A Choice

by Bellum

Chapter One

Chapter One

Chirping of insects was the only sound that penetrated the cool late night air. The night was so old that it was about to die away in order to give birth to a new day. The lower curve of the crescent moon grazed the horizon as if the princess of the night was tempted by the idea of keeping it out just a little longer. Stars- usually seen only by creatures of the night, earlier raisers, and astronomers- twinkled their farewell to the moon as it rapidly descended into the ground.

The setting of the moon might not be as spectacular as the rising of her brighter sister. However, shades of color ranging from a dark blue to pitch black filled the sky for the minutes it took the moon to disappear.

For several minutes, the stars dominated the sky, but the sun proclaimed its arrival by lighting the horizon a light orange. Then the crown of the sun poked over, coloring the sky different shades, from dark orange to a gentle pink. Slowly it drifted into the air, turning from a light orange to its own hue of bright yellow.

Animals and ponies alike struggled or sprung out of bed to face the new day. For one pony he easily raised from his slumber in time to see the sunrise. However, to see this beauty of nature was not the reason he was up.

On the outskirts of a small sleepy town was a lovely and well maintained farm. A dirt road made by the treading of hundreds of hooves over the years lead up to a white, wooden arch. Two saplings, apple trees, that had several apples hanging from them, weaved around the arch. Suspended from the arch by thin iron chains, was a wooden board, a portion of it carved out to form an apple. To each side of the arch was fencing of same color that went on for miles in both directions.

Beyond that were several buildings, the biggest being a red barn modified into a home. Potted plants grew outside the windows; apples and vines painted on its walls. On top of its roof was an extra room that was topped with a point. From that point an arrow with a large, red, metal apple sat on top of it, swinging slightly in the wind.

The other buildings on the property were pretty standard for a farm. A chicken coop stood in solitude, while several sheds were grouped together. A stone well stood in the middle of a dirt clearing, its opening covered by a slanted roof. Several fields of vegetables grew on the rolling hills that the farm called home. Hay lie scattered across the land, both bundled up and lying in half-finished stacks.

Within the house, the family that had cared for the land for generations began to stir. At the crack of dawn they prepared themselves for another day of hard, backbreaking labor. However, one pony was already out in the fields. With a plow strapped to a yoke on his neck, he had been plowing for an hour now. He paused from his work to watch the sun began its journey into the sky.

The huge stallion stood as a living testament of the farm life. A dark red coat covered rolling muscle earned by many years of heavy lifting and the bucking of thick apples trees. A short, shaggy, sandy colored mane accompanied by a bobbed tail showed his trade as easily as the yoke. Green eyes a shade darker than his cutie mark--a light green apple cut in half- stared off into the distance. His mouth was set in a thin line, making him look solemn. A set of freckles under his eyes were a bit hard to spot from afar, but easily seen up close.

For several more seconds he stood watching the sun before he got back to work. Tugging the plow a little to make sure it wasn't stuck, he was about to start when out of the corner of his eyes he saw a cyan blur dash by, leaving a rainbow trail behind it. Rainbow Dash, was the single thought he had as he began working.

At a reasonable rate he dragged the sharp blade through the earth, breaking the soil up so the crops could be planted. Which crop he didn't know, but that decision had to wait until the plowing was done. As he worked he divided his time between listing off his chores for the day and watching the cyan blur.

Morning dew that had previously gone unnoticed started to chill his skin. Shivering slightly, the earth pony wished the sun would bring its heat a little bit faster. Already most of its bulk was over the earth, but it was still changing from orange to yellow. The change of color brought more light to the morning sky, making it easier to see objects around him. It also helped to morph the blur in the sky into a pony.

High in the sky was a cyan pegasus doing all sorts of aerial, acrobatic tricks. From the ground, the earth pony couldn't tell one pegasus from another. By design most of the winged ponies were slim, even if the males were usually a little stockier. However, there was only one pony he knew of whose mane and tail were rainbow colored and left just a colorful trail. The image of the mare came to mind, filling in the details he couldn't see. Magenta eyes, a rainbow colored lightning bolt shooting from a cloud as a cutie mark, and, unlike her friends, straight eyelashes.

Rainbow Dash, he mused again as he kept on working. He wasn't at all surprised that the city pony was awake. Every day at this time she would come out into this general location to practice her flying skills. Based on what his sister said, she planned on joining the Wonderbolts one day. Maybe it was just his personal opinion, but the mare might have an honest shot at it. She may be tad lazy, but she sure did have a passion for flying. It was what she did best. From what he heard she would rather be flying than doing her job.

