> A Helping Hoof
>  by TheEngineer
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> A Helping Hoof
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Helping Hoof

Sweet Apple Acres, it has been the only home this red stallion has ever known. His parents moved in with Granny Smith to help out on the farm when he was just a colt, Applejack had just been born and Applebloom hadn't been born just yet. Of course, he didn't remember every single detail of those years, he had a little help with that. Oh, how the red stallion loved to hear his grandmother tell stories; they were always about something very interesting, and he always learned something new at the end of each and every story Granny Smith told.
This red stallion, Big Macintosh, intended to make sure that this was the only home he ever knew. This is where his parents took him to be raised, and it is where his parents perished as well... But that is something that Big Macintosh would rather not think about.
Unfortunately, there is something threatening his grip on the farm... He had been injured and he couldn't work on the farm, nor was he sure if his side-job would be enough to finance the farm's needs.
"Boy, howdy. I got my work cut out for me." Applejack commented on the sight before them, snapping Big Macintosh from his train of thought. "That there is the biggest bumper crop o' apples ah ever laid eyes on."
"Eeeyup." Big Macintosh began, deep in thought, "Too big for you to handle on your own." he added sagely, keeping in mind his injured torso.
"Cmon big brother, you need to rest up and git yerself better. Ah haven't met and apple orchard yet that Ah can't handle." Applejack replied happily, poking Big Macintosh's side for emphasis. Big Macintosh cringed at the sudden flare of pain caused by Applejack's friendly poke, giving his sister a quick glare. "Oops, sorry." Applejack apologized quickly, realizing her mistake.
There was a rather brief silence before Big Macintosh's sister continued excitedly, "Ah'll take a bite out of this job by days end."
"Biting off more than you can chew is just what Ah'm afraid of." the red stallion replied with insurmountable wisdom.
"Are you saying my mouth is making promises mah legs can't keep?" Applejack questioned angrily.
"Eyup." Big Macintosh replied simply.
"Why of all the.." Applejack scoffed, "This is your sister Applejack remember? The loyalest of friends and most dependable of ponies?" Applejack reminded Big Macintosh, pressing her face against his in an attempt to strengthen her point.
"That's still only one pony, and one pony plus hundreds of apple trees just doesn't add up to-" Big Macintosh tried to reason, only to be interrupted by his younger sister.
"Don't ya use yer fancy mathematics to muddy the issue; Ah said Ah could handle this harvest and Ah'm gonna prove it to you!" Applejack retorted forcefully, "Ah'm going to git every last apple out of those trees this applebuck season all by mah self!"
Big Macintosh looked at his sister in disbelief, he watched her gulp and instantly knew what was going to happen in the near future. "Applejack, please listen to reason; yer stubbornness is gonna git the best of you again." Big Macintosh pleaded with extra emphasis on again. 
"Look Big Mac, I appreciate yer concern for me, but Ah'll be just fine; you need ta go back inside and get better while Ah get this harvest done and over with." Applejack responded in a much softer tone. Big Macintosh knew his sister for as long as she has lived and knows that this was the point of no return, he could no longer convince her out of this.
"Fine, you win sis. Ah'll go inside and you go ahead and git yerself hurt." Big Macintosh said in defeat, heading back to the farmhouse to get some much needed rest.
Big Macintosh took his sweet time walking to the farmhouse, it was a rare opportunity to be liberated of his farm duties so he might as well enjoy it. The majestic red stallion decided to take the scenic route through the apple orchard, admiring the beauty of the trees for once.
Big Macintosh eventually arrived at the farmhouse, it was still early and there were still around five hours until noon. He calmly opened the front door and made his way to the kitchen, Big Macintosh was a little thirsty and some nice cider should quench that thirst quickly.
As soon as he managed to serve himself a mug of apple cider, a knock on the door caught Big Macintosh's attention. He made his way to the door, calm as he always is, and answered to whoever was waiting on the other side.
To Big Macintosh's mild surprise, it was Ditzy Doo. The mail mare would have been no surprise to him if she had her messenger bag with her, but she didn't; instead, she had a small saddlebag meant for personal use.
"Hello Big Macintosh!" Ditzy Doo greeted happily.
"Hello Ditzy, what brings you here?" Big Macintosh asked, curiosity getting the best of him.
"Well, I have a very special delivery for you; it's one of those messages." the mail mare said in-conspicuously, looking around to make sure nopony was hearing their conversation.
