> Cowboy Hats And City Slickers
>  by TheSundewOrder
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter One
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“There are Apples in Canterlot? Wowee, Granny Smith! I want to go too!”
“Now hold on, little missy”, said old Granny Smith, winking at the filly Applejack. “You’re too young to head off into the big city on your own.”
Applejack screwed up her face. “Too young? Too young? Mac’s only four years older than me! And anyway, I can apple buck as good as him any day!”
“Apple buckin’ doesn’t count for age, young filly”, said Granny Smith.
“Is it because I’m not as strong as him?” Applejack pressed. “Just give me a yoke and you’ll see. I bet I can pull twice as much —“
“Applejack…” smiled Granny.
“But… but…” Applejack began, trying to buff up her losing argument. She stared at her tall brother Mac who was standing silently in a corner, as he usually did. He had their late father’s cowboy hat on his head and was wistfully chewing on straw, eyeing her carefully. He did not offer her any help, just smiled and proceeded in his thoughtful state.
Applejack angrily stuck her tongue out at him, then proceeded to gallop out of the house.
“Now where do you think you’re going, Applejack?” called out Granny Smith, wobbling in her armchair.
“To see Rarity!” yelled Applejack from outside. 
Granny Smith chuckled as she steadied her armchair. She glanced back at Mac, who was still daydreaming in his corner, the straw hanging from his mouth. She grinned at him, appreciating her silent grandson, then nimbly hopped off her armchair. Her landing gave Mac a start and he toppled over, having been leaning on the wall. The bit of straw fell out of his mouth.
Granny Smith chuckled again, then asked, “You goin’ to get your little sister, then?”
Mac stared at Granny. It took him a couple of seconds for him to realise what she was asking, then he nodded and muttered, “Eyup”, before trotting out of the house. 

He found her in town, sitting dismally outside Sugarcube Corner with a half-eaten muffin the Cakes had given her. She eyed the sad muffin as though it was her last hope, poking at it miserably. However, when she saw Mac rounding the corner and coming towards her, she gobbled the rest of the muffin in one bite and jumped off her seat. She glared at him, ready to gallop away again.
“It’s not fair!” she cried, throwing a huff. From the insides of their bakery, the Cakes worriedly glanced out of the window. 
Mac looked back at them and nodded, signalling that he had the situation under control. These miniature tantrums were a common thing for Applejack, and Mac was very glad that there was just one of her. He just hope that the baby Apple Bloom, who was back at the farm with Granny Smith, wouldn’t grow up to be such a loud filly like Applejack. He wouldn’t know what to do.
“I want to go too! I don’t get why Granny Smith is letting you go all on your own and not me! I can take care of myself!”
Applejack was working herself up before Mac’s eyes. She was shaking and stomping her hooves about as though a bull ready to charge, but Mac knew that she wasn’t going to go anywhere. If this was just like all the other little huffs Applejack threw, then he knew exactly where it was going. In three…
“I’m as strong as you!”
Two…
“I can be just as responsible, too!”
One…
“And I’m not scared of the big city!”
And that’s when she burst into tears. Before he knew it, she was running into him and digging her face into his bright red flank, shaking uncontrollably. Without saying a word, Mac pulled his little sister towards one of the benches outside Sugarcube Corner and held her tightly as she continued sobbing. 
From the corner of his eye, he could see Mrs. Cake bustling around and preparing to run out in case he needed help. He shook his head, stopping her dead in her tracks. He knew exactly how to handle Applejack when she had worked herself up like that. That was why Granny Smith always sent him out after her when she ran off.
And he always knew how to find her.
She had said Rarity’s, yes, but he’d known that she would never have gotten there. She always made it halfway to her initial destination then stopped, unable to hold the sadness within her. And he knew —or at least hoped —that deep down she always wanted him to be able to find her. So she would sit still in an open space, pretending to miserable, and wait for her big brother to come to her rescue.
And Mac always did.
“I’m sorry”, she sobbed into his flank, wiping her tears against his shoulder. He didn’t mind. 
“It’s okay, AJ”, he said, smiling down at her.
