15. The Flu
The Flu
Mac stared at the envelope for a few long seconds. He couldn't help himself. Ever since Ditzy delivered it and ever since he read it Macintosh could only gawk at the contents. On the front of the envelope was his address and a return address he didn't recognize. What he did recognize was the signature etched across the envelope flap: Fancy Pants. In a grand epiphany Macintosh realized exactly why Rarity and Octavia wanted to be there when he opened the invitation.
But that wasn't the only invitation he received. Beside it was a similar envelope with Octavia's signature. Big Macintosh shook his head and quickly slid both letters into one of his dresser drawers. Right now he had bigger things to worry about. The sun had finally risen and he needed to check up on his sister. Mac quickly headed out of his room and into Applejack's.
One hundred and five degrees. Macintosh shook his head with a sigh as he placed the thermometer back on the nightstand. He replaced the bag of chilled water on Applejack's head with a fresh bag of ice. She shivered with chills and yet her coat was damp with sweat. Her cheeks were flushed bright red, and she could hardly talk because of her sore throat. She could barely move, and it was only after endless prodding that she admitted to feeling continuously nauseous. A clean, two gallon bucket sat beside her bed.
"Sorry, sugarcube, looks like this ain't going away anytime soon," Mac said. He stroked her mane to comfort her, and it seemed to make her relax a little. "Good thing Applebloom and Granny Smith are out visiting family. Last thing Ah'd want is for them to catch this."
"The farm," Applejack said, her voice barely more than a raspy whisper. "The family reunion."
"Don't worry about any of that. The reunion's on the weekend, plenty of time for you to get better. The farm'll be fine too," Mac said. "Ah'll get all the chores done, Ah promise."
Applejack shook her head with a grimace. "Don't," she said.
Big Mac shook his head. Sick or not Applejack was determined to keep him off the farm. Unlike in the past, however, Macintosh actually didn't really mind. "Fine, then Ah'll just take care of you. Ah'll make ya some soup. The Apple Family Specialty. The way Granny Smith makes it. That'll fix you right up." Macintosh gave her a smile, but Applejack only responded with another weak shake of her head.
"Get Fluttershy," she managed to say. Macintosh's smile quickly faded and all he could do was look at her.
"C'mon now, AJ," he said, forcing his smile back into place. "Ain't no reason to bother Fluttershy about this. Ah'm your brother, and family takes care of each other. So just get some sleep and I'll get started on some soup." Applejack shook her head and struggled to say more, but the more she struggled the lower her eyelids fell until they closed in sleep. Big Macintosh chuckled and headed to the kitchen. He wasn't going to bother with her request. What could she possibly do if he didn't? Sure she would probably have some choice words for him when she got better, but he would worry about that later.
Why did she even want Fluttershy anyway? He didn't have her affinity with animals, sure, but he could take care of a sick pony as well as anybody, especially if that sick pony was part of his family. He would prove just that with the soup he would make. The recipe had been in the family since the days before Ponyville even existed, and its restorative powers were legend amongst the Apple clan. He was absolutely sure once Applejack had a bowl she would be up and running within the hour. He'd like to see Fluttershy do that. No offense to her of course.
Once in the kitchen he quickly got to work taking out all the pots and pans he would need to complete the dozen or so steps required to make the soup. Knives and chopping boards and ladles, all of these were placed at the table ready to work. Now the only thing that remained were the actual ingredients. Opening the fridge he went to retrieve...nothing. That was all that was there. He quickly went to the cupboards to find more of the same. Damn, in all his determination to feed Applejack he had completely forgotten that they were all out of food. Looks like he would have to go get groceries.
-*-
"You really need this celery, huh?"
"Eeyup," Big Mac told the produce stallion, the last ribs of celery bundled together on the counter between them. "Just like you really need your jaw in one piece," he added. The salespony accepted three bits for the celery, the original price.
Satisfied, Big Mac tucked away the celery into his saddlebags along with the other vegetables and ingredients he had gathered at the market. By this time his bags were bursting at the seams, mostly filled with tomatoes. He only needed ginger now, so he traveled around the marketplace for Golden Harvest. She was definitely no slouch when it came to growing carrots, but only the ponies of Ponyville knew that she was also fond of growing a bit of ginger as well. He finally found the orange-maned mare standing behind a stand, only one ginger root on her counter. Big Mac walked as fast as he could without looking ridiculous. He got to the counter at the same time as a familiar mare with a pink mane and a yellow coat.
"Mornin' Miss Shy," Big Macintosh said. "Here for ginger?" He didn't know exactly what he would do if she said yes. He was pretty sure he could take her on if he had to, rumors of bear-wrestling aside. It wouldn't be the first time things got a bit heated at the market. Of course, he could simply split the root with her, but he'd need more than half of it for the recipe. He wanted to make a large enough batch to last a few days.
Fluttershy nodded. "Angel Bunny wants me to make him a carrot cake, and I'm missing ginger. I want to feed him before I go visit Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, and Rarity. I'm sorry, but I really need that ginger." Even in her soft voice Macintosh could hear the resolve within it. He was quite surprised that her voice had the capacity to demand anything, at least, he was almost sure that she was demanding it.
"Sorry, Miss Shy, but Ah'm gonna need more than half that ginger to make a soup for Applejack. She's—" Macintosh quickly bit his tongue. He wasn't sure whether to tell her the truth. It might cause her to offer to come by the farmstead in a sincere, though unwanted, act of kindness. After a split second, he decided to hide nothing from her. After all, it wasn't as if she knew Applejack would prefer it if Fluttershy took care of her. "—well she's sick, and Ah'm taking care of her," Mac finally finished.
"Oh I'm sorry," Fluttershy said. "Is it the flu? It's been spreading lately. I think it started with Pinkie."
"That so?" he asked. An idea was churning in his head, fueled by curiosity. He wondered again why his sister would prefer the pegasus' care over his own, but now he had an opportunity to find out through first hand experience. "Do you need any help, Miss Shy?" If he could learn something, learn that vital piece of information that separated him and Fluttershy as caregivers, then he could do an even better job of looking after his family.
Fluttershy seemed unsure at first. "Oh, I couldn't take you away from Applejack when she needs you most."
Macintosh chuckled half-heartedly. "Don't worry, Miss Shy, she doesn't need me. Applejack's asleep, and Ah wouldn't want to disturb her. Besides, Ah can make soup for everypony, and they'll be up and at 'em in no time. Just you wait." He gave her his best smile. Between it and his reasoning, Fluttershy's doubts seemed to ease quite a bit.
"Well, um, if you think it's okay. Do you want me to help you make the soup? I only need a tablespoon of ginger for the cake."
"Sure," Mac said. "Ah gotta get some things boilin' anyway." He paid Golden Harvest, who was waiting patiently all the while, and took the ginger. He broke off a piece and gave some to Fluttershy. "How 'bout you meet me at the farmstead after you're done with breakfast."
Fluttershy nodded, thanked him for the ginger, and the two went their separate ways, for now. Macintosh had a lot of work to do. Making the Apple family's legendary soup was a time consuming process. Thankfully, it was still early in the morning. If he hurried he could serve it as a late brunch. He snickered quietly at himself. Brunch? Maybe he was spending too much time around Rarity.
The trip home was a quick one, and as soon as Mac was in the kitchen he began to lay out all the ingredients on the table along with the cookware. The first thing he did was fill the Apple family's second largest stew pot with water and put it on the stove to boil. Then he dumped in every single tomato he had bought. He covered the pot and quickly headed up the stairs to check on his little sister. He gently pushed open her door and found her soundly sleeping. With a smile he closed the door and went back to the kitchen. He had to get chopping.
He had just rinsed and peeled the onions when Mac heard the front door open and close. The sound was so soft that he wasn't sure he heard anything at all at first. Fluttershy stood at the entryway of the kitchen until Mac invited her in.
"Howdy, Miss Shy," he said. "Just about to chop these vegetables. Wanna help?" he asked.
