Prolonging The Magic

by Closer-To-The-Sun

Ch. 2 The Sweetest Thing

Chapter 2: The Sweetest Thing

A few days after Pinkie Pie's party, the trees on Sweet Apple Acres were ready for the first harvest of the season. The Apple family was hard at work to get the first batch of produce of the season stored away and ready to be shipped out. After the first day of work, many of baskets of apples were gathered together and stored in the barn. Big Mac, Applejack, and Applebloom were inside going over the inventory.

"Looks like we got ourselves another sweet bunch of apples this year, don'tcha think Big Mac?" Applejack asked as she looked over a barrel of red delicious apples.

Big Mac nodded and smiled, "Eeyup, about thirty three-barrels on the first day, and many more trees to go. I've got a good feelin' about this year's crop."

Applebloom popped her head out of a barrel of gala apples, "Do you think ah'll get mah cutie mark this year then?" she asked her siblings excitedly.

Applejack laughed and placed her hoof on her sister's head, roughing up her hair a little, "Well, let's hope so, Applebloom. But you know that these kinda things can't be rushed." Applebloom pouted at her sister's words; she knew Applejack was going to say something like that, "Come on, ya little filly, you need to get some rest." Applejack led her little sister out of the barn before turning to Big Mac and saying, "You need yer rest too, Big Mac."

"I know, I just have somethin' to do fer a friend is all," the red stallion nodded to his sisters. Applejack nodded back and left the barn with Applebloom.

After they had left, Big Mac took a small basket in his mouth and moved to the barrels of gala apples. He set the basket down and looked through the apples for the best ones he could find. Once he had found the best apples of each batch, he placed them in a basket. He did this in silence with each type of apple, from honeycrisp to granny smith, to golden delicious for several minutes. Once he was done gathering the best apples he could find, Big Mac looked at the basket of colorful fruit and smiled. 'I reckon that she will like these,' Big Mac thought to himself with a bit of pride. Picking up the basket handle again, he placed the basket in a special location in the barn, surrounded by bales of hay where only he would think to look. Satisfied with himself and his special gift for Twilight, he trotted to the doors of the barn and then closed them behind him as he started walking back to the house. Taking his time, he looked up at the clear night sky. It was very similar to the one he and Twilight had been under the night before, talking and enjoying each other's company. The cool air felt nice against Big Mac's red body after a hard day's harvesting. Remembering what Twilight said about the stars, he looked up to find the constellations she mentioned to him.

"What did Miss Sparkle called those star things again? Can-nus Major, was it? And O-ryan?" Big Mac was trying to remember the names she had told him, but to no avail. "Heh, not like I know what those things look like. Really a shame though, ah'd like to know more about such things," Big Mac sighed and softly chuckled to himself as he headed inside the house.

**********

The next morning, Celestia's sun was shining bright on Ponyville, and Sweet Apple Acres was bustling with the activity of harvesting apples. Everypony, big and small, was doing his or her part to gather the apples. By high noon, everypony was taking a small break to eat lunch and relax before going back to work. Big Mac was able sneak off to the barn to get the basket of apples he had set aside for Twilight Sparkle during this break. However, as he went to sneak away from the farm, he was spotted by a familiar orange mare.

"Big Mac! Where the hay are you going?" Applejack called out, approaching him.

"Oh, uhh, Applejack, uh, ah was," the stallion stuttered trying to come up with an excuse, but he also knew better to lie, "Goin' to deliver these apples to Miss Sparkle," he replied around the basket handle in his mouth.

"Ah see. How 'bout ah come along with ya? Ah need t' talk to her about something anyway." Applejack said cheerfully.

"Uh, well-"

"Come along now, Big Mac! We do need to hurry back!" Applejack said as she started walking ahead of Big Mac toward the library where Twilight Sparkle lived. Big Mac sighed and followed his sister.

When they arrived, Applejack knocked on the door, which Spike quickly answered, "Howdy, Spike! Is Twi around?"

"Yeah, she's right in here doing some studying, come on in Applejack. Oh, and hey there Big Macintosh!" Spike welcomed the two siblings in. The baby dragon was a bit surprised to see Big Macintosh away from the farm in the middle of the day.

"Thank ya kindly, Spike!" Applejack said as she entered. Her elder brother followed behind, giving Spike a gentle nod as he did.

Twilight Sparkle popped her head up over her mutliple stacks of books and saw her guests, "Oh Applejack, Big Mac! Welcome! Sorry, if I knew you two were coming today, Spike and I would have cleaned up a bit! Spike could you take care of the books in the back for me?" She was a bit embarrassed by the number of books she had let pile up. Spike nodded and went into the back to continue his work.

