Macintosh

by TotalOverflow

Chapter 16

Macintosh
By TotalOverflow, '11

Chapter 16

The 'Summer Sun Celebration.' As far as Big Macintosh knew, this was the first time in a very long time that it had ever been held in the same place twice in a row. The festival would normally move from city to city, gracing the larger cosmopolitan areas with its presence, and every other year or so it would be held in the capital city of Canterlot. The fact that it was held in such a small town as Ponyville in the first place was a pretty big deal, but that it would be there two years in a row? Well, one could certainly tell from the sight of the town's grandiosely decorated entrance that the ponies here were incredibly proud of the honor bestowed upon them. Although Macintosh wasn't terribly excited to wade through the busy streets that were bound to be stuffed full to bursting with vendors and travelers from out of town, he was excited to see all the decorations and work put into the town square. First, however, he'd have to actually get into the town.

"Look, I've already explained it," the royal guard pegasus said in his gruff tone, "without a formal invitation we can't allow you to enter!"

Macintosh looked him dead in the eye. These ponies were some of the first he'd met that actually matched his size. "Ah dun' see what the problem here is," he said, doing his best to keep his voice steady, "Ah told ya, Ah live out in the farm down the road."

"But you don't actually live in the town, so therefore you need an invitation to enter!"

"Consarn it, Ah didn't need no invitation last year!"

"Since last year's incident we've had to tighten up security."

Mac face-hoofed. "Okay, look: ain't ya got a guest list or somethin'?"

"Of course we do."

"Well, then look up in there an' see if Ah'm marked down. Ah'm sure Caesar put me down in there somewhere."

"Without a formal invitation I highly doubt you'd be in the guest book," the guard snorted, "but since you say you know Caesar..." he nodded to his partner who disappeared into a small tent they set up and reappeared with a thick book. "What did you say your name was, again?"

"Big Macintosh."

"Your first name is 'Big?'"

"'Course not! Ah'd probably be in there under Macintosh Apple."

The guard didn't even try to hide his snicker. "'Macintosh Apple?' That's real clever. All right, let's see here..." He flipped through the book and stopped on a particular page. As he scanned it with his eyes Mac saw them fill with a very obvious 'oh crap' look. The guard shot his gaze back to Macintosh and stepped aside. "So sorry Mr. Apple! I didn't realize it was you! Please, accept my apologies and head right in!"

"Dun' call me Mr. Apple," Mac grumbled as he marched past the pair of flabbergasted guards. Maybe Caesar put me on a V.I.P. list or something. Heh, whatever he wrote sure straightened up those guards something fierce! Chuckling, Macintosh trotted through the gateway and down past the first few buildings where the town really came into view.

To say Ponyville was bustling tonight would have been a gross understatement. The streets were more filled and crowded than Macintosh thought possible; there were more ponies here than he had ever seen before. Ponies in regal robes, trussed up tuxes and decadent designer dresses all cantered down the roads; families and royal ambassadors exchanged friendly 'hellos' as they moved on to the next attraction. Lining the roads were dozens upon dozens of carriages and wagons, all set up into little or not so little shops selling anything from books to toys to fruit to horseshoes to back catalogues of 'The Equestria Daily.' The vendors shouted proclamations of how their inventory was infinitely superior to that of the pathetic shop down the road and what a smart, discerning young pony you were for recognizing that. Mixed in with the shops was the occasional arcade booth where forever unlucky colts tried over and over to win their giddy fillyfriend that giant stuffed panda in the back; the one with the top hat, of course.

In the short few days that Macintosh had spent visiting the town he had become familiar with many faces of the ponies who lived here, but the recognizable ones were drowned in a sea of visitors, traveling merchants and guards standing vigil along the roads. Lining the streets were tall may-poles, their tips connected with long ribbons and ropes from which long banners depicting ancient art of the history of Equestria hung, along with smaller pennants, garlands of Daisy's giant sunflowers and hundreds of unlit, hoof-crafted lanterns. To the right Mac watched as a family helped their foals up a ladder to hang their lovingly created and decorated lantern among the others to be lit sometime tonight. Macintosh squeezed his way through the crowds of overly excited and well-dressed ponies, past the shops (politely refusing their 'final offers' and their 'final final offers') and towards the town square.

As he pushed his way past the rather redundant salespony of a small bottle of supposed cure-all elixir ("only three bits a bottle, guaranteed to work!") he was greeted with the sight of the main plaza: and what a sight it was. With all the work put into it it was nearly unrecognizable, looking nothing like the modest little town square with the modest little town hall it was before, but more like the royal courtyard of the great city of Canterlot, or at least what he imagined it would look like. City hall itself was adorned with tremendous flags and hanging banners, wreaths of sunflowers and twisting vines wrapping around and around to the very top, where a great bouquet of the golden flowers rested. From them extended dozens of long ribbons in every direction, lanterns, flags and sunflowers delightfully dangling from the strands of color. The ropes were so numerous that it almost looked as though some massive, technicolor spider had decided to spin its web from the tip of the building to the many tall poles that encircled the plaza. More flowers and wreaths wrapped around these poles, and fastened to each was a huge speaker whose wires led to a great booth off to the side of the town square, where Macintosh could swear he just saw Blues and Vinyl Scratch enter, each carrying a stack of records for their performance tonight.

Macintosh looked to the ground at his hooves. Scattered along the road were the golden petals of sunflowers, scattered pieces of confetti and little glittery paper cutouts of the sun and moon. Following the road before him up towards the town hall he saw several incredibly long banquet tables, long enough to seat at least fifty ponies each. Dinnerware was just being set out by diligent ponies, and resting on every plate was a small triangle of paper indicating which lucky pony deserved a seat at the grand dinner. Every ten feet or so rested a vase housing a single sunflower, and at the end of the long rows rested two horizontal tables flanking a large podium at the base of the city hall. Busy ponies ran about, filling the vases with water or arranging an imperceptibly tiny out-of-place flower petal. Foals ran underhoof looking for any precious dropped bits and getting yelled at by the adults. A couple pegasi flew about, trying to find the best place to hang a long banner emblazoned with Princess Celestia's and Princess Luna's royal cutie marks before finally settling with stretching it between two of the ropes above Macintosh's head, creating a sort of make-shift gateway to the incredible outdoor banquet hall.

Macintosh marvelled at the unbelievable sight, but only one thought was going through the red earth pony's mind:

Who's going to clean all this up?

---

"Macintosh, my good man!" Mac turned to see Caesar cantering up to him, his monocle glistening in the evening light, "isn't this absolutely smashing?"

"Eeyup, Ah'd say so."

"I must say, everypony did such a fantastic job setting this all up! And you were absolutely on the button! Sunflowers were the perfect choice! Now then, on to business!" The stallion led Macintosh over to one of the center tables, pointing out one of the slips of paper with Mac’s name written on it, about halfway down the long table. "Here is your seat for the banquet. I absolutely insisted that you get a good view for the evening, and even arranged for your friends and family to sit next to you!" Macintosh eyed the other seats and plates and indeed found them to be reserved for his family and the friends he'd made in town. Even Apple Bloom's friends had seats nearby.

"Wait a sec," Mac said, "why do Ah get a seat at this here fancy dinner?"

"'Why?'" Caesar laughed, "'Why?' Mr. Macintosh, you're the whole reason the celebration is being held here in the first place! Of all the ponies in town, you deserve a place at the banquet! You, your family and friends, of course; I wouldn't have it any other way!"

"But, Ah imagine seats fer this here meal must be mighty expensive..."

"Oh, you have no idea! Most ponies would have to save up for their whole lives to afford a plate!"

"...Then there must be plenty o' other important ponies who'd deserve it more'n me."

Caesar guffawed and wrapped a hoof around Mac's shoulder. "So modest! Please, my good man, you must accept that you certainly do deserve this seat, and so much more!"

"...More?"

"Ah, but I get ahead of myself! All will be made clear come the morn! But for now, I'm afraid I must away to oversee the final preparations for the festival: I heard that Mr. Blues and Ms. Scratch have quite a selection of musical ditties lined up for tonight, and I simply must get a sampling! Oh, I do so love getting sneak previews! So! I'll see you here at the setting of the sun! Arrivederci!" He waved as he galloped off to the booth on the side of the plaza. Macintosh stood for a moment and pondered what the unusual pony had said. Huh...I guess I was on a V.I.P. list or something after all.

---

Macintosh watched for a few minutes as frantic ponies hurried to hang the final decorations and streamers. Off to the side tying colorful balloons to anything that wouldn't float away was the white unicorn Rarity and her giddy friend Ditzy Doo. The unicorn was dressed in an elaborate maroon gown, with golden highlights and jewels decorating its pleats. A purple shawl was wrapped around her shoulders, a reserved tiara sat on her brow and she wore shimmering glass slippers. Big Macintosh, wondering how one could walk in such shoes, cantered over.

"Howdy Rarity," he said.

"Why, Macintosh! What a pleasure to see you!" Rarity smiled sweetly, eyeing him up and down, "and I see you're wearing my suit! Oh, it looks so good on you! And I just love what your harness adds to the ensemble! A very 'Dapper WorkHorse' look; very nice."

