The Book

"Big Mac!" Applejack called into her brother's room, "Wake up! Ah know it's earlier than normal, but ya gotta git up!"

She heard him rolling in his bed and then she heard him mumble, "Ah'm the greatest pony pirate ta' sail the seas..."

She started to laugh, wondering what was going on inside the quiet pony's head. "Git' up 'Captain,' or yer gonna miss the train." she said, before walking away to prepare breakfast for her family.

Big Mac rolled out of bed, groaning, already feeling the latest installment of his epic dreams fading into the deep recesses of his mind. He sighed and donned his harness, he would need it for the next few days. He was delivering a crop of apples, all different kinds, to Canterlot. There he would be running the food stands at the National Rodeo Championships.

The Apple family had run the food there for years; recently, however, as it had grown in size, they were bringing in food from other farms. Including that cherry farm that Applejack had worked at at one point. That didn't bother Big Mac, the Apple stand was still the most popular, and got the most business every year.

He had to put several carts of apples on the train, go to Canterlot, and unload them; all this morning, so he needed to get up earlier. Luckily he had packed away some books to keep him entertained on the train.

Big Mac may not be the most vocal pony, but that was because he didn't need to be. He thought, a lot. Thinking allowed him to run through possibilities of what could happen before they did. Also, simple answers were easier, for everypony.

He had grabbed his breakfast, and harnessed himself to the first cart, throwing his suitcase between two of the barrels of cider that they had specifically saved for the rodeo, and headed off towards the train station. He repeated the trip several times, taking all of the Apple products that he would need to make the food to sell there with his cousin, Braeburn.

Eventually, Big Mac had the train loaded. He pulled out one of the books that he had packed and settled into his cabin. Pretty quickly, he nodded off into sleep, his mind resuming the epic tale that his thoughtfulness evoked. The same tale that he had been turning into a story, maybe even something worthy of publishing, with a little bit of work, and fixing some privacy violations.

Once again, he drifted off to the land of Captain Macintosh.

Rainbow Dash and the Ponyville Weather Team were making preparations, there had been a small drought for the last few weeks as their supply of clouds from Cloudsdale wasn't arriving on time. Eventually, with a bit of research and magical help from her friend Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash had developed a method of making rain clouds that should end Ponyville's drought.

The cocky pegasus was getting antsy, this was going to be a big storm, but everything should be alright. If everypony did their jobs to make preparations down below, as well as staying indoors, everything should go fine.

With a signal to the weather troops under her command, the fastest flier in Equestria took off, hauling the magically enhanced storm clouds to their positions in the sky. Giving another signal, the pegasi unleashed the floodgates, drenching the town below, and causing the storm to rip through the sky.

Rainbow had settled down in her cloud mansion, looking into the distance to see Canterlot Castle, she vaguely remembered her friend Applejack saying something about Canterlot recently. There was some big competition going on there, and Applejack's brother Macintosh was attending to run the Apple's food stand, or something. Rainbow hadn't really paid that much attention, because she didn't really care. Big Macintosh was attractive, but the fact that he was leaving for a few days didn't cause her to go nuts like it would've to most of the town.

He was a mystery to everypony in town. He didn't talk much, he basically responded to every question with a 'yes' or 'no,' but he did so with his slow country drawl, which after a while got on Rainbow's nerves.

Also, he couldn't fly. Why would she even think about a stallion that can't fly? Her guy needs to be able to keep up with her, thus making the only, even remotely, qualified stallions members of the Wonderbolts.

Why was she still thinking about Big Mac? When she was in her room, where she had posters of the Wonderbolts adorning each wall, a signed headshot of Soarin, and a large stack of Daring Do books.

She set her alarm for four hours later, when the storm would have dried itself up, and she opened the next book in her favorite series; cuddling into her blankets, letting the sun shine in through the window, while the faint sounds of thunder could be heard from below.

Applejack had seen her brother off to the train, just before she readied the farm for the upcoming storm, with the help of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who were going to spend the day at the farmhouse while it stormed.

Applejack was always one to enjoy storms, the rain was soothing, the lightning was exciting, and the air was comfortable. Also, she didn't have to work if it was storming. The farm pony, along with her sister and friends, had finished readying the farm for the storm, by taking down any loose limbs, putting away loose equipment and the like, and was now sitting in the rocking chair on the porch.

She watched as the storm emptied itself over the town and the Apple Family's orchard. She could hear Granny Smith inside, telling the three fillies about the past, as they were trying to get their cutie marks for being historians. She loved their enthusiasm, but they needed to focus on what they enjoyed doing, not just try everything.

After a while, she went inside to the restroom. Sneaking carefully through the living room where Granny and the three fillies had fallen asleep. She walked up the stairs towards the bathroom, when she walked past Big Mac's room. For some reason the storm sounded like it was coming in louder in his room, but she ignored it.

After relieving herself; Applejack walked back towards the stairs, once again passing by her brother's room. This time, however, she stepped in a puddle. She opened the door, to see that a branch had broken his window, and the storm was filling up his room.

She just closed her eyes, hung her head and said, "Pony feathers."

Rainbow's latest adventure with the intrepid explorer was cut off by the ringing of her alarm clock. Even though she wanted to get back to Daring Do's trek into the bowels of a volcano, she couldn't leave Ponyville hanging. She needed to get out and help clear the skies.

The sky clearing didn't take long, she was the fastest flier in all of Equestria after all. When she was finished she looked down to see that she was over Sweet Apple Acres. She also noticed the three fillies rushing out of the door screaming something about horses.

Rainbow could feel her heart sink as she thought about what must have happened to Applejack and the inside of the farmhouse. Quickly she swooped into a dive and landed gracefully on the front porch. Carefully she pushed open the front door, and called inside, "Hello?" No response.

She pushed it open a bit more and stepped inside. Not much seemed out of place, Granny Smith was asleep in the living room, with three clipboards and pencils around her. One clipboard had neatly taken notes, the next seemed to be thrown together, with side notes and arrows everywhere on the page, and the last one had pictures of her and her cutie mark doodled all over it.

She smiled to herself and looked around the house seeing nothing out of the ordinary. That is, until she saw Applejack.

The farmer was soaked, covered in wet leaves, and she looked exhausted.

"Applejack, what happened?" Rainbow said, stifling laughter, and expecting an answer regarding the crusaders.

"Rainbow, Ah've been spendin' the last four hours tryin' to fix Big Mac's window, and Ah've been tryin' to clean up his room." she said through a sigh. "A branch came loose an took out the glass, his room then got soaked and Ah could really use some help. Do ya mind?" Applejack said, with her head hanging, and looking hopefully up at Rainbow.

"Yeah, sure thing, AJ. What do you want me to do?" She couldn't leave a friend in distress like this.

"Ah'm gonna' git a mop, and ya can help me get the water and glass up, then get all of the wet things out to dry, alright?"

The two mares cleaned together for a while, eventually getting all of the water up and they began taking the wet things out. Rainbow was putting anything that needed to be dried in a pile, while Applejack took it out to the clothesline.

"Come on," Rainbow muttered to herself, "He's got to have something embarrassing in here somewhere." The stallion seemed to have little in the way of anything. His room was boring, there were few things that could be taken as secrets. And Rainbow was getting annoyed that there were no dirty magazines, no baby pictures, no stuffed animals or anything.

In Canterlot Big Mac had unloaded his cargo from the train, set up shop with his cousin Braeburn, and was now unpacking. He reached the bottom of the pack, looked around to see if Braeburn was looking, and pulled out a beat up old stuffed doll. A certain Mr. Smartypants. He hugged the doll quickly and stuffed it under his blankets.

"Rainbow, how does the mattress look?" Applejack called upstairs snapping Rainbow back into attention.

"Oh, uh, it looks..." as she was inspecting it she noticed something sticking out from underneath. "Like I just found his dirty little secret..." she muttered with a devilish grin. "Yeah, we should probably take it out there." she said pulling the item out from under the mattress.

It was a small book, hard-bound with a picture of Big Mac's cutie mark on it. Rainbow smiled as she held it up and looked at it. Quickly, before Applejack arrived, she tucked the book under her wing and picked up the mattress.

"Let's get this out of here, shall we?" she said to her farmer friend before hauling the wet mattress out of the house.

They worked for a little while longer, until the room had finally been emptied of all wet belongings.

Rainbow arrived back at her house, dropping her spoils off on her bed before cleaning up. After a quick shower and a small dinner she decided to break open the book.

The first page appeared to be a title page of sorts, it simply had, Big Mac's Dream Journal, written on it. She snickered to herself, realizing that having this may have just given her the ultimate piece of blackmail against the big, red, stallion.

She then realized that she had no foreseeable need to blackmail Applejack's big brother. Maybe she could sell the secrets written inside to those that they might pertain to. There were plenty of mares in town who would kill to know what Big Mac thought about.

An evil grin spread across her face as she turned to the next page.

The first few pages were simple notes taken on completely irrelevant dreams, most of which involved apples. A few even involved being an apple. Rainbow Dash could slowly feel her bargaining chip become more worthless.

Just as she was about to give up; however, she found a paragraph labeled, 'Forward'.

Her heart began to race as she felt worth returning to the book. She began to read:

The following story is a recounting of a dream that has been tormenting me for days. The same dream returns every night, until I write it down. At that point the dream continues from where it left off. Initially I did not want to write this down, as it began dark and depressing, but I have found that writing it down has enabled me to finally get it out of my head. I have decided to write it as though it were a novel, in hopes that one day it may be good enough to publish, but at the moment this story is nothing more than a way to get this dream out of my head and see what happens next.

This was exciting, it may not be a Daring Do book, but it would still be entertaining. Besides, she might finally have a bargaining chip.

She took a deep breath before she turned the page, getting ready to read the deepest, darkest secrets in the farmer's mind.

Chapter One

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Rainbow marveled at the penmanship, the story was written with a lot more care than the stupid notes at the beginning of the journal.

She took a deep breath and began to read.

My name is Macintosh Apple.

Rainbow rolled her eyes. Seriously? He was going to start like that?

I was born and raised as a farmer in a small town called, Ponyville. It was a nice place, friendly ponies, good farming, all in all I had a nice life.

But one summer there was a drought.

We had dealt with droughts before, but this one was going on for far too long. The pegasi in town couldn’t seem to get enough clouds to make rain. Eventually there was a fresh shipment of clouds in, and they scheduled a huge storm.

My younger sisters and I spent the entire week leading up to the monsoon preparing the farm. We cleaned up loose branches from the orchard, strengthened the barn and farm house, and put any loose tools inside.

Rainbow was getting bored, this was seriously dull. Why on earth did he write THIS down?

She sighed, maybe it got better from there.

The day of the storm arrived, and the storm came faster than we expected.

My Granny Smith was still outside, she had gone into town to pick up some supplies for the storm and hadn’t arrived home yet.

Lightning was splitting the sky, thunder made the house shake, rain was coming down in waves.

And my sister wanted to go outside.

“Miss. Jackie Apple, you ain’t going outside, and that’s final.” I said, stepping between her and the door.

“But, Macintosh, Granny Smith’s out there. We gotta help her.” She was always stubborn.

“Applejack, Sis, Ah understand, and Ah agree, but Ah’m gonna be the one ta do it. Ah promised Ma ‘n Pa that as long as Ah could, Ah would keep y’all safe.” I said, looking between my two sisters, who looked hurt when I brought up our parents. “Now, Ah’m gonna go find Granny Smith, and y’all can stay here.”

Rainbow slammed her head onto her bed and groaned. “Ugh, he writes his dialogue in his accent. Why?” She looked back at the book, and before continuing with the story, she muttered, “This might get old really quick.”

I galloped hard through the rain, searching for the green coat of my grandmother. After about two minutes I saw one of the most gut-wrenching things that I have ever laid eyes on.

Granny Smith was coming through the woods as fast as her walker would allow her. As I galloped towards her, I saw a streak of lightning split the sky, and the top of the tree above Granny Smith. Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as the thunder made my ears ring, and I saw a particularly large branch begin to fall.

Granny Smith saw it too and braced herself for the impact of the flaming limb. However, before it reached her it became hung up on another tree and it fell out of the way.

I rushed to her and picked her up, putting her on my back as I took off for home. It occurred to me that the trees would all be very dry and I looked over my shoulder to see the tree that was struck, burning, as well as the trees nearby. It became a race, not against time or the storm, but the fire.

I went as fast as I could, determined to keep Granny safe, but the fire was faster, I could feel the heat at my hooves as the fire got closer, and then the house came into sight. I knew that there was a wide enough clearing between the orchard and the house that it shouldn’t catch, but there was still a way to go.

I was nearing the clearing, I was almost free.

Just a few more- BOOM!

Lightning struck one of the trees near me and it began to fall. I could see it as I ran. I also saw that I couldn't avoid it.
I pushed against the ground as hard as I could, running faster than I ever had. My head, then my shoulders, and Granny Smith made it out fine. I thought that the tree must have fallen slower than I thought it would.

I was wrong, as I could soon feel it landing on and pinning my leg to the ground. It took me down, Granny Smith flew off my back, and it slammed my head into the ground.

Just before I blacked out I could see Applejack rushing out of the farmhouse, galloping full-speed to where Granny Smith now lay.

Then everything went dark.

"Wait." Rainbow said to herself, looking up from the book, "He dreamt all of this? He actually blacked out in his dream?" Skeptically she returned to the book.

I awoke in a hospital, and I wasn't sure that I even wanted to know why I was there. Luckily I wouldn't have much time to think about it, as I heard the door creak open.

I didn't even want to look and see who it was.

"Hey, Mac..." it was Applejack, and she sounded worried. I just grunted as a response. "How're ya feelin'?"

I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling. "Numb." It was true, for some reason I couldn't feel much.

She laughed at my answer, "Well, Ah'd expect that, with all of the painkillers they filled ya with."

"Painkillers?"

"..."

"Sis, wha' happened ta me?" I demanded, my eyes still locked on a ceiling tile.

"Well Mac..." I heard her shuffling her hooves on the floor. "When the tree fell on ya, it broke yer leg." I expected as much. "And, well, they couldn't save it." She finished.

I couldn't understand, my leg was gone, what could I do? Questions like that rolled through my mind. Then something happened.

I died.

Macintosh Apple was no more.

My entire life, minus a few months in Manehattan, had been devoted to the farm. I did everything that I could for the farm, the farm was all that I was.

Now, everything I could do for the farm had been taken from me. I couldn't buck apples anymore, I couldn't haul the cart anymore, I couldn't run the cider press anymore, I couldn't pull the plow anymore, I couldn't be a farmer anymore, I couldn't be Big Mac anymore.

I closed my eyes and sighed, I could feel my sister's worry as though it were a weight pressing against me.

When I opened my eyes I asked a simple question. "Granny Smith?"

"She... She caught pneumonia and is down the hall."

"Ah wanna see her."

"Not yet, Mister, ya protected me durin' the storm, an now, Ah'm protecting you. Ya ain't fit ta go anywhere jus' yet." She said, putting a hoof on my shoulder to hold me to the hospital bed.

"Then at least tell me how she's doin'." I requested.

She hesitated, that wasn't good. "Not well, but the doctors will know fer sure tomorrow. Right now, ya got a visitor." Then she turned to the door and called, "Applebloom, he's good ta see ya." Then she turned back to me and whispered, "Try an' go easy on 'er, she's been through a lot."

My little sister poked her yellow face in through the door, her ears were tucked back and her red bangs were hanging low on her face. I could feel the pain in her eyes as she looked at me.

I gave her the most sincere smile that I could, and her ears perked up slightly. She walked into the room and hopped up on my bed, I then pulled her into a large, firm hug, where she broke into tears.

A few days later, I was let out of the hospital with a mission, learn how to walk again.

After a few days I had learned how to walk, using an old table leg as a peg-leg. I had tried to work, but as I had expected, I couldn’t do much. I finally got to the one job where I could actually be useful; running the stand.

As I worked the stand, it got more business than usual. Mares would line up, all of which were sympathetic, but I didn’t care.

Granny Smith never got any better, in fact, she died. The shock from losing my leg and my grandmother developed into clinical depression.

My depression worsened; as the realization, that I really couldn’t do anything on the farm anymore, set in. I knew that I wouldn’t ever really be a farmer again.

“Hmmm...” Rainbow Dash mumbled to herself, “Kinda sad.”

Then she began to think about what this would be like for him and eventually she realized that for one of the Apples to lose their legs would be like her losing her wings.

That made her feel sick. How could a pony live like that? The thought made her shudder.

As the weeks progressed, my family learned to function without me. Some cousins came from all corners of Equestria to help my sisters get the farm back to running condition, leaving me to run the stand. Eventually I decided something, the only way for me to conquer my depression was to do leave.

I made plans in secret, not allowing my family or anypony in town know what I was doing, elaborate planning and digging heavily into my private bank account, finally had my plans in place.

I was completely ditching my old life as a farm-centered earth pony for a life on the sea. I did research on sailing, navigation, and anything else that would help me on my adventure. I had bought a small ship and a train ticket to the sea port where it was docked to gather a crew.

“How much money does Big Mac have in his bank account?” Rainbow wondered to herself. “Ships cost a lot, does he know that?”

She shook her head and returned to her reading.

The day before I headed out I went through town, gathering the supplies that I needed, some hair dye, some cooking supplies, and a lot of rope. I slept in my bed one last time; waking up early, writing a goodbye note to my family, dyeing my mane and tail black, and heading out for the earliest train that I could get a ticket for.

I walked through the fields of my childhood one last time, before I caught the train, never to return.

As Rainbow Dash read the last of the chapter, she shut the book with slight disgust, “Maybe it will get better as it goes on, ‘cause this stinks.” She said, putting the book down on her nightstand and replacing it with the Daring Doo book that she was reading earlier, getting lost in her favorite literature until she fell asleep.

A Crew

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Big Mac awoke in the hotel room that he and his cousin had rented.

With his dream fresh in his mind, Big Mac began to dig through his belongings, realizing several things. One was that he had, and brought, a ridiculous amount of clothes, that he never wore; and two, that he had forgotten his Dream Journal at the farm house.

With disappointment, he resigned to repeating the same dream every night until he could write it down. He donned his yoke, and shoved his cousin out of the other bed, and calling, “Hurry up, Braeburn. We gotta git to the rodeo early ta set up the stand.”

This was greeted with pained groaning from the vested stallion on the floor.

That same morning, Rainbow Dash awoke clutching her book to her chest, laying in a weird position on her bed. She stood up, popping her stiff joints and limbering up for her morning training session.

She hadn’t been scheduled to work that day, so she had the morning to herself.

She spend the morning practicing her stunts and the routine that she had peen preparing for Wonderbolts tryouts. She was getting close to the point of perfection, almost to where she would try out and blow the judges all away. If she could perfect this routine, there was no way that they could turn her down.

After her morning practice session was over, she showered down, grabbed the journal and took off to find a cloud to read on.
As she settled down on a puffy little cloud over Sweet Apple Acres, the perfect size and softness for her liking, she pulled out her spoils, and began to read the second chapter.

The train ride was boring, and uneventful. Nopony talked, and most slept.

After a few hours of the jostling ride and napping, I arrived in Canterlot for the first layover stop. While there I had my peg-leg refitted, and withdrew the remnants of my bank account, locking it in a wooden chest. I also purchased a cape and three point hat, to hide my true identity, as well as accompany my new occupation.

“Why would he want to hide his identity?” Rainbow muttered, “And what the heck is the cape for?”

She relocated her spot on the page and picked up her reading.

Once again, I boarded the train, my money-filled wooden chest tossed up on the shelf above the seats, and I settled in to my seat on the train, pulling my new hat down over my eyes.

After a few other stops I finally arrived at the station nearest my ship. I hurried to the port where my ship was, to do some examinations.

While I was there, I met a pony. He was a strange, salty old stallion. I met him because, for some reason, he was swabbing the deck of my ship.

“Uh, ‘scuse me, pard’ner, but what the hay are ya doin’?” I demanded of the green-maned, tan stallion, with what appeared to be an empty bottle for a cutie mark.

“Ugh,” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “There’s the accent, again.”

“Oy!” the grizzled old pony shouted, looking up my way, lifting an eyepatch off of one of his eyes to get a better look at me. “I be cleanin’ the ship fer the new owner.”

“Why?” It was a bit creepy, I hadn’t ordered a cleaning or anything.

“I be swabbin’ the decks, with hopes that the new cap’n will hire me fer his crew.” The crusty stallion said, hanging his head. “Ya see, I were the cabin boy under tha old cap’n, an’ when he sold it, I was out of a job.”

I saw how desperate the old guy was, so I decided to help him out. “Alright, yer hired. Ah need somepony who knows their way around the ship.”

“Ye be the new cap‘n? An’ yer hirin’ me?”

“Eeeyup.”

“Ah, there it is.” Rainbow said with a nod. “That is definitely AJ’s brother.”

“Ye don’t sound like ye be a sailor...” He said, eyeing me up, as though he didn’t trust me.

“Ah ain’t. Ah’m a farmer, but mah injury made me quit.” I said, shaking my fake leg for emphasis. “I’m takin’ to the seas ta git away from everythin’ that reminded me of tha life I used to live...” as I finished, I stared into space.

Then I continued, “So, yer hired.” I tossed the clumsy old earth pony a few bits an said, “Now, show me ‘round the ship.”

He stared at the money in his hooves like it was the prettiest thing he ever saw, then turned to face me, his eyepatch falling back into place over his eye, before he saluted me and said, “Aye aye, Cap’n!”

The pony stumbled around the ship for a few hours, showing me the ‘in’s and ‘out’s of the entire vessel. I picked up the keys to my cabin, dropping off my chest, and walked the gangplank with my first crew member.

“What’s yer name, sailor?” I asked, realizing that we hadn’t exchanged pleasantries.

“Grog.” He said with an unreadable expression.

“Grog?”

“Aye...”

“The sailor’s name is ‘Grog’?” Rainbow said, raising an eyebrow, “That seems a bit rude...”

“Well, Grog, mah name is Macintosh.” Then I realized my biggest dilemma, “Do ya know where Ah could git’ a crew?”

“Foller’ me, Cap’n, I know the best pub in town.” Grog slurred, “Best ale, an’ plenty o’ ponies lookin’ fer work.”

I nodded my approval, gesturing for him to lead the way. As we walked through town I could feel the judgmental glances of passing ponies. Apparently, my crew had already made a name for himself in town, and it wasn’t a good one. Also my peg-leg, covered by my cape, caused my stride to be a bit off, and was drawing unwanted attention.

No matter what ponies thought of me, I was determined to keep my head held high, and my stature impressive. As far as I could tell, it worked. Ponies would give me space, mares would stare as I passed, but I didn’t care, it was no different than back home.

“Well, that at least kind-of explains the cape.” Rainbow mumbled. “But why doesn’t he care about the mares staring at him? I would think that he would love that... Maybe he explains a bit more as he goes on."

Eventually we arrived at the pub he had mentioned, it was called The Singing Seahorse, and it was full of all sorts of ponies and other creatures, all of which drinking their ale and having their fun. Almost immediately, my crew took off for the bar at the other end of the room, drawing glares from the other patrons.

"Is he determined to make this 'Grog' guy look bad?" Rainbow asked herself. "'Cause he seems to be kind of rude towards him."

Then she thought for a moment and realized that, however improbable it seemed, it was still a dream; and as such his brain was making these decisions unconsciously.

I immediately felt out of place, I had only ever been in an establishment like this to drop off cider, and even then I felt judged and like I was among ponies that weren't like me. Now I realized that I was starting to become like these ponies, I was becoming a sailor.

With a quick shake of my head, I continued up to the bar, removed my cape, and sat down. The tender then trotted up to me and asked, "What'll ya have?”

“Do y’all got any cider here?” One last taste of home before I left couldn’t hurt.

“Sure do,” The bartender replied, picking up and polishing a glass, “It’s non-alcoholic, but it is the best cider in Equestria.”

I just smiled and said, “I’ll be the judge of that.”

I could sense his confusion at that, and as he started for the barrels on the wall, he spotted my, now uncovered cutie mark, and nodded.

He put the glass that he had been polishing under a specific keg and began to pour. As he did his job, my thoughts began to wander. I thought about the past I was leaving behind, the predicament I was in now, and the future that was to come. I began to wonder what I would do, where I would go, how I would do it.

I was called out of my musings by the bartender returning with my glass of cider. I passed him the bits and sipped the glass, immediately noticing something.

“Where did ya get this cider?” I asked him.

“An orchard in a small town called, Ponyville. It is a family run farn, and they don’t make much, but they make the best.” He responded with a knowing smile.

“Ah agree it is the best, but y’all better git yer orders in fer next season early.” I informed him.

His ears perked up and he looked at me quizzically, “And why is that?”

“Half the orchard burned down.” I responded as calmly as I could.

His jaw dropped, almost unnaturally, and he began to stutter. “H-h-how d-do you know?”

“Ah jus’ came from there,” I said, before taking a sip of my cider. “The orchard was real dry, an’ a big storm came through, lighting the trees like candles on a cake.”

He shook his head and said, “That’s a darn shame. Thanks for the warning, Sir.” He said, before tending to the mare that had just sat down next to me.

I continued to wonder how I was going to get a crew together. My cider merely being something to keep myself busy as I thought.

Once again, I was pulled from my thoughts, but this time by a sigh from the mare seated next to me. The unicorn looked depressed, her mane was unkempt, her eyes were drooping, and she just stared at the whiskey she had ordered.

Unable to just do nothing, I asked, “Something wrong miss?”

“Wow,” Rainbow mumbled, “Big Mac is being pretty forward, and chatty, in his story.” She furrowed her brow, “Doesn’t seem like him at all; Then again, I don’t really know him...”

“N-no.” She managed, “I’m fine.”

“Alright.” I was hoping to leave it at that, but she apparently wasn’t.

“I used to be a showmare.” She said, a small smile cracking her face. “I traveled Equestria, doing magic tricks that earned me a small following. I was an illusionist, and an escape artist, doing things that would blow many ponies minds.” Then she sunk back down into her depression. “But, one day, somepony called me out on one of my bluffs, and when they all discovered that I couldn’t actually do anything that I said I could, they all left me.” She said, tears beginning to form in her eyes. “I came here to get away from it all, to start a new life, and forget about the old one. So far, no luck.”

“Me too.” I said, sipping from my cider again, slightly amazed that it wasn’t gone yet. “Ah used to be a farmer, then Ah lost mah leg,” I tapped the wooden appendage on the ground for emphasis. “and now Ah’m useless on a farm. I decided to buy a ship and sail the seas, so if ya want, ya can join mah crew.”

She seemed to perk up a little bit at that, responding with, “You know what? I think I will.” She gave a small salute and said to me, “My name is Smoky Mirror, Captain, it is a pleasure to be in your service.”

“Huh,” Rainbow said, while adjusting her position, as her wing had fallen asleep. “I was sure that it was going to be Trixie...”

“Call me Macintosh.” I informed her, “An’ meet me at the docks in the mornin’” I said, passing her a few bits as a bit of a signing bonus. She had perked up and trotted down the bar.

I finished off my cider and pushed the glass away from me. Suddenly, there was a voice next to me that spoke up.

“So, yer first mate told me, that ye be hirin’ a crew...”

“Eeeyup.” I guess that I would have to deal with this guy as well. “But, what do ya mean, ‘First Mate’?”

“Grog,” the guy spoke up. “He be tellin’ tha whole bar that ye be startin’ a wild journey.”

I chuckled, “Well, then he knows more than Ah do.” I then turned to face my confronter, to find myself face-to-face with a large, black, Labrador Retriever.

The shock of that caused me to jump a little, but I quickly recovered. “So, ya lookin’ fer a job?” I offered.

A small smile appeared on the dog’s face, and he nodded. “The name’s Sea Dog. An’ I was a skipper on a Diamond Dog tradin’ vessel, but I quit when we started tradin’ slaves.” As he said that, his smile disappeared and he looked off into space.

“Well, Ah don’t really know mah way ‘round a ship, an’ Grog don’t seem to be too trustworthy, so Ah’d love ta have ya on mah ship.” I said, holding out a hoof. Sea Dog grasped it in a huge black paw and shook it vigorously.

He stayed by my side the rest of the night, sorting out the rest of the ponies rearing for a job on the ship. After about three hours, I had gathered an entire crew.

I walked back to the docks, and I climbed on my ship, laying on the bed in my quarters, before drifting off to sleep.

“He hired a diamond dog?” Rainbow muttered to herself. “Why on earth would he do that?”

She realized that her muttering had turned to shouting when Applejack called up from below, “Rainbow? Is that you?”

She poked her head out from the cloud, “Yes?”

“What’s wrong?”

Rainbow Dash covered with, “Just getting into some reading.”

That made Applejack smile, seeing her friend who used to be so opposed to reading, now this into it. “Well, have fun, but don’t waste the day away.”

As Applejack walked away, Rainbow noticed that there was a bit more truth in her cover-up than she had initially intended. She was actually getting into this story, and she still didn’t have the deep, dark, secret that she had hoped for.

She decided that she needed to take a break, for fear of becoming attached, and she took off through the sky, doing stunts to get her blood flowing again.

A Heading

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The second day of the National Rodeo Championship began, and this time, Big Mac was prepared. Shortly after he awoke he pulled out some paper and a pen, determined to get some more chapters down for his Dream Journal.

As he transferred his dream to the pages in front of him, he realized that at some point, he would need to transfer them back into his book. He would just have to cross that bridge when he got there.

He slung his yoke onto his neck and kicked the foot of his cousin’s bed, causing him to stir.

“No... No, Little Strongheart, I don’t want to... Everypony will make fun of me...” Braeburn muttered in his sleep, before rolling over.

Mac sighed, then shouted, “Braeburn!” which quickly gained his cousin’s attention.

“Ahhhh! Don’t judge me!” he said, while pulling his sheets up to cover himself. Big Mac just shook his head.

Later that day, back in Ponyville, Rainbow was returning from a surprisingly long day at work. She slumped down on her bed after a hot shower, and pulled Big Mac’s Dream Journal out and began to read.

I awoke early from my slumber, like I would on the farm, and I rolled out of my hammock. I proceeded to pop many of the joints in my back and neck, as I hobbled over to don my false leg.

Once I could walk again, I put on my cape and hat, filled a small pouch with bits and tucked it under my cape. I began to think about what I would need as I looked around my quarters, realizing that the room was painfully bare.

There was a large map table, covered in nicks and scratches. There was a window to allow light in during the day, and some lanterns for nighttime cartography. There was an abnormal amount of clothing storage, more than I could imagine ever needing, especially seeing as ponies barely ever wore clothes.

Rainbow thought back to her own room, realizing the abundance of unused storage. She had a large dresser, and a huge walk in closet, and they were almost empty.

“That is weird...” She observed, “Why do ponies even have dressers? We barely even have any clothes to put in them...” Then she rolled her eyes, “Well, except Rarity.”

Looking back at the map table, I realized the most important thing to do before I shoved off, would be to find a location and a map for how to get there.

Perhaps something would come to me if I looked around town for a while.

As I trotted off onto the empty deck, I saw Smoky Mirror sitting on a bench at the end of the docks. I realized that she might be able to help me.

I trotted up to her, realizing that she was actually sleeping. I decided to help her out a little.

I nudged her shoulder lightly, causing her to stir and look into my face with a mix of confusion and exhaustion. I then said to the tired mare, “Hey, ya can sleep onboard tha’ ship if ya want.” I gestured to my boat, “It’s the one on tha end there.”

With that I left her, and she looked around still confused, before heading off to the ship.

I continued into town, searching the shops, stopping by some stands and stores to purchase supplies for my ship and crew. I ordered barrels of fresh water, some rum, dense bread that apparently kept well, and some pickled vegetables. I also bought plenty of rope, cloth, and plenty of lamp oil to keep the ship and crew sailing at ship-shape.

I decided, based on the position of Celestia’s sun in the sky, that it was time for me to meet up with Sea Dog. The diamond dog could probably better inform me on the necessary items for proper care of a ship.

“Ugh.” Rainbow sighed to herself. “I really hope that this chapter picks up soon, because if it just follows him going shopping with his pet puppy I might not be able to finish it.”

As I was on my way back to the docks where I was supposed to meet him, I was stopped. A dirty old stallion grabbed my cape and yanked, causing me to stop. I looked back at the old earth pony and asked if I could help him.

“Help me?” He muttered through a mouth with no teeth. “Ye sure can.” He used his eye that wasn’t covered with an eyepatch to scan the streets for eavesdroppers. He then pulled me in close and whispered in my ears.

“Ah need a captain ta foller in me hoofsteps.” He pulled an old weathered scroll out from a pack. “This be a map, it shows where I hid me ship...” he faded off a little bit, and scanned the ponies, to be sure that none could hear him. “And me treasure.”

“I be not fit ta search after it, an’ me crew left me, but ye be a fit young lad. Go. Git me ship, and me treasure and make a name fer yerself as the greatest pirate to sail the sea!” the old stallion almost shouted, forcing the scroll into my possession; then he broke down into a violent coughing fit.

“Ah’ll do what Ah can.” I promised the geezer, just trying to get him to let go.

“Jus’ be sure that The Flying Crab doesn’t disappear into history.” He said, with a tear forming on his eye, “That ship was like a foal ta me, she deserves a better fate than ta rot in a cave.”

The old coot then let go of my cloak and hobbled off into the crowd.

“Wait, what?” Rainbow asked herself, “Some strange old guy just gives him a map to his treasure? Just when he needs a direction to head in? What are the odds of a coincidence like this?” She finished, rolling her eyes.

I looked down at the parchment in my hooves and unrolled it. Sure enough, there were coordinates for the island that was drawn, and two markings. There was one “X” and one small drawing of a ship.
I decided that, once I got my crew together, I would have somepony teach me how do read this map.

Rainbow Dash facehooved at the stupidity of the last sentence.

I tucked the treasure map away and headed off to find Sea Dog, which wasn’t too hard. I found him swimming just off of the docks, right where we agreed to meet. I called to him, and he climbed on deck, with a fish of some sort hanging from his jaws.

He dropped the fish to the planks and proceeded to violently shake himself, coating myself and everything around us in the salty spray.

“Thanks...” I said, while wringing out my hat.

“No problem, I thought you could use a bath.” He then bit into the fish at his paws, causing my stomach to do a somersault.

“Hey, listen, some crazy ol’ pony gave me this map, says it’s to his treasure.” I pulled the parchment out from my wet cloak. “What do ya think?”

He took it in his massive paws and began looking it over. He scanned every detail of the map, looked over the coordinates, and even sniffed it a few times, before he gave it back to me. “It looks ta be real, an’ I think that I remember there bein’ an uncharted island at those coordinates, but we never landed on it.”

I explained everything that the old pony said to me, and then I asked Sea Dog, “Do ya think that should be our first stop?”

Sea Dog was deep in thought, “If that old pony really was tha cap’n of The Flying Crab, and this really be tha map ta find it, then we should certainly go after it.” He looked into my eyes and explained, “The Flying Crab was the most feared pirate ship on the seas. It was the demise of many of me sister ships, as a sailor. The crew of the Crab would plunder a ship, an’ sink it; sometimes without the crew knowin’ but sometimes they would simply destroy it. The ship itself used to belong to the Equestrian Navy, it was a destroyer, it was the most threatening ship on the seas, and one day the stories just stopped. People thought that it went to the other side of the ocean, some thought that it had finally met its match, and others believed that a giant sea monster took it under. But I had always known that she was jus’ hidin’, tucked away somewhere, while the captain spent his loot.”

The look in Sea Dog’s eyes while he explained this was slightly unsettling, he appeared manic, and lustful. “If we find it, we will inherit the fame of the Crab. Captain, I believe that should definitely be our first stop.”

“Alright, let’s gather the crew, and when the supplies come in, we’ll shove off.” I said, before heading into town, to meet up with the rest of the crew I had recruited at the tavern from the day before.

“Well, other than the coincidences, and the plot developing too fast, it is a pretty good story.” Rainbow marked her page and settled into bed, before falling asleep and drifting into dreams of the ocean, pirates, and captaining The Flying Crab.

Ship-Shape

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The next morning, Big Mac awoke, with his cheeks burning. It was the first time his nocturnal saga had directly referenced his secret crush, and he didn’t know how to deal with it.

As he was writing down the newest chapter, he was debating what he should do to keep anypony from figuring it out. He wasn’t planning on showing anypony the story anytime soon, but maybe when he finished it he could have somepony help him edit. Before he did that, however, he needed to edit the name and description of this crush, before anypony else saw this.

He began to walk out of the hotel room, when Braeburn’s nighttime mutterings reminded Mac of his cousin’s presence.

“Mmmm... Yes, I do like bananas...” The plains pony mumbled into the hotel’s courtesy pillow.

“Braeburn.”

“No, not that many... I can’t handle that much potassium.”

“Braeburn!”

“Augh!” he said as he jolted upright, looking at Big Mac with a sheepish look.

“Ah’m gettin’ tired of wakin’ ya up.” Mac said, “How do ya git up back in Dodge?”

Braeburn blushed as he put on his vest and hat.

Rainbow Dash came home after an exhausting day of work and pranking with Pinkie. She decided to get back into the story of Captain Macintosh; her memories of her own pirate dreams fading more and more as the day progressed.

She found a nice, warm spot in the sun and began to read.

Most of my crew had gathered at the tavern, like I had asked them to, but two were missing. One was Smoky Mirror, and I knew where she was: but the other was Grog, and I had no idea where he was.

I interviewed my crew and learned their strengths, assigning each one to a job making use of Sea Dog’s expertise in the workings of a ship. I had around 20 ponies and 10 diamond dogs. The ponies were evenly spread between earth ponies and unicorns, strangely I hadn’t even seen any pegasi in town over the last two days.

“Wait, is he racist? Or is it the town that’s racist?” Rainbow could feel her cheeks heating up, becoming slightly uncomfortable with the story. She glanced back at her wings, her pride and joy, before she continued with the story.

Some of the more important roles had been filled.

There was a white and black dog named Pointer, who would be watching from the crow’s nest as hewas agile and had very keen eyesight. He had a laid-back attitude and seemed like a nice enough guy.

There was a lazy, distant, grey unicorn with a cutie mark of constellations who often found himself staring into the distance. His name was Astro and he would be the ships navigation expert. He even thought to bring his own map, sextant, and compass for navigation.

An tan earth pony named Lumber Mill was assigned to be the ship’s carpenter. Lumber had apprenticed one of Canterlot’s greatest carpenters, Sandy Stains. The shop had burnt down under his watch, and as such he lost any opportunity of ever getting a real job.

A pale blue unicorn mare nicknamed ‘Stitch’ was titled the ship’s doctor. She didn’t go into detail on her past medical experience, but she claimed to have been a nurse at Phillydelphia hospital and was fired under some, ‘unfavorable circumstances.’

Rainbow reared up a little in surprise. “Wow... He hired a quack to be his ship’s doctor? Brave... Stupid, but brave.”

Cookie, a fat, brown, earth pony stallion was deemed the chef. He had cooked on the palace kitchen staff, the galley for navy ships, and in the kitchen of the tavern where they met. Each of those places he was kicked out of for eating the food.

A German Shepherd girl, named Schatzi, who was apparently a very good friend of Sea Dog, would be our pilot. She seemed very friendly, and by Sea Dog’s testimony, was a very good listener

The rest of the crew had been assigned to their respective tasks, supplying horsepower to where it was needed.

We proceeded to gather the supplies that I had ordered earlier, loading them on carts, carrying them on our backs, and doing whatever we could to get them back to the ship.

I was leading the way to the ship as we walked along the docks towards the ship. As we approached the vessel, I heard something coming from onboard. There was the sound of fighting, and plenty of shouting.

As I came up the gangplank and on deck, I saw the door to the crew’s quarters open up, and Grog come stumbling out.

His eye had been blackened, his mane was singed, and he was covered in scratches. He staggered over to me, drunkenly, and grabbed my collar to pull himself up to eye-level with me.

“Cap’n!” He shouted with a deranged look in his uncovered eye. “There be a nag on board!”

“Pardon?” I asked, not understanding what he was talking about.

At that moment, Smoky Mirror stormed out of the crew’s quarters, her horn smoking, and a furious look in her eyes. “Get back here, and face The Gr-” she then saw me and changed her course of action. “Captain! Thank goodness you’re here! This crazy, drunk, pervert attacked me in my sleep!”