“It’s just —“ and he could tell she was struggling to get these words out, so he let her take her time “—it’s just that… I don’t want you to go.”
This statement, which had obviously been hard for her to say, took him by surprise. Though Applejack was generally predictable to Mac —from her tantrums to her impossible honesty —he had not expected her to say those words at all. 
It had been about a year since the accident that had left Mac, Applejack and baby Apple Bloom orphaned. Since then, Mac had had to grow up pretty quick so as to look after his little sisters as well as tend to the farm. Even when Granny Smith had moved in with them less than a month after their parents’ passing, Mac still bore all the responsibilities of the house, from organising the animals to planning apple-bucking season. It had only been recently that Applejack had been allowed to join in and help, doing the jobs that didn’t require as much skill to them. However, Mac had noticed, his sister did have the raw Apple-family skill for working on the farm and soon she had joined him in the orchards, apple bucking like the best of them.
And that was when Mac had decided that his sister was strong. He could already see her in the future, taking over the farm and allowing him to recede into his quiet, helpful state. Already she was asking about how cider was being produced and how they could maximise on produce. The other day she had suggested ways on how to get rid of the fruit bats that had recently invaded their eastern orchard. Sometimes he wondered whether Applejack’s innate sense of responsibility had come about on its own accord, or had developed due to the loss of their parents, like his. 
And now he realised, as he looked into his sister’s dripping, green eyes, he had never once heard her express how much she still needed him. 
The pang that hit his heart was painful. He held her tighter, tipping his late father’s hat so as to hide the tears that were also threatening to fall out of his own brown eyes.
“AJ”, he said, clutching his little sister as though some invisible force was going to tear them apart, “don’t worry. You know I’ll be back as soon as you know it.”
“I know…” she sobbed, still quivering. “But… but, what if you don’t? What if you like the big city so much that… that you decide to stay there with cousin Gaff?”
At this he chuckled, letting the tears fall. Applejack stared up at him, at his amused face now streaming with tears, and couldn’t help smiling as well. She reached up and brushed the tears off her brother’s cheeks and laughed with him, realising how absurd her question was.
“You know I’ll never do that”, Mac said anyway, grinning. “You think I’m just gonna leave the farm in the hands of Granny Smith? You’ve gotta be crazy for asking that!”
They laughed together again, still holding on to each other. A filly and her brother. 
From behind the glass, the Cakes watched the scene. Mrs Cake, always a sucker for poignant endings, was patting a handkerchief on her face.
After several moments of drying their tears and laughing at the idea of Granny single-handedly taking care of the girls and the farm, Mac got up and turned to face his still seated sister. He smiled at her as he slowly took off their father’s hat. He held it in his hoof for a moment, staring at it and breathing it it woody, sentimental scent. Then, with all the care in the world, he placed it atop his little sister’s straw-coloured mane.
The joy that drew itself on her face was unimaginable. She beamed at him as the too-big hat fell over her eyes. She blew on it until it settled, almost too perfectly, atop her head, then excitedly asked, “What’s this for?”
Mac swallowed, smiling back at his sister. What he had just done had been tough —he had worn that had every day for almost a year now, never once having washed it in fear of removing his father’s musty scent. However, he’d known just then that Applejack needed it way more than he did. So he’d had to let it go.
“It’s… a promise”, he said, raising his hoof. “A promise that I’ll definitely be back before you know it.”
Applejack stared at him, then down at the raised hoof. She then raised her own hoof, touched his and grinned under the shadow of the large cowboy hat. 
“I believe you”, she said, grinning back at him, “so you’d better go. Now. Or you’ll miss you train.”
> Chapter Two
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mac found himself in an empty carriage. He sat down right at the front, having hauled his one suitcase up into the luggage compartment, and stared out of the train windows at the three people who’d come to wish him goodbye. 
Applejack, proudly wearing their father’s cowboy hat, was waving enthusiastically. However, Mac still noticed traces of depression lingering behind her bright green eyes. She masked it well, though, and if he hadn’t been paying attention he wouldn’t have noticed.
