A World Without Princesses

by PonyTom

Chapter 6 - Bedside Mare

Everything hurt.

He couldn't move.

He was too weak to move.

He tried to talk, but a horrible pain in his throat stopped him.

He whimpered internally.

"... Am I... dying...?"

Slowly, he opened his eyes. It was dark. All he could see was from a light that seemed to burn from a hole above him.

And a head peaked in.

Those eyes, so full of fire, so angry. But then they became wide. They stared at him. Then, filled with horror.

Then, he reached in.

"Hold on. Just hold on."

"I'll save you."

---

Pain.

He was in tremendous, horrible pain.

The bad thing about pain is that it made it hard to do things. Hard to think. Hard to move. In this case, hard to exist. The good thing about pain, however, was that it meant you were alive.

Slowly, his eyes opened. The light burned them, but it was a beautiful sensation. For a moment, he couldn't see a thing; the room was bright, but his vision was too blurred to see anything at all. Slowly, his eyes adjusted. The first thing he noticed was a stove, a pleasant pop every once in a while as wood inside it burned, giving the room warmth and light. The second thing he noticed was a thick smell of animals, as if he were in a kennel. He tried to turn his head, but he quickly regretted his decision as a sharp pain shot through his every muscle. He decided now was as good as any time to make sure everything was still working. With a little bit of hesitation, he moved a hoof. It hurt, but it was working. And then another. And another. And one more. Satisfied that he was not paralyzed, he had a little room to relax.

"Oh goodness, you're awake!"

The voice startled him, though it sounded pleasant enough. He turned his head, enduring the pain, to see a pony - a mare - make her way into the room. She wore a simple outfit, seemingly just a brown bodice with a green skirt hanging down to cover her flanks, and a white blouse to top it all off. Her coat was a bright, buttery yellow, and she had a long, pink mane.

And a pair of wings.

Macintosh seemed to tense up, but he figured that, given his current condition, if she wanted to hurt him, she would; not that he could move anyway. "Thank goodness. For a while there, I was afraid you were going to.... to...." She stopped herself, biting her lip and clearing her throat. "Um... well, anyway... you're alive, so that's good, right?" Big Mac tried to respond, but all that came out was a rasping grunt. He put a hoof up to his throat, only to find he wasn't wearing his bandanna - or anything else, really. He turned his head really quick, covering his throat more protectively, searching for his belongings, but the sudden motion made every muscle in his body scream at him. He winced, laying slowly back into the bed, but not removing his hoof. "Oh my, don't panic," The mare frowned, hurrying to his side, "I had to do a lot of bandaging, and I only know some very basic first aid... you're quite injured..."

The stallion simply turned his attention to look down; at the very least he was covered by sheets, so he felt somewhat less naked. He moved his mouth, trying to talk, but no words came out. "E-excuse me...?" The mare leaned closer to him, putting her ear near his muzzle. He rasped the word out as best he could.

"Water."

"Oh. Oh! Yes, water!" The mare nodded, blushing a bit, jumping to her hooves and trotting into the other room. Big Mac took this moment to slowly, sensibly analyze his surroundings; he was in a house, likely the living room judging by the stove, windows (which he noted seemed to be boarded up), door, and various nick-knacks. As he listened, he heard the sound of rain outside, though it had grown considerably weaker since he was in the cabin (the only thing making it hard to see outside was the darkness itself). The mare returned rather quickly, carrying a dish that, itself, carried a cup. She set it on a table next to him, then took the cup in her hooves, handling it carefully and with skill that Macintosh only attributed to Earth Pony hooves, bringing it close to him. He placed his lips on the edge, and he drank it, gulping down the refreshing liquid. Quickly, he felt the pain recede, if only a bit. She pulled the glass down, giving him a breather. "Better?" Big Mac gave a simple nod. "Want more?" He shook his head, holding a hoof up. The mare put the glass on the table above his head.

"My clothes...?" The words were still raspy, but at least now he could be heard.

"Oh? Oh!" The pegasus nodded, blushing again. "Your belongings are right next to you... they were kinda torn up when you were brought here, so I had to stitch and sew some of them back together..."

"My bandanna...?"

