Of Mares and Machines

by Razalon The Lizardman

Chapter 8

The sky was darkening by the time the fence was fixed and Applejack began leading Mavis to Rarity’s house. The street lamps were lit and the streets themselves were quickly emptying. The chirps of crickets could be heard off in the distance. The moon was full and shining bright and the stars twinkled with splendour. Mavis basked in the serenity of the night the entire trip to Rarity’s house.

Finally, they came upon the oddly-shaped building. Mavis asked why it looked so strange, to which Applejack simply said, “It’s all elegant and frou-frou-y, exactly as Rarity likes.” Mavis thought it looked more silly than elegant. They came up to the front door and Applejack knocked.

“Coming!” sing-songed Rarity’s voice from somewhere inside. There was the sound of hurried hoofsteps approaching the door, which opened to reveal Rarity’s smiling face. “Oh, hello there Applejack. Mavis. What brings you here at this hour?”

Applejack leaned forward and whispered something in Rarity’s ear, to which her eyes sparkled and her mouth opened in delight.

“Oh my, this is important!” She opened the door and beckoned them to enter. “Please, make yourselves at home. I’ll make some tea for you. The living room’s just across the sales floor.”

Applejack and Mavis made their way to the living room while Rarity retreated to the kitchen. They sat down on a purple couch which Mavis immediately decided was the most comfortable thing she’d ever touched. A look around the room, however, revealed an overabundance of bright colours. Various shades of pinks and purples filled every corner and surface of the room and ornate designs were etched into every wall; nothing at all like Applejack’s house. Mavis had thought the exterior of the house looked silly, but the inside looked downright ridiculous. Not that she would tell that to Rarity’s face.

The two of them waited patiently for a few minutes until Rarity entered the room carrying a tray with a tea kettle and three cups. She set it down on the table in front of the couch and levitated a cup to each of them before levitating the tea kettle to fill them all up.

“So, our dear Mavis has a crush on Big Mac, does she?” Rarity said happily while she took a seat in a similarly purple chair, teacup held aloft by her magic. “I must say, I’m both surprised and not at the same time. I had thought such feelings were beyond trains, and yet, Big Mac is quite the gentlecolt that perhaps it was too much for Mavis’ heart.”

“C’mon Rarity, there’s no need to make this all dramatic,” Applejack said. “I ain’t Twi an’ even I know it’s a side effect of her spell.”

Rarity tsked. “You simply can’t play along for once, can you?”

“Nope,” Applejack said plainly.

There was a moment of silence between them before they burst out laughing. Mavis was confused by the exchange but kept quiet.

“Well then,” Rarity started once they settled down, “if dear Mavis wishes to ‘get cozy’ with your brother, you came to the right mare for the job! I will do nothing short of my best to help!”

“Thank you, Rarity,” Mavis said with a smile.

“Now, listen closely to the following advice,” Rarity said seriously. “You must adhere completely to these steps if you truly wish to court Big Mac, as it were.”

Mavis leaned forward, ears up and attention fully rooted to the white unicorn.

“First things first;” Rarity began, “the key to winning a stallion’s heart is pushing to be close to them as much as possible. I imagine you two work in the fields fairly often, yes?”

Mavis nodded.

“Try to work close to him as much as possible. Also, make sure to compliment him on his work, especially about how strong he is. Make conversation as much and as often as you can. Ask questions about him. Although, don’t mention the fact that you’re a train; he might lose interest completely if you do. Building a solid friendship is a crucial first step in starting a romance. Do you understand so far?”

Mavis nodded again.

“Good. Now, once you’ve built a solid friendship, the next step is to put yourself in a romantic environment with him to subtly show you’re interested in taking things to the next level. There are many different situations that would suffice…” She tapped her chin with a hoof, eyes glancing up in thought for a moment. “Aha! Might I suggest stargazing? That’s a concept you’re familiar with, correct?”

“I like looking up at the stars,” Mavis said with a smile.

“Perfect. Once you feel ready, ask him to do some stargazing, and make absolutely sure to sit close to him the entire time. Maybe even drift your hoof over to his own at some point. Once you’ve managed to do all of that, come back to me and I’ll tell you how to advance your relationship further. Does that sound good?”

Mavis nodded. “Thank you for your advice, Rarity,” she said. “I’ll make sure to follow it.”

“You’re very welcome, Mavis,” Rarity replied. She took a sip of her tea, smacking her lips and savouring the taste. “Although, I lament the fact that you’re going away so soon before this romance has a chance to truly blossom.”