Granny Smith stood smiling, waving with one hand and balancing the rowdy baby Apple Bloom in the other. The young filly was trying to jump out of Granny’s tight grip, probably wanting to follow Mac onto the train. It was terrifying, actually, watching the determination his little sister wore on her face. It actually reminded him of —Mac gulped —Applejack. 

Soon after the train left Ponyville, Mac began to doze off. His head bowed and his eyes drooped and the swift landscape outside did nothing to keep him awake. He fell into a short, dreamless sleep before someone aggressively tapped him on the shoulder. His eyes fluttered, but he didn’t move.
“I told you it wasn’t Mac!” somepony whispered behind him. “What would Macintosh Apple be doing on a train to Centerlot?”
“I’m sure it is”, whispered another pony. Mac recognised this other voice and opened his eyes. He was surprised to see a smiley mare’s face just inches away from his. She was dark cerise in colour with large, pale green eyes. Her frizzy mane was a striped rose situation, with various hair pieces. She was grinning at him now, and he noticed she had braces with bright pink bands in her teeth. It was a cute smile, and Mac found himself smiling back despite his obvious disturbance.
“Uh…”
“It is Macintosh Apple!” cried the purple mare, glancing away from him. Then she looked back, blinking at him with interest. “Gosh”, she said, lowering her voice slightly, “I haven’t seen you in years.”
The other mare, who was standing behind Mac and thus couldn’t be seen, let out a low groan. “Well, that’s great, Cheerilee. Now that we’ve confirmed —“
The purple mare cut her off as she assaulted Mac in an overwhelming number of questions:
“How have you been? Where have you been? Gosh, I haven’t see you in years! Since kindergarten, wasn’t it? Oh, that was a long time ago! We’re in high school now! Well —are you? I heard you… dropped out after your parents —you know. I’m terribly sorry about that. I do hope you got the flowers my mom sent. Anyway, how are you?”
… Cheerilee. Mac was still trying to connect the name and the face in his head, vaguely remembering a boisterous filly in his kindergarten years who kept gobbling up the glue supply. After that, she’d just kind of disappeared off the face of the planet. When he and the other students had been promoted, she’d been taken out of school —or so he remembered —and he’d not seen her in Ponyville ever since. Now, seeing her, like an extremely vague character taken right out of his past, made him want to double-check his reality.
She had grown. Obviously —they all had. Now that she had stepped back and away from him, he could finally look at her properly. She was much taller than he remembered, and was wearing her mane a little longer. The frizz was questionable, but Mac guessed that it was just some trend she had jumped onto. She wore what looked like leg warmers around her back hooves, and a couple of plastic anklets around her front right hoof. 
As she excitedly manoeuvred herself into the seat next to him in the carriage, Mac couldn’t help but glance at her cutie mark. He remembered that she’d been one of the few who hadn’t gotten it in kindergarten. Now, on both sides of her flank sat three smiling flowers. 
Mac began wondering what exactly it meant.
“Cheerilee!” came the exasperated voice of her friend. Mac heard light footfalls, and soon an amber mare appeared quite close beside him.
He looked up and was met by ferocious blue eyes, lined in dark eye-liner. The amber earth pony was glaring at him, obviously agitated by his very existence. Mac shrank into his train seat. 
He couldn’t put a name to her face, but he recognised her. However, this recognition was disputed by the heavy eye make up, the black clothes, the spiky accessories and the generally angry vibe he was getting off this mare. She was literally throwing daggers at him with her eyes and Mac couldn’t understand why. 
“Come on, Cheerilee! We’ve got to find seats!”
Cheerilee, who somehow hadn’t noticed the severe antagonism her friend was giving Mac, looked at the amber mare with confusion. “We could always sit in this carriage, Mae. It’s just Mac in here!”
The amber mare, Mae, scowled. “But there are so many other empty carriages, Cheerilee.”
“But Mac’s here!”
“So?”
