Macintosh and Dolphin – The Switch
Chapter 15: Spoken Evening (Ponyville, Equestria)
As the sun set the evening of fun was about to begin with the shine of the full moon upon Ponyville and rest of Equestria, Nightmare Night had finally arrived and one crazy pink pony was more then pleased darting around from house to house in a yellow kangaroo suit. Applejack watch her bounce by on her hind legs with her front ones tuck against her chest, Wayne watch her go by and got a shiver from what he saw.
Applejack wearing a mostly the Mare Do Well outfit part from the mask and keeping her mare and tail out of it too turn to Wayne whom was wearing a black cloak with black mask around his eyes with a similar hat to Mare Do Well but with also a sword tuck against the side of the red workpony on a strap with the belt having a 'Z' on it. She noticed his expression “What the matter Big Mac?”
Wayne lean over to her and whispered “Pinkie Pie is wearing something that is almost exactly looking like my kangaroo fursuit back in mah world” he managed to explain without any of the ponies hearing him.
Applejack wide eyed look at Pinkie Pie then back at him “Seriously!?” he nods “Hey Pinkie Pie what in tarnation are ya wearing?”
Pinkie Pie hopped over them “Oh hi Big Mac, Applejack! I am a big yellow kangaroo! It cool right? And I got these cool buzzers on my hooves too to prank ponies with” she showed the hoof buzzers then bounces off.
'Please shot me... I can't believe this...' Wayne put a hoof to his head shaking it. “This is going to be a long night”
“Ah don't think ya got nothing to worry about sugarcube, at least ya not pulling the fillies around, just enjoy ya self Big Macintosh”
“Ah will AJ” Wayne took a look around at Ponyville, it was really done up and looking amazing, he saw Granny Smith walking with some of the children taking them on the 'Trick or Treat' but he recalled them saying the lines of 'Nightmare Night! What a fright! Give us something sweet to bite!' if he remembered correctly.
Applejack notice he was taking in the scene before him she whispered to him “what the matter?”
“Ya wouldn't believe me but this is mah first real Halloween or ya call it Nightmare Night” he whispered back.
“Ya kidding me...” he shook his head “But how?” they continued to talk quietly as they walked.
He lowered his eyes to the ground “Ma never believe in it and called it another countries holiday and just another form of begging specially the knocking at doors, so mah brother and sister never allowed to do it when we young.”
“Wow that kind of strange” Applejack replied “but not surprising what we talked about two weeks ago in our last private talk about ya homeworld sugarcube, might as well enjoy it now”
He smiled a little “Ah plan to AJ”
BOOOOOM!!!!
Wayne quickly freaked and slammed into the wall as he bolted it and fell backwards lying on his back eyes swirling and Applejack also screeched with fright turning to see Rainbow Dash on a cloud laughing uncontrollable. “Hahahahhaaha that is so priceless!”
“Rainbow Dash!” Applejack yelled at her “Look what ya did to mah brother!”
Wayne turned over shaking his head as he stood “Ouch that going to leave a bump in the morning...” he groaned rubbing his head a little with a hoof and put the hat back on. “AJ don't worry ah fine, it was a prank afterall” he smirked looking up at Rainbow Dash and pulled out from his saddle bag a balloon “Rainbow Dash is that cloud electrified?”
“Sure is, enough to scare more” she chuckled and saw the balloon “Uh oh...”
Wayne twist around and with a toss the balloon hits Rainbow Dash with it exploding with confetti covering all over her and she screaming out. But when she looked to see it wasn't water, but pieces of paper, she saw Applejack and Wayne laughing at her expense “hahahaha good one Big Mac hahahaa!!”
“Oh cool my confetti balloon bomb worked” Pinkie Pie giggled looking up at Rainbow Dash, she was in her shadowbolt suit and shook off the confetti.
“Great one Big Mac you got me good” Rainbow Dash chuckled “Not bad at all” she darts off with her cloud soon afterwards to find her next victums.
Wayne turn to Pinkie Pie “See I told you they would work”
“Eeyup”
Pinkie pie hops off again. “Ah can't believe we just scored a win on that” Applejack chuckled.
