//------------------------------// // A Day Off?! Eeyup. // Story: Away From The Acres // by Machiniman20 //------------------------------// Groan... Big Macintosh let out an exasperated sigh as he forced himself out of bed. He had never liked getting up this early, and it seemed that would never change. Even after living his entire life on Sweet Apple Acres, he had always had to push himself to keep getting up early. There was work to do, after all. He meandered out to the barn, picked up a bucket, and went down to the river, near a cottage on the border of the Everfree Forest. It was still dark outside, and the moon reflected off of the surface of the water, giving the area a very serene feel. He'd always wondered who lived there, and he certainly hoped they wouldn't get angry at him for using the river this early. He lowered his head, with the bucket in his mouth, and filled it with the river water, careful to not get any on his face. Then, in an action that made his previous efforts pointless, he overturned the bucket onto his head. As the cool water washed over him, Big Mac could practically feel it washing the tiredness off of him. After shaking off the residual water in his mane, he slowly made his way back to the barn, placing the bucket back in its original place, and thinking of what he was supposed to do today. He had already plowed the fields yesterday, and that wasn't a daily task, he recalled. He thought about watering some of the crops, but he looked outside to see a raincloud over the field where they kept their smaller crops. His only option left was to buck some apples. He grabbed a couple of the largest baskets they had, slung them over his back, and set out to collect some apples. It wasn't usually this slow of a work day, but the farm hadn't been having problems with weather or pests recently, which took away some jobs that usually needed doing. It was very unusual; Winter Wrap Up had only been two weeks ago, and usually, Spring was when the animals tried to get at the bumper crop of apples that came in before the main farming season. Also, they hadn't had rain this early in a long time. He supposed he should be thankful that the Pegasi were bringing the rain this early, but he hoped they would keep it at a steady rate. They usually had to continually water the crops at this time of year, because Ponyville always had very dry Spring seasons. Thinking about it, he turned his head around, looking skyward. He stopped walking for a moment. There were no clouds anywhere else in Ponyville. That was how it usually was. He thought about the raincloud for another few moments, but he quickly denounced the thought, deciding to be thankful that he could possibly nap later, with less work to do. He turned away from the cloud, and walked into the mass of apple trees that made up Sweet Apple Acres. The sun was now high in the midday sky. Big Macintosh had finished his Applebucking, so he dropped the apples off at the farm. He looked around to make sure that nopony was looking, and he wandered off across the farm, hidden from sight by some of the numerous apple trees on the farm. He walked on for what seemed like an hour, but he finally reached his destination. Far back into the farmland of Sweet Apple Acres, near the border of the Everfree Forest, was a small lake. There was nothing remarkable about this lake, but it was beautiful. Big Macintosh never showed it, but he always had a soft spot for nature. He even felt bad for the little animals he commonly had to chase off the farm. He wished that somepony else took an intrest in nature like he did, but he wouldn't really tell anypony about his own love for nature unless he had a good reason to. He lay on top of a large hill, in a small clearing in the apple trees. As he looked down over the expanse of nature he was proud to call his home, he let out a deep, relaxed breath. He stood, and slowly began to wander back to the house. It was only noon, and he had no idea what he was going to do. A nap sounded good right about now. As he was walking, he tripped over something. he landed on his chest, his hooves splayed out in front of him. He looked at the offending object he tripped over, and he noticed it wasn't an object at all. A soft, pure white bunny had stood strongly enough to knock over this massive stallion. While it may have stood the impact, it looked rather scared. It was curled up and trembling. Big Mac felt a pang of guilt go through him, as he was the one who had tripped over this poor little bunny after all. While other ponies would probably have been irritated from falling, Big Mac quickly apologized to the rabbit. "Aw, horseapples. I'm sorry about that, little buddy. You all right?" His words seemed to shake the bunny out of it's terrified state, it looking up at him with a sort of fear. Big Mac slowly lowered his head to the ground to match that of the bunny and slowly held out his hoof. The bunny relaxed, and jumped happily onto Big Mac's head. He slowly raised his head back up, and wandered back down toward the farm. Upon reaching the house, however, the bunny tapped him twice on the head, and, as Big Mac stopped, the bunny hopped off, looked