"Hm?" The mare looked at him, his eyes almost pleading. She noticed he was covering his throat. "Oh!, Oh, o-of course..." She reached down below him, pulling up a green, square cloth. "Here, let me help you..." She helped him lift his head up, placing the bandanna around his neck and helping him tie it on. "There... all set." Macintosh smiled a bit, nodding to the mare. She turned and trotted towards the stove, pulling it open and throwing another piece of wood inside. "Is there anything I can get you? Some food? Some tea?"

"Need t' get home..." he rasped, trying to sit up, but stopping when his back and forelegs set aflame with pain.

"Oh no, be careful," the mare insisted, hurrying to his side and easing him back down, "You're in no condition! You're very hurt, and you need to rest for at least a week, or you might hurt yourself!"

Macintosh groaned. "Friend's in danger..."

The mare blinked. "Friend? You've got a friend?" Big Mac simply nodded, and the pegasus hummed. "Well... the pony who found you didn't mention seeing anypony else out there... "

"Ran off..." Macintosh winced a bit, looking up at her, then gesturing above his head with his eyes. The mare seemed to understand immediately, hoofing him the glass of water and helping him drink it. "... Chased by... thugs... think she ran back to town..."

"Well, I hope she made it okay..." She nodded a bit, as if to affirm that those were, indeed, her hopes. "I suppose I can ask some of my animal friends if they've seen her, if you're worried."

Macintosh blinked a few times. "Talk t' animals...? Wait..." He squinted his eyes a bit. "... Are you the animal mare ponies talk about...?"

The pegasus blinked a few times, seeming confused. "Huh? Is that what ponies are calling me?" She frowned and fidgeted some. "O-oh my... I... I didn't think... I didn't think so many ponies knew me..." She seemed to retreat behind her mane. "Oh.. oh my, I'm... oh..." Macintosh stared at the strange, confusing, and clearly very timid mare as she tried to recompose herself. "Uh... b-but... y-yeah, I guess that's m-me... I-I think?" She cleared her throat. "B-but... m-my name's f... ff... fmmmfmmm..."

Big Mac stared at the mare. She stared back. "Pardon?"

She frowned. "My name.. it's... fflrmmrfmm..." Macintosh grimaced a bit. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath. "MynameisFluttershynicetomeetyou!"

Macintosh sighed, but smiled. "Nice t' meet ya.... Fluttershy."

The mare seemed to tense for but a moment, before relaxing and sighing, smiling and nodding. "And you are...?"

"Macintosh Apple," he said with a nod, "Friends call me Big Mac." The mare nodded a few times in response, smiling again. Macintosh looked around a bit, moving his legs just a tiny bit; sure enough, they still hurt like he had worked the fields for an entire week without so much as a breather. "I certainly hope I feel better in a day... I don't think I've ever felt this horrible before..."

"Well, Macintosh... uhm..." The mare hummed, rubbing a foreleg with her other hoof. ".. I-If there's anything else I could do for you...?" He smiled, shaking his head. "Oh! Oh... oh, uhm, o-okay.... well, I'll..." She looked around a bit, before grabbing the table next to Big Mac's head on the couch and moving it before him, the water still placed there. "Here. And if you need me..." She hurried off into another room. Macintosh stared silently at the glass of water for a few moments, wondering what she had gone off to do. Soon enough, she returned, and sat a bell next to it. "There! If you need me, just ring that bell, and I'll get right to you as soon as I can!"

"Alright..."

Fluttershy smiled again, nodding, before dashing off to do who knew what.

And so, Big Mac lay on her couch, effectively immobilized by his injuries. He decided to test his movement one more time, and slowly brought his hoof up, trying to reach above himself. At first, it was a tiny ache; but the higher the hoof went, the more pain he felt. He grimaced a bit, relaxing it. "How'm I supposed to ring that bell if I can barely move...?" Slowly, he turned his head to look at the ceiling; even this made his neck sore, but at least it was a bit of movement he could still do without feeling like something would break. He slowly lifted his head, taking a moment to survey himself.

Much to his dismay, he was completely undressed, the only saving grace being a cover over his body. What he could see showed that he had a few bandages running up his barrel, and a few over every leg; only his previously sprained hoof seemed to have been spared any damage, likely protected by it's own casing (small blessings). He couldn't tell how much further the damage was without moving, but was certain a visit to a doctor once he could actually get up wasn't quite the worst idea in the world. Slowly, he lay his head back down on what he suddenly realized was one of the most fluffy pillows he had ever used; a fact that somewhat irritated him, as he preferred a nice, firm sleeping space, however, given his condition and the situation, he supposed a firm bed-space might not do him as much good. "Not really much I can do now but wait. Maybe move my limbs around, see if I can't limber out my muscles a bit. Boy, what would Braeburn think if he saw me now..."