They continue to walk to Sweet Apple Acres to get their part of the night to get started with their 'Apple bobbing' and 'pumpkin catapulting' as they walked Wayne thought about to about two weeks ago in the last talk he had with Applejack.
2 weeks ago...
It was morning and the sun still rising in the sky but what made this very slow was the fact Wayne had nothing to do, he been told by Applejack that today was his day off and there was 'no, if, whens or buts' he was practically thrown off the farm to enjoy his time off leaving him to wonder through Ponyville with silence and the bits he carried in the saddle bag with pencils, paper, sharpener and rubber.
Wayne came to the table and after ordering a strawberry milkshake he sat there watching some ponies doing their day to day stuff and doing some drawing of them with his mouth drawing which improved greatly. “Hey big brother what ya doing?”
Wayne turn to see Applebloom with her friends sating by him as she sat there by the table, placing the pencil he spoke to her. “Ah just wasting time ah guess... AJ told me to have the day off and here ah am.”
“Wow Applejack really did that, but I can guess why though since...” Sweetie Belle elbows Scootaloo in the gut “Gah!”
“What she said since you been working really hard it just that you need some R and R right?” Sweetie Belle beamed with a big smile.
Wayne knew something was up but knowing these three he didn't want to know. “Ah not sure what ya girls are up to but don't do anything crazy. If this is going to be mah day off ah rather not try to get ya girls out of trouble”
Applebloom look to her friends all laughing a little nervously after what they did to the red pony. “We promise Big Mac, we not doing at crusading any how, today we just chilling right girls?”
“Right” both replied.
He raised a eye brow in response to this “What going on girls?”
“Nothing going on, but can I see your drawing?” Scootaloo asked “I heard from Applebloom they awesome!”
“Sure” he picked it up with his teeth and raised it up. “What ya think?”
Sweetie Belle looked at it then Golden Oak Library then back at the drawing seeing the streets almost match “Whoa you wasn't kidding Applebloom that is amazing! I never knew your brother had talent like that!”
“Ah know right?” she smiled with pride “Mah brother might be the best farm pony around along side mah sister but each have their own interests that go beyond their cutie marks” she still speaking of being proud to be a Apple.
Wayne notice they all came around to the other side of the table “Can we stay with you and watch you draw! I want to see how you do it” Scootaloo and the others gave their cutiest looks possibly can.
Wayne nods “Eeyup”
“YAY!” they cheered
“But don't blame me if ya get bored” Wayne explained
A few short hours pass and he had his second milkshake with some apple fritters. Looking to the girls they was speaking to themselves looking at the drawings he had done, for the first time he felt fine with the girls being there but that what made him very suspicious since even time he was about to leave they begged him to do another, at first Wayne enjoyed the attention they was giving him but now something was bothering him.
Wayne started to back the items away putting them back in his saddle bag “Big Mac where ya going?”
“Home to drop of mah gear” Wayne answered and place it firmly on his back and starts to leave.
“Ah come on! Those drawings you did was awesome specially the Rainbow Dash one!” Scootaloo said hoping around him and right in front.
“Sorry Scootaloo but ah'm going back home” He walked around her not seeing the worried glances they was giving each other.
Rainbow Dash suddenly slam into him causing both to crash into a cart of hay, Wayne fell out of it with Rainbow Dash by him “What in tarnation ya doing Rainbow Dash!?” he got up looking at her with a bit of annoyance.
“Hehe sorry big guy, didn't see ya there, I was doing some of my stunts and sort of lost control” Rainbow Dash got up dusting herself off getting the hay out of her mane and coat. “So how the memoires?”
Wayne sighed “Apology accepted Rainbow Dash but as for mah memoires most of the past still a blur but getting by day to day thanks to mah family”
“That great” Rainbow Dash replied “So why aren't ya at the farm?”
“AJ gave me the day off and forced me to have it too” he grumbled rubbing his head a little “so for the last few hours ah being doing nothing much...”
Rainbow Dash shrugged “Your lucky I been training and dealing with some rogue clouds from the Everfree” she flew up a little and around him with a short pause she stared into the distance then look back down to him.
“What going on Rainbow...”
Rainbow Dash smirked “Well I just remembered, AJ sent me to find ya, something about getting your big red flank over to Sweet Apple Acres on the double” Rainbow Dash disappears in a blur of speed.
