Little Mac and Cannotfly

by Akataja

Chapter seven: the long way from home

“Are you really sure about that!?” Doctor Hooves had to yell, because of the storm. He offered his help to Mac, he wasn’t the strongest stallion, but the least he could do was opening the gates for Mac, as the red stallion pulled out the carriage. When the brown Earthpony looked at the sky he could see nothing, only when a lightning struck he could see the thick clouds above them “Hey man, the storm keeps getting stronger and stronger! You sure about this?” He looked at his friend, worried about his life, but Mac was calm as usual, just nodding with a light smile while looking down the wet road. But Whooves was still worried “You know, you could die, right?” this was possible, the road was pure mud now and it was very difficult to withstand the wind. There was no answer from McIntosh, he knew it, and he would face it “Hey, what about your family? AJ and Bloom? They need you.” Mac could just chuckle, he put a hoof on his friend's shoulder, looking straight into his eyes, he trusted him, they were good friends back then and he was sure, that they still were. “Wait, wait, wait, wait! Applejack is cute and stuff, but she is totally not my type, I am more into unicorns and really smart mares! I think Aj is smart, but I was thinking of a woman with an IQ Of at least 140. And she is too young!”

Mac just sighed “you are really dumb, for a wise man.” He said and when he left the land of his family he added: “I’ll be back.”

When Doctor Hooves returned to the inside of the house he was soaked and his hooves were covered with mud. It was crazy, but the first thing he thought of, was to clean his hooves because he didn’t want to make the house dirty. He raised his eyes and saw Applejack, she was looking at him like she was waiting for a wonder, he knew what she hoped for.

“Sorry AJ.” he sighed “I couldn’t stop him, stubbornness is part of your family, I guess?” he tried to smile, tried to make her laugh a little, so she could think of something else other than her brother breaking his neck like his father. But what should he do? Maybe a joke? Did he know a good joke? Was this the right time for jokes? He had to say something “Ehm. Hey! Can a kangaroo jump higher than a house?” AJ raised a brow, what was this about? “Of course, a house doesn’t jump at all!”

AJ sighed “Horseapples! Stop talkin’ crap an' help me over here.”

Doctor Whooves was looking at the yellow mare, her eyes were half closed, with sweat on her forehead. When he read the thermometer in her mouth he sighed “Fourty and rising… that’s not good.” He looked at the little bunny, the white animal jumped from the table down to the chair and on the floor and from the floor on the sofa, next to the Pegasus.

“Do something!” shouted AJ at him “you are a doctor now, right?”

“Not that kind of doctor, I am a doctor in physics! That’s something else! it doesn't help anypony…” he sighed frustrated, there was nothing he could do.

“Step aside young people.” Said granny smith and put a piece of cold wet cloths on the yellow mare's forehead, Fluttershy moaned and moved a little, she opened her eyes more and looked at Granny Smith, the elder mare smiled at her “hey there young one. Help is on da' way, so stay with us.” The yellow one tried to speak, but her throat was dry and hurt a lot, so she could only cough. Granny looked at Whooves “hey boy, don’t just stay there an’ play statue? Bring her a glass o' water!” Hooves made a little jump and run to the kitchen “an' you” she looked at her granddaughter “take care o' yah’ lil' sister!” AJ jumped a little too, she was very surprised how good Granny could take control over the situation.

“Why…?” Fluttershy’s voice was very quiet and weak, it hurt her to speak, but she had to.

Granny smiled at her “Because we’re Apples! An’ Apples always take goooood care of their friends.”

“Friends?” Fluttershy couldn’t speak more than one word, it was hard to focus, but it helped to feel the soft fur of Angelbunny at her side, it made her feel better.

“O’ curse sugar cube.” The elder mare smiled again “ya’ already helped ma’ beloved gran'son. So stay awake an’ don’t yah' dare to die young lady!” she sighed “Ah' know it’s difficult, but keep yah' eyes open.” Granny remembered the time after the death of her husband, when she just laid in her bed and wanted to die, because of her loneliness. It was hard to hold her eyes open these days too “what's yah’ name sugar cube?”

So that’s how it feels to be loved? “F-Fluttershy…” she said very quiet and blushed. It was very strange, she never felt that sad but happy the same time.

McIntosh knew this road better than anypony else in Ponyville, he pulled the carriage so often to the marketplace, he always thought he could walk this way with closed eyes. But it proved to be way more difficult. The light of the small lantern was flickering and he couldn’t see wider than a few steps ahead. Normally he would walk slowly through this weather, but now he was running, running like never before, water and mud splashed everywhere around him. He was grunting and breathed heavily, his eyes were focused on the small illuminated area in front of him. But he stopped when he arrived at the hill. He had to take a very deep breath while looking down and see the big oak at its ground. It was here, his father slipped running down this hill and broke his neck at this tree. He could see the little wooden cross they placed there, the flowers were long gone and the candles had faded out. A few second ago it was impossible to stop this stallion, but now his legs were shaking and he felt the cold sweat in his neck. He could still turn around and go back, no pony would judge him, they would be happy to see him again, and maybe the yellow mare had enough vigor left to survive through the storm.