At that thought, Macintosh groaned internally. "Ahh horseapples... Braeburn. How long have I been here? Everypony back home'll panic if I don't return for a week! Knowin' Granny, she'll start an entire hubbub, an' th' whole town'll be in an upheaval..." He winced at the mere thought. Then another thought struck him. "What if Zecora ran back to the farm...?" His eyes widened. "Those psychos could be attacking my home right now...!"

---

Fluttershy sat in her kitchen, a pot of vegetable soup boiling in front of her, eyes fixed on it, making sure it all went right. "O-okay Fluttershy, you have a stallion in your house... in your personal space... looking at everything in your home, basically invading your privacy... but he's injured! He's not invading your privacy, because he's your guest! He looks very nice! Very strong... very... very...." The mare stared off into space for a few minutes, before a deep blush popped on her face. "What the...!? Fluttershy, no! Get your mind out of the gutter! You're not a dirty mare!" She puffed up her cheeks and scrunched her nose. "Right now, there's a stallion out there who needs you! He's like a baby.... if a baby were... really tall... and muscular... with the kind of muscles you don't get from just lifting weights... the kind of muscle that... does things..." She gasped and shook her head. "No! Bad Fluttershy, bad! You don't even know him!"

A loud yelp caught her attention, drawing her from her stupor. Fluttershy's hooves skittered hurriedly, and she rushed into the living room. To her surprise, the stallion was laying next to the couch, eyes wide, filled with tears but an equal amount of determination as he struggled to lift his own weight. "Oh my goodness no! What are you doing!?" She hurried to his side, pushing her body beneath his and shoving upwards, rolling him back on the couch.

"Gotta get home..." He panted and heaved, squeezing his eyes shut. "Gotta make sure they're fine..."

"Who?" Fluttershy stared at this crazy stallion, concern painting her features. "Who might not be fine? Why not?"

"Bad ponies..." Big Mac grimaced. "... Ponies who hurt me... friend ran away... might have gone back to my farm..." He looked to the mare, a deep frown on his face. "My... family might be in danger..."

Fluttershy stared at him for a few minutes more, piecing together what he had said. "Oh... well, if you like, I can ask one of my friends to check on them when the rain stops..." She hummed, tapping a hoof to her chin. "... But until then, I can't do much..."

Macintosh groaned a bit, feeling his body ache, as if in retribution for even thinking of trying to do something it was not ready to do. "... Can't sit here... gotta get home..."

"Oh..." Fluttershy sighed, frowning. "Well... I'm afraid I can't help that... you're pretty heavy... n-not that I think you're fat! Not that you look fat!" The mare gasped, and began to stumble over herself verbally. "I-in fact you're quite handsome and-eep! Oh my, I think I'm going to be quiet now..." She blushed madly, and Macintosh stared at her, quirking a brow. She gulped, taking a deep breath and calming herself down. "I... what I meant to say... was I don't think I can do it. Best I can do is make sure your family gets a message telling you where you are... but beyond that..." Big Macintosh sighed and visibly deflated. Fluttershy frowned, trying to think of something to cheer him up. "Well... if it's any consolation, I-I'll do anything you need me to.... I-I can go out and get food if you need special food or anything, or medicine... I mean, I don't know if you were reading that book that was in your bag or what, but I can also go get you entertainment..."

Macintosh's eyes widened a bit. "Book...?"

Fluttershy gasped. "N-not that I was going through your stuff! Your bag practically fell apart, and I had to gather up the bits and pieces! I'm not a snoop!"

Macintosh shook his head. "Book... with pages written in weird letters...?"

The mare seemed confused, staring at him. "Uh... well... I don't know... I never looked...."

"Could you...?" Macintosh stared at her, his eyes wide, urgent even.

"I'm afraid not..." the mare frowned, shaking her head, "... the pony who brought you here took it from your bag and left..."

His heart sank. "You let 'er take somethin' from my bags...?"

"I thought she might be a friend" said Fluttershy, biting her lip, "She didn't say anything, so I figured she must have known you well enough that she knew you'd be okay with it..."

