CRACK! Applejack winced slightly as she watched the last chunks of plaster split and dropped off of Big Mac’s legs. The red-furred stallion gave a big sigh and flexed his fetlocks. He started to get up off the examination table, but was stopped by a hoof pressing down on his back.
“Not so fast, Mr. Apple,” Dr. Stable said. “I need to check your leg muscles for signs of atrophy.” The unicorn began pressing on the farm pony’s legs, slowly moving from whethers to hoof. Twice he elicited a small “Ouch” from his patient, but continued the examination in spite of it. Finishing, he looked up at Big Mac. “Alright… I want you to carefully put your weight on your legs, starting with the two front then moving to the back.”
Both Nurse Redheart and Applejack stood close by, ready to support Macintosh if need be. The stallion slowly braced himself on all four hooves, then patiently waited as the doctor double checked the muscles. When he finished he had his patient take a few steps forward, then turn. Big Mac completed the maneuver without much difficulty. The Doctor nodded in satisfaction.
“How come his back legs look so thin?” asked Applejack.”
“Long term inactivity combined with compression from the cast,” Dr. Stable explained. “Not to worry. A couple weeks of normal movement should restore his strength, muscle tone and flexibility; but I must emphasize it has to be NORMAL movement. No running, trotting or cantering, and above all, absolutely NO apple-bucking. The bones are strong enough now to support your weight, but not if you overstress them. Am I clear on that, Mr. Apple?”
”Eeeyup.”
“Alright then,” Stable said. He took a clipboard from the nurse and scribbled some notes on it, then handed Applejack a prescription form. “Make sure he soaks his back legs in a mineral bath at least once a day for the first week and wraps them in hot towels before bed. I’ve made out an order for pain medication, in case you need it.”
“Thanks doc. Ah appreciate everything y’all have done fer ma brother.”
Dr. Stable smiled. “You can thank me by following my instructions, and saving a bottle of cider for me from this year’s crop.”
“Consider it saved. Ain’t that right, bro?”
“Eeeyup.”
The red stallion extended his right fore-hoof which the doctor grasped and shook with his own. Turning, the two Apple siblings left the clinic and crossed the town square. Big Mac looked at his sister.
“Ain’t home the other way?”
“Y’all heard the doctor. Ya gotta soak yer legs in a mineral bath once a day, so we’re gonna take advantage o’ bein’ in town now rather than comin’ back later.”
Applejack guided him towards the town spa, ignoring his objections about it being a hangout just for fillies. They were met at the door by a pink-furred pony with a medium blue mane and tail and a white band around her neck and mane.
“Mornin’ Aloe,” the farm filly said. “Ah brought ya a customer fer yer mineral bath.” Applejack looked at the stallion. “Now you play nice and Ah’ll be back in an hour ta walk ya home.” She turned and trotted out the door.
The beautician smiled and led Big Mac into a back room where a large jacuzzi sat. “If you’d just take a seat,” she said, “I’ll get the water jet going.” The stallion eased himself into the tub, immersing his back half in the water. It was hot, but not unpleasantly so. As he watched, Aloe walked over to a set of billows that were hooked up to some peddles just opposite him. Placing her hooves on the peddles, she began trotting slowly in place. An eruption of bubbles stirred the water, massaging Big Mac’s lower half.
The farm pony sighed contentedly and leaned back, closing his eyes and allowing the heat to flow into him. He could smell the herbs mixed with the water, especially the eucalyptus leaves. The sensation was very relaxing and he found it difficult to focus. He briefly zoned-out. When Big Mac next opened his eyes he discovered that the room was empty save for himself. All the lights had been turned off and he could see a bright pattern of stars through the window.
The stallion sat up, then felt a delicate hoof on his shoulder easing him back into the bubbling jacuzzi. Glancing upward he could make out the form of Princess Luna as she put a hoof to her lips indicating he should be quiet. Without a sound the blue-furred alicorn removed her slippers, torc and crown and climbed into the tub next to him. They kissed. It tingled and she tasted of peppermint and zap apple jelly.
He inhaled deeply and then… woke up.