"Ah see." Big Macintosh replied knowingly, "Where's it from?"
"This job is from the far side Stalliongrad." Ditzy replied, taking out a small, yellow envelope from her saddlebag.
"Thank ya kindly." Big Macintosh said as he accepted the message, "Would you like any refreshments before you go?"
"No, I'm okay; I just had a muffin for breakfast." Ditzy denied the request, shaking her head slowly.
"Well, okay. Have a lovely day miss Doo." Big Macintosh said before closing the door.
"You too!" Ditzy Doo called back as soon as Big Macintosh had closed the door, ".... I guess I'll get going now." the gray mare said to herself before flying lazily back towards town.
Big Macintosh forgot all about his cider, his attention was focused on the yellow envelope. The large red stallion moved quickly through the house, yet quietly; his years in this house made him an expert in knowing where all of the creaky floor boards were located and he found himself needing to be stealthy as to not get anypony's attention.
The red stallion quietly left through the back door, envelope in mouth, and made his way to a seemingly random direction towards the woods.
Around ten minutes of swift walking later, Big Macintosh found himself in front of some dense underbrush. The red stallion gently put the yellow envelope down and cleared the underbrush, revealing a wooden door leading to a cellar. Big Macintosh swiftly, but not hurriedly, made his way inside, envelope in mouth and door concealed from prying eyes.
The room was dark, but the red stallion knew his way around the room even if his eyes were closed. Big Macintosh placed the yellow envelope gently on a table that was centered in the room and proceeded to switch on the lights. The room suddenly lit up in a clean, white light. The room was quite an interesting place, the flooring was tiled and the walls were metallic, the table was layered with granite and a massive black board stood in front of the table. 
Big Macintosh surveyed the equations littering the blackboard, shaking his head. He had forgotten to clean the board after use and only now found a mistake in his calculations.
The red stallion shook his head quietly before changing the exponent on the equation from a three to a four since his rates were for every quarter of an hour. Once the mistake was rectified, the red stallion happily erased the work on the blackboard and once more turned his attention to the envelope.
Big Macintosh gingerly opened the envelope and took out the letter inside, it read:
Mr. Macintosh, we are so very sorry to give a pony like you such a short notice, but your assistance is needed at Stalliongrad as soon as you can make it here. We need to build a new bridge over our frozen river as quickly as possible, too many residents are at risk and there is an increasing demand for crossing the river. We will be forever grateful if you would take the job, the pay is described later in this letter; a one way train ticket from Ponyville to Stalliongrad is enclosed in this envelope as well. Thank you so much for your attention Mr. Macintosh
Forever grateful.
- Mr. Vector	
Big Macintosh looked through the envelope once more and, sure enough, there was an express ticket to Stalliongrad inside. Big Macintosh then calmly looked over to the bottom of the letter, his eyes almost bulged in surprise, almost.
Your living expenses will be covered throughout the trip, be it food, shelter or souvenirs. We are also going to pay you 2000 bits, plus 250 bits every hour you are actively working with us.
This was great news to the red stallion, the farm had been falling behind on its expenses and there was no way Applejack could keep up with the farm's needs without his help. He checked the departing time for the train, to his shock, it leaves in just an hour.
Big Macintosh didn't need to pack anything since his living expenses would be paid for, he walked as fast as he could with his injured body towards the farmhouse. Luckily, he found Granny Smith leaving through the back door as he approached it.
"Hey there sonny!" Granny Smith greeted in a shrill voice, "Why were you coming from the woods?"
"Not a matter, cousin Braeburn invited me over to Appleoosa. He mentioned sumthin' about us not seeing each other for quite a time and wanting me to take advantage of my free time to visit him." Big Macintosh responded in an uncharacteristically rushed tone, a tone that surprised Granny Smith.
"Well, if it's that important to you, then I guess it's alright if you go... Here, let me get you some bits for the train ride." Granny Smith offered, making her way back into the farmhouse.
"Thanks Granny, but cousin Braeburn was kind enough ta' send me the train ticket along with the message." Big Macintosh replied hurriedly.
"Is that why you're in such a hurry?" Granny Smith quired. Big Macintosh nodded slowly. "Well okay then, have fun!" Granny Smith said, giving Big Macintosh a quick goodbye kiss on the cheek.
He'd better not be having a relationship with that boy. Granny Smith thought angrily as Big Macintosh made his way to the train station.

