Starry Skies over the Apple Orchard
Chapter 4
As they were walking away from the cafe, Luna looked over at Big Macintosh. "So....what else is interesting around Ponyville today? Your recommendation for brunch was a good idea." Luna raised a hoof to her mouth and quietly burped, as if her stomach was agreeing. "I'm curious to see what else you recommend. Would you show me around?"
Big Macintosh looked over at the mare who was walking beside him and smiling. "Eeyup,” he said as he smiled and nodded. “I can think of a few places that would be nice to visit. I am mostly free for the day...there is something I need to do, but I can take care of that later."
"Wonderful, let us see..." Luna started to say when she noticed three very energetic fillies rush by. They were running about, first one way and then another. Luna watched as they zipped back and forth on the road, speaking fast and animatedly. Luna watched closely as they made a final pass in front of them and ran down another street. She noticed a medium-sized paper bag under the young pegasus's wing. "Well, there's one less mystery now," she said with a quiet laugh. "It appears that somepony has found the doughnuts from earlier. Though it looks like the Supreme Ultra doughnut recipe might be a little too much for them...there's a lot of sugar in those and a hint of caffeine from the coffee that is added."
Nodding in agreement, Big Macintosh said "Eeyup."
"So, anyway....where do you recommend we go next?"
*-*-*-*
Luna walked beside Big Macintosh as he led the way to their next destination. The sun was shining down pleasantly in the early afternoon, and the temperature was very comfortable - pleasantly warm with a nice breeze. The sky had a few clouds, but mostly it was clear. They turned to the left and after a few minutes of walking the buildings lessened and the Ponyville Park came into view. Luna looked at Big Macintosh and said, "The park? 'Tis quite the perfect day for a trip to a park."
Big Macintosh smiled and continued walking. "On a nice day, this park is always a popular place to visit. Some go to relax in the shade of a tree, and others go to meet friends to do more physical activities."
"Hey, Big Macintosh! Up for another round of Line Prancing?"
Both Luna and Big Macintosh looked over to the small group that had gathered in an open area of the park. "Line Prancing...," said Luna, "I don't think I've ever heard of this."
Big Macintosh waved at the group and started walking with Luna towards the gathered ponies. "Line Prancing is a combination of Starswirl Says, memory, and dance. The first pony in the line says a way to move, and the group does so. The next pony says a way to move, and the group does the first move and then the second. If a pony misses a step, they are out for the round and stand outside of the group. The game ends when only one pony is left standing."
Luna grinned and began walking with enthusiasm towards the group. "This sounds quite enjoyable. Is this new?
Big Macintosh nodded. "It is new. It started a couple years ago when our family was having a picnic with some friends. Pinkie Pie, one of our friends, became very excited when she saw a group playing Starswirl Says and rushed over to them to join in. One thing led to another, and soon they were all playing what became known as Line Prancing. It quickly caught on and now it is not uncommon to see a group playing it in the park on nice days."
Luna and Big Macintosh stopped in front of the group. There were earth ponies, unicorns, and also a few pegasi. Luna watched as one pegasus landed onto the ground, and then turned to face Big Macintosh. "So, what happens when a step involves wings?"
Big Macintosh turned to face Luna. "I forgot to mention that. When a step involves a wing movement, we've been using ear movements for the earth ponies and unicorns. This way it allows everypony to do the move whether they have wings or not. It doesn't have to be an exact match for ears to wings, just close enough." Big Macintosh moved his ears down and then up again. "This is for flapping wings...you'll see when we get started. We'll start slow so you can see how it works."
Luna and Big Macintosh joined the line of ponies and waited for the the game to start. They didn't have long to wait...once everypony got in line the first step was called. The first pony in line yelled, "Left hoof stomp!" The line of ponies lifted their front left hooves and then stomped the ground.
"Hop!" yelled the next pony in line. The line of ponies then stomped their left front hooves and then hopped in the air.
"Step to the right!" called the next pony. Grinning, Luna stomped her left front hoof, hopped, and then stepped to the right after she landed.
"Spin left to face back," called out the next pony. The group stomped their front left hooves, hopped, stepped to the right and then turned to their left to spin around and face the opposite direction.
As the game continued, some ponies forgot a step and stood apart from the group to wait for the next round and watch the group. Luna's smile grew and her movements became very enthusiastic. The line of ponies stomped their left hooves, hopped, stepped to the right, spun around to face the opposite direction, shuffled to the right, jumped backwards, flapped their wings (or ears), and then stomped their right front hooves twice. Luna accidentally stomped her left hoof, and then went over to stand with the others who were waiting until the end of the round. She watched as the rest of the group continued. The group was down to half of its original size now, and Luna watched as they Line Pranced. One by one the ponies in the line joined those watching as they were eliminated from the round. Big Macintosh joined Luna after he had hopped instead of flapping his ears.
"Enjoyin' yourself so far?" asked Big Macintosh as he walked up beside Luna.
"Yes, very much so," Luna replied with a grin. "It has been a long time since I have last done anything like this." A very long time indeed, thought Luna.
The group started cheering, and Luna looked over to see the winner of the round taking a bow. From her side she heard Big Macintosh ask "Another round?"
"Another round!" exclaimed Luna as she almost ran to get back in line with the others.
*-*-*-*
Several rounds of Line Prancing later, Big Macintosh and Luna were side-by-side in the line that had only five ponies left. Having had some experience with a few rounds, the group went to normal speed and Luna loved it. Stomping, side-stepping, hopping, and many other motions combined into spontaneous dances that were different each round that they played. Big Macintosh stepped to the left and Luna stepped to the right, and they bumped into each other instead of hopping forward like the current motion was called. Laughing, they walked over to the group of ponies that had to step out of the line. They caught their breath as they stood and watched the final few ponies in line.
After a few more minutes, the final pony in line took a bow and the crowd cheered for the victor. Luna looked at Big Macintosh to say something, and as she opened her mouth a loud growl came from her stomach. She blinked twice, and then grinned. "It appears that the evening hours are approaching. Would you be interested in recommending a place for dinner?"
Big Macintosh blinked and began to look confused, and then his eyes grew wide. "Dinner?" Trotting in place, he began rapidly breathing. "Dinner? Uh, I was, uh..." he said as he quickly looked back and forth around at the crowd. "I was...supposed...to...," he stopped trotting in place. "OH NO!"
Seeing Big Macintosh in a panic, Luna looked at him with concern. "Are you ok?" she asked. "Is there something wrong?" Stepping closer, Luna looked at the stallion as he began looking around again.
Looking back at Luna, Big Macintosh took a deep breath. "I was supposed to find a mare to bring to dinner! If I don't...I don't even want to talk about what might happen. I'm mighty sorry, but I need to look for somepony to ask," he said as he started to quickly walk away.
"Big Macintosh," Luna called as she raised her hoof to rub her forehead, "a moment, if you will." Seeing him stop and turn around, Luna walked over to where Big Macintosh stood. "Why do you need to find a mare to invite to dinner?"
"Granny Smith told me to find one and bring her to dinner, or else...."
Caught by surprise, Luna tried to hold back a laugh, but it came out as a snort at first, slowly becoming a giggle and then a hearty laugh. Once she calmed down, she grinned at Big Macintosh and said, "It appears that some things have stayed the same over time." Her grin deepened, and she dramatically looked around. Looking back at Big Macintosh, she raised a hoof to the side of her mouth and loudly whispered to him. "I happen to be hungry for dinner, and I also seem to be a mare as well." Trying to stay dramatically serious didn't quite work and a snort escaped from Luna before she continued. "Perhaps I shall rescue you this time."