//------------------------------// // Ping Pong and Loving Hearts // Story: Big Macintosh with Realistic Eeyuping and Nopeing Action // by Glint //------------------------------// Twilight Sparkle trotted into Sweet Apple Acres humming a happy tune. Her purple ping-pong paddle floated about a hoofbreadth in front of her horn, and a ping-pong ball was bouncing up and down on it with a steady rhythm. She walked up to the farmhouse, bounced the ball off the front door a couple times, and then hit the ball far up in the air. As the ball flew, she rapped on the door with the handle of her paddle. Applejack opened the door. Twilight stood slack-jawed in astonishment. Her paddle fell to the ground, followed quickly by the ball. Applejack’s front left hoof was encased in a white cast. “Applejack, what happened?” gasped Twilight. “Yesterday afternoon, I was clearing the rocks out of the northeast field,” she said, pointing her injured hoof at an overgrown patch of land. “All by yourself?” asked Twilight. “Yeah, my brother was off doing somethin’,” she said. “So there I was, chuckin’ the small rocks, buckin’ the medium-sized rocks, and draggin’ the big rocks. Turns out, if a big rock is half-buried, it looks like a medium-sized one.” “You bucked a big half-buried … Ow. Does it still hurt?” asked Twilight. “It’s a little tender. Doc filled up the crack, put a cast on it, and told me not to put much weight on it. I can still walk, but I can’t gallop,” said Applejack. “And you can’t play ping-pong either! You put your weight on your front left when you serve,” said Twilight. “Yeah, that’s about the size of it,” said Applejack matter-of-factly. “Oh, and I was so looking forward to today’s ping-pong tournament,” she moaned. “Aw, don’t worry about it Twi. I gotcha covered,” she said. “What, you got Rainbow Dash to fill in for you?” asked Twilight. “Not exactly,” replied Applejack. Applejack stepped aside, and Big Macintosh filled the door in her place. He wore a saddle pack adorned with a drawing of a ping-pong paddle. “Big Macintosh knows how much you were looking forward to this. He’s happy to help you out. And he’s a pretty good player,” said Applejack. “Eeyup.” “So, y’all have fun at the tournament for me,” said Applejack. Big Macintosh walked outside, and Applejack closed the door behind him. Twilight looked nervously back and forth between Mac and the door. Finally, she floated her ball and paddle into her saddle pack and turned to leave. “Don’t want to be late,” she said nervously. “Nope.” Big Macintosh trotted away, Twilight at her side. She cast nervous glances at him unsure of whether she should walk beside him or behind him. “Does he think this is supposed to be a date with me?” thought Twilight. She swallowed hard. “Does Applejack think this is supposed to be a date? Sporting events are first date idea number 25, but that’s just spectator sports.” She opened her saddle pack and peeked in. 44 Fabulous First Dates was still there, but she resisted the urge to flip through it in front of Big Macintosh. “So, umm, you ever play ping-pong with a unicorn?” asked Twilight. “Eeyup.” “There are special rules for unicorns. I have to keep my paddle within two glimmers of my horn –” she said. “And levitate your paddle and nothing else,” interrupted Big Macintosh. “Umm, right,” said Twilight. “My cousin Jonagold married a unicorn,” he said. “AJ and I played some of the in-laws at the reception.” “Oh,” said Twilight. “Oh, what if this is supposed to be a date? Rainbow Dash said he played a little rough with her in the bushes at the Flower Fair,” she thought. She took a long look at Big Macintosh, then blushed and looked down. “I don’t know if I could handle that. Oh, Big Macintosh, what kind of animal are you? What did you and Rainbow Dash do in the middle of the Canterlot fairgrounds?” The new Ponyville recreation center was still under construction. At the moment, it was little more than a single big open area, with a few side rooms in varying degrees of not-quite-readiness. The open area was filled with rows of ping-pong tables. A large chalkboard was set up at the front, filled with a tournament bracket. Twilight and Big Macintosh walked up to the registration desk. Standing behind the table was a skinny stallion with thick black glasses. He had a salmon pink coat, a goldenrod mane, and a roll of red tape for a cutie mark. “Hey, Carbon Copy. We’re ‘Apple Sparkle.’ I pre-registered last week,” she said. “Playing horn style?” he said in a dull monotone. “That’s right,” she said. He made a little mark on a form. “If you need to change to orthodox style, you can pick up a horn band here between matches,” he droned. “Table B-3, against team ‘Roseluck.’ First match begins in six minutes.” “You know him?” asked Big Macintosh, as he headed for their table. “He’s a city clerk. I see him all the time around the Mayor’s office. He seems a little dull, but when you get to know him, he’s truly a crushing bore,” said Twilight with a giggle. “Hmm,” said Big Macintosh without a giggle. Rose and Lily were already waiting at B-3. When they saw team Apple Sparkle, they gasped, whispered to themselves for a few seconds, and then turned and smiled. “So Twilight,” said Rose, “you’re here with Big Macintosh instead of Applejack.” “She cracked a hoof,” Twilight responded. “Big bro is filling in.” The pair gasped and whispered some more. “Have you been playing with him long?” inquired Lily. “Nope.” “No, this is our first time,” said Twilight hastily. “Oh, mmhmm, I see. Sure,” said Rose and Lily, nodding and smirking. Big Macintosh picked up his red paddle in his mouth and took a couple practice swings. “Oh, Big Macintosh,” Rose gasped, “what a small paddle you have!” “Umm … I don’t know what you’re getting at,” said Twilight, “but it’s a standard six by six, just like mine.” She floated her paddle up next to his, causing Rose and Lily to murmur. “See, same size. It just looks so small because Big Macintosh is so big.” “Oh, sure he is. Just look at him,” said Rose, to which Lily nodded in agreement. Big Macintosh set down his paddle. He turned to Twilight, and said, “I like to play aggressive, just like Applejack. But I’m a bit bigger than she is. So when you see me rear up to smash, stay out of my way. Don’t want my partner down on the floor.” “Oooooh,” said Rose and Lily in unison. Twilight Sparkle won the coin toss, and gave Big Macintosh the first serve. As expected, he played with a lot of power, hitting hard, fast, and accurate strokes, with little attention to finesse or spin. But neither his fast returns nor her tricky spin fazed team Roseluck. One of the ladies’ paddles was in place just in time, ready to apply just enough force and spin. Not even a tremendous smash from Big Macintosh rattled them. In fact, the sight of him rearing up right next to Twilight and the sound of him slamming to the ground unnerved her so much that she always missed Rose’s return shot. And so, Apple Sparkle lost the first game of the match by five points. “Hold on a second, I need a little break before game two,” said Twilight Sparkle. She stood right next to Big Macintosh, flank to flank. He eyed her warily, as Rose and Lily chatted and giggled, somehow understanding each other in spite of the paddles in their mouths. She took a few steps away from him, and said, “Okay, rear up like you’re going to smash.” He reared up on his hind legs, and then thundered to the ground. Twilight stood and watched him, flinching slightly when he landed. She took a step in toward him, causing Rose to say something like “Oh, going back to him, is she?” and Lily to giggle even more. “Okay, do it again,” she said. He again reared up and slammed down. This time Twilight watched him, and gritted her teeth as he landed. She walked around her side of the table a little, taking a look at the scuff marks Big Macintosh had left in the floor. She finally settled in, and levitated a ball toward him, saying, “Now smash this.” He reared up and smashed the ball. It hit the table between Lily and Rose. Without even stopping their conversation, Rose whacked the ball back. Twilight kept her eyes on the ball, and didn’t react at all as he hit the ground. “Got your distance,” she said as she stopped the ball with a smile. “Let’s play.” The next round, Twilight was more aware of Big Macintosh’s movements. When she saw him start to rear up, she quickly checked her distance and kept her eye on the ball. She put plenty of topspin on the return, causing Lily’s lazy counter to inevitably fly high. This set up another smash for Big Macintosh. To Twilight’s delight, even Rose could be caught off-guard by two smashes in a row. Team Apple Sparkle won their next two games by a four point margin. Rose and Lily left the rec center casting glances back at Twilight and Big Macintosh as they whispered things to each other and laughed. Twilight Sparkle strained to listen to them as they left. Failing, she groaned, and dropped her paddle on the table. “How about you tell Carbon Copy that we won,” she said. “I need to go clear my head.” “Eeyup.” She looked around the room. Most of the teams had finished their matches. However the match between Team Bubble and Team Pop, four members of the same jazz ensemble, was going at a snail’s pace. The players seemed to enjoy talking to each other as much as hitting the ball. Twilight scanned the edges