"Okay," she said as she unloaded her saddlebags onto an empty corner of the kitchen, "but, um, maybe I should check on Applejack while I'm here."
"Ah just checked on her," Mac said quickly. "She's still asleep, and Ah don't think bargin' into her room is gonna do her any good." The last part came out a little harsher than he intended, causing her to shrink back behind her mane. An awkward silence followed, one that Mac was eager to break.
"Now Miss Shy," he said with a much lighter tone, "before Ah continue cookin' this soup Ah need ya to promise that you won't speak a word to anypony about what ingredients Ah use and how Ah use 'em. This soup's a secret Apple family recipe, and Ah'm trustin' you to keep it a secret. Especially from Pinkie Pie," Mac said with a chuckle. "If she found out Ah let you in on a recipe she'll start pesterin' me for my apple pie recipe."
"Oh, I see," Fluttershy said with a nod. "Do you want me to Pinkie Promise?"
"That won't be necessary Miss Shy," Mac said, "Ah trust yer word well enough." The pot lid began to rattle and let off steam. "Why don't you take care of these onions while I check on that?" Fluttershy only nodded before taking his place at the table. "Make sure you mince them real fine."
The silence continued after that, but this time it felt much more relaxed. The kind of silence between friends that didn't need to be filled up with extraneous words. Mac smiled a little as he fished out the tomatoes with a wire strainer. He flung them into a large bowl of ice water before grabbing some salt and sprinkling a bit into the hot water and taking it off the heat.
Peeling the tomatoes proved an easy task, as well as pulverizing them with a large fork. He forced the mash through the wire strainer to remove the seeds, and added the pulp and juice back to the hot water.
Joining Fluttershy at the table, he brought a cutting board laden with cucumbers toward him. He was in the middle of peeling and seeding them when Fluttershy asked a question.
"Big Macintosh, are you making gazpacho?"
"Something like that," he said. "Ah'm gonna serve it cold, but Ah'd be surprised if anypony calls it that."
"Oh," Fluttershy said, "but wouldn't a hot soup be better?"
Mac smiled. "This soup is hot, Miss Shy." He was expecting the confused look on her face. "Trust me, this recipe's been passed down from my great-grandmother to Granny Smith to my mom to Applejack and me. It'll work, ain't no doubt about that." After mincing the cucumbers he mashed them the same as the tomatoes and added the juice and pulp to the pot.
"Go ahead and add those onions to the pot, maybe mash 'em up a little with that fork. We wanna get as much liquid out of the vegetables as possible," Mac said. Fluttershy did so and added the onions to the cooling liquid. Along to go into the pot were red bell peppers, garlic, one small beet, the ginger, and a couple of large apples. All of them cut, crushed, and mashed as best as they could be. Mac then added vinegar, olive oil, the juice of several limes, and the rind of three lemons. When the concoction was nice and cool, Mac knew it was time to add the penultimate ingredient. He went to a carton of eggs on the table, grabbed two small bowls, and started cracking and separating.
"Eggs?" Futtershy asked, watching him.
"Egg whites," Mac said, A dozen eggs later he started to whisk the egg whites vigorously until they just started to foam up a bit. He then stirred it into the now cold liquid, and placed the pot back onto the heat of the stove. Now came the hardest part: stirring. From now until the soup came to an energetic simmer, and even after that if he had to, until the egg had rose to the surface to create a net where most of the sediment and debris would be caught. Then he repositioned the pot so only one side was being heated.
Fluttershy watched the whole process intently, forgetting herself so much that she took to the air to get a better look at the cooking pot's contents. Mac scraped the sides of the pot to dislodge any coagulated egg, and removed the ladle in preparation for the next step of the process.
"That's not how you make gazpacho," Fluttershy mumbled to herself. It was said more thoughtfully than critically, so, even though Mac knew she didn't mean for him to hear, he decided to answer her.
"Told ya it wasn't really that kind of soup," he said with a smile. "More like a consommé Ah guess, but Ah ain't one for names. It is what it is, that's all it is. Now it's been simmering for about an hour and a half, so Ah'm gonna get the washtub."
"Washtub?" Fluttershy repeated, never touching the ground.
"Eeyup, Apple family tradition states that anypony that helped cook has to take a bath in the kitchen." Fluttershy's eyes suddenly widened, and she dropped to the ground, her wings frozen in shock. Macintosh had to bite his tongue in order to not break into laughter. "Ah'm kiddin' Miss Shy, we don't use it to wash," he said, and the pegasus relaxed.
In the corner of the kitchen was indeed a large washtub, grey and shining. He brought it in front of the stove and set the Apple family's third largest cooking pot in its center. Over the pot he placed a fine mesh strainer large enough to completely cover the pot. Cheesecloth came next. Two layers. Then he filled the washtub to the brim with ice, salt, and water.
Fluttershy kept watching. "What are you going to do now?" she asked.
"Strain it of course," Mac said. He went to the soup pot, took the ladle, carefully pushed aside the skin of egg on the surface, and started ladling the liquid into the cloth-lined strainer. The small thunk of drops of soup were the only assurance that the process was doing its work.
It was slow going, but Mac was patient. Even when he had to replace the cheesecloth, clogged with pulp, with fresh sheets. Finally the last of the soup was drained, and Mac pulled away the strainer to get a good look at the soup. The liquid was a dark ruby red, yet so clear that it allowed Mac and Fluttershy to see the small scratches and dents on the pot's bottom.
"It's beautiful," Fluttershy said. Macintosh felt quite proud of himself. Not every pony could make a soup that others would call beautiful.
"One last thing," Mac said. He went to a cabinet and took out a large glass bottle, quarter filled with a crystal clear liquid. "This is what makes the soup so special. This was made by my great-grandmother herself." He uncorked the bottle. "Wanna give it a whiff?" he asked. A curious Fluttershy stepped closer to the bottle. "Careful, it's strong stuff." Fluttershy nodded but kept her focus on the bottle. She brought her nose to its opening, and immediately cringed and snapped back and back and back until her backside bumped into the kitchen wall. She rubbed her nose with her front hooves, as if trying to forcibly push the smell away.
Big Macintosh tried to stifle his laughter, but it was no easy task. He would feel almost guilty if she didn't look so cute. Still, he supposed he should take it easy on her. Sensitive as she was.
It took a minute for Fluttershy to recover. "Wh-what is that?" she asked, her eyes watering.
"Ah don't rightfully know," Mac said. "My great-grandma took the recipe with her to the grave. From what Ah can tell it's a bunch of oils or extracts mixed together." He brought the elixir to his nose and inhaled deeply. "Apple cider vinegar, mint, peppercorns, cumin, hot peppers--bonnets Ah think--clove, anise, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Plus some other smells Ah don't rightly recognize."
"You can smell all that?" Fluttershy asked. "I only smell...spice."
"Takes getting' used to," Mac said, "but Ah swear it gets stronger every time Ah use it. Ah've tried recreating it, but not much luck there. Got more talent in liquor than in extracts." He gave her a shrug and tipped the bottle over the pot. "Three drops." He added the extract and replaced the cork. "That should do it."
"Do you like to cook?" Fluttershy asked.
Macintosh smiled. "My earliest memory is watching my mom make this for baby Applejack. Cooking's as much a part of bein' an Apple as applebucking. 'Course, just like applebuckin', that doesn't mean every Apple's good at it." He looked at the soup and gave it a quick stir with a clean ladle. "Wanna try it?" he asked, holding up a ladle full of soup. Fluttershy stared at it, then at him, until giving a nod and stepping closer. Mac had to admit, the mare had guts. He wasn't sure she'd be willing to try the soup after having such a reaction to the extract mixture.
Fluttershy took a sip and for a second she smiled at the flavor. It didn't last long before a sudden coughing fit racked her small frame. Mac quickly gave her a clean dishtowel to cough into.