Mae’s ferocious look turned onto the smiling Cheerilee. The purple mare, however, didn’t seem at all perturbed by her friend. Instead, she turned back to Mac and said, pointing a hoof at the vicious mare, “I don’t know if you remember her, but this is my best friend Mayor Mare. She’s Senator Stallion’s daughter —“
“Ugh, Cheerilee!” cried the amber mare, finally sitting down on the seat across the isle from Mac. Their proximity made Mac flinch. “Don’t call me that! My name’s Mae.”
Cheerilee laughed. “The Senator named her in hopes that she will follow his political hoof steps”, she whispered into Mac’s ear. 
Mac glanced at the rebel as she got comfortable on the seat. He could never imagine her as a politician, especially with that ensemble of a look. He watched as she pulled more dark kohl and apply a thick line around her eyes, then proceed to smudge it. 
When she caught him staring, she snarled at him. Mac sank even further into his seat, willing himself to disappear.

Mac’s first ever train ride was spent under trial, with Cheerilee acting as the very chatty prosecutor with Mae as the extremely harsh judge. Though all of the hundreds of questions Cheerilee was asking were aimed at him, never once could he get a word in. There was always a thought Cheerilee would happily proceed to voice, or a complaint Mae just had to make. 
It was extremely stressful for Mac. Back in Ponyville, he rarely left the farm besides the weekly trips into town to deliver and sell apples. However, these trips had lessened in number since Applejack had insisted she take over the responsibility. He had been happy with the arrangement —he hated social situations.
Not that he didn’t have any friends. He had plenty. Like the Cakes, who he supplied with apples for their pies. And some of his older cousins who sometimes came to Sweet Apple Acres to help out with the farm. He always ended up spending lots of time with them in the orchards. And… Granny Smith was his friend. Sometimes they talked endlessly about… apple cider, or the fruit bat situation. And…
As Mac tried to cram his brain for more names, he became more and more aware of how little experience he had with ponies who he wasn’t related to or had business arrangements with. He gulped as he realised how long it had been since he had actually been in the presence of ponies his own age. Even the cousins who visited —they were generally older than him since their whole purpose for visiting was to teach him a skill for the farm, or help out with a situation he couldn’t handle. And, as previously mentioned, he’d never once left Ponyville to visit his younger cousins, who he was sure existed. They had all sent letters in the wake of his parents passing.
Mac panicked.
He realised that this was the first time in a very, very long time that he was was going to be around a teenage pony like himself. He’d hadn’t heard much about Gaff Apple and his family until about two weeks ago, when Granny Smith had told him that he was going to Canterlot soon. He hadn’t even known they’d existed.
And now, he was on a train into, possibly, the most uncomfortable situation he would ever be in in his own life:
Amongst teenagers. In the city. Alone.
Mac wanted to pass out, but Cheerilee was still assaulting him with a barrage of questions.

	

> Chapter Three
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Oh my gosh!”
Mac watched as Cheerilee literally vaulted herself over him and, somehow, landing on the other side of the then sleeping Mae. Mae started awake and immediately shot the most hateful glance at Mac. He gulped and shrunk.
“Canterlot, Mae! We’re back!”
“Yay.”
Mac found himself up on his feet, cautiously looking over Mae and Cheerilee. And sure enough, the high towers and dancing banners of Canterlot loomed over them, up in the skies. Unexpectedly, the train began to ascend and soon they were in a dark tunnel. Confused, Mac sat back down, his heart racing at this new development.
“What’re you doing?”
“Huh?”
“Get your bags down! We’re five minutes away from the station!”
He watched as Cheerilee and Mae began pulling their small suitcases out of the compartments above their heads. Cheerilee’s was a medium sized, polka-dotted suitcase that was basically bulging at the seams, and Mae’s was a compact, hard-shell, designer bag on wheels. Mac then proceeded to pull out his own —Granny Smith’s dull green bag complete small, pink flowers as decoration. 
While Mae deliberately stared at it in disgust Cheerilee avoided looking at it and smiled at Mac. He smiled back in appreciation.
“We’re here!”
The train began to slow on approach of the city. It passed through high, golden gates flanked with stallions dressed in military uniform. Mac stared at them in awe. The train then disappeared into another tunnel and then, shortly, appeared out into the large Canterlot station.