at him, smiled, and hopped off, extremely quickly. He was curious as to where it was going, but the thought of a nap was foremost in his mind. He didn't usually have time to relax, and he intended to use the time to get back some well deserved sleep. He walked back up to his room, slid into his bed, and allowed the hours of missed sleep to overtake him. "Big Mac, get your behind outta bed right now!" The voice made Big Mac jump. Not figuratively, he actually JUMPED out of his bed, almost landing on his angered sister in the process. He landed on the floor in a heap. Applejack glared at him, and he looked up at her, confused. "What is it, sis? I was just takin' a little nap, catchin' up on lost sleep and all." His statement seemed to startle his sister. She looked at him concernedly. "Really, Mac? You slept all through yesterday, It's already noon!" Big Mac looked up, wide eyed. He had slept a whole day? His terror seemed to catch his sister's attention, and she chuckled softly. "Don't you worry none, Mac. You didn't miss anythin', work-wise. I'm just a tad worried that you've been missin' so much sleep. How early do you wake up, anyway?" Big Mac looked at her, thinking about it. He said the first thing that came to mind. "I... I don't rightly know, but it's a good few hours before the sun come up. I usually walk out and wake myself up with a bucket of cold water down from the river, and then I set off to work. I didn't have much to do, 'cause there was a raincloud over our crops anyhow, so I just bucked a few apples, and then I... Uh... Then I headed back to bed." His sister raised her eyebrows at him. Big Macintosh was a terrible liar. She knew that wasn't all he did, but she decided that was his business, and she looked at him with a strange sort of determination that made Big Mac nervous. "Big Mac, when was the last time you went out to the town?" Applejack's question made Big Macintosh go silent, which wasn't an uncommon thing, but he actually couldn't remember the last time he went out into the town. He said as much. "Now, I don't rightly remember. I think it was before Princess Celestia went missin'. And then you stopped hangin' around the farm as much, so I started wakin' up earlier to get some of your load of the work done." A thought crossed his mind. "Not only that, but I gotta thank those friends of yours that helped out durin' Applebuck season last year, when I was injured and all. I never leave good workers without payment, even if it's only thanks." Applejack looked at him, shocked that he remembered the incident. She got that look of determination on her face again, and Big Mac shrank back, to make himself look smaller. It didn't work, considering he was the largest stallion in Ponyville. "Now, brother, don't get yourself all worried about nothin'. I got an idea that might suit your fancy. How'd you like a day off to wander the town? You could maybe buy some things, talk to the townsfolk, and you can thank my friends for helpin' out last year, if you're really so dead set on it." Big Mac had never thought of the idea of a day off. His reply was short, quiet, and oddly stammered. "A... a day off? T-that don't sound like too good of an idea. Y-you know I'm not too good at talkin' to the other folk, and I-I don't really nee-" He was cut off, by his sister gently nudging him back towards his bed. "Now I won't hear nothin' against it, Big Mac. You've earned a day off, for Celestia's sake. Now rest up some more, and you'll have tomorrow off. You still look awful tired. Get yourself back in bed, I can handle the harvest for today." Big Mac began to object, but the idea of more sleep was already pulling him back into the bed, slowly but surely. Within seconds, he was once again sound asleep, before his sister even left the room. She looked at him, with a very worried expression. "You work yourself into the ground sometimes, bro. Get some sleep, and enjoy tomorrow. You need a day off." She mumbled this to herself, though the statement itself was directed at Big Mac, who was sleeping soundly. Big Mac looked at the paper he had in his hoof. He did intend to thank Applejack's friends for last Applebuck Season, so he'd asked his sister for directions to their houses, so he could greet them in the way any gentlecolt should, and give them his thanks. Being a proper gentlecolt was something that Big Mac prided himself in, and it was something he enjoyed doing. Being polite to others made him feel good, though the amount he spoke was very little. The list didn't have them in any particular order, so he just decided to go from top to bottom. First on the list was Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia's protege. He felt slightly surprised that his sister was friends with someone so... high-class. He made his way toward the Library. He hadn't forgotten his way around town, though it had been awhile. He made it to the library, thinking that he'd never been there before. Reading wasn't particularly important to him, though it probably couldn't hurt. He knocked quietly on the door, as the sign said "closed". He didn't expect a reply, but a high pitched, male voice came from the other side. "One sec! I'll