"Don't worry," he said, "it's doin' exactly what it's supposed to do." After the coughing stopped, a sneezing fit took its place. She sneezed into the dishcloth, and Macintosh noted how soft her sneezes were. Finally the sneezing stopped and Fluttershy was able to breathe easy again. Once she did her eyes widened a bit, and she brought a hoof to her throat. She breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly.
"It...my throat feels so clear," she said.
Macintosh smiled. "Eeyup. If ya had a stuffed up nose or head it'd clear that too." He grabbed a bowl and filled it almost to the brim with the red soup. "Ah'm gonna take this to Applejack. Can you do me a favor? Ah set out some containers with snap lids. If you could start fillin' them with soup, we can start deliverin' them."
"Oh, okay," Fluttershy said. "Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"
"It's fine, Miss Shy," he said. "Ah'll be back in less than a minute." He went up the stairs, not bothering to listen to Fluttershy's reply if she had one, and softly knocked on Applejack's door. When no answer came he opened it and invited himself in. She was still asleep, the ice compress melted on her head. Smiling, Mac gently placed the bowl on her nightstand, ready to be eaten when she woke up. He removed the bag of melted ice and gave her a quick kiss on her forehead before heading out and rejoining Fluttershy. He helped her finish filling the rest of the containers and tucked them into his saddlebags. Upon Fluttershy's request he also fitted a few bowls into her saddlebags, as much as he didn't want to.
"Who should we see first?" Macintosh asked as he placed the last bowl inside her pack.
"Pinkie Pie," she said. "She's been sick the longest, and it doesn't look like she's getting a lot better."
Macintosh nodded and led the way out of the farm and toward Ponyville. The way there was spent in easy silence, neither one of them finding much reason to speak. Just as Mac predicted, it was a little before noon when they headed out. Despite his heavy load, Mac kept to a brisk pace. The colder the soup was served the better. Thankfully, the walk to Sugarcube Corner was short, and in no time at all Fluttershy knocked on the front door of the confectionery, even though the sign on the door said it was open. The knock seemed more to announce their presence, as the two didn't wait for anyone to answer or let them in.
Mr. Cake stood behind the shop's counter and greeted Fluttershy and Macintosh kindly. "Hey there you two," he said. "I guess you're here to see Pinkie Pie?"
"Eeyup," Mac said. "Got some soup that'll fix her up right as rain."
"Where's Mrs. Cake and the twins?" Fluttershy asked.
"At my mother's," Mr. Cake said. "The last thing we need is for the twins to catch this. Pinkie's in her room resting. I'm sure she'll be happy to see both of you."
Macintosh nodded and took the opportunity to set down his bags. Fluttershy soon did the same. He took out one of the small, lidded bowls and handed it to the pegasus. "You mind putting these packs in your fridge?" Macintosh asked Mr. Cake. "Ah wanna keep them as cold as possible."
"Uh, sure," he said, "but what kind of soup do you drink cold?"
"Sorry, Carrot, that's an Apple family secret," Mac answered with a chuckle. "C'mon Fluttershy."
The pair, led by Fluttershy, went up the stairs to the second floor. Macintosh had never been up here before, so he relied on the pegasus to show the way. Fluttershy went up to one door in particular and knocked softly.
"Come in," Pinkie's weak voice answered. They entered, and Mac took a quick scan around the room. Well, how surprised could he be about all the pink, or the party supplies strewn about? Pinkie was wrapped inside her blanket, only her head and forehooves visible. Her face broke into a smile when she realized who had come to visit her, but that smile was nowhere near as wide as Mac was used to. It was slightly unnerving to see such a weak grin from her, like a flag at half-staff.
"Hey Fluttershy," Pinkie said. Macintosh didn't think she noticed him. Heck, with how sick she was he was surprised she could recognize Fluttershy. Pinkie tried to get up, but was too weak to do much of anything. Macintosh kept quiet at the edge of the room. This was his chance to finally see what Fluttershy did when caring for a sick pony, and he wasn't going to let it pass by. He stayed by the door as Fluttershy approached with the bowl of soup.
"How are you feeling today?" Fluttershy asked.
"Pretty good," Pinkie replied. "Better than yesterday. Is that soup?"
"It is," Fluttershy said. "Big Macintosh made it."
Pinkie Pie looked around the room until she caught sight of the stallion. "Oh hey, Mackey," she said. "I thought you were Applejack."
Big Mac quirked an eyebrow. "Why'd you think that?"
"You smell different," Pinkie said. "You smell only kind of like apples, and Applejack really smells like apples. It's weird. Did you two decide to switch smells or something?"
"Yes, Pinkie," Mac said with a smile, "we were bored with our smells so we decided to trade."
"Wow, can you switch smells with me? I always wanted to smell like apples," Pinkie said.
Well, it looked as if being sick for a few days couldn't stop Pinkie Pie's unique brand of humor, or maybe it was because of the flu that she seemed a little...strange (more so than usual, at least).
"Here, drink this," Fluttershy said as she gave her friend the bowl of soup.
Pinkie nodded, but she didn't drink it right away. "It looks like gelatin before you put it in the fridge," she said with a smile, softly shaking the bowl to see the red liquid slosh around. Fluttershy waited patiently for Pinkie to stop playing with her food and finally drink it down in one gulp.
Pinkie Pie licked her lips. "Mmm, that was delicious. What's in--" A coughing fit overtook her just as it did Fluttershy, and Macintosh quickly handed Pinkie a handkerchief for her to cough in. The coughing lasted a few seconds before the sneezing began. Once the dust had settled Pinkie wiped her nose and took a deep breath. Then another and another.
"Hey! I can breathe through my nose again! And my throat doesn't hurt so much. This is awesome! I feel like I could..." she trailed off as she threw her blanket off and hopped to her hooves. She tried a couple of bounces before her legs wobbled too much for her to continue. The rush wore off and she fell to the floor, as weak as ever in her ill state.
"Sorry, Pinkie," Mac said. He helped her up back on her bed. "It ain't a cure, much as Ah brag about it, it just clears up your head, nose, and throat. Just makes being sick a bit more manageable."
"Oh well," Pinkie said, "at least I feel better. So did anything new happen in Ponyville? Did I miss anything?"
"Not really," Fluttershy said, "but Applejack, Rarity, and Twilight are sick too now."
The two continued their conversation for a while longer, switching to topics that he really had no interest in. A few times the talk went to recipes and baking, and Macintosh kept an open ear then. Most of the time, though, Mac spent looking intently at Fluttershy in an attempt to mentally catalog everything she did. From fetching a bag of ice to place on Pinkie's forehead, to adjusting the blanket to make sure she was comfortable. Fluttershy soon noticed him and shrank back from the weight of his gaze. "Uh, Macintosh? Is there something wrong?"
Big Mac blinked a few times. His expression might have been a bit too serious now that he thought about it. "Sorry Miss Shy, Ah was just...thinkin'." Fluttershy accepted his explanation and went back to attend to Pinkie. Meanwhile, Mac tried not to stare at her anymore and looked around at the interesting knick-knacks and doo-dads around the room. A slip of paper sticking out one of her drawers caught his eye, his name written across the top of the piece of loose leaf. He looked over at the two mares, now into their conversation, and casually sneaked closer to the drawer. Pinkie Pie noticed immediately.
"Mackey! Don't look at that," she said, a bit louder than he was expecting.
"Look at what?" Mac asked innocently. "Oh you mean this paper? Why not? Got my name on it. How do Ah know it ain't some mail you accidentally got?"
"It's not!" Pinkie said. Macintosh ignored her and got the slip of paper between his teeth and took it from the drawer. Instantly Pinkie Pie jumped from her bed in a burst of reserved energy and tried to get at the paper. With a smile Macintosh held it just above her reach, but the pink pony persisted.
