//------------------------------// // Chapter four: Bitter Sweet Apple Acres // Story: Little Mac and Cannotfly // by Akataja //------------------------------// When the rain started over Sweet Apple Acres the whole family and the guest were inside of the main building.  Apple Jack was very happy to have her granny back and her little sister and they were happy too. They hugged each other and AJ really felt really home for the first time. The warmth from the burning chimney, the smelly old perfume of granny smith and even the giggling of her sister, it was if her parents were still here and somehow it was true. AJ learned that they will always live in her heart, that anything she will do is a loving memory of her parents and as long as she was here on the farm it was like her parents never left. All this and more she said to Granny and McIntosh, with tears in her eyes and in granny’s too, but her brother seemed to ignore the whole story. Even Hooves had to press a little stallion tear away while hearing that story, but McIntosh just sighed. The brutal truth was very simple, he doesn’t want to hear that, he doesn’t care, his sister was run away and that was the end; her return meant nothing to him. Apple Jack could feel the cold from her brother, he seemed like a different stallion to her. Putting her fear and anger about his behavior aside, what should she do? She could do nothing else than trying her best to bring her brother back if that was even possible. “And of course” AJ explained, “I am sure that mom and dad would be very proud seeing how we overcome all those troubles and doing the best for the farm.” She wanted to say more, but she was interrupted by McIntosh. He just stood up, trot between his sister and his granny, walking over to a little table with a broken yoke on it, he took a hammer and nails, start to repair it. Maybe he tried to be extra loud. Granny Smith sighed, looking at her grandson. “Stop that behavior Macci right now! Yah’ sister is back and yah’ just want to repair that broken yoke?” “Eeyup.” “Yah’ can’t repair it anyway. It will break over an’ over ‘gain! Ah’ know a new one is too expensive. So jus’ take the ol’ one from yah’ gran’ pa and pa, its old but veeery stable.” Mac slammed his hammer down and sighed exasperatedly “Nope…” He trots to the stairs and was going to the first floor, maybe to his room. Granny was looking back to AJ and Hooves, she seemed a bit sad. “Mayor Mare brought back da’ Yoke of Golden Delicious a few days after the storm. Macci just tossed it away in the cellar.” “What Storm?” asked Hooves “The storm where my beloved son Red Delicious died. That stubborn thick head, he just runs out in the storm with the carriage to get a doctor for Pink Lady.” “Your Mother, right?” asked Hooves to Apple Jack. The Mare with the blonde mane nodded, she lowered her eyes, seemed very sad to Hooves. “the Nigh’ when lil’Bloom was born, somethin’ wasn’t right and we needed a doctor. Pa’ wanted to handle this, but he never returned. Ahm’ honest, ah’ was scared to death, ah’ didn’t notice much of what happened that night. I was too busy cryin’ an’ sobbin’, ahm’ not proud of that.” Hooves were looking back to granny, it seemed like she knew more about that important night. “Ah’ took care of mah’ daughter in law. Ah’ help’ her with her first two foals an’ had five very successfully births mah’self, so ah’ knew what to do. But ah’ never saw that much blood at a birth. The poor little thing had so much pain. Red was so convinced in saving her, Macci tried to stop him. He was the last pony that talked to Red.”  The old green mare sighed, her hooves were shaking and it was hard to hold the sleeping foal right. “Mayor Mare explained us, that Red lost control over the carriage, the roads were too slippery and the carriage too heavy. They found his body and his neck was broken.” She had to make a little break, she needed some breaths “An’ Lady didn’t survive the birth. Apple Jack left for Manehattan a few days later and Lil’Mac became a lil’ bit, let's say, strange?” “Strange?” Hooves asked back, “you mean like beating the horseapples out of another stallion for stealing half a dozen apples?” Granny just nodded “He works the whole day like a machine, doesn’t care for anything o' anypony else. He fights any intruder that steps a hoof on this land, specially pegasus.” Hooves raised a brow “pegasus?” Granny nodded again “yes, the storm which took his parents was made by the weather team o’ Ponyville. they los’ control an' it happened what happened. Maybe Lil’Mac gives em’ the blame for everything, maybe he just isn’t ready to face the truth.” “The truth?” “He tries to be the strong stallion, who keeps everythin’ runnin’ as If nothin’ happened, but he is hurt like the rest of us, maybe even more.” In the meantime, the raindrops were pounding on the windows and the wind kept howling. AJ looked outside and sighed about the weather, she could only hope that this one would not be so bad as the last one. Her eyes wandered to Hooves, he was looking at the stairs, maybe he was worried about his friend. Maybe he had the same thoughts about LilMacci like his sister. She was wondering how long it would be til the tall red pony would do something really stupid. Beating up a caught apple thief was one thing, but crippling him or even murder; that was a whole other thing. Apple Jack didn’t realize it, but her mouth angles were down and her eyes became wet. “Hey, I know what you’re thinking.” Hooves tried to cheer her up “but Macci isn’t stupid, maybe he is in a bad mood, but he is still Macci, right?” At that moment they could hear heavy steps coming down the stairs. Hooves spoke with a light smile “Oh? Speaking of the Devil. Hey, Macci calm a bit down? Want to share some quality time with friends and family?” But McIntosh just looked outside the window, looking very worried and with some anger. “Yah’ saw something boy?” asked granny. “Eeyup.” “Thieves? Again?” “Eeyup.” He took his saddlebacks and filled it with a rope and towels. “Hey, what do you want to do Mac?” Asked Apple Jack, very worried. But her brother didn’t answer. “Don’t do that Mac! Let em’ take a few apples, pa used to gave some for free anyway.” She tried to convince him. He looked at her, directly into her eyes, his glance was ice-cold, that was enough to shut her up. So it was up to Hooves to stop the red stallion. The Physics Doctor went in Mac’s way, blocking the door. He managed to stand his glance, but only because he tried to remember that Big McIntosh never would hurt a friend. But were they still friends? “Macci! Come to your senses, pal! That’s not you! We’re friends, right? You remember that? The day when the bullies cornered me behind the school building and you protected me? These endless long nights when we studied for the test in your tree house? Or when we ate so many doughnuts from Joe that we had to puke!? And after that eat even more!? Did you forget about all that? You remember that or? You wouldn’t forget a friend, not the BigMcIntosh I used to know.” Hooves already closed his eyes when his old pal raised his hoof, waiting for a heavy punch or something like that. But Mac just took the lamp from the table and put the handle in Hooves’ mouth. “You can come with me.” Mac’s voice was rough, “but don’t get in my way.” He looked back at the mares “You, stay inside!” Then he took the sledgehammer out of its corner and put it under his saddlebacks. The two stallions left the main building, walking through the rain and heavy wind. It was already hard to walk because the ground was softened and Hooves stumbled a few times. McIntosh had no problem walking through the mud, he had the light of the lamp in his back and could see enough. He knew the orchard like nopony else, he didn't need the light to see his paths, even when it became even darker and the black clouds above him didn’t let any illumination through. He lead Hooves to the place where he saw the thief, but the thief was already gone. Big Mac was looking for some traces, Hooves tried to give him enough light. “That’s pointless.” Hooves nearly had to shout because of the wind “you can’t find any tracks in this rain! Not even a bloodhound could do that.” But Lil’Mac wasn’t looking for hoofprints or something else on the ground, he picked something from the tree, a feather, too big for a bird. “Ponyfeathers…” grunted Mac with an angry glare in his eyes. “That could mean many things, buddy. Maybe it’s an old one? What about that guy you beat up when we arrived?” “Wrong color.” Macci hold the feather in the lanterns lights, it was yellow and a bit blood glued on it. “But I bet he is far away, maybe hiding behind the clouds?” Hooves tried to pacify his friend, tried to bring him back in the main building. Mac just grunted again, he pushed the lamp a bit more to the ground, showing Hooves a small trail of blood, nearly washed away by the rain. He followed the trail and Hooves was at his side. It didn’t take long till they found the thief. Both of them looked down on the little yellow Pegasus. The Doc was surprised to see a mare; he was sure that they were searching for a stallion. This little yellow Pegasus was already wounded, her left wing stood out in an unnatural way, it looked broken, or at least dislocated. And her right wing? Under her right wing was a little white Bunny and to the side of that bunny was the half eaten apple the mare had stolen from the apple tree. The mare and the bunny were trembling, maybe because of the cold, maybe cause of fear. The yellow mare with the Three-Butterflies-Cutiemark looked up, her eyes met with Mac’s, both remain silent. Hooves couldn’t read Macci's lineaments or emotions. “Here is your thief. What now?” asked Hooves.