A slight frown crossed his face as he glanced over to the general location of the apple orchard. Off in the distance he could just make out the trees. Speaking of her job, where’s the rain when you need it? Everyone in Ponyville knew that Rainbow Dash was the weather pony for the local area. For some reason in the past month and the half there hadn’t been a single drop of rain and, considering the fact that it was spring, he was worried. He wasn't concerned about the trees themselves, but seeds needed water to germinate. Though apples were the main product the farm produced, they grew other crops to bring in a little more money. It could make a difference between a good year and one that they barely got through.

Then there was his younger sister, Applejack. For the past two weeks he had kept an eye on the skies at his sister's request. Since he was out in the fields more often and doing a job that didn’t require his full attention all the time, he could afford to take quick glances upward. At the time, he didn't bother to ask about the strange request, but after a couple of days he figured out why she asked.

The higher ups in the weather making business in the city of Cloudsdale made a schedule that told whether the sky should be partly cloudy or overcast. For a month and a half the skies had been filled with thin, wispy clouds and the occasional puff balls. There were no signs of change anytime soon.

The pegasi had guessed that something in the cloud making factory had broken down. Until the the problem was solve the orders were to keep the clouds as they were. On the surface the explanation seemed plausible. In the past when the factory was first built there had been yearlong droughts due to the smallest of things. The problem with this explanation was that Fluttershy, another of his sister's friends, had just returned from the city of clouds. While she was visiting she checked up on the factory and found that it had been working overtime.

The local weather pony definitely had other reasons, either good or bad, to neglect her job, but he didn’t really care. All he wanted was some rain.

For several more hours he labored in the fields. By the time he finished Dash was gone, the sun was yellow, and his body was bathed in sweat and dirt. Coming to the end of the plot of land, he stopped right at the fence. Glancing over his shoulder, he looked to see if the lines were straight. He noticed that he tended to lean a little to the right. Hardly noticeable, but the lines were a little slanted.

Sighing, he mentally rebuked himself for watching the pegasus a little too much. Leering wouldn't have been the word, but he knew that his eyes lingered a little too long on the mare. He knew there was nothing wrong with admiring a mare’s features but it wasn’t acceptable to stare.

His worries of staring were put aside when a low rumble from his gut reminded him he had had only a light breakfast. Better get home and grab a bite to eat. Taking himself off the plow, he made a mental note to put it away later before trotting back to the house.

When the house came into view he found that someone was waiting for him in front of it. An orange earth pony mare, wearing a cowboy hat, stood by a food stand filled with apples. She swung her head from side to side, light green eyes scanning the area. Her blonde mane was kept neatly together by a red hair band and her tail was done in a similar fashion. Three red apples in a pyramid formation stood out proudly on her flank. Much like her older brother, years of bucking trees and moving heavy loads could be seen in the well-developed muscles of her legs and back.

She kept on swinging her head about until her eyes settled onto the incoming farmer. “Mornin’ Big Mac,” said Applejack with a southern drawl. “You had been workin’ out in the fields?”

“Eeyup,” he said in his low, rough voice.

Smiling, the cowpony said, “Good to hear, but Ah wish you’d picked another day t’ wake up early.” Nodding her head towards the stand, she said, “Ah need you to go into town today and sell these here apples.” With a slight movement, his facial expression turned into what could pass as questioning look. “Ah need t’ take Granny Smith into town t’ get her checkup an’ you know how distrustin’ of doctors she is.”

Big Mac nodded his head in agreement. It wasn't that Granny Smith doesn't trust doctors, it was more along the lines of she liked to believe she was fit enough to get on without them. “Who's gonna watch over Apple Bloom?” The youngest of the three siblings, Apple Bloom was a filly that needed to be look after. She was not problematic or anything like that, she was just a very energetic filly that tended to get into trouble without trying to.

“She’s already off t’ school and this afternoon, she’s stayin’ over at Rarity’s t’ play with Sweetie Bell.” A serious look came over her face as she asked, “Has Rainbow Dash been out over th’ fields?"

“Eeyup.”

“Was she doing anythin’ with the clouds?”

“Ennope.”

Sighing, Applejack said, “Sometimes Ah wish being the Element of Honesty give me some special ability t’ get the truth out of others.”

“Don't we all,” replied the farmer with a small smile.

