After dropping off her luggage and dismissing her entourage, Twilight Sparkle made her way to Sweet Apple Acres to see if Big Macintosh was still awake. Her heart pounded at her apprehensiveness, not knowing how the intimidating stallion would receive her. Walking up to the farmhouse, she noticed none of the lights were illuminated. She figured she might as well wander around back to see if he was working in the barn. She found Mac not working, but sitting alone staring at the night sky.
He was fixated on the comet. He had prevented it from destroying Equestria, now the entire planet could now safely marvel at its beauty. He took comfort in the fact that, humble as he may seem, he was at one point the most important pony in the world, if only for a short time. If others thought him a simpleton or half-wit, he could look back on his accomplishment in solace. Lost in his thoughts, it took some time for him to notice the trespasser slowly making her way toward him.
Recognizing the intruder, Big Mac got to his hooves and made his way over to his anvil. Whenever distressed, he picked up a hammer and began pounding the anvil to clear his mind. Even if there were nothing to pound, he would pretend to work, hoping his unwanted visitors would assume he was busy and leave him be. Unfortunately for him, that never worked.
"Big Mac?" Twilight softly asked.
"Eeyup?" he responded in an annoyed tone.
"You...didn't stay for the celebration..." she continued.
"Nope!"
Twilight stopped in a moment of awkward silence. It was hard enough talking to the draft pony in the best of moods. She found conversing with him while upset proved to be every bit as terrifying as any villain she encountered, maybe more so.
"I just came over to..." she ran through this situation in her head hundreds of times already, but now that she is here, she was at a loss for words. "I came over to apologize. I assumed you were invited by mistake. I never really knew much about you and quickly drew my own conclusions without even really talking to you. I should have checked on you after the first meeting instead of falling for some charming phony. I'm truly sorry and-"
"Twilight..." Big Macintosh interrupted.
"Yes, Big Mac?"
He lowered his hammer as he turned to face the Alicorn. He took a few steps toward her and sat on his hindquarters, avoiding eye contact by staring at the ground.
"It's not your fault," he confessed, ashamed of himself. "My whole life Ah've been a quiet pony; just who I am. Pony after pony would assume I was just some simpleton, knowin' only how to farm, not carin' tah get to know me at all. Usually I didn't care, it just made the few who did like me that much more special. When you became friends with AJ, I thought as if we became friends as well; you became part of the family!" he smiled in joyful admission.
Then he lowered his hoof and tucked his ears to change the mood, "but when you assumed I was unintelligent, it ate me up inside. I wondered how a friend could think so little of me. I wanted retribution. I didn't work so hard to save the world, I did hit to hurt you, to humiliate you the way you humiliated me, and that was wrong. Ah was raised better than to treat a lady in such a way, so I fled. That's why I left. You prob'ly think me a coward..."
"No, it's all right.." Twilight tried reassuring him.
"The truth is," he continued, "Ah don't have many friends, and to treat one so bad, a pretty mare at that, well I just had to run away and be alone; alone in my shame! Ah suppose I need to learn to control my stubborn pride and just be quicker to forgive. Hopefully you can eventually forgive me". Big Mac stared at the ground in silence, his shame keeping his eyes away from the mare he wronged. The few seconds of silence seemed like years to the regretful stallion.
Twilight circled beside him. She sat down and put her hoof on his shoulder.
"I already have..."
A bright glow startled the pair as Twilight looked around to see what was causing it. She got up to find that it was her Cutie Mark again, signifying she had once again solved a friendship problem. "Would you look at that!" she exclaimed in excitement. "It appears WE were my friendship problem!" The glow started to subside as she once again took her place beside the large stallion.
"We're all very proud of you, Big Mac, regardless of your intentions".
"Eeyup?"
The two sat in silence. Ponies everywhere might be having fun and celebrating at raucous parties with dozens of friends, but Twilight Sparkle and Big Macintosh could think of no place better to be than right here observing the beauty of the celestial object.
"I had them name the comet after you... 'Macintosh' " she rested her head on her friend's shoulder as they sat together, watching his comet.
"So," he turned to the Alicorn Princess, "what's this about a 'phony pony' ?"
"Don't ask..."