"Oh, Pinkie Pie," Fluttershy called out in an attempt to break up the two. "Stop, you need to rest." It was no use, and in a last ditch effort Pinkie climbed up on his back and tried to reach the paper that way. Mac simply reared up, forcing her to grip his neck to keep from falling on the floor. Meanwhile, Fluttershy had taken a more physical approach to get Pinkie into bed rest. She grabbed Pinkie's cotton candy tail with her teeth and gave it one forceful tug. While it wasn't enough to pull Pinkie off of the farm stallion, it was enough to get him off balance.
They fell in a heap--Pinkie on top of Mac and Mac on top of Fluttershy--all dazed from the impact. The paper flittered to the ground seconds after. Pinkie leapt to grab it first.
"Ha! I got it, I got it," she shouted, but her victory didn't last long before the adrenaline wore off. With wobbling legs she braced herself against her dresser. She moaned in pain and the note fell back to the ground. She stumbled, and Mac quickly ducked his head beneath her stomach to stabilize her.
"Back into bed," Fluttershy said gently as she half led and half carried Pinkie to bed. The pegasus then sighed and placed a hoof on Pinkie's forehead. "Don't strain yourself." Macintosh, meanwhile, took a look at the note and found a shopping list. He began to read aloud.
"Five hundred balloons, one hundred bags of streamers, two Ferris wheels, one elephant, one elephant rider, three cannons, a barrel of butter..." The list went on and on, each entry more outlandish than the last.
"Mackey," Pinkie groaned. "It's supposed to be a surprise."
"A surprise?" Mac repeated. "Pinkie, is this list for that 'thank you' party yer throwing for me?" He stepped up to her bed and gave her the slip of paper. Pinkie Pie looked it over and nodded, which only made Mac chuckle. "Ah told ya Ah didn't want a big party."
"Are you sure?" Pinkie asked. "I was going to invite everypony in Ponyville and some ponies from Canterlot too. It was going to be, like, a huge party with tons of cake and games and--"
"Ah'm sure," Mac said. "One cake, seven ponies, including me. Ah'd be much happier with that. Maybe we could have it at Twilight's library or at Sweet Apple Acres."
"Well...if you're sure," she crumpled up the note and threw it in a nearby wastebasket. She sighed and sank into her pillow, looking none too happy about his decision.
Mac gave her an assuring smile. "Sugarcube, it doesn't matter whether the party is big or small. So long as you're throwing it it'll be fun."
Pinkie smiled softly. "I guess so." Her eyelids started to lower and she whispered a tired sigh. "I'm just sick and tired of being sick and tired. I missed so many birthdays and anniversaries and first words and...and...other stuff." She yawned and stared up at the ceiling. "I haven't seen ponies smiling in forever." Pinkie yawned again, and Fluttershy patted her mane and took the now empty bowl from her bed. She raised the blanket up to the pink mare's neck and tucked her in tightly.
"Get some rest, Pinkie," Fluttershy whispered.
Macintosh couldn't stand to see Pinkie like this. He had to do something, anything, to make her feel better. But what could he do? It wasn't as if he knew how to make her happy. He looked around the room for anything to help and stopped when he spotted a pencil and some paper on her dresser. He quickly went to it, scribbled a bit, and headed for the door with the pencil and paper. "I'll be right back," he managed to say just before running down the hall, down the stairs, and out of Sugarcube Corner.
He couldn't remember the last time he ran so fast, or talked to so many ponies. Anyone he could find out on the street he asked to sign the paper. Some ponies he knew or recognized, some recognized him, and other had no idea who he was nor did Mac know anything of them. But they all knew Pinkie, and they all signed the piece of paper Mac brought them with only the scantest bit of explanation. Big Macintosh collected as many signatures as he could from everyone he could find, and only when it seemed he collected the signatures of every pony in a half mile radius did he head back to Sugarcube Corner, as quick as ever.
"Pinkie, Ah—" Fluttershy shushed him as soon as he entered Pinkie's room. Amidst catching his breath Mac noticed that Pinkie Pie had fallen asleep in his absence, and his heart immediately sank. "Oh," he whispered. He went up beside Fluttershy and dropped the paper and pencil in front of her. "You wanna sign?" he asked her. "Ah wanted to give her this when she was awake, but..." he trailed off as Fluttershy looked at the paper.
"Oh, Macintosh, this is so sweet," she said with a smile. She signed the paper, folded it just a bit, and stood it on Pinkie's nightstand. "She'll be very happy to see this." In the middle of the page ran the words "You Make Me Smile" surrounded by dozens of signatures, some with a small message to get well soon.
"We should go," Fluttershy whispered, and Macintosh followed her out of Pinkie's room and down the stairs.
Mr. Cake was still working behind the counter when Fluttershy and Mac came back down to the shop floor. He left the counter as soon as they descended and came up to them. "She's getting a lot better," Fluttershy said. "We had to stop her from getting too excited," she added with a small smile.
"That's good to hear," Mr. Cake said. "I knew having you around would cheer her up. Uh, you want your pack back, Mac?"
"Eeyup," Macintosh said, unable to come up with a pithy rhyme to answer with. Mr. Cake went to the back and appeared again with Mac's saddlebags still full with bowls of soup. Mr. Cake lifted them up and placed them on the counter. "The soup really did the trick," Mac said as he took a few bowls out of his bags. "Ah'll leave this here for her in case she wants more." Mr. Cake nodded his thanks, and after a quick goodbye Fluttershy and Macintosh were on their way again.
"I'm sure she'll love the card," Fluttershy said as they stepped out. The air was getting hotter as the sun climbed the sky, and Macintosh worried about his soup.
"Ah hope so," Mac said with a sigh. "Pinkie's a real special mare. Knowing that a pony can care that much about making other ponies happy kinda makes me feel...relieved, and if Ah can make her feel even half of the happiness she makes, well, that'd be something."
"I'm sure Pinkie appreciates the thought," Fluttershy said, "but I think just visiting her would make her day. Pinkie told me once that sometimes the best thing a friend can do is be around to make everything better. The good and the bad."
Macintosh smiled. "Ah guess that makes sense. So who's next?" he asked.
"The Carousel Boutique isn't too far," Fluttershy said, her face a smile. "How about we visit Rarity?"
"Sounds good," Mac said. "Sorry for gettin' Pinky all riled up," he added. "Probably wasn't the best thing for her."
"It's okay," Fluttershy said. "I'm glad that she was so energetic today. The flu has had her really depressed since she can't be around other ponies without getting them sick, but, um, I guess you saw that. I try to visit her everyday, but I've been really busy." She sighed and looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry," she said, almost to herself.
Mac smiled just a bit. "You keep apologizing to the air you ain't gonna have time to take care of your friends."
Fluttershy gave him the faintest smile, and the pair continued in silence to the Boutique. They arrived in no time, and, just like at Sugarcube Corner, Fluttershy knocked on the door. They were greeted immediately by Rarity's voice.
"I'm closed today," she shouted loud enough for Mac and Fluttershy to hear.
"Rarity, it's Fluttershy," Fluttershy said. "I'm here to help you get better."
"No! Go away. I'm hideous!"
Mac and Fluttershy exchanged worried glances. "She gets...cranky when she's sick," Fluttershy explained. Macintosh didn't need much to believe it. To give Fluttershy a helping hoof, he stepped forward and spoke through the door.
"Rarity, it's Mac," he began. "Ah got some soup here that'll fix ya right up."
"Go away!" Rarity yelled. "Don't you have another mare to take care of?"
Macintosh quirked an eyebrow, utterly confused. "What's Applejack got to do with any of this?" he asked.
"Don't you dare play dumb. You know exactly who I'm talking about."
Macintosh sighed and shook her head. Well, he wasn't exactly pleased that he would have to air all this out in the open. He looked over at Fluttershy who looked about as confused as he was, but at least he had an idea of what Rarity meant. Poor Fluttershy probably knew nothing about this. Unless Rarity told her. "Fluttershy," he said, "would you mind if ya left me alone with the door? Maybe it'd be best for you to head on over to Twilight's while I take care of things here."