“Wait, what was she going to say?” Rainbow pondered, She reread the last few lines a few times, hoping that the context might give her a hint, but alas, she had no such luck.

“Cap’n, ye surely know that it be bad luck to have a mare on board the ship.” He said desperately.

“Ah don’t care.” I told him, never really believing in superstitions. “And ya can jus’ git over that, ‘cause she ain’t tha only mare on board.” I said, referencing the crew behind me. All of the mares and female dogs showed their distaste of the salty stallion: I even saw Stitch look over him with a deranged look in her eye, like she would get some sort of sick enjoyment out of tormenting him.

“Haha!” Rainbow cheered at the mare domination. “Way to go Mac, don’t let any stupid superstitions get in the way. Girls Rule!”

Grog looked around in horror at the mares on board the ship, and then quickly galloped drunkenly below decks.

I sighed at my first crew member, and continued to get everyone to put the equipment and supplies in their respective areas. I began commanding my crew by assigning them to clean up and maintenance duty.

Some ponies were swabbing the decks, while Pointer and two other dogs were following behind reapplying pitch to the decks. As soon as the pitching was done, I saw Pointer, climbing the ropes up to the crow’s nest, apparently to examine his post, before duty began.

An assortment of my crew was in a small dinghy that had been on the ship, doing checks and maintenance on the hull, keel, and rudder. Lumber Mill had located, and begun to fix a few holes in the hull, none of which were too bad, but they could easily have worsened.

Still a few more were tightening down the ropes, masts, and sails. Stitch had applied her sewing knowledge to the mending of the sails, patching up the weathered canvas and fixing rips.

Once again, Grog was nowhere to be found. I was beginning to sense a pattern in this pony’s behavior. I realized that somepony would need to be watching him at all times, just to be sure that he did what he was told.

After a few hours of hard work, everything on board was ship-shape.

The horrible pun made Rainbow Dash groan.

While everyone else was doing the jobs they had been assigned to, Cookie had located the ship’s galley and began cooking. He made a delicious stew, with plenty for everyone. As the crew was eating, Sea Dog, Astro, and myself met up in my quarters.

We spread out the map that Astro had brought with him, and set to work. “Astro, how good are ya at findin’ a point off a’ coordinates?”

He simply stared out of the windows at the back of my cabin.

“Astro?” I waited a few more moments. “Astro!”

“Hmmm?” He turned to face us. “What was that?”

I could tell that this might be difficult. “We need ta get a headin’,” I pulled out the treasure map and opened it so that he could see the coordinates written on it. “So do ya think ya kin’ get it?”

He looked at the map, then the coordinates, then the stars outside... Then I could tell that we had lost him.

“Astro!”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. I got it.” Then he used his magic to pick up a quill and mark the map at the location of the uncharted island.

Sea Dog decided to chime in at this time, “Are ye sure the island be there?”

Astro had seemed to finally start taking his assignment seriously as he had taken his sextant out and was eyeing the stars. “Well, unless the coordinates were wrong, the island should be within 100 feet of that point.”

Sea Dog looked at me with an impressed demeanor. “Wow.” I said, “That’s good, sure hope the coordinates are right.” Then I realized something. “And, it might be a good idea to keep our goals on the down-low.”

“Why would he want to hide his plans from his crew?” Rainbow wondered aloud.

“Why is that Cap’n?” Sea Dog asked.

Apparently Rainbow wasn’t the only one wondering.

“If any of y’all git captured, or if they jump ship, Ah don’t want tha treasure or the location of The Flyin’ Crab gettin’ around.” I explained.

The other two seemed to be understanding, and with that we agreed to set sail in the morning.

They went into the ship and joined in on a game of poker that some of the crew had started, and Smoky Mirror seemed to be dominating.

I watched over my crew for a few more hours, learning how they interacted and watching what they do. I learned to lock up the rum, else Grog would get into it. I learned that Smoky Mirror cheated really bad in poker. I learned how to watch for sneaky, under-the-table activities by watching Smoky Mirror cheat at poker.

I learned who dealt well with each other, and I learned who didn’t. Grog, for instance, didn’t really get along with anyone, but it was entertaining to watch him stumble around drunk, and try to sing. Eventually the crew began to hit the hay, each one finding a bunk or hammock to call their own.

When the entire crew had settled in, I finally decided to lay down in my own hammock as well. I looked out of my window and could see the open ocean. It finally hit me that I would be seeing a lot of it in the future, and with that thought fresh in my mind, I climbed into my hammock and drifted off to sleep.

Rainbow Dash put the book down, and got up to go and get some dinner. She had developed quite the appetite while reading, and when the chapter had ended, she realized that she hadn’t eaten since breakfast.

After a simple daisy sandwich, and an apple, she sat back down on her bed, and began to debate with herself, whether or not she should read more tonight.

Eventually, she decided to read one more chapter, then go to sleep.

Stormy Seas

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Rainbow Dash gathered some snacks to hold her over. A small bowl of popcorn and some apple cider. I might not be the annual cider that Sweet Apple Acres put out, but the juice was still fantastic. She took a sip of her juice and returned to Big Mac’s book.

I awoke at the crack of dawn, the light of Celestia’s sun, pouring in my window. I stretched, donned my hat and cape, screwed on my leg, and stepped out on deck.

The damage from the night before wasn’t too extensive; the biggest problem being Grog passed out on the deck, shivering and hugging the base of the main mast. I also saw one of the dogs that I had hired, a friendly husky named Chance, curled up outside of the crew’s quarters.

There was a smell in the air, a smell of eggs cooking with onions and peppers. Apparently cookie was awake and had made the wise decision to use our more perishable ingredients first.

As the smell reached the nose of the two others on deck they began to stir. Grog simply turned in his sleep, mumbling about something, while Chance began to sniff heartily and pant. Eventually he awoke simply from the aroma of breakfast and began to get up.

A approached the, still stretching, dog and asked him, “Hey, Chance, would ya mind wakin’ tha rest of the crew? Breakfast an’ then we’re headin out.”

He saluted me, and then bounded down the stairs to the crew’s quarters, where I soon heard barking. I chuckled to myself as I heard them grumbling and complaining, while coming up the stairs.

After a very satisfying breakfast in the galley, we untied the ship, and shoved off.

“Finally.” Rainbow muttered before taking another sip of juice, “It took him long enough to get sailing.”

Once we were in the channel heading out of port, the crew unfurled the main sail. Using only the primary sailing canvas, we left harbor and floated out to sea.

We hit open ocean and opened the rest of the sails. The light ship skimming across the water. Calling Astro to my side, I pulled out the map, and we worked toward finding our heading.

“Which way, Astro?” I asked, standing on the forecastle deck.

“Wait,” Rainbow demanded, “Does he actually know what he is talking about?” She reread the last sentence again. “It sounds like he does, but how would he know what the hay a ‘forecastle deck’ is?” She expertly tossed a few fluffy kernels into her mouth and continued to read.

“What was that, Captain?” He asked, looking back to me from the horizon.

“I asked what our heading should be.” I was starting to wish that I had picked a better listener for my navigation expert.

“Oh, sorry, I spaced out for a little bit there.” He looked back at the map, then to his compass, made a few adjustments on his directional device, and pointed over the bow. “There, 146 degrees southeast.”

“146 degrees southeast, pilot.” I called to Schatzi, who changed our course accordingly, relying on the compass she had been supplied with. The sails swinging around to harness the most wind.

We sailed in that direction for hours, very little occurred, until...

“Captain!” I heard a call from the crow’s nest, I looked up to see pointer gesturing over to the east. “There’s a storm blowing in fast, and it looks like it will be a doozy.”

I looked in the direction he was referencing and noticed a darkness approaching on the horizon. “Eyup.” I called back to him, before finding Sea Dog.

“What should we do?” I asked him, as we stared at the growing clouds on the horizon.

“Just stow the sails, batten down the hatches, and hope for the best.” He said, stoically. “He’s right, it looks like a big ‘un.”

I was already on the move, “Y’all heard ‘im, stow the sails, tighten the rigging, an git below decks.” I shouted at the crew. I then watched as the ponies and dogs stumbled over each other, each one tripping over his shipmates. Finally the ship was as prepared as she could be for the storm, and not a moment too soon, as the storm had begun to whip wind over the decks.

I was forced to watch out of my cabin’s window as the storm raged over the sea. Massive swells rocked the ship, while violent winds buffeted the hull and shook the masts.

The crew and I were hunkered down in our respective quarters, holding on for dear life, as the ship was sent over a huge wave. As the ship began to descend from the crest of the swell, I received a perfect view of the sky.

The sea of black over the waters was churning more than a tub of butter. The rolling clouds were occasionally split by a streak of lightning, followed immediately by a deafening crack of thunder.

As the storm worsened, I began regretting my lack of pegasi in my crew.

Rainbow Dash let a smug smile grow over her face. “Aaawwww yeeeeaaaah!” She cheered, pumping her hooves in the air, using her wings to keep herself upright. “That’s right! Pegasi are awesome!”

As the ship crested the top of another monstrous swell, the wind shifted the orientation of the ship. Now, instead of going into the waves, the ship was parallel to them. As we descended the wave, the ship rolled, almost completely onto its side; and I was thrown against the wall. When the vessel was finally rightened, there was a crack of thunder, frighteningly close, as well as a tingling in the deck that let me know that something was terribly wrong.

I opened my door, careful to resist allowing it to rip off of the hinges. I finally had the door open far enough for me to look outside, and saw something that chilled my spine more than the wind and rain alone could. The main mast had been struck.

Rainbow gasped and choked on a popcorn kernel, which caused her to pull out of her enthrallment with the book for a moment and blush.

Toward the top of the tall pine shaft, there was a flaming split. A crack had descended the entirety of the beam. Rigging lines were burning and falling into the surrounding waters. Worst of all though, was the furious flames quickly crawling down the wooden beam.

Sea Dog’s head appeared at the, now open, entrance to the crew’s quarters. “Cap’n, what be happening?” I ignored him, and dove down into the quarters, determined to find Lumber Mill. I could almost feel Sea Dog realize what was wrong as I flew past him.

I burst through the doors to the male crew’s quarters, and shouted, “Lumber Mill! Here now.”

“The crew is segregated by gender?” Rainbow humphed, seems sexist. She then stuck her hoof back into the bowl, searching for some more popcorn, but it was empty.

“Yes, Cap’n?” He said as he appeared in front of myself.

“Git yer tools, ‘n join me on deck.” I turned and ran back to the decks, following the wet trail that I had left.

I rushed out on deck to find Sea Dog staring at the hopeless cause that was the Main Mast of the ship. The crack had become a split, and the splintering wood was beginning to pry at the deck, and I simply couldn’t allow that to happen to my ship, or my crew.

I braced my shoulder against one side of the splitting beam and pushed. Sea Dog stared at me for a moment, then I shouted, “Help!”

He jumped up, and fighting the undulations of the rocking ship, he made his way over to the mast and pushed with his monstrous paws against the opposite side of the mast.

At that time, Lumber Mill galloped on deck, carrying his tools in his mouth. As he saw what was happening, his jaw dropped and his tools scattered across the deck. He gathered his wits and began digging out a hammer and some pins.

I saw what he was planning, and that it wouldn’t work, so I shook my head. “SAW!” I shouted. “SAW it down!”

He looked at me with earnest confusion, “But, Captain, It’s the main mast, we can’t lose that.”

I didn’t have the time to argue, “Ah’m the captain, and Ah say, SAW IT DOWN!”

He finally complied and dug out his saw, begginning to work on my side of the beam. I began to feel it give way, then suddenly, it got to the right point.

“Sea Dog, loose any ropes still attatched, she’s comin’ down.” He complied, rushing around the deck, and eventually climbing another mast to loose the last few ropes.

Lumber Mill was still confused, “Sir, it isn’t close to comin’ down yet.”

Then he turned to look at me, and found me on my front hooves, bracing myself for the most powerful kick that my good leg could muster. I let out the strength that I had built up just in time for Sea Dog to cut the last line.

The rest of the mast splintered, and came crashing down over the side of the ship. It broke the railing off, and cracked a few boards on the deck, but we got it off, before it split the ship.

Sea Dog lowered himself to the decks, as Lumber picked himself up. Both of them stared at me, the rainwater dripping down into their open mouths.

“Git yer tools up, ‘n git below decks. When tha’ storm blows over, Ah’d like ta look over tha ship fer any other damage.” I said as I took off for my cabin again.

“He kicked over the entire mast? With only one hoof?” Rainbow marvelled, her mouth slightly agape. “I know that he’s broken some of the trees in orchard, but they’re small, a mast is huge, and he only had one good hoof.” She shook her head and looked back to the book.

The storm raged on into the night, but it finally began to let up without causing too much more damage. In the morning, I could see Celestia’s sun crest the horizon at the edge of a few straggling grey clouds.

I walked out on deck, and called the crew up to join me. I watched as they came up out of the hold. Many of them were whispering to each other, and glancing at me with fear and respect.

I sighed as I realized that my two accomplices must have spread their own renditions of what had transpired the night before, and as such the crew was avoiding me like I was some kind of monster.

“‘Aight, everypony will be lookin’ over tha ship.” I informed them, there was no use fighting the respect anyway. “Lumber Mill, yer tha head o’ this operation, git a crew together an’ fix what ya can.” I then turned to Astro, Schatzi, and Sea Dog and gestured that they join me on the aft deck.

They looked at each other hesitantly, and eventually meandered their way onto the deck with me. “We don’t have enough wood ta’ fix all this,” I gestured to the damage that the other ponies, even Grog, had jumped over to start fixing. “So, we gotta’ git ta shore. Astro, git Schatzi a headin’, an’ Sea Dog, look over tha ship, Ah gotta git some sleep.”

I walked off towards my cabin, noticing that my crew was giving me space that was completely unnecessary. I ignored it, feeling too tired to bother with attempting to reason with them.

I got into my cabin, and prepared to sleep, and just before I climbed into my hammock I heard a knock at the door.
“Yeah?” I responded, too tired to get the door myself.

“Uuhh, Captain?” I heard Astro call in. “You got the map and orientation equipment in there.” Sure enough, I turned to find the map, compass, and astrological devices on the cartography table.

I sighed, “Come in.” I sat down on my hammock, while Astro and Schatzi entered the room hesitantly.

Unable to fall asleep with them talking, I was forced to stay awake until they found the heading and left my cabin. I could hear the sails unfurl, and feel the ship gently turn to the side as we finally got under way and my eyes gently closed ushering in a much needed rest.

Rainbow could feel her eyelids getting heavier as she realized that she needed rest as well.

She put the book on her nightstand, finished her juice, and crawled under the covers. The soft cloud that she had selected for her mattress caressed her into a warm comforting sleep.

Big Mac and Braeburn were returning to their hotel room after a busy day running the stand at the rodeo. Braeburn was distracted and apparently thinking about something. Big Mac took the opportunity to think about his dreams; the strangeness of them, the fact that they felt so real, and the fact that they were ongoing.

Nothing seemed normal about them, but Braeburn had apparently decided not to let him think about that for too long.

“Hey, Mac, partner?”

Macintosh grunted in response.

“Ah’m sorry, ‘bout not gettin’ up in time the past few days.” he lowered his head, and his ears tucked back. “Ah promise, tomorrow Ah’ll be on time, ya don’t have ta get me up. Deal?”

Big Mac looked his cousin in the eye and said, “Eeyup.” He was holding him accountable to that.

Exploration

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Again, Big Mac’s cheeks were burning as he awoke from his dream. Even though Braeburn wasn’t upholding his promise, Mac was happy his red coat covered the blush he was sure to have at the moment. He once again had to deal with the discomfort of his secret crush appearing in his dream.

Mac heard his cousin’s alarm clock start ringing and he glanced over in time to watch Braeburn clumsily turn off the alarm. Braeburn then rolled over and settled back into a comfortable sleep, before snoring returned.

Big Macintosh shook his head as he realized that his cousin wasn’t about to get himself up as promised. He wrote down the latest chapter of the story and secured Braeburn’s hat and vest to his yoke.

Mac gently slipped his head under the sleeping form of the plains pony and slid him carefully over his back. Braeburn mumbled something unintelligent as his transportation left the room and took off towards the rodeo.

Braeburn had said that Big Mac didn’t have to get him up, so Mac was holding him to that promise.

Big Mac arrived at the Apple family stand at the rodeo and promptly dumped his payload on the floor.

Braeburn groaned in pain and squirmed. He rolled onto his side and picked his head up, looking around. The look on his face was one of utter confusion and disorientation. Finally, his eyes locked on the red posts that were Big Mac’s legs and things began to sink in.

His eyes followed the crimson trunks up to his cousin’s eyes, Braeburn’s ears were tucked back and he laughed sheepishly as Mac looked at down him.

“I guess I didn’t really get up when I said I would, did I?” Braeburn said, rubbing his neck.

“Nnope.”

Braeburn sighed, unable to figure out why he couldn’t ever get up when he was supposed to.

“Now, ‘elp me git the stand ready ta run.” Big Mac said, never being one to hold a grudge.

Rainbow found herself awake and unable to get back to sleep before her alarm went off. She tossed and turned, but was unable to coax her eyes to close in blissful sleep.

Eventually she decided that it would be easiest to get ready and just read until she had to go to work for the weather team.

She laid back down on her bed after showering and eating breakfast. She grabbed the journal and opened it to the page she had left off on.

I awoke to a gentle rapping on my door. Obviously one of my crew was trying to get my attention.

I rolled out of my hammock and hobbled over to the door, having not yet installed my prosthetic. I opened the door to find Smoky Mirror standing in the entrance.

“Captain!” she said, seeming almost surprised to find me there. “Uh, sorry, I didn’t want to wake you, but we’ve, um, found, uh, land.” She said, with an uncomfortable smile, apparently worried that I would make her trot the plank, or something.

“Thanks,” I nodded to her, “ Ah’ll be out soon.” I shut the door, leaving the immensely relieved mare out on the deck. Quickly I screwed my leg onto its mounting bracket, and tested the strength of the limb. I then went back to my closet, grabbing my hat and cape, but just as I was about to turn around I saw something.

There was a long, narrow, latched box tucked in the corner. I pulled it out, and fumbled with the combination lock for a few moments. It was useless, I had never been good at guessing games, and I didn’t have much time to deal with it. So I set it down and turned away from it.

I then brought my hind hoof down on it with enough force to smash the locking mechanism.

I lifted the top of the box and peered in. Contained within the box was a well-used cutlass and a pistol.

“Oh, of course.” Rainbow mumbled into her pillow, “He just happens to find a sword and a gun. That just happened.” She rolled her eyes, but was enjoying the story too much to find herself able to bash too much on the coincidences.

I lifted the blade, feeling the balance. Being used to the feel of farm equipment, this felt fantastic. It felt natural, and even though I had no idea how to properly use it, I felt as though I could fight an entire army with it if the opportunity presented itself.

My very limited experience with guns had left me with a certain distaste for the fires of war. Possibly because I had no idea how to properly fire the weapon when my father taught me as a little colt, and it ended up kicking back and hitting me in the face.

Rainbow Dash’s sides were aching. The mental image of Big Mac hitting himself in the face while trying to shoot a pistol was just too much for Rainbow. She laughed hard enough to draw tears from her eyes, and cause her sides to split.

I figured that these would be vitally important to my image as the captain, no matter how unprepared I was to use them, so I strapped on the holster and sheath. I grabbed the powder horn out of the box, as well as some ammunition and wadding, tucking them all into my belt.

I felt much more intimidating with all of these things on. I decided that my cape had just become significantly more important, until I better earn my crew’s trust. I threw the black fabric over my back, and checking that it adequately covered my newly acquired weapons.

I swung open the door and stepped on deck, feeling the worried glances from the extremely tired eyes of my crew. I looked over on the horizon and could see the dark mass of land looming up off the bow of the ship. I smiled at the sight, and could feel the crew relax.

Sea Dog came bounding up to my side. His ears were tucked back slightly and his tail was slightly low, like he was looking for my approval. “Cap’n,” He said, I could hear how tired he was. “We got ‘ere as fast as we could, but she ain’t sailin’ fast without tha mainsail.”

“Oh, come on,” Rainbow mumbled to the crew, “Big, Mac isn’t that scary.”

I smiled and nodded, causing his demeanor to perk up significantly. “Eeyup.” I looked around at all of the crew, all of which were trying to look like they hadn’t been watching intently. “Y’all, ‘ave done good.” Sighs and light cheers went out among the ponies and dogs. “Jus’ one more job, then y’all kin’ sleep.” Some murmuring went out. “Git’ her a little closer, n’ drop anchor, Ah’m gonna find us a mast.”

A surge of energy went out among the beings on deck as they rushed to bring us in. Soon the ship had been moored and the sails had been stowed. Almost everyone had gone to their respective bunks to get some well-earned sleep.

Almost. “Cap’n,” Sea Dog said, not willing to let me go by myself. “Ye jus’ don’t know what’ll be out there.”

“Eeyup, but Ah kin’ handle mahself.” I pulled my cape back enough to reveal the intimidating blade attached to my side, causing his eyes to bulge slightly.

After a few more minutes of arguing, I had finally agreed to allow him to come with me to land. Then we lowered the dinghy to the water and began to row to shore. Way before we were ashore, he had curled up and fallen asleep, looking like a sweet little puppy.

Rainbow, having been in direct contact with diamond dogs before, couldn’t imagine one ever looking like a ‘sweet little puppy.’

I hauled the little boat on shore and then scanned the surrounding areas for a tall pine from which to make a mast. Finally I located a grove of the looming evergreens in the distance, and began to walk out in that direction.

I wandered through the woods for a little while, then I noticed something weird. There was a sort of brick walkway on the forest floor. It was ancient and worn, breaking away, and overgrown; but it was there. I decided to follow it, as it seemed to be heading in a similar direction.

I saw some soft hoofprints in the loamy soil surrounding the ancient path, as well as destroyed vegetation nearby. There were also signs of scratching and clawing. All of these were heading in the same direction as myself.

Finally, the reason for the path was evident. As a gigantic temple loomed into view. The structure was ancient and obviously untouched; except for the door.

I approached and saw that somepony had just recently dislodged it from its previous resting place. Hoof prints were more obvious around the entrance, as were the deep ridges formed from the use of claws.

I looked down the dark passage, feeling the cool, stale air rushing out from the depths of the structure.

Then something moved, deep in the torch-lit tunnel. I took a step back as I realized that it was heading my way. Steadily the shape of this thing became increasingly evident. Then it burst out of the tunnel, revealing itself to be a pony mare.

The panicked look in her eyes was painfully obvious as she leapt, extending strange-looking wings to gain altitude. I ducked, and she soared, haphazardly, over my head.

“I bet it’s Daring Doo.” Rainbow Dash said sarcastically, seriously doubting that Big Macintosh had ever even heard of the stories before.

I stood upright again, looking back at her as she skidded to a halt. She stared at me with a mixture of fear and curiosity, before screaming, “NO! Not another one!”

I recoiled slightly at the outburst, then responded as adequately as I could, while she cracked the whip she had pulled off of her wing. “Uhh, another what, exactly?”

The anger on her face melted away into confusion. “D-don’t you know what’s in there?” She said, gesturing towards the open door of the temple.

I looked back, evaluating the opening, and made the best educated guess that I could. “Spiders?”

She chuckled slightly and pulled something out of her pouch, “So, I guess you’re not after this?”

I examined the sparkly trinket, and shook my head. “Ah’m a sailor, lookin’ fer a new mast.” Then I looked back down the passageway again. “What were ya runnin’ from anyway?”

Having been reminded of her pursuit, she threw the object back in her bag and said, “Oh, yeah, we better hurry! He’ll be out soon.” She then took off down the path, and I did my best to keep up with her, my false leg holding me back.

I was held up long enough to hear a truly disturbing laugh echo up from the depths of the tunnel.

I galloped as fast as my three-and-a-half legs would carry me, slowly loosing the mare ahead of me. She wore more clothes than anypony I had ever seen before. She had a pith helmet, and a tan explorer’s shirt. Something seemed eerily familiar about her, her coat was a sandy-tan color, while her mane and tail were a greyscale progression. The most colorful thing about her appearance was her magenta eyes, that I was sure I had seen before.

“Wait, is it Daring?” there was no way that this story could get that good.

Finally, I was fed up with not knowing what we were running from, and just before she left earshot, I called out to her. “Wait! Miss!”

I could see her glance back, then realize that I had called out to her. She dug her hooves into the ground and flared her wings out, bringing herself to a quick stop. She looked around worriedly, as though I were holding her up too much, but she waited anyway for me to limp up.

“What’s holdin’ ya up?” She asked of me, obviously exacerbated by my delay.

I simply replied by lifting my cape up enough to reveal a cracked and beaten old table leg in place of my hind leg. The look on her face made her shock obvious.

“Now, what’re we runnin from?” I asked, with some of my breath back, but before I could respond, I heard the light tapping of padded feet stalking down the old path. I turned around, as the demonic laughing from the temple came through the brush.

“That, is what we’re running from.” My guide said, pointing with a hoof at the large, blue, beast that stepped out of the plants.

It had a long face, with the eyes mounted at the end. His front appendages were tipped with paws that were better suited for grasping, much like the paws of the Diamond Dogs on my ship. Its body was covered in tattoos and jewelry and rows of serrated teeth filled its maw while it smiled menacingly at my accomplice. The most interesting thing, though, was its long tail, tipped with another paw like it had on its front legs.

“I am most impressed, Daring Doo.” He said, his deep voice sweet as honey, with the sting of the bees. “You may have managed to escape my trap, and defeat my cats, but I am one step ahead of you. Now, hand over the scepter, and I will allow you and,” then he turned to me, looking at me with a certain uncertainty. “...Whoever this is, go free.” He finished with a smile befitting of a cobra.

Rainbow Dash gasped, “It IS Daring Doo!” She squirmed with excitement as her two favorite books combined into one clever story.

Before her elation could progress any further, however, a buzzing drew her attention, as her alarm began going off.

“What? No!” She screamed, desperate to know what happened next. “It can’t be time for work, not yet!” Unable to convince herself that she could keep reading, she marked her page, determined to come back to it after she finished with work.

A day of cloud busting had never seemed to last that long for Rainbow Dash, it wasn’t an abnormally cloudy day or anything, time just ticked by so slowly. Finally as her shift ended, and she punched out, she took off for home. Vapor trails curled off of the end of her wings as she flew. Her rainbow contrail streaking across the sky.

She hardly slowed as she reached her cloud house and barreled through the door and up to her bed where she grabbed the book and settled back in to story mode.

“Ahuizotol, you will never get this scepter! You just want to use it for power, it has many other uses, and belongs to the ponies of Equestria for study.” The pony, apparently named Daring Doo, said.

The creature rolled his beady eyes and said, “Of course I want it for power, The Serpent’s Scepter can allow one to rule the world.” He was beaming with the notion of world domination. “So give it over.”

Now it was my turn to talk. “Wait, what?” maybe it wasn’t my most intelligent interjection but I wanted to know what was happening.

Rainbow snickered at Mac’s cluelessness.

Both of the two bickering beings turned to look at me. “Who is this, by the way?” The blue thing asked Daring Doo, while pointing at me with one of the fingers on its tail.

Daring Doo shrugged, “I dunno, I almost tackled him when I came out of the temple. Apparently he was just looking for a mast for his ship.”

“Let me see if Ah got this right,” I said, rubbing my temple. “Yer tryin’ ta take over the world, and yer tryin’ ta stop him?” I said, pointing to the possessor of each goal. They nodded, each one seeming annoyed by my mere presence. “Alright, just checkin’.”

They went back to their stare down, no longer paying me any attention. I took my chance and pulled out my pistol. I sighted in the exposed ribcage of the blue monster.

The sound of the muzzleloading weapon caused all the ambient noises in the forest to cease. Birds stopped singing, frogs stopped croaking, leaves stopped rustling, and the two “explorers” stopped bickering.

Both of them looked at me with an expression of horror, and the monster with one of anger. I blew the smoke from the barrel of the handgun before holstering it. The breathing of the blue thing became labored as the lead ball settled itself into his lungs. It attempted to lash out at me with the claws on its tail, but the blood loss and collapsed lung were too much for it.
The mighty foe had fallen.

I looked from the wheezing form on the ground to the mare whom it had been chasing.

“D-did Mac just kill Ahuizotol?” Rainbow stared stunned at the pages in front of her eyes. “And did he just use ‘whom’ correctly? How would he know how to use ‘whom’?”

“Well, that’s done, let’s go miss.” Truthfully, I could barely believe what I had just done, killing had never been something I wanted to do, but in this case seemed like it may have been necessary.

I began walking off, Daring Doo staring at the limp form of her enemy. I stopped and looked back, “You comin’? Ya look like ya could use a doctor, ‘n Ah got one on tha ship, she could probably fix up yer wing.”

She looked away from the dead treasure hunter and to the scarred and burned appendages at her sides. “Yeah... That might be a good idea.” She still seemed to be out of it.

She followed me for a while in silence, no words passed between us in the blissful silence that apparently annoyed everypony else.

Rainbow’s ears perked up a little bit, “So, he knows that nopony else likes the awkward silence that surrounds him?” She scratched her head, “So why doesn’t he break the silence?”

Finally my traveling companion decided to break the spell of silence. “So... We were never properly introduced.”

“Eeyup.” I agreed.

She was silent for a few more moments, probably hoping that I would begin. Then she took the initiative. “My name’s Daring Doo, explorer extraordinaire, adventurer, and professor at Hoofington University during my down time.” She said with pride at all of her titles.

“Macintosh Apple, ship captain.” I put simply.

“Ooohh, a captain,” She observed, raising an eyebrow. “So... What brings you here again, ‘Captain Macintosh’?” She inquired, favoring my title.

“Ah told ya, a storm broke out, n’ destroyed mah mast.” I turned my head, to look in the direction of the pines that were my original target.

She must have thought that I was disappointed in the turn of events, so she shut her mouth. Once again, we were plunged into semi-silence as we approached the beach where my dinghy and first mate were; and judging by the sounds that I heard, my second-in-command had awoken.

“Captain!” I heard his scratchy voice call, full of worry. “Where are you?”

“Right ‘ere, Dog.” I announced, as my partner and myself emerged from the vegetation. “N’ we got company.”

“Was he calling him Dog, like his name, or like the animal?” Rainbow pondered.

He didn’t seem to pay much attention to my guest, “Oh, good, yer back. I ‘eard gunshots, ‘n they woke me up. I was hopin’ they weren’t at ye.”

“Nnope, from me.” I corrected him.

“Ahh, gettin’ some practice?” He said, with an uneasy smile.

“Nnope,” poor guy was in for a shock, “Killin’ someone.”

Sea Dog’s jaw dropped in shock, his tail curled under himself, and he shied away from me slightly.

“I never thanked you for that, by the way.” Daring Doo remembered, “I really do appreciate it.”

“It was nothin’. I couldn’t just stand there while he tried ta’ take yer trinket, n’ tha world.” Actually, I hoped to never have to take another life, but I was worried that my hope was in vain.

“Wait,” Sea Dog had decided to join the conversation. “A-are y-y-you D-Daring Doo?”

The mare in question adjusted her hat and shirt, pride evident on her face. “Yessir! I was hunting down the Serpent’s Scepter, when Ahuizotol showed up.” She was obviously an excellent story-teller, judging by how much she was getting into it.

“Well, duh.” Rainbow said, rolling her eyes at Big Mac’s stupidity, “She writes stories about her adventures.”

Sea Dog’s tail had resumed its happy dancing, as she began recounting her latest adventure. As entertaining as the story was, there was more pressing business we needed to attend to. “Uh, excuse me, we should get to the ship. Ms. Doo needs medical attention, n’ the ship does too.” I said while ushering the other two into the rowboat.

When they got in the boat, I pressed my shoulder against it and pushed it out into the open water. She told us about her adventures until we got to the ship.

As we were hauled aboard, I noticed that all of the crew, except Grog, had got up and were prepping the ship. I stepped on board and immediately called Stitch up.

The twitchy unicorn was standing as still as she could while I gave her orders. “This mare needs attention to ‘er wings, ya got it?”

“Um, uh, y-yes S-SIR!” She saluted me, before turning to my companion. “R-right this w-way, Miss-... You’re Daring Doo...” She said with shock, drawing a gasp from the entire crew, as they crowded around her, trying to catch a glimpse of the, now bashful, explorer.

Apparently I was the only one who hadn’t heard of her before.

“Wait... Is he serious, or is it just part of the story?” Rainbow mused, “Because, he must have heard of her to know that much about her adventures.” She reasoned with herself.

“Alright, ya lazy bums, git this crate ready ta go, n’ beach her, Ah found some trees fer a mast.” I commanded, and quickly they rushed to do as I had commanded.

Stitch led Daring Doo off to where she had her medical equipment, and I watched over the ship as, again, I led my ship and crew to an unknown destination.

As Rainbow Dash finished the chapter, she looked at her clock and noticed something important.
“Oh, No! I promised Pinkie Pie that I would join her for dinner!” As she rushed out of the door, she left the book open on her bed.

Medication

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The last day of the National Rodeo Championships dawned with Big Mac awakening to his cousin’s alarm clock breaking the peaceful silence of the early morning. He rolled out of his bed, landing harshly on the floor below, and knocking his yoke off of the nightstand.

Braeburn woke up and shut off his alarm clock shortly after his cousin’s fall. Braeburn trotted over to where Mac was picking himself off the floor. “What are ya doin’ down there cousin?” He asked with an unusually chipper voice, to which Big Mac responded with a growl.

“Well, Mac, Ah’m gonna’ head on down to tha stand, see ya soon!” He called back as he left.

Big Mac was confused and annoyed with his cousin’s abnormal punctuality, as he now had very little time to write his dream down. Settling for merely scribbling down a few notes and key points, without much detail, He grabbed a quick shower and left for the competition.

This should be a fairly decent day.

As always happens with Pinkie Pie; dinner had become a party, the party went late, and finally the owners of the restaurant kicked the group out. Rainbow had returned and gotten to sleep late, thankfully she didn’t need to work the following day.

Not so thankfully, it was now the following day.

Rainbow Dash had found that she had apparently fallen asleep the wrong direction in her bed, with her tail and hooves laying on her pillows, and her head tucked under her covers at the far end of her bed.

After she managed to untangle herself from her covers, she looked around her room, still slightly disoriented. Nothing seemed too out of order, everything was exactly where she left it, but something felt wrong.

Then she saw that she had knocked Big Mac’s book off of the bed. She scrambled over to find the volume, pages down, lying on the floor.

She scooped it up, examining it for any damage. After she had decided that there was no discernible devastation, she took wing for the lake, where she had been planning to spend the day hanging out with her friends.

She buzzed by the beach on the lake’s edge, and dropped her things; a beach chair, a blanket, and an umbrella. They all landed, expertly organized with the practiced precision befitting of a military bomber.

Rainbow was the first one there that day, and was planning to torture her friends about it some. She laid down on her beach chair, placed her trademark shades on her face, and pulled out two books. One book was a Daring Doo novel that she had read already and the other was Big Mac’s Dream Journal; she hid the unfinished volume behind the pages of the officially published book, and began to read.

The ship creaked along, slowly making its way toward the shore, the remaining masts straining to accomplish their jobs without the primary sail. Ever so slowly, the ship approached the beach.

Stitch approached me at my position on the poop deck and said, “C-c-captain, M-m-miss Doo needs, um, some herb that w-we d-d-don’t have.” I could tell that she was worried about my response, and scared that it would be negative.

I thought for a few moments, and looked contemplatively at the oncoming shore. Then I had an idea. “Stitch? Do ya think tha herbs could be on shore?”

She looked at the forest ahead of us and seemed to mull over the possibility. Then she responded with a, “Uh, Y-yes Sir!”

“Then git a group together, n’ find some when we make land.” She saluted and hurried off the deck, beginning to shout at the ponies and dogs near her, gathering her own mini-search party.

Finally we reached a shallow enough depth for the ship to become beached. “Aright, follow me.” I commanded of my crew as I grabbed a loose mooring line and leapt over the railing of the main deck.

Lowering myself safely down to the water, I walked as far forward as I could, before the mooring line became taut. I looked behind myself to see most of my crew in the water, and some still working their way down the ropes. “Everyone,” I shouted to them, my powerful voice drawing their attention. “Once ya git down ‘ere, pull ‘er further on shore.”

“Ooh, somepony’s tooting their own horn.” Rainbow Dash said with a roll of her eyes. “Well, he’s not a unicorn, but I meant like a trumpet, er- wait… who am I explaining this to?”

Slightly more self-conscious of her outbursts, she went back to reading.

Ponies and Diamond Dogs all around grabbed ahold of a rope and began tugging on the barely floating ship. Finally we were far enough on shore that it would not drift back out when the tide came in, and I dropped my line.

“Lumber Mill, git a crew ta go git a new mast, there’s a large group of pines up that way,” I said as I pointed towards the cluster of evergreens that I had been traveling towards originally, before Daring Doo and the blue monster distracted me. “Saw one down, and tow it back ‘ere.” Thankfully we were far enough down the shore that they shouldn’t find the carcass of Daring’s enemy.

Rainbow Dash whispered to herself, “That’s just gross.”

He turned preparing to gather a group, before he looked at me, “Captain, why aren’t you coming with us? We could really use you.”

I merely lifted up my false leg, showing the, now splintering, table peice. “Ah ain’t fit ta walk, an if it ain’t too much of a problem, Ah’d like ya ta make me a new leg.”

“Aye-aye, Cap’n!” he said with a salute as he began gathering stallions and dogs to collect the pillar.

I looked around, seeing Daring Doo approaching me as Stitch shouted orders to the ponies around her. “Get me aloe! And you! Get me some lavender, NOW!” She shouted at a couple of nearby mares that hadn’t gone to get a new mast. “And somepony find me some mint!” She shouted to the sky, while her eye twitched violently.

“She scares me.” Daring Doo said to me with a face of uncertainty, while the other ponies and dogs in the area scampered off in every direction, attempting to find the plants that the psycho doctor requested.

“Eeyup.” I responded with a nod.

“Haha!” Rainbow laughed, kicking her legs in the air. “Told ya you shouldn’t have hired a quack.” She then looked around to be sure that none of her friends had arrived yet.

Satisfied that nopony had heard her, she prepared to read again.

“Hi Dashie!” came a familiar high-pitched voice, from the pink wall that had appeared in her field of vision.

“Augh! Pinkie!” Dash said, flailing, trying desperately to escape from the bubble-gum scented, mess of pink hair.

Finally, Rainbow Dash had managed to right herself, and sneak her books under her chair, and she was fairly sure that she had managed to keep Pinkie Pie from seeing that there were really two books.

“Pinkie, you know that I hate it when you do that!” Rainbow Dash said with a laugh as she brushed the sand out of her mane, and her other friends approached. “Hey, guys, what took ya so long?”

“Rainbow, we were supposed to meet here at noon.” Twilight Sparkle said, matter-of-fact-ly.

“It was noon, like fifteen minutes ago.” Rainbow Dash said, cocking her head to the side, confused.

Rarity chimed in, “Rainbow, darling, I do hate to correct a friend, but it is definitely noon at the moment.” She said, using a fan of some sort to gesture at the clock tower in Ponyville, that could still be seen easily from the lakeside.

“Hmm… I guess my clock must be fast…” Rainbow reasoned with herself.

Pinkie then shouted, “Last one in is a rotten egg!” causing all of them to take off in a flurry of hooves and sand. Except Rarity and Fluttershy who decided to take in the sun on the shore.

Taking off and overtaking her friends, Rainbow quickly adjusted her trajectory so that she would land in the lake, and just before she entered, she saw Pinkie Pie’s head pop out of the lake.

As she resurfaced, Rainbow, had to ask, “Pinkie, how did you beat me?”

“I just hopped in, silly!” that, sadly, made as much sense as anything relating to Pinkie Pie.

For the next few hours, the six friends splashed in the lake and soaked in the sun, until they had to return to their respective duties; Applejack to her farm, Rarity to her dress shop, Pinkie to the bakery, Twilight to her library, and Fluttershy to her animal friends.