Wayne turn to see the fillies was gone then back to the cart noticing no pony seem to react from him and Rainbow Dash crashing into it “What the hay is going on?” he decided to get answers by going to Sweet Apple Acres.
Upon arriving at Sweet Apple Acres he found that Granny Smith or Applejack was no where to be seen and expected something odd about it, the last place to check was the barn. Wayne opened it and with a sudden huge surprise made him almost leap back in shock “SURPRISE!!!” they all yelled then shouted out “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!” Wayne was shellshocked he saw the sign saying 'Happy Birthday Big Macintosh' it was Big Mac's birthday...
“It mah birthday?” he blurted out with surprise slowly walking in with others laughing a little.
“Sure is Big Mac” Applejack winked “That why ah had to get ya off the farm, no hard feelings right?”
“Nnope” Wayne chuckled lightly and the others still beaming with excitement. “Ah guess this was Pinkie's idea?”
Applejack turn to the pink pony getting the music going “Sure was sugarcube, we all knew ya might not remember y'all own birthday”
“Indeed... ah...” he was chocked for words this hit Wayne like a tone of bricks and felt all sorts of feelings he never had before, no one in his life ever thrown such a party like this for me it brought happiness with tears in his eyes, wiping them with his hooves he hugged Applejack “Thank ya AJ this is one of the most happiest surprises ever”
“See I told you it would work!” Rainbow Dash sailed down to a landing before them. “This is going to be the best party ever for you Big Mac”
Wayne smiled to the rainbow mane mare “It will be Rainbow Dash” 'more ways then you can ever think possible...'
The party itself was amazing to say the least for Wayne, he didn't say much but the feelings was there to show and enjoyed the surprise birthday party through out the day as it continued till wind down to a close with the ponies leaving and heading home, the girls decided to stay behind as true friends to Applejack and help clean up the mess and one of the surprises was that the story he finished was bounded in a hard back cover.
Twilight had gotten it from Applejack and managed to get it bounded with it being the only copy he stared at it at the northern part of the farm looking at the writing, some of it was changed but he didn't mind it was just a surprise to top it all off and made him feel bad about it too since it was his story and not Big Macintosh's...
“Ah thought ah find ya out here” Applejack came up beside him “Don't worry Applebloom and Granny Smith asleep we can talk freely”
Wayne turn to her “Ah didn't know it was his birthday... ah feel like ah robbed him of it being in his body...”
Applejack lay down beside him feeling the cool calm night wind blowing around “Ah know Wayne, but if we going to keep them out of harms way for now and figure out how to return ya back to ya body without the risk of the others safety we going to have to play it safe and including the birthday party, ya seem to be happy with it even it was a shock”
Wayne turn to her “Indeed ah was, it was the first ever surprise party ah ever had in mah life”
“Really? Y'all never had one as a human?” he shook his head “Was it because ya was picked on?”
Wayne look to the stars “Eeyup and kind of mah fault... never really got over it and hardly socialized... ah just kept to myself mainly and when ah talked it was a bit too talkative as ya noticed”
“Indeed ah have sugarcube but don't let that bother ya now. Ah also was surprised at what Twilight did, ah didn't expect she would do that” Applejack look to the book “But ah bet it made ya feel bad too”
Wayne glance at the book “It does in some aspect but back at home all ah got is mah stories, drawings, online friends and such... nothing too big or crazy, here ah sort of helping the family gain something more then the farm, is that wrong of me?”
“Nah it fine Wayne, ya mah brother after all. Y'all worked hard and done so well in the last month, ya even created that amazing Apple Cider, that was a big seller and Granny was over the moon” Applejack chuckled “if that not something special to add to the family ah do not know what is”
Wayne chuckled lightly “Ah bet Big Mac having a similar talk at mah home with Hazel” he turn to the sky once more “but ah do wonder what Earth be like if everyone just got along... no stupid divide between countries, languages, beliefs and such... those just live in fiction mostly...”
“Not here is rosey either, everything has their ups and downs” Applejack replied “Ah sure they doing fine, now let go get some shut eye we got a lot of work to catch up tomorrow” Wayne nods and gets up putting the book into his saddle bag and giving her a hug
“Thanks for being a awesome sister” he said to Applejack
Applejack return the hug “Same to ya big brother”
Granny Smith watched from her window with some binoculars “Big Macintosh where ever ya are, ya new brother doing a great job being ya and making this proud granny smile” she look to the stars in hope her whispers was heard.
