Let the Silence Sing
Prologue-- Hush
Princess Celestia was tired. Oh so very tired. Canterlot was abuzz with its usual firestorm of activity, and the warm summer meant the days were longer than most of the year. This not only made the Sun Princess’ work day longer, but made Luna grouchy because her night was shorter. Much shorter. The white alicorn wished she could just go on vacation, but she would have to settle for an afternoon. She was required by law (that she’d written herself, tee hee!) to take an afternoon off at least once every ten days or so.
What she did during that time was up to her, there were to be no appointments or decisions or courts to attend. She would not break a bottle over any ships, or give any wedding blessings. She would not sit her royal hiney on her throne or check on her royal guards’ training ground. She could just… be a pony. Sort of. Well, she had her own room so that counted.
But, she was tired today as we said before. She’d considered going to see a play, visiting an art gallery, or something else that would be in a large cool room or auditorium. Celestia just didn’t have the energy. She decided on a nice long nap instead. She could rise later that evening and join Luna for dinner (er, Luna’s breakfast). Coming to her room and leaving her guards posted in the hallway, she smiled as she came to her big fluffy… mattress. She blinked twice, staring at it. All her bedclothes were gone. Her pillows were missing too. Checking all around her royal apartments, she puzzled over it for a bit. Oh, it must’ve been laundry day. She was usually in the royal courts all day running the nation, of course the servants would take her bedclothes then so she would have fresh linens in the evening. Hmm. Maybe she could find someplace else to nap. She sighed, aching in the eyes and ankles.
Going up the single stair, Celestia stepped out onto her balcony overlooking Canterlot. She admired the city for a bit, then cocked her head. It had been a while since she’d gone out on her own. A simple invisibility spell and the guards would never know. Smiling with a shade of mischief, the alicorn lit her horn and spread her wings. Vanishing into thin air, she took wing and set out to look for the perfect napping spot.
=-----=-----=-----=-----=
Big Macintosh wasn’t a pony that spent a lotta time flappin’ his gums. Actions spoke louder’n’words after all. He was all about getting things done, and makin’ sure things ran according to plan. He could balance a complex budget and pull a plow with equal ease, and the barn was pretty much his domain.
It didn’t help that the barn got destroyed like once a month by some disaster or another, but since Sweet Apple Acres was a registered Ponyville Historical Landmark, it always got built back within the week. He kept all his tools in there, feed for the animals, and so on and so forth. It was like a home away from home. Even if home was less than a hundred yards away. There was something to be said about the musk of hay and the aura of strong wood.
Big Mac heaved a sigh. He’d been too rough with another of his hammers, fixing the gazebo in town. The teeth marks had started to break the shaft a bit, and he wasn’t dumb enough to use it until it broke in his mouth. That would send splinters everywhere and down his throat, ouch! Retiring the old hammer into a rusty burn barrel, he went to the barn’s far corner. There was a hanging plastic ball on a piece of string there. Taking the ball in his teeth he yanked it sharply, pulling the extending ladder down. The loft and upper parts of the barn were used for storage and extra things that needed to be out of the way. Big Mac kept his fresh tools up there so he wouldn’t be tempted to grab them before wearing out his old ones. He hated bein’ wasteful. Clip-clopping up the ladder, he balanced himself before pulling up to the loft. The mounds of hay were kept there to hide the ugly crates of odds and ends. Fishing through them back and forth, something caught his eye.
The loft door was open.
Frowning, he leaned a bit more as he went closer. The crane wasn’t extended. That door led to open air and a nice drop to a hard ground below. Hmm, Applejack hadn’t put anything up here today, and Applebloom knew better than to play in the loft with her friends... The simple bolt lock had been left undone, and the one-panel door had been left wide open. The hot summer sun was streaming down in a square shape on the hay-thick floor. He jerked to a halt to gape.
A huge white pony lay on her back, all four hooves in the air like a dog, pink belly exposed. He stared, mouth open and eyes wide. A golden crown lay to one side, and a mass of ever-moving mane lay sprawled in all directions. The orange-twinge of the slowly setting sun cast her in a bountiful golden light. Her head was tilted back a bit into a very sun-worshipping position, and her eyes were closed. She was... sleeping? Big Mac was frozen to the spot, unsure of what to do.