be there in just a second, gotta put this book away!" The statement was followed by shuffling, a crash, and a grumble. Big Mac waited patiently, and the door opened, to reveal... a baby dragon? Big Mac had never seen a dragon in real life before, but he made the assumption that this was NOT Twilight Sparkle. He spoke up. "Uh, hey there. I was lookin' for a Twilight Sparkle? My sister Applejack said that I could talk to her here." Spike looked at him, slightly confused. He was lost in thought for a moment, and then recognition hit him. "Oh, you must be Big Macintosh! That is, unless Applejack has another brother on the farm all day long. My name's Spike! So... what are you doing in town, anyway? You don't usually come out here, no offense." Big Mac chuckled at the polite little dragon. He was glad this little guy was so polite, if a bit unorthodox. He grinned, and spoke. "Eeyup. I don't usually come around the town, no offense taken. I just got a day off from my sis, and I thought I should wander around and meet some of her friends, so I asked her to give me some directions. Twilight is first on the list. Is she really workin' right under the Princess herself?" Spike grinned, seemingly proud for some reason. "Yeah! Twilight is super smart. She got chosen as the Princess's understudy when she hatched me out of my egg! It doesn't sound exciting, but you'll have to hear the whole story from her. Oh, sorry, I forgot you wanted to see her! Come on in." He quickly moved out of the way, and Big Mac thanked him as he walked in and looked around. He'd never been in a library before in his life. He never thought he'd see so many books in one place. He looked around, and he was about to sit and wait, when he heard hoofsteps from above. He followed the noise with his eyes, and he was slightly surprised. An average sized, purple unicorn mare with a purple and red mane trotted down the stairs. For a reason unknown to him, Big Mac caught himself staring awkwardly at her. He managed to look away before she noticed, and he was thankful for his red coat, since it was there to hide his blush. Spike ran over and whispered something to her. She looked over at Big Mac and back at Spike, before nodding. She grinned, and walked over to Big Mac, calling out a greeting in the process. "Oh, hello, Big Macintosh! It's a surprise to see you in town, let alone in the library." Big Mac looked at her inquisitively for a moment before speaking up. "Oh, you, uh... already know me? That's a mite surprisin'." Twilight looked at him, and replied with a smile, "No, not really, Applejack talks about you all the time! She wasn't joking when she said you were the biggest stallion in Ponyville though! You must have a very strong skeletal structure!" Big Mac looked at her, dumbfounded. "I got a what now? ...I apologize for not bein' the most intelligent of colts, but I never was one for studyin'. I've been a workin' stallion all my life, Miss Twilight. Nice to meet you, by the way." She giggled. "It's nice to meet you too, Big Macintosh. So, what's with the foray into town? You just taking a break?" He grinned sheepishly back at her. "Well, yes, kinda. I've been missin' a lot of sleep recently, and I guess I passed out in bed for a whole day and a half, so my sis's puttin' me on forced leave. I just decided to take the opportunity to meet her friends. Well, that, and I still need to thank y'all for helpin' AJ out last year while I was injured. My sister's so stubborn sometimes I worry about her." He caught himself rambling, and quickly mumbled out a "Sorry 'bout that." Twilight looked at him questioningly. "Why are you sorry?" He looked down before replying. "Well, I know you're the Princess's understudy n' all, so you're probably real busy. I don't mean to waste your time with my ramblin' Miss Twilight. I don't usually talk much, is all." Twilight giggled again, and smiled genuinely at him, understanding the situation. "Oh! Don't worry at all! I'm not some understudy that works ALL the time. I usually have too much time on my hooves, so I just end up reading a lot. I have no problem with rambling, either. Conversation is always nice! I know the library's closed, but do you want a few books? I've got some books on modern farming techniques. Nopony else wants them, so you can have them if you'd like." Big Mac was actually quite interested in learning about new ways to make farming easier, so he happily accepted her offer. "That's mighty kind of you, Miss Twilight. I really appreciate it." She giggled again. "Really, Big Macintosh, you don't need to call me 'Miss Twilight'. I'm not that formal." Big Mac grinned at her, feeling a strange heated sensation in his chest. It wasn't horribly uncomfortable, but it certainly wasn't normal. "All righty then, you can just call me Big Mac, then. Thank you for your time, and I really appreciate the books, Mis- Oh, sorry. Thank you for the books, Twilight." She smiled, and waved goodbye as he walked out, with a bag of books slung around his neck. As soon as he was out of earshot, she blushed a vivid red and closed her door quickly, before rapidly going upstairs and locking herself in her room with a few books, which confused