Fluttershy's cheeks suddenly grew red. "Oh, um, okay if you two want privacy then..." She trailed off as words failed her, deciding instead to simply nod before heading toward the library before Macintosh had time to explain. He stared at her until she was out of sight and then rolled his eyes as he turned back to the door.
"Rarity," he began, and he took a deep breath, "Ah ain't here to take care of Octavia, and Ah ain't here to take care of Applejack. Ah'm here to take care of you. Now open up this door so Ah can do that." He pressed his ear to the door but heard nothing. After a few long seconds he shook his head. "Fine, Ah'm leaving. But ya know, Ah just got an invitation from Fancy Pants and Ah was thinkin' of takin' part in the auction. Who knows, maybe see if any mares might be interested in bidding on—" He stopped when he heard the quick step of hooves, the clatter of drawers opening and closing, and finally the sound of the door unlocking.
"Come in," Rarity called out, her voice now as sweet as honey. Macintosh shook his head, wondering what she had in store for him, and entered the Boutique. Standing at the entryway was Rarity, made up with so much eyeliner, eye shadow, lipstick, and white powder that he almost didn't recognize her. "Why, Macintosh, what a surprise," she said with a smile.
Macintosh rubbed the side of his head with a hoof. "Get to bed, Rarity," he said.
"I didn't expect you to be so forward," Rarity said with a smirk. Suddenly her cheeks puffed out, and she quickly covered her mouth with a hoof. She ran through the Boutique and up the stairs to where Mac assumed the bathroom lay waiting. Clear, unpleasant sounds of sickness echoed through the Boutique and Macintosh ran a hoof through his mane and started to take a look around. In a closet he found what he was looking for: a bucket that Rarity used to mop. He took a quick mental note just in case. From there, he went into her kitchen and placed a few bowls of soup in her fridge before going back to the workroom. After a few minutes he saw Rarity come back downstairs. Her mascara was running down her cheeks, and her lipstick was smeared. Smudges of red stained her hoof, and her face was deep set into a grimace.
She walked right past him without so much as a glance and headed into her bedroom. Not sure of what else to do, Macintosh followed her. She draped a pink and fluffy robe around her, and plopped herself onto her bed, on her back. She covered her eyes with her lipstick-stained foreleg and said nothing. Macintosh set down his saddlebags and looked around the room, ignoring the plushness of everything. He noticed a box of tissues on her vanity and went to get them. He placed it on top of her nightstand, took one, and started cleaning the red off her hoof and leg.
"Please Macintosh," she said, "I want to be left alone." Despite her words she didn't push him away or try to pull her foreleg from him. Macintosh threw away the tissue and grabbed another. He gently moved her leg away from her face and started cleaning her cheek.
"I like you better without all that junk on your face anyway," Macintosh said.
Rarity gave him just a tiny smile. "You've never seen me without 'junk' on my face."
"Ah'm takin' an educated guess," Mac said. It took several tissues to wipe off all the makeup Rarity had on, and even then he had to go fetch some cold cream from Rarity's vanity to help remove all the makeup. Soon Rarity's wastebasket was filled with tissues. Once finished, Macintosh took a step back and tilted his head. "Maybe a little junk would be better," he said with a smile.
"Very funny," Rarity said dryly. "Since you're here why don't you make yourself useful and make me some soup."
Macintosh smiled. "You know you sound a lot like Octavia when yer sick, except without tryin' to hide an accent." He went over to where he dropped his saddlebags and picked out a small bowl for her.
"Speaking of Octavia," Rarity said. "What happened? You're taking part of the bachelor auction even though you two are dating?" She took the bowl between her hooves as Macintosh brought it to her. "Um, Macintosh sweetie, I'm afraid this soup is cold."
"You drink it cold. It'll fix you right up. It's got ginger in it to help with nausea," Mac said as he sat beside her bed. He took her downy comforter between his teeth and managed to slip it out from beneath her before covering her with it. "As for the bachelor auction, well, we haven't made anythin' official, so it ain't like Ah gotta get her permission or anythin'. Besides, it's for charity, so Ah can't feel too bad about it."
"What happened to taking things slowly?" Rarity asked, with just a hint of a smirk.
Mac shrugged. "Ah'm fine with taking things slow. Heck, Ah'm even fine with not bein' in anythin' too official until she's comfortable with it. But until then we're just friends. Simple as that." Macintosh said with a shrug.
"I see," Rarity said staring intently at the red soup.
"You think Ah ain't doin' the right thing?"
"If only romance were that easy," Rarity said, tilting the bowl to her lips and drinking as much as she could. "My this is absolutely delic--" She was quickly interrupted by a series of coughs and sneezes. Macintosh, already prepared, gave her a couple of tissues to cover her mouth with. Once the fits had passed, Rarity placed the bowl on her nightstand and took several deep breaths. "I feel so much better. What's it made out of? It's wonderfully spicy."
Big Mac nodded. "Ah left ya a few more bowls in the fridge. Set you up for a couple of days. Drink some after you wake up and before you sleep, and you should be right as rain in no time." He looked up at a nearby clock and remembered that Fluttershy was still waiting for him at the library. "It was nice seein' ya, Rarity, but Fluttershy's probably waiting for me at--"
"Is that it?" Rarity asked. "Aren't you going to comfort and nurture me in my time of need?"
Mac smiled. "Fine, Ah suppose Ah could stay for a bit if you insist. Now do ya need anythin' in particular?" he asked.
"A hug would be nice," Rarity said.
"Rarity, we both know that's a bad idea," Mac said, taking a quick step back.
"Oh please, Macintosh," Rarity said with a huff, "you read into these things too much. I simply want a comforting hug from a friend. What I'm asking for is no different than what I would ask from Fluttershy."
Mac sighed. Rarity telling him he read too much into things? Well, he supposed there was a first time for everything. Still, he could believe that Fluttershy would give a comforting hug to an ill-stricken best friend. If Fluttershy would do it, then there shouldn't be any reason for him not to. So, with a bit of hesitation, he lowered his head so Rarity could wrap her forelegs around his neck. She brought him close so that his head rested on her chest, his nose just touching her right cheek.
"I'm sure Octavia has her reasons for keeping her emotional distance," Rarity said.
Macintosh smiled. "Ah know."
Rarity hummed and Mac could feel the vibrations beneath his head. "Even if things don't work out between you and Octavia there are plenty of other beautiful, sophisticated, intelligent, caring mares that are interested in you."
"You mean mares like you?" Macintosh said with a smirk.
"Well...yes," Rarity said, her cheeks glowing red.
Macintosh chuckled. "Ah always figured a pretty mare like you had plenty of interested stallions. Not sure why you're focusing so much on me."
Rarity sighed and ran a hoof through his mane. "Well, when you combine sophistication, intelligence, beauty, wit, and a well known name amongst princesses and social elites all into one mare, stallions are surely going to be interested, but also very intimidated. Also add how many times I've helped save Equestria and, well, it's difficult to find a stallion that isn't a pile of nerves around you, or is simply interested in you solely for fame or beauty."
"That's only 'cause they don't know ya," Mac said, "and how annoying you can be."
"Oh hush," Rarity said with a small laugh. "Inane jokes aside I...like being around you. I feel as comfortable with you as I do around Fluttershy and Twilight and all the rest of the girls. And I want to find out where this relationship can go, because I think..." She trailed off and her grip around his neck tightened.
Macintosh took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "You could've told me Fancy Pants' charity auction was a bachelor auction."
Rarity laughed again. "I wish I could have been there when you opened his invitation. Did he ask you to take part of the auction outright, or did you decide to take part of your own will?"
"Outright." Macintosh smiled and lifted his head up so that he could look her in the eyes, his nose lightly touching hers. "You plan on bidding?"
Rarity smiled and lowered her eyelids. "Well, it is for charity. " She brought her front hooves higher up so that they were curled around the back of his head, beneath his long mane. “And I wouldn’t mind going on a date with you.”
“If ya want a date then why don’t ya ask me now?” Mac said.
