//------------------------------//
// Big Mac Lost 
// Story: Big Mac's Journey to Nightmare City 
// by cheesemeister 
//------------------------------//

	Big Macintosh headed on his mission to get the pies delivered to Braeburn Town in jig time. The quickest path took him near the ruins of Celestia and Luna’s old castle. When a sudden storm kicked up, Big Mac decided to take refuge in the castle until the storm blew over.
“Reckon it’s just a cloudburst—yup,” Big Mac said to himself. “Oughta be gone in fifteen minutes or less. Then I can get back on my way.”
Black clouds swirled, and hail began to buffet the landscape. Big Mac was nearly blinded by the sheet of rain blowing into his face. He knew he couldn’t get the pie wagon up the front steps of the castle, but there was an old stable out back, where the racehorses had stayed during grand festivals at the now-abandoned palace. Mac made for the stable, hoping that there was enough of it left to shelter both him and the pie wagon.
Big Mac saw an oval-shaped area of pearly light as he neared the stable. He supposed another traveler had stopped for shelter and lit a lantern.
“Howdy,” the friendly workhorse said in his slow-talking way. “Good to see y’all made it to shelter. If you’re hungry, I can spare you a pie.”
The light turned from pearly white to blazing red. Big Macintosh whinnied in terror as he was torn from his harness and into the swirling tempest. His last thought before losing consciousness was: “how the hay am I gonna tell Granny and Applejack that I didn’t get the pies delivered to Braeburn Town?”