Returning the smile with one of her own, the cowpony gave a slight nod as she said, “Definitely would make life easier. Now stop yakkin’ ‘n’ go take a quick shower. No one is gonna want be in a country mile of you, much less buy apples from ya smelling like that.” The sound of glass smashing came from inside the house, followed by an old voice cussing a bowl out. Both of them glanced that way as a younger sibling said, “Ah better go check that out. See ya later!”

Applejack dashed inside shouting something along the lines of, “what just happened and is Granny alright?” The stallion watched his sister leave before glancing over at the stand. A feeling of dread built in his chest as he looked it over. He had always hated it when he had to work it. Business-wise he had no problem, but it was the interaction with other ponies that he didn't care for. But the apples needed to be sold and he knew it wouldn't be that bad. All he needed to do was put on a friendly face and say the few necessary words to get in a decent day's haul.

With that in mind he headed inside to clean the morning’s sweat and dirt away. After a quick shower he took a freshly made muffin off the kitchen counter and made off without anyone seeing. Back at the stand he quickly gulped the muffin down before placing the stand harness on his back. Then, with little trouble, he walked through the arch that welcome all and headed off toward town.

It didn’t take long to get from the farm to town. Depending on the gait, the longest it would take was ten minutes while the shortest was more like five. Since the farmer was going at a leisurely pace, it would most likely be the former. He didn't mind in the least, for during this time he was alone with his thoughts.

The dirt road which he was on didn’t pass anything of great interest; except for the bridge that crossed a sizable creek there was nothing to worry about. All that was around him was a plain of lush green grass with trees dotting the landscape. Off in the distance one could see hills and mountains lining the horizon. On one of the tallest mountains, sticking out of its side, was the city and castle called Canterlot. From there Princess Celestia and her younger sister, Princess Luna co-ruled all of Equestria and governed day and night.

A nice sight to look at from afar, but Big Mac had heard of ponies who visited it describing it as one of the most beautiful cities on Earth. Though, he wouldn't know for he never been there before; working on a farm didn't allow time to travel much. The only time he did was for family reunions, and even then none of them were in the big cities.

Coming upon the bridge, his thoughts turned to that of the farm; Sweet Apples Acres, the reason that Ponyville even existed. Started by his grandma's parents, the property had been handed down from father to son for three generations. Either Applejack or he would become the fourth generation to own it, as soon as Granny Smith passed away that is.

Now that was a bittersweet thought. When he was a colt his mother had died a few days after giving birth to Apple Bloom. Nobody knew why it happened, just a few days before the delivery she was as healthy as any pregnant mare could be. The death came as a surprise to everyone. Needless to say it hit the family hard, but his father was hit the hardest.

He still remembered the day Ma died. Surrounded by loved ones she held in there long enough to give her family her final words. Pa had been holding her hooves as the light left her eyes. As soon as she died, Pa fell into a deep depression. At first, everyone thought he was going through the natural process of grieving. However, as time went on it became clear that something died with Ma that day.

For a year the widower, with the help of Granny, worked the farm and cared for the three siblings. Truthfully, if it hadn't been for the old mare Pa probably wouldn't had lasted that long. One morning, just before Big Mac and his sister headed out into the fields, Granny told Applejack to go wake up Pa. It wasn't unusual for him to sleep in late after a restless night, so there was no reason for alarm when the filly went up to his room.

When Applejack came galloping back, tears streaming from her eyes, shouting, “Something wrong with Pa! He won't wake up!” It was more or less expected by the old mare. Later that day, a doctor came to check the corpse. She ruled it off as a heart attack that took him during the night; he didn't suffer at all. Though, if one were to ask one of the family members, they would have said, 'His poor broken heart got tired of waiting and gave out so he could be with the one he loved.'

Since none of the siblings were old enough to inherit any of their parent’s property it was signed over to Granny. The logic was that the mare was already well advanced in age, so by the time the two eldest children came of age she would be close enough to death that she could give the farm away when she thought either of them was ready.

As it was, the farm might as well belong to either Big Mac or Applejack. For some time now they had been doing a majority of the work load. However, Granny was still the legal owner of the property, so it was for her to choose who would become the new owner.

Stopping on the middle of the arched stone bridge, the stallion peered over his shoulder. The stand blocked his view, but he knew he should be able to see the farm from here. If Applejack came to own the farm would I really mind? After a few seconds of mulling it over he came up with a simple answer. No, he probably be disappointed that he wasn't picked, but he wouldn't hold a grudge over it. If he had to work under his sister for a few more years to save up the money to get his own farm, then he would be more than happy to do so. He wasn't afraid of doing hard work.