"It's not a problem, Miss Sparkle." Big Mac said, placing the basket of apples on the table next to a small stack of books.

"So, what brings you two over here?" Twilight asked as she happily trotted over to them, using her magic to place her book down.

Before Big Mac could answer, Applejack interjected, "Well, Big Mac came by to drop of some apples and I just wanna talk a bit with ya before I become too busy with the harvesting season."

Twilight lit up when she heard that Big Mac was dropping off the apples, "Oh, thank you so very much, Big Mac!"

When Big Mac heard Twilight Sparkle thank him, it was as if his heart melted. Twilight and Applejack were talking amongst themselves, but he couldn't hear them as his ears were still ringing from Twilight's comment. He was more than overjoyed to hear those words than he thought he would be. He wasn't exactly sure why he felt that way about her, but there was something about her that he really liked. He couldn't put his hoof on it, but there was just something that made his heart sing when he was around the purple mare.

While Twilight and Applejack were talking together and Big Mac was caught up in his own thoughts, there was a sound of an avalanche of books falling, followed by a loud crash. The three horses turned in the direction of the sound to see Twilight Sparkle's pet owl, Owlicious, flying out the open window in a rush. Quickly following behind, Spike was chasing after the avian creature, "That stupid bird! I told him not to rest on those books! Stop him before he gets out, quick!"

Applejack took a leap back as the bird rocketed past her, "What in tarnation? Spike, get on mah back, we'll get 'em!" Applejack knelt down just enough for the running dragon to hop on the orange pony's back, and then she raced off to catch the owl. Twilight Sparkle and Big Mac were left in the library, a bit speechless after the incident that had occurred just moments before.

After what felt like an eternity of silence, Twilight finally spoke up, "Well, I really want to thank you personally for the apples Big Mac. They look very delicious!" She happily commented as she examined the fruit. She finally picked one of the apples and bit into it, "Wow, this apple is very sweet. It's simply wonderful!"

Big Mac smiled, "It's not a problem, Miss Sparkle. Ah do hope ya enjoy the first batch of the season."

"This is the first batch of the entire season?" Twilight asked, staring at the basket of the painted fruit. She was astonished that Big Mac brought the very first batch, "Wow, thank you very much! I'm honored! If there is anything I can do for you in return Big Mac, just let me know!"

"Well, Miss Sparkle, there is one thing ah would like you t' do, if ya don't mind," the red stallion asked shyly, "Ah was wonderin' if you could possibly teach me."

Twilight looked at him puzzled, "Teach you? Teach you what, exactly?"

"Like the other night at the party, ya knew the names of the stars and what not. Ah mean, ah would like to have the kind of book smarts that you have, if ya know what ah mean?"

"Well, I don't really know what you mean by that, but I'll be more than happy to teach you, Big Mac. How does tomorrow around noon sound to you?" Twilight smiled warmly to Big Mac.

"That'll work just fine fer me, Miss Sparkle, thank ya," he smiled back to her.

As quickly as the two had left, Applejack and Spike returned through the door that they had left wide open. The two were exhausted from the chasing the owl across Ponyville. "That darned, feathered rat with wings! That owl of yer's escaped us, Twi!"

Twilight turned to Applejack and replied, "Oh, I'm sure Owlicious will return soon. It won't be long before he gets hungry, anyway. Thanks anyway, AJ."

"Well, Mac and ah should best be getting' back to the farm an' back to work." Applejack said with a slight tone of defeat in her voice. "Sorry again 'bout that, Twi."

"Really, it's no big deal Applejack. I'm sure Spike just spooked Owlicious with his shouting," Twilight said, brushing off the incident aside.

"Hey, I was just trying to let him know he shouldn't have rested on that pile of books. Now we have to replace a window upstairs!" Spike said, also with defeat in his voice. Yawning, he continued, "I need a nap after chasing that owl."

Twilight chuckled, "Alright, Spike, rest well," She said benevolently to her small dragon assistant before turning her attention back to the Apple siblings, "Well, I should let you guys get back to the harvesting. I guess I'll be seeing you two later!"

As Applejack and Big Mac were walking back to Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack turned to Big Mac and asked, "So, what were you and Twi talking about while Spike and I were chasing that darned bird?"

"Oh, nothin' really," Big Mac replied simply.

"Really now, nothin'?"

"Eeyup."

Comments

[magmon1000]

nice chapter this story is coming along swell but I don't really like the Big Mac x Twilight but this is still really good