//------------------------------// // Business Trip // Story: The MacDash Chronicles // by FelixTheBrony //------------------------------// Business Trip The six little ponies trotted along, continuing the tour of the town to the three new ponies. “An' this here is tha market place!” Applejack announced, waving a hoof across the expanse of the circle like centre of town. “This is where most o' tha shoppin' an' business is done!” “Ooh! Bagels!” Pinkie announced, rushing over to the stool that appeared to be selling many varieties of baked breads. Rarity followed after her since she drew the short straw and had to keep an eye on her. “Alrighty.” Applejack continued, looking over the three that remained with her. “Mac, can Ah get a few o' those bits.” Mac nodded and picked out a few from his saddlebags, passing them into her hoof with his mouth. Applejack tossed the bits into her bag and declared. “Okay, so we'll split up and meet back in the middle in about an hour, then we'll head back home. Fluttershy an' Ah will go this way, Mac, you and Rainbow go that way!” Fluttershy seemed physically disappointed that she was being separated from Lil' Mac, but was relieved that he was only going with Rainbow. I know I can trust her with him, there's no way she'd ever steal him from me! Rainbow nodded in agreement, trying to remain calm, but on the inside she was freaking out a bit. Ah man! At least if I was with AJ, I could try to get my mind off of him! But now I'm going to be right next to him the WHOLE DARN TIME! “We'll let Rarity and Pinkie know!” Applejack continued, wrapping a hoof around Fluttershy's hoof and pulling her towards a flower stand. Mac had looked around to try and find an interesting stand, so didn't notice his sister give Rainbow a wink. Rainbow did notice, however, and felt her face turn red from both embarrassment and a little anger. Darn you, Applejack! You did that on purpose! “Um...Want ta look at tha mornin' comics in tha library?” Mac asked, just as nervous. He suddenly had no idea what to say around her now. All the other times he had talked to her, someone he knew was there as well, so he knew he could change an uncomfortable subject around very quickly. Now it was just the two of them. “S-sure.” Rainbow replied, before cursing herself. Did I just stutter?! Rainbow Dash does NOT stutter! “This way then.” He answered, deciding not to question the word slip. When the two got into the library, they were stunned when they saw, in the centre of the room, the Princess of Equestria herself sitting regally in the centre of the building. She glanced up and them and smiled. “Oh, hello there.” Mac and Rainbow glanced at each other, before bowing in respect. The Princess giggled a bit, despite herself, and just waved a hoof. “You may rise, my little ponies.” The two did and, carefully, approached the Princess. “U-um...Hi Your Majesty?” Rainbow said, waving meekly. “Howdy.” “So, what brings you two to the library today?” The Princess asked. Big Mac rose an eyebrow. “Um, pardon me, but ya ain't our new librarian, are you?” He asked, curiously. The Princess giggled a bit before replying. “Of course not, I'm just staying here for the week to help Mayor Greyhoof with some of the new laws being put into practice. I also decided to bring my new, personal student to teach her about some of the more traditional pony ways of doing things.” She then turned to side and called. “Twilight, can you come here a minute?” “Coming Princess!” They heard a voice reply before a purple Unicorn filly with a dark purple mane with a pink highlight in the centre of it and a pink star surrounded by smaller white stars on her flank. “Is there anything you needed?” She asked eagerly. The Princess nodded. “Yes there is, I'd like you to meet two of the locals.” Twilight looked at Lil' Mac and Rainbow and suddenly felt a little nervous, shuffling behind her. “Oh um...Hi...Uh...I'm Twilight Sparkle...” “Well howdy. Ah'm Lil' Macintosh an' this is mah friend, Rainbow Dash.” Mac answered in a friendly tone, hoping to put her at ease a little. “Pleased to meet ya!” Rainbow added, a little more confidently. “But I actually live in Cloudsdale, so I'm not really local.” “Oh, my mistake.” The Princess said, looking slightly flustered. “I guess I shouldn't have assumed.” She then had a thought and leaned down a bit. “Say, can you two do me a favour and show Twilight around a bit. I have a meeting to get to and I'm afraid I can't take her with me.” “But Princess, surely I could do some studying!” Twilight argued. The Princess rose an eyebrow. “How is getting a tour of the town not studying?” Twilight flushed a little, having no come back for that. “But...But I don't want to bother them.” “It won't be no bother at all.” Mac said, smiling. “Ah'm already showin' Rainbow around, one more won't hurt.” “Besides, who wants to study on the weekend!” Rainbow added, causing Twilight to pout. “I like studying...” “C'mon Twilight. Maybe you'll make some friends.” The