Present Day...
Princess Luna arrived by her chariot with her bat ponies pulling it along, it came to a landing by Sweet Apple Acres, stepping off she noticed Applejack in the Mare Do Well outfit having a bit of fun with her friends catapulting pumpkins into the bullsize with other Ponyville ponies enjoying themselves. “I see we came at the right time” she spoke seeing Rainbow Dash in her shadowbolt outfit with Pinkie Pie what seem to be a kangaroo “What a odd costume” she spoke with a frown
“I know right? I was thinking it was weird too but being Pinkie Pie it just normal” Rainbow Dash chuckled “Just don't let her put her hooves on ya”
“Why?” Rainbow Dash hints to the buzzers in view “Ah I see” Luna smiled then turn to see Twilight joining them in a light blue armour on her back, head and on each off “Princess Twilight I see you looking quite battle ready”
Twilight smiled “I thought I try looking like something from a book a read, a princess that fight for her friends in the name of friendship, kind of a odd story but it still interesting” Twilight said looking to the night princess. “As for my research on the metal it came up with some interesting things”
Rainbow Dash frowned “Is that what you been doing? Looking at some junk for almost two months?”
“Not really just off and on, good thing to because I found out that some force of magic beyond anything I seen pulled it from another world, if anything I found evidence of this in one case over 500 years ago” Twilight explained “But guess my results can wait, we ruining the fun of the evening talking about this”
Wayne pulled his sword out with his mouth and slash and the cloth on a plank with some ponies watching and cheering as he pulled off a Z with it. “Ah reckon we should, ya just almost missed mah brother finally got that sword slashing down” she chuckled
Rainbow Dash flew over to the cloth “Nice cuts, you got the Z perfect Big Mac, now your really are Zorro”
Wayne look to her with Big Mac's green eyes with a small smile “Ah don't know about that Rainbow Dash, all ah did was do a Z (British saying)”
Rainbow Dash frown when he said it “Z?(British) don't you mean Z?(American)”
“Huh?” Wayne look at her confused for a second “Isn't that what ah just said?”
Twilight brought it up now “I heard of that, the ponies of Hoovdon say 'Z' (British) not 'Z' (American) I guess some ponies from there said it a few times and Big Mac just used it with the slip of the tongue, it commonly done, right princess?” Twilight turn to Luna
Luna chuckled “Indeed, I am not sure why Rainbow Dash making a fuss over one letter”
“I am not making a fuss over it! I am just saying his said it weird! I didn't know there was another way of saying that letter” Rainbow Dash protested
Applebloom spoke up “Ah heard that y'all, it something Miss Cheerilee been teaching us about differences between ponies in cities, towns and villages or from far away places outside Equestria” Applebloom recalling her lessons.
“That is true and ah did take Big Mac to the city of Hoovdon when he was quite young and Applejack was a little filly” Granny Smith spoke up “oh Ah remember that day so well. The day those city folks got a taste of our Zap Apple Jam, it really made our trip to that city to mah cousin all worth while.”
Twilight smiled “I recently heard that a pony called Britannia whom a captain of the guards there”
Granny turn to Twilight “Oh I remember that name too, she was only about Big Macintosh's age when ah saw that little filly, she loved the sandwiches we offered and the funny looking red coat guards that protect that here old tower by the river”
Twilight recalled reading up about it recently “That Tower of Hoovdon I believe, it something to do with it holding some sort of jewels. Something Princess Celestia once worn about 300 years ago when going to the city on her yearly visits, I only recently got this information and still trying to get everything about that city” Twilight recapping on her recent studies “One thing that surprise me though about that place, it had a malfunctioning weather station out to sea that no pegasi can get near”
Wayne had a good idea what she was talking about 'It sure sound like about London and the British weather but a city that resembles London... now that something...' Wayne saw how bored Rainbow Dash was getting with Twilight talking on and on about the city then he look to the storm cloud she had that was just above. He pokes her and points up with a hoof.