If somepony entered Ponyville from the direction of Sweet Apple Acres the first thing he saw was the school building, the second was the post office. The first inhabited house was the one of the Horse Family, Doctor Horse Senior was a well-known doctor in town, people entrusted him with their beloved relatives and trusted his skills. His son was on the best way to became a very good doctor too, still a bit green behind his ears, but very ambitious. When the storm had started, both of them were at home, the fire was very warm and the closed doors and windows were keeping the cold outside. Mrs. Horse was already asleep and Doctor Horse wanted to follow her soon. Horse Junior was reading a book about heart operations, he studied hard to keep getting better and better, he wanted to impress his girlfriend Redheart. Nopony in the house had expected what was happening next, a heavy knocking on the door.

“The hay is that?” mumbled Horse Senior looking at the door “what crazy gelding is out there in such weather!? Junior? Go and open the door!”

“Yes, Sir!” Junior jumped up to follow his dad's order. He opens the door and was scared like never before. There was a big stallion, covered in mud and blood, looking at him with ice-cold eyes.

Horse Senior was looking at McIntosh apple, it was a long time since he last saw the son of his dead friend Red Delicious “Are you crazy Lil’Mac?” he asked “come in! You will catch a cold out there! The hay are you doing in a storm like this!?”

Mac had no time to talk, he suffered a lot on his way to this house. “We need your help.”

“What?” Doctor Horse put his glasses back on “you mean at Sweet Apple Acres?”

“I found a mare. She is wounded, has a high fever and a broken wing I think…” Macintosh was breathing heavy, little white clouds came out of his nose.

“Didn’t you notice the weather? I can't come to Sweet Apple Acres before the storm ends.”

“Nope.” Mac stepped aside, so the Horses could see the small carriage wagon.

“That’s a joke, right?” Doctor Horse raised a brow “now come in boy! Son? Make a big pot of tea for him, we will go after the end of the Storm.” He turned his back on Mac, it was impossible to go now.

“Hey!” when McIntosh yelled both Horses looked at him, he looked with anger at the Doctor, Horse never saw Red’s little boy when he was in anger. Doctor Horse never thought that he could get mad. “My Pa” Big Macs voice was strong “my pa trusted you…”

It was silent in the room, the only sound came from the storm outside. Junior looked at his father, then at McIntosh, of course, he knew what happened the night when the Apple Parents died. Why did Mac say something like this? He blamed Junior's father for Red’s death, was he that bold?

Junior just wanted to kick this red bastard out of his house, but Horse Senior stopped him “get my Medication case, Junior.”

Junior looked at his father with big eyes “S-sir?”

“We don’t have much time Junior!”

The wagon was small and old, enough to carry a load, but usually not comfortable enough for passengers. Doctor Horse just got inside the carriage, it was cold, but the awning protected him from the wind and rain. His driver, McIntosh Apple, seemed to have no problem with the storm, the mud from his fur was washed away by the rain, like the blood out of his small wounds. Horse Junior had problems carrying his case to the carriage, the small passage from the door to the wagon seemed like a mile through hell. He put the case next to his father and closed the door of the wagon behind both of them.

“What are you doing son?” Horse Senior raised one of his brows.

“I won’t let you go alone, Sir.” Junior nod

Senior just sighed “A bit help is always welcome.”

The Carriage was a lot heavier on the way back, two ponies plus the medical equipment made it difficult to pull the wagon through the mud and the storm. The two stallions under the awning were surprised by McIntosh’s zeal. Mac seemed to have no problem with the weight, Junior never saw such an example of physical strength in his life.

“How does he do that?” asked Junior his father.

“He is just like his father. Hold on to something Junior.”

McIntosh had his aim before eyes, Sweet Apple Acres wasn’t far away.

When he saw the hill, where his father died, he started yelling “I beat you one time! I'll do it again!” passing the oak, that broke his father’s neck, was like passing his shadow, it was a more mental obstacle than a physical. The way up was way more difficult than down. He sank to his knees in the street, the road was pure mud and every step was even harder work than before. He wheezed and trembled, his muscles were burning and screaming, but half through his way, the strength left him, he fell and the carriage pulled him slowly back to the oak. McIntosh sunk slowly in the mud, his whole body was hurting, blood was seeping out from his legs, his vision became a blur, he could hear Doctor Horse and his son behind him.

“Dad, we must help him!”

“Stop it, son! We can’t leave this carriage! He knew about the risks.”