Luna was gone. Big Mac looked around for her in confusion. The only other pony in the room was Aloe who had stopped pumping the bellows and was standing in front of him, a surprised expression on her face. It suddenly dawned on the farm pony that in his half-dream state he had leaned forward and kissed the filly before him.
Aloe would not have believed that a red-furred stallion like Big Mac could have gotten any redder, but he did, even as he slowly sank beneath the bath water, mortified.
**********
“So what did you do?” the blue-furred pony asked as she helped her sister clean up the tub room.
“Not much,” Aloe replied. She laughed slightly. “It isn’t as if he’s the first pony to have a dream after falling asleep in the bath. Oh, he was so embarrassed. I actually felt sorry for him. He just wouldn’t stop apologizing. For a while I thought that he would have drown himself in the bath if he could have. I had to keep reassuring him that I knew it was an accident and that everything was alright.”
“Poor pony,” Lotus Blossom chuckled. “Well, at least he gets points for enthusiasm. I wonder what Quake would think?”
“SISTER! Don’t you dare go repeating this to anypony else. Big Mac may be strong as ten other ponies, but he’s a very private stallion. There’s no telling how he’d take it if this kind of story got out.”
“You’re right,” Lotus said, brushing a loose lock of pink mane from her forehead. “Imagine the damage to our reputation if other ponies couldn’t trust us to keep their secrets.”
“Imagine the damage to our faces if Applejack heard we were spreading stories about her brother.” The two beauticians shuddered.
**********
“And which one is that?” asked Big Mac.
“It’s called Orion, the Hunter,” Luna explained. “I decided that tonight it would look nice if it were thirty-five degrees above the southern horizon. That way it compliments Virgo. The large star in the center of his belt is called Betelgeuse.”
The stallion chuckled. “They named a star after a stage play?”
“Stage play? What are you talking about?
“Beetle Juice. It was a comedy from when Ah was just a colt,” the farmer explained.
“ Why on Equestria would they name a stage play after a star?” The two ponies looked at each other and laughed. “Sorry,” said Luna. “That’s something I guess I missed out on while I was ‘away.’”
“Well, when they do a revival Ah guess Ah’ll just have ta take ya to see it.”
“That sounds suspiciously like a date,” the alicorn smiled.
“Eeeyup.” Macintosh looked over at the princess. “Does hangin’ out with me in the orchard count as a date?”
“I don’t know. How many nights have we been seeing each other like this?”
“Counting tonight? About seventeen. Almost every night since Ah got outta the hospital. Feels nice not havin’ ta be in that wheelchair anymore.”
“If we’re going to count these as dates, shouldn’t we also count the time I spent with you in the hospital?”
“Nnnope. There was too many doctors and nurses hangin’ around for it ta be a real date,” the stallion asserted authoritatively.
“How would you know? According to your sister, the only date you’ve gone on in the last four years was induced by a Love Poison.”
“Ah wouldn’t exactly call that a date either,” the farmer said, chuckling. “Besides, how can somethin’ be a date when ya cain’t remember anythin’ about it?”
“Why shouldn’t we call hanging out together a date?” asked Luna.
“Well, than yer right. This is a date. Though I think we should be doing something a little bit more… date-like.”
“Such as?”
“Well, such as my treatin’ ya to desert an’ tea at a nice café.”
Luna smiled and rose to her hooves. “Well then, Sir Apple, you may lead us to yon treat.”
Macintosh stood and smiled, but abruptly pursed his lips in disappointment.
“Is something wrong?”
“Ah fergot,” the stallion muttered. “It’s after nine in the evening. All three cafés in Ponyville are closed.”
“I know someplace that’s still open.”
“You do?”
“Eeeyup. Just close your eyes and follow me.”
Big Mac looked confused. “How can Ah follow you if ma eyes…” There was a sudden flash of light from Luna’s horn. An instant later the two ponies were standing in front of a shop in Canterlot called Pony Joe’s. “…are closed? UURRRPP!!!” The farmer threw a hoof over his mouth and staggered over to grasp and lean against a streetlight. His head was spinning horribly and his stomach was flipping around so fast he didn’t know if he could keep anything down.