of the room and found an empty doorway. The room was nearly empty, having nothing inside but a few rows of lockers. There was a window with no glass, a doorway with no door, and some bare pipes with no plumbing fixtures attached. She found a spot between two rows of lockers that was out of view of the door and the window and sat down. “I wonder what gossip Rose and Lily are spreading about us now,” she said to herself. “Maybe they’ll talk to Daisy first and she’ll be the voice of reason, and tell them not to talk about things they don’t really know. Ha! Right.” “Twilight,” said Big Macintosh’s deep voice from the doorway. She heard heavy footsteps behind her, and then felt his hot breath on the back of her neck. Now he, too, was out of view of the doorway and the window. “Everypony in Ponyville knows not to give much mind to gossip from Lily, Daisy, and Rose,” he said. “Wait ‘till tomorrow. They’ll stop yakking about you and start yakking about something else.” Twilight swallowed hard. “If I were to look at him right now, what would I see in his eyes? Hope? Desire? Disappointment?” She shivered as his breath touched her ear. “What would he see in my eyes? I’ve been thinking and planning so hard about his love life, that I haven’t even considered how I feel about it. How do I feel? For that matter, how does he feel?” “And don’t worry about me either,” he continued. “I’ve lived here my whole life. Everything anypony can say about me has already been said.” He laid a comforting hoof on her shoulder. She breathed deep and turned to look at him. The hoof on her shoulder suggested a personal connection and concern. But the look in his eyes showed nothing but calm, strength, and sincerity. She let out a relieved sigh. “You’re right. Who cares what those busybodies say.” She started to raise a hoof toward his, when a voice called out, “Next round begins in three minutes.” His hoof left her shoulder. She heard his footsteps fade toward the doorway. The main room was bustling with activity as everypony hurried to get to their assigned tables. “Table A-2, Bubble versus Punchyshine. Table B-3, Apple Sparkle versus Sweetie and Stringy. Two minutes, everypony,” called out Carbon Copy. Twilight returned to B-3. Her partner and opponents were already there. “Sweetie and Stringy,” moaned Lyra Heartstrings. “Why do we have to be called that?” “Because last tournament, I let you pick the name,” replied Bon Bon. “You chose ‘Hands of Fate.’ I think this one better reflects who we are.” “Stringy? Me? Augh!” protested Lyra weakly. Twilight regarded the aqua unicorn carefully. Lyra had a charcoal gray ribbon tied around her horn. “You’ve got a horn band? You’re doing orthodox style? No magic?” queried Twilight. “No way, Twilight. I’m not using magic, but I’ve got something way cooler than orthodox style,” said Lyra, giving Bon Bon a wink. “Oh, you and your silly ‘style,’” said Bon Bon. Lyra won the toss, but gave Apple Sparkle the serve. Big Macintosh served to Bon Bon, who easily returned it, then backed away from the table. The return had plenty of topspin, so in spite of Twilight’s best efforts, her shot went rather high. Twilight looked up and saw why Bon Bon had backed away from the table. Lyra was reared up to smash. But instead of falling right back down, she remained perched on her hind legs. Her paddle was gripped, not in her mouth, but in her front right hoof. She hit the ball with an astonishingly accurate sideways smash. The ball flew across the table with an amazing amount speed. Big Macintosh stood stupefied by Lyra’s stance as much as the shot, as the ball whizzed past him. “Yay,” cried Bon Bon. “Go Stringy!” She rested her head against Lyra’s vertical chest. Lyra put a hoof on Bon Bon’s shoulder, and then gently pushed her away and dropped back down to all fours. Lyra’s unorthodox style flummoxed Apple Sparkle. Her height and stability gave her powerful smashes, the added vertical mobility hooves over heads made vertical spin easier, and her extra height was a phenomenal defense against lob shots. Her only disadvantage was lack of mobility. So Lyra could only switch into the stance against slower shots or when the ball was coming right at her. Even knowing this was not enough. Bon Bon put enough pressure on Twilight that she had no choice but to give Lyra a few easy shots. And although Twilight and Big Macintosh’s could occasionally coordinate smashes, Lyra’s odd stance loomed over the table multiple times in every rally. Sweety and Stringy won two hard-fought victories, each by margin of two points. Twilight left the rec center with a sigh, leaving Stringy on her hind legs, and Sweetie with one hoof around her. She sat down on a bench and flipped through 44 Fabulous First Dates. “These were perfect first dates,” she said to herself. “Why did they make him so unhappy?” “Twilight,” said Big Macintosh. She hastily stuffed the book back in her pack. “I know what you and Applejack have been up to,” he continued. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “I’ve been running around setting these dates up behind your back. And I don’t even know what I’m doing.” “You –“ “It’s just that Applejack needs my help, and since she’s my friend, I have to help her. I could’ve just told her not to worry about you,” said Twilight. “Nope.” “But I felt like I had to do something,” she continued. “I could have done it differently. I should have done it differently. I should have convinced Applejack –“ “I said, nope,” interrupted Big Macintosh. “But –“ “You couldn’t get Applejack to do this differently. She’s been doing this since we were little. When my cousin Jonagold got married, Applejack made me dance with the bride’s big sister,” said Big Macintosh. “I should’ve –“ “Applejack’s always been like this. And since she’s family, I know what she’s like, I love her with all my heart, and I always forgive her,” he said. “And she’s had much worse ideas on what makes a good date. I’m glad she had a smart friend like you to help her out this time.” “But … but we were so …,” said Twilight on the verge of crying. Big Macintosh walked up next to her and gave her a hug. She shook slightly as he held her close. She started to cry as she put her own forelimbs around him. Her regret welled up and flowed away as tears streamed down her cheeks. Big Macintosh gently pulled away from her. “Twilight,” he said, “you said what you needed to, and I appreciate your honesty. Now it’s time you leave me be. There’s somewhere I oughta go now.” “But, I,” stammered Twilight, blinking away the last of her tears. “Okay. You go and do whatever.” “Eeyup.” He left, pausing only at a flower salespony to buy a bouquet of daises. He idly chewed on one as he walked away. Twilight went back to the library, and tossed 44 Fabulous First Dates on a table. “Spike, file this away,” she said. “File it away somewhere I won’t see it for a long time.” “Okay,” Spike replied. “Something wrong, Twilight? Anything I can do to help?” “No, not really,” she said. “Actually … take a letter, Spike.” Spike attentively produced a quill and page. Dear Princess Celestia, True love is a wonderful thing. But you can’t make somepony love somepony else. And you can’t make somepony fall in love if they aren’t ready. I’ve tried so hard … Twilight paused for a moment to think. Applejack picked her pen up off of the bench and resumed writing. I’ve tried so hard all my life to make sure my brother isn’t lonely. But maybe I’m doing it the wrong way. He already has his family to make sure he’s not lonely. And when he’s ready, he’ll find somepony to love. Maybe somepony I know, and maybe not. But it’ll be something that he does for himself, and not something I do for him. Your faithful subject, Applejack “I’ll give this to Spike next time I see him,” she said to herself. She resumed her trip down the path to Ponyville Elementary School. With her hurt hoof, she was much slower than usual. By the time she arrived, Apple Bloom was the only pony waiting outside. “Hey, sugarcube. Sorry I’m late,” Applejack said. “Did your teacher leave already?” “No, she’s in there,” said Apple Bloom, pointing at the school. “She’s with Big Macintosh. They’ve been talking for an awful long time.” Applejack walked up to the entrance. The front door was closed and locked, so she peeked in the window. Cheerilee was sitting at the front of the classroom. The left side of her mane was woven into three braids, and adorned with daisies. Her face had an indescribable look of elation. Big Macintosh sat on her right side, slowly and carefully braiding her hair. As he finished the braid, he took a daisy from a bouquet resting on the desk, and attached it to the braid with a ribbon. When he completed the braid, he gave her a kiss on the cheek, softly saying “mwah.” Cheerilee giggled. Big Macintosh looked up and saw Applejack in the window. He had the warmest smile on his face that she had ever seen. He smiled a little wider, and then turned his attention back to Cheerilee’s hair. Applejack felt tears welling up in her eyes as she turned away from the window. “Something wrong with Big Macintosh?” asked Apple Bloom innocently. “Nope,” Applejack said. “Everything’s wonderful. C’mon sugarcube. I’ll walk you home today.” “Okay,” said Apple Bloom, skeptically. They walked home without another word. The only sounds in the air were a distant giggle and “eeyup.”