Ditzy finished tying a balloon to a nearby windowsill, landed beside her friend and pointed at Macintosh. "What a squid!" she shouted happily. She was wearing a simple black dress, her hair braided with a small muffin shaped hairpin holding it out of her eyes.

"Howdy Ditzy," he grinned, "enjoyin' yerself?"

"Gummy!" she nodded vigorously. Her left eye decided the red stallion was boring so it went off to find something more interesting. "The Rocket Captain sent his army of toasters to the big basket! I've been spanking the rats and setting the pancakes! It's almost time for liftoff!"

"She's very excited," Rarity said, "she had so many wonderful ideas for the design of the festival. In fact, the lanterns were her idea, and she insisted that they be hung in a very specific fashion."

"Oh?" Mac raised his eyebrows, "why's that, Ditzy?"

Her wings puffed out and she tried to hide her massive grin. "Blubber! Bottles of string fly but only the strong remain! Heave to and board her, boys! The secret reaches the sky! Only the sun knows!"

"Oh dear Ditzy," Rarity gently ushered the pegasus' wings closed, "you're getting a little too excited! Come on, let's finish hanging these balloons and let Macintosh on his way. We'll see you at sunset!" she waved.

"The load's been loaded! Progress complete!" Ditzy took to the air, soaring behind the unicorn, "no fatal errors detected! Here comes the tunnel, open up the train! Toot toot!"

"You simply must calm yourself, Ditzy!" he heard Rarity chide, "remember your blood pressure!"

Macintosh allowed himself a gentle laugh and, a goofy grin on his face, turned to canter to the other side of the great plaza where a bridge spanned a small river. A few well-dressed ponies on the way smiled and waved, some even calling him by name, even though Mac had never met them before. He pleasantly returned the greetings regardless and quickened his pace across the bridge towards a small park. It was also decorated similarly to the rest of the town, may-poles and their ribbons adorned with lanterns lining the curving roads between the trees. Ponies were hanging festive lights from the branches of the large trees, creating a glimmering light show that would no doubt look fantastic in the darkness of the night. Resting on a bench along the side of road was Fluttershy, looking rather skittish and uncomfortable. She shifted underneath her long, flowing green dress, a porcelain butterfly rested in the hair above her concerned eyes, and her mane (which was decorated with many small flowers) curled around the wreath of leaves around her neck. She looked like the very physical embodiment of springtime, even if she did sit as though she were ready to bolt out of town at the drop of a hat.

"Fluttershy?" he said softly, stepping close. As usual, she jumped at his voice.

"Oh! Macintosh! I...Sorry, um...hi."

"Y'all okay? Ya dun' look so good."

"Um, no, I'm...okay."

"Well, all right then," Mac shrugged, "mind if Ah take a seat?"

"Oh, no, go ahead," said Fluttershy, shifting a little to make room for the stallion. He gingerly sat down beside her, and they watched the ponies work around the park.

"Fluttershy," he said after a few minutes, "Ah was...Ah was wonderin' what...what it's like ta fly."

The pegasus looked at him in shock. "To fly?" she asked, "um, what do you want to know?"

"Everythin'," answered Mac, "what's it like, what's the world look like, what’s it feel like, y'know."

"It's scary," she chuckled, but once she saw the dead serious look on Mac's face she cleared her throat. "Um, well...It's kinda...it...Um, I guess I've never really had to explain it before..." she shuffled around a bit, "well...Have you ever jumped from someplace high up?"

Macintosh stared ahead, his eyes glazing a little. "Eeyup."

"Do you know that feeling just before you fall?"

"Eeyup."

"It's like that. It...Well, it is scary. I don't really like heights, so I don't fly very high. But...well, it just feels like you could fall at any moment. I know ponies like Rainbow Dash love that feeling, but...Well, I don't, not really." She hummed a little. "Whenever I do fly high up, Equestria looks...everything looks really really small. I guess it is a little exciting, to know you could just fly anywhere you want...Rainbow says that sometimes she just picks a point on the horizon and flies and flies until she gets there."

Macintosh sighed deeply.

"Um, Macintosh, why do you want to know?"

"Jes'...jes' curious, is all..."

The two sat quietly for a few minutes, but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. There was a sort of silent agreement between the two that you didn't always have to talk or fill that silence; sometimes you could just enjoy the quiet time together. Macintosh sighed wistfully, turning over what the pegasus had said. Fly anywhere you want...That freedom...

"EEP!" yelped Fluttershy as a lantern fell from its hanging place right in front of her. An orange pegasus with a guilty look on her face floated down and scooped up the lantern, securely fastening it to the ribbon above.

"Y'all okay?" asked Macintosh, shaken out of his reverie, "y'all are actin' a mite jumpy over there."

"Oh, um, well...I just, uh...I don't really like these sorts of things," she whispered, "parties aren't really my thing..."

"Ah hear ya," laughed Mac, "Ah dun' really enjoy 'em too much mahself. Ah find 'em kinda loud an' jes' too hectic."

Fluttershy smiled. "Me too. I mean, I'm glad that others really enjoy them, but..."

"Well, ya dun' have ta stay if'n ya dun' want ta," Mac offered, "in fact, Ah reckon Ah'll head home after the banquet."

"What?" her eyes widened, "oh no, you mustn't leave! You need to stay until sunrise!"

"Uh...Why's that?" Mac scratched his neck. The pegasus stammered, caught off guard.

"Um, uh, well, uh, I mean...It just...well, you really shouldn't miss it...and um...well..."

"Macintosh! Fluttershy!" The pair looked up to see Twilight, wearing a deep blue dress with a starry theme trotting towards them. A single blue star on her ear jingled with every step. Macintosh heard Fluttershy breathe a loud sigh of relief.

"Twilight!" she said, "you're wearing your Gala gown too!"

"Yeah," the unicorn chuckled, "it's by far the nicest thing I have. It's good to see you two!"

"Good ta see y'all too," Mac nodded.

"Twilight, wait!" yelled Spike who ran towards the group. Twilight groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Spike, I told you many times to get one! You have only yourself to blame for forgetting."

"Puh-huh-leeze, Twilight!" he whined, clutching at her leg, "I need something! Anything! I promise I'll pay you back!"

"I doubt Rarity even has time right now."

"PLEASE!!"

"All right, all right! Sheesh, Spike!" she levitated several bits out of her purse into the eager scaly hands of the dragon, "next time, get your suit lined up earlier, okay?"

"YoubetthankyouTwilightseeyoulater!" he scurried off in a blur of green and purple. Twilight shook her head and turned back to the pair.

"Sorry about that. Spike can be a little forgetful sometimes."

"Not ta worry," Mac raised a hoof, "so! Enjoyin' yer time with the Princess?"

"Princess Celestia is here!?" Fluttershy squeaked, ducking her head between her hooves.

"Yes, she's already here in Ponyville, and yes, I've had a lot of time to catch up with her!" Twilight said dreamily, "actually, Fluttershy, she wanted to see you."

"ME!?" The pegasus practically melted into a quivering puddle. "Oh no, why would she want to see me!? Did I do something wrong? It's not my fault! I didn't know the bunnies would start early this year! I told them to wait!"

"Uh, no, you're not in trouble," Twilight said after a second, "actually, she brought an old friend with her she thought you might want to meet."

"Old friend?" Fluttershy pondered for a moment, then sat straight, her eyes wide with excitement. "Philomena?"

"That's right! Come on, I'll take you there! I'll see you at the banquet!" she waved to Macintosh as the pair took off. Fluttershy stopped a few feet away and turned back to the stallion, lowering her head and dropping her voice to a whisper.

"Um, please stay until sunrise," she said, "you'll see why then." With that she took to the air and soared after her friend.

"So much fer turnin' in early t'night," Macintosh sighed and pulled on his harness.

---

Macintosh, already feeling a little drained from the party that hadn't even begun yet, sat on the bench and watched as the final decorations were being hung. The evening sun was hardly an hour away from setting below the horizon, so Macintosh spent a few minutes resting on the park bench, taking advantage of the quiet moment. Down the road Macintosh caught sight of Rainbow Dash, wearing a dress that matched her own color scheme and golden laurels on her brow, wandering aimlessly about the trees, eyeing the lanterns that dangled from above. Macintosh was about to stand and canter over to her and strike up a conversation, but another pegasus beat him to it. After a moment of watching the two converse Big Mac was able to identify the second pegasus as Cool Star. He said something, and Rainbow's jaw fell open, her eyes larger than dinner plates. Cool Star then passed her something: it was hard to make out from this distance, but to Mac it looked like a pair of glass disks in a leather lining held together by a strap. Goggles? As he held them out for the blue pegasus to take her eyes filled with more stars than Macintosh had ever seen before. She gently took the goggles, held them close to her heart and flew off. Cool Star began cantering along the road in the red pony's direction, so Mac called out to him.

"Howdy Cool Star," he nodded as the red-maned pegasus drew near, "or should Ah say, Cirro?"

"Cool Star's fine," he replied, his face expressionless, "how's the recovery going?"

"It's goin'," answered Mac, "Ah'm gettin' better. So Ah saw ya talkin' with Rainbow."

"Oh, yeah," Cool Star smirked a tiny bit, "I don't know if she told you, but I was able to get her an audition with my old team the other day."

"Eeyup, she mentioned it, said she passed an' all."