A long silence followed until Rarity broke it with a gentle whisper. "Macintosh?"
"Eeyup?" Mac asked, just as softly.
"I need to throw up."
"Ah'll get the bucket."
-*-
The inside of the library stood pristine and tidy, though Mac wondered if that was because of intent or lack of use. Spike sat on a high stool behind the library desk, no doubt filling in for Twilight. It only took a quick conversation and Mac was heading upstairs to Twilight's room where Fluttershy was already taking care of her newest patient. When he entered the room, Mac found them in the middle of conversation, Twilight sitting up on her bed and several books opened around her. Fluttershy was sitting beside the bed, another book opened in front of her. It looked like Twilight already had some soup, at least she didn't look too sick. Probably because she had already drank the soup.
"Hey Big Macintosh," Twilight said. "Fluttershy and I were talking about poetry if you want to join in." Fluttershy nodded in affirmation, and Macintosh could only take a seat beside Fluttershy. It looked like he was too late to observe Fluttershy taking care of Twilight, but he wasn't against a little company. Maybe there were still things he could learn.
"Never thought of ya to be the poetry type, Miss Sparkle," Mac said. "Thought you were more into magic an' science an' logic an' such."
Twilight shrugged. "I like reading. Here, Macintosh, read this poem and tell me what you think." She held out a book to him and Mac gave it a wary look. The last time Twilight wanted him to read something his brain couldn't handle the strain, but, with a small sigh, he took the book and started reading.
"I saw the best minds of..." Macintosh started to read aloud but soon trailed off into the madness that followed. It was a long poem split into three parts. It took him a while to read, if only because he had to reread passages a few times. When he was finally done, he set the book on her bed and pushed it toward her. "He's got so much meaning packed into so many lines. It all looks like nonsense to me," he said with a shrug.
"Nonsense?" Twilight said. "Macintosh, he's illuminating all the corruptions and inconsistencies of his time. He's trying to..."
Macintosh didn't bother with trying to follow Twilight's words. Instead he looked around at the other books, particularly one in front of Fluttershy. He picked it up and flipped through the pages with no real intent in mind.
"Are you even listening?" Twilight asked.
He noticed Fluttershy sitting quietly and decided that she should be part of the conversation as well. He wasn't going to be the only one talking. "Looks like you've been takin' good care of Twilight, Miss Shy," he said. "What's your secret?"
Fluttershy shook her head. "It's...not really a secret. I mean, if it wasn't for your soup then she would still be too sick to talk." She looked down at the wooden flooring, thinking until she looked back up at Macintosh. "Do you think you could, um, show me how to make it. I mean, um, I know I saw you make it but it looked very complicated."
"Sorry Miss Shy," Mac said, "you gotta be an Apple to know it. Ah feel kinda guilty for even lettin' you see how it's made." Then, seeing her downcast face, he quickly added, "but, uh, if there's ever a time you need some Ah'll be more than happy to whip some up for ya. Day or night, rain or shine. Least I could do for all you've done for my family." This caused Fluttershy to smile, which in turn made Mac smile as well. "Though you never did answer my question."
"There's nothing really special that I do," Fluttershy said. "I just...keep my friends company and give them anything they need. I'm actually really glad that you came with me, Macintosh."
"Aw well, Ah'm sure you could've handled it all on your lonesome," Mac said. He couldn't help but smile at her. Maybe there wasn't much difference between how they took care of the ponies close to them after all.
Twilight sighed and closed her book, giving up on continuing her debate any further. "Speaking of soup, Macintosh," Twilight said as she closed the books in front of her, "It's so effective. Thank you for making it."
"No problem, Twilight," Mac said.
"So how are things? You know...in general?" Twilight asked.
Macintosh only shrugged. "Fine Ah suppose. Applejack's still doin' most of the farmwork, but she's doin' a really good job of it. Ah was worried that it'd be too much for her to take on alone. Ah'm proud of her."
"That's good to hear," Twilight said. "See, Macintosh? You just have to let go and adapt as things change. You know? Change along with everything."
Macintosh forced a smile. "You were right." Truth be told he didn't want to argue the point, especially since he really did think she was right. Though some things never changed, and he drew a little comfort from that. He wasn't sure if Twilight was interested to hear about it. Even so, he wanted to ask her something. "Say, Twilight," he said, "did you have a library when you stayed at Canterlot?"
Twilight smiled and nodded. "Of course. It was the best. Don't get me wrong, I love this one, especially since it's in Ponyville, but the one in Canterlot had everything a pony could ever want to know."
"Sounds nice," Mac said.
"I-I think," Fluttershy said, "I think what Macintosh is trying to say is that--"
"That Ah'd like to visit it one day," Mac said. "Find out what's so great about it."
"I'll take you there if you want," Twilight said, "after I get better, of course. I'm sure you would love it. There's bound to be a book you'll love in there. In fact..." Macintosh smiled as Twilight took control of most of the conversation for a bit, allowing him to sit back and listen. Once she finished talking, Macintosh only asked more questions to get her to keep talking. It felt like a good strategy, and Twilight spoke for well over an hour.
"Macintosh, you've been to Canterlot a few times, right?" Twilight asked.
"Eeyup," Mac said.
"How do you like it?" Twilight said.
Macintosh shrugged. "Ah've only been to a few places. Canterlot Park, the art museum, the palace gardens for that dessert contest. That's about it, but from that Ah gotta say I kinda like it. It's missin' an apple farm though."
Twilight smiled. "Are you thinking of starting a farm over there?"
"Maybe," Mac said, "if Ah ever scrounge up enough money to buy land over there. Ah imagine acreage costs a pretty bit with all the mansions and palaces and such."
"I'll put in a good word with Princess Celestia," Twilight said with a chuckle.
"Um, I'm sorry," Fluttershy said quietly as she stood up, "but we should really be...um..."
Macintosh quickly realized what Fluttershy was too shy to say. "Sorry Twilight, but we gotta leave," he said, "we still got one more pony to visit," Mac said. "Sorry we can't stay longer." He gave a small nod to Fluttershy and the pair started to exchange goodbyes with Twilight.
"Are you sure?" Twilight asked. "I was hoping we could have a debate or something. It would help fill up my free time."
"Aw well, Ah don't think that'll do anypony any good," Mac said. "You know me, Ah believe in a personal subjective reality that can't be explained by objective truths."
"Wait what?" Twilight said. "Macintosh, I don't think you quite understand—"
"Doesn't matter, Miss Sparkle. Subjective reality."
"No, Macintosh, that's not—"
"Face it, Twilight. Ah won."
"You can't—you don't just 'win'!"
"Sorry, Twilight, Ah can't hear ya over my subjective reality."
"You're not even using it right!" Twilight groaned, but soon her look of exasperation was replaced with a sly smile. "Just wait, Macintosh," she said. "I have another philosophy book to show you."
"Yeah well Ah got another field for ya," Mac replied. "Ah'll be seein' ya, Twilight. Get better soon." With that, Fluttershy and Mac left her to get some rest, and headed downstairs and out of the library. Judging by the sun, Mac guessed it was about a couple of hours into the afternoon. Hopefully, Applejack would still be asleep or, if she had woken up, had drank her soup already. Still, the faster he went back to the farm, the better.
"Are you going to come back to debate with her?" Fluttershy asked. "I think Twilight would really like that."
Macintosh shrugged. "Truth be told, Ah don't much care for debating. It doesn't change anything. It won't change how Ah feel, it won't change what Twilight thinks, and it certainly won't change anything about a situation. Don't tell Twilight this, but sometimes Ah think debating is just a chance for smart ponies to stroke their egos and show off how smart they are."
"Oh..." Fluttershy said, "I think Twilight would say debating is a way to find out the truth."
"Then it's a good thing Twilight ain't here," Mac said. "It ain't that Ah don't like talking to her, but sometimes Ah wish we could talk about the weather or something. It's a lot easier."
