Couples Renditions
Macintosh and Annabelle walked about the orchard, the former pulling a wagon behind him full of fresh new bags of fertilizer. Today would only be a half day of working in the fields though, the old bags needed to be dropped off and new bags acquired.
That would typically be an all day event, but the farm was vastly behind on it's fertilizing and rejuvination. They'd cut their losses by forgoing the Northern and Pineapple fields for the time and focused on catching any missed trees in the western and eastern. No matter how though the Apple siblings were, they'd always miss a few in their initial sweep. Plus, it gave Mac some time alone with Annabell, which he needed in order to determine what exactly their relationship was.
That, and the fact she was still upset about his attitude to his sister when he'd given up on her. She tried to hid it, but whenever the subject would come up, she'd immediately change the topic to something else. It was always better to get things like this out of the way rather then let them fester and stir.
Finding an unfertilized tree, Mac stopped the cart and removed one of the bags for use. "It's such a nice day." Anna commented, looking around the orchard. "I'm glad we don't have to spend it all working. I'd love to walk around Ponyville for a bit."
"Eyup." Mac agreed, spreading the compost around the tree roots.
It was a difficult topic to break, not something that could easily be segued into, so he took the initiative with an innocent inquiry. "Hey Anna, what are we, exactly?"
"What do you mean?" She asked, legitimatly confused.
"Ah mean, are we coltfriend n' marefriend er...?" He left the question in the air. They'd cuddled a few times, shared a kiss, but that was it. He wasn't looking for sex or anything and made that point clear, but he also wanted clarity on what... this was.
Anna tilted her head and doned a thoughtful expression. "I'm not really sure." She shrugged. "I mean, I'd like to, but I'm not really sure I can trust you."
Macintosh recoiled slightly, that was not what he was expecting to hear. The butter milk filly clarified that the way he treated his sister was an indication to his personality and treatment of loved ones. To simply dismiss what was a potentially bad situation was, in her eyes, a gross negligence on his part.
"Ah see." The farmer replied calmly. He wasn't upset with her, he knew this might be an answer and had fully accepted it. If she didn't want to be with him because he respected others decisions and didn't play captain save-a-ho, that was her right.
"What? That's all you have to say?" She asked in indignation. "You're not going to tell me that I'm wrong, or go on about your sister making her own choices, even if they're stupid ones?"
"Nope." Macintosh interjected. Annabelle looked down in dejection, disappointed with his reply. He was supposed to say that he was trustworthy, that he wouldn't let her hurt herself if she wanted to. That he would be there for her and protect her.
"Sorreh, but Ah'm not gonna stress mahself out over what y'all mares decide tah do." He gave her a neutral look. "Ah'm lookin' fer a considerate mare. One who'll understand n' respect my love of freedom, that includes their responsibility fer keepin' outta trouble." And that he was, he'd still be friends with Anna, but he wasn't going to go out of his way to keep her safe and secure.
Since Applejack's disappearance and Anna's expectancy at his saving her, the farmer had thought long and hard about the relationship between stallions and mares, about why it was the stallion's responsibility to always protect them, even if they were in the wrong. It was stupid, sexist and an old notion he didn't care for. He wasn't put on this earth to serve another, his life was his own. His time, stress and energy were all he had in the world and he'd use it how best he saw fit.
That lead him to the old concept of fighting competitions for a mare's affection and how nonsensical it was. Stallions fighting often lead to serious injury and sometimes death. Loss of life and the freedoms it offered, and for what? The "love" that came with being the biggest and strongest? How long would that last? In such a system, loyalty meant nothing, it was a sexual rite of passage to the strongest. An idea that seemed too stressful. Stallions were the minority here, mares should be trying to prove their worth to them, not the other way around.
Plus the stallion who lost often had to deal with the shame of losing as well as the injuries that would hinder work and money gain.
Life was too short to be stressing out over the bad decisions of others and to be expected to bail them out or get hurt over them. He'd already had his hooves full helping AJ, Spike, Shade and Sin, but those were ponies and a drake who'd proven themselves to Mac. They'd been through some pretty bad times together and proven their loyalty.
Annabelle had not, and if she thought him selfish for it, than she could hit the road. He felt strongly for her, and would be heartbroken to see her go, but he knew what his life and time was worth. Such a precious thing wasn't meant to be wasted on those who hadn't proven themselves.
