part of Rainbow wanted to just tell him, “If somepony had done for her what he had done for Twilight, then she would have given anything to be with that pony.” Another part of Rainbow wanted to tell him, “Twilight has feelings, Big Mac. She can't just drop everything she lives for to be with you.” At times like this Rainbow Dash was the kind of pony who liked to live in moment and trust her gut, finally saying, “ I don't think you did anything wrong, Mac, but I don't think that was the best way to start a relationship.” “Can't disagree with that. Sometimes it just feels like, Ah don't know anypony... anymore, and you're really the first pony who Ah've really had conversations with in a while. It... It's been nice to talk to ya so much over the past few months. So, thank you, Dash.” Big Mac let out a sigh as he glanced over the pegasus mare again she looked great in anything he thought. He noticed his siblings coming to the town square moving over to join them as they waited patiently for Twilight to arrive. Rainbow Dash wasn't sure how to respond, their conversations had started shortly after Hearths Warming Day. Sometimes it would be nothing big, other days it would be the two spilling out their hearts. It wasn't every day, but it was usually at least both days on the weekend. They had always both felt better after the talks. She smiled saying, “You're welcome. Anytime, Big Mac.” He noticed a few others of his sisters friends arriving today. Miss Fluttershy came to the town square wearing her Winter Wrap Up jacket for the animal group and the arm badge signifying her new place as the groups leader. Miss Pie was arriving with Soarin and Miss Rarity. Soarin had gotten a few days off to come help out, it seemed he looked for almost any chance to see that pink mare of his. Rarity had just finished making him a blue weather team jacket, Soarin and Pinkie Pie had just picked it up and decided to head to the town square with Rarity. Soarin and Pinkie Pie kissed tenderly for a moment. The pair of them each had a set of skates around their necks. The last member to arrive of their group as expected was Twilight Sparkle. She was wearing her all team organizer jacket. Spike was actually leading Twilight to the town square a checklist clipboard in his claws. Twilight who had proven quite inconsolable on numerous occasions, was making her way slowly to the town square. Many ponies didn't expect her to show up this year. Spike being in front of her was a little surprising for her friends. Soon she was standing in front of the podium. Spike having placed the clipboard on the podium, then moved over to stand beside Rarity. Both of them were wearing a tan animal group vest. Big Mac was still just standing beside Applejack and Apple Bloom waiting to hear what Twilight would say. Many of the other able bodied ponies of Ponyville were gathered around as well. Twilight spoke suddenly to the group in a slightly distracted tone, “ Uh... Greetings everypony. This years Winter Wrap up will be finished over the course of today and tomorrow. If everypony dose there job. It should go quickly and steadily as the last few years I've been in charge. We'll start with: getting the birds nests done and scoring the lakes, then snow plows with seed planters and critter awakening, with the last of the critters awake skies will need to cleared, with any remaining houses or trees of snow, tomorrow the Pegasi will finish guiding the birds back from the south, and finish up tomorrow with watering the freshly planted vegetables. With Spike unable to assist me personally this year, in order to make sure everything gets done right; I'm going to require the aid of somepony to help me cover all the stations. And... I... I think... there is nopony better... to help me out other than, Big Macintosh.”