Fluttershy nodded. "I see what you mean." She stayed silent for a minute or so before speaking up again. "I think she likes debating with you because she believes you know things differently than she does."
Macintosh quirked an eyebrow. "Ah doubt it. Don't think there's anythin' in Equestria Ah know that she doesn't."
"Um, what I mean is that...well, she grew up in Canterlot and you grew up on a farm, so I think you two might see the same things differently," Fluttershy said.
"Guess so," Macintosh said with a shrug. "Though Ah don't see why she doesn't debate with Applejack if that were the case."
Fluttershy only nodded and stayed silent for most of the way back. Macintosh half-expected her to speak again, but after a while managed to relax a bit. Only then did she ask another question.
"Uh, Big Macintosh?" Fluttershy said. "Did you have any friends when you were little?"
"Kind of a strange question to ask outta the blue like that," Macintosh said. "Any particular reason you wanna know?"
Fluttershy shrunk behind her mane just a bit, and her cheeks glowed with a slight tinge of red. "Well, Twilight didn't have a lot of friends when she was little so, I thought..."
"Ah've been working on the farm since Ah was a little colt," Big Macintosh said. "Had to leave school for it, so Ah didn't get much chance to. Even before that, though, Ah remember gettin' into a lot of fights. Ah suppose that doesn't count as friendships, huh?" Mac asked. "But Ah made a few friends in Ponyville though, mostly acquaintances, but it ain't like Ah spend a lot of time with any."
"Oh," Fluttershy said, "I see."
The two stayed silent the rest of the way, and the homestead shared their silence as the two ponies entered and went to the kitchen. Mac and Fluttershy set down their saddlebags on the table and Mac rolled his shoulders to loosen them up.
"Ah'll go check up on Applejack," Mac said as he stashed away the rest of the soup in the fridge. "Ah left her some soup, so she might still be fine." Macintosh headed up the stairs in a rush, but he didn't get far before Fluttershy called out to him.
"Do you want me to come with you?"
"Ah wouldn't wanna trouble ya any more than Ah already have, Miss Shy," Mac said. "Go ahead an' make yourself comfortable here. I'll go up and see if she needs anythin' and if Ah need ya Ah'll call for ya."
"But it wouldn't be any trouble," Fluttershy said, but her words were lost on the stallion as he climbed up the rest of the stairs. When he knocked on Applejack's door he received a quiet invitation to come in. The door creaked as Macintosh came into his little sister's room.
Applejack looked just about the same as she did when he first saw her in the morning. Bright red cheeks and forehead, bloodshot eyes, and just a bit of snot running down her nose. When she greeted him her voice sounded hoarse and weak. She could barely turn her head to look at him. Beside her bed, on her nightstand, was the bowl he left her earlier, still full. Macintosh approached Applejack and placed a gentle hoof on her forehead. It was more of a formality than anything. He already knew she was burning up.
"You didn't drink your soup?" Mac asked, as if he couldn't see the ruby red liquid for himself.
"Ah told ya Ah didn't want you to go through any trouble for me," Applejack said. "So Ah decided not to have any."
"Sugarcube," Mac said with a small smile, "the trouble's already been had. It just makes more trouble for me when ya don't eat it. C'mon now, drink up, or am Ah gonna have to spoon feed ya?"
"Is Fluttershy here?" Applejack asked.
"Well," Mac said, hesitating for a moment, "yeah, but--"
"Send her in, then."
"Well, uh," Mac stuttered. He stepped up closer to her bed and gave her a smile, "the thing is, sugarcube, that I was out helpin' Fluttershy take care of Rarity, Twilight, and Pinkie." Applejack tilted her head at him, ears perked up. "The flu's goin' around apparently, and, well, it turns out that me and Fluttershy pretty much do the same thing when we're takin' care of sick ponies, so—"
"Mac, just bring her in," Applejack interrupted.
"But, sugarcube, Ah'm—"
"Mac!" Applejack snapped. She took a deep breath and sighed deeply. Then, much more calmly, she said, "Please."
Macintosh said nothing. He only gave her a nod before heading out the bedroom door. He rubbed his eyes, took a deep breath, and smiled as he descended the steps. Fluttershy stood at the bottom, waiting. "She wants ya," Macintosh said. Fluttershy nodded, and headed the way he came. When Mac had all four hooves on the ground floor he looked over his shoulder at the pegasus. "Fluttershy," he said. She stopped halfway to turn and look at him. "Tell her to drink her soup. She'll listen to you."
Fluttershy nodded again, but Mac was already on his way to the kitchen for a drink.
He forgot that there was hardly anything in the fridge, only the soup he placed in it earlier. He stared at the lidded bowls for a few seconds. Taking one, he unsnapped the lid and drank the red liquid in a few quick gulps. He took a deep breath and blew the air out slowly. His mouth was filled with heat and cold all at once, and Mac half expected his breath to become visible. He was about to go back to the fridge for another bowl when he saw, through the kitchen window, Rainbow Dash doing her usual flight training above the orchard. The bowls of soup were instantly forgotten, and Mac sat on the kitchen floor like a spectator at Cloudsdale Stadium, watching. It was nice watching a pony do something they were good at, something they loved, and so Macintosh sat there for the better part of ten minutes sitting there. Finally, he decided to get a better view and headed outside.
Big Mac went out to the fields to see the airshow continue. Rainbow Dash concentrated completely on her maneuvers, eyes shut tight against the wind. Mac figured it was a special sort of training exercise. The training slowed down to an end, and Mac watched as Dash dropped altitude and dived into a feint. The grand finale. She fell lower and lower and lower until she disappeared behind the trees. Then...nothing. For a long while there was nothing and the farmpony started to grow worried. Finally Macintosh galloped where he last saw her, through the fields and apple trees. He found her, a heap on the ground amongst a scattered number of fallen leaves. He quickly went up to her and shook her gently to see if she would wake up.
She did, and with a groan she opened her eyes. "Hey Mac, how's it goin'?" Mac sighed in relief when she spoke. Well, at least she didn't seem too hurt. Though Mac noticed that her face was flushed and her voice sounded a little hoarse. His suspicions were confirmed when a sudden dizzy spell overtook her as she struggled to stand on her hooves. She failed and had to lay on the ground to regain her composure. Mac went up to her, and placed a hoof on her forehead.
"You're burnin' up," Mac said.
"Yeah, so?" Dash said. "I've been training hard that's all. I just need to take it easy and rest for a couple of minutes." She stifled a yawn, and used her forelegs as a pillow.
"You're sick," Mac said, not buying it for a second. "C'mon now, Fluttershy's at my house. Ah'll set ya up in the guest bedroom and she'll take a look at ya after she's done carin' for Applejack."
"No," Dash said, rubbing her nose. "I don't want to see Fluttershy. She'll just guilt me for doing stunts when I'm sick."
"Ah never thought of Fluttershy as the scoldin' type," Mac said.
"She won't say anything," Dash said. "She'll just...look at me with those worried eyes, and that's way worse."
"Well then at least let me take ya inside so you can rest up and have some soup, or would ya rather Ah take ya back to your house?"
"That guest bed is lumpy, and if I go to my place I'll just be staring at my Wonderbolts stuff and thinking about how I should be training," Dash stubbornly said.
Macintosh sighed. "What's it gonna take, Dash?"
"Your bed's comfy," Dash said, "let me sleep there."
"Fine," Mac said, "and then would ya let Fluttershy take care of ya?"
"I'll think about it," Dash said.
It was good enough for Macintosh, and with a bit of maneuvering he managed to sling her across his back with no complaint from the pegasus. Mac headed back to the farmstead as Dash used his mane as a handkerchief. Once inside he made a quick detour into the kitchen to fetch a bowl of soup. He gave it to Dash to hold and headed upstairs to his room. Once in, Dash immediately climbed off his back, placed the bowl on his nightstand, and dug into the blanket and comforter.