"So, you'd help your friends get out of situations they were stupid to get into, but not me?" Anna asked carefully, trying to address what she saw as a contradiction. Though, Mac saw it differently. All three of his friends had taken responsibility for the situations they'd gotten themselves into. Spike when he turned himself in and agreed to be judged by the dogs, Sin on numerous accounts of submitting to the princess for his numerous crimes, and Shade; who wasn't really done much damage... that he knew of, anyways.
The decisions may have been poor, but each knew what they did wrong and strived not to make the same mistake again. The four never expected help from one another, but they knew it would be there if they asked for it. There was a difference between expecting help and earning it. Users expected help, friends gave it to those who'd earned it.
"Plus each of 'em has risked their lives to help me. Usually puttin' their own lives in danger fer doin' so, so yes, they get mah help."
Annabelle's lip pouted, an obvious attempt to manipulate him, but the large red stallion held fast. The prospect of love didn't hold up to the act of it. If she was going to earn his protection for bad decisions, she was going to have to work for it.
"I see, alright then." Anna declared, mentioning how, in the end, Mac did ultimately help his sister. "How would I earn your help then?"
Mac opened his mouth, but no answer came forth. Sin had earned it by helping break him free and the Vulture Grove incident. Spike had earned it when the two fought those Billy Goats together, and Shade in his fight with Golvec. None of those seemed really fitting situation to go into willingly. He was happy she asked though, it meant she understood and respected his position. Finding his time and energy more than a tool for her disposable use.
"Guess you'll have to stick by me through some bad times." Mac shrugged, his voice casual, but lined with dead seriousness. "It's always easy to stand by a pony when they're doin' well. It's when they're down and out that ya see who yer true friends are."
Anna nodded, looking quite thoughtful over what she'd been told. The two trotted about, finding the occasional tree that needed fertilizing and decided to call it a day when the sun reached its zenith. Neither spoke the rest of the trot back, settling for contemplative silence.
They quickly loaded up all the empty bags of fertilizer, enjoyed a delicious lunch curtisy of Granny Smith, and made their way to Ponyville. The town was bustling like it usually was around this time, they waved to Applejack as she manned the stand, selling off a few baby green apples. Next to her stood the stand they'd come for. The pony couple who manned it, a pair of unicorns, took the cart and told them that it would take a few hours for a new shipment to come in.
The two used the time to wonder about, looking over the various wares of the Ponyville market district to pass the time. The two found a snow cone vendor and asked for a couple of icy treats. Mac was about to pay for both, but Anna stepped up and tossed the single bit cost. "Mare's gotta treat her stallion, right?"
The two smirked at each other and found a bench to sit as they ate. Mac licked his cone thoughtfully, contemplating what they should do next, but a sudden movement to his left caught his attention.
"Hey." He quipped, as Anna took a lick from his cone.
"Mmmm, banana." She chirped happily, giving him an innocent look.
'She dun went and ate your snow cone. You know what must be done.'
And that he did, waiting until the mare was enjoying her own flavored ice, Mac slowly worked his hoof under her paper cone and gently popped it upward. Sending the entirety of her cherry flavored goodness up in the air and catching it in his mouth. The brain freeze was worth it.
'I was gonna say shove her face into it, but that works too I guess.'
It took the stallion a second to recover, but that's all Anna needed to grab his own and devour it in a three bites, brining about her own bout of frozen head pain.
"Owwwwie." She complained through a giggle.
The two shared a good laugh at the experience and settled to simply relax and enjoy the warm of the day.
"Hey, Macintosh, what up, brah?" Mac's jaw hit the floor, Star Shade?
It was, though unlike he remembered, Shade's typical mania wasn't present. Instead he looked calm, very very calm, almost a bit sleepy. His eyes were blood shot and he walked with a swagger he never had before.
"Hey brah, haven't seen you in like, forever man."
"What in the, Shade you seem, er, different." He wasn't going to beat around the issue, even if it was the strangest thing he'd ever seen. Shade explained that he'd been with Zecora for the past week. His mental health treatments weren't really working out in the traditional means.
It did Mac good to see the stallion happy though he was curious why he hadn't been told earlier.
"That's actually what I came here for, brah." Shade answered drowsily. "I was just about to visit Dragon boy and then you. Hey! Wanna come with me to see him? Stripes said he was hurt pretty bad and I wanted to see if I could cheer him up."
That sounded like a good idea, he hadn't seen Spike in a while, and was meaning to check up on him. The bat pony lead the way, moving far slower than he usually did and making comments about how beautiful everything was in Ponyville. As happy for him as Mac was, it was starting to get irritating listening to every little thing being pointed out and praised.