“Bye, girls!” Rainbow called after them, watching carefully as they disappeared over the knoll. As soon as she was sure as they were out of sight and wouldn’t know what she was doing, she dove for Big Mac’s book.

“Now where was I?” She asked herself. Scanning the page, she mumbled to herself, “Carcass, no… fit to walk, no… Ah, scared of Stitch, here we are.”

“Hey, Stitch,” I called to the jittery surgeon, “Ah don’t remember mint bein’ an herb fer burns.” I said, as a question.

“Oh, uh, it’s not. I mostly j-just like t-to chew on it.” She said, a blush forming on her face, while she pulled a few dried leaves of the plant in question out of a pouch around her neck and began to chew on them. “It also c-c-calms me d-down, I discovered that after my ‘accident’.”

Daring Doo and myself made eye contact, before beginning to laugh. “You just like to chew on it? You scared that Smoky Mirror mare half to death.” Daring said, having recovered from our laughing fit to speak again. “She thought you were gonna kill her.”

Stitch seemed offended, “I would never kill somepony, on purpose!” the last part seemed like and afterthought. She began drawing in the sand with a hoof, “I might sew her lips shut or something; if she deserved it.” She mumbled.

Daring donned a slightly deranged smile, “I think we could get along well.”

Before something regrettable happened, I decided to step in. “Alright, yer only gonna do somethin’ like that If Ah say ya can.” I scolded her, “Remeber Ah’m the Cap’n.” She seemed slightly scared of me so I backed off, then I noticed a certain tan and green bundle sleeping at the edge of the forest. “Grog, however, doesn’t seem ta pay me much attention; Ah’d be fine if somethin’ unpleasant was snuck in his rum.” She perked up immediately.

“What!? He just gave her the ‘go-ahead’ to poison him?” Rainbow was horrified, “B-b-but, Grog was his first crew member!… Even if he is lazy and sexist…”

“Captain!” Daring stepped in, misunderstanding my intentions. “Don’t poison him!”

“What?! I already told you, I wouldn’t purposefully kill somepony… just make them regret some things.” I could tell that Stitch was torn by her conscious and own desires.

“Well, Ah say we don’t worry ‘bout that fer now.” I decided, “Ya know, we’re all gonna be here fer a while, why don’t ya tell us about yerself, Stitch? Since ya seem ta know all about Miss Doo ‘ere.” The explorer pulled her hat lower over her eyes and blushed a bit, while Stitch began her story. “Plus, Ah want ta hear ‘bout this ‘accident’.”

“W-well, I d-don’t think it’s that great, but if you really want me to…” She trailed off, trying to get out of telling her life’s story. However, seeing as how she was my ship’s surgeon I would like to know what to expect from her, so Daring Doo and I gestured for her to continue.

“Fine,” She said, defeated, “But, it will probably seem pretty rough.”

“My real name is, Caduceus.” She said, pointing to the image of a staff wrapped in rattlesnakes on her flank. “When I was growing up in Phillydelphie, I was always made fun of, the other fillies always picked on me, they called me a freak, they called me a tomcolt.” She said, rubbing her foreleg with another hoof, “I was never really a girly-girl: I was always fascinated by animals, and even performing surgery on them. I once gave a lizard an extra set of limbs, and they worked… for the most part.” She admitted, with a slight chuckle.

“But one day, we were on the playground at school, and another filly fell off of the slide and broke her leg.” She explained with a completely emotionless expression. “It was a compound fracture, with the bone sticking out and bleeding everywhere. She had always made fun of me, but I really couldn’t stand to see that happen to anypony.”

She got up and pulled a pin of some sort out of her mane, loosening her tight bun and allowing her hair to drop. “I could stand to see her suffer, just not bleed to death. So I broke part of her bone off,” She levitated the long skinny bone fragment over to us. “I then used my magic to set her broken bone, and used this bone shard and some strands from her tail to stitch her leg up. I earned my cutie mark, and my nickname, that day. I was hailed as a hero, then everypony avoided me like a rabid dog.” She sighed, “But I guess it was for the best, I put all of my energy into learning Anatomy and Physiology in preparation for college.”

She tucked her bone-pin back into her mane, and continued. “When I was hired for Phillydelphia Hospital, I developed dozens of procedures for treating diseases, and surgeries. I even wrote a book on them!” She said with a proud smile. “Much of the scientific and medical community shunned me because of the risks that I took, they called me ‘unethical’ for not testing procedures, that were very risky; but they couldn’t argue with the results. I was one of the most successful surgeons in the country.”

She then explained some of her procedures quickly, “I was very fond of using the patient’s own body as the operating tools, as you can see by my first stitching needle.” She said, referencing the pin in her hair. “I used natural anesthetics and herbal remedies that I picked up from a zebra, and a lot of nerve work, that would help with the pain, without pumping them full of drugs that they shouldn’t have in their system.”

“Ha! She is a quack!” Rainbow announced. “I guess it wasn’t really debatable, but still, I called it.”

Then she visibly and audibly deflated, “My life took a turn for the worse, when I received a unique call: there was a unicorn who had broken his horn.” She shuddered with fear for the first time that I could remember. “Do you two know the difficulties that come with reattaching a horn?” We shook our heads. “Well, it didn’t go well. As it turns out, the horn split down to the skull, and the magical well, that a unicorn digs into for magic, was unstable, and it blew up in my face during the surgery.”

I saw tears well up in her eyes as she recalled the events that occurred that day. “When it blew, it-… it k-k-killed him,… and r-r-ruined my steady hoof. I have been shaky, and a stutterer ever since. I found out that mint calmed my nerves and steadied my hoof. I also haven’t been able to live with myself since I killed him; I wasn’t actually fired, I quit.” She said, hanging her head. “I came to port trying to get a new start.”

“Ok, still a quack,” Rainbow reasoned, “But I do feel kinda bad for her.”

Daring was sitting with her mouth agape, the whole of the story being a bit much to take in at one time. I decided to reassure her, “Ya know, a lot of the crew did the same thing, includin’ mahself.” Daring Doo turned towards me. “Ah used ta be a farmer, but Ah lost mah leg an’ Ah needed a new job; so, Ah bought a ship, hired a crew, an’ ‘ere we are.” As I was finishing up my very abbreviated life story, a few ponies came back with a good bit of Aloe.

Steadily, the other members of the crew, that had been sent in search of herbs, returned with immense amounts of the requested plants and some assorted other herbs.

I stayed with Daring Doo as Stitch made an herbal paste, and applied it to the burns on her wings, immediately drawing a contented sigh from the explorer as the cooling effects of the concoction took over.

“So,” she said to me, “You were a farmer, eh?”

“Eeyup.”

“What did you farm?”

“Apples: I was the head of Sweet Apple Acres, we shipped apples and our other products all over the country.”

She became very excited, “Ooohh! I love your cider!” Her eyes closed in blissful remembrance of the beverage. “There was just the right amount of spices. Oh, and warmed up, it always helped me relax after a long temple raid, or a stressful day at the school.” She continued to rant about my cider, until the mast crew arrived with the monumental pine.

“Well, as much as Ah love hearin’ ya rant about my produce;” She blushed a bit, “Ah gotta ‘elp them with tha mast.” Then as an afterthought, I asked her, “Would ya mind keepin mah past on tha down-low, Ah jus don’t want tha whole crew knowin’.” She winked at me, showing her understanding, and sending a familiar wave of butterflies through my stomach.

I recovered as best as I could, and I set off towards the returning stallions and dogs.

“Wait.” Rainbow asked with a raised eyebrow, "Does he like Daring? I mean, who wouldn't, but does he?" then she looked back at the book and demanded, “That’s it? That’s how the chapter ends? Stupid...” She mumbled while packing her things from the beach day, and headed towards her home.

“Go get ‘im!” Braeburn shouted after his cousin as Mac walked off toward the rodeo arena. Mac simply tipped the hat that he had donned before the bullfighting competition began, and stepped out into the ring. Then the smaller apple then yelled out, “Win this year.”

The match was a longer one, but wildly entertaining to the crowd. Big Macintosh had become a staple of the bullfights at the National Rodeo every year, and this year was no exception.

After putting on a bit of a show for the ponies, he ended the round, and left into the hallway, meeting up with Braeburn again. “Hoooo Weeee! Mac, ya never disappoint, that was better than last year!”

“Eeyup, felt better.” The sweaty workhorse admitted.

“Ya might even wi-…” Braeburn cut himself off as he stared over Mac’s impressive shoulder, his jaw hanging from its hinges.

“What’s wrong, cuz’?” Big Mac asked, as Braeburn fell, face-first, to the floor.

“Ah, Sir Macintosh, We were informed that thou would be here!” Big Mac turned around to find that all of the ponies in the area had bowed to the imposing stature of Princess Luna.

Unsure of how to react, he did the most logical thing he could think of and bowed to her as well. “Uh, P-P-Princess-”

“Oh, stand up.” She cut him off. “There is something we must discuss, follow me.” The midnight blue princess turned and began to walk away. Big Mac looked back at his cousin, making uncomfortable eye contact, before Braeburn shoed him on to catch up with Princess Luna.

Macintosh Apple was escorted through the grounds, until they came upon a clearing, blocked off to the public by Luna’s armed night-guard.

“Now, Sir Macintosh, We must ask you a few questions.” Big Mac glanced around, in search of the other part of ‘We’, “Firstly, it has come to our attention that you have been having interesting dreams, it that not true?” There was no one else around them that she could be talking about with ‘we’ and ‘our’.

“Uh, yes, Ma’am Ah have been havin’ dreams m’lady.” Big Mac, unaware of proper etiquette for meeting with royalty, did his best to be respectful.

“Interesting, now tell us, have you been keeping record of them?” She asked, with a slightly unnerving smile, and a strange confidence in what she was asking.

“Um, yes, Ma’am, Ah have; an’ if it ain’t too much ta ask, how do ya know about this?” Big Mac was becoming more and more uncomfortable as the conversation went on.

“Nevermind that, but Cadence will be very pleased.” She noted to herself, confusing Mac even further. “Guards!” She called out, causing two of the intimidating beings to almost materialize at Big Mac’s sides. “Escort Sir Macintosh to his hotel, if you would.” She then disappeared in a flash of moonlight leaving Mac and his escorts to trot back to his hotel.

Upon arriving, he shared what had happened with Braeburn, who promptly mocked him for keeping a dream journal.

Attraction

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The next day Big Macintosh and Braeburn took all of their leftover produce from the Apple family stand, and loaded it on the train. This had been a very successful year, Having come with four carts full of apple-based goods, and returning with only half of one.

“See ya round, cousin!” Braeburn called from the platform as Big Mac boarded the train for Ponyville. “Sorry ‘bout second place.”

“Don’t worry about it.” The big, red stallion called back.

As the train pulled away from Canterlot, he thought that he could see the dark form of Princess Luna, and the elegant pink figure of Princess Cadence discussing something on a balcony of the Royal Palace. It also seemed to him that he saw two flashes of light come from one of the princesses, and they seemed to be towards him and Ponyville.
He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the imposing confusion, and fell asleep.

Rainbow spent the early morning cloud busting, and was readying a cloud over Sweet Apple Acres for a nap and a read. Once it had reached the perfect softness, she settled down on the airborne bed and opened the book.

“Hey, Rainbow.” Came the drawl of her friend Applejack, just as she was getting comfortable. “Is that you?”

Poking her head over the side of the cloud Rainbow Dash called down to her farmer friend, “What’s up?”

“Ah don’t think Ah ever thanked ya properly fer helpin’ clean up Mac’s room.” Applejack shouted up to her.

Rainbow blushed slightly, and made sure that the book was out of Applejack’s line of sight. “Oh, it’s no problem; anything for a friend.”

“Ah understand, but Ah’d still like ta thank ya.” Applejack cleared her throat some and continued. “Listen, Big Mac is comin’ home today, an’ he’s got some leftovers from the stand. So, Ah would ‘preciate it if ya come over fer dinner tonight.”

Rainbow began to connect some things in her mind, certain things would need to be done soon.

“He’s got a keg of cider.” Applejack sang, knowing Rainbow’s affection for the drink.

“You said that he’s coming home, today?” Rainbow asked, trying to make sure she heard right.

“Eeyup.” Applejack said, mimicking her brother’s trademark expression.

“Alright, sounds good.” Rainbow called back, “See ya then.”

Rainbow began making plans to sneak the book back into Big Mac’s room before he could notice that it was missing.

Her plans quickly became less important to her as she realized that she needed to read as much as she could before he got back, and she needed to give up her spoils.

As I approached the returning group, I got a good look at the tree they had retrieved. The monstrous pine stretched much higher than the original mast, and had already been stripped of most of its branches to allow for easier transport. The ponies and dogs all dropped their ropes and began to remove them from the pillar as I arrived.

“Will this do, Captain?” Lumber Mill asked me. “This was the tallest, straightest tree in the grove.”

“If you think it will work, Ah won’t doubt ya.” He nodded, seemingly relieved about my response.

Finally most of the ropes were removed and several ponies had begun removing the leftover branches. There was just one thing that I couldn’t quite work out; and apparently, neither could Sea Dog. “Cap’n, how are we gonna git the new mast on tha ship?” He cocked his head to the side, his big, floppy ears flapping around his head. “It jus’ don’t seem possible.”

“Ah’m workin’ on it.” I told him. “Don’t worry, Ah’ll think of somethin’.” Finally, we had removed all loose branches from the side, as well as the bark, and it was now ready to be pitched. I still had no clue how to lift the monstrosity enough to get it installed.

I began desperately scanning the crew, and the surrounding area, trying to get an idea. Suddenly, as I saw Smoky Mirror break a coconut open using her magic, I realized what I needed to do.

“Every unicorn get over here now!” I commanded, and they did as they were told. “Ah need y’all ta help me git this in.” I told them, motioning toward the mast.

I directed them around the mast and they began to magically levitate the limbless pine towards the primary structure of the vessel.

“Hey. Miss. Doo,” I called to the explorer, “Can ya fly yet?” She began to adjust her wings slightly when she was interrupted.

“DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!” Stitch screamed, dropping her concentration on the mast. Her outburst causing many of the other unicorns to do the same. The several ponies left holding the mast were being slowly pushed into the sand as the weight of the tree pressed down on them.

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash agreed, “She shouldn’t be flying with scorched wings anyway, even if the crazy doctor said she thought it was okay.”

I looked at Daring Doo and she shook her head, “I don’t want to risk dealing with her.” I completely understood and agreed with her hesitation to upset the slightly psychotic surgeon.

“Avast, Cap’n!” I heard the call from Pointer, “I be on it.” The energetic dog immediately leapt into the rafters of the ship and climbed to the top of one of the other masts.

Pointer proved essential in the positioning of the new mainsail. His keen eye and position over the deck allowed him to adequately guide the new timber into position. Lumber Mill then set to work securing it to the deck, while those with opposable digits set to work climbing through masts, ropes, riggings, and tying the upper section of the mainmast into a secure position.
While the crew set about to do jobs that I was unable to do, either due to lack of experience or physical restrictions, I went to discuss something with a specific unicorn.

“Howdy, Smoky Mirror,” I said, approaching her, “Ah got some questions fer ya.”

“A-alright, Captain. What did you want to know?” She asked, nervous of my inquiries.

“Seriously?” Rainbow asked herself, “Who is he trying to impress with a word like, ‘inquiries’?”

“You said that you were an illusionist ‘fore, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“How good were ya at makin’ things invisible?”

“Well, I could do small things, then pony-sized things I would just kind of hide, and big things I would often cover up, until I could move it and startle the audience.” She explained to me.

“Do ya think that you could teach some of those to other unicorns in tha crew?”

“Probably,” she didn’t seem to sure, “It might take awhile though.”

“Ah want ya ta try, if we can hide tha ship, then we can probably make up fer a lack of cannons.”

As I walked away, I began going through all the ways that I could use the unicorns in my crew to my advantage as a captain. I envisioned hails of burning, oil-doused, rags pouring down from the sky onto an enemy ship, as my ship sailed away from its attackers invisible, and unharmed. I could see my ship becoming nothing less than legendary as we would silently, invisibly, sneak in to an area, do what we came to do, and then teleport somewhere across the map as the unicorns in the crew worked as one.

I still regretted our lack of pegasi, or even griffons, as they could further our success as a ship and crew with control over the weather.

Rainbow Dash silently pumped her hoof in the air.

While I was thinking about pegasi, the only one on the journey at the moment approached me.

“Hey, Captain.”

“Howdy, Miss. Doo.”

“So, where are you and your crew headed next?”

I figured it was best to keep my destination and goal a secret for a little while. “We’re headin’ South, Ah got a tip ‘bout somethin’ Ah want ta see.”

“Ooohhh!” she was excited, “What kind of tip? What is it? Treasure? Are you actually a Pirate Captain? Or are you an explorer like me? Is it some sort of ancient and extremely powerful artifact?” The glimmer in her eyes was adorable, as was the excited face she was making.

“Ah ain’t about ta tell ya.”

Her face became a sickeningly adorable pout.

“That ain’t about ta work either.”

“Fine, but you know I’m stubborn, right?”

“Ah figured as much.”

As we sat on the beach, watching the sun go down as the crew finished installing the sail, I found myself staring at her. She was very attractive, and the confidence that radiated from her very presence was awe-inspiring. There was also something familiar about her.

“Can I help you captain?” She brought me out of the trance she had caused, with the slightly uncomfortable and flattered smile that comes with finding someone staring at you.

“Haha, I totally know what he’s talking about!” Rainbow exclaimed to the air.

“Uh, sorry, but have Ah ever told ya that ya remind me of somepony?”

“No… Is that a good thing?” She asked with a sweet, knowing, and slightly alluring, smile.

“You could say that.” I said with a sly smile.

“Ooohh, Captain!” she said, raising an eyebrow. “Somepony I might know of?”

I chuckled slightly, “Ah doubt it. She lives back in tha town Ah come from.” I said, looking wistfully into the distance.

Rainbow gasped, “He does like somepony from around here!” she scanned the area surrounding her cloud, as though the mare would be nearby. “And, Daring Doo reminds him of her.” She rubbed her hooves together, already scheming a way to find out who it was.

“Aw,” she said, attempting to console me. “It’s ok, I’m sure you’ll see her again.”

“Nah,” I admitted, “Ah was never good enough fer her.”

“Well, why do I remind you of her?” Daring Doo inquired, hoping to pry her way deeper into my psyche.

I decided to humor her.

“Well,” I started, “Fer one, yer stubborn. Another thing is yer confidence, yer jus’ so sure of yerself. Ya got tha same confident, friendly, an’ faithful smile. Ah like yer slightly messy mane which is exactly the same as her’s, same with yer tail. Also, ya got tha same beautiful, maroon, eyes as she’s got” Daring Doo’s blush deepened with every little compliment that I gave her.

Raibow Dash subconsciously found herself picturing her in the explorer’s stead. Instead of the incredibly handsome, masculine, chivalrous, heroic, and strong Captain Macintosh complimenting Daring Doo; he was complimenting Rainbow Dash.

“Augh!” she screamed when she realized what she was doing. “No, Rainbow, none of that. He isn’t some sort of super-tough, awesome, adventurer-guy; he’s Applejack’s older brother, just a boring, slow, quiet, farmer.”

Satisfied that she had managed to convince herself that she shouldn’t think of Big Mac like that, she decided to see how the chapter ended.

“Shut up, Captain, you’re making me blush.” She said, hitting me playfully on the shoulder.

I shrugged and admitted, “Eh, it’s true.”

She shivered slightly at the nightly sea breeze that blew past us, and covertly scooted closer to me, and out of the wind. “Well, it’s getting late, and cold, what do you say we go inside and get warmed up, Captain?”

“Eeyup.” We trotted over to the beached vessel, and climbed on board, where Cookie had prepared a large dinner for the crew, and warmed ourselves in the same blanket by the fire.

Rainbow would normally have skimmed over the mushy, romantic parts of the story, but this seemed different for some reason. She felt closer to the story and more like she needed to read this.

Besides, she needed any information that she could get, if she was going to be able to get ahold of Mac’s deep, dark secrets.

Rainbow gathered her things from the cloud and took off for home. She snacked some, determined not to look like a hog in front of the Apples. She also took a shower, deciding that being sweaty from her flight home would be disgusting. After her shower she opened the mirror above her sink and reached for some makeup before realizing something important.

“Wait...” She told herself, “I almost never wear makeup… Why was I going to today? Why do I care how I look in front of Applejack and her bro-… Oh no.” Her eyes grew and she began to panic. “I can’t have a crush on Big Mac, like I said earlier, he’s just AJ’s brother. He’s just a simple, boring, quiet farmer, who isn’t even remotely worth thinking about like that, he’s just a guy, and not even able to fly.”

She put the makeup back in the cabinet, grabbed the journal, and took off for town, there were a few things she needed to do before going to AJ’s place.

“Come on man,” Caramel said to Big Mac as they walked back from the train station each with a cart strapped to them. “Just bronco up, and ask her already, the worst she can do is say no.”

Big Mac decided to ignore the fact that he could think of plenty of worse things that she could do, and respond to his friend’s question. “Nnope, Ah ain’t good enough fer her, she deserves way better than a simple, old farmer; b’sides, she got a huge future ‘head of her, why would she want ta stay in Ponyville?” He asked, hoping that his reasoning would rub off on his best friend.

It didn’t.

“Look, there she goes!” Carmel said, gesturing in the direction of the mare of the conversation. “I’ll take the carts, YOU go and talk to her.”

“There’s no way on Earth ya could haul both of these carts.”

“Shut up! I’m pulling this one just fine.” He defended himself.

“Ya could barely get it goin’.”

“The wheel seized up!”

“Ha ha!” The two stallions continued chatting until they reached the farmhouse at Sweet Apple Acres.

Caramel unhooked himself from the cart and took off for home as Big Mac began hauling the contents inside.

“Ah, Mac!” Applejack screamed as he walked in the door. She galloped over and wrapped her big brother in her hooves. “It’s good ta have ya home.” She said with the love of a sister. “Ooohh, by tha way,” She said, taking a step back, “Ah invited Rainbow Dash over fer dinner, ah hope ya don’t mind.”

“Uh, n-nnope… No problem.” He said with a slight shock as he put the keg of cider down.

Rainbow Dash had finished all that she needed to accomplish in town, and it was now time to go to Sweet Apple Acres for dinner with her best friend and accompanying family.

She knocked on the door of the old farmhouse, which opened almost immediately.

“Hi, Rainbow Dash!” came the sickeningly cute voice of Applejack’s baby sister Apple Bloom, from directly below her line of sight. “Sis! Rainbow Dash is here!”

“Hey Apple Bloom, what’s up?” Rainbow asked while being led through the house.

“The Crusaders an’ me tried ta git our cutie marks fer monster fightin’,” then the little filly scratched the back of her head, “But Spike wasn’t too happy ‘bout it.”

The mental image that dawned from the three troublemaking fillies attacking the baby dragon brought a small smile to Rainbow Dash’s face.

Dinner passed rather uneventfully. Rainbow Dash was struggling not to stare at Big Mac, and trying not to make it too obvious. She kept thinking that she saw him looking at her, but she was trying not to stare and she was pretty sure that her mind was just playing tricks on her.

“So, Mac, how was the Rodeo?” Apple Bloom asked around a mouthful of apple fritters.

“It was ok, Ah s’pose.” He answered his youngest sister.

“How’d ya do at the Bull Fights?”

‘Remember Rainbow, He isn’t the awesome, tough, strong, captain.’ She mentally reminded herself. ‘He’s just AJ’s bro-’ “Wait. Bull fights?”

“Yep,” AJ said proudly, “He’s been third in the nation fer tha past four years!” She said, puffing her chest out. “So how’d ya do?”

Big Mac’s ears tucked back against his head and his face turned redder. “Well, Ah got second this year… It ain’t that great.”

“Ain’t that great?” Applejack asked, shocked. “Yer second in tha country, and ya don’t even practice. How can ya say that it ain’t that great?”

He shrugged, and Rainbow asked, “So did you happen to see a guy named hoops there?”

“Tan pegasus stallion, mane covering his eyes?”

“Yeah.”

“Ah wanted ta break his jaw.”

“Mac!” Applejack shouted.

“Haha! You should’ve.” Rainbow said, rocking back in her chair.

“Rainbow!” Applejack chimed in again.

“He lost, an’ kept whinin’ ‘bout it bein’ an Earth pony game.” Mac said, shaking his head. “But, why do ya want me ta break his jaw?”

Rainbow Dash’s face got really hot, “He’s my ex…”

Mac raised an eyebrow, and Applejack spewed her cider all over the table.

“Yeah, I know.” Rainbow sighed, “I dumped him because he is a total jerk, and totally stuck on himself.”

Rainbow Dash decided it was time to break away from the conversation and implement her plan.

“Hey, uh, I gotta go to the bathroom. I’ll be right back.” She said, excusing herself from the table.

As Rainbow Dash left the room, Big Mac discreetly watched the pegasus trot away.

Rainbow stopped outside the bathroom, closed the door, and put some padded slippers on her hooves and flew carefully up the stairs, landing lightly on her padded hooves in front of Big Mac’s room.

She pushed the door open, carefully avoiding letting the hinges squeak. She snuck in, letting the pads on her hooves silence her steps. Carefully she slid the book under Mac’s mattress.

She snuck back downstairs, and slipped the boots off of her hooves.

Satisfied that she had avoided letting Big Mac know that she was aware of his secret, she went back to finish dinner and avoiding her crush on Mac.

Stealth

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Rainbow Dash returned to her cloud home after an entertaining dinner with Applejack and Big Mac. She honestly had rarely heard Big Mac talk, and it was refreshing; even though everything that he said was farming related, and she couldn’t coax much more out of him about the rodeo.

She sighed and hung her head, finally accepting the possibility of having a crush on Big Macintosh.

She got ready for bed and climbed into the soft embrace of her cloud mattress, before reaching for her literature. When her grasping returned nothing she remembered that she had tucked it back under the mattress in Big Mac’s room.

Reluctantly she began searching for other things to occupy her time with. She felt as though she had taken too much time away from Daring Doo to adequately chime back into the story; plus, Daring Doo was on Captain Macintosh’s ship at the moment. She could attempt to continue on her unfinished novel, but it seemed unoriginal and vain in comparison to the story that she had been reading until this point.

“Ugh, I’m going to fly off some energy,” she told her tortoise, Tank, who acknowledged her with a slow blink before she took off out of her window.

Big Mac had a contented smile on his face as he walked back up to his room, glad to be home.

Dinner wasn’t too bad either.

He walked into his room, tossed his suitcase into the corner, and took in the familiar, soothing, summery scent of a fresh rain...

There was definitely something wrong with that.

“Applejack.” He called quietly across the hall to his sister.

“Yeah, Mac?”

“Why does mah room smell like a summer storm?” He asked as smoothly as he could manage.

“Oh, hehe.” She gave a nervous chuckle, not easing his mind at all. “There was a doozy of a storm, an’ it broke yer window, it soaked everythin, so Ah cleaned it up with some help from Rainbow.”

“Hmmm, alright. Thanks.” He said, hurrying back to his room.

Immediately, he dug underneath his mattress for his treasure, finally discovering it. He pulled the book out from its hiding spot, immediately scanning it for any issues with it, for any sign of being handled.

He wasn’t able to spot anything, so he dug out the additional chapters from the past week and began transferring them into their proper home, adding notes and editing mistakes wherever he saw that it needed them.

He continued into the night, writing by lamplight until all the chapters had been transferred.

The next morning, Rainbow Dash was soaring over Sweet Apple Acres, scanning for the telltale signs that her mark would be unguarded.

Sure enough, she found a large red splotch pulling a cart through the West Field. She focused on the splotch, her keen eyes picking out the definition of his muscles as he pulled against the load. Her wings ceased their fight for distance and speed and just soared as she enjoyed the sight.

“Augh!” she growled to her traitorous wings and eyes as they forgot the goal. “Come on, gotta get to his room without him noticing me.” She then banked hard, swooping down by the farmhouse without being spotted.

She floated over to the second-story window that looked out from Big Mac’s room. She tested the glass, and noticed that it was unlocked. She pushed open the window, quietly slipping into the room and onto the bed.

She reached a hoof underneath of the mattress and pulled out her prize. She leapt out of the window, and pulled it shut behind her. She looked at her spoils and snickered quietly to herself.

Before I even had a chance to offer any sort of special lodging for Daring Doo, the crew was already trying to place her in the bunks or hammocks near their own. She graciously accepted without any complaints.

This morning; however, we were preparing to shove off.

There were several ponies collecting assorted food items, herbs, and spices from the shore, while others tightened the riggings and pitched any leaks on the ship.

I had just finished hauling in the anchor, when Daring Doo came over to me.

“Hey, Captain Mac.” She said with a smug little smile, one that brought my lips into one as well. “Where you planning on setting sail to?”

“Ah already told ya, Ah ain’t tellin’ ya.” I said, firmly.

“Alright, but you said ‘South’ right?”

“Ya need a lift?”

“Yeah...” She said, blushing a little. “I would’ve just flown, but I should’ve expected to hurt my wings.”

“Heheh, sure ya can come with us. Where ya headed?”

“I was supposed to meet with a colleague of mine in Baltimare, that says he has a huge tip for me regarding an ancient civilization.” She shrugged, “You know, the usual business meeting stuff.”

I chuckled at her definition of “usual” and answered. “Alright, Ah’ll go tell Schatzi ta set a course fer Baltimare.” I agreed as I turned to go find the helmsdog.

About an hour later, we had located the direction that we needed to head out in, and were now working with the rising tide. As the water would raise the ship, ponies and dogs would pull on the riggings, slowly getting into open water. The ponies were lifted to the ship, and the dogs pulled themselves up when the seabed finally dropped out from under the hull.

“Woah, the ponies were ‘lifted’?” Rainbow Dash pondered aloud, trying to imagine the process taking place. “Like they were pulled out? How embarrassing! I would hate to not be able to fly.”

With that conviction, once again, solidly planted into her beliefs, she returned to her reading.

The, now receding, tide carried us out into deeper waters, where we were able to find our heading and test out the new mast.

“Hoist the sails, Ah wanna see what she kin do.” I commanded to the crew moments before they scrambled to follow my directions.

I ambled over to the helm and Schatzi left the direction of the ship in my hooves as she went to sniff out Sea Dog.

Over the past couple of days, I had begun to notice the way they interacted. He seemed happier around her, which was an unexpected jump in demeanor, and she always wanted to be by his side. The already friendly and happy black lab seemed to gather a sense of contentment whenever the shepherd was around him. Her already protective nature seemed to not allow her to leave his side whenever he was around.

I shook the thoughts and scanned the horizon, while lightly adjusting the wheel in my hooves to accommodate a new crosswind.

I looked over my crew and couldn’t help but smile. There was a sense of calm, of cheer, and of joy as they all scurried about. The air was filled with the camaraderie of shipmates, only fouled by the tang of booze emanating from Grog as he stumbled over to the bulwarks. I continued to watch, fearing that we would lose him, but I quit watching as he lost his breakfast.

Daring Doo continued pestering me about paying her passage aboard the ship, until I agreed to allow her to work with Cookie below decks and try to keep him from eating too much of our supplies, as apparently he had been doing so.

Just as she was begrudgingly descending below decks, some of the crew stopped in their tracks. All the dogs’ ears had perked, and begun to swivel in search of whatever they had heard.

Time seemed to slow down, thoughts and sounds became muffled, and the entire crew seemed to feel it too.

Then I heard it.

A sound like distant thunder rolled over the waves, causing each of the crew members to stop what they were doing. Mere seconds later, the sound rang out again.

“Cannons…” Sea Dog whispered, and I realized how underprepared we were.

“Oooh,” Rainbow Dash squirmed, “It’s getting good!”

“Pointer!” I shouted at the dog in the crow’s nest.

“Aye cap’n.” He responded with a salute.

“Do ya see the fight?” He scanned the horizon, his spyglass scouring the surrounding ocean, then he found it.

“Arg…” I heard him mutter to himself, before he turned to me. “Cap’n there be two ships duking it out. An’…” He took a deep breath. “One of ‘em be tha Swiftwing.”

The few in the crew that had been sailors before began to shudder.

“Sea Dog, tell me ‘bout the Swiftwing.” The cheery lab came over to me with his tail between his legs.

“Aye, Cap’n.” He sighed. “The Swiftwing is tha fastest ship o’ pirates under Luna’s moon.” He shook his head. “They’ve sank almost as many ships as The Flying Crab, and they do it for fun.

“Their Captain, Black Swiftwing, be a ruthless griffon, a drop out of the Northern Griffon Navy, taking his crew, his ship and his spoils with ‘im.”

As I processed the new information, I could feel the anxiousness of the crew grow as the sounds of the distant battle rang out.

I thought through everything that I had been told, and finally an idea dawned on me.

“Smoky Mirror.” I called to the ex-illusionist. She galloped over to me. “Have ya tried anything that Ah asked ya to?”

“Uh, not really.” She responded with a sheepish smile, “But I can now if you want.”

“Git Darin’ Doo from the kitchen, and git back here.” I told her before she rushed off to do what I asked.

I looked around at the other crew members, who were all looking at me with a look of expectation. I simply clenched my jaw and began to give orders.

“Ah want sails at full. You, tighten the riggings. Pointer, raise a white flag.”

The ponies began to do as they were told, and I steered the wheel away from our heading, and away from the Swiftwing.

“Wait,” Rainbow Dash said, sitting up. “Is he running away? What a wimp, a real stallion would have attacked those pirates.” She reasoned with herself, attempting to get away from the ideas of Mac being flawlessly awesome.

For the first time since I had been captain of this ship, we were at full-sail, the hull slicing through the water powerfully. The creaking of the timbers was worrying, but not as much as the dangerous ship that may have spotted us.

“Cap’n, the Swiftwing sank the other ship.” Pointer informed me, his spyglass locked on the point in the horizon that marked the battle.

I was beginning to wonder where Daring Doo and Smoky Mirror were, when they came bursting out from below decks.

“What’s wrong, Captain?” Daring Doo yelled as she came up to me.

“Ah want you two to make a fog,” I explained to them. “One big enough ta hide tha ship, then make it move with us.”

They looked at each other, and Smoky Mirror rolled her eyes. “I will explain what’s going on, but first we need to get this done.”

They rushed off to the bow, and Daring Doo began using her basic weather training to explain how to make a fog, thick enough to hide the ship. Clouds of barometrically altered steam rolled up, quickly hiding them from view, and moving to the back of the ship.

Soon the entire deck was covered in a mist thick enough to hide the bow from the stern. The ship sailed in absolute silence. None of the sailors daring to make a sound louder than the creaking of the timbers, or the splashing of the wake trailing behind the ship.

Almost an hour passed, with myself watching the compass and keeping the ship on course.

“Pointer,” I said, just loud enough for him to hear me. “Can ya see ‘em?”

“Too much fog, Cap’n.” To be honest, I couldn’t see him.

“Smoky Mirror, could ya thin it out near the crow’s nest?”

“Aye-aye.” She said, with a salute. Immediately the fog began to thin, just enough to allow Pointer to see anything on the horizon.

After fifteen agonizing minutes as he scanned the sea, Pointer called down. “All clear Cap’n!”

Rainbow Dash let out a deep breath that she didn’t know she was holding, and in doing so became aware of the sweat building up on her brow, as the stress of the crew was getting to her.

“Calm down Rainbow,” She said, with a deep breath, “It’s just a book, and it’s not like he was ever in any danger. Although the fog thing was a pretty good idea.”

A resounding cheer went out from the crew as they all relaxed. Smoky Mirror dropped the fog spell, and soon enough we were speeding out of the dense cover, redirected towards Baltimare Harbor.

Rainbow Dash sighed, content with the chapter. She also commended herself on getting the book out of Big Mac’s room without him noticing.

She flew back to the Apple homestead, careful to watch the progress of the Apple family members. She, once again, climbed in the window of Big Mac’s room.

Sneaking onto his bed, then onto the floor, she was careful not to make a noise. She slipped the book underneath of the mattress, and then she heard it.

Light humming, and the clopping of tiny hooves against hardwood flooring echoed through her skull. She looked through the open door into the hallway to see the tiny form of the only Apple sibling that she had neglected to monitor.

Applebloom skipped down the hall, completely oblivious to the vibrantly-colored mare in her brother’s room. Rainbow Dash held her breath until the tiny filly had completely passed by the door. As the filly passed out of earshot, Rainbow dashed out of the window, sliding it shut behind her, and soaring into the distance, already planning her heist for the next morning.

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The early morning air refreshed Big Mac as he walked out to the fields, content with his life. The farm was doing well financially, the crops were shaping up to be a full harvest, and his latest chapter of his nocturnal saga had left him in a good mood.

As he and his sister made their way out to the western field. Big Mac was completely oblivious to the magenta eyes that were desperately trying not to stare at his muscular physique while waiting for their targets to be out of the way.

Rainbow Dash finally determined that Big Mac and Applejack were far enough away from the farmhouse to not notice her intrusion, so she dove off of her cloud.

Once again, she crawled through Big Mac’s window, carefully avoiding the disruption of anything that might alert him to her presence. An accident almost rendered those precautions as moot; because, using light flaps of her wings to level herself, and keep herself steady, proved to keep her safe, until a stray gust caught the shade of Big Mac’s table lamp.

The lamp lost balance and proceeded to wobble, until it eventually toppled. All of Rainbow Dash’s athletic training piled together as she leapt to catch the fragile light fixture. Just before it hit the ground, her wings managed to stop the destructive descent.

Carefully she replaced the lamp, snagged the book out from under the bed, and took off out the window. As she soared through the sky, she let out a breath that she didn’t know she had been holding and adjusted the book in her possession.

Night had fallen on my ship and crew, the rest of the day passing uneventfully. The ship was now at three-fourths sail, and Schatzi was standing at the helm with Sea Dog sitting and wagging his tail happily at her side.

I went below decks and into the welcoming glow of the oil lamps. The crew had taken to gambling away their paychecks and any personal belongings to pass the time.

Several other games, ranging from Go Fish, to some diamond dog game that used two decks and three dice, were being played. Some of the games were still up in the air, some were clearly being dominated. Grog, for one was being thrashed in the game of Go Fish. Chance, the cheerful and friendly husky, on the other hand was chewing on a birch stick while raking in a pile of bits and gems. I also passed a game of poker that seemed to be dominated by Stitch, even with Smoky Mirror’s underhoofed dealings.

“So,” Rainbow pondered aloud, “Why is he chewing on a stick?”
After rereading the line, she realized, “Oh, he’s a dog, dogs like sticks, I got it. It’s a little vague though.”

As I ambled my way down the aisle of tables and games, I came across Cookie, Lumber Mill, Pointer, Daring Doo and a few of the other diamond dogs playing a game by the name of Lanterloo. I was unfamiliar with the way the game was played but was inexplicably drawn in.

“Hey, Captain!” Daring Doo called over to me from her chair, “Join us for a few games.”

I trotted over as well as I could and found a cushion to sit on. “Ah might later, but Ah think Ah’ll skip this round.” They were all fairly accepting of me as I joined them in their revelry.

I watched as they played. I picked up the rules fairly quick, and picked up how to cheat just as fast. Cookie always would always grab an extra card while exchanging his hoof; Lumber Mill somehow seemed to always have an extra card or two stored away in his tool belt, and Daring just had a good poker face.

Rounds passed, and money changed possession, and eventually stories started coming out. Daring Doo began with her adventures, sharing stories that were apparently slightly different from the books published about them.

Then the others joined in.

Lumber Mill began to share what had happened to him before joining the crew. Apparently, he had apprenticed Sandy Stains, one of the greatest carpenters in Canterlot. His apprenticeship brought him to the top of the chain of command in Sandy’s shop, right below the head carpenter himself. This success had taught Sandy to trust Lumber’s judgement, and leave him in charge of the wood shop on several occasions.

One day, while the shop was under Lumber’s leadership, somepony was staining a piece for Canterlot Castle. The piece itself was average, but its destination made it important. The stain was highly flammable, especially when being sprayed onto a large slab of wood.

Meanwhile, somepony else was planing down a large oak countertop, without permission. The job had to be done, but the shop was too small to have a separate room for staining. This lack of division meant that the staining and the planing were happening in the same room.