Princess stressed, pushing her towards them. “I have to go, but please look after her and make sure she's back by seven.” “Sure thing!” Rainbow answered, to which the Princess smiled and then teleported out of the room. “So c'mon Twilight! Let's go have some fun!” Twilight was about to respond, before a cyan hoof wrapped around her's and she was dragged out of the room. Mac, in a panic, ran after them. “Weren't we gonna look at tha comics!” Mac, Rainbow and the newly added Twilight wandered around the market stools, Mac greeting a few of the ponies he knew such as Caramel, Raindrop, Roseluck etc. Twilight kept looking around in wonder, having never been outside of Canterlot, having been a city filly her whole life. Rainbow just mingled between the two, pointing out some interesting things so Mac can explain them. Twilight would always be very inquisitive about the information given, up to the point when Mac would struggle to answer her questions. One such example of a conversation like this would be when Rainbow pointed out the Clock Tower. “That there's tha old clock tower. Mah Granny said that mah Grand Pappy helped build that from ground zero...” Mac explained, to which Twilight replied. “Oh wow! In what year?” “909 ALBNM (After Luna Became Nightmare Moon), about nine years after Granny an' her parents claimed tha land.” “Why did they build it?” “It's so that everypony could tell what time it was.” “Why didn't they just use a watch?” “Watches hadn't been invented yet.” “What kind of foundations did they use?” “...” Mac paused, trying to find the answer...Or more specifically find out what the heck foundations were! “What are foundations?” Rainbow asked, confused. Twilight explained. “They're the lowest load-bearing part of a building, typically below ground level.” She explained. “Um...Then I guess wood?” Mac answered. “What kind of wood?” “Um...Wood wood?” “Oh look! There's Pinkie and Rarity!” Rainbow shouted, defusing the slowly turning awkward conversation, pointing towards the pink filly who appeared to have large crate on her back while she continued to hop four feet in the air per bounce while Rarity lagged behind her, obviously getting a little tired. “Hi guys!” Pinkie said, dropping the crate down next to her, before noticing Twilight next to them and gasping, dramatically. “Oh my gosh, another new pony!” Twilight recoiled a bit at the rather loud pony in front of her, not aware of the fact that Mac and Rainbow had backed away from her until Pinkie trapped her in a massive bear hug. “Oh we are going to be the bestest of best friends! I always like making friends because friends are friendly and fun and fun is fun...” “Oh thank heavens!” Rarity declared, dramatically. “This'll keep her in one place for a little while at least...” “Oh c'mon Rarity, was it really that bad?” Rarity sent a small glare Rainbow's way before collapsing onto her stomach. “No. It was worse.” Mac glanced to his left and recoiled a little as Twilight rushed behind him, using him as some kind of pony shield against the wrath of Pinkie. “Howdy everypony!” Applejack called out to the rest of them as she and Fluttershy trotted up to them. She then noticed the purple filly and rose an eyebrow. “Um...Who's this?” “This is Twilight.” Mac replied, moving his head so that his eye wasn't accidently poked out by the Unicorn's horn. Fluttershy, unsurprisingly, started to glare at the new pony who was standing too close to Mac for her liking. Rainbow, noticing this, decided to grab Twilight by the hoof and bring her over to the others. “Yup! And Twilight this is Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy!” She introduced her to them, pointing out each one with her hoof. Twilight blushed a bit and nervously shuffled in place. “Um...hi?” “Hello!” Pinkie declared, bouncing on the spot. “Are you new in town too?! This is great! We can be move in buddies!” Mac rose his eyebrow at her. “Ah don't think that's a thin'.” “Well I'm making it a thing!” Pinkie responded. “An' that makes it a thin'?” “Does that make it not a thing?” “No?” “No!” “No!” Mac smiled, triumphantly, along with the pink pony. Then, after a couple of seconds thinking about it, Mac asked. “What in tarnation did we just agree on?” Pinkie grinned, scooping Twilight up in another, unwanted hug and replied. “That as of today we are move in buddies!” Twilight struggled in her grip and finally managed to pull away. “I'm not moving here, Pinkie! I just came with the Princess!” Pinkie's mane deflated like a balloon cause them to recoil a little. “Y-you don't want to be move in buddies?” She asked, pouting with a quivering lip. Twilight sighed with a deadpan look on her face. “Fine, we can be whoa!” Twilight suddenly interrupted herself when Pinkie suddenly scooped her up again and started to treat her ribcage like a squeeze toy. “Yay!” The group watching this sighed. “I'll ask again, what the heck is wrong with that filly?” Rainbow stated and, once again, received no answer.