"She sure did, with flying colors. No pun intended. But you know what she said to me yesterday?" Cool Star leaned close, his eyes glimmering in just the faintest way, "she told me that she couldn't leave her friends here in Ponyville. Said she still had a lot to do here in town."

"Wow," Macintosh said, "that musta took a lot o' guts."

"Well, I respect anypony with such a strong sense of duty and loyalty," the pegasus said, standing tall, "and I think somepony like that deserves to be rewarded!" He unfurled his wings and took to the air. "Keep your eye on the sky tonight!" he called behind him as he soared away. Macintosh watched him fly into the sun, which was getting dangerously close to kissing the horizon. So, Cool Star's words reverberating in his head, Big Macintosh stood and made his way to the town square, squeezing his way through the growing crowds and the ever-increasing number of loud merchants.

When he arrived he found the square filled to the brim with ponies all gathered for the opening ceremonies. Near the back of the crowd Macintosh saw Rose, Daisy and Lily, so he gladly pushed his way towards them.

"Macintosh!" Rose smiled as he arrived. She was wearing a long scarlet dress shimmering with sequins, a green bow in her hair and an emerald necklace. "I'm glad you could make it! I'm sorry I couldn't come and visit while you were recovering. I was so busy these last few days!"

"Ah heard," replied Mac, "y'all are gettin' Mr. Breezy's shop in order?"

"That's right. It's taking a lot of work, but it's going to be so worth it!" her face was practically glowing, "I've got the flower stand all ready for the final moving sale and everything! Oh, I can't wait! Um, but I might need a little help with the accounting stuff every now and then," she added with a sheepish grin.

"Ah'd be more'n happy ta give it," Mac laughed. He turned to Lily, who was dressed in a pastel blue blouse with a frilly, poofy skirt and her hair done up in pigtails with bright green hairbands. "How's it goin' Lily?"

"AWESOME!" she bellowed, "that party the other night is peanuts compared to tonight! This is going to be the whole elephant! No, the whole zoo! Wait! The whole planet! Yeah! If this is that other party," she held her hooves up a few inches apart, "then this is tonight!" she spread her hooves as wide as they would go, smacking Daisy in the face.

"Lily, do you mind?" she flatly returned, straightening her hair which had been curled to fall on either side of her face. She wore a long, forest green dress with a small sunflower pinned on her chest.

"Daisy, yer sunflowers look amazin'!" Mac grinned, "y'all really put a lot o' work into t'night!"

"Well, thank you," she smiled, blushing just a little, "I must say, it's very gratifying to see all that hard work paying off. And now that I've cleared up my garden, I can really get to work with that apple tree sapling you gave me, and experiment with other exotic plants!"

"Watch your mouth!" Lily shouted. Daisy just rolled her eyes.

"So everythin's workin' out fer everypony, eh?" Mac chuckled. The three ponies all looked at each other mischievously and replied in unison:

"EEYUP!"

---

After a few minutes of shooting the breeze with the three fillies a hush fell over the plaza as the mayor of the town stepped behind the podium at the base of town hall.

"Fillies and gentlecolts," she announced, her voice magically amplified by the glowing horn of a unicorn at her side, "as mayor of Ponyville, it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the 'Eve of the Summer Sun Celebration!'"

The crowd exploded into cheers and stamps of hooves.

"In just a few moments," she continued, "the sun will set upon our fair land of Equestria, and the night festival will begin! Then, at the hour of midnight, the grand banquet will commence, highlighted by the lighting of the thousands of lanterns hung around town!" Foals all around the audience burst into excited cheers. "Then, at the end of the night, we will all gather back here to witness the magic of the sunrise! We have many visitors and merchants from out of town here tonight, and I hope you all enjoy the party!"

"YEAH! PARTY!!" Lily screamed above the uproar of excited shouts from hundreds of ponies.

"And now, let us count down until the sunset!" said the Mayor as everypony turned to face the setting sun, its tip just showing above the horizon.

"FIVE!"

"FOUR!"

"THREE!"

"TWO!"

"ONE!"

"ZERO!!"

An incredible cacophony of sound erupted from the sky as brilliant flashes of light exploded into rainfalls of color. More and more fireworks were set off into the twilight air, and great numbers of balloons were set free to rise into the sky. Macintosh watched in awe as the colorful explosions burst across the sky, but he had to cover his ears from the thundering noise.

As the final fireworks finished, a small orchestral band began playing festive music, and ponies dispersed to find drinks and snacks.

"This is going to be so awesome!" Lily squealed, "this party's gunna be the best! I'ma go get some cupcakes! You guys want anything?"

"No thanks," answered Daisy, "I'm not that hungry yet."

"I'll take one," said Rose, "try and get me an orange one, if there's any left."

"Mac? Want anything?" Lily asked.

"Nah, Ah'm not too hungry yet mahself."

"All right! Be back in a flash!" Lily bounced away through the crowds.

"So!" Macintosh began, "how're the movin' plans goin'?"

"I've already ordered a lot of inventory," Daisy replied, "I think that-"

"MACINTOOOOOSH!"

Mac turned to see Pinkie Pie, somehow made even pinker in a frilly dress covered in candy with a big pink bow. She had little shoes and wore a small cap as she charged towards him at max speed. Mac braced himself for impact but the filly somehow stopped on a dime mere inches away.

"Oh, that's right," she said, somewhat downtrodden, "you're hurt. I'll just hafta find somepony else to tackle!"

"Hi Pinkie," smiled Rose, "having fun?"

"Hi Roseluck!" Pinkie shouted back, "I'm having a party! Which makes sense, since this is a party. And what a party it is!!" she grabbed Macintosh by his harness and pressed her bright-eyed face into his, "this is SO AWESOME! Macky, this is going to be the best party ever!" she bounded around, pointing out anything that caught her eye, "there's so many lanterns all over the place I actually made a lantern it's pink and I gave it to Rarity who looks so pretty 'cause she's wearing her Gala gown like mine and you all look so pretty too everypony here looks pretty and fancy and shiny and there's the band and the music and the food even though I didn't get to help much well I helped a little and I made the dessert and and and and-" she paused to catch her breath, "it's going to be the best party ever!!"

"Party!" Lily shouted, trotting back to the group, a tray with a pair of cupcakes in her mouth. Daisy groaned loudly.

"CUPCAKES!" Pinkie shrieked, gobbling up both treats in one bite, "Ohmygosh, Lily!" she bellowed, "have you seen this party?"

"I have so totally seen this party!" Lily bellowed back, "and it is AWESOME!!"

"ARE YOU READY TO PARTAY!?" screamed Pinkie.

"I'M SO READY TO PARTAY YOU HAVE NO IDEA! MY BODY IS READY!!"

"THEN LET'S GO!!" the two pink fillies bounced away, loudly announcing their intentions to dance all night and never sleep again.

"Ugh," Daisy rubbed her temples, "those two shouldn't be allowed together."

"Well, I suppose Daisy and I should get our flower stand open," Rose laughed, "I'll see you later Macintosh! At the banquet!"

"Right!" Daisy shouted suddenly, turning to face the red stallion, "I don't know how you managed to get us seats, but thank you! I can't wait! I'm sure to make some big connections there!"

"Yes, thank you, Macintosh," Rose smiled as the pair cantered away, "this whole celebration is going to be wonderful, thanks to you. Please stop by and visit us sometime tonight!"

"Uh, yer welcome?" Mac scratched his neck as he watched the pair leave. "Why is everypony actin' like Ah dun' saved the town or somethin'? It weren't even mah idea ta bring this party here." He could hear the band in the town square finish their performance and some dance music begin pumping through the speakers that littered the town. Macintosh shook his head and leisurely strolled down the roads where the street lights were just being lit, clearing his head and enjoying the sight of the busy town and the excited ponies that filled its streets.

---

"Apple Bloom! I told ya! I dun' need yer help runnin' the stand t'night!"

"But Sis! I promise I'll do better'n last time!"

Macintosh grinned as he approached the apple cart where his sisters were fighting over an apron.

"No buts, Apple Bloom!" Applejack snatched the white apron away, "t'night's a big night fer the farm! I can't afford anythin' goin' wrong!" The orange filly was wearing her Gala outfit as well: an elaborate saddle on her back, green boots on her hooves and on her braided mane she wore her old, trusty hat rather than the novelty one Rarity made for her.

"Aw, please?" Apple Bloom pouted. Her pink bow was nestled in her red hair, and she wore a simple orange skirt.

"Now Apple Bloom," Macintosh said as he stepped up to them, "this here's a party t'night! Y'all shouldn't try ta work with yer borin' big sister!" The sister in question shot him a nasty glare. Macintosh leaned down and passed the little pony a hoof-full of shining bits. "Here: why dun' ya go find yer friends and get some cotton candy or sumat?"

Apple Bloom smiled meekly. "All right, I guess."

"There ya go. Now go'n have fun," Mac chuckled, tussling her mane. His youngest sister thanked him and galloped off.

"Thanks Big Brother," Applejack sighed, "I know Apple Bloom's eager ta find her special talent, but I'm pretty sure it ain't apple sellin'."

"Well, dun' be too hard on the filly," Mac chided, "Ah 'member the first time y'all tried ta sell some apples."

"Yeah, yeah, I 'member," Applejack said dismissively, "they got the stains out in the end."