When the planer started up, so did the dust vacuum. This machine, designed to keep sawdust and wood chips out of the air, also sucked up the excess stain fumes. The magically fueled motor of the vacuum became hot, as it often did, and ignited the combination of stain fumes and sawdust.

“I have no idea what a planer is.” Rainbow remembered. “Do you, Tank?” She asked the tortoise that was happily buzzing around the room with his propeller system.

Tank didn’t respond, and instead slammed into a wall.

“I hurried to get all the workers out.” Lumber Mill choked out. “They were panicking as they tried to escape. It was my job to keep the shop running at peak capacity, but under my management it burned to the ground.” He finished with a defeated sigh.

The others at the card table, including myself, sat silent for a few moments until Daring Doo broke the silence.

“That doesn’t really seem like a reason to lose your job though…” She said, looking up from her cards. “I mean, it wasn’t really your fault.”

“Well, the shop completely closed down, and all of the other carpentry shops in the area had heard of the disaster, so nopony would hire me.” He said with a frown.

“That’s pretty rough.” Pointer said.

“Eeyup.” I agreed.

“Moi story eesn’t so bad.” Cookie spoke up with a nasally voice and an indiscernible accent. “Oi’m jus’ a fatty.”

“Hm,” Rainbow Dash hummed to herself, “well, at least he’s honest with himself.”

The chubby brown stallion continued, “Bein’ a chef, Oi wanted ta’ taste moi food, and Oi would keep tastin’ till Oi passed out.” He said with a blush.

Our company stared at him for a few moments until we burst out in laughter.

“Ah’d ‘preciate it if ya didn’t do that ‘ere.” I informed the chef. “We only got so much food.”

We continued to talk into the night, sharing stories of our pasts, the ones that we left behind. Some stories made us cry, some stories made us laugh.

Slowly as the night wore on, Daring Doo slid her pillow closer to mine, eventually placing it directly aside mine. I smiled slightly at the gesture, and allowed her to do what she wanted.

Those of us at the table chatted amongst ourselves, each one finding another that they could relate to. Strangely, I felt myself opening up to Daring Doo. She listened, she cared, she knew when to make light of a situation and when to be serious. She seemed to genuinely care about me, and I genuinely cared for her.

Rainbow Dash kept, unintentionally feeling like he wrote this for her. She kept thinking that she should be in Daring Doo’s place.

“Augh! Rainbow what are you thinking? You’re just getting a crush on the character, you don’t really even know Big Mac.” She took a few deep breaths and continued to read.

Much of the crew fell asleep in the belly of the ship. Some of them passed out from alcohol, while others were merely exhausted. Daring Doo appeared to be one of the latter, having fallen asleep leaning against my side, the game she was playing and the bits she had won completely forgotten, as our companions had left us to each other’s company. I had just awoken and managed to get into a more semi-comfortable sleeping position as I heard the soft padding of paws walking down the creaky steps into the galley.

I looked up to see the helmsdog plodding down the stairs.

“Ms. Schatzi.” I said with a nod of my head, as her eyes located me.

“Ah, Cap’n,” She said quietly, noting the sleeping mare at my side. “Baltimare be on tha horizon.”

“Thank ya kindly.” I thought quickly about the best course of action and decided. “Drop anchor, an’ git some sleep. Tomorrow we dock.” She nodded and bounded up on deck.

I looked back to the tan mare beside me, her hat laying on the ground beside her and her hair covering her face, and I smiled at the sight. “Miss. Doo, git up.” I said lightly nudging her.

She readjusted, contendedly murmuring something in her sleep. I just smiled and picked her up, not wanting to disturb her rest. Having her laid gently across my back, I began my trek to the Captain’s Quarters.

On deck I saw Schatzi and Sea Dog holding paws and staring over the water at the moon, which hung just over the dimly-lit city on the horizon. The soft moonlight silhouetting them made the perfect picture with the perfect backdrop, and I couldn’t help but smile.

I stepped into my cabin, where I slid the sleeping mare into my hammock, and tucked her in. She nestled in snugly and drifted back off to a still, quiet sleep.

I removed my cape, hat, belt, and leg before grabbing a roll-up sleeping mat and some blankets and bedding myself down for the night.

“Aww.” Rainbow Dash cooed, “He gave up his bed for her.”
Then she realized how un-cool cooing is and glanced around to be sure nopony heard her do that.

As I drifted off to sleep, I looked out of the large window at the back of my cabin, and saw the majestic impression of Princess Luna on the full moon. I could almost swear that I saw her image smile as I drifted off to sleep.

“Hmm, the Luna thing is weird, but whatever.” Rainbow said, as she closed the book for the time being. She then glanced at her calendar to check the date, and noticed something important.

“Oh, no.” She groaned. “It’s girl’s night at the Spa.”

Rainbow loved to hang out with her friends, but the spa was just too much touching for her. She didn’t like massages, because they felt too intimate. She didn’t like hooficures, because the feeling of other ponies touching her hooves creeped her out (plus the hoof separator/drying rack things that they put you in were restricting and weird).

“Ugh, I need to find an excuse to get out of it.” She mumbled to herself as she gathered the book and took off out her window.

Big Mac was hauling another cart through the fields, the baskets full of apples adjusting as the cart bounced down the path. He had worked these fields enough to navigate them simply by touch.

Big Mac; however, preferred to navigate by the treetops. Certain trees had specific knots and branches that were easily noticed and adjusted for by the farmer. He navigated this way, because of the freedom it gave him from the ground, something that he found himself wishing for on occasion.

Big Mac loved his landlocked life, but sometimes he wished that he could fly. Many of the pegasi took their flight for granted, not realizing how blessed they were, but there was at least one that truly knew what they had.

That filly, Rainbow Dash, was always flying overhead. The flight that she was capable of was what she lived for.

Big Mac didn’t like to watch the sky specifically, he liked to watch the fantastic, multihued flight show that took place almost every day.

Today was no exception.

The pony he was watching appeared to be on a mission, having a specific purpose for her visit, but not forgetting the wild freedom that came with her dominance of the sky. Eventually, she seemed to be satisfied with her task and corkscrewed out from overhead.

Macintosh Apple watched her pass out of sight and sighed wistfully after the freedom and more-so the mare that symbolized it.

The day had progressed and Rainbow still didn’t have an official excuse to get out of Spa night, but that wouldn’t stop her from making something up on her way to the meeting point at Sweet Apple Acres.

“Hey, girls.” She said, as she landed just outside of the group of five mares that made up her closest friends. “Sorry, I can’t come. I just remembered that I promised Scootaloo that I would give her flying lessons today.” She said with a sheepish smile.

A chorus of ‘Awww’s rang out from her friends.

“Well… that’s ok Rainbow.” Twilight, the organized brainiac of the group tried to comfort her. “I’m sure that Scootaloo wants to see you as much as we do, and goodness knows how much she needs some stability in her life.”

“Now hold on just a cottonpickin’ minute…” Applejack started, noticing something wrong about her friend’s story.

“Nonono,” Rainbow cut her off, determined to stay out of the spa. “You girls go on ahead, I’ll catch up with you another time.”

The glamorous Rarity decided to chime in with, “Sadly, I must agree with Rainbow, as I have rented out the spa and it is waiting for us.”

With that, the five mares left, leaving Rainbow Dash mostly alone.

“Ah ain’t quite sure what that was, but Ah’m pretty sure it ain’t the truth, Miss Dash.” A deep voice came from the barn and caused her to jump.

“Oh, Big Mac, it’s just you.” She said to the large red stallion walking out of the barn. “And what was that about it not being the truth.” She accused him.

“Well, Miss Dash,” He started, “Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo are havin’ a campout in their clubhouse, n’ Ah’m in charge of ‘em fer tha night.” He said, “So, unless Scootaloo fergot ‘bout her chance ta spend time with her idol, Ah think yer lyin’.” He finished, as he placed a bundle of firewood in his cart beside some cooking gear and lanterns.

Rainbow laughed nervously, not seeing a way to get out of the impending conversation. “Well, you see…” She said, trying to come up with something. “It turns out that I kinda…”

“Don’t like the Spa?” Big Mac finished, with a small smile.

“Yeah.” She said, hanging her head.

“Ah can see why.” He said, drawing her attention.

“What do you mean? Huh?” She said, defensively, “Am I not girly enough for the spa?”

Big Mac laughed, confusing her. “That ain’t it. Ya just don’t seem like ya could hold still long enough for a massage.” He tossed a couple of logs, used for makeshift chairs, into the cart. “If it makes ya feel any better, Spas always creeped me out.”

A spark of hope welled up in Rainbow Dash’s chest. “Too much physical contact from ponies you don’t know?”

“Eeyup,” He nodded with a small smile, “And it smells weird.”

“Haha!” Rainbow chuckled at his thoughts on the spa, that were strikingly similar to her own.

“So, what’re ya gonna do, Miss Dash?” He asked her, genuinely curious of her circumstances.

“First don’t call me ‘Miss Dash’ it makes me feel like an old teacher or something. And second, well, I don’t really know what I’ll do. I will probably just go home and read some Daring Doo, or something.” She said with a shrug.

Big Mac had completely stopped what he was doing, his eyes were wide, and his mouth was open slightly. “Read what?” He managed to ask weakly.

Something was wrong, he had completely nailed Daring Doo’s personality in his book, and didn’t seem to know that she was a thing. “Uh, you know, Daring Doo? explorer extraordinaire, valiant venturer? Daring Doo?” She said, trying to jog his memory.

He continued to stare at her with disbelief painted across his face. “That’s weird…” He mumbled to himself. “Well,” He announced, beginning to shuffle uncomfortably. “Ah’ve never read any of her books, but they sound mighty interestin’, so if ya want, ya can help me with the Crusaders and tell me some…” He offered.

Rainbow’s heart leapt, overflowing with excitement that she was having a hard time containing. “Yeah! Uh, I mean, can’t you handle three little fillies by yourself?” She tried to cover her excitement to spend some time with her best friend’s brother.

“Ah need all the help Ah can git, those thee fillies are more trouble n’ a sack of rattlers.” He muttered while harnessing himself up to the cart full of camping supplies.

“Haha, alright Mac, I’ll help you take care of some tiny, little, kids.” She said condescendingly, while fluttering lightly down onto the cart.

As Big Mac took off for the CMC clubhouse, the two ponies both took their opportunities to wear a big goofy smile about the ability to spend some time with the other.

As Mac walked, Rainbow Dash told him all about Daring Doo’s adventures. Rainbow’s storytelling style; however, did not lend itself to being stationary, so she ended up hovering beside him, making wild gestures with her hooves, and zooming around when it was appropriate. Big Mac smiled and listened closely, always intent on what she was saying, and reacting according to the story.

Big Mac taught the Crusaders how to tie knots and start fires; although, he did the second merely by demonstration, as the first had resulted in three momentarily incapacitated little ponies. Rainbow Dash regaled them with her own stories, and some from Daring Doo.

Eventually, the two camp instructors tried their hooves at cooking dinner for their campers, as the little ones did whatever it is that they did. Rainbow’s chili was bland and slightly overcooked, but Big Mac’s cornbread definitely made up for it.

“How do you even make cornbread over the fire?” Rainbow asked through a mouthful of the delicious baked good. “And how did you make it so good?”

He just smiled, “Ole’ family recipe.”

“You have a lot of those don’t you?” Rainbow Dash asked, to which she received a nod from the stallion and his little sister. Rainbow just rolled her eyes. “Well, if they all taste this good, I could stand being family.”

An awkward silence descended upon the two adults as the fillies chatted around mouthfuls of s’more.

“Anyways,” Big Mac tried to break the silence between them, “You got any more stories, ‘bout yer flight school?”

With the awkwardness staved off for the moment, they continued to chat into the night. Eventually, Rainbow managed to coax some of his bullfighting stories. She sat with rapt attention, late into the night as her companion humored her with the stories of his great feats.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders were fast asleep by the time exhaustion hit Rainbow Dash. Big Mac had just finished the story of his last bullfighting tournament, when her eyes began to droop and she let out a yawn.

“Do ya want ta hit the hay, Rainbow?” Big Mac asked her. “Ah can take ya somewhere if ya like.”

“Nah, I can make it home.” She said, as she stretched her legs and wings, “But thanks for the offer. You know? I had a real nice time tonight.”

Just as she was getting ready to take off, Mac said, “Ya know, yer friends do this once a month.” Referencing the spa day, “If ya want, we could do this again.”

“Haha! We’ll see.” Rainbow responded, “This was so much more fun than gossiping at the spa.”
She then took off into the sky, leaving a pale rainbow in the white light of the moon.

“Did Big Mac ask me on another date?” Rainbow pondered on her way home, then a similar question popped into her mind.

“Did I just go on a date with Big Mac?”

Big Mac watched the colorful mare disappear over the treetops.

He sighed.

The butterflies in his stomach were still going strong, their incessant presence almost making him sick. All of this; however, was just background noise to his night spend with Rainbow Dash. He felt himself opening up to Rainbow Dash. She listened, she cared, she knew when to make light of a situation and when to be serious. She seemed to genuinely care about him, and he genuinely cared for her.

Something seemed familiar about that, but there was something more important on his mind at the moment, than where he had heard that before.

“Did Ah just have a date with Rainbow Dash? And did Ah ask her on another one?”

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Rainbow Dash’s morning weather duties passed quickly, her good mood after the night before allowed her to work faster. She was fairly certain that it wasn't a date, after all, he liked somepony in Ponyville; but still, she had a fun night hanging out with the guy that she liked.

She was currently trotting through Ponyville, scanning the crowds of ponies for any that matched Big Mac's cryptic description. She only had a few things to go on: for one, this mystery mare was confident and stubborn, which narrowed her search significantly, but there were plenty of ponies that she didn't know well enough to tell; the next thing was the mane and tail, messy like Daring's; and finally this girl had maroon eyes that matched Daring Doo's.

No pony she saw in town matched this description, but it felt eerily familiar, like she we exactly who it was, but couldn't place it.

She sighed as she stepped up to the Apple family stand, and greeted Applejack with a smile. "Hey, AJ, how was girl's night?"

It seemed like the spa treatment had done wonders for her; because, Applejack looked almost like a completely different pony, she seemed more relaxed, her mane and coat shined more than usual, and it looked like her hooves had been polished.

Judging by the larger amount of stallions in line, Rainbow wasn't the only one to notice.

"Howdy, Rainbow," She smiled back at her friend. "Girl's night was great, but it woulda been better with ya'll there." She raised an eyebrow and leaned in closer to Rainbow Dash. "Speakin' of which, where were ya? Mac was takin' care of the Crusaders, so what'd you do last night?"

Rainbow had completely forgotten about her botched cover story, "Uh, well, it turns out that Scoots had mixed up the dates, but when I showed up, they didn't want me to leave." She explained as convincingly as she could. "So, I stayed and helped your brother with them." she smiled as she finished her cover story.

Applejack thought that something seemed off with her story. "Ya spent time with mah brother?" Rainbow nodded, "You? You used to barely stand comin' over ta dinner, 'cause he wouldn't talk. What's goin' on?"

"Well, he finally talked with me last night, so that was kinda cool. Also, your granny always tried to make dirty jokes about me and him, and that was weird." Applejack chuckled in recollection. Dash then heard grumbling from the stallion behind her in line. "Oh, I guess I'm holding things up, I'll take a bushel of red delicious and be off."

Rainbow paid for the apples and took off for her house. She left the basket of fruit in the kitchen and, with a song in her heart, took to the skies over the Apple homestead.

The day was perfect for Big Mac. It was just cool, with high-level clouds. This allowed him to be comfortable while he worked and watch for the bright blue, master of aeronautics that he had spent much of the previous night with.

He placed a large basket, filled to the brim with apples, in his cart just before he saw her. She seemed to add an extra flourish to each of her steps.

Mac didn't see any harm in letting his work sit for a few minutes while he watched her.

Something was different about Rainbow Dash's flying session today, she seemed to be in an especially good mood or something. Her flying had taken a turn from her standard calculated and perfected, to beautiful and passionate. Watching her fly felt to Big Macintosh like hearing an expert jazz musician play improv; it was unexpected, filled with emotion, and absolutely flawless.

Big Mac marveled at his personal air show for almost fifteen minutes, before his distraction decided to take a break. He wanted to find a way to let her know just how magnificent the performance had been, but he was too self-conscious to do that and nothing he thought of could come remotely close to fulfilling the sentiments that he felt.

Eventually, his halfhearted hopes of praising the queen of the skies had become vain as he saw her take off from the vaporous resting place.

With a reluctant sigh of defeat, he returned to his work. The distaste for his own cowardice left him too distracted to notice the faded rainbow contrail heading in the direction of his house.

Rainbow Dash found herself back at her airborne cloud-house with Big Mac’s dream journal safely tucked in her hooves. A sidelong glance at her dresser drew her attention to the unfinished, (secretly semi-autobiographical,) novel that she had started, and was now hidden underneath a stack of Daring Doo books. The comparison between her own novel and the one that she had borrowed from the Apple household, was staggering.

Big Mac’s story felt more developed, better written, and significantly more publishable. Sure, he would need to change some things to avoid lawsuits, but it was still very good.

She looked between the book in her front legs and the one tucked under mass quantities of other literature, and began to ponder if she should ask Big Mac to help her with her story.

The complete absurdity of that notion had brought her back to her current objective, reading the next chapter and returning the book before Big Mac turned in for the day.

The gentle rocking of the ship had become comforting since my crew and myself had set out. Something that was not as comforting; however, was the ear-shattering snores coming from my temporary roommate.

Rainbow blushed slightly, but wasn’t sure why.

Apparently, sometime during the night, Daring Doo had adjusted herself and began to snore. Suddenly, in the pre-dawn hours, I was ripped from my sleep by the roaring of the mare that was now sleeping in my hammock.

The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon and I became aware that sleep was now hopeless. I rose up out of my makeshift bed, and began to put it away. As I finished, I decided that it was time to put an end to the assault on my ears.

I lightly shook the tan-coated mare until she awoke.

“Captian?” She asked as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. “Where am I?”

I turned to walk over to where I had hung my things. “Yer in mah room. Jus’ thought Ah’d wake ya up.”

“Come on Mac,” Rainbow Dash groaned at the character. “You need to be more gentle than that, she won’t take it well.”

“Oh, ok…” Daring Doo seemed rather accepting, until, “WAIT!”

"Told ya."

There was the sounds of a pony struggling with the improvised restraints that are applied while trying to get out of a hammock in a hurry, followed quickly by the thud of a pony hitting floorboards.

“How did I get in your room?” She asked as she tried to remove the blankets that were still holding her hostage. “What happened last night, Captain? I promise, if you tried anything funny, I will seal you; in a tomb, so deep, that nopony will ever find where you went.”

“Hmmm…” Rainbow Dash mulled over the threat. “Not bad, but I think that I would’ve said, ‘I’ll drop you from the stratosphere,’ but still, pretty good.”

I was sincerely impressed with the threat. “Nnope, nothin’ funny. Ya fell asleep, an’ Ah jus’ thought it’d be easier to put ya in here.” At this point, I was examining my mane and tail in a small mirror; it looked like I would need to apply more dye soon, my original mane color was beginning to show through.

"Are you sure?"

"Eeyup."

"Alright," she finally seemed to be ok with the situation. "Just don't look."

"What?" the full intent of her request didn't quite register in my mind, so I turned around. "Why not?"

I was answered by a scream and a pith helmet to my face.

"I'm changing, captain. Can't a girl get some privacy?"

I raised an eyebrow at the request. "Uh, yer one of the only ponies Ah know that wears clothes all the time. There’s nothin’ wrong with it, so why do ya care if Ah see ya with yer shirt off?" I asked, now honoring her slightly ridiculous request.

"Um," I could feel the discomfort in her voice, "I just feel kinda dirty when I'm naked. I know it's ridiculous, I get that, but still."

Rainbow Dash snickered slightly at the situation. No matter what Rarity told her, Dash simply couldn’t grasp why it would be weird to be seen naked.

I tightened the belt that held up my sword and pistol, and walked toward the door of the cabin. "Well, Ah can respect that. Git ready, we're headin' into Baltimare today." I said, leaving her to finish readying herself.

The early morning crispness greeted me. I scanned the deck and saw Sea Dog and Schatzi huddled together at the prow. Chance had also found a place to sleep on the opposite end of the deck; because, apparently, he go too hot in the cabins.

I went over to the husky and shook him awake.

"Good morning, Captain." He greeted me through a yawn. "What can I help you with?"

"Ah need ya to wake the crew, tell em that we're landin' today."

Somehow, during those few words, the dog had managed to wake up completely. "Aye-Aye, Captain!" He then cheerfully scurried off into the bowels of the ship.

I then decided to ruin a special moment.

"Up and At 'em!" I shouted directly into the ears of the two dogs still sleeping on my deck. "This ain't no time fer yer puppy-love."

"Hehe, puppy love..."

The two scrambled around in confusion coming from a complete lack of comprehension of what was happening. Eventually, they found their bearings and stood up, blushing furiously and with their tails between their legs.

I chuckled lightly at the two love struck dogs and said, "Jus' git to yer posts, we dock this mornin,' so Sea Dog, git a crew ta haul in the anchor, and Schatzi, git the ship headin in the right direction."

I continued to bark out orders to the ponies and dogs that were ambling around the deck now, tightening riggings, unfurling sails, swabbing decks, and doing any other job that needed done. I observed the crew scurrying about for a few moments, before returning to my, now unoccupied, quarters to gather supplies.

Now armed with a large pouch of bits, as well as my other weapons hidden underneath of my cape, I headed back on deck as we were pulling into port.

Lumber Mill, Pointer, and several other ponies leapt from the deck of the ship onto the pier that we were preparing to moor at. They pulled the mooring lines taught, and hauled the enormous vessel tight against the dock and tied it up.

The majority of the crew, Daring Doo, and myself all left the ship, descending upon the town to go about our land-based activities. Many of them went to the nearest pubs and bars, planning to spend what money they had not gambled away, on liquor. Some were just wanting to see around the town, and some were under my command to search out and purchase specific provisions for the ship.

I was currently on the look for a stand that sold pitch, to keep the ship’s seaworthiness at peak capacity. My walking companion, Daring Doo, was on her way to the local university, to contact a colleague about some new treasure to hunt after.

The two of us walked through the lines of stalls, each one with a salespony barking out prices and sales. The cacophony of clashing calls from the competing companies was difficult to ignore, but I managed to avoid their alluring calls.

My compatriot wasn’t so strong-willed.

“Woah, Captain Mac!” She shouted to be heard, “Look at these!” She pulled me over to a stand laden with exotic fruits, being run by a timid and small colt. “Oh, I love these, they’re called carambola.”

“Hold on,” Rainbow said, thinking back. “Isn’t that starfruit? How does Big Mac know about Starfruit?”

She put some kind of accent on the name of the yellow fruit, obviously cherishing the memories that came with the exotic edibles. The magnificent example of the fruit had a delicious, tropical, smell, and an unfamiliar, foreign shape.

“I’m going to get one, Captain. I loved these while I was traveling the rivers in the Great Southern Rainforest.” She stared off certain look of blissful remembrance, that told me just how much she enjoyed the adventure.

“Sounds delicious.” I told the mare, who was scanning the stash of fruits for the freshest and best of the bunch. “We’ll take four.” I then informed the kid running the stall, who was ecstatic at making, what appeared to be his first sale.

The colt graciously accepted the bits that I pushed his way while taking the four best fruits that Daring Doo could locate. As we left the stall, Daring Doo showed me how to eat the tender meat of the foreign fruit.

I savored the tropical pungency of the bright fruit, and pondered over the soft body of the fruit that was so alien to an apple farmer such as myself.

I looked between the savory fruit and the mare that introduced me to the succulent fruit that I would have been so hesitant towards not long before, and I realized the significance. This fruit seemed to symbolize my life now; previously, I had been so normal, familiar, and safe, now I was abnormal, exciting, and slightly less than safe.

I knew that the mare beside me, with juice dripping down her chin and reveling in the local children’s excitement over meeting her, was a significant part of that.

“Ugh, I hate metaphors.” Rainbow Dash mumbled, subconsciously wiping her chin, attempting to rid it of juice.

I smiled to myself, surprisingly alright with the change; a little adventure would probably do me good.

“Hey, you there, big fella.” I was called out of my revelry by a nasally voice calling out, apparently to me. “Come over here, I got something I think you’d like.”

At the edge of the marketplace that we were currently in, I saw a scrawny unicorn stallion, wearing a fedora, and a long coat. Shifty little blue eyes peered out from under the hat, while he leaned up against the wall.

I decided to see what he was talking about, without putting my guard down. I walked over to where he was leaning and he magically lifted a roll of parchment out of his long coat.

“My name’s Slim, and I buy, sell, and trade valuables. If my information is correct, you’re a ship captain, am I right?” He said to me with a knowing smile.

“Eeyup.” I said with my standard blank expression.

“Well, I think that I have just the deal for you.” He said, with a big, toothy, smile.

I nodded, motioning for him to continue.

He stepped over to me, wrapping a hoof around my shoulders as best he could, and patting me on the chest. “You see, I have come across something that many sailors would murder for,” I saw his horn brighten slightly, more than he needed for simply holding the parchment roll. “I have managed to get ahold of a map…” I could feel my pouch of bits lift slightly of its own accord. “A map, to the treasure of The Flying Crab!” He finished with a flourish, holding the paper high in his telekinetic grip.

I noticed that my bit pouch was gone.

I smiled as I realized that he apparently had been too focused on tricking me, to notice what I had been doing with my hooves during his sales pitch.

“What was it?” Rainbow asked the book, her heart starting to pump harder than normal.

“Hey, Captain, what’s going on here?” I heard daring Doo ask as she joined me and the shady fellow.

“Daring Doo?” Slim asked, apparently surprised. “At my humble trading post? I’m honored.” He said with a cheesy bow.

“Yeah, so Mac, I gotta get going, you going to come with?” She said, ignoring the desperate stallion.

“Eeyup.” I walked away from the pony, the smile that comes with a dirty little secret attempting to break through my lips.

When we were out of earshot of Slim, I turned to Daring Doo, “Look what Ah got outta him.”

I then held up Slim’s sack of bits, twice the size and weight of the one he took from me.

Rainbow gasped, “Oh, that’s what he was doing. Clever…” She smiled with pride at Big Mac’s antics.

Her eyes were huge, “How did you get him to give that to you?”

“Ah didn’t.”

By this time, we had stopped walking, and I could almost see the gears turning in her head. “Did-did you steal that?”

“Ah feel justified.” I then tucked it back in my cloak.

“Captain! How could you steal from him? I refuse to condone this.”

“Fine, then yer payin’ fer yer whip back.”

I continued to walk until she said, “Wait, what?” I stopped in time to see her realize that her trusty tool was no longer coiled around her wing.

She looked back at the corner where Slim was trying to haggle something out of another pony, and I could see the fire in her eyes.

I have never felt so bad for a criminal.

As she walked back from the bruised and beaten Slim, she glowered at me. “Be quiet.”

I pretended to pull a zipper across my lips and we continued on.

“Heh, well that was cool. I can’t wait to see what happens next.” Rainbow said, putting the book down while she went to get a snack.

After finishing off a red delicious and some peanut butter, Rainbow took off with the book for the Apple homestead.

She noticed that the sun was further towards the the horizon than it had been when she returned the book the past few days. A quick assessment of the farm, showed Big Mac slowly walking toward the house, apparently finished with his chores for the day.

Rainbow began to panic, and put on an extra burst of speed to get around him. She pulled up to his window and broke in the same way that she usually did. This time; however, she went faster, and desperately shoved the book under his bed, before leaping out of the, still open, window.

Big Mac entered his room, and noticed that the window was still open. He stuck his head out, looking around, before pulling back in and closing the pane, completely unaware of the pair of magenta eyes watching him from a cloud overhead.

Hero

View Online

Rainbow Dash had managed to gather her reading materials for the day, namely Big Mac’s Dream Journal. She was about to start reading when something caught her attention.

There was a rumbling like distant thunder. The sound caused her airborne house to quiver slightly. She looked out her window at the perfectly clear skies, just as was scheduled.

The rumble still hadn’t stopped, so she looked around, her eyes eventually spotting a rising dust cloud in the distance.

“Uh oh...” She recognized what it was, and it would certainly cause some issues in town if it wasn’t handled quickly.

She leapt out of her window, pumping her wings harder than she had in months, to get back to the Apple family house. Her keen eyes began scanning the neatly kept trees of the familiar orchard for her orange friend.

Finally, she located her, bucking some trees in the East field. Rainbow felt like her wings would rip off as she pulled into a sharp dive. She slammed into the ground, mere inches from her best friend, panting heavily.

Applejack leapt, spilling the basket of apples that she had been carrying all over the ground. “Rainbow, why’d ya do that?”

“*gasp* There’s *pant* a *breathe* stam-*gasp*-pede.” She managed to stammer out from between gathering lungfuls of sweet, sweet, air.

Applejack froze in place, an apple falling out of her clutches as she was attempting to place it back in the basket. “Where.” Was all that she could demand of her colorful friend, who had managed to get back much of her breath.

"East, heading towards town."

"Let's go." Applejack said, pulling her hat tight to her head. She then let out a sharp piercing whistle, causing the scruffy little dog, that was napping a few rows away, to perk up. "Winona! Let's git!"

The two ponies and one dog took off towards the distant rumble of heavy hooves.

There was a murmur of activity in Ponyville, something was rumbling in the distance, but Nopony could quite tell what it was.

Eventually, one of the pegasi flying over the town spotted something in the distance.

There was a rising cloud of dust on the horizon, and the horizon was moving.

“Stampede!” screamed the pegasus that spotted the oncoming disaster.

Rarely has one word caused so much chaos, but as soon as it left her muzzle, the townsponies became an explosion of noise and movement.

The panicking ponies hurried around the town, desperate to escape from the coming onslaught of bovines. Aimlessly running and screaming, the locals trampled property, plants, and each other, causing damage to the town before the stampede was even close.

“Look!” came the triumphant shout of a little colt, as he pointed to the left of the rising dust cloud. “It’s Applejack!”

“And Rainbow Dash!” yelled one of his friends.

“And- uh… The Dog!” finished the third.

Shouts of jubilation rang out from the inhabitants of Ponyville, as they recognized the coming of their salvation. Everypony in town watched with bated breath and awe, as the two ponies and a dog rounded up the cows.

Eventually, the stampede had been redirected around the town and pulled to a stop. Everypony cheered, throwing hats into the air, and stomping their hooves on the ground in celebration.

“Mooriella,” Applejack began to scold the cow at the head of the charging herd. “Just what was that all about?”

The, normally placid, cow was jittering, and shifting her eyes from side to side, as though searching for something. “Oh, s-s-so s-sorry, d-dear.” She said, before she continued to scan the area.

Applejack could tell something was wrong to cause her to act this way. “Mooriella, what’s wrong?” She asked forcefully, but kindly, as Rainbow Dash alighted beside her, and Winona sat on her haunches wagging her tail.

“W-well,” the cow began, and then tok a deep breath, “It’s,” she scanned the area and leaned in, so that only the two ponies could hear. “That time of year for us,” The acknowledgement caused Applejack and Rainbow Dash to blush slightly. “And Manolete is back.”

The ominous tone that she finished with brought chills to Applejack’s spine, and Rainbow just sat there, confused. “Wait, who’s Manolete?” She asked, trying to get back on the same page as everyone else there.

“Manolete’s a bull,” Applejack informed her friend, “And he goes from place ta place durin’ the year.” Applejack looked back at the herd, “And it sounds like he’s on a rage.”

The cows all nodded their confirmation.

“Where was he last?” Applejack demanded, hoping to keep the town, full of blissfully unaware ponies, behind her from any damage or injuries that the hormone-fueled bull might cause.

“He was out by the Everfree forest, and coming this way.” One of the other cows spoke up.

“Fluttershy!” Rainbow shouted, desperately worried for the safety of her timid friend, who lived on the edge of the aforementioned forest.

“You go warn her.” Applejack demanded. “Ah’ll go git help.” The two ponies took off in opposite directions, one flying at a blisteringly fast pace towards a cottage at the edge of the Everfree forest, and the other one galloping back towards the farm that she ran.

Rainbow Dash had managed to warn Fluttershy of the possible oncoming disaster. Fluttershy had immediately demanded help getting all of her critter friends inside, luckily Rainbow Dash was the fastest pony alive, and was able to do it in almost no time at all.

She was now debating what to do. On one wing, she could go back to town, and see if Applejack needed any more help back in town. On the other wing, she could try to find the bull, to make sure that he didn’t harm anyone.

Plus, Rainbow Dash had never seen a bull in real life, so…

She climbed higher into the sky, gaining a better view of the ground so that she could look out for the rampaging beast.

She scanned the edge of the dark forest, and eventually laid eyes on the lumbering black form of the beast. The sheer size of the angry individual was immediately made known to the airborne mare. He was significantly taller than Big Mac, and muscular enough to make the red pony seem wimpy. The two horns growing out of his head were each the length of Princess Celestia’s, but these had a deadly hook at the end of them.

Rainbow couldn’t tell what the big deal was, he didn’t really seem to be doing anything dangerous, but then he bumped a tree.

As though the tree had deliberately disrupted him, he reared back, and slammed the sharpened end of his horn deep into the trunk of the tree. Quickly, he ripped his head to the side, and uprooted the small maple.

Not satisfied that the tree had learned its lesson, he stomped on it repeatedly, and gored it many times, trying to be sure that it was dead. Finally content with the death of the timber, the beast continued on its way.

Rainbow had never seen such a violent display, and she had watched a griffon hunt, clean, and eat a squirrel. She decided that keeping her distance would be a good idea.

Then she saw something that made her heart drop almost fast enough to knock her out of the sky.

There was a foal.

Specifically it was that cute little Pipsqueak colt from Trottingham. He was just standing there, less than one hundred feet from the bull.

Rainbow dove in, determined to get the child out of there. She landed behind him, to find that he was crying.

Shrugging that off, she trotted over to him. “Hey, kid, we gotta get out of here.”

“I-I can’t,” he choked out.

“Why not?” Rainbow Dash had been on the ground for much longer than she wanted to be, that bull might be there soon.

“I’m stuck.” He explained, showing her that his front hoof had been pinched between some rocks, probably while he was playing on the pile.

“Oh, alright, I gotcha.” Rainbow said, as she began to pry the rocks away from him. He had a small smile form on his face, as he could feel himself becoming free.

A snort caused Rainbow to stop what she was doing, and turn. As she turned around, she saw Manolete.

The bull was fifty feet away from her, glaring in her direction with bloodshot eyes. Rainbow Dash had never been so scared in all of her life. The monster lowered his head, so that the two points of his horn were pointed at her.

She attempted to recall any of Big Mac’s bullfighting stories, but nothing came to mind. She began to panic, but then she took a deep breath, determined to avoid looking weak in front of the little kid behind her.

She glared daggers at the beast, just noticing the shiny gold ring in his snout. He snorted, causing the ring to move, and scraped a hoof on the ground.

She walked to her right a few steps, observing as her opponent followed her with his eyes. Glad that he watching her instead of Pipsqueak, she lifted into the air, just a few inches off the ground to help her maneuver.

Then he charged.

He roared an unnatural bellow, causing Rainbow’s hair to stand on end. Careful to make sure that her opponent would leave the colt alone, Rainbow flew off to her right even further. He stopped, and changed his trajectory to be aimed at her.

She repeated this process twice, desperately trying to be sure that he wouldn’t return to Pipsqueak. But she couldn’t do it forever.

The heavy exertion that she had put on her wings this morning without stretching or breaks finally caught up with her, as they seized up.

She tumbled to the ground, and lifted herself to her hooves, where she froze.

The pure fear at the sight of the charging bull barreling towards her was unlike anything she had felt before. She could do nothing but brace herself for impact.

Then, her saving grace came in the form of two hooves slamming into the underside of the beast’s right horn.

His head twisted to the left, and the torque forced his body to do the same. He slammed into the ground, and slid to a stop right In front of Rainbow and he rolled until he had managed to get back to his hooves.

Both of them looked around, shocked at the sudden interference. They saw who it was at the same time.

Big Mac was standing right where he had kicked the bull’s horn. Rainbow Dash’s heart soared at the sight, while Manolete lowered his head to meet the challenger.

Mac snorted, apparently infuriating the bull, as he decided to rush him. Mac sidestepped at the last second, crouching underneath of the massive horns, and transferring his strength into the monster’s rear leg, knocking it out from underneath of its center of mass, and causing the raging beast to lose its balance and brutally make contact with the ground. Before the creature was able to get back to its feet, Big Mac trotted over, and planted an applebucking kick on its forehead, knocking it unconscious.

Rainbow Dash collapsed with exhaustion and shock. Quivering as the pain in her wings became overbearing, and shuddering as the fear washed over her.

She was completely unaware of Applejack rushing to Pipsqueak’s aid, but she was entirely aware of the large hoof wrapping around her abdomen and pulling her into a tight hug.

“Ssshh, ssshhh…” She felt the comforting caress of the the big, red, stallion. “It’s alright now…”

Rainbow leaned into the muscular chest and allowed everything she had just witnessed to melt away. Then, determined to still look tough, she joked, “That wasn’t any fun at all.”

Big Mac chuckled slightly at the mare’s false confidence, the deep rumbling reverberating through his chest and into Rainbow’s head. “Well, ya were doin’ jus’ fine.” Then he lifted her chin and looked into her eyes, “But, if yer gonna start bullfightin’ let’s start a little smaller. Kay?”

Rainbow laughed a little, “I think I’ll leave that to you.”

Then two tiny hooves found their way around Rainbow, and she looked down to find that Pipsqueak had been freed and was now hugging her.

“Thank you for saving me miss Dash.” He said, in that cute little accent of his.

“Aw, it was nothing kid,” she ruffled his mane lightly, “Anyway, Big Mac did all the work.”

Mac patted the colt on his back, and said, “Don’t worry ‘bout it sport. Now, run on home, yer parents are worried sick.”

“Aye-Aye, Captain!” The little colt said with a salute, before running off toward Ponyville. Both of the older ponies blushed slightly, when he did so.

Rainbow, suddenly aware that she was still being hugged by Big Mac, blushed even more and stood up, shrugging off the big stallion’s arm. “Well, I think that, uh, I might go take a nap. This whole, uh, thing, made me tired.” She then spread her aching wings, and flew up to her home where she went to sleep immediately, thinking the whole time about the feeling of Big Mac’s firm embrace.

Rainbow awoke after about an hour of a relaxing sleep, and with her mind cleared, she began to read

Our stay in Baltimare was notably short, with nothing else of major influence occurring.

Daring Doo discovered that her next job was in the same direction that my ship was headed. As the crew and myself had grown rather accustomed to and fond of her presence aboard the ship, I offered passage, which she graciously accepted.

The biggest change that occurred was that I had accepted a job transporting goods to another town further down the shore. I was running low on funds, and wanted to continue to pay the crew, and since it wasn’t too far out of the way, I decided to take the offer.

We had slept in port all night, after loading up the new goods, and any lingering crew members. It was now early morning, and Sea Dog and I were belting commands out to the crew.

“Tighten the riggings!”

“Untie those moorin’ lines!”

“Hoist the mainsail!”

“Somepony get Grog out of the crow’s nest.”

Soon we were back on open water and keeping a good clip.

“Hm, I never expected to hear Big Mac use the term, 'clip'.”

“Astro.” I shouted over to the pony who appeared to be focusing on a school of tuna swimming by the ship. “Astro!” I called louder, noticing that he appeared to be oblivious. “ASTRO!” Finally I got his attention, and he trotted over to me.

“Yes, Captain?” he responded with a distant expression.

“This still the right headin’?” I asked, pointing at the compass mounted to the helm.

He examined the precise heading and looked to the horizon, then at some device that he was levitating at eye-level, and concluded, “Yes, Captain, We could go further east, to get into deeper waters, but this is the right heading.”

I nodded my approval at his work and he left. Shortly after I adjusted the course for deeper waters, I heard a shout from the crow’s nest.

“Cap’n!”

“Eeyup.”

“There’s a ship to the Northeast.”

“Any flags?”

“No, sir.”

I furrowed my brow in thought, “Jus’ keep an eye on her, if anythin’ happens tell me.”

The dog returned to his watch, and I returned my attention to the wheel in my hooves. Half an hour later there was another call.