Luna saw his discomfort and ran up to him, massaging the back of his neck with her hoof. “OH… MAC! I am so sorry! I forgot you’ve never teleported anywhere before. That was horribly inconsiderate of me.”
“S’all right,” the farmer urped, gasping for air. “Y’all didn’t mean any harm.” He belched once more, loudly and his stomach began to settle down. He closed his eyes and the dizziness faded, then he looked over at Luna and smiled. “Ya see? All better now.”
She returned his smile, relief in her eyes. The two ponies paced casually up the steps and into the shop. The first one to see them was a unicorn with tan fur, a medium-brown mane and tail and a frosted pink donut as his cutie mark He trotted up to the couple and smiled. “Your usual booth, princess?”
She nodded and he led them to a table not easily seen from the rest of the shop. Once they were comfortable he pulled out a pad of paper and pen which hovered in front of him while his horn glowed softly.
“I’ll have a hot, green-tea latte and a blueberry cream éclair with hayseed sprinkled on top,” ordered Luna
“Right away your majesty.” Looking at Big Mac the unicorn smiled. “Same for you, Sir Macintosh?”
“Eeeyup.”
The colt jotted down their order then trotted behind the counter to fill it. Big Mac looked at Luna. “How’d he know who Ah was?” he whispered.
“That’s Pony Joe. He keeps a small notebook under the cash register with pictures of all the celebrities and nobility of Canterlot.”
“Where would he get ma picture?”
“A newspaper clipping, probably,” Luna said. “You’re actually quite a celebrity, and a bit of a mystery to most ponies here. Everypony has heard of you, but they know little about you.”
“Ah knew there was a lot o’ fuss bein’ made over me in Ponyville, but in Canterlot?”
“Actually, the ‘fuss’ is all over Equestria,” Luna said. “Everypony loves a hero, particularly the big, powerful silent type.”
“That include princesses?”
Luna gave him a soft peck on the cheek. “Especially princesses.”
Mac’s cheek tingled and he smiled, ignoring everything around him except for the alicorn. His eyes half closed and he drank in her dark, cool beauty. The stallion began to daydream of what life with the princess would be like, not fully realizing that she too was gazing into his eyes, the same half-lidded dreamy look cast on her face.
The clink of plates and cups on the table brought both ponies back to the real world. They looked up to see Pony Joe smiling at them, a twinkle of understanding in his eyes. Mac looked around for the bill. “Don’t bother,” the unicorn said. “It’s on the house. Compliments to a hero and his special somepony.” The unicorn trotted away.
“That felt a bit, unusual,” the farmer muttered.
“Never been called a hero before?”
“Not clean outta the blue like that… Never been given a free meal, either, unless it were at a party o’ some kind.”
“Get used to it,” Luna said with a smile. There won’t be a place in Canterlot that will take your bits, at least for a while yet.”
“But that ain’t right,” Macintosh muttered. “It ain’t honest fer me ta take advantage o’ hardworkin’ ponies like this.” He looked down at the food trying to figure how much it cost. “Maybe Ah should leave a tip.”
Luna shook her head. “Pony Joe is paying you a compliment. If you insist on leaving bits on the table you’ll offend him.”
“But it don’t feel right.”
Luna looked around and nodded towards the cash register. “If it makes you feel better, you can always drop the price of the meal in the charity box up front. No one would object to that.”
Big Mac smiled. “Good thinkin’. Yer a natural-born diplomat.”
“Well then, let me be diplomatic with you.”
“How?” asked the stallion.
Luna leaned forward and spoke quietly. “You need to understand that when Pony Joe, or any other pony offers you a complimentary meal or service, it’s not because you’re inherently entitled to it. That’s a mistake a lot of upper crust ponies and some nobility make. You can’t demand such treatment, it is something you have to earn, and in spite of how much you may protest to the contrary, you, Big Mac, and your sister have definitely earned the honor. Ponies will want to thank you in a lot of ways. Just get used to it, and if it make you feel better, return the compliment by contributing back in some way.”