"Anyhow, mind if Ah hang about fer a bit, help ya make some sales?"

Applejack eyed him suspiciously. "Don't ya got anythin' else ta do? What about yer friends?"

"They're all runnin’ stands o' their own or keepin' busy," he said, stepping behind the cart, "Ah'll catch up with 'em a li'l later."

"But ya dun' ever run the stand. Sure ya can handle it?" she grinned wryly.

"As long as there ain't any clowns," he winked. Applejack laughed and nodded her head.

"So," Macintosh began as he rooted through their inventory, "did ya have any trouble gettin' past them guards?"

"Ugh, them guards were a real pain in the patootie!"

"Language, AJ!"

"Sorry. But I mean it! I forgot our invitations back home so I had ta go aaaall the way back ta get 'em!"

"Wait, yer invitations?"

"Yeah, y'know, got 'em from Caesar. It dun' matter how much of a bigwig y'are, if'n ya dun' got yer invitation ya ain't gettin' into the party," she said, shining an apple, "well, I guess 'cept fer Princess Celestia."

"Huh," Mac frowned.

"Anywho, them guards didn't need ta be so dang grumpy 'bout it! All's I asked was fer them ta watch li'l Apple Bloom 'til I got back, an' they acted like I was askin' them ta run a marathon around the country! An' when I got back they gave me a glare that coulda killed a lesser critter! I mean, sure, Apple Bloom's a hoof-full, but how much trouble could she really've been? I swear...Hey, Macintosh, are ya even listenin'?"

"Huh?"

"Are y'all okay? Ya've been kinda...weird this past week."

"Ah'm fine," Mac pulled on his harness, "jes'...got a lot on mah mind lately."

"Well, try an' stay focused fer now," Applejack said, passing him an apple, "we've got apples ta sell!" The filly turned and began waving and calling to passing ponies, extolling her wide selection of apples, pies and fritters, and a few stopped to purchase some, but Macintosh stared off into space. There's something funny going on tonight. I never got an invitation like everypony else, but I was on the guest list? He shook himself back to reality as a pale blue pegasus stallion with unruly navy hair cantered over to him. Unlike almost everypony else, he wasn't dressed up at all.

"Howdy partner," Mac nodded, "ya hungry?"

"As a horse!" the pegasus replied. Applejack's ears shot up and she turned to face him.

"Hang on," she said, pointing a hoof, "I 'member you! Ya bought that pie at the Gala!"

"Hey, yeah!" he chuckled, "that pie was amazing! Best apple pie I ever had! Got any more?"

"You bet!" Applejack grinned, passing him a large pie which he took in his mouth, "enjoy!"

"Fangf!" he mumbled as he tossed them some bits. Applejack slid them into the bit-box as Mac watched the pegasus leave.

"Y'all know that feller?" he asked.

"Sorta," Applejack replied, "he was the only one ta buy anythin' at that trainwreck of a gala. He was all dressed up in some blue chicken suit last time, though. Looked like somethin' Rainbow dash woulda liked," she added with a chuckle, "wonder what he's doin' here?"

"Huh," Mac muttered, "weird. Anyway, where's Gramma?"

"Ah, she didn't feel up fer comin' so early. She wanted me ta go get her fer the banquet an' the sunrise, though." Applejack laughed a little. "It's gun' be somethin' else, I tell ya! First the Princess'll raise the sun an' then-" she glanced at Macintosh briefly and cleared her throat. "Uh, well, then it's the real celebration an' all. Yup, it'll be great!"

"Y'all okay over there?" Mac raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah, never better!" she coughed, turning away to wave at some passing ponies. "Howdy there! Y'all interested in some o' Sweet Apple Acre's signature apples? Guaranteed ta be the sweetest apple y'all ever had!"

Macintosh sighed as he resumed pitching sales as well. Why's everypony acting so weird about tonight? he pondered. Maybe all those sweets are going to their heads.

For the next hour or so Macintosh helped out with the stand before he decided to go and visit his friends. The night was wearing on and any sunlight that had lingered after the sunset was almost completely gone, but the streetlights illuminated the road before his hooves. As he milled around he found Blues, leaning against a lamppost and sipping a drink. He was wearing a simple collar and bow tie.

"Hey Blues," Mac said, "what's goin' on?"

"Hey man!" he grinned, "not much. I'm just taking a break."

"A break?"

"Yeah, me and Vinyl Scratch are running the music tonight, right? Once the band finished playing we've been taking turns DJ-ing."

"Ah see. Say, where's Cherry?"

Blues choked on his drink. "Pfweh! Um, you didn't hear, I guess..."

"Uh, nope, Ah reckon Ah didn't."

"She dumped me."

Mac pursed his lips. "Oh, Ah see," he said, kicking a pebble, "how come?"

"She didn't like how much time I was spending with Vinyl Scratch," he said, his eyes a little glazed, "I guess she got jealous or something. I dunno. I'll never understand fillies."

"She was a bit of a...a grump, weren't she?" Macintosh ventured. ‘Grump?’ Really? That’s the best I could come up with?

"Yeah, I guess she was. I dunno, she seemed like a nice filly when we met, and she was really nice whenever we were together, but she didn't really let me do my own thing. I dunno, I guess she was a bit of a mule. Her brother's an awesome guy, though. I don't know why she's so demanding."

"Well, I guess that's that, then." Macintosh sighed. "So, are you an' Daisy...?"

"No, we're not," he said, fiddling with his drink, "I don't think we'd get together again. I mean, she's a great filly, but even if I never met Cherry I think we would have just petered out eventually anyways."

"Hm, Ah see. How 'bout Vinyl?"

Blues choked on his drink again. "Guah! Uh, I mean, no? Eheh, no, it's just personal business. I mean NOT personal! Just business! Yeah! We're just partners. Business partners! Not partners like that! Um. Yeah. We're just making music together. But not like that!!"

Macintosh, doing his best to bite his tongue and keep from laughing, leaned in close and channeled a little bit of Lily:

"Y'all like her, don'tchya?"

Blues turned the color of Twilight Sparkle, his pupils tiny. "No! Um, no. Heh heh, I do not! More like you do! Uh, um, well, yeah, kinda." His face burned with his blush and he buried himself in his drink. "Just...don't tell Lily, okay?" he whispered.

"Dun' worry, yer secret's safe with me," Mac guffawed. "Speakin' of which," he said after a minute, "y'all want ta go join 'em? Ah reckon they're still runnin' their flower stand."

"Yeah, I've got some time to kill," Blues said casually, "let's go." He finished his drink and the two trotted along the road.

"Y'know," Mac smirked, "they'd probably give ya a discount on a nice set o' flowers fer Vinyl."

"S-s-shut up!"

---

The two stallions wandered through town, casually glancing at whatever stall caught their interest at the moment. Blues was held up for a few minutes at the carriage of one mare who claimed to be able to predict who his true love was, and Macintosh watched as his face paled and she politely demanded the five bits he owed her; when asked Blues would only shake his head and mumble something about sugar. Macintosh saw some of his other friends as well perusing the myriad of colorful booths: to the right was Lightning Bolt and Cotton Cloudy trying together to toss a ball into a cup that was too far away (and it constantly moving at the last moment certainly didn't help), beside them was Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo running their own makeshift magic booth where they'd take a personal object from their customer and then make it disappear, followed by a demand for a refund when they couldn't figure out how to make it reappear. Across the road was a large booth where an old stallion held a puppet show in a large stage he had set up, the wooden dolls dancing and speaking in silly voices as they dangled from the strings he deftly twisted with his hooves. In the center of the road was a small group of performing ponies, dancing in ways that would land any less-talented ponies a bed in the nearest hospital. Macintosh was particularly impressed when one of the ponies procured a flaming sword from his mouth and proceeded to toss it in the air and twist it around his body, somehow never lighting him or anypony nearby on fire.

Past them Macintosh spied Rose and Daisy happily waving and calling for passing ponies to take a moment of their time and see if there was something at their final moving sale (as the sign above their cart indicated) that they would be interested in. Macintosh and Blues cantered up to the mares who just managed to sell a trio of roses to a furiously blushing pair of colts: Snips and Snails, Mac realized with a chuckle. Macintosh, Blues, Rose and Daisy chatted for a bit, commenting on the wonderful decorations and wondering if Lily and Pinkie Pie were okay (or, more appropriately, if the snack bars were), and after about half an hour Blues had to leave to resume his DJ work, Mac giving him one more knowing wink as he left. For the next hour or so Macintosh and his friends ran the flower stand, and Macintosh tutored Rose on the finer points of accounting whenever the opportunity arose. Daisy held an interest as well, and together they brainstormed on what to call their flower shop when it was completed. Rose suggested the name they had for the last one ('Your Corner Florist'), but Daisy desired something new to go with their big step forward. Macintosh couldn't come up with anything remotely clever, and they decided they should let Lily in on the decision making process anyway.

Macintosh found himself completely at ease, any trace of nervousness and stress washing away in the cool night air. Instead of seeming crowded and intense, the streets and groups of ponies that traveled therein appeared more friendly and inviting. Macintosh even excused himself every now and again to go and investigate a stand that piqued his interest. Rose commented on how comfortable he seemed, and Mac just smiled, looking up to the starry sky and its large, shimmering moon. The clocktower rang from somewhere, its loud tolls hardly audible over the noise of the town.