"Make yerself at home," Mac said with a small smile. Dash didn't seem to notice, and spent a few minutes just rolling around the mass of sheets and pillows. Meanwhile, Mac undid the bowl's lid, and waited patiently for her to sit up. "Drink up," he said once she had finished messing up his bed. She sat up and took the bowl, sniffing at it a bit before downing it as fast as she could. The onslaught of coughing and sneezing came as usual, and Dash used the blankets to cover her nose and mouth. After it had passed, she took a deep breath and sunk down into the sheets.
"That's better," she said with a yawn. "So I bet you're glad about Applejack being sick, right? Since you get to work on the farm like normal."
"Aw well," Mac said with a chuckle, "Applejack told me to keep off work today."
"What? Why?" Dash asked. "It's not like there's anypony else that's strong enough to do the hard stuff. I mean, unless she wants to hire somepony outside your family."
"Ah'm sure she has her reasons," Mac said.
"What reason could she have?"
"Don't worry about it," he said gently. "For now, just get some rest, alright?" He tucked in the sheets as best he could and made sure she was comfortable. "You had me worried." Their gazes met for a moment, and Macintosh wondered if he should pat down her forelock (scruffier than usual from her rough landing), but he decided to leave her in peace and rest. Especially since her face looked incredibly flushed. With a final smile he turned around and headed for the door.
"Mac?"
His ear twitched at the sound of his name. "What is it, sugarcube?" he asked as he went back beside the bed. Dash had the covers up to her chin, and she avoided making eye contact.
"Could you, maybe, stick around for a bit? Just until I fall asleep?"
Mac smiled. "Sure." He looked over to his nightstand where his mother's music box stood. As quietly as he could he wound it up and let it play to fill the room in soothing tones. It had the unintended effect of making Macintosh sleepy as well and he rested his head on his mattress, just beside Dash. The pegasus smiled and rested a hoof on his snout.
"Mac," she said, "you ever think that what you wanted all your life, might not be what you really want?"
"You having doubts about the Wonderbolts?"
"A little," she said with a sigh. "Did you know Spitfire was my age when she became captain of the Wonderbolts?"
"That so?" Mac said. "How old was she when she saved Equestria the first time? Oh wait, Ah forgot, she didn't."
Dash smiled and slowly her eyes fluttered close.
"Dash?" Mac whispered.
"Yeah?" Dash answered without opening her eyes.
"Ah'm a good brother, ain't I?"
"The best."
Dash soon fell asleep, and Macintosh quietly went to his drawer to fetch a pencil and a sheet of paper. He exited the room and closed the door behind him. With a small smile he headed downstairs and outside to sit on the porch and surround himself with the scent, the sound, and the color of apple trees. So what if he couldn't be of any use to anyone. At least he had fun tagging along with Fluttershy, even if she really didn't need him around. Still, if there was one thing he realized it was that having friends actually made him feel a bit better about the whole thing. The good and bad.
With that in mind, he set the paper on the railing and started writing a letter.
Dear Octavia,
Stats
Page generated in 0.039 seconds
Total duration
1,087 users online
1,571,489 hits today, 1,822,946 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Wait... did I just get Rick Rolled... by Big McIntosh?
Ooh, well played, Ivory Piano. Well played.
Is this considered canon or not to the story, because that's the only reason why I'll read it.
That's a long way to go for a
Rick Roll
... I'm not sure what to think about this.
I actually thought this chapter was about April Fools in Equestria, not an actual April Fools joke. You god damned criminal mastermind.
You know the thing is... I actually like that song.
Nicely done!
...Still doesn't change the fact that RD and Big Mac are incredibly cute together. We must have MORE!
So glad to see this updated!
you win
...
I really hate this day.
Rightyo then.
... You motherf*cker.
13,000 words for a Rick Roll?
Sir you are the master troll.
You wonderful bastard.
Ivory you glorious bastard. Lured me in with story to just roll me out in the end. Well done
O_________o
That is a very long April Fools joke.
Touché salesman. Well done, did not expect that
In a way, I kind of hope that this chapter is canon to this story.
Huh, so it's still April's Fools over there huh?
You Evil Monster. XD ....That was awesome. XD
Nice chapter (FINALLY!) but now that song's im mah HEEEEEEEDDDDD!!!!!!
Well done
Glorious.
Epic.
That was brilliant.
Too bad you're going to take it down, I think it adds a lot to the story, especially if you were to tack on an extended/alternate ending.
FINALLY an update. That ending!
But but but. . . MONTHS MONTHS I SAY of waiting for an update, it feels like YEEAARRS of waiting for an update of my FAVORITE STORY on FIMFICTION. .. and. . .and. . . and. . .it's an April Fools JOKE?!?!?! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'd leave this chapter in. Mac just rolled us over big time
I fucking hate this day, more so that it's November the 28 in my country so today is a normal day for me, but even after that infuriating ending I must say, I heartily enjoyed this joke chapter! You should keep it in place just at it is, because damn if this was the best effort I have seen for an April's fools joke today, more so if you compared it to that god-awful "facebook bought fimfic" post of a few hours ago,
Well done, truly. Loved the chapter in and of itself, by the way, and really glad to see you're still kicking.
*Reads the story, hmms to himself before walking away and coming back pushing a cart with the sign [Pitchforks&Torches]*
"Step right up! Step right up! Ladies and Gentlemen what we have here are GEN-U-INE pitchforks and torches imported from far away Transylvania where the worlds finest craftsmen (and part time monster chasing mob) have labored day and night to craft these exquisite tools favored by all unruly mobs around the world! In fact you cant form a unruly mob unless you have a GEN-U-INE pitchfork and torch! Which is why I'm here today to offer you, yes YOU, this deal of a lifetime! So step right up, folks! Step right up!"
*Suddenly stops as he spies Big Mac in front of the growing crowd*
"Ah gots my reasons."
*Deciding not to ask any further Mantech1 gives Big Mac a torch and pitchfork free of charge*
Well played.
finally an update praise the gods buthedoesntsmelllikealotofapplesanymorewhycantshejustlethimworkihateitwhenpeopletellmetostopworkingorsomethinglikethat
You know what, don't care about April Fools stuff tacked on at the end. Fantastic chapter. period.
YOU BASTARD!
I hope this is canon~
That was enjoyable anyway, I've really missed your take on the characters.
You brilliant frickin' bastard.
4170890
4171050
Pretty much my thoughts. I saw the first two lines- DARNIT!
Ladies and gentlemen. We have just been Rick Roll'd!
Fucking brilliant
Gaaaaaaaahhhhh
That was a joke?
Wow. You put a lot of effort into that.
Laughed my ass off when I got to the end.
The Inquisition is not pleased.
i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/6077905664/hCBF6844D/
sees the chapter tittle thinks "oh darn"
sees the word count "thinks "thats odd for a joke"
starts reading thinks "well this is interesting wonder what the joke is"
keeps reading forgets about joke
gets to the end... well played.
I think the real joke is that this could have actually been a chapter.. though the end was well played joke..
4169519
I would like to know this too. I would assume if its still up in a few days it likely is.
I really hate April Fools day, its really stupid when things that haven't updated for months pull a joke update out of nowhere. Especially when its as long and well done as a regular update is, which this is going from the comments. Why not just put the effort towards an actual update if you are going to do something like that.
I will admit if the story/tumblr/whatever is updated regularly or the joke is small then I have less of a problem with it, still think April Fools day is stupid in general though. I have no problem with pranks and the like but doing things like that on April Fools day is stupid. Nothing on April Fools day is funny because you can never ever trust anything so everything is a joke therefore ruining the effect. Plus most April Fools day jokes are more annoying then anything, on the internet anyway.
This was really great. I'm really amazed at the level of characterization of Mac, and Octavia (sorry Rarity
). This is what seperates this from all the other stuff I've read. Keep up the good work! [:
that was magnificent ^_^ .....
will this be canon? or will you edit in new end content or something later
I've missed this story.
Let's hope there are going to be more than an obligatory chapter
Story up till the end...that is dedication.