“Ah can see why you and Celestia do so much charity work…”
Macintosh suddenly stopped talking when a trio of fillies came up and stood next to the booth. All three were giggling and whispering back and forth with each other. They quickly turned and bowed to the alicorn.
“Your highness… may we have permission to speak for a moment with your… friend.”
Luna’s manner and speech instantly became much more formal and she nodded her head briefly. “Ay… if thou doth wish.”
The fillies turned back towards Big Mac, giving him the impression he was standing in the high powered beams of a searchlight. “Can Ah help y’all?”
“Ohmygosh!, ohmygosh!. Are you REALLY Big Macintosh Apple of Ponyville?”
‘Uh…Eeeyup?”
“See…” said the smallest of the three fillies. “I told you!”
“You are so handsome,” moaned one of the ponies.
“Sir Macintosh… would you… We mean, could you sign our autograph books… Please, please, please, please?”
He looked nervously at Luna who simply smiled and nodded once more.”
“Uh…. Eeeyup?”
The squeal of delight that escaped them threatened to shatter a nearby window. Big Mac winced, then took their proffered autograph books and quickly scratched his name across the pages. He was taken aback when one of the fillies unexpectedly kissed him on the cheek. She and her friends giggled as they were gently ushered away by Pony Joe who’d come over to investigate the noise.
The stallion looked at the Princess, his expression more than a little abashed. “That was very… strange.”
Luna giggled. “I loved the look on your face when she kissed you.”
“Sorry, Ah didn’t see that comin’.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not jealous. You do realize you could have just sent them away, or called Pony Joe over when they first popped up. He would have steered them out the door quickly enough.”
“Ah was tempted, but it might have hurt their feelings.”
“You were worried more about them than yourself?”
“Eeeyup.”
The alicorn smiled. “Now you’re getting it. Giving back isn’t always about status or bits.” She placed her hoof over one of Mac’s. “Sometimes, it’s just being patient with and learning from others. That was one of the lessons I learned on my Nightmare Night trip to Ponyville.”
“And now yer teaching it ta me. Ah couldn’t have a better tutor than you,” the farmer said.
Luna blushed. “Flatterer.”
“But it ain’t flattery… Ah’m bein’ honest.”
She chuckled. “I know… Promise me you’ll always stay honest. And whatever you do, don’t turn into a Prince Blueblood.”
“Ah don’t think there’s much chance o’ that.”
“You’ve heard of him?” Luna asked.
“Rarity told me about him. She says he claims ta be Celestia’s nephew.” the farmer said.
“He’s not, at least not by blood.”
“So how’d he become a prince?”
Luna sighed. “Tia granted the honorary rank of Prince or Princess to the Patriarchs of Canterlot.”
“The founding families?”
The alicorn nodded. “Blueblood’s title is hereditary. He received it because he is the oldest heir, male or female, in his family. When he finally has a foal of his own, the title will immediately pass from him to his colt or filly.”
“Wouldn’t that make most o’ these nobles… foals?”
Luna took a sip of her latte. “Tia set it up this way not long after the death of her fourth husband; about six hundred years ago. She was feeling very lonely and wanted to be surrounded by foals who would look up to her like a maiden aunt. That way she could have a family… of sorts. She tries to help guide and inspire each generation, but leaves most of the rearing to their natural sires. Most of the foals turn-out quite nicely. Some turn out…”
“Like Blueblood.” Macintosh became very quiet for a moment. “Aside from you, don’t Celestia have any kin or foals o’ her own?”
The Princess of the Night stared down at the table and spoke quietly. “She’d like that, but she can’t have a foal; not after our battle with Discord. It was the price she had to pay to bring Harmony to Equestria.”
“Ah never knew…” The stallion could feel his heart go out to Celestia.
“No pony does. That’s the way she wants it.
Ah remember enough o’ ma history class to know there were eleven founding families.”
“Yes,” Luna replied. “There were originally seven Princes and four Princesses. Now there are only six, three of each. Seven if you count Twilight’s brother.” She smiled. “Blueblood could learn a thing or two from Shining Armor.”