Tension built up in Big Mac's body; injuries aside, he was struck with a series of new questions. 'Is it possible? Did Zecora pull a fast one? Who is this mare...?' "What did she look like..."

"Well..." the mare turned around, as if trying to remember. "... She was lavender... wearing a blue coat and a hat... had a book hanging from her back.... and she seemed rather... cold for somepony who just brought a horribly injured stallion to a stranger's doorstep asking that they watch over them..."

Macintosh stared at the butter yellow pegasus, processing these thoughts. That description sounded so familiar, he knew it. Then, it came to him.

"Miss Twilight..."

The room fell quiet. One could only hear the tick-tock of a nearby clock as Fluttershy sat, watching Macintosh, waiting for him to say more. 'Is it the same book? I didn't have any other books on me that I know of... what if Zecora took mine and put another one inside my bag just in case...? Wait... does that make sense...?'

Once more, Big Mac pushed himself from the bed and rolled towards his hooves. He gasped and hissed through his teeth as soon as he hit the ground, standing on his legs, though slowly dropping to his own weight. His entire body screamed at him, begged him to stop, tried to tell him it was useless. A tear formed in his eye, though he tried to ignore it as best he could. He reached towards his pile of clothes, wanting to dress as quick as possible.

But the pain was too much.

He yelped and fell to his side, panting and heaving. "Oh my goodness, what's wrong with you!?" The mare's voice was raised a bit more than usual as she hurried to his side and put her hooves on him, checking him over. "Do you even know how badly you're injured!? I'm not even a doctor and even I know you shouldn't be moving around!"

"Gotta get home..." Big Mac grunted, wincing as the pain slowly ebbed down to more tolerable levels.

"You are going nowhere, mister!" The mare shouted. "I honestly thought you'd die on my couch! At least... at least wait until I can get you a doctor..." Macintosh wanted to reject that proposal. He opened his mouth, ready to deny her that request, but then he looked at her eyes. Those gentle, kind eyes staring at him with such concern. Pleading, begging him to reconsider. They were innocent, devoid of any ulterior motive. It confused him.

"Why d'you want me to stay here so bad...?"

She seemed confused, almost upset that he asked the question. "Why wouldn't I? You're hurt... if you went out there as you are now, you could.... could...."

The two ponies stared at each other in silence. Macintosh frowned a bit, shaking his head and hanging it. "I'll wait... but come hell or high water, I'll be in my own bed tomorrow night..." He slowly stood back on his hooves, feeling the pain burn once again, though (with some help) he managed to get back on the couch, into as much comfort as he could in his condition.

"Thank you..." said the mare, smiling a sad, sympathetic smile. Macintosh nodded, gesturing for another drink. The mare gave him his glass, and he took in some of the delicious water. As it was set back, he found himself wondering something that he was surprised he hadn't considered before.

"Where am I...?"

"My house..." said Fluttershy, making her way towards the kitchen, "In the Pegasus District of Ponyville..."

"The Poor District...?" Big Mac raised a brow, staring at the mare like she was crazy, though she looked at him as if he had offended her. "S-sorry... but, how'd I wind up here...? If that pony could drag me back here, why not get me the rest of the way to the hospital...?"

"Well..." Fluttershy put a hoof to her mouth, rubbing it in thought. "... I really have no idea... she knocked on my door, and when I answered, all she said was that she had found you in the woods... I'm honestly surprised she got you here, considering she looked about the same size as me..." Setting the tray on a nearby table, Fluttershy turned and made her way back towards the kitchen. "I was just about to head out to get a doctor before you woke up. I'm going to do that right now, but I'll need you to keep to your promise and stay in that spot."

"Alright..." Macintosh nodded with a sigh. The mare soon entered the room again, wearing a cloak to protect herself from the rain as best as she could. She nodded, smiling, and made her way towards the door. She pulled it open, stepped out, and closed it back behind herself. It was then that Big Mac noticed a little rabbit hop into the room from the kitchen, jumping up on a chair near the door, grabbing the various locks and twisting, turning, and latching them. Once done, the peculiar rabbit hopped down from the chair, through the room, but stopped at Big Mac. He glared at the stallion with evil, murderous little bunny eyes, pointing two little digits at his eyes and then both at Macintosh himself. Nodding in affirmation, the rabbit continued back to the kitchen. Big Mac blinked a few times in utter confusion, unsure of what exactly had just transpired.