“Can’t ya just read one o’ yer corny romance novels?” Applejack asked with a smirk.

Rarity huffed, turning her muzzle up at Applejack with her eyes closed. She held that look for only a few seconds before flashing Applejack a cheeky grin.

The three of them continued talking for a short while after that, finishing up their tea all the while. Mostly Rarity and Applejack talked about things Mavis couldn’t relate to while she herself spent most of her time committing to memory all of Rarity’s advice. It was much easier now that she had lots of brainpower to work with, but she still wanted to be extra sure she understood everything.

Finally, they finished off their tea and passed the empty cups back to Rarity. “S’pose we should get going, now,” Applejack said, getting up off the couch.

“Not so fast, you two,” Rarity said as Mavis got up as well, earning their collective attention. “Before you go, there’s one last thing Mavis will need for her date tomorrow.”

She levitated the tea tray and cups and hurriedly made her way to the kitchen to drop them off before rushing through another door out of sight. Sounds of shifting fabric and mutterings from her filled the air. Mavis and Applejack shared a confused glance. After a few moments, there was an ‘Aha!’ and the sound of a door closing, followed by hoofsteps.

“No stallion can resist such an alluring design,” Rarity said from out of sight before she appeared in the doorway, her horn glowing. “Feast your eyes on this!”

The object she was holding floated into sight. Mavis heard Applejack groan heavily while she looked at the object with interest. It was a single piece of long, tube-like clothing, brightly coloured gold with swirling light blue patterns, detailed to a greater degree than she’d ever seen from any human she’d ever met. It looked like it would fit her nicely.

“Oh dagnabbit, Rarity!” Applejack cried. “Y’all ain’t really gonna give her a dress fer this, are ya?”

“Of course I am, Applejack,” Rarity replied. “A lady must be properly attired for a date. This dress was intended for you for whenever you found yourself a coltfriend.” Applejack shuddered. “But since Mavis’ body is based on your own, it will fit her just as well.”

Applejack turned to Mavis. “You really wanna do this, Sugarcube?”

Mavis looked between her and the ‘dress’. “Is there a reason I shouldn’t?”

“Quite the contrary,” Rarity said. “A lady must look the part for a date, and my dresses are perfectly suited — pardon the pun — for such an endeavor. Why don’t you try it on before you go? And don’t worry about cost; consider it a free rental until you leave to go back home.”

“If it’ll help me get cozy with Big Mac, then I’ll wear it,” Mavis proclaimed.

Applejack groaned.

“Excellent!” Rarity said. “Let’s see how it looks on you in the changing room. Come along, now.”

Mavis followed Rarity onto the sales floor and over to a set of swinging double doors leading into a smaller room. She passed Mavis the dress and gestured toward the ‘changing room’.

“Go on,” she said.

Mavis clutched the dress to her chest and stepped through the double doors. A long mirror was set into one wall while a wooden bench was set into the opposite. She laid out the dress on the bench and inspected it. Four holes were carved out of it, one on each side, two of them bigger than the others.

Somehow, some way, she was going to put this on all by herself. To that end, she carefully inspected the dress’ design the same way the people at the Works would inspect her for illness whenever she visited. It looked like she needed to stick her head through the largest hole and up through the dress, exiting through the opposite hole.

Mavis smiled at her cleverness. She lifted the dress up with her muzzle and stuck her head in, wiggling through until her head, including her mane, exited through the opposite hole. The dress seemed to fit nicely around her body.

She tried to stand on all fours again but was met with resistance as her hoof wedged itself between her body and the inside of her dress. Frowning, she tried to force her hoof down, but to no avail. She tried harder, but all she got for her trouble this time was a loss of balance that sent her toppling onto the floor. She growled and tried to slip the dress off of her body, but it had become too tightened around her for that to work.

“Grrragh!”

“Mavis, is something the matter, dear?” The doors opened and Rarity came inside. Her eyes quickly landed on Mavis’ wiggling form inside the dress. “Oh, do be careful Mavis; too much force and you’ll rip it.”

Mavis felt her entire body tingle and surround with a blue glow, being rendered completely immobile. She glanced up at Rarity with annoyance but relented at the understanding look the unicorn was giving her.

“I do suppose I should’ve foreseen this,” Rarity said solemnly. “But never fear, my assistance is as invaluable as it is endless.”

Mavis felt the tingle of the magic shift from her body to the dress. “Hold still now, please,” Rarity instructed, and Mavis obeyed as she gently pulled the dress off of her. It splayed in the air and the bottom opened up. “I’m going to pull the dress over you— raise your hooves so you can slip them through the sleeves.”

