2 - Case 01: Welcome Home
Applejack tossed a blanket over 'Big Mac', tepidly assuring him that he was a surprise. That much was true. Many Apples would be surprised... She got him home to the farm, but stopped him a good distance from the house proper. "Now, you wait here. Ah'll break the news to 'em."
She trotted away from the quiet figure under the blanket. She shook her head as she approached the door. Was that really Big Mac? Large parts of her said no, but the other part, that desperate hope... "Ah'll give 'em a chance at least..." She pushed open the door to find Granny and Apple Bloom at the front table. They both looked up at her, their hooves sticky with some jam they were making together.
AB broke into a huge smile. "Big sis! Ah thought ya might not come back!" She bounced to her hooves and left a trail of sticky prints on her way to pounce Applejack.
Applejack couldn't be mad. She hugged her little sister gently. "Ah have some news. Ah... did done tried something. It may be nothin' in the end. All ah ask is that ya two give it a try, alright?"
Granny cocked a brow with obvious skepticism. "Now, ya wouldn't be sayin' that if ya didn't already know ya done goofed. Stop playing around and get to th' point. What'dja do?"
Apple Bloom buried her face into Applejack's neck, nuzzling and losing herself in it. "It can't be that bad. Just don't go away, please?"
Applejack's heart wrenched at Bloom's words. No filly so small should have to deal with so much loss, or so she thought. Well, maybe she could make it right. "Ah... saw somethin', and it's crazy, but ah had to try."
As if conjured on cue, the door opened behind them, allowing a confused human to step in. "Applejack?"
Granny's vision swerved off to the human, blinking softly. "Oh, well, hello there? Welcome to the App--"
Applejack spun around to face him. "Hello, Big Mcintosh. It sure is nice to see you, now go wait outside."
She set Bloom down with one hoof while pointing out with the other. "Don't--"
Bloom was staring at what would be Big Mac. The fur color was right, but the body was all wrong. The human's face was slowly, bit by bit, pushing out into a pony snout. Already it had the hard lines of Big Mac. He had that straw blonde mane and tail. Still... "That ain--"
Applejack thrust a hoof back, popping it into Bloom's mouth with expert aim. "Outside."
"Ayup." He turned to head out and left without another word.
Granny slid to her own hooves. "Ah don't reckon ah understand what yer up to, young filly, but don't be thinkin' this is funny. That ain't no Big Mac!"
Bloom bobbed her head. "What she said. That's not even a pony!"
Applejack nodded. "Ah know it's odd, but hear me out. That's Big Mac's spirit, or somethin' like that. He's all messed up 'cause he was, you know. Speaking of which, don't talk about that. We treat him like Big Mac. We see what happens."
Granny shook her head. "How much did you pay for this? Was this those Flim-Flam Brothers again?"
Applejack smiled, proud of herself a moment. "Ah didn't pay not one bit. Either he works out, and we have our Big Mac back, or he don't, and we lose nothin'. Please... can ya try?"
Bloom glanced between her sister and her grandmother before she rose to her full height. "Ah'm gonna test 'em!" She dashed out even as Applejack reached for her.
Outside, the supposed Big Mac had settled himself on a rock and was fiddling with his tail, petting it slowly. Had he always had a tail? Of course he had. It was a nice tail, as tails went. He was startled out of his thoughts as he heard the approaching scamper of little hooves and looked up to see Apple Bloom rushing him.
A smile spread. Apple Bloom was adorable, her and her friends. He couldn't believe he was right in front of her. But he was her brother. Of course he should be near her.
Bloom slowed as she saw the human looking at her, smiling, then looking so confused. Was he sick? She tilted her head a little, wondering if that was Big Mac. She had doubts, big ones. "Big Mac." He looked to her with renewed focus. "Answer me this. What's the most embarrassin' memory we have togetha'."
Big Mac considered that a moment. "Ayup." He paused a moment before providing a little answer. "Ah wore a dress fer you."
Bloom flashed a big smile. That was a good one. Maybe not what she'd rate as most, but up there. She had to test further. She could hear Applejack and Granny approaching. "What did ya say after all that? Just the two of us."