Left to his own devices, Big Mac stared at nothing to ponder his situation. 'I'm trapped in the Poor District... I'm injured... and anytime I stand up I hurt beyond all belief. Time to reflect upon the recent events of my life...

... Zecora's gone who knows where....

... That book is either with her or that cold mare from Rich's house...

... And apparently, there's a group of thugs looking for it, so whoever has it may not be an enviable position...'

It was then that Big Mac had a thought. 'Am I maybe better off to let that mare keep it? Clearly, these ponies want it bad enough to do terrible things. I mean, if that is the book, and she has it, then she stole it from me, so she basically invited it on herself...' He frowned a bit, shaking his head. 'But... that mare may not be the only one in danger... and I can't say she stole it with ill intent... besides, if those ponies wanted it so bad, it has to be important...' He looked back down at the boarded up windows. 'When I can, I need to grab Braeburn and we need to find that mare. We went through a lot of trouble to get that book... an' if Zecora's right....'

That last thought struck him.

Getting the book itself had been a task. But that attack? It had come from nowhere. They had told nopony about the book, save for maybe Miss Cheerilee, and somehow these strange, bat-like ponies found them. Tried to kill them for it. '... It's really starting to look like she was....'

'There's more goin' on than it seems. That much is clear... but what?

Just what kind of mess did I manage to get into...?'

He didn't linger on these thoughts for long. A knock on the door in a strange pattern signaled somepony outside; the little rabbit quick to rush back to the room, undo the various locks, and open it. A white-coated mare with a pink mane, wearing a blue cloak stepped inside, Fluttershy following her inside, shutting the door, and locking it. The mare stepped towards him, removing her hood, and eyeing him.

'She looks familiar...'

"Hmm... Fluttershy wasn't lying... you really are banged up...."

"May I take your cloak?" Fluttershy stepped up, her own cloak in her hoof. The mare nodded, pulling the cloth from her body and handing it to Fluttershy, who proceeded to set it on a rack nearby. The mare hummed, looking him over, then smiled.

"You're conscious. That's always a good sign, right?"

Big Mac smiled and nodded. "Eeyup."

The mare froze. She blinked a few times, staring at the stallion. Then her eyes grew wide. "Oh my goodness... Macintosh? Little Macintosh Apple?" Big Mac blinked a few times, clearly confused, but the mare smiled more. "Last time I saw you, you were a small thing... boy have you grown..."

Macintosh squinted a bit. His eyes widened. "Redheart?"

"Well, they call me Nurse Redheart now..." The mare chuckled, waving a hoof. "I've been helping to keep the ponies living in the Poor District healthy..." Her smile suddenly seemed a tad forced. "... At least... as much as I can, given my resources...." And then her forced smile became a pure grimace. "... And my resources often don't care about the 'lower castes'..." She shook her head again, bringing herself back to the situation at hoof. "But... seriously! Last time I saw you... " She stopped talking, staring at him quietly. He frowned a bit, pawing anxiously at his own cover. The mare cleared her throat, pulling a bag from her haunches and setting it on the floor. "Alright... well, we'll catch up as we go. For now, I think it important that we figure out the extent of the damage..." She sat her bag down and looked him in the eyes. "I'm going to have to touch you for this. Are you alright with that?" Big Mac frowned a bit, blushing under his coat, but nodded.

Her hooves gently pulled the sheets on his body down to expose him to her. She placed them on his chest, slowly moving them about and giving the occasional press test. It hurt everywhere she touched, but there were points that made him wince. Each time, she seemed to acknowledge it and treat that area with more care. She moved to one of his forelegs, tracing her hooves around it. He winced as she traced one part of it. "That... hoof was already sprained..." he said, grimacing a bit. She nodded, feeling it over.

"Well..." she said with a smile, "Bad news is it's still sprained..." Big Mac chuckled a bit at that, though it did hurt a bit when he laughed. "Be careful now..." She moved her hoof towards the other leg, tracing and feeling it. While it did hurt, Big Mac was pleased to note that it didn't hurt any more than his sprained hoof did. She let go of his hoof, moving to put her hooves on his hind leg and feel all around it; this, of course, made him tense up, especially as she traced his inner thighs. Any dirty ideas that might otherwise give him, however, were chased away by the reminder that every muscle in his body was in horrible pain. She checked the other leg over, feeling all around.

"Can you roll over a bit? Let me see your back?"