Thinking this over, he frowned slightly as a pang of sorrow echoed throughout his soul. What was that about? He wasn't going to be upset if he needed to work to get his own... There it was again. It was very faint, but it was there alright.

It would seem that for some reason he wasn't fully committed into settling for a life of a farmer, but that couldn’t be right. He was a simple stallion who wanted the simpler things in life. He loved tending to the fields: watching plants grow, getting down and dirty, and everything that goes with that lifestyle. Sure, there were hardships with the occupation, but he wouldn’t trade it for the world.

He shook his head to clear away the unwelcoming feeling, but it seemed to only grow stronger when he spotted Canterlot. Go away, he demanded with little success. It kept on annoying him before he decided to ignore it. There were better things to do than worry over a feeling he doesn't understand. Though, between soul searching and selling apples he didn't know which was the lesser of the two evils.

After walking for another five minutes he spotted the edge of town. Ponyville, a little town that had almost anything a pony would need. Two storied buildings built from hardwood with straw roofs was the norm, but there was variety in the mix. Open to the world sat flower and vegetable gardens beside ponies’ homes, telling of the lack of worry about thieves. Here and there trees were planted to beautify the town. Some of the businesses or stands that were all over town advertised their wares by hanging wooden signs from roofs or poles. Morning ponies of all three races--earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi--were already out on the street in force, and if one stopped to count the male-to-female ratio, it would seem that the stallions were badly outnumbered by the opposite sex.

As the farmer strolled into the center of town a few of the ponies give him a friendly wave. Acknowledging each wave with a quick nod, he would then pick up the pace a little more. Thankfully, only a few chose to give him a second glance. It wasn't at all surprising. Though the entire town had heard of Applejack's big brother, only a few actually knew him. He spent more time on the farm than he did in town, giving little chance for anyone to get to know him. An arrangement he didn’t really mind that much.

Soon enough, though not fast enough for the farmer, he found himself in the town square, though it was more of a circle than a square. Houses surrounded the area at its perimeter on three sides while a river cut off the square to the south. Land on either side of the water was connected by several stone bridges.

Within the square were two noticeable structures. The first one was town hall itself, a tower-like structure. Its’ cylindrical, white walls made first two stories while a cone shaped, brown shingled roof made up the third, which had a viewing area halfway up. Each floor led out to a patio, which could explain how the roof was wider than the floor below it. Arched purple windows were all over the building, giving a pony a three hundred and sixty degree view of town from within. On the ground level stairs lead up to a raised platform.

The second landmark was a purple fountain of a mare standing on top of a sphere. While one of its legs was on the sphere, it giddily kicked the other three in the air. Its smiling mouth was open but no water sprayed out. On its’ back was a cloth of some sort. How long that statute been standing there no one knew, but someone must be taking care of it, for it was quite clean, though the birds loved to use it as a perch.

Other than those two structures, there were some flagpoles scattered all over the place. A few colorful tents clustered together stood off to one side. A few other stands were also about, but other than that the square was pretty much empty.

As the day passes, the area would become the social gathering it was meant to be, but for now most ponies were still getting ready for the day. The place was almost deserted, which meant that Big Mac could pick any spot he wanted without much trouble. Taking refuge under a nearby tree, he placed the stand just so that when the sun got higher in the sky, he would benefit from the shade that the tree had to offer.

Once he was in place he got behind the stand and just stood there. The first couple of hours were slow, only a few ponies came by and decided to buy an apple for breakfast, but for the most part, the farmer was left staring at the skies. He stared at the unrelenting clouds, willing them to do something more than float around. Sadly, only a pegasus could control the weather and he didn’t see one up in the air.

He hated it when he had nothing to do. At the farm there were always something to keep one occupied. With this stand he had to wait for someone to come to him. Not saying he was an impatient pony, but he didn't like it when he felt he was wasting time. You’re not wasting time, he told himself as he looked at the ground. He doubted there was any wheat which he could chew on, but it didn't hurt to look. Just wait till noon come around and there be plenty of ponies who be looking for something to eat.

“Good morning AJ,” said a feminine voice, ripping him from of his thoughts. “I would like the usual order, please.”