Spike greatly. She usually read, but not behind a locked door. Regardless, the library was closed today, so it didn't really matter. He retreated to the main room, and began organizing books again. Big Mac looked at his list. The instructions seemed a bit strange, and when Big Mac realized why, he reeled slightly. The instructions said to go to the cottage near the river to meet "Fluttershy". The cottage by the river. He had always wondered who lived there, and it looked like he was about to meet them. He trotted at a decent pace to the river he knew so well. He walked over the bridge to the quaint little cottage, seeing it in the sunlight for the first time. It was a quaint little pink building, and the roof was either covered in, or made of leaves. It was a strange roof, but it looked nice. He looked back at the piece of paper, to see a small note after Fluttershy's name. It simply said, "Be VERY gentle." He wondered why it said this, but he instantly put his mind to being as calm and as gentle as he possibly could. He walked up to the door of the cottage and knocked on the door very softly. He waited for a few moments, and just as he was about to turn to leave, the door opened, very slowly. He saw a beautiful cream yellow pegasus mare with a pink mane sitting there, staring at him, quietly. It seemed as if she were waiting for him to explain, so he began to speak gently. "Uh... hello. Would you be Miss Fluttershy?" She said nothing, but nodded once, in a quick movement so small that not many ponies would have even noticed. "Oh, good. Well... My sis, Applejack, gave me directions. I got a day off from work, see, and I wanted to thank her friends for helping with Applebuck Season while I was injured. It was mighty kind of y'all, and I always give thanks to those who deserve them." Fluttershy still said nothing, but blushed. She seemed to always be looking down. Big Mac looked at her for a moment. She really was quite beautiful. She gave off a very natural air. She could probably be a tree if she wanted to. This quiet observance continued for a moment until Big Mac saw a familiar face. The white bunny from a couple days ago was there, and he recognized it immediately. "Hey, there, little buddy! You feelin' any better today?" The bunny nodded emphatically, and jumped up onto his head for a moment, before hopping off and running back inside. Big Mac was about to leave, when a soft, delicate voice drew him in. "Um... please wait." He turned, to see that Fluttershy was looking directly at him. She still had a deep red blush in her face, and her wings were extended outward, for some reason. She tried to pull them down, but it was no use. "You're B-Big Macintosh, right? I... I think I've heard Applejack talk about you. That, and... well, it looks like you're the one who helped Angel Bunny a few days ago. He told me he got lost, and that a big, red stallion carried him to the farm. Was that you? I'm sorry if it wasn't. I just... I-" Big Mac preempted her, still speaking gently. "Eeyup, that was me alright. Poor little guy got down into the deep areas of the farm, any farther and he would've gone into the Everfree." Big Mac shuddered at the idea. Fluttershy's blush dissapeared, and she quickly zipped forward, embracing Big Mac in an extremely surprising hug. She broke down, sobbing. "Oh, thank you so much for finding my Angel Bunny. I couldn't find him and I was worried he got lost in the forest, a-and there's all sorts of monsters in there, and he could've been injured... or worse!" Big Mac stood there, letting the pegasus cry. She kept crying for a good five minutes, and by the end of it, Big Mac's mane was completely soaked. She let go, and sniffled a little, wiping a few stray tears off of her cheeks. She then realized what she'd done, and began apologizing profusely to Big Mac. "Oh, I am so sorry, I didn't mean to cry all over you. It's just that Angel means so much to me, and I don't know what I'd do without him, and I-" Big mac stopped her, and put his hoof on her shoulder. "Now, Miss Fluttershy, it's fine. Calm yourself down a little. Your Angel Bunny's all right, ain't he? You got nothin' to worry about. It's just fine. Now, this note here says I need your help to talk to a Miss Rainbow Dash." She perked up. He felt that warmth in his chest again, like that warmth somepony got in their stomach, when drinking hot chocolate on a cold day. He couldn't put his hoof on it, but it still felt slightly out of place for some reason. "Oh, you need to talk to Rainbow? O-OK! Can you wait inside? I was drinking some tea, you can make yourself a cup if you like. The kettle is still full, I think." Big Mac nodded, and walked into the cottage, as Fluttershy flew off. He wondered why she trusted him so suddenly. His mane was still dripping with Fluttershy's tears, and he felt a pang of guilt run through him. He knew she was happy, but he didn't mean to make her cry. He never tried to make anypony feel bad. He sat down off to the side of the room, leaving the couch unoccupied to be polite. While he waited, Angel Bunny came down a set of stairs and jumped onto his head. Big Mac chuckled, and just let him sit there for a while.