Much to Mac’s dismay, it was packed.
“Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!” cried Cheerilee.
“Calm down”, Mae said, but anyone could tell by the small smile dancing at her lips that she was just as excited as the purple mare. She was watching the crowd as the train slowed into a trembling stop, releasing smoke that floated over the large crowd outside.
If Mac’s heart was racing before, it was now running a marathon all over Equestria and all the other lands of Gaeia. His mouth had fallen open, and his mind had completely blanked, and he found himself completely unable to move. He had literally frozen in his seat, not sure of how to handle the horrific situation that he had suddenly found himself in.
He hadn’t prepared for this.
How in the hell was he supposed to find his cousin in that massive crowd full of city ponies?!
“Mac?”
He heard her at a distance.
“What’re you waiting for, Mac? Come on!”
Before he knew it, he was being dragged by the hoof off his seat and down the isle, towards the train doors. All the while he was wondering why there would be so many people at the station. The train was basically empty —all these people couldn’t possibly be there just for Cheerilee and Mae and himself! 
All his questions were soon answered however.
Soon after Cheerilee had dragged him out of the carriage, several ponies had began to push past him with suitcases, briefcases, rucksacks and ear-phones. It was astoundingly loud, with the passengers shouting and the train puffing and the attendants checking. There was steam and smoke everywhere, which was extremely unnerving for Mac, and he couldn’t once get his bearings right. All he knew was that he was being dragged by a bright purple pony, and followed by an angry hazel pony. As long as these two stayed close, he was sure he was heading, if not the right way, some where.
When the crowd finally began to thin, Mac got a chance to orientate himself with his surroundings.
The Canterlot Train Station was one of the largest buildings he had ever been in, and he was sure there were bigger. It was a large glass feat of engineering, with soaring steel framing and beautiful metal work. This, however, did not take away from the feeling of still being outdoors, with the sun blazing high above them. There seemed to be no separations of the bustling streets outside the stations and the station proper, as throngs of ponies swarmed in and out. Cheerilee and Mae were not exactly dragging him out onto the streets, but towards a set of kiosks on the side, where several ponies stood waiting eagerly for their arrivals.
Mac hoped desperately that his own welcoming committee was going to be there.
He’d once seen a photograph of Gaff Apple, but that was years ago. He now cursed himself for not having picked it up when he’d left, assuming that he’d easily remember. Though, after the shock of seeing Cheerilee after so many years and being in Canterlot for the first time, he couldn’t for a second imagine what his cousin looked like. Hopefully Gaff would be on the look out for him.
So, basically, Mac’s only other option was to allow Cheerilee to drag him towards her own welcoming committee. And, oh sweet apples, was it a crowd.
“Cheerilee!”
“Oh, Cheery, we missed you!”
“Mae! Mae!”
“Babe!”
At that point Cheerilee had let go of Mac’s hoof. Mac, who’d been distracted the whole time in his own head, didn’t realise this and kept waddling ahead. Soon he found himself caught in an awkward embrace behind Cheerilee, held tightly by a tall, white stallion.
This embrace, however, lasted a very short time. Both stallions fell way hastily and looked away. Cheerilee giggled.
“Wow”, she said, grinning. Mac watched as she ran a hoof through the other stallions untidy crimson mane. “That was cozy.”
Mac remained silent.
The white stallion, who was just a couple of inches taller than Mac, smiled at him. He wore a chequered, black and white scarf around his chest and one earring on at the top of his left ear. He playfully nudged Cheerilee, who suddenly seemed unable to control her giggles, then approached Mac. “Hey. I’m Long Play, but you can call me LP. Everyone does.”
Before Mac could say anything, however, Cheerilee had stepped in front of him and was speaking at a super speed. “He’s Mac. He’s an old friend of mine, from kindergarten, visiting Canterlot for —“ and then she cut herself off. She turned to face Mac and smiled sheepishly. “I just realised. You never told me.”
Right, Mac thought to himself, because you never stopped talking.