He frowned with thought. He couldn't remember the whole thing, but one part came to him. "Be your hero again. Even if it was for just a day."
Applejack and Granny caught up with them, both looking between the two, especially Apple Bloom's wide eyes. Applejack reached to put a hoof on Bloom's shoulder. "Now look--"
"He's him!" squeaked Bloom, pointing at Big Mac. "It's really him!"
Granny and Applejack both recoiled at the strength of the filly's declaration. They looked to the strange chimera even as his snout finished pushing out into the bold red lines of Big Mac. Fur covered that new snout, but he was still disturbingly human much everywhere else.
He was a mess, but he was also being hugged by a delighted Apple Bloom. "Ah thought ya were gone ferever and ever! Don't ya ever do that again!"
Granny gave a doubting look towards Applejack before clearing her throat. "Yes, well, welcome back, Big Mac. You must be powerful tired. Why don't ya go freshen up a spell and take a load off yer hooves."
Big Mac suddenly looked at his hands. Those were not hooves. Big Mac had hooves. He should have hooves. A memory flashed in his confused mind. It was Christmas and he opened a present with an odd shape. Was it a Power Glove? Oh boy he hoped so! Nope, just gloves...
But Big Mac never had gloves. Why would a pony ever have gloves? Something was wrong...
Apple Bloom pressed her tear-streaked snout against Big Mac. "Come on! We're gonna take care of ya real good. No more disappearing ever again!"
Bloom needed her big brother. He was her big brother. He couldn't make her think he was sick anymore. He'd gotten better. "Ayup." He grabbed her lightly and tossed her onto his shoulders, carrying her along towards the house as she squealed with relieved joy.
Granny leaned in close to Applejack. "Now look what'dja gone done. If he don't work out, it's gonna break her little heart, again."
Applejack pulled her hat down over her chest. "Look... Granny, if he don't work out, it won't be just hers. Let's just... See how it goes. Don't ya want Big Mac back?"
Granny raised a hoof and slid it across her wrinkled face slowly. "Ah ain't no stranger to how life goes, dearie. Ah know you're in some mighty big pain right now, but..." She pointed out into the orchard. "Has there ever been an apple tree ya planted that didn't eventually get old?"
As a matter of fact, there had been. She wasn't old enough yet to see all the trees she ever planted die, still... "Ah get where ya goin', but..." She rolled a hoof. "It was a unicorn, not Flim or Flam. They got magic. They..."
Granny shook her head. "They break what's natural is what they do." She let out a slow breath. "Look, ah can see ya two really want this. Whatever that is, it ain't Big Mac, not ours... but if it'll put the smile back on her face, ah'll play along fer now. Jus' keep an eye on it. Ah don't want it hurtin' nopony."
Inside, Apple Bloom pointed the way to the restroom where she hopped free of Big Mac and watched him wash up with those funny hands he had. He splashed water on his snout, one of the few things that looked right. "Say, don't it feel weird, walkin' like that?"
Big Mac looked at her placidly a moment. "Nope."
Bloom shook her head before she raised and set down each of her hooves in turn. "Yer a pony, act like one."
Big Mac considered that a moment before he slowly sank down in a crouch. He reached out with a hand, then the other. Soon he was standing in the awkward way a human must to be on all fours.
Bloom circled him quickly, then reached up and tapped him on the flank, or where the flank should be on a pony. "Yer legs are too big."
Too big... It made sense. As Big Mac accepted the idea that his legs were too big, they began to correct. He submitted himself just a bit more to the harmony of the world and he slowly evened out before Bloom's wide eyes until he was standing straight on all fours.
Every inch was like someone was roughly squeezing and pulling at his insides. He could swear he felt things breaking and snapping, but coming together so quickly that he didn't fall. But it did hurt! He wanted to shout, to scream, but Big Mac tried not to shout. He was Big Mac. He bore it as stoically as he could, just wincing as his body came closer to matching the large stallion he was supposed to be.