Standing in front of him was a lavender unicorn reading a thick, brown leather book that covered her face. He could see her horn poking out of a dark purple mane with a strip of pink running through it. A pink glow engulfed the levitating book as the unicorn absentmindedly read on. On her flank was a pink six-pointed star with several smaller white stars surrounded it.

“Ah would love t’ getcha that, Miss Twilight,” said the farmer with a small smile. “But Ah think you have confused me with another pony.”

The book went over the unicorn's head to reveal for a split second a set of confused, violet eyes. “Big Macintosh,” said the unicorn as a light blush shined on her cheeks. “I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting to see you there.”

After suppressing a chuckle, the farmer said, “It's quite alright Miss Twilight.” A quick glance at the book gave him an idea to resolve the embarrassment. “What are you reading?”

Her face lit up as she thrust the book toward the farmer. “A novel I found the day before,” she said, excitement lacing her voice. “When I found it I thought it was just another autobiography about somepony,” Big Mac looked the cover over to found a title. On the spine he found imprinted in the wrinkled leather in bold silver writing, Tales of the Silver Clan. “Instead I found a book that tells of ponies who had explored the world outside of Equestria!”

There that unwelcomed feeling again. “Now that sounds mighty interestin’,” said the farmer, meaning every word.

“Trust me when I say I can't put this book down.” Of what he had heard of the mare, that wasn't saying much. As if insulted, the book hovered back to the unicorn. The pages started to rustle as she scanned through them. “Earth ponies who can wield magic, areas in the world where weather can't be control, and ponies who eat other ponies in cultural rituals is just a few of the things that makes it so interesting.” The rustling of pages came to a sudden stop as the unicorn said, “Here it is.”

More or less shoving the book into his face, the farmer got the terrible delight of viewing a well done sketch of a snarling Siberian tiger. “The best part is that it got pictures! Some are better defined than others, but...”

The more the unicorn talked the stronger the unwelcomed feeling in his chest grew. “Excuse me Miss Twilight,” said the farmer his voice slightly muffled. He hated to interrupt, but he saw that the mare wasn't going stop any time soon. “Ah got customers waiting and yer holdin’ up the line.”

That got her to be quiet real quick. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw that there were indeed about half a dozen ponies waiting on her. With an uneasy laugh, she said, “Oops, sorry.” To the farmer's joy she pulled that awful picture away from his face. “I'll take two apples please.”

“That’ll be two bits per apple,” said the farmer as he put a hoof out. Nodding her head, the unicorn used magic to levitate four bits into the hoof. At the same time the unicorn picked up the two apples with her levitation spell. “Nice doing business with ya,” he said as he put the four golden coins into the stand.

“Same here,” said Twilight as she turned to leave. Pausing for a second, she turned her head toward the farmer with a worried expression. “Applejack isn't hurt or anything like that, is she?”

“Ennope,” he said, in a cool and calm manner.

The worry give way to relief as she asked, “So why are you manning the stand today?”

“Granny needed a checkup,” he said, believing the answer would do.

Apparently it was, for the mare gave a knowing nod. “Okay then. Well, have a good day.” With that said she left, which caused a few of the ponies in the growing line to mutter.

Guess today’s job just started, thought the farmer as he greeted his next customer. For the rest of the morning and well into the afternoon he was quite busy. There hadn't been an endless line of ponies, but even during the low point of the day, every eight minutes or so someone would come over to buy an apple. By the time he was ready to pack up he earned a decent day’s wage. It hadn't been that bad either. Well, once a highly energetic pink pony came over and talked nonstop for nearly half an hour before buying one measly apple. Half of the time he couldn't make sense of anything she said.

Overall the day hadn't been wasted. So, instead of packing up immediately Big Mac thought to hang around a little longer. What compelled him to do so, he had no idea. Maybe he thought he could scrape in a little more money; every bit does help keep the farm going. Though, ever since Twilight showed him that book he wondered if he could get his hooves on it. It truly does sound interesting. Then, why was he standing there, stalling? Earlier today he could have told himself that he couldn’t leave the stand unattended, but now, with the sun far in the west, it wouldn't take long to go over to the library and check the book out. That is, if the unicorn was done reading it.

At the moment, a few groups of ponies occupied the town square, but none of them even glanced toward the farmer's stand. Big Mac gazed at the sky again, hoping he would spot a rainbow streak taking care of the clouds. A couple of fillies were toying around with a ball and a colt was walking alongside his mother, but not a pegasus was to be found. It was peaceful and quiet; a usual day for the town.