“Prince Blueblood sounds like some colts Ah knew in school. When they started humiliatin’ Applejack, Ah had a private talk with ‘em out behind the wood shed. It straightened ‘em right up.”
“I can imagine,” Luna chuckled. “Unfortunately, I don’t think that approach would work on Blueblood.”
“A bit too set in his ways?”
“Eeeyup,” giggled Luna.
Finishing their snack, the two ponies rose from their booth and headed for the door. Pony Joe gave them a friendly wave and smiled when he saw Big Mac drop some bits in the charity box.
Once they were back out on the street they walked side by side, occasionally rubbing up against each other in a playful manner. The stallion was a little surprised that no one seemed to take notice of them, especially in light of his new found celebrity and her royal lineage. When he asked her about it she smiled mischievously.
“After we left the café I might have put the tiniest of glamours on us. Any pony looking our way will only see a pair of unicorns walking in the moonlight.” She looked up at the farm pony. “I hope you don’t mind my putting a spell on you.”
“Nnnope,” he said with a smile. “Y’all had a spell on me since that first Nightmare Night.”
Their stroll took them in the direction of the castle and into its gardens. Despite the lateness of the hour there were more than a dozen couples either sauntering along the garden paths or nestled together on the benches scattered about. Tall, graceful lamp posts helped illuminate the garden without obscuring the beauty of the night sky. Statues showing the history of Equestria dotted the landscape, each grand is scale and design. Big Mac didn’t really pay much attention to them, distracted by the velvet warmth of the princess walking beside him.
The couple rounded a hedge and the stallion abruptly stopped, jolting Luna from her dreamlike reverie. She looked up at Big Mac and found him staring at one particular statue, an intensity in his face she did not remember ever seeing before. Following his gaze she found herself looking at the statue of a draconequus. It was Discord.
“How can this be here?” the farmer muttered, more to himself than Luna.
“The statue?” Luna asked.
“It shouldn’t be here. Discord was freed from his imprisonment and pardoned. Ah know, Ah was there.”
The alicorn smiled at his confusion. “Oh, I understand. This isn’t really him. It’s a recreation that Celestia commissioned and had put in the gardens.”
“Why would your sister do that?”
“Well, partially because he represents an important piece of our history, and partially as a reminder for him of what could happen if he breaks the conditions of his parole.” Luna’s smile faded as she gazed at Big Mac. He was definitely upset. “You hate him, don’t you?”
The apple farmer took a deep breath as he shook his head. “Ah don’t hate the varmint. You cain’t hate something for living up ta its nature. Ah just feel a might uncomfortable seeing him again, even if it is only a statue this time.”
“Why?”
“Well, let’s see… The first time he showed up in Ponyville he turned the town inside out, made ma sister a liar, put Granny Smith in bed fer a month by forcing her ta tap dance with her bad hip, and he had me diggin’ holes and tunnels all over the farm like a gopher… A GOPHER, dang it! Then, the second time he ‘visits’ he floods half the orchard and nearly kills every apple tree by freezin’ the place solid. Ah may not hate him… but Ah don’t like him. Nnnope, Ah don’t like him at all.”
“That sounds like a sincere and somewhat salubrious sentiment.”
Big Mac and Luna turned at the sound of the voice. Standing before them was a very scholarly unicorn. He had chocolate-colored fur, a charcoal gray mane and tail as well as a van-dyke style beard, all with streaks of lighter gray running through them. He was dressed in a charcoal gray tweed coat, a white shirt and a dark green bow tie. His eyes were the same charcoal gray as his mane and he bore a cutie mark of a diploma bound by a green ribbon.
“If I may introduce myself,” he said. “Professor Pony… scholar and sociological studies lecturer at Pony University, specializing in all things draconequusian.”
“Is that even a word?” the stallion asked, looking at the strange unicorn.
“Of course it is. I should know because I made it up myself.” He studied the unicorn couple standing before him then smiled. “Not, bad… not bad at all for an elementary glamour spell. But then I shouldn’t expect anything less from a princess, should I… Luna.”
Mac eyed the other pony suspiciously. “Y’all know who we are?”
The professor looked at the farmer and chuckled impishly. “Eeeyup.”