Big Mac frowned a bit, nodding, and tried to roll over. It hurt his ribs to do so, but with some effort (and once more, some help) he managed to get to where the nurse could see his back. She traced her hooves around it, pressing gently and feeling around it; some of it hurt more than others, but none of it as bad as his front did. Once she was done, he heard her sigh and rolled himself back over to face her.

"Follow my hoof..." she said, holding her hoof up and moving it about. Macintosh watched it, following it as she moved it back and forth. She smiled and nodded. "Tell me, do you feel any discomfort? Do you have any visual issues? Any headaches?"

"Well..." Macintosh frowned, "... It hurts to take deep breaths... " The nurse merely nodded, then turned to her bag, pulling it open and pulling a stethoscope out, putting the buds in her ears, and placing the other end on his chest. She checked around, before pulling the buds out and setting the device back in her bag.

"Well..." she said, shaking her head, "This is quite a mess. You've got a few broken ribs, several bruises and contusions, possible hairline fractures in legs..." She sighed a bit, seeming to consider the stallion before her. "If Fluttershy hadn't relayed the story to me, I'd have though you fell off the roof of a house. That you're only in as bad a condition as you are says a lot about either your endurance, your luck, or both."

"Don't talk t' me about luck..." Big Mac grumbled.

"Yeah, well maybe they didn't drop you from too great a height..." Redheart pulled out a piece of paper and wrote some things on it. "You're a wreck. It'll likely be a few days before you can walk, and with the bone damage, even then I would advise taking it as easy as possible..." She pulled out a bottle of tonic, putting it on the table next to Big Mac. "This tonic should numb the pain if you find yourself in need of doing activity that hurts you, or just soothing the pain..." She glared at him. "I would advise not drinking it unless you absolutely need to. Like when you head back home tomorrow and, preferably, make your way straight to your bed."

Macintosh frowned a bit, sighing. "Fine..."

The nurse stared at him for a moment, before her gaze softened into a gentle, sympathetic smile. "And... on a more personal note, if you don't mind my saying so? You're a very strong stallion to endure what you have." His ear perked up, and he looked towards Redheart, who simply smirked, shaking her head. "I remember a small colt... bit of a runt... who cried any time he scraped his knee..." She tilted her head to Fluttershy. "She told me you tried to walk. You've really changed a lot since we were kids."

Macintosh blushed a tiny bit and chuckled. "Farmin' teaches ya how t' deal with pain."

"I imagine." Redheart smiled and gave him a gentle pat on his barrel as not to hurt him. "You take it easy big guy. Hopefully next time we meet, it's under better circumstances." She turned around, facing Fluttershy and giving a nod. "Make sure he gets plenty of food and drink. If you like, I can make my way to his place and tell his family where he is, and they might be able to get him back home."

"Oh, that'd be nice, thank you..." Fluttershy smiled and nodded.

"Excellent." Redheart nodded and smiled to Big Mac, then Fluttershy, and made her way back towards the door, pulling it open and stepping out, shutting it back behind her. Fluttershy turned her attention back to Macintosh, giving him her gentle smile once more. "Well, I suppose that at least it didn't sound like it might be worse than I feared it could be..."

Big Mac quirked a brow. "How bad was you thinkin'?"

Fluttershy frowned. "I was worried about punctured lungs, severed spinal columns, brain damage..." Macintosh stared at her, a somewhat confused, maybe even uncomfortable look on his face. The mare blushed and looked away. "I... tend to be kind of pessimistic..." She cleared her throat, looking at him again. "Right. Well, I'm going to be around the house. If you need anything, do not hesitate to ask for me. Just take it easy, alright?"

"Eeyup."

Fluttershy smiled a bit, giving him a soft pat on the head, before turning and making her way into another room. Macintosh sighed, then saw the rabbit sitting there, glaring at him. "What?"

---

The first thing she recognized was the sounds of crickets chirping. 'Such a sweet melody.' She smiled a bit, cuddling against her pillow at the sound. She continued to lay there, eyes closed, reaching for dream land with hooves outstretched.

But sleep would not come.

She began to toss and turn. Pulling her covers over herself more snugly. Fluffing her pillows extra fluffy. Grabbing one pillow and shoving it on her head. Grabbing hold and cuddling with that very pillow. This occurred in the span of fifteen minutes, before she finally rose up from her bed, staring half-lidded at the wall.