“She'll be comin’ ‘round the mountain when she comes,” sang a deep voice, scattering the silence. “She'll be comin’ ‘round the mountain when she comes.” For some reason the voice seemed to draw ponies’ attention to the singer. Whoever was singing didn't have a great voice--it wasn't terrible either--but it had a strange accent to it that gave it a certain charm.

Big Mac was no exception for he looked as well. The sight that greeted him did not compute for a moment. Strolling this way across the bridge was an average sized pony dressed in a tux, pulling a large, topless wooden wagon behind him. The stallions’ fur that could be seen was snow white, while his well-brushed mane and tail was a dusty gray. Bright silver eyes filled with mirth scanned the area over as he strolled in.

Due to the dull red jacket's long tails one couldn't see his cutie mark. Along with the jacket--which didn’t seemed to be wrinkled by the harness on his back---was a white undershirt, a red bow tie, black shiny shoes for each hoof, and a red top hat with a white piece of cloth around its midsection. Strip to his back above the harness was a long black cane with both ends colored a bright white.

The large wagon was made out of a light brown wood that seemed to be toasted under a flame. However, the wagon, on closer examination, wasn't topless. There actually seemed to be no opening at all. It looked as if someone simply built a large rectangular box and decided to put wheels on it.

To complete the absurd scene the pony kept on singing, “She'll be drivin’ six white horses when she comes,” he sung the next verse; oblivious to the fact that ponies were watching him. He sung the verse a couple more times before coming to a stop in front of town hall. The singing lowered into a soft humming as he threw the harness off his back. Taking a few steps away from the wagon, he pulled a monocle from a pocket of his jacket and placed it in front his right eye.

For some reason he gazed at the area as if getting a good look at it for the first time. With a nod of his head, accompanied by a kind smile, he took the cane off his back and got on his hind legs. Walking with such ease that can only be done after many hours of practice, he went up to his wagon and jumped on top of it.

By now, the strange pony had gotten everyone’s attention. A few ponies from nearby buildings even stopped what they were doing to take a quick peek outside. With one last glance around the square, the strange pony’s never-waning smile grew a little bigger. Without warning he whacked the end of his cane hard against the wagon's side. The first loud thud caused several ponies to flinch. The second thud hushed anyone who had been muttering. The last thud brought the wagon to life.

A faint blue glow that could only be magic tainted the wood. The wagon groaned as its sides expanded outward and upward. The wheels shrank a little, causing the newly formed large opening to be just below a normal pony’s eye level. A door with a wooden handle formed on the new south facing wall. Carved into the door was an image of a two coins overlapping. When the blue glow subsided the wagon had transformed into some type of store.

On a counter inside the wagon was a gray metal cash register that looked brand new. Beyond that, everything could only be called exotic. Placed on shelves in a neat order were things that few ponies-- at least these ponies--had ever seen. On one shelf was a mask of a snarling creature which could only be described as a black and yellow pig with three horns above blood red eyes. Beside that was a shrunken head of a bull, its neighbor was several pieces of jewelry made of bones. Statues, jewelry, rugs, books, furs, clothing--from elegant dresses to simple straw hats, pottery, and much more was on display. And all of it had a price tag to them.

At first, Big Mac thought that stallion was a unicorn, but when he took off his hat and gave a deep bow. No sign of a horn poked through that well-kept mane, meaning an earth pony had just done the impossible. “Good afternoon Ponyville,” said the stallion as he straightened himself up. Though the smile had yet to cease, the farmer for some reason didn't found it disturbing. In fact, he found it welcoming and a bit disarming.

“It is an honor today to come along just a fine little town.” Placing the cane in front of him, the strange pony leant on it as he gave his speech. “For those who can’t see, I have brought to you today items that one won't see often.” Several ponies looked tempted to come closer, but a former visit of two brothers had made them a little wary. “Don't be shy. I won’t bite unless you try to steal something.”

The strange pony chuckled a little as if he had told a funny joke, but what he said had a positive effect. The bravest and curious among the ponies trotted right up to the store to get a closer look. As those ponies moved in, Big Mac kept his place behind the stand. A more rational side told him to stay where he was just in case a pony tried to take an apple. However, curiosity was pestering him to see what wonders the strange pony may have.

It didn't help that the ponies that got closer to the store started to “ooh,” and “ah.” “These things are interesting, no?” asked the strange pony, leaning dangerously over the edge of the roof. “Would anypony mind to make a deal?” A congregation of yeses followed. “Then please make way as I come down.” That was the only warning he gave before he jumped off the store's roof. Ponies quickly got out of the way as he landed in a crouch.