The ‘sleeves’? Mavis looked at the dress and quickly realized Rarity was referring to the holes on the left and right sides. Again, she did as instructed and raised her hooves. Rarity lowered the dress, gently sliding it over Mavis’ body. She paused for a moment to allow Mavis to put her hooves through the sleeves before sliding the dress the rest of the way.

“Voila!” Rarity said with glee. She took a moment to pull some caught strands of Mavis’ mane out of the dress before saying, “Look at yourself in the mirror, dear, and admire your radiant splendor!”

Mavis gazed at her reflection with interest. The dress did indeed nicely fit her body and the material used to make it felt nice and smooth against her coat. She wasn’t sure what to feel about her appearance, whether she really was supposed to look good wearing the dress. It certainly didn’t feel as good as receiving a new coat of paint, but Rarity certainly seemed to like how she looked, so that had to be good.

“Are y’all done in there!?” Applejack called from the other room.

“You can’t rush the art of beautification!” Rarity half-screeched.

Mavis gave herself another look before saying, “Thank you very much, Rarity.”

“Think nothing of it, Mavis. Now, let me remove it and put it in a bag so it doesn’t get dirty on your way home.”

Mavis complied, allowing Rarity to lift the dress off of her. The two of them exited the changing room to find Applejack waiting near the front door, looking very impatient. Rarity spent the next few minutes wrapping the dress up in colourful paper and putting it in a small white box before passing it to Mavis as she showed her and Applejack to the door.

“Ta-ta, and good luck bagging your catch, Mavis!” Rarity said as she opened the door for them.

Mavis frowned, not understanding what Rarity was saying, but didn’t voice her confusion as she and Applejack waved her goodbye while heading back to Sweet Apple Acres.

The town was completely dark by now, with only the moon and stars overhead providing any light. Mavis looked up at the nighttime sky in interest. It looked no different from the night sky back on Sodor, which was good because she liked the stars back home. It would be the perfect activity to share with Big Mac tomorrow night.

---

Following Rarity’s advice proved to be easier than it would’ve been a few days ago when Mavis thought the symptoms that happened whenever she saw Big Mac meant she was sick. Now that she knew what those symptoms actually meant, it made the task all the more pleasant. She stayed close to Big Mac all the while they worked in the fields, chatting frequently about whatever came to mind and complimenting him on his work, which he definitely deserved. Usually, he said little more than ‘eeyup’ and ‘nope’ when talking to her, rarely speaking in complete sentences, but he kept a smile on his face the whole time.

Big Mac seemed the most impressed whenever Mavis managed to bring down an entire tree’s worth of apples with one kick, giving her an appreciative whistle at her success. Every single time he did this Mavis felt her chest fire up; being complimented for her work felt nice, and she was sure Big Mac felt the same way. If she was forced to, she wouldn’t mind working with him for the rest of her life.

After finishing with the daily chores she helped Applejack run the stall at the market and paid her next visit to Fluttershy to help take care of her animals. Any bubbling curiosity she had about the Everfree was quick to be discarded; she was determined to be good from now on. All the while she worked, her anticipation for that night built up. Even beyond the idea of getting cozy with Big Mac, she’d never done stargazing with her driver or any of her engine friends, and getting to share that experience was exciting to her.

The sun was just above the horizon by the time she made her way back to Sweet Apple Acres. Dinner was being prepared when she came through the front door. Granny Smith and Apple Bloom were in the living room, the former resting in a chair and the latter drawing a picture of something on the floor. A quick glance in the kitchen showed Big Mac at the stove and Applejack bringing a cloth-covered bowl to the table.

“Welcome home, Mavis!” she said upon noticing her. “Dinner’s ‘bout ready. Go on an’ wash up and come on down in a few minutes.”

Mavis nodded and trotted up the stairs, turning down the hallway and entering the bathroom. She spent the next couple minutes washing her hooves and splashing some water on her face as per Applejack’s guidance. Having water splashed in her face normally wasn’t a pleasant experience, but having a towel nearby to dry it off made it okay.

She exited the bathroom and turned down the hallway when an idea came to her. She turned and entered her room, striding over to and opening the closet. Her eyes rose to the dress hanging from the rack. She took it down, laid it flat on the floor, and inspected it once again. She hadn’t thought about it since last night, but now that the time was almost coming, a sense of unease came over her. Would he really like how she looked wearing it? If not, would that ruin the entire night between them? A part of her considered not wearing the dress, but then she remembered how happy Rarity was giving it to her; it would make her sad if Mavis didn’t wear it.