“She be gaining on us, Cap’n.”

“Alright, sails at three-fourths, Ah’ll adjust our course.” I reasoned, hoping that it was just another sailor, and nothing unfortunate.

“Hey, Mac.” Came the warm voice of Daring Doo, and I turned my head to see her beautiful eyes. “I got the ‘go ahead’ from Stitch to test out my wings, so I’m going to fly around a little bit.”

“Oh, I know that feeling.” Rainbow Dash said, remembering one time specifically, when she broke a wing and ended up in a hospital for a while. That was actually when she discovered the joys of reading.

I nodded, giving her my blessing on her journey, but then I thought of something. “Try an’ see if ya can find anythin’ out ‘bout the ship followin’ us. Don’t get close, just keep an eye out.”

“Aye-aye, Captain!” She said, with a salute of her hoof.

After an hour of sailing, Daring Doo landed back on the deck of the ship, and trotted up to me.

“Well, I can’t tell much from here, but the crew is primarily griffon.” I thanked her for the information, and before I could do much else, Pointer called to me again.

“C-cap’n?” I heard him say weakly.

“Eeyup?”

“She’s r-raised her c-c-c-colors.”

“And?”

“They belong to the Swiftwing.”

Rainbow gasped, clutching the book closer to her chest.

The entire crew froze. All eyes looked to me, even Grog’s bloodshot eyes were pinned to my forehead. I had no idea what to do.

So I improvised.

“Smoky Mirror, get all the unicorns below deck, to the guns. Ah want them primed, and ready to fire on mah command, got it?”

“Yes sir!” came a collective shout, and they all began to rush below deck.

“The rest of you, wait fer mah instructions.”

There was an eerie calm that settled over the entire sea, chilling everyone on the deck down to the bone. The only sounds were the waves against the hull, the flapping of the sails, and the faint sound of cannons being loaded below deck. Nopony made any sound, and I watched the ship.

It was a vicious looking vessel, with black sails, and a long slim hull. The flag waving from the pole had a black background with the image of a birdlike skull and skeletal wings on either side. From our position, I couldn’t make out how many cannons it had, but I could guess that it was more than we had.

Then something extremely unexpected happened.

One of the crew members of the Swiftwing took flight, soaring towards my ship.

“Stand yer ground.” I commanded the crew. I could feel their trepidation as the collective fear became palpable. There were a few moments of pure, sickening, silence, as we waited for the oncoming griffon.

I watched as it soared overhead, flying slightly erratically, before it tucked its wings into its sides and dove towards my ship. I took a deep breath and braced for the impact.

Rainbow Dash did the same.

The mighty, winged, beast slammed into the deck, his cape draping over his shoulders. The black-tinged red feathers on his head and wings gave him a dangerous look, the blades that served as talons and beak furthered that image, and the wild yellow eyes locked it in.

“Helloooooo, everybody!” He announced, throwing his wings out and his head up, and spun in a circle, his actions revealing a pistol and a cutlass. He seemed to me to be extremely full of himself.

“Yeah, I know ponies like that.” Then Rainbow thought about that for a few moments. “...and I might be one of them.”

“Welcome, to my ocean.” He finished with a cheesy smile, that confirmed his hotheadedness. “I assume that you know that I am Captain Black Swiftwing, so I won’t bore you with that, but I haven’t seen this ship before, so I thought I’d take a look.” He said as he began to walk around the deck. “Hmmm… Bit of a wimpy crew if you ask me.”

“Ah didn’t.” I spoke up, showing how little I cared for his attitude.

He raised his brow, and turned to face me. “Oh? And who are you?”

“Ah’m the captain, and Ah’d appreciate it if ya’d leave.”

His eyes widened in faux shock as I defied his orders, “You’re talking back to me? Wow, I haven’t gotten that in a while.” He seemed to think for a moment, placing his talon on his beak. “You know what? I like you, you got guts, for a legless earth pony,” The hilt of my pistol was beginning to feel incredibly inviting. “So I think that I won’t kill any of you, or sink this ship; however, I will take what I want, because it’s what I do.” He seemed to look past me, and he began to walk in that direction. “Right now, I want this pony, Daring Doo, if I’m right?”

“No!” Rainbow growled, almost able to feel the hungry eyes of the red-feathered griffon on her.

The clicking sound, of the hammer on my pistol locking into place, halted his progress towards the growling mare. “You touch her, an’ Ah will put a lead ball in yer lungs.” I alerted him.

He turned back to me, a confident smile on his beak, “I like you. Would you like to join my crew?” I think my scowl told him all he needed to know. “Ah, too bad, but I will give you one more chance to not die.” He pulled a white flag out from his cloak. “If you raise this by the time I land back on my ship, we will board, take all of your goods, and leave, as long as you don’t fight back. No one gets hurt.” He said it like it was the best option. “If you don’t, then full broadside.” He shrugged his wings. “It’s your choice.”

He dropped the white fabric, and took to the sky, leaving many of the crew stunned.

“What do we do, Cap’n?” Sea Dog, my most useful advisor, asked.

I stared at the mass amounts of cannons reaching out of the side of the opposing ship, through holes in the hull, racking my brain for inspiration. Then I had an idea.

“Someone, git Smoky Mirror, an’ a lit lamp.” I belted out to my crew. Chance then dove below decks, eager to do my bidding. He quickly returned with the mare I had asked for, and the lamp.

“Do ya think ya can keep this burning?” I asked the worried unicorn.

“Aye, Captain.”

“Do it.”

“What’s he planning?”

I then placed the lamp on the bulwark and eyed up my target. I took a quick glance at the enemy captain, flying much higher overhead than he needed to. I looked back at the opposing ship, placed my good back hoof against the lamp, and bucked.

The glass oil lamp soared through the air between the two ships, the magically contained fire still burning. Time felt as though it slowed down as I watched it approach the target, and then I succeeded.

The lamp went straight into the centermost gunport, and I smiled.

Apparently, my crew wasn’t as excited as I was, as they began to say some last goodbyes, a few of them kissing each other farewell. I even felt Daring Doo cling to my leg out of desperation.

The griffon captain was soaring towards the deck of his ship at unnatural speeds, when my plan kicked in.
The lamp oil had managed to ignite the gunpowder being stored with the cannons, causing massive explosions to rip the ship apart. Timber, cannon shot, and griffons were thrown from the source of the explosion. The larger pieces of the vessel began to sink, and masts began to fall, as the scourge of the sea was ended.

The pure joy that burst out among the crew of my ship, made me feel as though I had finally earned my position as Captain. Hugs, hoof/paw shakes, and other forms of congratulations were shared throughout the crew.

Then something else, that was completely unexpected, happened.

Two tan hooves grabbed my face, and pulled it down to Daring Doo’s level, where she began to press her lips against m-

“HEY!!!” Rainbow shouted at the book, “He’s mine! Back off, sister.” She slammed the pages together, and shoved the book away from her, folding her hooves in front of her and pouting.

The pit in her stomach grew, as she wanted to learn what happened in the rest of the story, and she realized that she had absolutely no right to make that assertion.

She slid the book back, and flipped through the pages, until she found the right one.

Two tan hooves grabbed my face, and pulled it down to Daring Doo’s level, where she began to press her lips against my own. My eyes snapped completely open in shock, and I stayed stock-still.

Eventually, she pulled back, breaking the kiss, and blushing furiously. “You were going too slow…” She said, as though it explained everything. “And, thanks for saving us.”

A big, goofy smile was plastered across my face for a long time following that, as I hadn’t felt that complete in a long time.

“That was…really good…” Rainbow mumbled to herself, satisfied with how her captain had handled the situation.

Shortly, she returned to Sweet Apple Acres, for several reasons. After she had returned her favorite book to its proper resting place, she began to search the premises for a certain hero of hers.

“Hey, Applejack!” Dash called out to her friend, who was hauling a cart of apples somewhere. “Do you know where your brother is?”

“Yep.” She said, “He’s in the barn, jus’ be careful.” But the colorful pony had already left, before hearing the warning.

The heavy barn door creaked open slightly, as Rainbow stuck a head inside. “Big Mac?” She called out.

“Eeyup?”

“Ah, there you are,” she said, beginning to trot to where his voice came from. “Well, I realized that I never really thanked you for earlier this morning, so thanks.” She finished, wrapping him in a hug, that caused both of them to blush.

Then she noticed the massive bundle of blankets in the nearest hay pile, that appeared to be moving. “Uh, Mac, what is that?”

“Manolete.” He responded.

Rainbow’s heart began to pump hard, and her wings flared out, attempting to make her seem more threatening, and allow for instant flight. “W-w-why is h-he here?”

“He’s recovering, an’ don’t worry, he’s harmless now.” Unable to take his word for it, Rainbow began to trot in place with fear, as the lumbering bull began to awake.

Manolete pulled his head out of the blanket and began to glance around, noticing Big Mac and then Rainbow Dash. As he noticed the prismatic pegasus, he shrunk back into his makeshift bed. “I am truly sorry, Mademoiselle,” He said, his head dropping, “For zat, truly despicable display.”

The accent made it sound as though he was from Prance, and that threw Rainbow Dash off. “Uh, what?”

“I was not myself, and I am so sorry for what I put you through.”

“Oh, yeah, I’m just glad Mac was there.”

“Me too.” He said, looking up at the red stallion. “I would not ‘ave been able to live with myself had I hurt Mademoiselle Dash or zat foal.”

Mac was busying himself by rubbing the back of his neck with a hoof. “Heheh, it was nuthin’.”

“It wasn’t ‘nothing.’ You saved my life Mac, Thank you.” Rainbow Dash said, as she wrapped her hooves and wings around Big Mac’s neck.

She eventually go of him and backed down, scratching the floor with a hoof, and blushing as red as the stallion she was just hugging. “So, I guess I’ll see you later… Bye Mac… Bye Manolete… I guess.”

As Dash backed out of the barn, Mac could feel Manolete staring at him. He turned to see the bull looking at him, raising an eyebrow with a smug smile.

“Shut it.”

Second Chance

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After a mass apology to the town, and the cows, for causing so much panic, Manoete left to continue on his journey around Equestria. Big Macintosh then returned to the farmhouse, completely unaware that a multihued thief had beaten him there.
His mind was far from his work; specifically, it was in the meadow where the bullfighting had occurred the previous day.

Mac had never finished a fight that fast. Usually they took many more turns, occasionally lasting up to an hour, even more so when the bulls were on a testosterone and adrenaline fueled rampage, like with the usual Manolete issues. This time was different, however. Big Mac had a feeling that his goals were slightly more powerful than usual.

Those goals may have had something to do with the sky blue mare that he found himself hugging shortly afterward. He had never experienced such conflicting emotions as when he was holding her in her hooves; the elation that came from cradling the girl of his dreams in his hooves, the soul-crushing sadness from seeing her so scared, the determination to do everything he could to rid her of said fear, and the thankfulness that his attempts at comforting appeared to be working, swam through his mind.

His chores began to pass by, without the usual mind-clearing relaxation that accompanied them, as he was running on autopilot. His eyes kept wandering skyward, hoping that he might be able to catch a glance of the queen of the local airways, as she made her rounds; but alas, she never seemed to show up.

Reluctantly, he attempted to return his attention to the land that he was working under his hooves. His attempts were futile, as they refused to stay on the trees and cart.

“MAC!” He was called out of his rumination by his little sister, who was wearing a scowl beneath her well-worn Stetson. “Ah demand ta know why yer head’s so stuck in the clouds, ‘cause you’ve been haulin’ that cart in circles for an hour.”

She was tapping her hoof on the ground, obviously not wanting spend any more time than she already had. “Uh, Ah don’t know?” He offered, vainly hoping that his sister would accept the flimsy excuse.

Her single raised eyebrow showed that she wouldn’t.

She squinted at the strong face of her older brother, who had served as a best friend, a father, a protector, and a listener throughout her life, many of those roles she had attempted to return, and her gaze softened. “Is it a mare?”
It was exceedingly difficult to detect a blush on Big Macintosh’s already red face, but Applejack had discovered that the best place to look was the freckles, and they were the same color as his coat. Other small clues, like his lightly flicking ears, and a certain pulsing vein on his chest, gave away his embarrassment at the predicament. “Uh-”

“Don’t tell me now.” Applejack cut him off. “Ah understand that it’s private, an’ if ya want ta talk, we can; but fer now, let’s just try ta focus on workin’.”

She trotted away from her brother, leaving him with the foreboding thoughts of attempting to tell her about his crush.

Rainbow was happy to see Manolete leave. She had forgiven him, sure; but every time she saw him, her pulse began to quicken, and she began to search for a way out.

Shaking her head to rid it of the frightening image of the hormone-fueled bull, and opened Big Mac’s Dream Journal, preparing to resume the voyage.

Celebrations on deck continued for a long while, as we watched the smoldering remnants of the Swiftwing. Survivors appeared to be escaping on rafts being pulled by their fellow airborne shipmates.
We watched, and cheered, while Cookie made a banquet that was fit for a table of kings. A few crew members retrieved guitars, lyres, flutes, and assorted other instruments from their quarters and began playing shanties that were lively enough to cause even myself to begin to dance, although my wooden limb hindered my movements.

Rainbow Dash snickered, the image of the monstrous stallion lumbering around the deck of a ship being too much for her.

Daring Doo stayed by my side, being my dancing partner, and filling me with a certain sense of joy that was unrivaled by any that I had felt in years. However, that was cut short, when I heard a strangled cry.

The musicians ceased playing, and all of the crew stopped to listen to the noise. It came again in the form of a weak call from over the edge of the ship. “… Help, please …”

The entire crew rushed to starboard, causing the ship to tilt menacingly. I looked down to see two griffons, apparently crew of the Swiftwing. One of which appeared to be unconscious and propped up on some floating portions of the sinking ship, while the other was weakly paddling along beside, its feathers waterlogged and weighing it down.

“Stupid cat-chickens…” I heard Grog drunkenly slur from the other side of Daring Doo, followed quickly by the sound of a wheeze as a hoof met ribs.

“Rude…” Rainbow Dash muttered under her breath, never being one for racism of any kind.
Griffons were pretty awesome, after all.

I could see that the conscious one was struggling to stay above water, and I looked around to my crew for any signs of compassion. “What? Anyone gonna help ‘em? No? Fine.”

With that, I grabbed the loose end of a mooring line, wrapped it around my hoof, and leapt off of the deck. I fell, the water approaching fast, and I held my breath as the salt water broke around my hooves and stomach.

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath.

I sank below the surface of the chilly water, surrounding me in thick silence. I opened my eyes, gaining a view of my ship that I hadn’t seen before. The eternal, dark-blue haze around me was broken by the monstrous hull of my ship floating overhead, and the mostly submerged wreckage of the ship that I had destroyed to my right. Some scavenging fishes that had gathered around to feed off of the food stuffs in the wreckage, were also visible.

I began to rise to the surface, as the buoyancy of the air in my lungs took over. I surfaced rather close to the floundering griffon and his companion. I kicked over to them as well as I could, to aid the struggling creatures. The wet rope in my mouth made it difficult to breathe, but I wasn’t about to give up.

As Rainbow read that Mac had surfaced, she let out the breath.

I reached them, just as the fighting griffon began to give in. He closed his eyes and began to sink; before I wrapped a hoof underneath of him and hoisted him to the surface again.

I was being submerged by the weight of two limp bodies pushing down on my own, so I quickly wrapped the rope around them, and called to my crew to pull in the rope. My crew did as commanded, and drug us through the water until we were beside the looming hull, I fighting to keep three heads above the surface of the salt water. Slowly, we were lifted into the air, the two griffons by the rope wrapped around their chests, and myself by the hoof I had coiled the chord around.

We were hoisted onto the deck, and sloppily the two griffons dropped onto the deck. I, only with a little more grace, got to my three-and-a-half hooves.

“Stitch.” I shouted, before clearing some salt water from my throat. “Set up some beds in tha extra storage hold,” I commanded, “an’ git them there now.” I said, pointing to the two unconscious griffons.

Stitch demanded that a few other crew members carry the semi-lifeless forms to the makeshift infirmary, while she went to get the beds and her first aid things. Then Sea Dog approached me.

“Cap’n…” I could tell that there was something bugging him. “Th-they tried t-to k-k-kill us… Why are you helping them?”

A certain voice in the back of Rainbow’s mind agreed with them.

I stopped dead in my tracks, the assertion of my second-in-command making my blood run cold. “They didn’t try ta kill us.” I informed him coldly. “Their captain said that.” I looked at the crew, many of which had their ears tucked back, their heads lowered, or their tails between their legs. “They didn’t fire on us, their captain jus’ threatened to.” My brow pinched together at my hypocritical crew. “How many of y'all ‘re here on a second chance?” The shuffling of hooves and paws told me everything that I already knew. “Why can’t Ah give ‘em a second chance?” None of the crew offered a reason for a while, then Grog spoke up.

The concurring voice was silenced immediately.

“They’re griffons?” His racist suggestion earned the attention of Smoky Mirror’s back hooves. A few of the other unicorns along the edge of the ship used their magic to fish him out of the sea below.

“If that’s all, Ah’m gonna go check on our visitors.” I turned to leave, but before I descended, I called back, “Sea Dog, git Astro ta help ya git the right headin’.”

With that said, I descended the stairs into the holds, quickly noticing that the lamp at the entrance to the armory was the one that I had used as an improvised maltov coctail. I chuckled to myself, pleased with my ingenuity. As I approached the previously empty storage hold, that was now functioning as an infirmary, I could hear voices permeating the thin wall.

“She is e-extremely l-lucky t-t-to have s-s-someone like you there f-f-for her.” Came the stuttering voice of the ship’s resident surgeon.

“No,” came a weak, raspy, masculine voice that I didn’t recognize. “She’s lucky that she didn’t get impaled.” A few moments of silence passed before he continued. “And that your captain decided to help us.”

At that moment I entered the hold, and I noticed that the cots had been set up on either side of a stool that Stitch was sitting at. Stitch then pulled a few sprigs of mint out of her medicine bag, popping them into her mouth, and began to give her diagnosis. “She has immense trauma on her head and ribcage and possibly a minor concussion and trauma to the internal organs; as well as dehydration and minor asphyxiation. For yourself,” She said, looking at the alert griffon to her left, who I had assumed was the voice I had heard. “There is dehydration and asphyxiation, as well as one relatively major laceration at the left shoulder. The laceration has been mended, but needs to have movement restricted. Bed rest and fluids are recommended procedure for recovery.”

She had set up a small table between the two beds, and now placed a large jug of fresh water and two glasses on the surface for when the griffons needed a drink. She turned around and prepared to leave when she looked over to see me standing in the doorway.

“Captain!” she jumped slightly, and the conscious griffon behind her shuffled nervously. “I-I d-did as y-y-you a-asked.”

I looked around the room, my eyes resting on the two disabled creatures, that were now under my care, for just a moment. I then looked at her with the same flat, emotionless, expression that I usually have written across my face, and nodded. “Eeyup.”

She smiled, nodded, and rushed out of the room, leaving me alone with the one conscious griffon and his, strikingly familiar, comatose companion. I could tell that he was struggling to keep his eyes open, as he scanned my face, frantically attempting to read the expressionless mask that I kept on.

“Well,” Rainbow mumbled, “At least he knows it.” She squirmed slightly, “Why is he so hard to read?”

“Howdy.” I said, breaking the tension, “Ya need anythin’?”

“Uh, no, I’m fine.” He responded, confirming that he was indeed the other voice I had heard with Stitch. “Thanks.”

“Ya should drink,” I said, with some genuine concern that he probably wasn’t expecting. “It’ll do ya good.” He nodded, and poured some water into the glass that was on the table beside his bed. He sipped lightly and then tentatively laid his head down, falling asleep almost immediately.

Daring Doo trotted beside me, in a respectful silence. We made eye contact; she smiled sheepishly, and I responded with a more sincere version of the same gesture, which seemed to cause her to relax slightly.

She walked to the bed of the larger, black feathered, griffon that I had been talking to, while I walked to the bed of the other one.

Upon closer inspection of the frame and build of the griffon on the cot, I realized that it was a she, and there was something familiar about her. The pure white feathers on her head and chest were interrupted only by small purple feathers on the chest and identical feathers forming designs around her eyes.

“Wait…” Rainbow Dash sat up. “Gilda?”

I didn’t have many experiences with griffons before I bought my ship, but the griffon in front of me was identical to the one that I had any sort of interaction with. This griffon had visited the town that I used to inhabit, and terrorized the locals, including my grandmother. Eventually, her only friend ran her out of a town.

Rainbow Dash’s stomach tightened. “I-I didn’t even know M-Mac had met Gilda.” Her voice was wavering, as she began to wonder what her crush thought about her treatment of the griffon.

Joining the crew of the Swiftwing must have been her second chance, and I had just destroyed it.

There was a pang of guilt in my chest, as I realized that, even though she seemed to be rather self-centered and proud, and had left a bad image of griffons throughout the town, I should give her another chance. While she had visited the town, she was just trying to spend some time with a friend, that kept getting pulled away from her.

“Captain…” Came a whisper from behind me, and I turned to see Daring Doo looking at the other one. “Come see this.”

I walked as quietly as hooves and a peg leg would allow me to on the floorboards of the ship. As I approached her and the griffon, I could see her staring at something on his wings, which were now spread wide to allow air to pass over them and cool them tremendously. Curious, I asked, “What?”

Gesturing to the blueish-black coloration of his feathers and black-tipped beak, she made a slightly stunning revelation. “He’s royalty…”

“Beg pardon?”

“This coloration runs specifically in the royal family,” She then gestured to the few gold feathers on the underside of his wings. “And it looks like he dyed his feathers black, and recent molting has revealed some of the golden primaries specifically found in the most royal of griffons.”

My expression obviously portrayed my disorientation at her intense knowledge of the workings of one of the most elusive countries on the planet.

“I spent a lot of time in the North while searching for the Phoenix’s Staff. You pick things up.” She said, as though it was an all-inclusive explanation.

I shrugged my shoulders, content with the report, and gestured for us to leave them alone. As we began to walk towards the upper deck, she leaned against me. “Captain?” She said, to which I grunted in response. “Saving those two was really sweet.”

“They deserve ta tell their story.” I stated, before we ascended the stairs to the top deck, where the crew was bustling about, doing their duties and causing the ship to slice through the water towards our distant destination.

Rainbow Dash felt guilty, now wishing for the opportunity to give her old best friend a second chance. Attempting to get the thoughts out of her mind, she flew the book back to its rightful home.

After dropping the book off in Big Mac’s room, she practiced her routine, completely unaware of the emerald eyes below her that were silently praising her every move that she made.

She did manage to subdue the overwhelming guilt; however, on the down side, she had replaced them with thoughts about Big Mac. His muscular frame, his tender caress while he comforted her, and his subtle awesomeness that he only revealed to certain ponies.

The realization that she was one of those fortunate, “certain ponies,” made her heart flutter. “I need to talk to somepony about him.” She decided, hoping that one of her friends would know what to do about her feelings.

Applejack was out of the question; Dash revealing that she liked Big Mac to his sister would probably not go over well. Plus, Applejack was terrible at keeping secrets.

Fluttershy was a great friend, and an excellent listener, but she had always been to timid to even talk to guys, so there was little that she could do for Dash.

Pinkie Pie was not a good listener, she also seemed to be physically incapable to hold down a steady relationship.

Twilight had absolutely no experience with guys and would probably attempt to find the answers to Rainbow’s questions in a book.

Rarity … was actually not a bad option. She had been in several steady relationships. She was positively addicted to romance novels. Sure, Dash would probably have to function as a living ponyquin, but maybe she could help.

Having made her decision, Rainbow Dash banked hard for Ponyville. Zipping over countless stalls and buildings, with the gaudy building in her sight.

Alighting on the doorstep of Carousel Boutique, Dash swallowed, attempting to clear the butterflies out of her stomach. She raised a hoof, looked around to be sure that she wasn’t being watched, and pushed the door open.

“Hello, and welcome to Carousel Boutique, where everyth- Oh, Rainbow, what a pleasant surprise!” The glamorous owner of the store called out as she came out from a back room. “What are you doing here? Not that I don’t enjoy a visit from a good friend, but you rarely stop by.”

“Well,” Rainbow steeled her nerves and prepared to do the inevitable. “I need some advice.”

“Why certainly Rainbow, dear.” Rarity said, completely blind to the emotional turmoil occurring inside Rainbow Dash’s head. “Would you mind assisting me in here while we do?” She called as she walked out of the room.

“Fine…” Dash muttered as she followed her friend.

“So what’s on your mind?” Rarity asked, “Oh, and could you put this on?” She levitated a fancy saddle over to Rainbow Dash.

Dash slid the saddle on and began to explain. “Well, you see…” designer’s tape, pins, and assorted pieces of fabric floated over to Rainbow’s side, and began to adjust to the saddle. “I’ve started reading this book… and there’s this ‘character’… Rarity?”

The designer had become distracted by the window and what was outside. “Hmmm? Oh, sorry Rainbow. I was just distracted…” Once again, she was staring out the window, apparently at Big Mac, who was hauling a cart through the square.

“Oh, I know that I shouldn’t think about Applejack’s brother like that, but he is quite the stallion.” Rarity fluttered her eyelashes.

“Uh,” Rainbow had no idea what to do. She couldn’t compete with Rarity, “Y-ya know what? I just remembered that I have a, uh… weather meeting. I have to go, now.” And with that, she slid out of the room and made a dash for the door.

“What was that dear?” Rarity looked around the empty room. “Rainbow, where are you? Where is my saddle?”

Rainbow had almost made it to the door, the saddle was restricting her flying abilities, and she was almost free. Then the door opened, and she ground to a halt. She found herself staring into the deep green eyes of Macintosh Apple.

“Uh…”

“...Howdy.” Big Mac said. “That’s a nice saddle, Dash.”

Rainbow found herself blushing furiously at the subtle compliment. “Oh, I was, uh, just helping Rarity. It’s not really mine. And, uh, I gotta go.”

“Oh, well, Ah was jus’ droppin’ off some dye for Miss Rarity.” He stepped aside, giving her free reign of the door. “Wouldn’t want ta hold ya up.”

“Thanks.” She managed, at a volume that might give Fluttershy a run for her bits.

“Rainbow Dash?” Came the call of the prim and proper mare that owned the boutique as she entered the room. “Oh, Macintosh, thank you for dropping off the dye. Have you seen Rainbow Dash? She was just helping me.”

“She jus’ flew out tha door.”

“Was she wearing a saddle?”

“Eeyup.”

*sigh*

Awake

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Big Mac was not enjoying his morning chores. It wasn’t that the chores were worse than usual, he was just in a worse mood than usual, because of the night before. Basically, talking with Applejack about his crush had gone as well as he had expected.

“Alright, brother,” Applejack said, as she sat across from him on the couch, and he on the love seat. “Spill it.”

She had just made sure that their younger sister and grandmother had gone to sleep, so neither would overhear their conversation and violate poor Mac’s private affairs any further.

“Sis,” He began, “No offense, but yer terrible at keeping secrets.”

She gasped, feigning shock and insult, “Ah can’t believe ya don’t feel ya can trust yer own blood.” A raised eyebrow from her adversary caused a wave of giggles. “Alright, alright, Ah get it, but come on, Ah could help.” The pleading honesty and compassion in her eyes spoke to her noble intentions.

“Fergive me if mah sisters’ foray inta mah lovelife has left a bad taste in mah mouth.” Mac said with a heavy dose of sarcasm and eye roll.

“Cheerilee was Applebloom’s doin, and in mah defense, Ah didn’t know Roseluck would be so…” She attempted to find a gentle way to describe the behavior of the mare that was her first attempt at setting up a blind date for her brother. “Excitable?”

He shook his head, wearing a smile and chuckling, “Ah just like liking a mare, and havin’ it be mah choice ta do so.”

A few seconds of pensive silence passed before Applejack had an idea. “How ‘bout a game o’ twenty questions?”

“Beg pardon?”

“Do Ah know ‘em?”

He rolled his eyes slightly, the question seeming ridiculous. “Uh, Ponyville Ain’t that big, a course ya know ‘er”

Applejack’s eyes lit up slightly. “That gets rid of any mares you mighta’ met in Canterlot.” Big Mac mentally kicked himself for not thinking of that before. “Is she a farmer?”

Knowing that his sister was thinking about the carrot farmer up the road, he decided to end that, before it became a rumor. “Nnope.”

“Librarian?” Big Mac raised an eyebrow, “Oh, come on, Ah’ve seen Twi’s doll in yer room ‘fore.” His sister said with a smirk.

“Nnope, ain’t her either.” He said while his face became very warm.

“Is she one o’ mah friends?”

“Uh,” He hesitated just a moment. “Ah ain’t tellin’ ya no more.”

Applejack donned a sick, twisted smile. “Which one?” She was positively sure that she had narrowed it down to four. “Pinkie? Dash? Rarity?… Fluttershy?” She said the last one with a certain attempted understanding.

Big Mac just blinked a few times. “Ah ain’t sayin’, just don’t go spreadin’ any rumors, ‘cause yer probably wrong.” He stood up and began to walk towards the stairs. “Ah’m goin’ ta bed, g’night.”

Back in the present, Big Mac was very disappointed in himself for allowing his sister to adequately narrow down the list of mares that he was interested to a grand total of three. He sighed and pushed his shoulder against the yoke that was draped around his neck.

He looked to the sky, desperately hoping for a mental escape from his struggles. Sadly; however, it seemed that Rainbow Dash hadn’t awoken yet and was yet to grace the skies over Sweet Apple Acres with her presence.

Rainbow Dash actually had awoken, having a rough night’s sleep. She knew that she couldn’t possibly compete with Rarity for Big Mac’s attention. Rarity was, like, the prettiest mare ever. Things could only get worse if he was interested in her.

Groaning, Rainbow Dash fell back into the fluffy cloud mattress. She didn’t like things that were this confusing. Why couldn’t he just like her and tell her? But, no, she had to be totally enraptured by his awesomeness, and clueless about his feelings.

She got up and walked to her door, planning to go see her friend, Twilight. She dove off of her porch and allowed the exhilarating dive to cleanse her thoughts, but Big Mac’s visage refused to leave her alone.

She pulled out of the dive and angled herself towards the giant tree that had been hollowed out, to serve as Ponyville’s library. Uncharacteristically of Rainbow Dash, she landed lightly on the doorstep, and knocked. Her ministrations resulted in a call to come in, coming from behind the door.

She pushed open the door and stepped in, finding the adolescent dragon that served as her friend’s assistant. “Hey, Spike. How’s it going?”

“Huh?” The little lizard asked, looking up from his reorganizing of the books. “Oh, Rainbow, It’s nice to see you using the door, rather than a window, or wall, or bookshelf.”

“Haha, very funny, Is Twilight in?” She asked, not in the mood to deal with smart remarks.

“Sorry,” he said with a shrug, “Twilight was called to Canterlot for training; you know, secret princess stuff.” He sounded slightly annoyed with the change of plans.

“Alright, Spike, thanks.” Rainbow said, before taking flight for the airspace over Sweet Apple Acres.

In Canterlot, Twilight, Princess Celestia’s student and newest alicorn princess, was ushered by an armored guard to the private royal library, where she would normally find her mentor reading. This time was different, though.

Instead of the stoic, regal, ivory form of her tutor, and Princess of the Sun, Twilight found two alicorns.

“Uh, Princess Luna? Cadence? What’s going on here?” Twilight asked, thoroughly confused, as she was expecting Celestia, who had sent the letter summoning her, the Nocturnal Diarch, and Crystal Empress were completely unexpected. “Where is Princess Celestia?”

“Oh, Twilight!” Princess Luna exclaimed, ever grateful to see her sister’s student. “Join us, your sister-in-law has me helping her to play matchmaker!” The innocent excitement in her voice betrayed her lack of guilt at playing games with the emotions of her denizens.

“Uh, Cadence?” Twilight asked, hoping for a less worrying explanation, but none such description came.

“Twilight! It’s so good to see you again!” She said, standing up to greet the newest member of the royal family. “And, don’t worry so much, Twilight.” A sheepish smile coated the Love Princess’ lips. “I know what I’m doing. We’re just giving two ponies, who are meant for each other, a little push together.”

“Isn’t that like, illegal?”

“Not necessarily.” Luna spoke up, “Many laws have changed in the thousand years that I have been gone, so I have spent much of my time back studying them, and none prohibit this.” She finished with a proud smile for finding a loophole.

Twilight looked down at the scroll that was spread out between them, and noticed that it appeared to be an outline for some sort of pirate adventure story, with certain points checked off. “I’m not even going to ask what this is.” She said, with a sigh, before continuing on her original thought line. “Where is Princess Celestia?”

“Oh, Tia should be here in a few minutes,” Luna shrugged off the question, then said with a smile, “She went to get some snacks, it’s fun to do something together as a family again.”

“Princess Celestia is in on this too?!?” Twilight shouted, completely unable to fathom her idol doing something so…weird.

“Oh, Twilight, It’s so good that you could make it.” Came the regal and collected voice of Princess Celestia as she entered the room, carrying a large bowl of buttery popcorn in her magical grip.

Twilight could only stand there, as her understanding of the very structure of the Equestrian federal system crumbled out from beneath her.

“Let’s go to my private study, there we can discuss your responsibilities as the newest Equestrian Princess.” Princess Celestia trotted out of the room, with Twilight on one side, and a portion of the popcorn floating on the other side, with one occasionally breaking off from the group and floating to the princess’ mouth.

The sails strained against their timber reigns, as they were whipped by the wind and pulled the ship along at a blistering gallop.

“Hmmm… Poetic…”

I breathed in the salty air as my ship sliced through the small chop, and it made me feel alive in a way that I never would’ve expected. The sea breeze whipped through my freshly dyed mane and scruffy facial hair.

“Captain?” Came the call of Smoky Mirror, “The griffons are waking up.”

I looked over to her, and noticed a discrepancy. Her coat had taken on a bluish hue, and towards the roots of her mane, it became light blue, as though dye was beginning to wear out. A quick glance toward her flank confirmed the faint existence of a different cutie mark, one that I recognized.

“Thank ya,” I said to her, then with a little bit of sick satisfaction I gave her a recommendation. “And if ya want ta keep up ‘Smoky Mirror,’ ya might want some more dye, Trixie.” Her pupils shrank to pinpoints as she realized that her cover was blown. I chuckled lightly, “It’s alright, Ah had mah suspicions the whole time, jus try not ta go all ‘Great an’ Powerful,’ kay?” She nodded, still mortified at how poorly she covered her secret.

“AHA!” Rainbow Dash screamed at her book, “I knew it! She WAS Trixie!”

I called Schatzi to my side, and commanded her to hold the ship steady on her course. “Ah’m gonna go check on our visitors.” I informed her, apparently too loud, as Daring Doo took that as an invitation to accompany me.

“Alright, Captain, what’s the plan?” She asked while she happily trotted alongside me. “Interrogation? Simple questioning? Conversation? Ooh! Should we do ‘Good Cop Bad Cop’?”

“Heh,” Rainbow chuckled slightly, “She sounds kinda like me.”

“Who said ya were comin’ with me?” I asked with a small smile and raised eyebrow.

“Well somepony needs to keep you in line.” She said with a smirk. “Plus, I kinda want to meet them.”

We trotted to the infirmary, to find Stitch lightly dripping water into the beak of the, still sleeping, female griffon, while the dark feathered male was sipping from a glass. They both turned toward me, apparently recognizing the three-legged cadence of the peg-legged captain.

“Howdy.” I greeted the conscious griffon, “How’d ya sleep?”

He eyed me with an uncertainty that was to be expected from being greeted by someone he had tried to kill. “Um, fine, thank you.”

Daring Doo stretched her neck to get near my ear. “Am I the ‘bad cop’ then?”

I turned to stare at her, “We ain’t doin’ that!”

“Haha! I know, you’re just too much fun to mess with.” She laughed, to which I rolled my eyes.

The poor griffon was looking at the two of us as though we were freaks; rightfully so, seeing as we weren’t acting like the dangerous pirates that he expected from the captain of the ship that sank the most feared ship on the ocean. “W-why did you save us, if I may ask?”

I thought for a moment, before responding. “‘Cause Ah thought ya could use help.” I pulled up a chair and sat down next to the bed. “And, this whole crew is made of ponies that needed second chances.”

Suddenly, our conversation was interrupted, as the other griffon bolted awake, screeched loud enough to almost deafen everyone in the room, and gasped for breath.

“Sorry!” Stitch yelled to the griffon she had been attending, as well as the rest of the room. “M-my hoof s-slipped.”

The wild look of the griffon showed her confusion and fear at waking up in an unfamiliar situation. She whipped her head around, apparently looking for the nearest exit. The longer she searched, the more panicked she became, until the other guy took the initiative, before she hurt herself.

“Gilda! Gilda!” He shouted at her, drawing her attention to him. As she saw him, her expression softened, and her breathing slowed. “Calm down, these ponies just want to help!”

Rainbow Dash was almost speechless, “It is Gilda… How does he even know Gilda enough to have her in a dream?”

She seemed slightly accepting of that and calmed down enough to take in the room around her. Nothing seemed to interest her until she saw the mare by my side. “D-Daring Doo?” She managed, before she doubled over in a coughing fit.

Stitch brought the glass of water to the griffon, apparently named Gilda’s, beak, and Gilda grabbed it, sucking up the liquid greedily. Once it was empty, Stitch took the glass back, filling it up again, allowing it to sit on the bedside table.

“Oh my gosh…” The raspy, tough, awe-filled voice of Gilda filled the room, and caused the explorer responsible for the awe to blush furiously. “I-I can’t believe it…” Then her demeanor changed, as though she was suspicious of everything around her. “Where am I? Am I dead? Who are you? Does the captain know what happened?”

“Ah sure do.” I responded to her last question, “As fer yer other questions, yer on mah ship, yer barely alive, Ah’m the captain, and the captain of yer ship tried ta sink this one, but Ah beat him to the punch.” She looked like she didn’t quite believe me, “An then Ah found ya an’ yer friend drownin’ in the water.”

A few moments of awkward silence passed before anyone said anything, Gilda looking between everyone in the room, like she was debating which one would be best to attack if she needed to, the other griffon was sipping from a glass, Stitch was packing her medical gear away, Daring Doo was shuffling on her hooves, and I was wishing that I didn’t need to initiate the conversation again. My wish was in vain.

“Alright, Ah think Introductions are in order.” I began, gesturing to my chest with a hoof, “Ah’m Captain Macintosh. Ya probably know this little missy, Daring Doo, fer the moment she’s just hitchin’ a ride. That over there is Stitch, she’s tha surgeon on the ship. And y’all are?”

“Gilda.” Came the simple, poignant, blunt answer from the female.

“Yep, sounds like her.”

“And you your highness?” Daring Doo asked the other, only to be greeted by dilated pupils and a ‘cut’ motion at his neck. “What?”

“Wait.” Gilda demanded, and looked at him, “Highness?”

He sighed and dropped his head back onto his pillow. “Ugh, yes.” He spread his wings, bringing the symbols of his lineage into view. “My title is technically Prince Vincent, of The Dominion, Fourth-in-Line for the Throne.” The look of shock on Gilda’s face was painfully obvious. “I’m so sorry, Gilda. I didn’t want you to think of me like some sort of royal loser; plus, the captain would have treated me worse if he knew. You know how much he hates royalty, right?”

I felt as though I was intruding on a very private conversation. “You never thought this was important to mention?” Gilda screeched at him. “It never crossed your mind that, ‘Oh, maybe Gilda should know that I am a prince,’ would be a great thing to consider some time when none of the other crew was near?” Suddenly her voice and demeanor changed. “You know that nothing would change between us if you would’ve told me, right?”

The conversation got very private, very quick, and I decided that it was time for me to leave. “Well, Ah’m headin’ out, if ya want ta talk, Ah’ll be on deck, just come find me.” And with that, I turned to leave the room, ushering Daring Doo and Stitch in front of myself.

“Wait, Captain.” I heard Vincent call, “Thank you, so much.” I turned and nodded to him, before trotting up to the main deck.
In the short time that I had been below decks, the wind had picked up, giving rise to noticeable swells that rocked the ship. I scanned the surrounding horizon, and noticed a large mass of ominous dark clouds with arcs of electricity passing through them. The wind was moving much faster than the ship, and as would soon overtake us.