“Well”, Mac began, only to be interrupted again.
This time by a short, pretty-looking mare that was standing next to Mae. 
If Cheerilee was Mae’s extreme opposite, then this mare was a completely different universe. With flowers decorating her mane, ridiculous extensions and a jacket that looked like it had been worn for several generations before her, she stood out like a sore thumb. 
Then again, Mac realised, this whole group was filled with such extremes in looks and fashion that he didn’t quite know how they’d been standing still for so long without attracting attention. Looking outwards, however, he soon realised why.
The whole station was crawling with oddly dressed, almost eccentric looking ponies. Mac was confused. Was this what the city was like?
“… and that’s why we should head off right now”, the odd looking, bright yellow mare was saying. Mac caught onto this final sentence, not quite understanding it’s implications.
“What about…” Mae was saying, “… this pony over here? He looks confused.”
Mac stared at her. Was she talking about him?
“Dude”, said the white stallion, LP. “Where are you going?”
“Who’s your cousin, Mac?”
Mac stared at Cheerilee. Hadn’t he told her yet?
“His name’s —“
“MAC! COUSIN MAC!”
Exasperating by the constant interruptions, Mac turned angrily at the pony who’d called his name. He immediately lost all his frustration —his cousin Gaff was galloping towards him, followed by another pony who Mac guessed must’ve been his friend. 
The relief that washed over Mac was unimaginable.
> Chapter Four
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“HEY! COUSIN MAC!”
Gaff Apple, a hay-coloured stallion, was galloping through the thick throng of travelling ponies towards Mac, followed by a Mars black stallion. Gaff had a pale yellow patch that coloured the tip of his nose and his forehead. The same yellow fur coloured his hoofs, making him look like he was wearing knee-length socks. As his pale green mane flipped over his head, a unicorn horn revealed itself upon his head, taking Mac by surprised. He didn’t know… there were unicorn Apples.
“Mac!” Gaff gasped as he slowed in front of his cherry red cousin. His large, green eyes squinted at his country cousin, a large smile spreading on his face. “It really is you!”
The dark stallion that had been following Gaff slowed just a couple of paces behind him. Mac glanced at him, noticing how his dark purple eyes were squinting suspiciously at something behind him. When the stallion noticed Mac was looking at him, he smiled hastily, shaking his short, glossy blue mane vigorously.
“We’ve been looking all over for you”, said Gaff, sitting down in exhaustion.
The dark stallion laughed, joining Gaff on the screed floor. “For some reason, Gaff was sure that you’d be wearing a sprawling cowboy hat and chewing on hay.”
“Hey!” Gaff started, grinning at his friend. “That’s how he looked in the photo Granny Smith had sent us —“
“Well, that’s rude.”
There was a short silence before Gaff’s smile gradually slipped off his face. The dark pony’s eyes squinted again, the same suspicious look recolouring his face. 
They were both staring at the group of ponies behind Mac. The whispered comment, which had obviously meant to be heard, had come from the only male and tallest amongst them. LP was glaring down at Gaff and his friend, immediately creating tension amongst the ponies.
Mac, who was still standing between them, didn’t know what to do. He had never seen such pure ferocity between three ponies before. Both Gaff and his friend sprang up, almost squaring the white stallion. However, LP was taller than the both of them. When he stepped forward, silently forcing Mac to step aside, he looked much older than the two much shorter stallions. Gaff and his friend, however, didn’t seem to be backing down.
Mac wasn’t sure what was going on.
And that’s when Cheerilee, in a small voice, said, “Come on, LP. Not here.”

Mac didn’t get a chance to bid his childhood friend goodbye. Almost immediately after the most awkward squaring off Mac had ever been between, Mae had suggested they ‘just’ leave. 
No one had disputed her and both parties had taken off. It was so quick and so tense that Mac hadn’t had a chance to wave at Cheerilee. When he’d turned back, having been almost herded by Gaff and his friend, he’d noticed Cheerilee basically being towed by Mae and LP.