Mavis took a relaxing breath. She was going to wear it, no matter what. If Big Mac didn’t like it, then she’d get rid of it. Until then, she’d wear it and hope things went good.

“Dinnertime, everypony!” Applejack’s voice called from downstairs.

Mavis left the dress where it was and returned downstairs to join the Apple family for dinner. She didn’t talk much during the meal, her mind too preoccupied wondering how the upcoming ‘date’ would go to pay much attention to what the others were saying. She caught Applejack flashing her a few winks whenever Big Mac had his head turned away. Mavis would respond by rolling her eyes and burying her face in the salad they were having for dinner; it was very ‘tasty’, she had to admit.

Mavis was quick to put away her dishes once dinner was over and rush upstairs to her room. With a deep, calming breath, she slipped into the dress using the same exact method Rarity showed her the night before. After that, she gave her reflection another look over in the bathroom mirror. The front of the dress was marred by a couple of wrinkles, but a few firm pats with her hoof easily smoothed them out; it wouldn’t do to look even a tiny bit disorderly.

“I can do this, I can do this,” she repeated to herself as she descended the stairs. She found Apple Bloom and Granny Smith back in the living room, having returned to their previous activities. A look in the kitchen showed Applejack washing the dishes. Mavis came up to her.

“Applejack?”

“You lookin’ fer my brother?”

Mavis nodded.

Applejack pointed toward the front door. “Out on the porch.”

“Thank you.”

Mavis went over and opened the front door to the cool nighttime air, shivering a little at the touch, but in a way that made her feel comfortable, unlike a cold winter night where her wheels felt like they’d freeze to the tracks. She stepped out onto the porch, looking up at the sky. The stars and moon were shining bright, perfect for stargazing.

She found Big Mac sitting in a rocking chair to her left, eyes closed and a piece of straw in his mouth.

“Hello, Big Mac,” Mavis said kindly.

He opened his eyes and looked over to her, only for his mouth to fall open and the straw to drop to the porch. It was similar to how he’d acted upon meeting her for the first time, which Mavis wasn’t sure was good or not if he really did have a crush on her, but it had to be because of her dress. He wasn’t frowning, at least, so he wasn’t displeased with how she looked in it.

“Um, Big Mac?” she said when he didn’t say anything after a long while had passed.

Big Mac shook his head and his face returned to normal. “Sorry,” he said. “I just wasn’t expectin’ to see you wearing a dress.” His eyes darted up and down between meeting her gaze and looking at the dress.

Mavis was relieved. If he was just surprised to see her wearing the dress, that meant the date could go smoothly. “Do you like how I look?” she asked with a smile.

“Y-you look lovely, of course!” Big Mac spluttered.

A compliment! Things were looking up now. “Can we do some stargazing together?”

Big Mac blinked. Then he smiled softly. “Eeyup.” He got out of the chair and strode across the porch. “I know jus’ the place, too.”

Mavis smiled and followed after him. He led her into the barn and up a ladder into the loft. From there he showed her through a door built into the ceiling. Mavis stepped through first onto the roof, taking in a sharp breath at the view of the landscape; it was the first time she’d seen such an expansive view under moonlight and it left her speechless.

She was brought out of her awe when Big Mac said, “Come on,” from behind her.

Mavis followed Big Mac the rest of the way up to the topmost point of the roof. A cool breeze blew past them, but it did little to crush the building warmth in Mavis’ cheeks. They sat down next to each other, silent, their eyes cast upward at the twinkling stars. Mavis began connecting the brightest stars into whatever shapes she could make out of them. This was a nice activity, one she’d never gotten to do before. Usually, she was either locked up in her shed or, when she was doing night work, her attention had to remain forward on the rails. This was a rare opportunity she wouldn’t pass up.

“The sky sure is beautiful, ain’t it?” Big Mac asked.

Mavis nodded. “It is; just as much as back home.”

A short silence passed between them, but Mavis was too busy looking up at the sky to notice at first. It wasn’t until Big Mac breathed a heavy sigh that she turned to look at him. He seemed to be fighting with himself over something. That didn’t seem good.

“Is something wrong?” she asked.

Big Mac breathed deeply again, exhaling rather loudly, and faced her with a determined gaze. “Do you trust me, Mavis?” he asked.

Mavis quirked her eyebrows. “Yes…?” she said hesitantly. “What are you on about?”