...

Big Macintosh caught the train mere minutes before its departure for Stalliongrad. Once he found a seat, he sighed quietly to himself; he had quite the job to do and very vague details to go on right now.
The massive red stallion watched as the train lurched forwards, slowly gaining speed. His thoughts trailed off towards what he would do later on, he had plenty of time to plan, it was a twenty-two hour ride to Stalliongrad.
Big Macintosh thought about how wide the river was, if the bridge was less than two-hundred and fifty feet long then a simple beam bridge should suffice... Though a truss would be more sturdy, or an arched bridge that would be easy and cost-effective to maintain.
The money that was promised to Big Macintosh was just what he needed to keep the farm running. With those bits he could buy a new plow, the house needs new flooring too... Some seed planters and fertilizer would help, Big Macintosh had been meaning to grow a carrot crop in the east field.

...Twenty-two hours later...

The train suddenly came to a halt, awakening the quietly snoring red stallion. Big Macintosh quickly stood from his seat, seeing that all of the other ponies riding were ready to get off the train. He made sure that he didn't forget the letter sent to him.
Almost as soon as he stepped off the train and into the strange city that is Stalliongrad, a dark gray unicorn greeted him.
"Mr. Macintosh?" the gray unicorn inquired with a deep Stalliongrad accent.
"Eyup." Big Macintosh answered swiftly.
"It's a pleasure to finally see the stallion himself, I'm Drawn Vector: the pony who sent you the letter." Mr.Vector greeted.
"I'm glad to finally have a face to the name." Big Macintosh said nonchalantly, shaking the man's hoof.
"Well, we are certainly hoping you can help us Mr. Macintosh, please, follow me." Drawn Vector said, cutting to the chase.
"Before we go on, would ya mind informin' me of yer occupation? Big Macintosh asked to see how high he should be regarding this entity, inwardly wincing at how much his accent showed.
"Well, if you feel like you need to know..." the gray unicorn hesitated, "I'm the head of the PDOPWTS: the Pony Department Of Pedestrian and Wagon Transportation of Stalliongrad." Drawn Vector said with a sudden burst of pride.
"Well, congratulations on going so high in the government ladder." Big Macintosh complemented with a low whistle.
"Please, be more modest; I am mere dust in the presence of Equestria's most esteemed architect and structural engineer." Drawn Vector replied.
"Yeah, it ain't as fancy as you might think. Let's just git this over n' done with." Big Macintosh dismissed, prompting the gray unicorn to lead the legendary architect to his work station.
"Uh... Yes, right this way, it's not very far." the unicorn replied nervously, taking a seemingly random alleyway.
Mere minutes later, Big Macintosh was brought to a rather large building with a clear view of the frozen river. That river is at least four-hundred feet wide, Big Macintosh thought to himself. "So, what kind of bridge are you planning to build here?" Big Macintosh inquired.
"Whatever you think is best, we are willing to pay for the materials needed so long as you stick with good ol' Stalliongrad steel." the unicorn replied, opening the front door to the building and leading the red stallion through it to the top floor. Other ponies watched as he walked past, they either knew who he was or they admired his farm work-toned body... Big Macintosh guessed the former since a desk mare begged him for an autograph, of which he quickly gave and continued his way.
"Well, here we are!" Drawn Vector announced, opening an office door and leading Big Macintosh inside. Once inside, Big Macintosh caught the sight of a dozen business ponies in their fancy business suits around a large conference table... One of them even had a monocle on.
"Ah, Mr. Macintosh! It is such an honor to be in the presence of such a talented and creative mind!" the pony with the monocle spoke up.
"Um, ah would like some introductions before we get down ta' business." Big Macintosh announced, taking a seat on one of the chairs around the conference table. He briefly heard a business mare complain about the presence of such a rustic pony in this office, only to be hushed by another mare.
"I'm Sir Fancy Pants, once again, it is quite the honor to meet you." the monocled pony said with a slight bow. Big Macintosh waited for everypony to make their names known before they began.
"So, what kind of bridge do we want here?" Big Macintosh inquired.
"We want something affordable." a mare immediately pushed, there were a few nods of agreement.
"We need something tough, much like us Stalliongradians, it should last long periods of time with little need of maintenance." another pony spoke up, getting more support due to his patriotism.
"That Ah can d-" 
"I say that we want something with a large carrying capacity to facilitate more trading with other cities." Fancy Pants offered, instantly getting the support of every mare in the room.
"Okay, but there's still the issue of whether or not we can afford it; this city has a massive starvation problem and money for a building project of this scale is going to be hard to-" a business pony argued, only to be stopped in his tracks by a harsh stomp on the table caused by the only large red stallion in the room. Big Macintosh's expression was much calmer in contrast to the harsh show of strength, one of the mares in the room eyed Big Macintosh in an uncomfortably dreamy way.
"As Ah was sayin'," Big Macintosh began calmly, "Ah can design a strong and cost effective overpass, and Ah will only need a few days to come up with a few designs to choose from."
The room was quiet for an uncomfortably long time, everypony was still in shock from his show of strength; that mare's gaze wasn't getting any less intense either, instead, her gaze was only making it's way downward. Soon, there were the sounds of unanimous agreement inside of the office.
"How long do you need?" a stallion business pony asked in a heavy Stalliongrad accent.
"Two weeks give or take." Big Macintosh said after a quick calculation.
"Really? That fast?" a mare asked in surprise.
"Eyup." Big Macintosh answered quickly.