This is my Limit? I always thought I could do more. Big Macs mind slowly became numb, the burning inside his muscles give away for a nice warm deadness. I did fail. Big Mac closed his eyes. He couldn’t feel the cold rain and the wind anymore, or his heavy body slowly sinking deeper and deeper.

“What are you doing there!?” a loud deep voice woke him up again, he knew this voice. He opened his eyes again and saw this well-known red fur and mane of Red Delicious. “It’s no time for a nap. Get up you lazy bum!”

“Pa? Am I, dead?”

“Nope.”

“So, what is happening?”

“You have to fight, they need you. You have to pull this carriage back to the farm! Because I wasn’t able to do this.”

“But it’s too heavy, I can't do this! I am a failure! I'm still a kid! I don’t even have a cutie mark.”

“No, you aren’t! Listen to me son, you can do this! We didn’t raise you to give up!”

“But,”

“No! You have to remember why you are doing this! You have to protect them! That’s your mission, nopony else can do this! It is your task to be big and strong for anypony who couldn't do that! You are BigMcIntosh Apple!”

“I am?”

“Sure! I am proud of you and its time you make me proud one more time! So do you need help with this?”

McIntosh looked up from the muddy ground, his muscles were still burning, but somehow he found new strength “Nope, that’s my mission, Pa?” he looked around, but nopony was there. Did he really talk to his father? Did he lose his mind? That wasn’t important anymore. “My Name is BigMcIntosh Apple!” he stood up again “and I will protect them! All of them!”

He starts moving, his aching muscles were pumped to the rim and with every move he had more and more strength. His strong legs pulled the heavy carriage through the mud and when he was near the hill’s top his flank begun to shine in a white light. Doctor Horse was blinded by the light and when he could see again he saw the biggest Cutie Mark ever on McIntosh's Flank, it looked like a green apple, a huge green apple.

Back at sweet apple acres Apple Jack was still worried and walked up and down. The strange yellow mare on the sofa was still suffering from her fever while Granny smith kept changing the cold cloths on her forehead. Doctor Whooves was holding the baby, little Apple Bloom couldn’t stay asleep, so somepony had to rock and feed her, but AJ was way too excited to hold a little foal right now.

AJ snapped and sighed, annoyed “Where the hay is he!?” she stomped hard on the ground, hard enough that the wooden floor had to shake a little and a bowl fell from the table to the ground.

The loud crash scared little Apple Bloom and the foal screamed and cried again, she even lost her pacifier. Hooves needed just a few seconds to put a new one in her little pony mouth and rock her slightly “hey, hey, little sugar cube, everything is fine right now, uncle Hooves is here.” The filly slowly calmed down “and you too Apple Jack! Stop worrying so much, have trust in your big brother. We are talking about Lil’mac, he is tough.”

Right then the door was slammed open and Big McIntosh Apple entered the house, followed by Doctor Horse Senior and his son. Apple Jack made a jump and fling her hooves around her brother’s neck “Mac!!” she had tears in her eyes “you made it! You stupid big chump!” her words were drowned in tears. Big McIntosh just clasp one arm around her and nodded, he was never good with words, so this was everything he could do right now. His body was still trembling and shaking, but he had still enough strength left to hold her.

The doctor went past them to his patient, his son behind him with his huge Doctor's bag. “We are just in time.” He mumbled and his horn began to glow, his magic lifting out some of his medical tools. Junior never saw his father with such a serious face. Junior remembered how affected his father was when he heard of Red’s and Lady’s death, he was the family’s doctor and couldn’t help them. But now it seems like he had the chance to relieve his fault.

“I think there is nothing more we can do now.” Said Hooves, “let the doctor do his work.” He was looking at Big McIntosh because the big red stallion was still very worried about her. Whooves put a hoof on Mac’s shoulder “hey man, there is nothing more you can do, you did a great job. Hey! What is that?” Doc Hooves just saw McIntosh’s cutie mark “Dude! Is that your cutie mark? It is huge! Congratulations!”

Mac looked down, till now he didn’t notice his cutie mark, he was waiting very long for this moment, but now the only thing in his mind was to save this little yellow mare. “Eeyup.”

“What is this? A green apple? Means you are good at planting green apples?”

“Nope…” he had to think a bit, and after a while, he said, “it means I have to be big and strong to protect my folks.”

Author's Note:

Oh man, this whole part here went way longer than I had in mind! I think I should pace up the speed of this story a little bit? Well we will see about this ^^

Comments

[jcalva5]

I'm still reading your story. ?

[jcalva5]

Sorry for the "?"; pressed the wrong key.

[KTPony]

i am enjoy ing you story very much !!!!!!

[Akataja]

thank you guys,
its nice to know that somepony likes this :)

otherwise i had to write it just for me :D