Mac felt an unusual anger bubbling up inside him, and he knew who it was targeting. He’d only just met that LP fellow, and already he didn’t like him. Something about him. Mac shook his head, trying to return to the task at hand:
Walking. And dragging his grandmother’s suitcase.  
“Would you like us… to help you?” asked the dark pony, staring at the struggling Mac. They hadn’t yet made it onto the street —the station was huge —mainly due to the fact that Mac’s dragging was taking an humiliatingly long time. And the crowds of ponies weren’t helping.
“Specifically, would you like Gaff to help you?” said the dark pony. Upon saying this, he nudged Gaff and laughed. Gaff’s face fell, then he shyly smiled again.
“I’ve been practicing, okay!” he said defensively, shaking his head. His short horn sparked spastically, it’s pale yellow light fading frequently. 
At this point, Mac felt his suitcase handle tug between his teeth, as though gaining a life of its own, and he let go hastily. 
He wasn’t used to magic. In fact, Ponyville was known for having the smallest population of unicorns in all of Equestria. Now that he thought of it, the only unicorns he knew were Applejack’s friend Rarity and her family. So that was… four unicorns in total.
Huh.
And now he was not only in the Equestrian capital, but also the city primarily populated with unicorns.
He watched as his gran’s old suitcase shuddered slightly before, slowly, rising up off the screed floor of the station. He stared at it incredulously, having always been fascinated by unicorn magic. Behind him, Gaff’s friend was laughing under his breath. When he looked back towards them, he noticed Gaff’s concentration being put off my his friend’s laughter. 
Very soon afterwards, Gaff’s horn stopped glowing.
There was a crash, and when Mac looked back at the worn suitcase, the fabric had split. The few items he had carried spilled out  onto the floor, and ponies around them just stepped over them like rubbish.
If Mac wasn’t already bright red in colour, he would’ve turned tomato bloody. Embarrassment washed over him like cold water.
“Shut up, 8-Bit!”
The dark pony, 8-Bit, had fallen backwards, laughing so loudly he began braying. Ponies around them stopped and stared as Gaff rushed to Mac’s aid, magically collecting up his stuff and apologising.
“Look”, he was saying, trying to gather the things that were out of reach. “My magic isn’t brilliant, okay? And I’m starting Magic School at the end of summer so I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t have tried!”
Mac didn’t say anything.
In the midst of all the chaos of a ripped suitcase, randomly spilt contents and rushing pony hooves, he was ardently searching for one particular item. A wooden frame that was extremely important for him to find. And 8-Bit’s ridiculous laughter and Gaff’s apologies weren’t helping.
It was almost like —so many things had gone wrong already. Now this?
“Is that everything?” Gaff asked, pushing more and more things into the ripped suitcase. It bulged oddly, the rip getting bigger.
“No…”
Panicking, Mac began moving around the station, completely forgetting about his extreme social anxiety. He kept accidentally knocking ponies out of the way, and frequently received rude comments from the majority. But he didn’t care.
“What’s left?” Gaff asked from over the split suitcase. 
“Just”, Mac muttered, “something important…”
The he saw it. Much to his dismay, however, there was smashed glass scattered around the small, wooden frame. It was just a few feet away from him, on the floor. Noticing the broken glass, ponies avoided the frame and it sat there, looking desolate. Relieved Mac began moving towards it.
However, as he approached, it began to glow —a pale, yellow light spread around it and made it shudder. Mac stopped, suddenly worried.
“No…”
Gaff suddenly appeared beside him, his horn glowing and a proud smile colouring his face. “Is this what you were looking for?” he said, lifting the frame towards the two of them. “Then you’d better be careful —glass everywhere.”	
Mac watched as Gaff’s eyes finally landed on the picture inside the frame, his smile suddenly disappearing. What replaced it was a thoughtful expression, curious and slightly confused. He eyed the photograph intently, and Mac felt his heart beat pick up in speed. 
“Don’t worry”, Gaff said, his voice suddenly down to a whisper, “I’m much better with smaller items.”
The he looked at Mac. Mac looked back, not quite knowing what to expect.
“Are they…” Gaff asked slowly, “…your parents?”