...

Big Macintosh surveyed his work station, it was modest but it had what he needed. A drawing table fully equipped with a T-square, drawing triangles, scales, rulers and an arsenal of graphite pencils, chalk and calculators... And even a tri-square
"Is this enough?" Drawn Vector asked.
"Eeeyup." Big Macintosh replied happily, taking a seat and beginning his work, only to stop abruptly. "Uh, do ya mind? Ah find it mighty uncomfortable when somepony watches me work." Big Macintosh said looking back at the gray unicorn.
"Oh, of course!" the unicorn answered with a vicious nod of his head, "I'll be out of your way immediately."
Big Macintosh heard the door behind him click and gave a small sigh before looking at the charts that told him the distances the bridge would have to cover, and soon getting to work.
An arched bridge will do nicely, very nicely. Big Macintosh thought happily as he picked up a 4h pencil and moved the T-square into position.

...Two Weeks Later... Give or Take...

Big Macintosh felt unbelievably tired, he had too many late nights and too many energy drinks... That 'Green Bull' stuff is way too sweet for this stallion's taste. But, alas, he was finally done; Big Macintosh had technical drawings made for every single part this bridge would need, from the small drawings of bolt fasteners to the more complex drawings of the general structure... It was all finished.
Big Macintosh stood from the drawing table and packed up all of the necessary drawings for the demonstration. Before leaving, the stallion made sure that everything was clean and back where he found it, erasing the black board of any calculations that he may have made.
The red stallion headed for the door, wincing inwardly as he was reminded of his injury by a flare of pain.
That is the last time I pull a wagon that heavy downhill... The stallion thought with regret.
With everything done, Big Macintosh headed for the door and then headed for the office building where he made sure to make a meeting for today; all of the business ponies from the last meeting were sure to be there soon.
Big Macintosh made the slow slightly painful walk to the large office building, there would have been a slight spring to his step if doing so didn't hurt so much.
Ten minutes later, the red stallion found himself in front of the building just as Drawn Vector was about to enter the building as well.
"Ah, Mr. Macintosh! I came as soon as I got your message to call for a meeting, is your fine work finally done?" Drawn Vector asked in excitement.
"Eeeyup, Ah'll show you when everypony else is there to see it." Big Macintosh replied stoically.
The two made their way to the top floor in absolute silence, albeit the occasional fan filly gasp from an office mare. 
Once at the office room, Big Macintosh, Drawn Vector and a few other business ponies waited for the rest of the required audience to arrive... That took around another fifteen minutes.
"Ah, Mr. Macintosh! I set off to the meeting as soon as I could, is your work finished?" Fancy Pants asked as soon as he arrived.
"Eeeyup." Big Macintosh replied stoically, laughing inwardly at the similarity of the conversation from the one he just had with Drawn Vector.
"Well, I believe that everypony that is going to be here is present." Fancy Pants declared, "Please, do begin your presentation."
"Ahem." Big Macintosh cleared his throat for his long talk, pulling out the general diagram for the structure, "This here is the general structure of the bridge. As ya'll can see, it's of an arched design, making this bridge naturally strong and very easy and cheap to maintain." 
"We like to use the words 'cost effective' instead of that word." a business pony interrupted in the most polite way equinely possible.
"Mr. Onyx, would you like to leave this office room until a more appropriate time for your... Interruptions?" Fancy Pants glared in contrast to his perfectly stoic tone, a tone that even Big Macintosh had to envy.
"Oh... No sir, I'll be quiet." Mr. Onyx apologized, shrinking into his chair. A faint smile appeared on Fancy Pants' face.
"Would you like to continue your fabulous presentation Mr. Macintosh?" Fancy Pants offered.
"Thank ya kindly," Big Macintosh replied before continuing, "The bridge is, as ya'll suggested, made purely out of steel. Of course the road on top of the bridge will be made of four inches of standard grade road granite that will last quite a few years." Big Macintosh announced, pointing at the appropriate parts of the diagram.