He didn't stay there long however, he hopped through the window and got behind the counter. “Give me a moment to change into something more appropriate,” said Silver, as he ducked down below the counter. On the wall to the right, a white button-up shirt, apron, and a square straw hat hung by a peg. A hoof quickly took them down and replaced them with the clothing he was wearing earlier.

Ten seconds later the strange pony reappeared in his new outfit. The only thing that hadn't changed was the monocle. “Now,” he said, clapping his shoeless hooves together, “who will be my first customer of the day?”

While the strange pony was doing this, Big Mac debated on going over or not. After several more seconds of internal argument, he decided to take a risk of leaving his stand. At a slow pace he walked over to the hushed crowd as the strange pony waited for someone to come forth.

“I would like to see your wares,” said a feminine voice within the crowd.

“Then come forth,” replied the strange pony. “No one is stopping you.” A grass green unicorn with a red mane and brown eyes step forward. As she examined his produces he said, “Please, take your time. There is much to choose from and a pony only has so many bits, after all”

A minute went by before the unicorn asked, “What is that over there?” pointing a hoof at something within the wagon
Glancing toward where the hoof was pointing, Silver’s gaze fell upon a painting of a harbor filled with ships and a foreign looking city in the background. “That's my dear,” said the merchant said as he went to retrieve it, “is a picture of Singapore's harbor sometime in the nineteenth century.”

It wasn't a large painting, but it was a little wider than the pony that was holding it. He stumble a little as he walked back to the counter, but managed without further incident. Placing the item on the counter, he peered around the picture to speak with the customer. “As you can see it is painted with nice colors.” Flipping it around, he said, “No signs of damage or fungi. Only painting known to exist, though the artist isn't well known. Every heard of Yellow Brush?” That got him a blank stare. “No? Not at all surprising. He was more popular in the Far East.”

The unicorn looked the painting over before saying, “How much does it cost?”

For the first time the smile faded away into a thoughtful expression, but his eyes still made him look jubilant. “I'll be very frank with you. The price is negotiable, but let say the starting price is at two hundred and fifty-three bits.”

“One hundred and seventy-five is more like it,” said the unicorn, who apparently was no stranger to haggling.

“Not possible,” said the merchant with a shake of his head. “Two hundred and thirty.”

“One hundred and eighty.”

Back and forth the two went until the merchant finally said, “Two hundred bits and no lower.”

“Are you sure you can't go one hundred and ninety,” egged the unicorn.

“Nope,” he said with a shake of his head. “Two hundred bits or you can go halfway across the world yourself to find a similar painting.”

After a few seconds of thinking the unicorn asked, “Are you sure that there no other painting like it somewhere in Equestria.”

“My dear mare,” said the stallion with a small smile. “You already know the answer to that.”

A few more seconds of thinking got the unicorn to extend a hoof. “Two hundred bits it is then.”

Wrapping his leg around her leg, the two shook as the strange pony said, “Now I hope you have those bits in cash. I will not be accepting any credit or check.”

“Understandable,” said the unicorn as she took her hoof back. “Just give me a moment to get your payment.” The unicorn dashed off, leaving a very pleased merchant behind.

“After a hundred years in the family, I finally got rid of the thing,” said the strange pony to the watching crowd. “Would anyone else like to buy something?”

“Excuse me,” said a yellow pegasus filly standing right now to Big Mac who stood near the back of the crowd. “But what do you mean, ‘finally got rid of it?’”

“Exactly what I said,” said the merchant as he give the painting one last look over. “That painting had been my family for over a hundred years. Some of the junk I have in here is nearly three times that old.”

“Junk?” asked the yellow filly, a little worried that all that she was seeing was fake.

“Don't worry little one,” said the merchant as he looked at the crowd, that disarming smile back in place. “My family has always sold genuine artifacts. However, to me these things value only count when it comes to money.”

While the ponies tried to decipher the meaning of that statement, Big Mac was eager to ask a question. Usually, the large stallion was a shy pony who rather not be noticed. However, saying nothing wouldn’t get him what he wanted. “Excuse me sir,” he said, being careful to use the right words. “It’s fine ‘n’ all that you came to sell your items, but if ya plan on staying awhile, it would be kind of ya to give us yer name.”