Applejack, Applebloom, Granny Smith and Luna saw Rainbow Dash sneak off and jump into the air on the cloud moving it just behind Twilight with Spike trying not to laugh as he knew what was about to happen. “Also it was believed that it was a prototype before Cloudsdale since Hoovdon is somewhere close to 1800 years...”
BANG!!!
“AH!!!” Twilight jumped with fright and the others instantly burst out laughing at her sudden fright. “Hehe you got me good” Twilight look up at Rainbow Dash kicking the air as she laid on her back on the cloud laughing her head off at Twilight's expense of a scare by her lightning.
The night went on with everypony and dragon enjoying the evening with scares, treats, music, fun and pranks. Wayne enjoyed Nightmare Night, he never really had done in the past but he was having a great time with the Apples he been calling his family for the last two months, he still missed being back in his own body but with the support from them and from Applejack specially he was able to over come it and keep up the story of being Big Macintosh but this was drawing on to him feeling heavy hearted about keeping a lie up with Applejack also keep it up but as he watch Pinkie Pie bounce around and having laughs with everypony he knew that this was one page he had to turn soon...
As the evening events draw to a end Applejack stood with Wayne at the Nightmare Moon statue, Luna step up to them as they was busy talking to each other and laughing a little “Evening to both”
Both of them turn “Princess Ah thought ya would be back in Canterlot” Applejack was a bit startled.
Wayne turn to Applejack “It ok AJ, Luna knows”
Applejack faced the red stallion “Seriously?”
“Eeyup”
Applejack took off the Mare Do Well hat with a hoof “May ah ask how y'all found out?”
Luna smiled standing before them looking to the green eyes of both ponies before her “His dreams are a wondrous insight to a very imaginative mind and quite the one at that, no dream is the same, he mind wonders with so many different dreams of worlds that beyond our own, stars, worlds, aliens, ponies, humans and so much more. Some maybe dark but that because the mind created it in a dream, dreams can go wild as I noticed with yours Wayne”
“Eeyup” Wayne chuckled lightly “Mah mind is one crazy mix of building blocks that impossible shapes can match”
Applejack listen to them and sighed with a smile of her own “Woowee that really something Princess, so y'all knew from the first day?” Luna nods “Wow and it took me over a month to figure it out, he did good on pretending to be mah brother but all for a good reason those magical beings that caused this mess is still at large and ah'm not going to tell anypony about this until it really a must... just to keep them safe from harm”
“Wise move Applejack but I sense they may grew worried that more as time goes by will know, even Twilight figured out their magical energy but not aware of what happened to Wayne and Pinkie Pie... something odd about her outfit that brought a shiver when seeing her at first” Luna turn her head slightly to Ponyville recalling Pinkie Pie's kangaroo outfit.
Wayne had a feeling she knew “Ah don't even want to think how she knew princess... one thing ah learned from being here and from mah world, never question Pinkie Pie's randomness or y'all in for a headache” the three laughed after he said and sat looking to the night sky together leaving their thoughts to wonder...
Unknown...
“Sparkle Twilight Princess Alicorn has discovered us”
“We need to remove the threat”
“Negative, she may have found our magic as they call it but they do not know we are here, we will wait and see”
“Two sides of a coin as the humans and ponies spoke as the term 'penny for your thoughts' are a reminder of why we study events such as this, it to understand the lifeforms and not to destroy them because they seem to be close to discovering us”
“We can not understand why risk our realm of being found by these biological life forms, they are not of matter”
“We study to learn to know life”
“That is true we will continue for now of research to understand their methods and weigh all risks”
“We could easily restart but then we be back to the beginning and start all over with the risks coming again, they are of one life while we are of no life, we need to understand life”
“Very well we will wait... but a new test will commence”
“New test in mind you have?”
“Life of one or life of many”
“Interesting, putting a test that would endanger the life of many or the life of one... how do you wish to proceed?”
“By creating two storms one on the London of the capital to Untied Kingdom and the other to Ponyville, by reviling the truth of one set storm to two life forms of each world they may get those to safety or fight the storm at the cost of one love one, Macintosh Big and Dolphin Wayne.”
“Intriguing... this has caught our attention, very well you may proceed with one action at mark event date at 3 of their one month period and 4 of the days to one of their periods within the month.”
“That it will...”