I sighed, desperately hoping that this storm would not result in another destroyed mast. I then realized that I might have a leg up on the storm. “Miss Doo?”

“Haven’t I ever told you? Don’t call me ‘Miss Doo,’ it makes me feel like an old teacher or something.” She said as she drifted down from the rafters that she was exploring.

“Woah,” Rainbow Dash said, raising an eyebrow. “Déjà vu. I feel like I told him that too.”

I chuckled a little at that, “Well, Daring, yer a pegasus, can ya do anythin’ ‘bout that?”

“I’m a-… What do you mean by that?” she growled, getting as close as she could to my face, with the deliberate intent to intimidate me.

“Ah mean,” I began to explain, “none o’ the crew can fly, an’ those griffons ain’t up to it yet; so yer the only one who can get close to the clouds.”

“Oh… sorry…” She landed on the deck, dropping her wings to her side. “No, I can’t, there’s too many clouds; I couldn’t do anything on my own.”

“Shucks…” I stepped up to the highest point on deck, and gave off a low, resounding whistle. “All y’all, listen up.” The whole crew looked to me, “Baten down the hatches, tighten the rigging, and hold on tight, we’re weatherin’ this one too.”

Ponies and Dogs rushed around the deck, tightening ropes, securing hatches, and preparing the ship for the fast approaching storm. Sails were tucked away, and loose items were secured, or stowed away.

Suddenly, I felt the unmistakeable sting of raindrops pelting my face, as the storm reached us far sooner than expected. The rain picked up, and waves rocked the ship, lightning split the sky, and thunder rang in our ears. We fought to keep the ship under control for hours, long into the night, when it finally drained itself.

As we were given freedom from the storm, we rushed down to the galley, where we sat around a fire, and ate the hot stew prepared for us by Cookie; regaining enough strength to return to our beds for the night.

Rainbow Dash shut the book after finishing the chapter, and noticed the rumbling in her stomach. “Ugh, stew sounds good right now.”

She grabbed the book, and Rarity’s Saddle and threw them in her Wonderbolts saddlebags, before she took off for town. She soared over acres of fluffy white clouds, and allowed her mind to wander. They wandered to work, to storms, to sailing, to captains, and eventually to a certain apple farmer.

In an attempt to get her mind away from Big Mac, Dash dropped to the top of the cloud layer. She lowered her hooves to the cloud and let them skim the surface. Tufts of cloud whirled up and tickled her stomach. She looked behind her, and admired the swirling trail of water vapor, that curled around her trademark rainbow trail.

The clouds thinned out, as she reached the town, and she dove down to the square. She got a daisy sandwich from Sugarcube Corner, before trotting to Rarity’s.

“Hey, Rare,” Rainbow called in to the boutique. “I brought the saddle back.”

“Oh, Rainbow, darling, I am so glad, I didn’t know what I was going to do without it.” Her fashionista friend called back, as she walked into the room. “Brown isn’t really your color, darling.”

Deciding to play along, Rainbow asked, “Oh? Then what is?”

“Just about anythin’ else.” Came a low, rumbling voice from the hallway.”

“M-M-Mac?” Rainbow asked, as she straightened up.

“Oh, Macintosh, are you finished with the window?” To which he nodded. “Sweetie Belle broke it, while practicing her magic, so I called Macintosh, here, to fix it.” She explained.

“O-oh, that makes sense.” Rainbow then picked up the flaps on her saddlebags, to dig out the saddle, “Here’s, uh, this.”

“Oh, thank you, darling.” Rarity said, as she took the clothing. “And, if I may ask, what book is that in your bags?” Big Mac’s ears perked up, and swiveled towards the conversation.

Rainbow, beginning to panic, struggled to come up with a cover story. “Oh, uh, it’s the new, um, Daring Doo book.”

“Oh, alright, thank you again for bringing the saddle back.”

“Well, I need to get going. I’ll see you guys later.” Rainbow shouted as she dove out a window.

“Did she seem...nervous to you, Macintosh?”

“Eeyup.”

“I wonder what’s wrong...”

Patched Hearts

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Rainbow Dash couldn’t remember much of the dream that she had just awoken from, but she remembered that Princess Luna was there. It felt as though she had been watched, and it made her feel exposed.

In an attempt to scrub away the discomfort of being watched, she took an early morning shower. She began to lather her mane with some new, apple-scented shampoo, before realization set in.

She pulled her most recent purchase in personal care products to her face, examining the label. The red plastic had a green apple printed on the front, and when she read the ingredients list, she noticed only two words, “Macintosh Apples.”

She sighed, and put the bottle down, before rinsing her mane. Buying this shampoo was not a conscious decision, she was just shopping, and picked this one up instead of her normal shampoo.

She shook the worst of the water off, and trotted to her balcony, which overlooked the meticulously groomed fields of Sweet Apple Acres, and took flight. The wind flicked all the water out of her mane and coat, making a small vapor trail that disrupted her rainbow trail only the slightest.

Content that she was dry enough to be presentable, she decided that a hard morning of cloud busting and flight training would clear her mind of Big Macintosh.

Big Mac was, in fact, trying to get his mind off of the colorful streak that was splitting the sky overhead.
It wasn’t working.

His farming work was so second nature, that devoting himself to it just caused his mind to wander again. It was not second nature enough to keep him from making mistakes though, as he discovered when he almost lost the entire cart full of apples when he hit an exposed root.

Several overzealous, missed applebucks, and a few less-than-straight rows of plowed field later, and he decided that it was time for a break. He began to trot towards the old house that had been in the family for four generations.

Mac walked inside, and trotted over to the sink, where he dunked his head in the cool water, and got himself a glass of ice water. He allowed the water to drip down his neck and cool him down, while he took a swig from the glass.

Suddenly, he heard his name being called from outside, so, downing the last of his drink, he walked for the front door.

Applejack was outside, prancing around and calling his name. “Oh, there ya are, Mac!” She said with a chipper smile. “Ah got great news for ya.”

Red flags went up in Macintosh’s mind. “What?”

“Ah got ya a date!”

Mac’s stomach dropped as fast as his jaw. “P-p-pardon?”

“With Fluttershy, in an hour. So git cleaned up an’ git over there.” She said, pushing him back to the house.

“B-but, Ah got chores ta do!” He protested. “An’ it’s the middle of the day!”

“Don’t ya worry, big brother, Ah got yer chores. You jus’ go an’ have fun with yer new ladyfriend.”

“But-!”

Rainbow Dash leapt out of the window as quickly as she could, when she heard voices coming up the stairs toward Big Mac’s room.

As she soared over the farm, she adjusted the book that she just barely managed to hold on to during her escape. She let out a deep breath and set down on a cloud, to begin reading.

I walked out on deck in the early morning light, struggling to stay upright on the slick, wet deck. The slightly strange sensation of my scruffy beard being blown by the wind was distracting, but not as distracting as Daring Doo.

She was out for an early morning flight, performing stunts and maneuvers that made me smile. Sure, I had seen far more impressive, but she was still pretty good.

A faint hope welled up in Rainbow Dash’s chest as she began to desperately hope that he was referencing her flying skills; after all, she practiced over his farm on a regular basis.

I could’ve watched her fly for hours, but she appeared to notice me on the deck. She landed gracefully in front of me and planted a gentle kiss on my lips. “Hey, Captain, how’s it going?”

Dash’s heart fluttered at the thought, which made her both giddy and disgusted.

I smiled at her and nuzzled her gently, knocking her helmet askew, which prompted a short round of giggles. “Ah’m doin’ just fine, but Ah gotta git the crew up now.”

“Oooh!” I heard a voice come from behind me. I turned to find Chance sitting on his haunches, a big goofy grin plastered across his face. “I’ll do it!”

He bounded down into the gut of the ship, leaving me and Daring alone on the deck. She turned to look at me, an adorable quizzical expression on her face. I just shrugged my shoulders, showing that I didn’t know what was up with the excitable pup.

A bark in the real world confused Rainbow for just a moment, before she realized that it was coming from below her.

“Hush, Winona,” Came a deep voice, that easily carried up to her resting place. “Down Girl.”

Rainbow peered over her vaporous bed to see Macintosh, wearing a fine suit, and his with his mane combed back. It was a very different sight, being used to the tough, dirty farmer. It wasn’t unwelcome, the red stallion dressed up nicely, it was just different.

Curious, she followed him, noticing eventually that he passed off of the trail to Ponyville, and onto the path to Fluttershy’s cottage.

Rainbow’s heart dropped so fast and hard, that she thought she was going to drop out of the cloud. She had never felt so sickeningly betrayed. Fluttershy, her oldest, most trusted friend, stealing her stallion right out from under her muzzle.

Rainbow felt sick, and almost dropped the book through the cloud. There was simply nothing more she could think to do. Looking back to the hardback book in her hooves, she decided, with some difficulty, that there wasn’t any harm in reading the rest of the chapter.

Shortly after Chance’s descent into the ship, he returned with the crew. Many of the ponies, and dogs were moving sluggishly, a testament to the early hour, and late night.

I commanded the crew, giving them direction, and assigning positions. While I did, I came across Stitch and asked, “Did ya check on our visitors today?” Upon receiving a negative response, I decided to do so myself.

Daring Doo, who had almost taken upon the title of my shadow, followed me into the hold, where we found Vincent attempting to stand, while Gilda was still sprawled out over her bed.

“Heh,” Rainbow mumbled, “she did like to sleep like that.

“Good morning, Captain. I am terribly sorry that we did not come to talk to you yesterday, I fell asleep, again, and slept the rest of the night.” The way he talked, now that he was hydrated, was rather regal, and his posture echoed his diction.

“How did Gilda end up on a pirate ship and in a romantic relationship with a prince?” Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but whisper to herself.

I smiled at the apparent prince, “S’alright. Ah jus’ wanted ta know what yer plans were from here.” I pulled a bench over for Daring Doo and myself to share while we talked to him. “Also, Ah’d like ta know yer story.” The look of intense interest on Daring Doo’s face showed that she wanted the same thing.

Vincent looked back and forth between us and sighed, resigning to tell us. “Alright, just allow me to get comfortable. It is a long story.” He adjusted the blankets and sheets on his cot into a makeshift nest, before he nestled in, poking his head up enough to allow his head to be visible.

“I was the second-born to the Emperor, and I lived a fantastic life, even though I was living in the shadow of my older brother.” He chuckled slightly, “He actually failed to inherit the Phoenix’s Feathers, like me,” He lifted his wings so that we could see the golden plumage on the underside. “So he dyed his. He wasn’t ever as strong as me either, but he was the next-in-line so he got everything.”

“Phoenix Feathers?” Dash cocked her head to the side as she pondered the term, “Gilda never mentioned ‘Phoenix Feathers.’”

Gilda adjusted her position in her sleep, which distracted Vincent for a moment.

“Terribly sorry about that.” He said, shaking his head, and coming back to the story. “When I turned eighteen, I decided that I wanted to join the military. I colored the feathers on my wings, left home, and enlisted in the Navy. I served on a ship for about two months, before the ship was taken down by the Swiftwing.” He shuddered at the memory. It was dark, our job was a simple escort service, and we had a small 20-gun ship.” He took a deep breath. “Captain Swiftwing had learned that the son of the Emperor had joined the Navy and was on my ship. It was a massacre.”

With another deep sigh, Vincent continued, “He fished the few survivors out of the sea, including myself. He interrogated all of the sailors about the prince, but I had not told any of them about my true identity, and so none of us told him that the prince survived.” Vincent gave Daring and myself a halfhearted smile, “He still never knew that I was really a prince. He actually managed to spread the story about how he killed me personally. My parents and my brother vowed to kill him, to sink his ship, while he was tied to a mast.”

The pain in his eyes sickened me, “But,” he choked out, “they won’t get a chance, and I thank you for saving me from his service. He treated the griffons that he captured or ‘rescued’ like dirt, until they proved that they were heartless, like he was.” He then looked wistfully over at Gilda. “I feel so bad for her.”

Rainbow sat up straighter.

“Why is that?” Daring Doo asked, a kind, gentle interest obvious on her face.

“Well,” he began, looking over to her. “The captain found her sleeping on a cloud close to shore, she seemed to have been crying, to be underfed, and almost dead. He brought her to the deck, clipped her wings, tied her talons and paws together, and gagged her, before throwing her down in front of the crew.”

Tears began to fall from Vincent’s eyes to his beak and then to the floor. “He offered her to the crew as payment.” He choked on his words, “It… was disgusting…” Taking a deep breath, he began again. “I decided to save her, so before anyone could have their way with her, I asked for personal possession. The captain, seeing this as me proving myself, agreed and gave me my own private quarters.”

The story was disgusting to a country gentleman like myself, and I could tell that it was messing with Daring at my side.

Dash almost couldn’t take hearing this about her old friend, it sickened her more than anything she had dealt with in a while.

“I put her on my back, and carried her down to the new room, where I gently laid her down on the bed. She was crying, and looking at me with panic and fear like I was going to do what any of the others onboard would have done. -That hurt worse than anything, seeing her so scared of me.- It took me hours to convince her that I was trying to help her, and for me to be able to take the restraints off without being killed.” He began to smile slightly. “I kept her there for a while, bringing her food and helping her recover. It took a lot of work, and sick creativity for stories, to convince the captain that she was ‘good’ to be part of the crew, but eventually he accepted.” He laughed slightly, “We grew to love each other, as she recovered. She was so strong, so confident, I love her, and she loves me. We would try to develop plans to escape, but none of them were good enough. Then, just a few days ago, there was the call for an unknown ship on the horizon.”

I could tell that he was about to share the story of when we took out the other ship, and It was extremely surreal to hear from the other side.

“The captain was feeling rather creative, and when he noticed Miss. Doo scouting the ship,” he gestured to Daring who shuffled her wings uncomfortably, “he decided to ‘meet’ them personally. He took off, but before he did, he made us go to our battle stations, hoping to get us ready to sink this ship if he wanted. Gilda and I were working the guns, so we rushed down, hoping not to have to shoot another ship. A few minutes passed, and then we saw the captain take off for our ship, so we prepared to fire on the signal. Suddenly, though, a lamp came flying in through the gunport next to ours and burst on the deck, sending flaming oil all over the barrels of gunpowder. I grabbed her and began to run, completely oblivious to the others, and then the barrels blew, sending us flying, along with shredded timbers. I just landed on the deck, but she was slammed into a mast. The ship began to sink fast, and I rushed to her, determined to keep her safe, and then we ended up in the water, abandoned by the rest of the crew. The rest is common knowledge for you now, I suppose.” He finished with a shrug.

I could feel the emotions that his story had roused threatening to make me cry, but I refused to allow them to break through.

My companion, on the other hand, was unable to do so, and the tears were flowing freely from her eyes, while I pulled her into a tight hug.

Rainbow Dash didn’t feel so lame crying, if Daring Doo did it too.

“That is so awful…” Daring Doo choked out.

“You’re telling me.” Came a raspy, weak voice from behind us, and we turned to find Gilda rolling over, revealing her puffy eyes and tearstained feathers. “I had been struggling for years, my dad sent me to a pegasus flight school as a punishment, he then punished me for enjoying myself. Years later, after being kicked out of the house for not being married, I went to reconnect with my old best friend, and when I found out that I had been replaced I was hurt. I’ll be the first to admit, now, that I was out of line during my visit to her, and rightfully kicked out of that town, but it still hurt. The following years had been hard, what with little food, no home, no friends, and a lot of crying. It had been around two years living on my own when I was taken, and you already know the rest, I guess.” She seemed ashamed, and hurt.

Correction, that sickened her more than anything that she had dealt with before.

Daring Doo gave her a large, comforting hug, and continued to do so even as Vincent had limped over and joined the embrace. Both the pony and griffon prince whispering words of comfort and reassurance to the hurting griffoness.

After a few minutes of this, Gilda had managed to calm herself down, and the others had broken away, still rubbing her back softly. “Well, the crew an’ Ah would be happy ta have ya join us on the ship, but ya don’t have to make any decision yet.”

They both seemed appreciative of my offer, and smiled weakly at Daring and myself. “If y’all would excuse me, Ah’m gonna go up on deck, we’re gonna make port tomorrow.” Daring Doo followed me, leaning into my side and filling me with hope, as we entered the light of day again.

Rainbow Dash shut the book and cried.

She did this for a few minutes, trying her hardest to keep silent.

Finally, she regained her cool, and dunked her head in the cloud, allowing the condensation to cool her face off and refresh her. Then she took off for the Apple’s house to return the book, and hoping to forget about Big Mac and Fluttershy.

Applejack was patiently awaiting the return of her brother from his semi-blind date. She had managed to get all of his chores done, in addition to hers, and was now patiently waiting for the sound of hoofsteps as her doubtlessly lovestruck brother came down the road.

She sipped on her iced tea, hoping to distract herself from the vitally important results of the date. This motion distracted her for long enough, to allow Big Mac to round the corner without her noticing.

He began to stomp up to the porch and then she noticed him. “Howdy, loverboy.” she teased “how’d it go with Fluttershy?”

The icy glare that Big Mac gave her told her all that she needed to know. “Oh… W-what happened?”

He looked at her, his ears tucked back, and his brow furrowed slightly. “We got kicked out of the restaurant.”

Applejack’s mind almost broke.

There was almost nothing, besides unintentional destruction, that she could think of her brother doing to get kicked out of a restaurant. “What happened?”

He sighed, “We were too quiet, and it made the other customers ‘uncomfortable.’” He emphasized the last word with his hooves. “Ah ain’t allowed back there again.”

“Ah-Ah’m so sorry…” Applejack said, it was all her fault, after all.

“S’ alright.” He said as he started to walk inside. “Ah’m gonna shower, and then Ah think Ah’ll break out Ma’s old guitar. ‘S been a long day.”

Applejack felt guilt rip her heart in two as her brother walked into the house and away from her. She hadn’t even been sure that Fluttershy or Mac liked each other, and she just ruined it for both of them.

Rainbow Dash had returned the book, and was desperately needing to clear her mind. It had been a long day of crying and heartbreak, so she really needed to fly hard to some music.

Sadly, she had no real way to play music for her to fly to, so flying would have to stand as a substitute.

The dusk hours sent shadows and an assorted plethora of colors over the clouds and fields below, causing her mind to blank as she twisted around them.

As she flew, she could almost imagine the soft plucking of a guitar. The music grew, and even though it was quiet, It allowed her to find something to focus on, and completely lose herself. The consuming rhythms and tones steadily became more inspiring as she intensified her routine.

Finally the song came to an end, and she alighted on a cloud, allowing her newfound peace wash over her.

Then another song started.

Confusion dawned on Rainbow Dash as she pondered the possibilities of this. Suddenly it hit her that she hadn’t been imagining the first song, she had heard it.

This revelation caused her to search out the source of the almost heavenly music.

A short time scanning the area had resulted in locating the general source of the music as somewhere along a lake in the midst of one of the fields.

The lake would be incredibly hard to find, if she wasn’t able to fly. It was secluded, and the sunset caused a beautiful assortment of colors to splay across the surface of the water.

There was a small cliff, with an alcove located in it, that appeared to be the source of the music, the natural shape of the small cave amplifying the strumming of the guitarist.

Dash set down on the beach a few steps away from the edge of the cave. She slowly approached it, worried about the possible reaction of whoever was playing.

When she finally reached the mouth of the alcove, she peered in, seeing clear to the back of the cave where a pony was sitting on a stump, gently caressing the strings of his instrument. Upon closer inspection she realized that the pony was… “Mac?”

Her whispering alerted him to her presence, and both of them stared awkwardly, the music continuing as though Dash’s intrusion didn’t interrupt Mac at all.

A few more moments of uncomfortable semi-silence passed before either of them spoke. Then it all broke down.

“Howdy.”

“I’m so sorry, I-I didn’t know.”

“Rainbow.”

“I-I didn’t mean to.”

“Rainbow.”

“I just heard music, and I wanted to see-”

“Rainbow.”

“I just needed to know who was playing it.”

“Rainbow.”

“You know what I mean?”

“Rainbow, it’s alright.”

“Huh?”

By this point, Mac had stopped playing, walked over to her, and was looking into her eyes. “Ah said, It’s alright.”

“Oh…”

“Ya wanna stay ‘n listen?” Rainbow Dash’s heart began to pound against her ribcage.

“Sure.” She whispered.

Mac went back to playing, and Rainbow sat at the edge of the shore listening intently. Eventually, Mac reached a simpler part of the song and began to make conversation. “So why were ya out this way?”

“Oh, uh, I was doing some flying, and then I heard a guitar so I decided to check it out.” She could’ve died with how stupid that sounded. “S-speaking of which, I, uh, didn’t know that you played.”

Mac smiled a little, it was a genuine but hollow smile. “Eeyup, mah Ma’ taught me.”

Knowing how touchy Applejack was when talking about her parents, she began to panic. “Oh, I, um, I’m so sorry, I didn’t know.”

“It’s alright.” Big Mac assured her, “Ah’ve made mah peace.”

Dash nodded, before a shiver ran up her spine, reminding her of the late hour.

The shiver was subtle, but not enough to go unnoticed by Big Macintosh. “Ya cold?”

“Oh, no, I’m fine, I’m used to it, it gets cold in the clouds.” She reasoned, in vain, as Mac trotted over and placed himself in the way of the chilly night breeze. Before this moment, she had thought that there was absolutely no way that Mac could seem any more attractive, but now she was sitting on the beach, while the guy of her dreams sat next to her playing guitar.

Rarity never needed to know about this night.

“So Mac, did you do anything interesting today?”

“Heh,” He said, in a dry chuckle. “Well…” He proceeded to tell her all about his disastrous date with Fluttershy, and her hope grew with every passing word.

Maybe she did stand a chance.

Rainbows

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Rainbow Dash grabbed Big Mac’s dream journal from his room, before she began her weather duty, there was a quick storm scheduled for today, and she needed to get everything organized, before the downpour started and she got some free time.

“Applebloom!” Applejack shouted at her little sister. “Ya gotta help me ‘n Mac clean up the West Field before the pegasi start the rain.”

Applebloom came scurrying out of the house to help her siblings. Applejack was tossing sticks and loose tools into the wagon that her brother was pulling. Applebloom put her youthful energy to good use, aiding her sister in her task.

They continued to clean up the orchard, while the airborne ponies continued to pack the clouds together.

Rainbow Dash settled back into her bed, having organized and set off the storm perfectly, now she could just relax and read, while waiting for the storm to burn out.

Something caught her attention, though.

Note: Remember to censor names before showing anypony.

Rainbow’s heart began to pound, this might be the chapter that reveals who Macintosh liked, and was the very reason that she had begun to read this story; however, she didn’t know if she wanted to know who he liked anymore, but she read on anyway.

It was early morning, and the past few days had been physically and mentally exhausting. The stress from taking down an enemy ship, the feasting that came from that, nursing some of the survivors back to health, and functioning with a crew that was slightly too small for the ship can take their tolls on the mental health of a crew.

Thankfully, we had a couple of days in port, to recuperate, as well as deliver and get paid for the small shipment that I had agreed upon delivering.

We were beginning to pull into port, with ponies and dogs shouting at their subordinates. The crew was beginning to get antsy, and ready to dock, surely some of them would spread stories of the fall of the Swiftwing.

There would certainly be some stories circulating the port towns about the very instance, and just hearing what the local ponies have heard was going to be entertaining.

“Oh, someone seems cocky.”

The commotion on deck had apparently awoken my slumbering griffon guests. Vincent came ambling up the stairs, while Gilda followed, leaning against her mate groggily.

“Howdy.” I said, as they approached the wheel. “Sleep well?” I strategically ignored the few judgmental glares sent towards the griffons.

“Indeed,” Vincent said with an air of restfulness and gratitude, “much better than I have in a long time.”

“Still ain’t a cloud nest.” Gilda mumbled.

“Ah’m sorry ‘bout that.” I chuckled. “Did ya make a decision about yer plans?”

“Yes, I believe that we did.” Vincent began. “We would agree to join your crew, on a few terms.” He shuffled a little, upsetting the delicately balanced griffoness that was leaning against him. “I want to go back home, sometime within the next year or so. I have not seen my family in a while, and I would much appreciate the chance to show them that I am not dead.”

“Understandable.” I agreed.

“I wonder how his family is doing, with him disappearing like that.” Rainbow Dash mumbled.

It was apparently Gilda’s turn to bargain with me, “And we want to be treated like crew.” She demanded.

“Ah can make that promise fer mahself and most of the crew, but there’s a few that ain’t so keen on ya bein’ here.” I said with a shrug. “Ah’ll do what Ah can though.” I looked between them, and they looked at each other, “That all?” I’ asked and they nodded. I was exceedingly glad for the fairly simple negotiations. “Alright, before ya disembark, Ah’ll give ya a small ‘signing bonus’.” I finished with a smile and a shake of their talons.

“Listen up!” I shouted at the rest of the crew, after the ship had been adequately moored. “Vincent ‘n Gilda are now a part o’ the crew,” A few cheers rang out among the ponies and dogs, as well as a few grumbles of complaint. “Now, remember we shove off at noon so be back by ten.” And with that, the crew was off.

“Hey, Captain.” I heard Daring call from behind. “What are your plans for today?”

I turned to find her looking up at me a raised eyebrow and a knowing little smirk. “Well, I was thinkin’ ‘bout goin’ out shoppin’ fer some supplies, an then gettin’ some dinner.” I smiled at her, “Would ya care ta join me?”

She let out a cute little squeal, before gathering her wits and saying, “Sure, I think I would be willing to do that. But first, I need to take a bath and get ready.” She began to flutter off, before turning towards me. “You should do the same, I don’t want to go on a date with a dirty, salty, sailor. I want my date to look good beside me.”

“Awww.” Rainbow cooed, “Their first date!”

I chuckled as she flew off to make herself pretty. I then trotted off to do the same.
I bathed, combed and trimmed my mane and beard (which was now becoming long), and put on a nicer cape and hat. I then left to meet my date for the evening.

“Hmmm…” Rainbow pondered aloud. “I wonder what Mac would look like with a beard…”

It wasn’t long before my date met me on the dock beside my ship. She had exchanged her dusty explorer shirt for a crisp white one. She had also left her helmet behind, in exchange for a clean and simple braid that separated each shade of grey into its own strand before tying it back in with the others.

“Yer jus’ pretty as a picture, ain’t ya?” I said to my date, who blushed furiously at the simple compliment.

“Aw, thanks.” Her wings ruffled slightly, “You clean up well, yourself Captain.”

“Thank ya kindly,” I gestured towards the town, “Would the lovely lady like ta git going?”

She giggled slightly, as we began our simple date. The shopping really just consisted of a bunch of errands, but it was far more enjoyable than most shopping trips because of the company.

There was a lot of commotion in the town; surprisingly, almost none of it was about the sinking of the Swiftwing. Apparently there had been some sort of commotion and some celebrities, who weren’t Daring Doo, were in town.

When we finally went for dinner, we located a fairly classy place and found a table. We sat, chatted, and laughed. We spent hours there, and managed to pick up on the local news.

According to the locals, an ancient evil had returned, dead-set on taking over the world, through violent storms that had ravaged the countryside and towns. The rampaging weather beast had apparently made its way here, where it was stopped by six great heroes.

Rainbow Dash was stunned, “Is it… Me? A-and the girls?”

I began to become antsy as I made some connections. “Hmmm… I wonder who it could be?” My adventurous companion voiced her confusion. “I’m not used to being around celebrities. Do you think we’ll see them?” She began to bounce around excitedly.

I chuckled nervously, “Ah, uh, think it might be time to go back to the ship.”

“Aw, come on, Macintosh. Can’t we go celebrity spotting?”

“Yer a celebrity.”

“That’s beside the point.”

“Well, Ah’m headin’ back if Ah’m right, Ah should try ta avoid meetin’ em.”

“You know who it is!?!?”

“Maybe.”

“Who do you think it is?”

“Ah ain’t tellin’ ya.”

“Aw, please?” She asked with the biggest pleading eyes that I have ever seen.

“If we go back now, Ah’ll tell ya.”

“Fine, as long as we get to go celebrity spotting tomorrow.”

“We’ll see.”

We left the restaurant and headed back to the ship, and I told her my thoughts.

“No. Way.” She was finding it exceedingly difficult to believe what I was saying. “Your sister is the Element of Honesty? And you think they’re here? Why are we not out there?”

“Oh my gosh…” Rainbow’s jaw was hanging loosely on its hinges.

“Ah ain’t talked with her fer a while, an’ Ah don’t think she’d be too happy with me.” I then scraped the dock with a hoof nervously. “An’ it ain’t her that Ah’m scared ta see…”

She gasped, “Is one of the Elements the mare that you liked? The one that I remind you of?” She was far more excited than I expected, for hearing about the mare that I liked before her.

“...Eeyup…”

“OHMYGOSH!!!” definitely more excited than I expected. “I remind you of one of the Elements of Harmony? I NEED to meet her!”

Rainbow Dash’s heart was pounding violently on her ribcage, “H-he likes o-one of us…?”

“Captain, we’re back!” came the call from Gilda as she and Vincent landed on the vessel, distracting Daring Doo long enough for me to pry myself out of the clutches of the excitable pegasus.

“Howdy,” I stepped away from the pony that may have been drooling over the possibility of meeting the Elements of Harmony, to meet up with the griffons of my crew. “How was yer day?”

“Fine,” Vincent replied, “But we’re exhausted and hitting the bunks.”

“Very well.” I saw them off, and many of their comrades followed shortly afterward. Most of them made it to their bunks, excluding Chance, who enjoyed sleeping outside, and Grog, who had passed out in a pickle barrel.

Finally, I had managed to convince Daring to go to sleep, and I was in my quarters, looking over my map and more specifically at the place where the island where we were heading should be. This would be our last night on shore, before heading out to the island, and I was beginning to consider when I should inform the crew of our destination and goal. I decided that it wasn’t vital to think about that at the moment and settled in to my hammock to sleep; but before I did, I pulled out some paper and a quill and began to write.

“M-Mac, you silly pony,” Dash nervously attempted to joke with the author, “You d-don’t put a night’s sleep in the middle of a chapter.”

I was awoken in the wee hours of the morning, by a light, but hurried, knocking on my cabin door.

“Cap’n!” I heard Pointer forcefully whisper into my room. “There be a stowaway!”

That got me up quick. I screwed my leg on as fast as I could and hurried out on deck, as quietly as possible for a pony with a wooden leg.

“Where?”

“In the crow’s nest.” He began explaining. “I was climbin’ up ta ready me workspace, when I found a pony sleepin’. She’s still there.” He kept looking up at the towering mast while describing the event.

“What’s happening out here?” Came the grumpy, sleep laden voice of Gilda as she began to emerge from the bowels of the ship.

“Gilda, there’s a stowaway in the crow’s nest.” I explained, then realized that a griffon could be the best choice for this job, with the intimidation factor and her strength and ability to fly, “Yer part of mah crew and the best fer the job, and as yer captain Ah’d like ya ta check it out.”

She looked up, saluted, donned a fearsome expression and took off for the unwelcome passenger.

“Mornin’ Captain Mac, what’s going on?”

I turned to find Daring Doo standing beside me, her mane back to its usual windswept style, and hidden beneath her helmet. I nodded to her in greeting, but put a hoof over my lips to quiet her, then I pointed to the griffon whose wings were carrying her higher into the rafters of the ship.

We all stared intently at the crow’s nest, and I unsheathed my cutlass, as we awaited the oncoming storm. Gilda brandished the curved blades that adorned her digits, and scowled, in an attempt to scare the pony off of the ship.

Gilda braced herself and took a deep breath as she rose above the ledge of the crow’s nest. She then recoiled in shock and froze.

Gilda began to fall out of the sky, but she quickly recovered and climbed into the basket.

“Why was Gilda shocked?”

I heard Gilda gently (for her) wake up the sleeping pony, and then they began to talk.

I recognized the voice.

Of all the ponies it could possibly be, it just had to be her.

Why did it have to come to this?

Maybe, I thought, it wasn’t her.

Maybe they were too far away for me to properly hear her.

Maybe it was another pony.

Maybe I wasn’t hiding my internal turmoil as well as I thought I was.

“Captain?” came a much more welcome voice from beside me. “Are you all right?”

“Uh,” I stumbled. “Y-yeah, Daring… Ah’m jus’ fine…”

“Is it… Her?” She whispered, her voice bubbling with excitement.

“Who?” Chance, who had just wandered in, asked.

I didn’t answer. I just stared at the crow’s nest, where I saw the stowaway lift her head over the rail of the lookout point.

It was her.

Rainbow Dash didn’t know if she wanted to keep reading, but the suspense was killing her.

Of all of the ponies it could possibly be, it just had to be my sister’s best friend.

“Huh?”

The mare that I had secretly loved for the past two years.

“W-what?”

She was also the most vibrantly colorful pony that I had ever met.

I saw the prismatic mane raise above the ledge, sprawled messily over the backdrop of sky blue that made up her coat color, and framing her rosy magenta eyes. Gilda seemed to be excited that she was here, and Daring would probably be ecstatic, but I didn’t want her to know that I was here. I lowered my head and pulled my hat over my eyes, noticing in the process that my exploring companion was, in fact, ecstatic.

“Captain!” Gilda was apparently unaware of my plight. “Meet an old friend of mine, Rainbow Dash! Rainbow, meet Captain Macintosh and Daring Doo!”

Rainbow Dash shut the book, and slid it away from her.

Big Mac liked her.

For two years.

The emotions that she felt at the moment were so conflicting. On the one hoof, they both liked each other, so that was totally awesome and made this the best day ever. On the other hoof, she had been sneaking into his room and stealing his stuff for a while, so he probably wouldn’t be too happy with her.

She could at least finish the chapter, right?

Of all the things that she could’ve possibly said, introducing me by my title and name was at the bottom of the list of things that I wanted her to say.

Thankfully she didn’t pay me any attention.

Neither did Daring Doo.

“OHMYGOSH!!!” came the screaming duet from the eerily similar pegasus mares. “Daring Doo/Rainbow Dash!” Who apparently recognized each other.

They continued to scream in unison for the next few moments, until their stories differed.

“You know who I am?”

“That is sooo cool!”

“I love your books!” / “I saw you at the Best Young Fliers competition!”

“You were there?!?!” / “The Element of Loyalty reads my books?!?!”

“I wonder if she really was there…”

I then turned to Chance, Pointer, and the gathering crowd of ponies and dogs, all of which were staring at the spectacle in awe and confusion.

“It’s like watching a mirror.” Somepony observed.

“It’s freaky.” Came another astute observation.

Then one of the screaming mares realized something. “Wait…” Rainbow Dash said, forcefully stopping the conversation and all commotion on deck. “Captain who?”

She turned to me, fixing an evaluating gaze on me, while Gilda answered her question. “Macintosh, like the apple.”

“Uh oh…”

“Macintosh Apple…” I could almost see the gears turning in her head as she pieced the puzzle together. Suddenly, she was at my side, pulling up my cape to reveal the false leg and apple cutie mark. “B-Big Macintosh? As in AJ’s brother?” She seemed shocked and almost disgusted to see me.

“I wouldn’t be disgusted!” Rainbow argued with the manuscript. “I love you!” Then she slammed her hooves over her mouth.

Daring Doo enjoyed that though, “Ooohh, Captain Big Macintosh. I like it.” I sent a cold glare her direction. “Sorry, not helping.”

“What the heck!” Rainbow Dash shouted at me. “Do you have any idea how bad you hurt your sister?”

I sighed, the entire crew was now on deck, staring at the mare who was currently shouting at their captain.

“Do you have any idea what you did to Ponyville?” She started to flutter in the air so that she could look down on me. “Suddenly, the biggest, strongest, most eligible stallion goes missing without so much as a, ‘Hey, I’m leaving.’ The entire town was in a standstill when you left.”

“What good was Ah before that?” I interjected carefully.

“Wh-what?”

“A cripple is useless on an apple farm, an’ Ah was nothin’ more than a sad reminder of better days to AJ.” She had landed by now, most of the crew was sitting in shock, some of them even holding their breath. “Ah was babied and treated like Ah was useless, with AJ lookin at me with regret.” I took a deep breath in an attempt to clear my head. “Out here, Ah can be somepony. Ah’ve already stopped two criminals.” Rainbow Dash looked to Daring Doo, who confirmed what I said with a nod.

“Now I feel like a jerk.”

“Who?”

“Ahuizotol and Captain Swiftwing.” Daring Doo answered for me.

She stood with her mouth agape, and silence reigned on deck for a while, the only sound being that of seagulls and the light harbor waves.

“Ah got somethin’ fer mah sister.” I told her, “Hold on.” I walked through the throng of ponies and dogs, carefully making my way to my cabin, where I retrieved a letter that I had written for my sister the night before.

As I approached Rainbow Dash, I discovered that Daring Doo was just finishing the story of when we met. Even those who had heard it before were listening intently, but Gilda, Vincent, and Rainbow Dash were the most intense.

“M-Mac actually killed Ahuizotol?” Rainbow Dash stammered.

“Eeyup.” I then passed the letter, which contained a pouch of bits, that should help compensate for not having me on the farm. “Could ya make sure AJ gets this? Just so she knows Ah’m alive.”

Ah had never seen the confident mare so unnerved before. Apparently, finding out that somepony killed the main antagonist in a bestselling series can change your view of them. Thankfully, though, she took the letter, and flew off to find her friends.

More silence rang out, until Daring said, “I like her, but why was she here?”

Gilda answered, “Oh, she saw me in town and stalked me, then she fell asleep in the crow’s nest.”

To which I responded. “Ah have a headache.”

Rainbow felt lighter than a cloud, to know that Big Mac liked her made her giddy, but knowing that he would probably be mad was tying a knot in her stomach.

A crack of thunder reminded her that she needed to get the book back before Mac returned, she didn’t want him knowing that she was stealing his things, if she could avoid it.

She held the book to her chest and took flight from her window, soaring over the cloud layer as she sped towards the home of her love, desperately hoping that he wouldn’t see her.

Big Mac and Applejack were finally putting things away, they had put the cart in the barn, and they had come in to dry off. Mac was now returning to his room with a large towel draped over his back.

He pushed open the door and trotted in, moving behind the door, where he hung his yoke on a peg and dried it off with his towel. He was still slightly damp from the rain when he felt a cool breeze blow through his room.

He shivered and realized that he could hear the rain and wind outside far better than he should be able to. Curious, he pushed his door shut and flicked on the light.

Nothing could have possibly prepared him for what he saw in front of him.

There, standing on the floor beside his bed, was Rainbow Dash.

The speedster was dripping wet and frozen in place, a look of terror and shock plastered on her face.

The two ponies stared blankly at each other, their eyes scanning the other for any signs of a plan.

Several seconds of silence, broken only by the storm brewing outside and the sound of water dripping on the floorboards, rang out louder than anything else could’ve.

Rainbow Dash stayed as still as she could, as though hoping that she couldn’t be seen if she didn’t move. Her hopes were in vain.

“Uh, Rainbow, w-w-why are ya in mah room?” Big Mac asked, cocking his head to the side.

She jolted, getting upright in a blink of an eye. “Oh, uh you see there’s a funny story about that.” She laughed nervously “You’re really gonna get a kick out of this one. You know when you went away for the rodeo? Of course you do. Well, there was a storm, and it broke your window, s-so Applejack recruited me to help her clean up your room. While I was in here helping, I found your d-dream j-journal.” She held up the book to help make her point, which drew a heavy blush from Big Macintosh. “So I took it, hoping to find some blackmail for anytime that I might want it, maybe something so I could get some info about AJ, I don’t know. Anyway, I started reading it, and then I really liked it.” Big Mac raised an eyebrow at that. “So I kept reading, and then I started to get a crush on your character, and then I started getting a crush on you, and then I found out that you had a crush on me, and don’t be mad, and I’M SORRY!” She finished with a scream as she leapt out the door, leaving behind a confused, windswept, and very embarrassed stallion.

After just a moment’s hesitation, Macintosh Apple hurried over to his window, to watch the spiritually broken mare drop to the ground and trudge over to his barn. His emotions and thoughts were swirling around, but he knew that he had to comfort her.

However, he had no idea how.