"I'm going to go for a little walk," Rose said a while later, "Daisy, you can run the stand by yourself, right?"

"Of course," Daisy rolled her eyes.

"Oh good," smiled Rose, trotting away, "I'll be back in a while!"

"See ya," Mac waved. He and Daisy resumed operating the stand, but after a few minutes, business slowed to a halt and the two watched some nearby foals running about with silly hats.

"This is nice," Daisy said dreamily, "I'm really enjoying tonight."

"That's good," said Mac, "Ah am too." After a minute, Mac continued: "so did ya ever get a chance ta talk ta Blues?"

"Yes," Daisy answered, "I did. I...I guess I had things a little mixed up. I need to apologize to Cheerilee."

"So you an' Blues then; yer finished?"

"I think so," she sighed, "I don't think I really have time for anything like that right now anyways. I'm going to be really busy with the new shop and everything."

"Eeyup, Ah'd reckon so."

Daisy looked at him suddenly. "You know, you're a really nice guy. When we first met, well...no offence, but I thought you were a little slow."

"Ha ha, it ain't no worry," Mac laughed, "sometime's Ah am a mite slower than the average pony."

"Well, in any case," Daisy chuckled, "I was wrong about you. Thank you for caring about my friends and me."

"Eeyup," Mac sighed happily.

Rose returned a few minutes later, and shortly after an announcement was made over the loudspeakers around Ponyville:

"Attention everypony! It's forty-five minutes to midnight! All guests with seats at the banquet should head to the town square, if you please!"

"All right!" Daisy grinned, pulling the rope which dropped the 'closed' signs down over the cart, "let's eat!" The small group trotted through the town until they arrived at the main plaza, the seats at the long tables slowly filling up with dignified looking ponies. A smiling mare asked for their names and showed them to their seats, where Macintosh found his family and friends already seated. Applejack, Apple Bloom and Granny Smith were seated to his right, great smiles spread across their faces. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle (both wearing simple purple skirts) sat across from Mac's youngest sister; each member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders had a single red rose in her mane. Past them sat Lightning Bolt and Cool Star, and Cotton Cloudy sat next to Scootaloo, the two no doubt becoming fast friends judging by their excited whisperings. Across from Big Macintosh sat Lily, Blues and Vinyl Scratch, and to his left were the seats for Rose and Daisy, who gladly took them. Past them were Twilight, Spike (wearing a dapper looking suit), Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy (who had a long flame red feather in her mane). Across from them was Pinkie Pie, Cheerilee, Rarity and Ditzy Doo, whose eyes were staying well-behaved. They all smiled and waved as Macintosh joined them, and Macintosh couldn't help but break out in a massive grin at the sight of his many friends.

"Howdy y'all," he said as he sat down, "fancy meetin' all you here!"

"Marshmallows!" Ditzy shouted happily.

"Excited for dinner?" Cheerliee asked, taking a sip from her drink.

"Eeyup, Ah'm lookin' forward ta seein' what Caesar did with our apples."

"What I did was take something already magnificent and make it even magnificenter!" Caesar laughed, somehow planting himself between Macintosh and his sister, "oh, look at you all! You look positively smashing! Ah, I wish I had a camera! If only I could capture this moment! Aha! You there!" Caesar tapped a light blue mare with silver hair and massive pink sunglasses on the shoulder as she and her entourage made their way to their seats.

"Ja?" she declared, somewhat irritated, "vat is it you vant?"

"Excuse me, but you wouldn't happen to have a camera, would you?" Caesar asked.

"I have FAR more zan a zimple camehra!" she waved her hoof, speaking in a bizarre mish-mash of accents.

"Brilliant! Would you mind taking a commemorative photo of our group?"

The pony threw her head back and laughed. "I, Photo Finish," she snapped her tale for emphasis, "am NOT juzt zome zimple photographer of zee common poohny! My talentz are rezerved for oohnly zee mozt beautiful and fashioned of poohniez! Only onez with...Zee Magic, dezerve zee honor of being captyured on my film!"

"Um, Photo Finish?" came the reserved voice of Fluttershy, who was being urged on by Rarity, "um, maybe you could, please? For us?"

"Floottershy!?" the mare shouted, "vat iz it yoo are doing here?"

"Please?" the yellow pegasus widened her eyes pleadingly.

"Ah, Floottershy, it iz for yoo aloohne zat I make zee exzepzion! Are yoo zertain zat yoo do not wish to return az zee greatezt model in Equeztria? Yoo have no idea zee amount of requestz I have been getting for yoor return!"

"I'm sorry, Photo Finish, but I'm happy right here," she said, smiling to Rarity.

"Ah, vat a pity. Elsie! Ve begin zee photo shoot...NOW!"

What the group got was much more than a simple commemorative photo. Photo Finish insisted on setting up lights and sending her makeup artists around the table to touch up the ponies, then completely changed her mind and demanded them all to pose at the base of town hall. The group of ponies organized themselves around Macintosh who reluctantly took the center of the photo.

"Iz everypoohny ready?" Photo Finish bellowed, "ov courze yoo are! Vy do I azk! Now zen! Az much az I detezt zuch an inzipid practice, I cannot refute itz effectivenezz! Zo! Zay cheeze!"

"CHEESE!" Macintosh and his friends shouted.

"Pickles!" said Ditzy.

SNAP

---

Once Photo Finish took all the photos she wanted (which was much more than Lily wanted to sit still for) the group sat themselves back at their table as the final guests seated themselves as well. At the two tables at the front sat the most important looking ponies, including the mayor, Caesar, and a prissy looking unicorn stallion who elicited a loud groan from Rarity as he took his seat. Once everypony was seated (and once they could get Pinkie to stop talking) the mayor took the podium.

"Fillies, gentlecolts, royal and esteemed guests," she began, "it is my great honor to welcome you all to Ponyville on this 'Eve of the Summer Sun Celebration!' As the banquet is set out, let us all thank Celestia for this wonderful holiday! And now, to celebrate, we shall light all the lanterns! Twilight, if you please!"

Twilight stood and cantered up to the front of the podium. She closed her eyes and her horn glowed, before sending up a spark to the top of the town hall. As the glowing light touched the very tip of the building it exploded, sending a brilliant flash of light down across all the ribbons and ropes that stretched out from the center of town. As the spark touched each lantern they lit up, and soon the sparks reached the tall poles and split, sending more sparks down every road and street, lighting up every lantern that hung above the city. Their fantastic orange glow basked Ponyville in their radiance, and Macintosh could hear cheers and shouts erupting from all around the city.

"Picture!" Ditzy shouted, "Hurry! The camera! It's our only hope!"

"Oh, all right Ditzy," Rarity replied, pulling out a dusty black box, "I don't know why you'd want to use such an old camera..." Macintosh's cousin had one like that: it could instantly develop and print out a grainy picture.

"Opulence!" the pegasus said happily, taking to the air, "the sun sees all!" She flew high above the town and squealed in happiness when she looked down below her, aiming and taking a picture. Several other pegasi from around town flew up as well, and each one gasped and pointed down to the town below them. Ditzy dived back down and waved the slip of paper around until it developed completely.

"Oh, that's amazing, Ditzy!" Rarity gasped, taking a look at the picture, "that's beautiful! What a wonderful idea!"

"Lemme see! Lemme see!' Pinkie shouted, bouncing over, "ooh, pretty!"

"Green pirates knew forever!" Ditzy grinned as she showed the picture to everypony, who all remarked what a great sight it was. Finally she stepped up to Macintosh. "Pineapples?" she asked as the stallion took a look.

From below, the lanterns were beautiful. They hung above everypony's head, happily shining with their orange light, drawn and painted by anypony who wanted to make one. Round ones, square ones, even a few triangular ones shone peacefully, and it was a wonderful sight from the ground. From the air, on the other hoof, it was an incredible, breathtaking sight. The little picture showed what anypony with wings could see for themselves: the lanterns formed an enormous, brilliantly glowing replica of the sun. The town square was the giant orb of light, and the twisting and winding roads formed the tendrils of warmth that extended out from the center. It looked exactly like the Princess Celestia's cutie mark, Macintosh realized; the cutie mark that had become the international symbol for the sun and was printed on every coin across Equestria. Macintosh looked back up into the glimmering crossed eyes of Ditzy Doo.

"That's incredible," he said, his eyes wide with awe, "that's really somethin' else."

"Cupboard!" Ditzy smiled, moving on to show the photograph to all the other ponies at the table. Macintosh looked back up to the night sky, illuminated by the thousands of hoof-crafted lanterns, sighing wistfully.

A few moments later, a small legion of chef unicorns levitated hundreds of covered plates and trays which they set out and uncovered for the ponies.

"Applejack, Macintosh, these are your apples, right?"

"Eeyup."

"They're delicious!"

"CHOCOLATE SAUCE!"

"Pinkie, how many sweets have you had tonight, anyways?"

"Nowhere near enough if I can still see straight!"

"Hey Blues, Vinyl Scratch, how come you aren't in the music booth?"

"Ah, they wanted the fancy band to play during dinner."

"They don't dig Daft Pony."

"What is this!? Just a few measly apple slices? No offence, Applejack."

"None taken....."

"Spike, it's only the appetizer. There's more food afterwards."