“Do you trust me enough to let me know what you used to be before being turned into a pony?”

Mavis opened her mouth to respond, then stopped. Rarity’s advice from last night about keeping her origin secret resurfaced in her mind.

“I trust you,” she replied, turning her head away from him. “But I shouldn’t say anyway.”

“Okay,” was all Big Mac could say in response.

Another, longer period of silence stretched between them. Mavis tried to continue connecting the stars in bizarre shapes, but focus had escaped her, replaced by guilt. Every now and then she spared a glance at Big Mac, her guilt growing each time at the sight of his sorrowful face. She was positive this wasn’t good for the date’s success.

“Do you go stargazing often?” It was the first question that came to her mind and it seemingly came out of her mouth before she knew she wanted to ask it.

Big Mac shook his head. “Nah, not since I was a little colt. My ma an’ pa took me out to watch a meteor shower when I was around eight or so, but I’ve never had much interest in the sky.” He smiled. “But looking up at the stars with you is nice.”

That seemed to lift his mood a little. Mavis pressed onward. “Really? Are we getting cozy?”

Big Mac’s cheeks turned bright pink and his eyes bulged. Mavis shrunk back, thinking she’d said something bad. “Ah, sorry,” she said, turning away from him again.

“Why’re you— I-I mean— ‘getting cozy’?”

Mavis felt her cheeks warm. Yes, she’d definitely done something stupid. Now the date was going horribly, she just knew it. A part of her thought it might be a good idea to leave and go to bed, but another, growing part thought maybe she could turn things around, make it right. The only problem was she wasn’t sure how.

She peeked a glance at Big Mac to find him still wide-eyed but looking forward instead of at her. He was surprised but in a bad way. That meant she needed to surprise him in a good way. But what could she do to accomplish that? She recalled the rest of Rarity’s advice from last night and one bit stood out to her. It was worth trying.

She scooted closer to Big Mac, drawing his attention. He opened his mouth to say something but froze in place as Mavis put her hoof over his leg. All the awareness drained from his eyes and his body went rigid. Mavis closed the remaining distance between them, slightly rubbing her body up against his.

“Are you happy, Big Mac?” she asked, hesitant.

Big Mac responded with nothing. That couldn’t be good. She tried pressing herself deeper into his body but still nothing.

“Are you okay?” she asked finally. “Big Mac?”

She felt relief wash over her when Big Mac’s eyes returned to normal but his cheeks remained pink.

“Why are you touching me?” he asked.

“Do you not want me to? I thought it would make you happy.” She put some space between them.

Big Mac rubbed his neck sheepishly. “I-I mean, I didn’t mind it, but…”

Yet another new, unfamiliar sensation overcame Mavis, brought about by watching Big Mac looking so nervous and insecure. For a second, she thought it had just been guilt, but there was something more to it that she couldn’t place. All of her interactions with Big Mac over the week so far collected in her mind, painting a clear picture of the stallion before her. He was smart, understanding, and respected her feelings— nothing at all like Toby. She’d already made a stupid mistake, yet the date hadn’t been completely ruined. If she was a little more open with him, could that make things right?

“... Do you still want to know what I really am?”

Big Mac seemed to regain his composure only for his face to turn sideways. “Pardon?”

“You asked me what I was before being turned into a pony; do you still want to know?” Mavis gave him a genuine, kind-hearted smile. “I didn’t want to say because I was afraid you wouldn’t want to be with me for the rest of my stay if you knew.”

“That’s plum ridiculous, Mavis.” All the unease vanished from Big Mac’s features, replaced with iron-clad determination. “I don’t care what ya really are. What matters is who you are on the inside, not the outside.”

Hearing those words filled Mavis with the confidence she was searching for. Now everything was on course to go splendidly!

“My home is the Island of Sodor,” she began. Big Mac gave her his full attention, eyes filled with curiosity. “There, I’m a diesel engine working at Ffarquhar Quarry, shunting trucks full of rock and other goods. I haven’t seen much of the island in my life, but I’ve heard stories from the other engines about what the rest of the island is like.”

Big Mac stared at her blankly for a short while, unresponsive. Mavis was afraid he’d be angry with her at first, but then a big grin broke out on his face and he started laughing heartily. Mavis was surprised by the reaction at first, but quickly realized he was happy if he was laughing, which was good.

“I’m sorry, Mavis,” Big Mac finally said once he’d managed to calm down. He wiped some tears from his eyes. “I jus’ wasn’t expectin’ something like that to be yer answer.”