Rainbow Dash pushed the door of the barn open with her snout, as her soggy wings drooped to the ground. She trudged across the floor, dragging her hooves and allowing her usually high-held head to hang in humiliation.

“Well…” She sighed, “I blew that chance.” Even allowing herself to seriously consider Big Mac as a potential special somepony was a big step for her.

Something that very few ponies knew was that she was seriously scared of romantic relationships. The whole, “Element of Loyalty” thing probably played into it; she couldn’t stand watching other ponies “hop” from one relationship to another, it disgusted her more than anything. Getting that involved with another pony should be a serious thing, it was a commitment.

The only other time that she had made an attempt at a romantic relationship was with that Hoops guy. He was so tough, so cool, so confident, not very bright, but he was cool. His confidence became overbearing, and he started making unwanted comments and advancements on Rainbow. She told him that she wanted to take it slow, but he refused to listen. Eventually, he got a bit too frisky, and Rainbow kicked him in the jaw, and took off.

He left her alone for the most part after that, but he was still mad at being dumped so hard, so whenever Rainbow saw him and his friends, they made every attempt to embarrass and demean her.

Rainbow had finally made her way over to the nearest hay stack and collapsed.

She sobbed.

Rainbow Dash openly cried.

But she didn’t have that much of a chance, before she was interrupted by a gentle touch on her back.

She jumped a little, and turned around to find Big Mac draping a towel across her. She blinked, attempting to get rid of the tears, and he sat down next to her.

They sat. Rainbow tried to compose herself, and Mac tried to think of something to say.

Eventually, Rainbow Dash managed to croak out another, “I-I’m s-sorry.”

“T’ain’t nothin’.” Big Mac said, then he scooted closer to her.

“I-I-I don’t b-bl-blame you, i-if you don’t want me here.” She managed to say through her fading sobs.

“Now, why wouldn’t Ah want ya here?” he asked, just before he wrapped a foreleg around her shoulders and pulled her into a firm embrace. “Ya need somepony, and Ah wouldn’t mind bein’ ‘somepony’.”

That managed to get a laugh out of her. “That was corny, Mac.” He chuckled a little bit, a deep, gentle sound that vibrated his whole ribcage. It was a nice sound. “But, y-you aren’t mad?”

“Nnope.” She could feel him shuffle slightly, “A bit embarrassed that Ah wasn’t stallion enough ta tell ya mahself, and that ya been readin’ that, but Ah ain’t mad.”

“Good, thanks.” Dash said, as she relished in the sensation of being in a stallion’s arms. Plus, the fact that he was warm and dry made things nice too.

Several more moments of silence split the barn as they shared a tender moment, before Mac’s curiosity got the better of him. “So, uh, where’d ya get?”

“What?”

“Where are ya? In mah book, Ah mean.”

“Oh, well, ‘you’, uh, just found ‘me’.”

He cringed, “Sorry, bout that.”

“Oh, no, It’s okay. It was kind of sweet.” She then though it through more, “A little rude, but sweet. By the way, two years?”

Big Mac’s face got warm at the reference to the timeframe that he had been crushing on his sister’s friend. “Eeyup.”

“So how many times have I been over for dinner, since then?”

He chuckled again, “Ah dunno, but Ah can guarantee that AJ’s been clueless. She’s gonna be so confused when ya tell her. And Applebloom’s gonna be so excited.”

“When I tell her? Why aren’t you gonna tell her?”

“Yer her best friend.”

“You’re her brother.”

They continued like this for about an hour, before Rainbow Dash needed to leave to clean up the remaining clouds and go back home.

“So, we can’t do anything today, but how about tomorrow?” She asked Mac as she prepared to leave.

“Tomorrow sounds great. Ah’ll be there at six thirty, below yer house.”

“Sounds good, I’ll see you then.” She turned to leave, but something stopped her. “Hey, Mac? Could I, maybe, read some more of your book? Please?”

He laughed, the deep rumbling already becoming one of Rainbow’s favorite sounds. “Sure, Ah’ll leave it on the window for ya if ya like.”

“Thanks, that sounds good. Bye Mac.”

“Bye Dash.”

Both were left with a deep satisfaction as they realized just how well this day had gone.

Date

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“Wow, Mac.” Applejack commented, “Yer really goin’ ta town today.” She noted her brother’s enthusiasm for his work.

He stopped pulling the plow, wiped his brow, and looked at his sister with a smile. “Ah jus’ wanna get this done.”

“Any reason in particular?” She asked him, while dropping the buckets that she had been carrying and placing them under the apple-laden branches of a nearby tree.

“Ah got plans fer tonight.” He responded vaguely as he prepared the next row to be plowed.

“With who?” Applejack asked after kicking the tree and relieving it of its payload.

“A friend.”

“A friend?”

“Eeyup.”

“Care ta tell me more?”

“Nnope.”

Applejack sighed, “Well, Ah’m sure Ah’ll find out, but fer now Ah’m glad yer gettin; yer chores done.”

He smiled, and looked up to the sky, “Eeyup.”

Rainbow Dash felt lighter than the clouds she was flying over. She had a date later with, quite possibly, the greatest stallion in Ponyville.

She did a quick, giddy, little loop and continued her soar over to the farm. As she arrived she dove sharply, cutting through the air and aiming for the window that she came to recognize as Mac’s.

She flared her wings, causing the water vapor in the air to condense in swirling trails coming from her wingtips. Finally, through the strain, she managed to slow to a stop. She lifted his windowsill and found the book right where he left it, and with a small slip of paper sticking out from a page.

She disregarded that for the moment, and took off, after closing the window.

She climbed with a powerful vigor, as she realized that reading Mac’s book was alright with him now. She burst through a small cloud, her slipstream drawing the vaporous mass behind her.

An unfamiliar flapping drew her attention and she looked down at the book. There, she noticed the small slip of paper sticking out from the pages of the book. She had to consciously stop herself from opening the book to look. The loose leaf would surely be lost in the wind from her aerobatics. Instead, she managed to make a mental note to check that before she began to read. Which surely wouldn’t be long, because she could see her sky-based mansion on the horizon.

She alighted in her living room, where she dove for her couch and ripped open the book, noticing that the paper was serving as a bookmark at the beginning of the next chapter. It also contained a short note.

Rainbow Dash,
Thank you for giving me this chance. I cannot wait for our date tonight.
While I’m thinking of the date, I don’t want you to worry too much about it. I will be wearing a collar and tie, and will be under your front porch at 6:30 tonight.
Macintosh Apple

Despite the slightly creepy “under your front porch” statement, Rainbow appreciated the sentiment and the fact that he seemed to think that he was the lucky one.

She folded the paper and set it on her coffee table as a reminder.

“Captain?” Daring questioned, as I chewed on the leaves of a gumbo tree, something that I had been assured acted as a natural painkiller and remedy for headaches. “If you don’t mind me asking, where are you sailing to next?”

“Well,” I began, now getting to a sitting position. “Ah was informed of somethin’ important on an uncharted island a few days southeast of here.”

“Oh, well, I am too.” My ears perked up and she leaned in to whisper to me. “You see, there’s this island with a temple that is said to be the birthplace of the bat ponies.”

I looked at her and raised an eyebrow to her. “What now?”

“No! I’m serious!” She began to defend. “Legends surround this place. It is said that, before Nightmare Moon was banished to the moon, some pegasi pledged their loyalty to her and, with the fallen princess’ help, developed a device that can harness the power of the moon and thus transformed the followers into the threstrals that we see guarding her now. They were twisted, and when Nightmare Moon was around, were endlessly powerful.”

“Huh.” Rainbow pondered aloud. “I never really thought about them… I wonder what the real story behind the bat ponies is.”

She told the entire story with the fire of adventure burning in her eyes. I; however, could not see the benefit. “So, why are ya lookin’ for it now? Do you want to be a night pegasus too?” I asked with a raised eyebrow, then I added, “Not that there’s anythin’ wrong with ‘em, but yer jus’ fine the way ya are.”

Her frustration and look of annoyance were counteracted by the cute blush on her face. “No, you see Princess Luna wants this device back; because, there are endless applications for it now that she isn’t fallen and, like, evil and stuff.”

“Wow. Deep.”

“Shut up.”

In Canterlot, Twilight Sparkle was going through some ancient alicorn history lessons.

“So… Princess Luna, could I ask where the night pegasi came from?”

“Twilight, didn’t you know? They are merely a varying breed of pegasus pony. There is nothing freakish about them. They are simply more inclined to the night, and the genes that bring them around are far more recessive than most.”

“Oh, okay, I had just heard a bunch of different stories and couldn’t find anything for certain.”

"Oh, that’s alright, I kind of enjoy hearing the rumors about them, one of my favorite is about a temple on an uncharted island, but that is a story for another time. For now, we must return to the story of the Great King, Apocalypse. You see...”

I laughed, even as she shoved me playfully into a wall. “Alright, alright, let’s go look at the map, and see if Ah can git ya there.”

We trotted out onto the deck, where dogs, ponies, and now griffons were beginning to tend to the duties of the early morning and preparing to shove off. We entered my room and stepped over to the cartography table and bent over the map that was sprawled across it.

“So, do ya have coordinates?” I asked, more out of politeness than anything, for without coordinates, attempting to find the island would be useless.

“Of course,” She began to dig through the pockets of her shirt, and I began to see the usefulness of such a garment. “Here they are.” She said as she pulled a small slip of paper out and passed it to me.

I unfolded the card and absorbed the information scrawled on it. There was something awfully fishy going on here, and it was extremely confusing. “The island’s right here.” I told her as I pointed to a distinct point on the map

“Wow, I didn’t expect you to be so good with maps.” She admitted.

“Ah ain’t.” The quizzical look on her face told me that I was confusing her. “These are the exact coordinates of mah goal.”

“...of course they are…”

“You’re looking for it too?”

“What? No.” I shook my head. “Ah’m lookin fer some old pirate’s treasure an’ more importantly, his ship.” I finished in a conspiratorial whisper.

Her eyes became huge. “I KNEW IT!!!” She screamed. “You ARE a pirate!”

“No, Ah ain’t.” She realized that during her outburst, she had unfurled her wings, and sheepishly tucked them back at her sides. “Ah ain’t done no piracy this whole time, have Ah?” I challenged her, “An’ before ya say it, Captain Swiftwing was a no-good, low-down varmint, who needed put in his place.”

She nodded at my assertion.

“Ah was simply told some information, and Ah plan ta use it.” I then started to make some connections in my mind. Unless the ship had been dry-docked, it would have water damage and terrible barnacles, and even if it had been dry-docked, it would have rot and termite damage. So, if I wanted to use The Flying Crab, then I would need to get some materials to make her seaworthy again. I would need some high-quality lumber, some pitch to seal the hull, and certainly a large amount of canvas and ropes for new sails and riggings.

I sighed, “We’re gonna need ta do more shoppin’.”

Daring Doo and I were making our way across town, scouring the seaport for the best deals on the equipment that we needed.

“Oh, Mac!” Daring called to me from ahead. “I remember seeing some great deals on rope in the East side of town!” She drug me through the hustle and bustle of ponies, toward the trading post where she saw the deals.

The crowd was getting thicker and thicker as we pushed through. There was apparently some commotion up ahead, and everypony wanted to see what was going on.

“I wonder what’s happening.” Daring pondered aloud.

Certain voices in the crowd rang out louder than others.

“I can’t believe they’re here!”

“Oh My Gosh! Do you think they would sign my newspaper?”

“Wait. Where’s the colorful one?”

“Oh come ON!” Rainbow Dash began to gesture wildly to herself, “The COLORFUL ONE?!?!? You gotta know my name! Even if you are some weird bystander in Big Mac’s subconscious!” She though about her conversation the night before. “Heck! Especially if you’re part of Big Mac’s subconscious!”

I began to piece things together as we became closer to the source of the commotion. Suddenly it was too late to turn back.

“Do any of you ponies know where we can find Rainbow Dash?” I heard an extremely educated voice call out to the crowd.

“Oh my gosh, Big Mac! It’s them!” Daring Doo announced in a loud whisper, while trying out the new nickname.

“I wonder if she would really be that excited to meet us…”

I looked through the gaps in the crowd and located the five mares that were causing the disturbance. There was the violet alicorn standing at the front of the group, who was the owner of the voice that I had heard earlier, and the Element of Magic, as well as the newest princess of Equestria, Twilight Sparkle. The alabaster unicorn with the well-kept purple mane who was standing beside her, and taking in all of the attention that she could get, was the premier fashionista of my home town, and Element of Generosity, Rarity. There was a blur of bubblegum pink attempting to meet everypony in the crowd, its overly-cheery demeanor was slightly unnerving to those unacquainted with the excitable mare, who bore the title of the Element of Laughter, and the name Pinkie Pie. At the back of the group was a timid pile of shivering pony, obviously the poor pegasus mare was scared out of her mind by all of the unwanted attention, and as such, the gentle Element of Kindness was showing the sweetness that made Fluttershy one of the most beloved ponies in the country. I saw a very familiar hat resting on the head of the pony that was comforting the fearful mare, the hat used to belong to my father, but now perpetually covered the head of my younger sister, and the Element of Honesty, Applejack.

I ducked down to avoid being noticed by the five mares garnering everypony’s attention. My companion noted my wariness, and decided to settle for craning her neck to see the heroes.

A few gasps from the crowd caused everyone to look up, myself included, to see the vibrant rainbow contrail of the Element of Loyalty, Rainbow Dash, as she streaked for the clearing made for her friends.

Ponies started to back up warily, as it seemed that she wouldn’t stop, but at the last moment, she flared her wings and slowed to a graceful stop. “Hey, gals, I’ve been looking for you all morning.”

Rainbow shrugged, “Yeah, that’s probably how I would do that.”

“Wherever have you been, Rainbow darling?” Rarity asked her full-spectrum friend. “You disappeared yesterday when you decided to follow your old griffon friend, and then you never returned to the hotel.”

Rainbow Dash chuckled uneasily, “Yeah, funny story, I followed her back to a ship. Then I dozed off in the crow’s nest.” Then she jumped up, having remembered something important. “Oh, yeah! I also met the captain, and you’re never going to believe who it was!”

“Who was it, Rainbow?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“It was Applejack’s brother, Big Macintosh!” She announced, allowing the shock to sink in for a second before she finished. “And he might be dating Daring Doo, but I’m not entirely sure about that.”

My companion lowered her head, and removed the trademark helmet that always adorned it. “We probably should go now.” She quietly read my mind.

We then began to make our way through the crowd, attempting not to call attention to ourselves. I could still make out the conversation, though.

“A-are ya sure it was mah b-brother?” My sister asked with a shaky voice.

“Absolutely, and he told me to give this to you.” I figured that she passed over the letter that I gave her, and I wondered how long it would take for her to realize that-

“He gave me money?” Apparently not long at all. “Dear sis, Ah’m sorry about everythin, but Ah felt so useless on the farm. Doin’ this’s allowed me ta feel like a pony again. Ah also know that ya might ‘preciate a few extra bits, so Ah put in what Ah could afford, Ah know it ain’t much, but it’s what Ah got. Give Applebloom a hug an’ a kiss fer me. Big Mac.” I could hear the tears in her voice as she finished up the page, even though, with the gaining distance, her voice was becoming faint.

“Come on Mac! Don’t leave!” Dash shouted at the book. “She’s your sister! And she’s right there! And she wants to see you!”

Finally, we emerged from the crowd, the overall mood of which had dropped considerably with the reading of my letter, and we began a swift trek back to the docks, deciding that the supplies we had set out for were not vitally important at the moment anyway.

We did cross in front of some hardware shops, many of which were heavily geared toward nautical pursuits. The timber was of a very high quality, and the pitch was decent, but there was a lot, so we had them assist us in transporting the materials.

“Sooo…” Daring Doo began, as we made our way back to the dock. “Applebloom?”

I sighed, having figured that this was coming. “Eeyup, she’s… Mah baby sister…”

“So, you just ditched your two younger sisters? Just... left?”

I sighed, remorse finally beginning to catch up to me. “Eeyup.”

“Wow… I, uh, guess that I can’t really say much though… I left my sister to go adventuring… I need to write…” She mused. “She really needed someone and I just… left…” The pain in her voice was obvious. So I did what I could, and walked beside her, allowing her to lean against me.

“Ye’ll see her again. Don’t worry.” Then I craned my head down so I could look into her eyes. “And Ah promise ta introduce ya ta mah family sometime.” She smiled and nuzzled my neck slightly.

“Thanks.”

We continued the walk in relative silence, both of us lost in thoughts of our family. Finally, we arrived at the ship, our entourage of lumber-hauling ponies following us aboard and to the open cargo hold.

After unloading the mass amounts of lumber and pitch, much to the confusion of most of my crew, we shoved off.

As we rejoined our journey, Lumber Mill trotted up to me. “Captain?” He started, “What’s with the wood?”

I looked off to the horizon, to where the island lay. “Ye’ll find out soon… Ye’ll find out.”

“Hmm… Decent.” Rainbow Dash thought to herself. Then she looked over to her coffee table, to see the note that Mac had left for her, and she let out a girly squeal, completely unashamed of the embarrassing noise, since she was alone. She glanced at the clock, and decided to give herself some time to prepare herself for the date.

She flew up to her room, and began to make herself pretty. She showered, brushed her teeth, put on some makeup, and slightly curled her mane and tail. As she opened her closet to pick out something to wear, she came to a realization. “I really don’t have anything to wear…”

It wasn’t like Rarity’s “nothing to wear” where she really had a pile of clothes, but she didn’t want to wear any of them; because, she had worn them all already.

There were three outfits in her closet. The gown that she had worn for the Gala and the royal wedding, “Nah, too dressy…” There was her first attempt at assisting Rarity with designing a dress for the Gala, “No, too… uh… Weird…” And the last was a swimsuit, “Why on earth do I even have that?” Eventually, she decided to just put on some of her similarly limited collection of jewelry.

Big Mac was sweaty.

He was stressing, this was his first (consensual) date after all.

He was desperately hoping that he wasn’t too pushy, or vague, with his note, and that she wouldn’t turn him down.

He arrived at the base of the hill that Rainbow Dash’s house was anchored to, and sat down, taking a deep breath and loosening his tie just a little.

“Hey!” A call from overhead startled him. “You’re early.”

His date for the evening fluttered down from her house, and he took in everything about her. She had done her mane and tail differently, the usually windswept, wild, and rough style, had been tamed with some large gentle curls. She had a pair of simple silver earrings, and a matching necklace draped over her shoulders. To top it all off, she had applied some light eyeshadow, lipstick, and a little bit of blush, which was intensified by the natural blush forming on her face.

“Sooo… Mac, what do you think?” She tried to keep the tough attitude, but her nervousness shone through.

“...wow…” his cheeks became a much deeper shade of red, as his date giggled cutely. “Ah, uh, don’t know what ta say… wow…”

“Alright, just come on,” She said, gesturing for him to lead the way, “If we spend the rest of the right, with you staring at me, we’ll miss the date.”

“Oh, right, sorry.” He cleared his throat, and began to lead the way. “So, uh, did ya get mah note?”

She leaned into him slightly, “Yeah, I did. And even though, it was a little creepy, and blunt, it was a sweet thought.”

“Creepy?”

“Yeah, I mean, ‘I will be under your front porch.’ That would be really weird if my house wasn’t floating.”

“Oh, right, Ah, uh…” He stumbled, attempting to fix his mistake.

Rainbow laughed, a girly little giggle that would have normally embarrassed her to no end. “It’s alright, like I said, I thought it was sweet that you thought to leave me a note.”

“Thanks.”

“So where are you taking me?” She asked with a flutter of her eyelashes.

“Oh, uh, Ah got reservations at ‘The Meadows.’ Is that alright?”

“Sounds perfect!”

A few minutes of walking later, and they were at the restaurant. It was a classy place, but not excessively fancy. Basically, it was one of Rarity’s favorite places to go for lunch; because, she didn’t need to make a completely new dress just to go there.

“Wow… This is… really exciting!” Rainbow gushed to her companion, as he escorted her in the door. “Ah agree.” Mac concurred with a large grin, then he turned to the attendant, “Table fer, ‘Macintosh’.”

The host scanned the list of reservations for the night and located the name, then smiled and led the two ponies of a booth at the far wall.

They chatted, and laughed, and simply enjoyed being with each other until their food came. When their food did come, things got a little weird.

Dash was scarfing down a good portion of her pasta, when she let out a monstrous belch.

They both stopped eating, and stared at each other, blushes staining their faces, until Mac smiled slightly, and belched back.

Rainbow giggled and it slowly grew into a full, rolling laughter that Big Mac had to join in on.

At around nine o’clock, They left the restaurant, much to the content of the owners, waiters, and the other guests, all of whom had been significantly annoyed by the antics of the two lovestruck ponies that were leaning strongly against each other simply out of affection.

Lurking

View Online

Applejack looked up from her work to find her brother’s jaw stretching in a violent yawn as he approached the field from the house.

“Finally decide ta do yer chores, huh?” She taunted. “Why were ya out so late last night? Yer ‘plans’ with yer ‘friend’ go well?”

He simply smiled at his success and nodded.

“Any plans ta introduce ‘em?”

He thought for a second, “Ah’ll run it by, an’ see what their thoughts are.”

“Well, I can’t wait.” She kicked a tree, causing a rain of ripe apples. “Any more plans with ‘em?”

“Eeyup.” He answered, while carrying a bucket full of apples over to the nearby cart. “Tonight.”

“Oh, really? Well, y’all have fun, Ah gotta run the cart in town. Bring me more apples when yer done."

Rainbow Dash soared low over town, scanning the crowd for the food stalls that she usually stopped at. She located the stand of Carrot Top, the Apple family’s neighbor, and the primary vendor of root-based vegetables in Ponyville.

She landed and approached just as the last customer was leaving. “Hey, Carrot Top, hey, Roseluck.” She greeted the mare running the stand and her friend.

“Hey Rainbow Dash.” Carrot responded. “What can I do for you?”

“I’ll just have a small basket of carrots, and a few radishes, and I guess that’s all.”

“Alright, here you g-” Carrot Top was suddenly cut off by a screech from Roseluck.

“EEEEEE!!!” Roseluck screamed, startling both of the other mares. “Looklooklooklooklook!! It’s him! Ok, just play it cool. How do I look?”

Carrot Top and Rainbow Dash stared at the excited mare for a little, before Carrot nodded her approval, and Rainbow Dash turned to follow Roseluck’s gaze.

At the other side of the shopping square was a large, red stallion pulling a cart. He had apparently heard Roseluck's outburst and glanced in that direction. Big Mac noticed Rainbow first and sent her a gentle smile and a kind nod, which she returned with a smile of her own and a flutter of her eyelashes.

Roseluck also noticed the smile and nod, and took it to be for herself. "Oh my gosh... HE SMILED AT ME!!!" Macintosh's look of panic confirmed that he had noticed his mistake and he then began to search for an escape as the enthusiastic mare took off after him, screaming, "Wait! Come back! I love you!"

Carrot Top sighed, "Oh, Roseluck..."

"Yeah, what was that about?" Rainbow inquired.

"Well, a little while ago, Applejack set her and Big Mac up on a blind date." She began explaining. "He isn't into her that way, but she is obsessed with him." Carrot Top leaned across the cart to get closer to Dash. "She even has a creepy shrine to him, where she burns apple wood incense, and candles."

Rainbow Dash was shocked, "I, uh, don't know what to say to that..." she shuffled a little, and then remembered her purpose for coming here. "Oh, right, can I get my order?"

After receiving her carrots, Rainbow worked her way through the crowd, gathering the other goods that she needed, before arriving at the Apple family stand.

"Hey, AJ." She greeted her friend, who was shifting from dealing with customers, to unloading crates of apples and apple products from a cart that was still attached to an empty harness. "What's up?"

Applejack chuckled a little, "Not much, business is a bit slow today, but mah brother jus' came by at full-speed, bein' chased by some mare. He didn't even slow down to unhook himself, he jus' dropped his harness an' took off." She finished with a shake of her head.

"Haha, yeah, I saw that."

"Oh, Rainbow come over here." Applejack said, obviously preparing to share a juicy secret with her best friend. Rainbow complied, and picked up a basket of apples, so that she could help while hearing the cowpony's gossip. "Mah brother started datin' last night!"

Red coated Rainbow's cheeks as questions began to fill her mind. Questions like, Oh my gosh, does she know? How does she feel about it? Did Mac tell her? And Why didn't Mac tell me he was telling her?

"Ah think it's either Pinkie or Rarity."

"Huh?" was the intelligent response that Dash came up with.

Suddenly, the basket of apples on Applejack's back erupted, sending red and green fruits everywhere, and revealing a vibrant pink head.

"I'm dating your brother?" Pinkie Pie asked, somehow managing to keep a stack of three apples balanced perfectly on her head. "Wow, you would think that was something I would've known."

"Pinkie!" Applejack shouted, obviously annoyed, "How long have ya been in there?"

"In where?" she asked, tilting her head and causing the tower to topple and cascade back into the basket.

"In the basket." Applejack deadpanned.

"Oh, that." Pinkie looked at the basket, and back at Applejack. "I have no idea."

"Well, could ya git out?"

"Okie doki loki!" and with that, Pinkie Pie took a deep breath, covered her muzzle with a hoof and descended back into the shallow depths of the apple basket.

"Well, AJ, I don't think it's Pinkie." Rainbow laughed as she slid the basket off of her back.

“Well, Ah guess it must be Rarity then, jus’ don’t tell anypony.”

Rainbow chuckled and made a zipping motion over her lips. “No problem.”

“Darn it!” Applejack shouted, startling Rainbow and the other ponies in the general area. “Mac! He fergot his harness, an’ he needs it fer his chores today.”

“I can take it!” Rainbow volunteered, possibly too enthusiastically. “I mean, I was going to do some practicing by your place, so I could take it to him.” She said, trying to cover her slip-up.

“Well, that’d be mighty kind of ya.” Applejack accepted, though noting the strangeness in her friend’s willingness to help.

Rainbow took off for her house, now loaded with several bags of groceries, and a large wooden harness. As soon as she was out of view of the town square, she scanned the sky to make sure nopony was watching, and slipped the massive yoke over her head.

It smelled like apples and sweat, and as disgusting as that might be, it reminded her of Mac and she liked that. It was way too big for her, and it kept slipping uncomfortably over one shoulder, and the aerodynamics were terrible, but for some reason she liked wearing it. She dropped the bags of food off at her house, before zooming over to the Apple Homestead.

“Wait.” She said, slowing to a halt and hovering in midair. “Why the heck do I like the way it smells?” She looked down at the harness, shook her head, and continued on her way.

Big Mac was hiding in his room.

Roseluck had chased him the whole way back to the farm, and he had only just managed to get the door to the farmhouse shut and locked before she slammed into it. He had rushed to close each of the first-story blinds and curtains, being sure that each window was locked tight and that the lovestruck pony couldn’t get in.

He was now hiding in his room on the second story, hoping desperately that she wouldn’t be able to find a way up there.

A tapping on his window caused him to leap in fear; there was no logical way that Roseluck could’ve found a way up there, right? He turned cautiously towards the window, expecting to see the ecstatic face of his stalker plastered against it, but instead he saw a much more welcome sight.

Rainbow Dash was hovering directly outside of his window, currently laughing hysterically at his jumpiness, and wearing his harness.

He pushed open the window and asked her, “What?”

“You jumped, like, five feet in the air!” She managed to get out, while alighting on his windowsill. “It was hilarious!”
Mac chuckled at her excitement and moved out of the way, gesturing her inside. “Well, how often do ya have ta run away from ponies that are obsessed with ya?”

“More often than you probably.” She said, as the harness slipped over her shoulder and sagged really low. “Ugh, this thing is huge!” She complained, shimmying it back into a better position. “And the aerodynamics are horrible!”

“Well,” Big Mac began to lift it over her head. “It ain’t made ta fly with, an’ it certainly ain’t made fer pretty little fillies like yerself.”

Rainbow blushed at the compliment, “Heh, well, I, uh, brought that back for you.” Then something clicked in her mind. “Oh, by the way, AJ has no idea.”

“No idea ‘bout what?”

“About us.” Rainbow explained, while reclining on his bed. “She thinks that your dating Rarity, and we should probably clear any of that up before Pinkie throws a party for the two of you.”

“Eeyup.” He said, with a worried expression on his face. “Ah don’t got anythin’ ‘gainst Miss Rarity, but Ah don’t think she’d do too well on a farm.”

“Rarity! Hah! Never.” Rainbow agreed with her special somepony. “That muc dirt would never get that close to her, outside of the spa of course.” She then bit her lip, and built up the courage to ask. “So, speaking of the mare that you’re dating, what were you thinking about doing tonight?”

Mac took a deep breath, and admitted, “Ah haven’t gotten a chance ta put much thought to it.” He looked to her with a hopeful look on his face. “Got any ideas?”

“How about a picnic!” Dash answered quickly. “We could go out to that lake! It’s going to be a beautiful day, we could go there, and I was kinda hoping that maybe you could bring your guitar? That would be, like, super cool.” She explained with an adorable smile and a sweet blush.

Mac waited a few moments, before he began to laugh. “Even if Ah didn’t like that idea, Ah don’t know if Ah coulda said ‘no’ ta that face. How ‘bout Ah pick ya up at seven?”

“YES!” She cheered, jumping into the air, ecstatic; then she realized that she was making a fool of herself. “Oh, uh, I mean, sounds good!” She smiled sheepishly, and began to leave, “I’ll see you later, Mac!”

She wasn’t gone more than three seconds before she was back, blushing as she grabbed Big Mac’s Dream Journal from his dresser, and continued on her way.

My ship was now on the open ocean, cutting through the waves and slicing past a vast assortment of marine creatures. Dolphins breached the surface, leaping in the air and playing amongst themselves. A gigantic whale, the biggest thing that I had ever seen, drifted along beside the ship. Seabirds would use the rigging of the ship to catch their breath. Massive schools of fish would flash by on either side of the ship, greatly exciting the dogs and griffons who would then take to fishing.

"Ugh." Dash felt queasy. "I remember when Gilda would eat fish, it was disgusting."

The two groups had their own versions of the harvesting process. The dogs had bought large nets at the last port, and dragged them along behind the ship. They would capture more fish in one haul than they could rightfully keep. There were too many fish to keep for long periods of time, but thankfully the schools were fairly common.

The griffons, however, had a far more impressive and showy form of fishing. They would circle the massive schools from the air, soaring with the seabirds, awaiting the aid of dolphins as they herded the fish to the surface. When the porpoises herded some fish to the top of the water, Vincent and Gilda would dive. They would fall in sync, reaching unbelievable speeds with their talons and beaks ready to capture the unsuspecting, scaly creatures. Their method was less efficient, but it yielded the best results as the two griffons would return to the deck with great trophy fish, sometimes even coming back with massive tuna that would serve much of the carnivorous portion of the crew.

"Yeah, I remember when she did that too."

One day, while the griffons were putting on their show for the crew, everypony was watching, except myself. I was looking over the stern at the wake of the ship, because something felt wrong.

“Big Mac!” Daring called from my side, “Did you see that? That fish was huge! I’m surprised that Vince could carry that.” The crew had taken to assigning the griffon prince a more manageable name, and Vince was the only one he answered to.

“Huh?” came the intellectual goldmine that constituted my response.

Dash snickered at her crush's cluelessness.

“Were you paying any attention to them at all?” She said with her head cocked to one side.

“No, Ah guess Ah wasn’t.” I confessed. “Ah’m jus’ worried. Somethin’ feels… off.”

She tensed slightly, and her voice became cool and professional. “What do you mean?” She began to look in the same direction as myself, using her far more keen eyes to try to spot the trouble.

“Ah don’t rightfully know.” I admitted, while I wrapped her in an arm and my cape; she responded to the affection by leaning into my chest. “It’s probably jus’ nothin’.”

“Yeah, just relax.” She tried to comfort me, “The crew has been talking about holding a poker tournament after dinner, you gonna join?”

I chuckled at that. “Ah don’t have any money.”

"I knew he'd be broke by now."

Daring Doo’s mouth dropped open, and she stared at me in wonder. “You don’t have any money?”

“Nnope.”

“Then…” She tried to figure things out. “How did you pay the crew? And your sister? You gave her some money in that letter, right?”

“Ah pay the crew from the ship’s account.” I explained. “An’ Ah gave the last of ‘Mah’ money ta mah sister.” I put quotes around ‘my’ with my hooves when I got to that part, because the money that I had allotted myself was significantly drained with my last withdrawal. “An’ the ship’s funds ‘re runnin’ low too.” I sighed and sagged, the stress finally working its way out. “Ah really hope that Ah find the treasure.” I finished with a wistful sigh.

“Well, captain,” Daring Doo began, quietly, and with a slight quiver in her voice. “I got a pretty hefty sum as a finder’s fee for the Serpent’s Scepter, on top of the money that I already had. So, you know if you want to, we could join bank accounts and share my money.”

"Was that a proposal?" Rainbow Dash pondered. "Did she just ask him to marry her? Is it OK for the mare to ask?"

I looked at her, astonished, “That was quite the hint.”

“Ugh!” she laid her head against my chest, “And it took you long enough to pick up on it!” she said, feigning irritation.

A collective cheer from the crew drew our attention away from each other, as I realized that the dogs had managed to snag a massive fish with the aid of the griffons. The monstrous, thrashing beast has a gigantic fin on its back, and a long, narrow snout that ended in a point.

The swordfish effortlessly threw off the lighter dogs that were trying to wrestle it to the deck. It gasped against the air and thrashed, beating the deck and any of the crew that got too close. The nose looked sharp enough to seriously wound any that got within its reach, and the way that it was being whipped around surprised me that it hadn’t caused any serious injuries yet.

Sea Dog dropped from the riggings and landed directly upon the flailing gamefish. “AVAST!” my salty first mate screamed, while he attempted to subdue the floundering marlin. “He’s a feisty one!” He wrapped one of his massive black paws around the pointy snout and used his other hand to bring down a large wooden mallet onto the skull of the fish, halting its flailing.
The entire crew cheered heartily at his success, and the two griffons in the crew grasped the limp mass and spirited it away to clean and prepare it for cooking.

The ship was soon abruptly jerked, as though hitting something large and submerged. Some of the crew lost balance and fell over, but everyone began to search the horizon and surrounding waters for the cause. I glanced over the starboard side of the ship and saw something moving.

There was a large, dark shape moving beneath the water. “Daring!” I called her over to my side. “Come look at this!” Whatever it was, it began to descend just as she got to the bulwark.

“What was that, Captain?” She asked, her wonderings echoed by the nearby crew that had seen the shape.

“Ah can’t rightfully say…” I admitted, as the waters became clear of any trace of the previous disturbance. “An’ Ah don’t care ta find out.”

We continued to sail for a while, previous conversations forgotten and the whole crew on edge about the recent events. Something was off, and everyone knew it.

“Cap’n,” Grog said, as he stumbled towards me at my position at the helm. “Where be we headed?”

The island we were headed towards had no name, and wasn’t part of a named chain or anything like it, so I had no precise answer to give, so I did the best I could. “East.”

Grog and a few of the other crew members tensed up and stared at me. “W-why?” One of them ventured.

Their reaction unnerved me, “Why? What’s wrong with ‘east?’”

Grog tripped in my direction, then slinked up towards me, as though scared of what he was about to say. “These waters be… cursed.” He whispered the last word, like it would trigger something bad. “The further ye go east, the worse the seas git. There be stories ‘bout ships that ‘ave disappeared in the Eastern Seas, an’ the beasts that took ‘em!”

"Of course the waters are cursed." She mumbled. "It wouldn't be a pirate story, if they weren't."

“Captain.” Lumber Mill reasoned, “I’m not a superstitious stallion, but I have heard enough stories about the unnatural things that live in the Eastern Seas, that I don’t want to risk it.” He then rethought his statement, “At least, without good reasons.”

The whole crew was watching, anticipating my response, and I realized that now was as good a time as any, and I told them. “Treasure.” The crew immediately began to listen, some got excited, some got worried, and the diamond dogs began to drool with anticipation. “The Flying Crab is moored on an island in these waters, an’ the treasure’s buried there too. That treasure’s the biggest pirate treasure on the planet, an’ Ah think that mah crew deserves a cut.” I scanned the gathered crew for any sign of weakness and asked, “So, who’s comin’?”

A chorus of “Aye, Captain!”s, “Yes, sir!”s, and “Me!”s greeted me from those who were spurred on by the thought of gold and jewels. Those who were less enthusiastic shuffled and avoided eye contact.

“If yer up for it, git back to yer posts.” I demanded, to which I was greeted by the stomping of hooves and paws on the planks of the deck as ponies, dogs and griffons rushed to their assigned places.

I then noticed something slightly eerie, that my crew noticed as well. “Captain?” Smoky Mirror asked, “What happened to the wind?”

The sails were hanging limp. The riggings swayed loosely . Beams creaked in the subtle calm. Not even a wave splashed against the hull of the ship.

“Captain?” Chance said, “Where did this fog come from?” Sure enough, to the east, was a rolling fog, slowly overtaking the ship and blocking out the sun.

“This be… troublin’.” Sea Dog stated eloquently.

“Eeyup.” I concurred, equally so.

It wasn’t long before visibility was cut significantly. I couldn’t see Spotter in the crow’s nest, those at the stern couldn’t see the bow, and vice-versa. I sent the three members of my crew with wings to scout out and see if they could do anything with the fog, and I began to pace the deck while awaiting a response.

I was so wrapped up in my worrying, that I didn’t notice the distracted unicorn that I was about to collide with.

“Astro!” I accused, as I got back to my hooves. “What in tarnation are ya doin’?”

“Huh?” he said, in his standard, distant tone. “Oh, sorry captain. I was just watching the pretty light.” He used a hoof to gesture over the side of the ship into the distant fog, where a yellowish-green light was bobbing.

"Oh, that's nice and creepy." Rainbow admitted.

“What is that?” I asked, my nervousness increasing.

“I don’t know, but it’s fun to watch.” Astro said, his head mimicking the movements of the light. “Ooh! It’s getting closer too!”

“Captain!” I was startled by the return of my aerial party. “We can’t do anything about this, except wait it out. There is something unnatural and weird about this fog.” Daring Doo finished up with a shudder. Then she noticed Astro, and the light he was observing, which had now attracted the attention of most of the crew. “Uh, Mac, what is that?”

“Ah don’t know, but Ah think we need ta check it out.”

"No, don't..." Rainbow hung her head. "You idiot."

“Captain.” Vince spoke up. “I’m willing to do it.” I nodded my consent and Gilda voiced her concern for him. Then he took off.

His form started to fade away, but he stopped at the light, which was coming more and more into focus. The thing had a stem coming out of the water that came up and curved, allowing the bulb to dangle and bob. Vince circled it once, examining it closely, then he poked it. Whatever it was, it was alive, and it responded to his touch by jerking away. Vince went to examine the phenomenon once more, and then he followed the stem into the water.

Those of us on the ship could hear his screech of terror from the deck.

The griffon began to climb into the air as fast as he could, and it was just fast enough. Whatever it was that he had seen below the surface of the water, burst through, with a monstrous maw attempting to close on him.

Vince changed direction and came towards the ship, and the monster disappeared below the surface once more. He was almost home clear, when the water beneath him burst, sending a violent force through the water.

Vince was hit by a powerful wave, that washed over the side of the ship, depositing him on the deck, coughing and sputtering. Behind the wave was a horrifying thing.

The stem of the dangling light was coming from a beastly head of some deep-sea monster. The dark, wrinkly beast had eyes that were the same color as the light positioned at the base of the light, and other, smaller lights running down its long neck and down into the water. The most horrifying part, though was the mouth. The massive maw that had almost captured Vince a moment ago was painfully visible, and the teeth protruding from it were long, narrow and forming an almost cage-like covering to the opening.

"Wow, yeah, that is creepy."

We were shocked into silence, each of us staring in awed muteness as the twisted deep-sea beast that had just surfaced and attempted to eat one of us. Then the screaming began.

Ponies and dogs ran around the deck, already accepting that we were dead, Gilda was attempting to aid Vince with recovering, and Daring Doo was clinging to me.

“Somepony git below deck an’ shoot it!” I shouted At the general populace, but none paid me any heed. Then I noticed Astro staring at the monster, apparently unaware of the danger that we were in. “Astro, git to the guns an’ shoot it!” I demanded, managing to alert the spacey pony of the urgency of my request, so he sauntered off at a leisurely pace. “HURRY!”