"Really? Oh, okay. Sorry Applejack."

"Hey Cotton, have you ever tried a barrel roll?"

"Yeah, but Daddy said they're too dangerous."

"Darn tootin' they are! Why, back when Ah was cap'n of the royal air force, we used ta lose good flyers every day when they tried them foolish barrel rolls!"

"Gramma, how were ya in the air force if ya don't even have wings?"

"Ah lost 'em in the great war, Apple Bloom! Ah was leadin' the assault against NightMare Moon!"

"But that was over one thousand years ago..."

"I remember that! I was your wingpony, remember? I rode the gila lizard!"

"Lily, you were NOT there."

"Was too!"

"Oh, look! Here comes the main course!"

"All right! Ooh, this looks great!"

"Aw, no gemstones..."

"Sweetie Belle, be careful! I don't want to see any stains on that dress tonight!"

"Sorry sis..."

"Yum! Have you tried the porcupines? They're delicious!"

"The WHAT!?"

"No, Fluttershy! She means the carrots."

"Oh...I'm sorry for yelling..."

"Screwdriver!"

"Oh wow, this is so super-duper-yummy!"

"Better than cupcakes?"

"We're still a loooong way off from reaching cupcake territory, although I can't wait to see what dessert is!"

"Pinkie Pie, didn't you make the dessert?"

"Shh! You'll spoil the surprise!"

"Hmm, I've always wanted to try a sunflower..."

"Lily, don't you dare!"

"Hey Rainbow Dash! After the banquet could you show me your Super Speed Strut? Rainbow?"

"That's weird, she's gone!"

"Mommy, Daddy's gone too!"

"It's okay, Cotton. I'm sure he just went to the washroom."

"That's too bad. They're missing out on this amazing meal!"

"I'll eat it for them!"

"Oh no ya won't, Apple Bloom!"

"Pinkie Pie! Slow down! You're going to get a stomach ache!"

"So, Fluttershy! How's Philomena doing?"

"She's well. She's very beautiful when she's healthy."

"Philomena? You mean that phoenix of Celestia's?"

"That's right. She's a very nice bird. When she's healthy."

"Big Brother, y'all said ya wanted ta see a phoenix, right?"

"Eeyup."

"You do? You should come after dinner then and I'll introduce you!"

"Hey Cutie Mark Crusaders! Where'd you girls get those lovely roses?"

"Oh, um...We found them."

"Really?"

"Um, yeah."

"Are you sure they weren't from some colts?"

"Haha! Was it from yer coltfriend, Apple Bloom? Snails, was it?"

"SIS!"

"No, hers was from Snips."

"Sweetie Belle!!"

"Ooh, here comes dessert!"

"Awesome! Apple Crumble! Who could have known?"

"Pinkie...!"

"Oh wow, this is really good!"

"You did a really great job on this!"

"Thanks! Oh, look! The mayor's going to say something!"

"Attention, everypony!"

The tables fell silent as the mayor stood behind the podium. "I am pleased to present, in celebration of this year's festival, a special performance by the WonderBolts!" The crowd burst into applause as several pegasi in blue uniforms shot into the air, leaving trails of smoke or electricity behind them. "For tonight and tonight only," the mayor continued, "Cirro will fly with the team again!" On cue, Cool Star, wearing another of the uniforms, flew from behind town hall to join the rest, leaving a puffy trail of cloud. "And for this night only," resumed the mayor, "they will have a special guest captain! So please stomp your hooves for Captain Rainbow Dash!"

As Rainbow Dash, wearing the same uniform and a pair of goggles, soared up with the rest of the WonderBolts - leaving behind a trail of rainbow colors - Macintosh's table exploded into cheers and applause.

"YEAH! WHOO!" Pinkie screamed, "GO DASHIE!"

"RAINBOW DASH! RAINBOW DASH!" chanted the others. The stunt team of ponies made a formation behind Rainbow Dash, and together they performed flips, spins and dives that made Macintosh's head spin. At one point he looked over to Scootaloo and Cotton Cloudy, whose eyes were wide with wonder as they held onto each other, mouths hanging open in amazement. Macintosh laughed lightly as he looked back up to the flying wonders. Cirro spun around and around, forming a large white cloud above their heads. The others hovered in a wide circle around it, and Rainbow Dash dove down to ground level, positioning herself just below the cloud. With a wink at Macintosh she lowered her goggles and shot up, straight at the cloud. As she did so, the other pegasi dashed towards the center, and just as Rainbow burst through the cloud they all pulled up, spiraling around their guest captain forming a twisting, flashing, multicolored storm-cloud pillar that pierced the sky with a terrific clap of thunder. The group dispersed and hovered in formation above the plaza, taking a bow to the uproarious cheering from below. Macintosh grinned widely as the ponies all landed behind the town hall.

"OHMYGOSH!" Lily screamed, "THAT WAS AMAZING!!"

"SO AWESOME!" Pinkie bellowed.

Macintosh looked back to Scootaloo, who looked back to him with the biggest, happiest grin in the world.

"Eeyup, it sure was," he chuckled.

---

"Rainbow Dash, that was incredible!" Twilight said as Rainbow and Cool Star returned to the table.

"Thanks," Rainbow laughed, "that was so much fun!"

"So I guess this means you're joining the team then, huh?" Scootaloo asked, ears drooped. Rainbow looked back to Cool Star and grinned.

"Nope," she said, "I'm stayin' here. Somepony needs to stay around here and be awesome, after all!"

"Really?" Scootaloo perked up.

"Good work out there, Rainbow," Cool Star smirked slightly, "you'll make a great captain someday."

"Thanks, and thanks a ton for doing that for me!"

"Hey, like I said!" the tan pony shrugged, "you deserved a reward."

Rainbow Dash looked at everypony contentedly, but after a second her countenance changed completely: she closed her eyes and she let loose a great squeal of joy.

"EEEEEEOhmygoshohmygoshohmygoshOHMYGOSH I FLEW WITH THE WONDERBOLTS!! THIS IS THE BEST NIGHT EVER!!" Her eyes snapped open as she realized all her friends were staring at her, great grins on their faces. "Eheh, um, yeah, that was pretty cool, I guess."

"So you finally flew with your lifelong idols, eh, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight grinned. Rainbow nodded dreamily.

"Well, this is a big deal!" Pinkie Pie declared, "We need to celebrate! And I have just the thing!" she shouted, pulling out a large tray of cupcakes.

"Pinkie Pie," Rarity sighed, "we just had dessert?"

"Silly, this is second dessert!" The pink pony bounced around and handed everyone a cupcake.

"Oh, it looks just like me!" Fluttershy giggled, holding the pink and yellow cupcake in her hooves, "it's even got a little candy butterfly on it!"

"Cool!" Spike said, holding his purple and green one, "mine's got a gem on it! Thanks, Pinkie!"

"Aw, it's so cute!" smiled Rose as she admired hers, "Pinkie, you didn't need to do this!"

"Yes I did, because I wanted to, and you're my friends!" she said as she passed Macintosh his. "How's it going Macky? You've been pretty quiet. Are you having fun?"

Macintosh looked down to the little cupcake on his plate. It was red, with orange frosting and a little green candy apple on top. He looked up to his friends, each one looking expectantly to him. He smiled.

"Eeyup."

***

"Mac'ntosh?"

"Yes Grampa?"

"C'me ov'r here, son. C'me closer."

I stepped over to the bed. Grandfather looked at me.

"Mac'ntosh, Mac'ntosh..."

"Yes?"

"Mac'ntosh, yer a good colt...yer such a strong colt...ya'll make a fahn stall'n s'meday...Eeyup..."

Grandfather coughed. His voice was scratchy.

"Ah see yer wearin' mah old harness...it done serv'd me well. Yer pa were jes' a li'l older'n y'all when Ah gave it ta him...Eeyup..."

He coughed.

"Mac'ntosh, d'ya know what the Apple Fam'ly tradition is?"

"It's ta run the farm."

Grandfather laughed.

"Eeyup, but that's jes' half o' it! Not ev'n the import'nt half!"

"What?"

He took my hoof. His eyes were so tired.

"Ah learn'd the tradition from mah pa...Eeyup...An' yer pa learn'd it from me. Yer pa...he knew it well, but he got it a li'l mix'd up as he grew up. Eeyup, he fer sure did."

He coughed again.

"He had trouble...Mac'ntosh, y'all dun' hafta end up like that. Jes' 'member what's the most import'nt part. Eeyup."

"An' what's that?"

He laughed and coughed. He became very quiet.

"Ya already know it, son...Eeyup...Ah jes' reckon...It'll take...a while...fer...ya ta......see............."

"Grampa? Grampa?"

***

"Macintosh?"

The red pony jerked awake. After the Banquet he and Fluttershy paid the phoenix a quick visit, but even the sight of the magnificent fiery bird wasn't enough to keep the red pony's eyes open, so he had teetered his way over to his favorite tree in the park, exhausted from the long night and fell asleep. As he looked up now he saw Cheerilee standing above him.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her eyes tinted with concern.

"Jes' a li'l tired," Macintosh yawned. Cheerilee chuckled and sat down next to him.

"I hear ya. I haven't partied like this in ages!" she laughed, "once I started teaching I had to leave all that behind. Maybe someday I'll take another visit to a disco."

