"Oh no...." Celestia gasped, rereading the note again and again. There was no way she could believe this....The brother of Applejack?...The holder of the element of honesty?...This couldn't be...The mighty princess was currently sitting on her glittering throne, her bright magnificent eyes showing concern and sadness. As she was going over the words another time, her sister, Princess Luna, made her way down the stairs. She was rubbing her tired eyes since Celestia had sent a guard to retrieve her.
"Sister....what is it? It's still the daytime..." The darker mare yawned, walking up to her sister. It was then she noticed the quivering hoof that held the written message.
"My treasured student...sent me a horrible message..." Celestia said quietly, biting her lip, "...about the brother of the element of honesty...."
Luna yawned and lifted an eyebrow, "Her name....was Applejack I believe. Wasn't her brother that giant red stallion? He seemed like a very hard working pony."
"Yes...And it seems like he's been terribly injured defending the six mares...And he's been sent into a coma...."
"Excuse me...." The yellow mare said in a quiet voice as she edged past some of the nurses walking the opposite way.
"Oh...I'm sorry..." She said, accidentally bumping into an older pony walking down the hallway.
"I beg your pardon..." She spoke, lowering her head after getting into the way of a doctor. It wasn't before long that she stood before a door that seemed much bigger in person than what she had thought. Biting her lip and adjusting her saddle bags, he entered into the room.
The scene...was the same it had been for a week now. The big red stallion lay in bed, his eyes closed as he was whisked away in a dreamlike state. One that he might never even wake up from. Fluttershy stared at his form, feeling her heart drop as though it had leaped from a cliff.
She felt a light tug on her mane and looked back to see Angel, her white bunny, pointing furiously at big mac. He was also grabbing her saddlebag, giving her impatient eyes.
"...You're right Angel..." She said, managing to make a sad smile, "I...I need to be here to support him. Not fill this room with depression." She walked up to his bed, digging into her saddle bags. She pulled out freshly cut flowers and set them into a vase on the nightstand next to the bed.
"There you go Big Mac." She chuckled lightly, plopping down onto a stool, "That should freshen up this room a bit. I know that you would appreciate it." Angel climbed up onto her shoulder, also staring at the big red stallion with a sad expression.
Applejack seemed to be doing better, but her mind was still in pieces. She was going to the farm more often now, and the fact that her best friends were there helping her really gave the mare a big boost. She was able to smile again. Laughing was still a big ways away, but it was one step at a time. Applebloom was still not talking to her though....and they couldn't hide Big Mac away from Granny Smith forever. Fluttershy sighed, humming lightly to herself.
"Big Mac..." She said quietly, "We're....we're all waiting for you." She said, tears welling up in her eyes again, "Why...why won't you just wake up?..." Big Mac entered her thoughts, and she would find herself digging up old memories that had been buried in her heart.
Lightning fired down from the sky, causing the sound of thunder to crash through the air. Many of the animals that heard this shuttered and cried, diving into their homes in hopes of waiting out the violent phenomenon. The rain was pouring like rocks, and the wind was as strong as a dragon's breath. Branches of the mighty trees were being ripped off, birds being launched off into the cold air.
The pegasi had unintentionally created the horrible storm. What was supposed to be a simple rainstorm turned into a monster of nature. Hail was starting to smash down onto the earth, and the ponies could only watch in horror as their homes were being pounded by the ice blocks that were slowly but surely growing in size. Their only hope was for the pegasi to hurry and calm the horrible clouds.
All the ponies were safe in the homes....except for one. Fluttershy.
The mare was so frightened that she couldn't even scream anymore, the thunder echoing right down to her bones. At this moment she was hiding with the whole of a large tree that began to creak and teeter, the branches being ripped off like limbs in a massacre. The lightning flashed, the mare's eyes growing wide as she drifted in and out of shock. The rain and the hail was putting too much pressure on the tree which was her only shelter. It would be only a matter of time until it blew away.
Fluttershy had taken shelter in the tree instead of a house because of a small family of rabbits that were living in it. The tree was old and dead, and she knew that it would never last in a horrible storm like this one. She thought that she could be strong for them, and that she could protect them. But here she was, just as scared as they were. They whimpered and trembled beneath her body, their little hearts beating faster than ever. They were terrified...so very terrified.