“I hope it doesn’t upset you.”

For a brief moment, Mavis thought she saw disappointment in Big Mac’s eyes, but he waved her off and shook his head. “Nope.”

Mavis blinked, not entirely sure he was telling the truth, but he continued speaking before she could voice her disbelief.

“I’d love to know more about what it’s like bein’ a train if you don’t mind sharing.”

Mavis felt her symptoms suddenly return. “S-sure,” she stuttered.

Their stargazing date was forgotten as Mavis began recounting tales of her life experiences to Big Mac. He gave her his full attention with every story, his eyes sparkling with interest whenever she went into detail about her relationships with her fellow engines, driver, and the quarry workmen. Every now and then he would laugh at a particular detail she recounted or ask questions to clarify some things, though, she didn’t know the answer to many of them. She appreciated his attention very much.

When she came to her story about saving Toby and his crew from falling into a river, she was hesitant to include the detail about her being responsible for the near accident, but she told him anyway. To her immense relief, he took it in stride, even commenting on how good it was to admit to her bad choice. Her symptoms flared hotter than a steam engine’s firebox at his praise.

“Sounds like you have a love/hate relationship with this Toby fellow,” Big Mac said once Mavis was finished talking.

Mavis huffed. “He acts like he’s my boss and that he knows everything about trucks.” She wouldn’t admit it out loud, but she knew Toby was more experienced than her. But he still didn’t need to treat her like she was so useless without him!

She stiffened when she felt Big Mac rest a hoof on her withers. She turned to look into his smiling, knowing face.

“You know, Mavis, I think he’s trying to help you in more ways than you know,” he said.

Mavis blinked. “What do you mean?”

“We all have to start somewhere, without any knowledge of anything, but we learn and grow as we get older,” he explained. “It sounds like Toby is just tryin’ ta help you learn and grow. Maybe he comes off as bossy, but I’m sure he means well.”

“I guess…” Mavis tried to come up with a good counter-argument, but only drew blanks. She thought back to the time she got stuck at the level crossing because of an icy incline and how Toby had said to her after getting her out of the mess, ‘You’ll manage now I expect’; she wondered if he’d said that not to boast, but because he believed she could get the job done on her own then? “But I can manage a task fine if I get proper directions.”

“You’ve proven as much over the past few days,” Big Mac pointed out, smiling. “I’ve been very impressed by your work ethic.”

“All the engines on Sodor want to be useful,” Mavis explained. “Some think they’re more important than others, but the Fat Controller considers all of us the ‘pride of the line’.”

“Well, I consider you the ‘pride of Sweet Apple Acres’,” Big Mac said with a good-natured laugh. “And I’m sure the rest o’ the Apples would say the same.”

Mavis’ symptoms rose to a searing pitch. She loved it.

“Hey look, Mavis!” Big Mac said, pointing upward.

Mavis followed his gaze, gasping at the sight of a shooting star flying across the nighttime sky.

“Better make a wish ‘fore it disappears,” Big Mac followed up before closing his eyes and pressing his hooves together.

Mavis was confused. “Wish?”

The shooting star disappeared a second later. Big Mac muttered something under his breath before opening his eyes and turning to her. “Ain’t you ever heard o’ wishing on shooting stars before?”

Mavis shook her head. “What’s a ‘wish’?”

Big Mac looked surprised. “Really? Ya ain’t never heard o’ wishing before?”

Mavis shook her head again.

“Ah, well, it ain’t no big deal, really; just something fun to do if you ever see a shooting star. Wishing just means expressin’ a desire, and they say if you wish for somethin’ when you see a shooting star, it’ll come true.”

“That sounds like rubbish,” Mavis said, unimpressed.

“Yeah, it is, but it’s still fun to do.”

“What did you wish for?” Mavis asked.

Big Mac looked to her with the nicest smile he’d yet given her. “That you’d enjoy the rest o’ your stay in Equestria.”

“Oh, really? Thank you.” She’d said it so casually, but hearing that from Big Mac had made her the happiest she’d yet been since being turned into a pony. Something about his wish made her feel extra special, something that went beyond being a hard-worker, or even a good friend. Her symptoms no longer registered to her, buried under all of her good feelings.

The date had been a success!

They remained up on the roof for a good while longer before Big Mac got up and suggested they ‘hit the hay’ which actually meant going to bed. Mavis could think of nothing but Big Mac’s wish all the while they made their way back down to the house.

Comments

[howard035]

This chapter is so sweet.