"Y'all used ta be quite the party animal, eh?" Mac grinned, "Ah guess we sorta fell outta touch once Ah had ta drop out."

"Yeah, I guess. It's too bad. You were my closest friend during my school years."

"Really?"

"Yeah. All the other fillies and colts in my class were so obsessed with how they looked that nopony seemed genuine or real at all. It was just that age, you know. I got teased a lot because I was never able to stay up on the fashion trends. Plus, I was a bit of a shrimp for my age."

"Eeyup, Ah 'member."

"I even fit in perfectly into that weird play, even though I was a couple years older than everypony else. You wouldn't have known it from looking at me, though. Heh, that costume of Rarity's was so uncomfortable! She's really come a long way since then." The maroon pony sighed and looked to Big Mac. "So have you, Macintosh."

"Ah have?"

"Yes, you really have. Back in school you were picked on a lot, weren't you?"

"Eeyup. Didn't have any friends b'sides you."

"Exactly!" Cheerilee held up her hoof, "but just look at you now! Half of our table was filled with friends of yours!"

Macintosh fell quiet for a moment, pondering what she said. "Well," he said after a minute, "Ah guess havin' ta run a farm by yerself can change a pony."

"Maybe," Cheerilee replied, "but I have a feeling there was something more than that." She looked over to him, and smiled. "You know, you still owe me a valentine."

"What? Ah never got ya one?"

"Nope!" she laughed, "but don't worry. You can get me later." She nuzzled his neck a little and stood up. "I should get going. Lyra and Bon-Bon wanted to show me some booth selling old records. I'll see you at sunrise!" waving behind her she cantered off. Smiling, Macintosh watched her go. He thought back to the first time he had met her: she was being picked on by some colts because she was so small, and he stepped in and told them to buzz off. He and Cheerilee became friends after that, and the other ponies stopped teasing her over time; they found Macintosh a much more interesting punching bag.

Big Macintosh shuffled under the weight of his harness. It's too bad we couldn't have stayed in touch. We were both just too busy with our own problems. He closed his eyes and cleared his head. All that was in the past, and the present and future were much brighter than they'd ever been for him before. For once, outside of his family, he had a reason to get out of bed in the morning.

Macintosh stood and took a light canter around the park. It was relatively empty, save for one or two ponies out for a romantic stroll in the calm lantern light. Excitedly chatting on a bench down the path was Scootaloo and Cotton Cloudy, discussing which was their favorite trick from the WonderBolt show. Grinning, Mac trotted over.

"Howdy Scootaloo, Cotton," he waved.

"Hey dude!" Scootaloo smiled.

"Hi Mr. Macintosh," Cotton Cloudy said meekly, "um...Thanks for...y'know, saving my life..."

"Heh, ain't no trouble," Mac chuckled, "anypony woulda done it. So Scootaloo! How's yer trick comin' along?"

The orange pegasus' eyes lit up. "Awesome! I'm finally getting the hang of it all! I'm gunna be the greatest flier ever!"

"Sounds like a plan," said Mac, "what did ya think of Rainbow's show?"

"Oh man, it was awesome!" she grinned, puffing out her wings, "Rainbow even said that later tonight she'd show me how to do her Fantastic Filly Flash!"

"Maybe she'll show me too?" Cotton chimed, "I want to be a better flier too, but I'm too young to go to Summer Flight Camp..."

"Oh hey, that reminds me," Mac began, "Ah heard that Fluttershy is thinkin' o' startin' up a junior flight camp sorta thing, jes' ta help out young foals with trouble flyin'."

"Really?" Cotton said, surprised, "I wanna go!"

"Heh, flying with the Stare Master?" Scootaloo brought her hoof to her chin in thought, "I guess that would be pretty cool. Not that I need the help, or anything."

Macintosh smirked knowingly and shook his head. "Well, y'all should let her know ya'd be interested." Macintosh looked around suddenly. "Say, where's the rest o' the Cutie Mark Crusaders?"

"Oh, they went to get some snacks."

"Cutie Mark Crusaders?" Cotton asked, "what's that?"

"It's our totally awesome secret society!" Scootaloo boasted, "hey! You should totally join! I know you already have your cutie mark, but still! That would be awesome! I'll totally have to suggest it to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle! This is so totally awesome!"

Macintosh chuckled. She is totally saying awesome way too much. "Well it sounds like y'all have a lot o' plannin' an' whatnot ta get back ta, so Ah'll be on mah way."

The two pegasi foals waved goodbye as the red stallion in the dark suit walked away, grinning to himself. Looks like Scootaloo's found another kindred spirit. I bet those two go on to become one heck of a flying team.

Macintosh finished his stroll around the park and decided to go back into town. Nearby he found Applejack, who was just closing up her stand.

"AJ?" he began, "what's goin' on?"

"Hey Big Brother!" she beamed, "I sold everythin'!"

"Wow, really?" Macintosh laughed.

"Sure did! Once all them guests got wind that mah apples were what they had fer dinner, why, they all clamored ta get some! I even got some large orders come fall! I practically had ta hold 'em back ta stop 'em from buyin' the apple pie I made fer Lily!"

"Well now, ain't that somethin'!"

"I tell ya, Macintosh, these past few days we've got more business at the farm than in the whole last year! I can't thank ya enough fer referrin' that Caesar fella ta us!"

"Well, yer welcome," chuckled Mac. Closing up her stand Applejack began pushing it away. "Where ya headed?" Macintosh called after her.

"Off ta Twilight's! She said I could tie up this here cart there fer the rest o' the night. Dun' worry, I'll be back in time fer the sunrise! See ya then, Big Macintosh!" She pushed her way through the crowds of ponies (who all seemed a little tired out too, judging from how they teetered as they walked) and disappeared from view. Macintosh continued his trek, heading towards town square from where he could hear loud dance music blasting.

"Macintosh!" Rose galloped up to him, "there you are! I've been looking all over for you!"

"Fer me?" he tilted his head.

"Yeah! It's almost time for the sunrise!"

"Wha-Already!?" Mac stuttered, "what time is it!? How long was Ah asleep?"

"Come on! We need to get our spots at our table!" Rose grabbed his hoof and pulled him along to the Plaza, past the growing numbers of ponies gathering for the spectacle. Together they rushed back to their table, where only Daisy, Lily, Fluttershy (who had Angel Bunny sitting on her head) and Pinkie Pie were already seated.

"Where are the others?" Rose asked as they sat down.

"Dunno," Pinkie shrugged, "but they'll be here!"

"Mac!" Lily waved dramatically from the other side of the table, "over here! Can you hear me!?"

"Hardly," Macintosh rubbed his ear against the loud music.

"Are you sure you don't find it too loud, Angel?" asked Fluttershy. The little white rabbit shook his head and continued to bob in rhythm with the beat.

"Now that's my kind of animal!" Pinkie laughed, "I would have brought Gummy, but he doesn't do so well in large crowds."

"Hey guys!" Rainbow Dash landed and took her seat, wearing her Gala gown again.

"Hi Ms. Dash!" Lily waved, "ooh, what's with the neat goggles?"

"Cirro gave them to me!" she gushed over the lenses, "they were his when he was a WonderBolt!"

"They served me well," Cool Star added as he and his family arrived, "I hope they do the same for you."

"Hi everyone!" chirped Ditzy as she and Rarity took their seats, "is everyone having paper bags?"

"Heh, 'peanut,'" giggled Sweetie Belle as she and the other Cutie Mark Crusaders sat.

"Get yer hooves off me, Applejack!" Granny Smith bellowed, "Ah'm still able-bodied!"

"All right, all right, Gramma!" Applejack resigned as they arrived, "oh hey, Lily, here's yer apple pie I promised ya!"

"Awesome sauce!" chirped Lily as she took the pie.

"Look what I found!" announced Spike as he carried a small bowl of gems over to the table, "anyone want one?"

"Lily, no," Daisy flatly said. Lily pulled her hoof away from the bowl and stuck her tongue out at Daisy.

"Hey guys!" Blues waved as he took his seat.

"Hi!" Rose smiled, "where's DJ PON-3?"

"She's just finishing up the last song, she'll be here any minute."

“...Well, maybe we should just change our name!” Scootaloo bantered with the other Cutie Mark Crusaders as they walked over.

“We’ll think about it,” Sweetie Belle answered.

“Oh good, I made it!” Cheerilee sighed as she sat down, “I kind of lost track of the time!”

"Is that everypony, then?" asked Rose.

"Hey! Where's Twilight?" Rainbow looked around.

"She's up at the front with the mayor," Spike replied, chewing on his treasure, "are you sure you don't want one, Rarity?"

"No thank you, Spike, I have plenty at home."

"Hey bronies!" Vinyl Scratch announced her arrival, "got the last record windin' down, freed me up to hang!"

"Ooh, this is so exciting!" Pinkie squealed, "are you excited because I'm excited I've never been so excited!!"

"Shh! It's starting!"

"Welcome everypony!" said the mayor as she took the podium, "welcome to the beginning of the 'Summer Sun Celebration!'" The massive audience of excited ponies exploded into applause. "In just a few moments, our town will witness the magic of the sunrise as we celebrate this: the longest day of the year!"

"Whoohoo! All right!" cheered Lily.