"The bolt fasteners on the underside of the bridge will be approximately one foot in length and the heads will be two inches in diameter, giving the bridge very secure joints. I also designed a small rail system for the gaps in the bridge, this will allow the steel in the frame to expand and contract throughout the seasons without damaging the structural integrity of the frame." Big Macintosh explained professionally, demonstrating his impressive designs to the business ponies... There was that same mare giving him that dreamy look.
"Well, this is certainly what we asked for." a business pony commented in his heavy Stalliongrad accent after Big Macintosh's pause that told him that he was finished. "I say we take this design, it sure beats the poorly drawn designs made by those inexperienced engineers."
There were many nods of agreement. 
"I agree, this design is absolutely... Dazzling. It will certainly increase trade in Stalliongrad and ponies won't have to risk their lives in that treacherous river any longer." Fancy Pants supported, giving Big Macintosh's design unanimous approval.
"Well, Ah think that it's settled then." Big Macintosh began.
"Not yet it is not, how would you like to come with me to the celebration of the construction of a new bridge in Stalliongrad?" Fancy Pants offered.
"That is a mighty kind offer mister pants," Big Macintosh began, "But Ah have matters to attend to back in Ponyville, Ah do hope ya understand." Big Macintosh explained, thinking with worry about his younger sister.
That silly orange filly better be alright when Ah'm back. Big Macintosh thought to himself.
"Of course, the life of the most brilliant engineer is also the busiest." Fancy Pants replied, "Allow me to arrange a train to take you home at once."
"Thank you sir, it's been a real pleasure working with you." Big Macintosh replied.
"Yes, please talk to Mr. Vector outside about payment before you leave; it would make me feel unbelievably guilty if you did all of this work purely for charity." Fancy Pants reminded, getting a haughty laugh from all of the business ponies in the room. Big Macintosh glared at every last one of them for doing so before leaving.
The fortunate laughing at the kind hearted... Of all.. Big Macintosh's train of thought was derailed by Drawn Vector catching his attention.
"Oh, hey; I take it that they liked the plans?" Drawn Vector asked.
"Eyup."
"Great, I just finished calculating your pay and it turns out to be 6750 bits on the dot... Would you like me to wire them to an account? You sure look strong, but I don't think anypony could carry that many bits." Drawn Vector said happily.
"Ah got a question fer you, what's the head of the PDOPWTS doing with such low work?" Big Macintosh questioned.
"I for one like getting my hooves dirty once in a while; that involves doing some paperwork once in a while, working the books every now and then, or even helping out in the construction of a new road." Drawn Vector replied with stern pride.
Big Macintosh put a hoof on Vector's shoulder, "Yer a good pony Mr. Vector... Could ya wire the money to the Ponyville bank under the name of Small Anjoupear?"
"Sure, no problem." Drawn Vector replied with a knowing smile. The two stallions then said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.
Big Macintosh almost managed to get on the next train to Ponyville, only to be stopped by a messenger sent by Fancy Pants and led to a private train... Not just a private train car... A private train used only by Fancy Pants himself.
"Well, ain't this a bit much?" Big Macintosh questioned.
"I think you should do what Mr. Pants wishes you to do, he is a very powerful pony after all." the messenger said calmly. Big Macintosh did what was suggested and climbed on board the fancy looking train.
"Hello again Mr. Macintosh!" Fancy Pants greeted as soon as he saw the red stallion enter the train.
"Howdy." Big Macintosh greeted back simply.
"I just wanted to drop you off at Ponyville myself since it is in fact on the way to Canterlot." Fancy Pants explained.
"That's mighty kind of ya, I didn't know that you were one of them Canterlot folks." Big Macintosh replied.
"Well, it is my place of residence, yes. But I was born in Stalliongrad and I come back here to fund some of this old city's needs every now and then, the only reason the citizens of Stalliongrad are known to be so tough is because of their unwavering sense of nationalism; I merely do my own part by coming back to help." Fancy Pants droned on. Big Macintosh commented on that as politely as he could and explained the he needed rest, finding a fancy looking cot and collapsing upon it. 