Oh he knew who she was, don’t get him wrong. Anypony that had ever seen the heads-side of a bit knew Princess Celestia’s face. But… but what was she doing here, napping in the sun, flopped back on her back like she owned the place and was a dog? Puzzled and still stunned into silence, the red stallion swallowed. Oh my. She was beautiful. He’d heard stories, sure, but really he had no idea. Staring at her in such a natural position too, it almost felt dirty. A pony like her was always poised, upright and smiling. She looked like she was genuinely relaxing right then. The warm sun kept its steady washing over her belly, and her quiet breathing shook a sprig of straw near her nose. It didn’t help that her wings were in their full, glorious span of ivory beauty.
The farming pony didn’t dare go close to her, for fear of waking her up. Wh… what was he doing up here again? He’d forgotten. Shaking his head quickly and trying not to stare so hard at the sleeping angel in his barn, he pawed about in his cob-webby thoughts trying to sort through things. He'd come up here for something—uh— uhhh— hammer! He nodded firmly, turning to find the proper crate in all the mounds and mounds of loose hay.
Celestia awoke when he shifted a bale to one side and started fishing into it for what he wanted. Blushing, she flipped over onto her belly and quickly snapped her wings closed. Rubbing her eyes, she checked the sun for the time. She’d been asleep for almost four hours! Pawing at her mane quickly she felt a little panicked. She’d thought this barn would be nice and quiet for her afternoon nap, she’d not expected anypony to come up into the loft!
When Big Mac turned about, he had a hammer in his mouth. They made eye contact. The world stopped for a moment. What was that look in her eyes? Pleading? Exhaustion? Softness? He couldn’t quite place it. But, somehow, the stallion doubted the Princess of Equestria had stopped for a nap in his barn because she wanted to be fawned over by everypony within a twenty-mile radius. Nodding once and offering her a smile (though his mouth was full), he eased himself down the ladder and folded it back up to leave her alone.
Celestia lay there on her belly, more than a little stunned. He’d not thrown himself on his belly to bow to her, or exclaimed aloud when he’d found a Princess in his barn. Why, he’d just gone about his business! It was refreshing, to say the least, not to be stared at with eyes of wonder and star-struck glory. What a nice stallion. He’d not said a word, but his leaving certainly spoke volumes. Heaving a big, content sigh, the white alicorn stree-e-e-e-e-e-etched out on her improvised straw nest and preened her wings for a bit. It was a great stress reliever, for one with such big wings. She couldn’t return to the palace with straw in her wings, after all. Only a few feathers didn’t make the cut, and she felt much better afterward. Donning her crown and feeling refreshed, she lit her horn. Turning invisible once more, she made for home. Good napping spot confirmed, she decided. When her next afternoon off came, she would definitely go back to that loft.
End of Prologue
Four likes and no views. Explain this naoh.
Still sad about the other stories, but I like where this Is going
Go on.....
"Good napping spot confirmed." construct additional pylons
Me likey! I think Bic Mac is my favorite to pair with Celestia. They make a good match.
Big Mac.
Insta-faved.
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The inevitable picture:
th00.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2013/012/4/d/dignity_by_geomancing-d5rb0j5.png
"But hey, Celestia's well over a thousand years old; dignity is for those who have something to prove."
Ugh. Big Mac. //dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/eenope.png
SoS really got me disliking him. Far more than is really warranted.
Gonna keep an eye on this one, but it will probably be a while before I can enjoy it. I'll keep my mouth shut until then though.
2257152 Aegis Shield. Boom, explained.
$5 says he cancels this one, too
2257225 Why would SoS make you hate Mac?
2257252
Well-written, no obvious errors I could spot, very interesting premise...
I like it.
Please, sir; may I have some more?
2257265 if you wouldn't mind, i was wondering if you might check out what I posted in the comments of your "cancellation" blog.
Edit: 2257223 That is a perfect image to go with this. And the one in my head is even more adorable.
I like this pair quite a bit. *Faved*, *Liked*, *patiently waiting for more*
I would like this story more if I didn't believe that its purpose is to soften the blow that you canceled four stories, other than that great beginning.
Awwww... I like this one! Very nice indeed!
2257265 No no no, you have *NOT* earned that Fluttercry. People are annoyed with you for a very legitimate reason.
That is a . Maybe a at most.
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Oh lookie, I Play a few hands of cards and you've already blessed us with something amazing.