"It is my great pleasure to welcome Twilight Sparkle, student of Princess Celestia and caretaker of the Ponyville public library, to welcome the Princesses of our fair land of Equestria!"

"Yeah! Go Twilight!!" Spike bellowed.

"Hooray for the basket!" Ditzy shouted.

"Thank you," said Twilight as she stepped behind the podium, "and thank you all for coming to participate in this wonderful celebration! For the last one thousand years, our Princess Celestia rose and set the sun and the moon each and every day. But last year we held witness to the return of Princess Luna, who has since resumed her duties as caretaker of the moon and stars!" More applause and stomping of hooves from the audience. "And so, it is my great honor to welcome our Princess of the Night to lower the moon and make way for the dawn! Let us all bow before the wise and beautiful Princess Luna!"

The trumpeters played a royal fanfare as a small speck of light descended from the sky. It then hovered in front of town hall and, in a brilliant flash of white light, a majestic navy blue alicorn alighted upon the stage. The crowd all knelt low to the ground as Princess Luna regally bowed her head to the audience. Macintosh looked up and felt his heart skip a beat as he saw that the beautiful princess, her starry blue hair glistening in the moonlight, was looking right at him.

His heart then stopped completely as the beautiful dark blue alicorn smiled...and winked.

Extending her elegant wings she took to the air, her horn glowing a radiant aqua blue. The audience stood straight to watch as an aura of light surrounded her, and she shone with the brilliance of the moon itself. Her power could be felt in Macintosh's chest as the giant orb of light in the sky majestically fell down to the horizon before disappearing completely, only the glow of the thousands of lanterns now lighting the town. The crowd exploded into cheers and stomps of hooves as Princess Luna landed on the left of Twilight, who bowed her head and resumed her speech.

"Thank you, Princess Luna, for giving us your beautiful moon and stars to watch over us every night." The moon princess bowed and took a step back. "And now," Twilight began, "It is my great pleasure to welcome our kind and loving ruler - and my personal mentor," she added with a giggle, "to raise the sun and usher in the longest day of the year! Let us all bow before our great and beloved Princess Celestia!"

Another fanfare came from the royal trumpeters as the Princess of the Day stepped out from behind a large curtain. The audience bowed to the ground as the princess, her regal form and long, multicolored and forever flowing mane flapped her long wings and flew above the stage. Her horn glowed and, in a tremendous flash of light, the great ball of fire rose above the horizon, warming the audience and casting its light upon the town. Macintosh winced at the bright light, and the crowd burst into cheers and applause as they all stood. The Princess Celestia landed to the right of Twilight, and the purple unicorn bowed and stepped aside to make room for the princess to take the podium.

"Thank you, my little ponies!" the royal alicorn said, her voice as warm and inviting as the sun that rose behind her, "and a special thank you to my dear sister. Let's everypony give her another round of applause!" The Moon Princess furiously shook her head as the audience stomped their hooves and cheered.

"YEAH! GO LUNA!" Pinkie bellowed. Princess Luna blushed and shot her elder sister a frustrated scowl. Celestia didn't seem to notice and continued her speech.

"Thank you all! We truly and honestly appreciate this wonderful show of gratitude. We are honored by your presence today." The two princesses bowed their heads to the ponies, and Macintosh found himself instinctively bowing to the pair of wonderful alicorns. Glancing around he saw everypony else doing so as well.

"However..." the Sun Princess resumed, "I hear that there is somepony else to honor today. Somepony who, in the last few days, has become a wonderful friend to many, helped many ponies achieve their dreams, even saved the life of a filly and the town from potential destruction!"

"Wow, Ah'd sure like ta meet that pony," Macintosh mumbled under his breath. He looked around and found all his friends smiling at him. "...What? Do Ah got somethin' in mah teeth?" He looked down to see that no, he was not still chewing his hay.

"And so," resumed the princess, a drumroll rising in intensity, "It is my great pleasure to present the Prized Pony of Ponyville award to the very stallion who brought this wonderful celebration to Ponyville: our guest of honor, Macintosh Apple!"

It shouldn't have been physically possible, but somehow, Macintosh's jaw hit the ground. The band played a loud tune as Big Macintosh looked around to all his friends and family, who smiled and urged him up to the stage. It took an actual push from Applejack to get his legs working again. The red stallion closed his mouth and watched as the other ponies all grinned, waved or stomped their hooves as he walked past. Over there were the foals from Cheerilee's class, who asked when he'd come back to teach them again. Even the two little fillies (Diamond something and Spoon something) waved and smiled as he passed. Over there was Caramel and Clover, who sheepishly waved, and even the WonderBolts who stood to the side saluted him as he made his way to the stage. He stepped up past Caesar (who congratulated him once again) and walked up to the princesses; he knelt to the ground in their presence. He felt Celestia's warm hoof touch and lift his chin, and he looked up into her radiant indigo eyes.

"Please, rise, my little pony," she smiled lovingly. Macintosh rose to his shaky hooves, and Twilight procured a golden, shining trophy from off to the side. It was similar to the one his sister got way back when, but this one was much larger and more ornate. Macintosh looked over to Luna, who grinned and nodded her head sagely.

"Uh," finally Mac's voice returned, "but, but, Ah don't...Ah don't deserve this! Ah didn't do nuthin'!"

Celestia laughed. It was an incredibly kind and warm laugh, like the sun she commanded. "Macintosh Apple, you most certainly do!"

"Macintosh, you've done so much for this town!" Twilight said, stepping forward.

"But, but, what have Ah done?"

Celestia looked to Twilight and smiled. She then stepped forward and laid a warm, ivory hoof on Mac’s shoulder.

"Macintosh Apple, look around you. Look at all the friends you've made, the ponies you've helped, and the town you've saved!"

Big Macintosh looked.

He saw Rose, the first pony he met in town. He saw Daisy, a sunflower pinned on her chest, Lily, an apple pie in her hooves and Blues, who had Vinyl Scratch leaning upon his shoulder. Over there was Cotton Cloudy standing happily with her parents, Lightning Bolt and Cool Star. Rainbow Dash, wearing her precious new goggles and Fluttershy, a bunny who nodded approvingly resting on her golden wing. There was Scootaloo, wings extended and ready to fly. Pinkie Pie, balancing a cupcake on her nose, Cheerilee, running a hoof through her pink mane and Rarity, Sweetie Belle and Ditzy Doo, who shouted something about flying shoes. He looked up to Twilight, and Spike, who had run up to her side. He looked back down to Granny Smith, her wrinkly face filled with pride. He looked to Applejack, his father's trusty hat with the funny bite in it still perched above her green eyes. He saw Apple Bloom, his mother's faithful pink bow glowing in the morning, highlighting the filly's large orange eyes. He looked up to Ponyville, its buildings unscathed and its inhabitants unharmed by the landslide of logs he held back. He looked back down to the crowds of hundreds of ponies enjoying the wonderful party that he brought to town.

Everypony was smiling. Smiling wider than he'd ever seen them smile before.

Macintosh looked down to his father's harness that he wore around his neck.

Pa...I did what you asked. I kept my promise. I...I'm...I don't think...I don't think you hated me. I...You loved me, didn't you? You...You only wanted what was best for the family. For me.

I...I don't...I don't think that...I hate you anymore...

I'm...I'm sorry.

And suddenly, he understood.

How could I not see it before?

He remembered the moment he got his cutie mark. That fateful, painful moment when he ran into the house to find his family crying, and his father's harness, his father's hat and his mother's bow resting on the table. He remembered how he stepped up to his family. To his grandmother, to his sisters, and how he held them close. He told them it would all be okay. He loved them.

It was at that moment that he had felt his flank tingle. His cutie mark, the green apple half that appeared, he knew now what it meant. He knew now what his special talent was. He knew now what was his passion.

He looked back to the family he loved. The Apple Family.

Macintosh looked up to the sky through watery eyes. He saw all the pegasi that flew up there, away from the ground.

He knew that he would never fly with them, never touch the sky and never taste the freedom that wings could give him.

But you know what?

He was okay with that.

After all, he thought, looking back to his friends and family, I've got everything I need right here.

~End

Comments

[Christopher28]

Beautiful ending. A great story about an underused character.

Honestly, I found the speed of how quickly Big Mac went from being a relative stranger to everypony's friend a bit hard to swallow... or perhaps just the premise that he was a stranger to most of the town in the first place. He might not be one of the main characters, but he always seemed like a big part of ponyville life, so the original premise had me wondering, at first, if this story really had all that much potential.

Still, it turned out to be a fantastic read. It reminded me very much of the first two episodes of the show, actually, with Twilight making five best friends and saving the world in two days flat...

Everypony seemed to be in character, and the various conflicts were resolved, if not terribly believably, then at least very satisfactorily. Friendship is magic, after all, and this story had that magic in spades. Like the opening of the series itself, it did a good job of making you believe that miracles were indeed possible, at least, if you have good friends at your back.

I'm honestly very impressed with the way you wrapped everything up. Scootaloo learning to fly... thanks to a certain princess of the night granting a wish... Big Mac's figuring out the truth behind his own cutie mark... Rainbow Dash's desire to be a wonderbolt and the conflict between that desire and remaining a loyal friend? Even Big Mac's forgiving of Pinkie was handled in a very satisfying way.

[Csquared08]

This was... Wow. Very nicely done, sir.