"Come on...Fluttershy..." The yellow pony whispered to herself, her eyes staring blankly out the hole in the tree, "You have to stay strong....You have to stay strong...You have to- There was a flash of lightning, and she felt the tree jerk and convulse. She saw a strange light above her, and an instant later she realized that the tree had started on fire, making it fall apart much faster.
"No...." She whimpered, "Oh nononononono...." The bunnies all cried out and she huddled over them even closer, the flames getting closer and closer to her body. She would do what she could to protect them...even give her own life.
As she felt the heat closing in on her, she heard the strange sound of...Galloping? And before she knew it, she heard a large crack. The tree around her was pulled completely from the ground and even snapping it in half, the wind pulling it. Fluttershy screamed, tensing her body up as she was ready to feel the punching of the hail and the stabbing of the rain.
But it didn't come.
The yellow mare glanced up to see a big red figure standing in the way, shielding her from the drops from the sky. The pony was gritting his teeth in pain, yet his green eyes showed relief as he glanced at Fluttershy, managing to flash a smile.
"Big...Mac?...." The yellow pony blinked, watching the large stallion take all the impact, "What...what are you doing?!"
"...Just....Stay!" The stallion growled, a large ball of hail smashing into his head. Even through his red fur she could spot the blood that began to trickle.
In a time that seemed like hours, Fluttershy stared up at the form of Big Mac, his large body taking the hits from the painful storm. Eventually, the pegasi managed to pull away the clouds, ending the storm once and for all. The sunlight broke through, filling ponyville with light once again. It appeared that Big Mac had reached his limit, his body collapsing onto the grass in exhaustion and pain.
"Macintosh!" Fluttershy cried out, running over to his side, "Oh no..." He had welts and bruises all over his back along with some cuts and scrapes. She dove to his side, the massive stallion breathing heavily and biting his lip because of the pain.
"Don't worry Mac...." She cried, tears welling up in her eyes, "I'll....I'll go get help!"
Fluttershy was also admitted to the hospital for a checkup after the incident, and as soon as she was done she had charged through the hallways. Desperately searching for Big Mac's room, she forgot her shyness for a moment as she asked where it was. Thankfully the hallways weren't very crowded and she was able to find it quickly.
When she entered the room, the three other apple family members were there. Fluttershy was worried that something horrible could have happened, but relief filled her heart when she saw the smiling faces of the three ponies.
"There you are, Fluttershy." Applejack chuckled, "Big Mac right here was worried that you might've been hurt. This boy's heart is bigger than him. Too bad his brain can't fit his skull." Big Mac himself was lying on his belly on the bed, his back covered in bandages. He had a few on his head, and his stupid grin managed to form a smile on Fluttershy's face.
"Well, we've got to head back and check on the farm. Be sure Big Mac gets his rest. He's gonna have to fit the fields pretty soon!" Fluttershy watched as they left and turned to look at the red stallion.
She had to admit...he did look pretty ridiculous. The yellow mare sighed and seated herself at his side, her eyes staring at the floor.
"I'm sorry...." She whimpered, "If it wasn't for me being stupid....you would have never gotten hurt." Big Mac just gave a little chuckle and smiled.
"If it wasn't for you, the rabbits would've all been in a big ole' pinch." The red pony looked up at her, "You're a brave mare, Fluttershy. Not everybody could do what you did out there...saving those rabbits was a real strong thing to do."
Fluttershy grew a bit red and began to stutter, "B-B-But...y-you're the one t-that's brave...." Macintosh gave her a smile.
"Fluttershy, you're a great pony. Don't let anypony tell you different." He adjusted a little bit on the bed and winced. They sat in a moment of silence for a while until she spoke up once more.
"Just...curious...you don't have to answer if you don't want to but...I thought you would be at the farm instead of in Ponyville."
"You weren't the only one who was worried about them bunnies."
Fluttershy opened, her eyes, and the form of the smiling red stallion was replaced by the broken body of the hard working pony. Her lips quivered, her tears once again falling onto the bed sheets. She wasn't strong. She wasn't brave. She couldn't do half the things Big Mac could. Big Mac was a pony who cared about others and was willing to give up anything for his friends. All right now, all she could do was cry for him.
Not the best chapter by a longshot...I was sick when I wrote this so it's probably really sketchy. It's a bit short, but I promise I'll make it up to you guys in the next chapter.