"Hey Twilight! Good to see you again." Shade declared, walking into he Library, the addressed greeted all who entered. Informing them that Sin wasn't in at the moment and that he'd be busy later that afternoon with a devilish snicker. "That's cool, we're here for Dragon boy anyways."
She pointed them up the stair and before long, the trio found themselves looking at the bed ridden drake who greeted them happily.
"Woah, Spike, you look... like... really messed up, dude." It was unreal to hear him talk like that, but there it was. He wasn't wrong either, the dragon was covered in various casts and slings, keeping his leg suspended and his arm close to his chest. That and the missing eye, that would take a long time to get used to.
Obviously the drake was just as curious as Mac was for the sudden change in personality, which was just as quickly explained. "So, what brings you all here?"
"Just came to check on my old friend." The night pegasus declared. "Haven't seen you in forever, brah."
The drake smiled and returned the words, Mac wasn't as pleased though, seeing his friend in such a state, and what happened to him still plagued his dreams. He knew Spike had chosen the duel for himself and understood why, but that didn't make it easy to see such a good dragon in such bad shape. Spike must have caught on because he asked if everything was alright with him.
Mac shrugged it off, though. He wasn't about to ruin a perfectly good visit because of past events. He made the mistake of asking what the drake had been up to, to which Spike simply looked around the bedroom and quirked his brow sarcastically.
For his part, the dragon asked how everypony was doing. Which Mac replied about Applejack and Granny, keeping the more intimate and shameful parts out, while Shade had actually been cultivating a relationship with Zecora. If what he said was true than he'd been taking her medicine every four hours, helping her to grow and care for the plants that it came from.
Fighting a scowl of disapproval, Mac congratulated Shade on his transformation, though he wasn't happy about the mind altering substance. He couldn't really explain why, but he could compare it to his disapproval of Applejack's drinking. It wasn't right, somehow.
All the same, the Lunar pegasus was still having trouble socializing with others. He'd calmed down and had a personality shift, but his social skills were still subpar and he took judgement and criticism much more harshly than most ponies did.
"So yea, Stripes has been really nice to me. She lets me sleep in her bed with her now, which is nice." Shade finished, his cheeks turning... pink? Yea, this was wrong on so many levels.
Actually, the more Mac thought about it, the more he really didn't like the changes he was seeing. This was just like Applejack, a change in personality, mind altering substances, attitudes and actions that completely contradicted the pony he'd come to know. It was wrong, wrong on so many levels, but it was for a good cause. Right?
'Dude, focus! We're here for Spike, not him.'
Pushing his discomfort aside, Mac spent some time talking and laughing with the drake about their adventures leading up to Hooftrot, the time before they ran into Shade. The Billy Goat brawl Spike had roped him into was the main topic. It was still funny to the apple pony how Spike, against both he and Sin's suggestion, decided to approach the beast and ask how it was doing.
The goat, not liking the drake being on its territory, acted in accordance and charged Spike smacking into the canyon wall. It was funny now, but back then, it was absolutely terrifying.
"And then." Mac laughed. "Y'all ran at 'em and smacked him with yer head." Ok, it wasn't funny now, it was hilarious.
"Hey, it's not my fault he didn't get out of the way." Spike replied with just as much mirth. An hour or so passed and Mac felt his welcome slowly draining away.
"It was good to see ya gain, Spike. When ya get better, we need tah hang out again." He leaned down and whispered. "Hangin' round mare's is turnin' me into a filly."
The two shared another laugh and made promises of future endeavors. With that, Mac and Annabelle walked down stairs, leaving Shade and Spike to their own good byes. The two saw Twilight again, though this time she wasn't alone, the mare from the orchard was there with her now. Uppity, was it?
"I'm glad he's doing alright, Oh Hi Uppity!" Annabelle greeted happily.
"Ya said Sin wouldn't be back till later?" Mac asked for clarification. He still had a few things to talk about with the stallion, one of those being why he'd interrupted his and Granny's confrontation.
"I wouldn't count on seeing him until tomorrow." Twilight responded, giggling with Uppity for some reason. He had a bad feeling about that, but also secretly enjoyed it. He liked Sin and all, but the stallion could stand to be knocked down a peg or two.
"Oh, why's that?" Anna asked with a sadistic smile. Mares had a funny way of knowing when conspiracies were going on with other mares, and Mac was bearing witness to a third accomplice in a plot that would be remembered as on of the funniest times in his life.