Apple Bloom clopped her hooves excitedly. "Ya did it! Yer gettin' better." She hopped up and hugged her funny-looking brother tightly around the neck. "Ah knew ya could do it."
Big Mac smiled. The pain felt lessened. It had been worth it to bring happiness to Apple Bloom. He wanted to see her happy more. "What else is wrong?"
Bloom slid to the ground. "Ya did great. Don't stress yerself out none. Go on and get a nap." She shook a hoof, still sticky with what little jam had managed to stay on it with all her hugging and running. "Ah'll wash up."
Applejack and Granny stepped back in the house. AJ raised her head. "Apple Bloom!" The little foal came rushing in and AJ smiled with relief. Apple Bloom was not only well, but she looked happier than she had for quite a while. "Everythin' alright?"
Apple Bloom bobbed her head. "Why didn't ya tell me he was just cursed or somethin'. We should take him to Zecora and get him fixed."
Granny frowned a little. "Ah think ah had plenty magic fer one lifetime if ya asked me, which ya didn't, but too bad."
Applejack rubbed at her cheek. "Let's give Big Mac a chance to unwind first before we go considerin' anything like that."
Bloom was scowling at Granny, not paying much mind to the words Applejack had just said. "Zecora's a great mare. She taught me plenty of things, and she's super nice."
Granny snorted softly. "She's fillin' yer head with crazy notions."
"She's teaching me how to alchemize." Apple Bloom sat down with her head as high as it would go. "Ah'll be able to keep our apple trees big and strong, even when big nasty pests come along." She held up a little hoof. "Ah know you don't get it, but ah do. We should at least ask."
Neither of the older mares seemed convinced. It would take more advanced tactics.
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Well it seems good Granny that is calling out AJ for her actions. Now how will our family handle the "returning" Big Mac?
on que - on cue
No more dissapearing - No more disappearing
feel wierd - feel weird
Two chapters in one day! I think the ratio of likes to dislikes will grow to be something you're more comfortable with as more readers discover your latest work.
Things started off decidedly dark and uncertain in the first chapter and there was no indication where you would take it next. It could have gone much darker, but in this second chapter you're bending it into more bitter-sweet territory than into evil born of greed that preys on a family's despair.
This could have easily delved into Pet Semetary types of themes, after all.
Where did you get the cover art?
7785513 Google. I tried to find the artist and failed, to my annoyance. I prefer to have a link to their stuff and to at least inform them and give them the option of telling me to bugger off. Do you know who's it is?
7785489 It's a dark theme. Not marking it dark seems like it would be a gross lie to any reader. Typos fixed! Thank you dear chronicler.
7785558
Found it, Boss!
http://www.deviantart.com/art/Vinyl-Face-TF-577937917
7785562 How did tineye miss this... Thank you!
7785560
Well, there's dark and then there's DARK and while the themes we've seen so far are on the dark side, they are not the abandon all hope ye who read past this warning type.
Suits me just fine.
7785563
Tineye missed it for me too, I used Google's reverse image search. Just click on the camera icon to the right of the search bar and enter the url or upload your unidentified image.
This story is both excellent and creapy as hell.
I can't wait to see what happens!
7785513 In case you missed it, the art now has a source properly attached to it. You can mouse over it to find it.
This is too wrong, y though its evil. slavery, submission, forced change, rising the dead, stealing people accrose time and forcing them into the role of another.
7786677 Yes. Yes it is.
7786677 I don't see any dead being raised, however?
7786713 thats what the apples think is happening
Well, this is disturbing on several levels. We're assured that the subject wanted to become Big Mac, but that feels more like an informed attribute than anything with evidence behind it. The fact of the matter is that this is effectively a sacrificial rite, a life for a life. The fact that it's going so slowly, that we get only glimpses of the subject as he loses more and more of his mind and body, only makes it more horrifying. The protagonist of You Are What You Paint had a choice. This poor soul never even had a chance.
7786877 It's pretty wrong, yes. As an aside, I, the author, do not claim this is 'right'.
But stories often delve into what is wrong, and what could be. Come, explore with me.