"I can't sleep..." she said to herself.

Defeated, Fluttershy decided now was as good a time as any to grab a midnight snack. She shoved herself from her bed, stretching and yawning, before making her way to her door. She stopped, remembering her guest, and grabbed a nearby gown and put it on. 'Can't be wandering around too exposed now...' She opened her door, and made her way down the stairs, and into her living room. She looked towards where her guest lay and smiled; his form was nice and snug underneath his cover, though he seemed to have pulled it over his head. She was about to go to get a drink, but stopped when she noticed something. She looked at the lumps on her couch and noticed something. Something off.

'He isn't breathing...

Her eyes widened, and her jaw fell open.

'He might be dead...!'

Slowly, she rose a trembling hoof up. She reached forward, and placed it on his side, giving a gentle shake. 'Oh no! He's softer than he was earlier! He-' She stopped herself at that thought. 'Wait... that... doesn't feel right...' She blinked a few times, biting her lip. She reached a hoof forward, and quickly, she yanked the blanket away.

All she saw were several pillows - probably every pillow in her house (and then some) that she wasn't using. She stared, wide-eyed at the lack-of-pony on her couch, then turned her attention to the table next to it. There, she saw a note.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Miss Fluttershy,

I thank you kindly for your help, and I am surely in your debt; a debt which I intend to pay back someday. Please don't follow me.

-Macintosh Apple

---

He winced a bit as he felt some of the ache in his body as it lifted its own weight. 'That tonic ain't nearly as strong as I hoped it would be... but at least I can move...'

The streets of Ponyville were almost completely abandoned, save for a few ponies here and there. He noticed a few ponies -- Earth and Pegasus alike -- eyeing him suspiciously. 'I'm not out of the Poor District yet,' thought Big Mac, trying to hold a firm, calm pose; as long as he looked strong (certainly stronger than he currently was) he could, at the very least, keep those away who seek out weakness. He was by no means a small stallion, so the only thing he'd have to be afraid of was ponies who were looking for a fight.

'Poor District. Old Ponyville...' He thought to himself, looking around. The houses here looked slightly older than anything in the newer parts of Ponyville, and most of them looked as if they had been poorly maintained. 'Used to be Ponyville itself... hard to believe when Granny was young, this part of town was supposedly always bustlin' with activity...' He looked at the road he trotted, seeing that many of the cobblestones were scraped up, misshapen, broken, and much of the road was more dirt than anything. 'Kinda sad, seein' it like it is.'

Eventually, he would find himself in Ponyville Market (some liked to call it 'New Ponyville') to see the clock tower; that ever familiar structure that welcomes any and all ponies to the town with open arms. Home was close. So very close he could almost smell the delicious apples hanging in the air. He was about to walk forward, when something caught his eye and made him stop.

A short distance away, a lavender mare stood, wearing a strange, blue coat and a top-hat.

She seemed almost surprised.

"Wait!" He shouted out, and tried to run, but the pain reminded him better, so he simply walked as fast as he could when she suddenly bolted off, around a corner. "Hold on," he shouted, speed limp-walking towards where she disappeared, "I just wanna talk!"

He finally rounded the corner, but when he did, there was nothing to be seen but crates and a cellar door that he was pretty sure was locked. In his condition, if she intended to outrun him, he'd never catch her. Big Mac frowned a bit, hanging his head in defeat.

'Who is she? Why did she take my book?'

Macintosh stared at his hooves a bit before looking up at the sky as these thoughts and questions ran through his mind, demanding answers. It would be a while before he could effectively chase her, and who knew what might happen between now and then; every second she had that book was a risk. If that was the case, he'd need to outsmart the mare.

'I have no idea who she is, or why she wants that book.... but I think I know somepony who might...'

TO BE CONTINUED...

Comments

[Kangapony]

Well done on Fluttershy's voice. It's nice to see someone bring across her timid nature without relying on the visual distraction of using a smaller font.

[ThatGuyYouForgot]

I like the changes. ............................................................................................................................................................that's all..............................it's a big compliment from me

[SFaccountant]

Ha! Pony racism! Cracks me up every time!
I think it's funny that what Big Mac calls the "poor district" Fluttershy refers to as the "pegasus district". Between the two terms, hers has the racial connotations. Although for all I know the legal system in Steampunk Equestria actually does enforce racial districting. Crazy pones.