...

Big Macintosh was awoken by the sound of the train coming to a halt. His first thought was: did I really just sleep for twenty-two hours?
Big Macintosh's second thought was: I sure hope Applejack is alright.
With that train of thought, Big Macintosh stood up from the cot and stretching his large muscles. "I take it that you had a delightful rest?" Fancy Pants approached.
"Eeeeeyup." Big Macintosh replied happily, feeling completely refreshed.
"Mr. Macintosh, if you don't mind... Would you... Be so kind as to join me for breakfast? The train doesn't have permission to leave before inspection, so that would give us around forty-five minutes to ourselves." Fancy Pants offered.
"That would be delightful, Mr. Pants." Big Macintosh accepted, any breakfast provided by the rich is bound to be good... Right?
"Excellent! Please, serve yourself as you like; I brought with me some of Stalliongrad's finest products with me, from Blini to the finest hay ham slices." Fancy Pants offered, motioning the red stallion to a table with many goods. Big Macintosh simply nodded and helped himself, the Blini Mr. Pants was talking about looked a bit like pancakes, so he served himself plenty of those....

...

Stalliongradians sure know how to have a big breakfast, Big Macintosh almost had a hard time getting up after that large meal... Almost.
"It has been a pleasure to have you work with us Mr. Macintosh, I do hope that our paths cross again soon." Fancy Pants said as Big Macintosh began heading out.
"Eyup, likewise." Big Macintosh replied, leaving the private train and beginning his trek to Sweet Apple Acres.

...

The walk to the farm wasn't a very long one, but Big Macintosh's injury made it somewhat painful and difficult to make it there in a short time. The red stallion decided to take his time, it wasn't like he was in any rush.
Eventually, Big Macintosh made it to the farm; there was something off. All of the apples were still on the trees.
AJ better not have hurt herself for her pride's sake again. Big Macintosh thought irritably as he walked towards the farmhouse. As soon as the red stallion reached the top of a hill, he noticed that the entire North field had been harvested, he also spotted his sister and one of her friends.
"...Look, Ah did it! Ah harvested the entire Sweet Apple Acres without yer help. How'd you like them apples?" Applejack beamed proudly as Big Macintosh approached from behind.
"Um, how do you like them apples?" Big Macintosh said with a surprising burst of calm wit.
"Well... Why all the apple.. Heh.." Applejack began mumbling nonsense before collapsing from a combination of shock and exhaustion, spilling apples in every direction.
"Oh no! Applejack!" Applejack's friend exclaimed in surprise, despite Applejack's obvious exhausted state.
"She'll be jest fine." Big Macintosh soothed, "This ain't the first time this sort of thing happened to her; AJ tends to hold on to her pride until she's too damn exhausted to go on any further."
Twilight blinked, it was as if she hadn't noticed him before, "Um, thank you Big Macintosh; should I just wait for her to wake up?"
Big Macintosh nodded sagely before heading back home to get some rest.

...

"Hey, Big Mac, wake up!" an excited voice called out to a sleeping red stallion.
"Ugh, what is it AJ?" Big Macintosh asked with only the slightest hint of irritation.
"Mah friends n' Ah managed to harvest the entire field! It seems like the farm is saved for this year!" Applejack announced excitedly, prompting Big Macintosh to sit up from the couch he found to be so very comfortable to nap on.
"Really? The whole field?" Big Macintosh asked in feigned surprise. Applejack nodded her head fiercely. "Well Ah'll be, seems ta me that you did save the farm for this season, without any of mah help too." he announced approvingly, smiling to himself, knowing that he did in fact help the farm in a much more subtle way.
"Eeeyup," Applejack replied, mimicking Big Macintosh's signature gesture, "We'll be selling apples for the rest of the season, so rest up as much as you can; there's a long n' boring day ahead of us." Applejack beamed, heading upstairs to her bedroom.
Big Macintosh watched his sister go up the stairs before chuckling quietly to himself, drifting back to sleep soon afterward.



-The End-