And you didn't disappoint. Yayifications! *Waits eagerly, tail wagging slightly in anticipation*
2257351
This looks interesting - but then I have literally read a story about a pony watching paint dry...
The heck? Why did the notification that this was posted only just now show up in my inbox? I was here more than half an hour ago. Oh well, again, I will be patiently waiting for t3h next chapter.
Meh... it's good I guess. Def not my thing though. I love a good romance, but this feels very "shippy" to me, and I really don't like "shipping" that much... plus I've never really liked the Celestia/Big Mac pairing, even when it's done in the romantic scene. It's never worked in my mind and just feels... false.
I might come back and read this story sometime... but then again I very well might not.
.......... Sweet Mother of Epona... Big Mac and Celestia? Good God I've been waiting for a long time for someone to seriously write a fic for the paring. Please don't mess this up... I beg you!
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Not bad. Kinda felt like you were leaning more toward the Tell side of the Show vs Tell spectrum for a majority of the story. Although, since it is the prologue, I can forgive it for the most part. Additionally, since I can't recall seeing this pairing before, I tracking this one out of sheer interest.
Do you have a lineup of editors for this one, or are you doing it yourself?
Celestia in my barns loft?
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Big Mac's saving that one for the ol' spank bank.
Nothing beats a good nap!
Commence read.
Alrighty. Now to see how this progresses.
Doesn't she have a giant pillow bed thing?
Well, Aegis, obviously I'm going to keep going, but I do have something to say.
You really don't like writing Celestia, do you? Although I suppose that's the point of this story, as you've said before. Practice makes perfect, and as soon as it got to Big Mac it took off, but something just felt off about the first Celestia bit. I'm really sorry if this comes across harsh, so don't get me wrong, it wasn't awful or anything, in fact it was a great beginning, but it just felt a bit weird, like something was missing. I'm sorry if this sounds mean or unsupportive, I want you to keep going, and I'll read every word you ever post, but that was a really weird feeling. Kinda like my car starting up no problem earlier today, it just left me like "what the hell just happened?"
Again, I'm really sorry if this doesn't sound nice or anything, and all I can say is keep writing this damn story.
We need a new salute phrase to fit in with whatever story you do later!
-Bass
2257252
Somepony's bitter.
hehehehehe I sense a CelMac ship
I do like this...buuuuttttttt....
I think you are trying too hard to make us like the Celestia part. It's like you are talking to the reader a bit too much
"But, she was tired today as we said before."
(that she’d written herself, tee hee!)
and it seems to be alot of different pacing/Punctuation. you go from 2 words a sentance to a longer one a few times. It just kinda felt 'off' to me.
I know what i'm trying to say here but i might not be explaining it that well........meh.
Not too bad for writing your big challenge, keep it up
Welp I'm hooked, I do think that there should be more of a distintiin when you referring to the reader, it kinda breaks the pace. But otherwise I look forward to more!
still sad about the cancellations but this looks good...... aegis don't try and over stretch your self again you may be awesome but we all have limits
i'm in ur house
sleeping on ur bed
This is a story, a story of which I love...
This looks like something I will surely enjoy!
-.^ (Start)
=/ (no sheets?)
*_* (seeing her)
=\ (him leaving)
-^'_'^- <----- shoulder shrug (ending)
My reactions to reading this story.
Hehe. Cute Celestia is cute
You'd think he wouldn't keep anything in the barn anymore when it gets destroyed all the time
2260527
:"Hey now! Big Macintosh sleeps in a very fancy bed in a proper house next to the barn, not on some pile of hay!...Yall fancy Canterlot folk thinking we earth ponies live like animals..it just ain't right!"
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Dragging out the stretch was a nice touch.
Heh... Mac and PC... heh...
This came as a shock to me, considering this story's rating... but I couldn't finish the prologue.
That would send splinters everywhere and down his throat, ouch!
You're talking to the reader directly, though that quoted part isn't the only one I saw in this fic. Is your audience so young that you literally need to tell them what to think? (If you're going to do this, why not make this a picture book) It was calling Celestia "Huge" that was a final nail in the coffin.... seemed a tad insensitive.
Don't get me wrong, you did an awesome job writing this... I don't know, maybe you intentionally gave the third person narrator a soul. To me that's the biggest taboo with this writing style.
2257159
Eeyup.
2257252
I'll take that bet and raise it to fifteen dollars.