The question drew every pair of eyes to him except for the pony that the question was directed to. “How rude of me,” said the merchant, his smile solidified into the equivalent of a neutral expression. Turning to face the farmer, those silver eyes never lost their mirth as he looked him over. “Silver Dollar the Third was the name my parents gave me. Though...”

He was interrupted by the green unicorn who rushed toward him with a levitating bag. “Here the cash as promised,” she said, huffing a little. The bag was roughly placed on the counter before the now proclaimed Silver Dollar. Laying the painting down, he quickly looked into the bag and picked it up. “Thank you for your business,” he said as he placed the bag under the counter. “But before you go,” he added as the unicorn carefully levitated the painting up, “how about I offer you a deal of a lifetime?”

“I'm sorry but I don't want anything else,” she said as she began to walk off

“Really,” he said nonchalantly, “then the possibility of you traveling halfway around the world will be impossible then if you refuse to listen.”

“What?” she exclaimed as she stopped in mid-step, vocalizing everyone thoughts.

“In truth,” said Silver as he exited the store through the door, “that is my true intention of coming here. Not to recruit you per se, but the offer still stands.” Standing horizontal to the crowd, the outfit he wore allowed them to see his cutie mark. On his flank was an image of a map held down by four golden coins at each corner.

Facing the crowd he said, “I will be more than happy to sell, I'm also willing to buy items during the duration of my stay. How long that is, I'm not sure. However, looking for ponies for a world tour is the reason I came. This,” he said, pointing to store, “is a wagon filled with memories of those who are long gone. Among my family, it is a sin to let just petty things to get in the way of making our own memory, and that is exactly what I plan on doing: to travel the world to see it’s glories and blunders. Anyone who would like to try to become one of my employees are more than welcome to. We will talk about the expenses and all that when the time comes, but for now all that is needed to know is that anyone can apply at the hotel where I'm staying. If anyone has a quick question, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

“How long will this trip take?” asked Big Mac for reasons he doesn’t quite know of.

“Two and a half to three years, at most,” said the merchant as he looked the crowd over. Many of them were a little surprised by the news. “When I said I'm traveling the world I wasn't kidding. For some of you that may seem like a long time, but trust me. Roll the dice and see what happens.” The smile softened to that of glee. “It's a gamble one must take.” Saying no more on the topic, he went back inside his store and added, “Now, who's my next customer.”

Once the merchant was done with his speech, most of the ponies stayed to check out his wares, but a few decided that the day was over and went home. Big Mac thought that was a good idea as well. He walked back over to his stand and, after a quick search for missing apples, hitched it to his back.

For some reason his heart felt a little heavier as he left town that day. Why that was he wasn't sure. He thought it was because of Silver Dollar giving everyone a chance to explore the world, though he didn’t know why. Even if he wanted to take the job, there was no way he could just abandon the farm for three long years.

As his thoughts tormented him on the way home at least two issues were settled. Tomorrow, he was going into town and getting a certain book from a lavender unicorn.

Author's Note:

Here the first revised chapter of the story. Took forever for my editors to edit, but thanks to them most of the mistakes have been clean up. Hope you guys enjoy the read.

Comments

[thehalfelf]

I would recommend putting blank lines between paragraphs. Makes it a lot easier to read.

[Dee Forty-Five]

This review brought to you on behalf of Authors Helping Authors.

Story Name: A Choice.
Grammar Score:: 8 out of 10.

Pros:
- Excellent characterization of Big Mac.
- Vivid, well-crafted descriptions.
- Intriguing premise that hooks the reader.

Cons:
- Some of Big Mac's inner thoughts don't make sense. Why would you plow a field without knowing what you're going to plant there first?
- You don't italicize characters' thoughts. That's a stylistic issue, admittedly, and I've read works that didn't italicize thoughts that were wonderfully written, but in this story I had trouble deciphering where impartial narration ended and a character's inner speech began.

Notes:
Interesting story, and one I'll definitely keep my eye on! I especially enjoyed Big Mac's characterization, it's really easy to mess up his character but I think you got him pretty good.

I would recommend possibly getting a cover image to spice things up. It never hurts!

And finally, your grammar is generally good, but I think I'd point of some of the errors I noticed:

- "early raisers" should be risers.

- "Suspended from the arch by thin iron chains, was a wooden board, a portion of it carved out to form an apple." I'd cut out the comma.

- "Until the the problem was solve" should be solved.

There were others, these were just the ones I thought of off the top of my head. Good luck on the rest! And thanks for reviewing my story!