I looked back at the beast, which was towering above the masts of the ship. I pulled out my pistol, and dropped it to the deck as I realized the uselessness of such a small projectile. I pulled out my cutlass, and hurled the blade at the monster’s throat.

I watched as the sword twirled, spun, and soared towards one of the large, glowing bulbs on the neck of the beast. Then, by some divine intervention, it struck the target.

"Wow, way to go Mac."

The luminescent bulge was sliced open, causing a glowing liquid to pour out of it. The beast squirmed in pain and annoyance, and lowered its head to the level of the ship. As it came closer, my comrades hurried to the opposite side of the ship, causing the boat to rock.

It twisted its head to the side, allowing me to look into the pale glow of its eye, and I realized that my decision to attack it was a poor one. The massive maw of the beast opened, revealing the cavernous throat behind the bar-like teeth. Just as it was about to attack, Astro accomplished his task.

A single cannon went off from below the deck, launching the heavy lead projectile into one of the pale eyes, causing the beast to recoil, then rear up and thrash in pain. It then sank below the surface of the water.

I turned to my crew and shouted, “We gotta git outta here!” Somepony understood, and used a surge of magic to build up a massive wave behind the ship, and send us skimming away from the obviously dangerous section of water.

Rainbow Dash was getting ready for her second date with Big Mac. She was excited, confident, and just a little nervous, but there was definitely reason to be; something was hanging over her. She took a deep breath, and looked at herself in the mirror.

“Alright Dash,” She attempted to psych herself up. “You have to tell him sometime.” She examined her mane closely, and ran a brush through it, clearing out some knots. “And it’s better to tell him now, before it hurts too much.” She pulled out a few loose feathers from her wings. “You never know, maybe it won’t bother him.” Her voice was becoming shakier and shakier.

She looked back in the mirror, noticing that her wings were drooping, her ears were laying limp against her skull, and there were tiny tears forming in her eyes.

She sighed. “Come on, Rainbow, you need to tell him tonight, if he’s a good guy, he won’t care, and if he does care, he’s not a good guy.”

“Big Macintosh?” Applejack called, as he began to walk out of the door. “Why are ya takin’ Ma’s old guitar?” He looked back to see a slight, cocky smile on his sister’s face.

“Mah friend wanted ta hear me play.”

“So, yer takin’ yer ‘friend’ on a picnic? An’ yer gonna play guitar fer ‘em?” Applejack leaned against a wall, crossing her hooves. “Sounds like a mighty fine time ta me.”

“Eeyup.”

“Well, hurry along, don’t wanna keep yer ‘friend’ waitin’.”

“Nnope.” And with that, he left the old house, heading toward the floating home of the fastest flyer in Equestria, the holder of the title “Best Young Flyer in Equestria,” the Element of Loyalty, a fantastically beautiful mare, and an overall wonderful pony.

More important than any of that, was the fact that she was his date for the night, ahe wanted to spend time with him.

It made the huge stallion feel light enough to fly to her house.

He still couldn’t, but he felt that way.

He found her at the top of the hill that her house was anchored to. “Hey, Mac. What took you so long?” She joked with her crush.

“Ah had ta explain tonight ta Applejack, so that took a little.” He shrugged the guitar to the other side. “She still don’t know it’s you though. Wanna go?” He asked, gesturing ahead of him.

“Sure, let’s.” She said, as she began to walk beside him to the lake where they ran into each other a short time ago. The thing that she needed to tell him was almost forgotten in the excitement upon seeing him.

Almost.

“Dash?” Big Mac asked, concern flowing from his deep voice, as they arrived at their prearranged picnic spot. “Ya barely said anythin’ on the way here. Is somethin’ bugging ya?”

“Huh?” She asked, lost in her own thoughts and the horrors that this revelation could cause. “Oh, uh, no, sorry, there’s just been a lot on my mind.” Then, determined to turn the conversation away from the course she was taking, she decided to mention, “Hey, so I see you brought your guitar.”

“Eeyup, Ah brought Ma’s old six-string, like ya asked.” Macintosh’s mention of ‘Ma’ made Dash cringe. “She was a great, strong mare, an’ a wonderful mother.” Dash winced. “Someday, Ah hope ta be as good a parent as her an’ Pop.” Dash felt like she was going to puke. “Someday, Ah hope one o’ mah foals wants this ole guitar.” Dash tried to stifle her sob, but Big Mac heard.

“Dash?” He looked over at her, and found her biting her lip, tears streaming down her cheeks, and her shoulders racked with sobs as she tried to avoid making eye-contact with her date. “Dash! What’s wrong?” Mac knew from the time he had spent around Applejack and her friends, that Rainbow Dash rarely, if ever, cried. “Please… Dash, ya can tell me…” He attempted to comfort her, gently wrapping his hoof around her shaking shoulders and pulling her close.

“M-M-Ma-Mac…” She started, then dropped her head against his chest, “I have something t-to tell you.” She took a deep breath, attempting to calm herself down. “I-I’m sorry, I-I-I should have told y-you before, but I thought you might not like me any more.“ She admitted shakily.

“Dash, what is it?” Mac asked, while gently placing a hoof under her chin and raising her reddening, tearstained face to look into his.

“I should have told you earlier, but I was scared.” Mac was starting to get worried, what would make her feel this way. “I should p-probably just t-tell y-y-you now, before it hurts too much.” Mac was trying to imagine what could possibly cause her to feel like that. Was she moving away? Was she a wanted criminal? Was she secretly a stallion? Was she allergic to apples? That last thought gave him chills. “M-M-Mac, I, uh, I’m barren.”

“What?”

“I can’t have kids! OK?” She screamed at him, the echo bouncing over the lake. She then told him about how she found out. “I was twelve. I got my check up for flight camp, and they called me and my parents into a room, it was totally not normal. They told me and my parents that I wasn’t developing properly.” She was blushing intensely.

“I went back to the doctor’s a lot that summer, and they kept telling me that they would do everything they could, but it never seemed to help.” Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. “Finally, they told me that I couldn’t have kids. They told a little filly that she would never be a mom, and they told her parents that they would never have grandfoals.” Dash was crying, but she kept talking. “I used that as an excuse to train harder to get into the Wonderbolts, but I-I-I still always wanted a-a-a f-family.”

She took another deep breath, and stood up. “I-i’m s-s-sorry Mac, I should g-go.” She began to trot off, crying softly.

“Now hold on.” Mac’s assertion, caused Rainbow to stop in her tracks. “Now why should ya leave? We ain’t even started ta eat yet.”

“W-what?”

“Ah made some sandwiches, an’ pie!”

“So… You don’t care?” She attempted to clarify, hope slowly creeping back.

“Dash, why would Ah care ‘bout that?” He asked, trotting up to her, and wrapping a huge forehoof around her and pulling her close.

“Well, I know how important family is to the Apples.” She said, “And you were talking about wanting foals, so I thought…”

“Rainbow.” He said, soothingly “Ah’m sorry, Ah shouldn’t have mentioned foals, but Ah don’t care ‘bout that.” His ears tucked down with embarrassment. “Ah care ‘bout you.”

“Aww! Mac! That’s so sweet!” She said, nuzzling into his neck and settling into a hug. She sighed, “Thanks, Mac, I needed that.” A few moments later, she said, “So, you made sandwiches?”

They continued eating, chatting, and playing and singing songs until Rainbow Dash fell asleep on Mac’s shoulder. Mac carried her to her house, where he gently shook her awake, finally allowing each other to go separate ways.

Family

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Apple cinnamon pancakes were being mercilessly devoured, as a certain family of farmers began preparing for their work day. Butter was being knifed with murderous passion, and a flood of syrup drowned the fried breakfast foods as they were being almost ritually sacrificed to appease the insatiable appetites of their very creators.

“So, Mac,” Applejack began while carving into the light and fluffy flesh of her next meal. “Did ya have a nice date last night?”

“Eeyup.” He responded nonchalantly, as he sliced off a sizable chunk of butter to smear over his own piping hot victims.

“Aha!” Applejack shouted, causing a collective jump from the rest of the, able-bodied, family members. “Ah knew it was a date!”

Applebloom, the youngest of the family, looked up from her plate that was more syrup than pancake, now paying attention to the conversation of her elder siblings. “Whassat? Mac’s datin’?” and as she said it, the sticky, sugary liquid dripped from her chin to the tablecloth.

Granny Smith then decided to chime in, and voice her approval of the recent turn of events. “Hooweee! Way to go, Macintosh! So, who’s my new granddaughter?”

“Granny!” Mac complained, his embarrassment rising.

“Ah’m gonna have another sister!” Applebloom screamed in excitement.

“Mac, ya know we got room at the table, if ya want ta bring her over.”

“When should Ah expect mah first great-grandfoal?”

“Does this mean Ah’m gonna be an aunt soon?”

“Ah could make her favorite food. Do ya know what it is Mac?”

“Sweetie Belle is gonna be so jealous!”

“Pickles always give me the hiccups…”

“Maybe she could help me get mah cutie mark… Do ya think she could Mac?”

Macintosh was unable to get a word in edgewise, as his sisters and grandmother completely commandeered the conversation, leaving him to attempt to drown his sorrows in syrup, and bury them in pancakes.

Rainbow was way ahead of schedule on her cloudbusting duties, which just “happened” to take place over Sweet Apple Acres. So she decided a rest could be in order.

A quick survey of the area revealed an excellent landing spot, one that she would have to take advantage of. She began her decent at a shallow angle, silently scrubbing off speed, and approaching her roving landing pad without any trouble. Her hooves alighted soundlessly on the narrow space of exposed planks between baskets of fruits, directly over the axel, so that her additional weight wouldn’t alter the balance of the cart.

A landing as perfect as the one that Rainbow Dash had just pulled off was rare, and hard to come by. Honestly, she wished that somebody had seen it.

She had just landed on a delicately balanced, moving platform, without alerting the one pulling said platform to her presence.
After a few moments of silently celebrating her accomplishment, she decided to end her deceit. “Hey, Mac.”

The simple and generic, yet unexpected greeting caused the large, red stallion pulling the cart to jolt with surprise. His freeloading passenger simply took the shake of the cart in stride, using minute adjustments to keep herself upright, without looking as undignified as her coltfriend.

He turned to see her riding on the apple cart, perched gracefully between two baskets loaded with fresh, ripe fruit. “How’d ya get there?” He asked incredulously.

“Um, I didn’t hear a ‘hello’.” She scolded, faking disdain and crossing her forehooves.

Mac chuckled, bringing a smile to the speedy pegasus’ lips. “Howdy Rainbow,” He said, causing her to nod with approval at his correction of his ways, “And Ah gotta say, it’s great ta see ya. Ah jus’ expected ta feel somethin’ if ya landed back there.”

“Well, you know, I’m just that awesome!” she stated proudly, puffing out her chest. “So, what are you up to today?” She asked, genuinely.

“Well, Ah’m gatherin’ the golden delicious from the West Field,” He answered, then added curiously, “But Ah didn’t know ya were inta farm work.”

She blushed, the reddening of her cheeks immediately visible against the blue of her coat. “I, uh, just thought that, maybe, you know, I should take more of an interest in what my coltfriend does…” She said with a sheepish smile.

“Ah’m honored.” He responded with a genuine grin and a slight bow of his head, then the events from the morning came flooding back and he visually sagged.

“Hey, what’s up?” Rainbow Dash asked quickly, worried that the ‘coltfriend’ comment was too soon in the relationship.

“Nothin’ Ah jus’ had a rough mornin’.” He sighed and began to tell an abridged version of breakfast. “Applejack tricked me into tellin’ her that Ah went on a date, Granny thinks Ah’m married already, Applebloom can’t wait ta meet her new sister, and yer invited ta dinner at mah house tonight.”

“Wow… Sounds like you had an... interesting morning.” Then something clicked in, “Wait, I’m invited to dinner? By you or AJ?”

“By AJ, as mah date.” Mac elaborated.

“Oh, OK, I guess we should let her know, before she makes some mistake by telling Rarity that you two are dating.” Dash consented, “I’d love to come. I can’t wait to see Applejack’s face.” She added with a twisted grin.

“Eeyup.” Big Macintosh agreed. “Should be fun.”

“Well, I’ll let you get back to work,” Rainbow said, extending her wings for takeoff. “I have some reading to do.”

A train from Manehattan had pulled into Ponyville station earlier in the morning, picking up several ponies, and dropping off a certain friend of the Apples. Now, Caramel trotted down the familiar paths of Sweet Apple Acres, looking for the eldest of the Apple siblings. Finding another wouldn’t be too disappointing, though.

“Mac!” He called, as he entered the desired grove. “Hey, Big, where are you?”

“Howdy.” Came the simple response from his left. “How ya been ‘Mel?” the large stallion greeted his friend.

“Hey, I’m doing good. How about yourself?”

Big Mac couldn’t hide the small smirk that fought its way onto his lips. “Ah’m doin’ jus’ fine.”

“Oh yeah?” Caramel’s smirk was far more obvious than his friend’s. “So, tell me, Did you ask her yet?” he asked, taking baskets from the cart that Mac had pulled up, and placing them around a nearby tree.

“Sorta.” Mac answered, as he planted a kick on the tree.

Caramel was shocked. “W-w-what?” He stuttered, “Seriously?” Mac just shrugged, his smile getting bigger and harder to fight. “I, uh, wow... So did she say yes?”

“Kinda.” Mac said, after a second of thought.

“Wow!” Carmel said, now thoroughly shocked. “Way to go!”

“How about you?” Mac retorted. “Did ya git the nerves ta ask anypony out yet?”

“Huh?” Carmel asked, surprised at the sudden turn in the conversation. “I, um, I’m not into anyone right now...”

“Really?” Big Mac countered, “‘Cause mah sister’s available.”

Carmel’s stomach clenched, “Uh… I, uh… don’t know what you mean?” He tried to act innocent.

It didn’t work.

Mac just looked at him with a raised brow and the same smirk that he had worn earlier.

“I, um, have to go, I’ll see ya later Mac.” Caramel called as he began to hurry away from his farmer friend, who was left chuckling at his friend’s expense.

The fog began to thin out, as we were propelled by the surge of water conjured by one of my crew. I turned around, finding my crew huddling together in fear, and Daring Doo latched tightly to one of my good legs.

I took a deep breath, finally noticing the speed and intensity of my heart rate. It felt like a woodpecker was attempting to burrow its way out of my ribcage. My breathing was shaky and desperate, my legs felt weak, and it was taking most of my willpower to keep my bowels under control.

“Ew,” Rainbow said, turning up her nose at the image, “Thanks a lot for that.”

“Well, that’s over.” Lumber Mill observed intelligently. He then tried to climb out of the empty barrel that he had donned as a protective measure. His attempts merely resulted in his face making forceful contact with the deck.

“Aye, that it be.” Sea Dog said, helping Schatzi to her paws.

“What now, Cap’n?” came the weak call of Pointer in the crow’s nest.

I glanced back at the ominous fog bank to the stern. “Ain’t no way Ah’m turnin’ round any time soon, so... forward.” I thought that I could barely make out the dim glow of the beast’s lights deep in the haze.

An uneasy murmur of “Aye”s came from the crew, except for the two that were emerging from the depths of the ship.

Astro emerged from the stairs to the lower decks with a content grin on his face. “How did I do, Captain?” He inquired with an almost stupid level of calm.

“Ya did jus’ fine.” I assured him as another pony emerged from behind.

“Soup’s on!” Announced Cookie, as the pudgy pony squeezed his way through the hatch. His jolly smile died quickly as he noted the sogginess of the deck and the crew. “OI! Wha’ happened up ‘ere?”

“So, he didn’t notice anything that happened?” Rainbow wondered, “He didn’t notice any of them freaking out? He didn’t see the thing? Heck, he didn’t notice the cannon going off?”

A quick explanation of what had happened, and we divided into shifts, allowing half of the crew to take a lunch break while the rest were watching for anything else that could damage the ship or the crew.

Lunch had passed rather uneventfully, and sailing was smooth. The still, dark waters lapped peacefully against the hull, while the gentle breeze carried us toward the still-unseen island. There were no clouds, and the sun shone upon us.

Something was wrong about the area, though. The sea breeze carried with it a bitter scent. The glassy sea was unnatural, and darker than normal, and if I stared long enough into the deep, I began to see things that may not have been there.

I shuffled uncomfortably at the helm, and Daring noted my irritation. “What’s up, Big Mac?” she trotted over to me and put a hoof on my own, as she continued, “You look worried, and It’s scaring the crew.”

I forced a smile, trying to make it confident and reassuring, but it probably looked pained. “Ah jus’ feel like there’s somethin’ wrong here.”

She took a step closer, leaning into my side, “Yeah, I know what you mean, I have been in my fair share of hairy situations. Heck, I’ve been in plenty of ‘cursed’ places, but this is just creeping me out.”

“We sure have...” Rainbow concurred, recalling every adventure she had shared through the adventurer’s books.

I nodded, “Eeyup, Ah ju-”

“Cap’n!” Pointer shouted from the crow’s nest, cutting off my thought. “Ye better take a look a’ this.” I looked up to see where he was pointing, and I followed his paw.

On the horizon, I could just make something out. “What is it?” I shouted back, as I noticed him climbing down the netting to the main deck.

He leapt from his position, to the net-ladder that allowed him to get to his post. Halfway down, he jumped to jib of the nearest sail, grasping it with his dextrous paws and swinging down to the deck. He landed his dismount, with acrobatic excellence, right beside Vince, who figured he should let his fellow crewman in on a secret.

“You know, if you wanted down, I could have grabbed you.” The large griffon said, with a raised eyebrow.

Pointer considered the proposition for a moment, before responding with, “Not as fun.” To which, Vince could only shrug. Then Pointer turned to me, “It be a… well, t’was a ship.” He informed me while handing me a spyglass.

I raised the viewing device to my eyes, and scoured the horizon for the ship he was talking about.

Then I found it.

Only the bow of the once-mighty vessel was still whole, various other bits and pieces of ship scattered the rougher waters around, including the flagstaff, with the tattered remains of a black flag swaying slightly in the light traces of wind. Apparently a scruffy seagull had decided it would be a nice place to nap, and was now sleeping awkwardly atop the wreckage. The spyglass dipped lower, and I could see more of the remnants, as well as an assortment of other ships scattered among the rocks of the reef.

Rainbow Dash got a chill at the eerie image of the naval graveyard, though it could have been a gust through her open window.

I knew that if I didn’t get through this correctly, my ship would join them, and my crew would be visiting the crews of those same ships. I knew I had to make a decision. “Sea Dog,” I called to my first mate, “What’s the tide?”

“Tide be comin’ in, Cap’n.” He shouted back.

I knew the way to get through. “Stow the sails, an’ drop anchor, we’ll wait till the tide comes in, then we sail through.” An assortment of affirmatives rang out from the crew, and I watched as the increasingly efficient crew hurried to accomplish the tasks that I had given them. Sails were stowed, riggings were loosed, and the anchor loosed to the depths. I was pleased with how the crew worked, but all good things must come to an end.

“Watch out!” came the desperate plea of somepony who had lost control of one of the sails. I managed to see only the last few moments of what was happening. The loose sail caught a gust and swung the jib to starboard, where it made sudden contact with the back of Chance’s head.

“Oooh…” Rainbow Dash was very familiar with that sensation, having had her share of concussions through the years. “That smarts…”

The dog was knocked forward, and dazed. He attempted to recover, but whenever he tried to stand straight, he lost his balance and stumbled further, until he tripped over the side of the ship.

Someone shouted, “Sailor overboard!” and the entire crew began to rush to the dog’s aid. By the time I reached the side of the ship, he had resurfaced.

He coughed and sputtered, and began to look around, confused. As his situation became clear to him, he looked up to the ship and called back, “I’m ok!” He licked his chops, and his ears perked up. “Cap’n! This water’s fresh!” Red flags began to go up in my mind as he said that.

I looked back to Chance as he was greedily lapping up the water that was all around him. “Don’t drink it!” I heard somepony to my left shout out, and when I looked, I noticed it was Grog.

For the first time in a while, I agreed with the superstitious, judgmental, drunk.

“I’ll get him!” Gilda screeched, as she hoisted herself over the edge of the ship.

I began to look around, and apparently, at the mention that the water was fresh, ponies and dogs had begun to gather buckets to haul in the liquid treasure. I noticed that several had made it to the deck, and some of the crew had begun to drink it, or haul it to the hold where the rest of the drinking water was stored.

I refused to let this cursed drink onto my ship, so I took action. “No!” I shouted, and began to knock the buckets over, dumping their contents on the deck or over the edge. Every time one of my hooves made contact with a bucket, it was met with complaints. “Grog’s right! Somethin’s wrong with it!”

My exclamation was met with shocked expressions and wariness.

Rainbow shrugged, “Well, he has made a name for himself.”

“Grog’s right?” came the disbelieving voice of Smoky Mirror, whose bucket had been the most recent to be emptied across the deck. “Why do you say that, Captain?”

Chance, now licking himself dry on the deck, chipped in, “Yeah, it seems fine to…” Halfway through his sentence, he froze. He shuddered once, then his pupils dilated, and all of his muscles relaxed.

All on board stared at him, anticipating his next action. His head rolled to the side, then he looked me in the face, smiled, and passed out.

The entire crew stared at the limp form of a perpetually energetic pup, willing that whatever had just happened, hadn’t happened because of the water.

It was.

As every other crewman who drank from the ocean began to drop with a heavy thud; those of us who hadn’t, recognized a large problem. A quick scan of the crew revealed that less-than-half of my, already understaffed crew, remained standing.

“Stitch!” I shouted to the crew’s medical expert, “Try an’ figure out so-” I stopped my order before it got the whole way out, as I noticed the slightly jittery medic sleeping peacefully and cuddling up to, a similarly incapacitated, Lumber Mill.

“Dang…” I muttered, as I realized that I, nor anyone else, knew how long the rest of the crew would be out.

A sudden shout of, “Somepony help!” drew my attention back to the conscious crew members, including Smoky Mirror, who couldn’t manage to squirm out from under the massive, heavy, black form of my first mate, who had passed out and landed upon the unicorn.

While Vince and Gilda aided the trapped unicorn, I began to bark out orders. “Some of ya set up a sick bay. The rest of ya, let’s git ‘em below decks.” I said, as I slid the floppy body of Schatzi over my back.

After a while of moving the remaining crew to the impromptu sick bay, I called a meeting on the main deck. “Alright,” I said to those gathered before me, “We gotta git through there,” I pointed to the choppier waters around the reef, “At high tide, so do any o’ ya know how ta tell tides?” I asked with little hope.

That little bit of hope was not in vain, however, “I do, Captain Mac.” Astro said, raising a hoof.

“R-really?”

“Yeah, it’s just the movement of the sun and moon, so it’s not too hard.” He said calmly, a goofy, clueless smile plastering his face.

“Do ya know when high tide will be?” I asked him hopefully.

“Yeah, in like two hours.” He responded as though it was obvious.

“Sounds like Pinkie.” Rainbow mused, remembering her energetic friend’s strange knowledge of just about anything.

I began to decide what had to happen. “Alright, here’s the plan. Darin’, Gilda, an’ Vince, y’all fly ahead o’ the ship, an’ look for the deepest water, give directions ta Pointer, an’ Pointer tell me.” They responded with varied salutes, nods, or other affirmatives. “The rest of ya, we’ll be runnin’ on a skeleton crew, so rest up an’ git some vittles in ya.” They all hurried off to find a place to sleep, or gather up some food from the galley.

“Heheh,” Dash chuckled, “Vittles… Heh.”

Cookie then came up to me, a slightly worried expression on his face, “Cap, Oi don’ kno’ wha’ Oi’m doin’.” He shuffled a little, causing the boards beneath his hooves to creak with the strain of the immense stallion. “Oi’m no doctor.”

I patted him on the shoulder, “Ya know better’n me.” I thought for a second, “Try wavin’ somethin’ smelly around their snouts.” Cookie chuckled at my suggestion, and went off to try something, while I began the walk back to my cabin.

As I pushed open the door, I heard Daring Doo’s lovely voice from behind. “Hey, Macintosh, do you think we could talk a little?” It was an honest enough question, and her timid smile was reassuring, but the question itself worried me.

“Eeyup.” I answered, holding the door to my cabin open so that she could enter before me. “What’s on yer mind?”

“Well, I was thinking that, well, we haven’t really had much time to just talk. You know, just the two of us.” She explained, pulling up one of the pillows from the stack in the corner of my cabin. I did the same, seating myself across from her. “So, Big Mac,” She giggled slightly, enjoying my nickname, “What are your plans for the future?”

“Right now,” I began, donning a thoughtful expression, “Ah plan ta git through the reef.” My comment was met with a wing to the face.

Rainbow nodded her approval, “I would’ve done the same thing.”

“You know what I meant.” She scolded. “Long term. Like settle down, start a family, that kind of plan.” Her clarifications, became less and less confident as she went on.

“Darin’, Ah don’t plan ta settle down any time soon,” I informed her, “Sellin’ the ship an’ buyin’ a house ain’t on mah agenda.” I shuffled a little, swallowing a lump in my throat, “But startin’ a family ain’t outta the picture.”

“You can’t raise kids very well on a ship.” Daring Doo assured me.

“Ah know.” I told her, “But a family don’t mean jus’ kids. A family is who ya care ‘bout, those that ya can’t live without.”

“Oh…” She said, beginning to understand.

“An’ Ah think that yer family.” I finished with a hopeful smile.

She sat stock-still for a moment, until her eyes began to water, emotion welling up within her, and she leapt at me, wrapping me in a hug. “Awww! Mac, that’s so sweet!” she nuzzled into my neck, “You’re my family too…”

We continued to talk for a while, until a knock came at my door, accompanied by Astro calling, “Captain, high tide is in a half an hour, we should probably get started now.”

Rainbow Dash had finished reading the latest chapter, showered, and started to pretty herself up a little. She didn’t go too crazy, she was just going to the Apple’s after all, but this time, she was going as Mac’s marefriend.

Just thinking that word made her giddy.

She finished brushing her hair, grabbed Mac’s book and some money, and took off for town. After a quick stop at the local ice cream shop, she was once-again headed for the Apple homestead. She flew low, just above the canopies of the trees. Rainbow knew that the Apple family always ate dinner around now, but when it was more important than usual, things got frantic, so she took her time.

Rainbow set down on the porch, embracing her last few moments of peace before she dove into whatever was about to happen.

She balanced the quart of ice cream on her back, while she raised her hoof to the door, braced herself and knocked.

“Wait.” Rainbow scolded herself. “I never knock.” So she pushed the door open and walked in.

Apple Bloom had no idea why her older siblings were so panicked. It was just dinner, right?

She busied herself with coloring while Big Macintosh set the table and Applejack tried to finish making dinner, constantly tripping over the other one.

“Watch where yer goin’ ya big oaf!” Applejack accused, while nearly dropping the large bowl of salad that she was carrying over to the table. “This’s gotta be perfect.”

“Ya think Ah don’t know that?” Mac accused, while he tried to straighten the tablecloth that his sister had misaligned in her rush.

Adults were weird.

Before Apple Bloom could return to her art class homework, a knock at the door alerted her to a newcomer. “Ah got it!” She announced, happy to get away from those crayons for a little.

Nothing ruined coloring, like being told that you needed to do it.

By the time she reached the door, the pony on the other side had already let herself in. “Howdy, Rainbow Dash!”

“Hey, squirt,” Rainbow Dash greeted the minuscule pony at her hooves. “What’s going on?”

“Oh!” Apple Bloom exclaimed, “Mac’s marefriend is coming fer dinner!”

“Is he now?” Rainbow returned slyly. “Hey, AJ, how’s it going?”

“Howdy, Rainbow,” Applejack returned, hanging her mother’s old apron on a rack in the kitchen. “Like Apple Bloom said, Mac’s marefriend’s comin’ any minute, so Ah’m sorry, yer gonna have ta leave.”

“Aw…” Rainbow said, faking offense. “But I brought vanilla ice cream.”

“Wuh… uh… thanks, but… Why?” Applejack struggled to grasp what was happening.

“Well,” Rainbow explained, passing the chilled treat over to a smiling Macintosh, who placed it in the freezer. “When I was invited I figured that some sort of apple-cinnamon dessert would be served. And what goes better with that, than vanilla ice cream?”

“Wait… When you were…”

Mac pulled a chair back, allowing Rainbow Dash to have a seat. “Thanks, sweetie!” He smiled happily and nodded, pouring a glass of apple juice for his guest.

Applejack blinked several times, while her brain attempted to catch up with her eyes.

Apple Bloom grasped what was happening before her sister, though. “Rainbow Dash? You’re datin’ mah brother? Scootaloo’s gonna be so jealous!”

“Wha…?” Applejack’s mind began to connect some dots. “Ya mean… y’all are…”

“Eeyup.” Her brother confirmed, wrapping his hoof around Rainbow Dash, who smiled sheepishly.

“Buh… Muh… Wh…” Then, things clicked for Applejack. “One of ya coulda told me!” She screamed.

“And ruin this moment?” Dash asked, while sharing a look with her sweetheart. “Never.”

Applejack shook her head, she just had a hard time grasping that Rainbow Dash was dating, let alone her brother. Deciding that dinner would be a fine time to discuss this further, she turned to her little sister, “Apple Bloom, uh, jus’ go find Granny, it’s time fer dinner.”

“Ok, Sis.” And with that, Apple Bloom went off in search of her grandmother.

Mac went to the kitchen to get the rest of the food for dinner. Then, as Applejack’s face continued to contort in confusion and misunderstanding, Rainbow Dash chimed in. “I don’t know whether to laugh at how hard this is for you to grasp, or to be insulted.” Her ears tucked back slightly, “Do you really think I’m that bad of a marefriend for Mac?”

“What!” Applejack wouldn’t stand for that. “Dash, yer a great friend, an’ Ah think that ye’ll be a great marefriend fer mah brother.” As she finished up, Applejack wrapped her friend in a firm hug, reassuring Dash of her decision. “Ah’m just a mite confused.”

At this point, Mac returned from the kitchen, and noticed the two mares hugging and smiling. “Well, AJ, Ah’m glad ya approve.”

The farm girl looked up at her brother, “Of course Ah approve!” She stood up, and walked over to the big, red stallion, and nudged him playfully. “Ah’m jus’ not sure which of ya ta threaten.”

The three of them shared a laugh, then Applejack realized something. “Hey, where’s Apple Bloom an’ Granny?”

About that time, Granny made herself known. “Lemme go, ya little varmint!”

“Granny, AJ wants me ta git ya fer dinner!” The three ponies in the kitchen looked out into the hall, to find Applebloom pushing Granny Smith through the house, a book perched on the elder mare’s back.

“Ah told ya, Ah’d come when Ah found this book.” The elder mare waved the hardbound book around, barely revealing the green, apple-half on it’s cover.

Rainbow Dash and Apple Bloom looked at the book with confusion, Big Mac with a look of complete and utter horror, and Applejack with a disturbing, sadistic smile.

“It’s Little Mackie’s photo album!” At Granny’s announcement, Rainbow joined Applejack in the sadistic and twisted smile group.

“Oh?” Rainbow eyed the bindings of the book. “Little Mackie?” She glanced at the only male in the room, who was sweating. “I can’t wait to see those pictures, Granny Smith.”

“Well, dearie, yer gonna have ta wait.” Granny Smith scolded, “The entertainment is fer after dinner!”

“Uh…” Mac began, desperate to protect his masculinity. “Granny, ya know ya don’t have ta show her the pictures.”

“Aw, fiddlesticks, Ah’m sure this pretty little filly would love ta see em!” Granny said, gesturing to Rainbow Dash. “By the way, how did ya meet Little Mackie?”

All of the ponies, now sitting around the table, looked at Granny Smith with shock. “Granny, Ah’ve been bringin’ Rainbow over fer a while.” Applejack reminded her grandmother.

“Ah think Ah’d remember a face this pretty!” Granny said, smiling at a blushing Rainbow Dash.

Applejack blinked a couple of times, then decided to move on. “So, how did this happen?”

Rainbow shuffled in her seat, “Well, I had a bit of a crush on him for a little while, and we hung out a little, like at the last ‘girl’s night’ at the spa.”

“Wait, ya said ya were watchin’ the Crusaders.” Applejack reminded her.

“Well, kind of.” Rainbow said, scratching the back of her head. “I just said that to get out of going to the spa, and then Mac and I helped the Crusaders on their camping trip.”

“Yeah!” Applebloom shouted, agreeing with the story. “She made stew!”

“Then, I, uh, well…” Rainbow faded off, too embarrassed to continue.

“She found out that Ah liked her too,” Mac continued for her, “So she told me, an’ Ah asked her out. The rest is history.”

Applejack looked over them closely. “Ya know, Ah wanna hear the full story, but that’ll work fer now.”

Dinner went well, the Apples were all very welcoming to Rainbow. However, now, dinner was over, dessert had been served, Apple Bloom was put to bed, and Granny Smith was humiliating Macintosh.

“Granny, can’t we jus’ skip the bath pictures?”

“‘Course not silly!” She said, “These are some o’ mah favorites.”

“Hahaha! Cute ducky, Mac!”

“Those bubbles ain’t from soap! Hah!”

“Ugh…”

“Aw! Look at that! You were so cute!”

“Here’s his first time workin’ the fields,”

“Ya called that a buck? Hah!”

“Hey, I think it’s cute!”

“Thanks…”

“Mac?” Rainbow asked, now standing below her house. “How do you feel about meeting my parents soon?”

Mac’s ears perked up, and his heart started to pump faster. “Well, Ah figure it’s gotta happen soon… So Ah guess that’s alright.”

“Awesome!” She said, wrapping him in a tight hug. “How do you feel about heights?”

Mac blinked a couple times, “Ah don’t got a problem with ‘em, but what am Ah signin’ up for?”

Rainbow let go and squirmed where she stood, “Well, I was planning on going to see my parents in Cloudsdale, so I was wondering if you would be willing to come along and meet them.”

Mac was honestly shocked, and he thought that his marefriend hadn’t thought this through, “Well, sure, but how am Ah gonna get there?”

“Twilight’s coming home tomorrow, so I could see if she would lend us her balloon, and if she could put the cloudwalking spell on you.” Rainbow explained, having obviously thought this through. “Oh, my parents are going to love you, but I should warn you that they would probably expect a pegasus.”

“Uh, o...ok.”

“Thanks, Mac!” Rainbow Dash said, holding him tightly in a passionate hug. “You’re the best!”

And with that, she took off for the sky, leaving Mac to ponder what he had signed himself up for with this one. Then, he smiled and walked off towards his house, pleased with his decision in mares.

Dangerous Territory

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Rainbow awoke to the sun gently shining through her windows. She got up, showered, and began to prepare a simple breakfast. As she smeared apple butter on her toast she realized something.

Rainbow Dash was the fastest flyer in Equestria, future Wonderbolt, and Bearer of the Element of Loyalty. She felt like she should always go for the best, so her house was the best she could afford. She had the finest clouds, the purest rainbow springs, and had used it all to build a sky mansion. Thankfully airspace was a lot cheaper than land.

Being on the ground, with Big Mac and his family caused her to realize something, she was lonely.

She barely spent any time, except for sleeping or reading, in her house, and even then, she did that a lot elsewhere. When she was at the Apple’s last night, with the constant noise, the gentle warmth of the family’s presence, and the perpetual smell of delicious food, she found that she was far happier than she had ever been in the beautiful floating mansion that she had built.

“I hate being alone…” She muttered to her empty kitchen. Then she realized something else. “Why did I make such a big kitchen? I don’t cook.”

Determined to get out of her cold, silent, empty house, she took off for a comparatively long day of work.

It was almost two-thirty, and Big Mac was working with his sister.

“Come on, Brother, “ She was also still pestering him for the full story of how he got together with her best friend. “Jus’ tell me.”

“Nnope.” He answered, tactfully.

“Why not?” She asked, while strategically placing empty baskets around the base of the next tree in the row.

“Yer gonna have ta ask Dash.” He responded, before rearing up to relieve the tree of its burden.

Mere moments after he had kicked the tree, the object of Mac’s affection cleared a hole in the dreary cloud cover and descended angelically in the shaft of sunlight, before alighting gently in the single patch of sunny ground in the orchard.

“Nice entrance.” Applejack complimented, while Mac agreed with a nod and a smile.

“Thanks.” Rainbow said, puffing her chest out at the praise. “I’ve been working on it.” Then she trotted over to her special somepony, nuzzling his neck gently. “What’s up?”

“Work, as usual.” Mac answered, returning the slightly sappy display of emotion. “Gotta get these down ‘afore they git too ripe.”

Applejack shook her head, clearing it of the weirdness that arose from the show of affection between her best friend and her older brother. “That’s right, an’ right now, he don’t have time fer distractions.”

As Applejack finished telling her friend off, she kicked the next tree in line, loosing most of the apples and one Pinkie Pie.

“Oooof!” Pinkie wheezed as she hit the ground hard. “Hey Applejack! Hiya, Rainbow! Howdy Big Mac!” She said, while bouncing to her hooves. “Oh, Applejack, I came by to remind you about Twilight’s ‘Welcome Back From How To Be A Princess Training!’ party. Don’t forget, it’s informal, and not a surprise party, and it’s just gonna be the six of us girls, and you said that you could bring some fritters.” Pinkie licked her lips, already imagining the fritters, and completely oblivious to her friends’ confusion. “Oh! I almost forgot! That would have been silly of me! Do you know where Rainbow Dash is? I’ve been looking for her all morning, and I can’t find her anywhere.” She finished with a hopeful expression, switching between the three ponies in front of her.

“Uh… Pinkie?” Rainbow started before she was cut off by,

“OHMYGOSHRAINBOW!!!!” Pinkie leapt at her friend, tackling her and smothering her with, well-intentioned, hugs. “I thought you were lost and then we would need to organize a search party, which isn’t that much of a fun party because everypony’s scared and looking for somepony else, and then if we didn’t find you, you would end up adopted by wolves and slowly work your way to the alpha position of the pack, and eventually find your way back to civilization having acquired a love for howling and bathing with your tongue, which isn’t as bad as it sounds, and then we would have to teach you how to be a pony again, and all those fancy things like ‘the proper use of a fork and spoon,’ which might not be a bad idea anyway.”
Big Mac snickered, causing Rainbow to stick her tongue out in mock annoyance, before looking at Pinkie and asking, “Uh, how long have you been looking for me, Pinkie?”

“Like, ALL MORNING!” She said, sagging into an exhausted slump. “I looked everywhere; I checked your house, the library, Sugarcube Corner, the basement at Sugarcube Corner, the attic at Sugarcube Corner, the back room at Sugarcube Corner, the spa, Rarity’s boutique, Fluttershy’s house, Applejack’s barn, Big Mac’s room, and even Quills and S-”

“Wait!” Rainbow cut her off, “W-Why did you check Big Mac’s room?”

All of the gathered ponies stared expectantly at Pinkie Pie, hoping that she would give a reasonable response. “I thought you might be looking for a book.”

“An’ jus’ what book did ya think she’d be lookin’ fer in mah brother’s room?” Applejack said, saving a moment of indignity for the other two, who were sharing a look of worry.

“Well, I thought that maybe, Big Mac was secretly a literary connoisseur, who only shared his massive private collection of fine writings with Rainbow Dash, but I guess that I was wrong…”

Everypony laughed lightly, although Mac and Dash shared a nervous shudder at the near revelation of a shared secret.

“Oh, Rainbow, I wanted to remind you about Twilight’s ‘Wel-” Pinkie ceased her reminder when Rainbow Dash shoved a hoof in her hyper friend’s mouth.

“I got it, Pinkie.”

“Okie Dokie!” And with that, Pinkie Pie bounced off towards town, happily humming a tune.

“Do you think she has any idea about us?” Rainbow Dash asked Mac, who couldn’t answer her.

“Ah wouldn’t be surprised either way.” Applejack mused. “She coulda known ‘bout it soon as it happened, or she might not know ‘till ya git married.”

Rainbow’s blush flared up, and Big Mac stepped in, “Now jus’ hold on.” He scolded his sister, “We’re gonna take this slow. We don’t want ta rush inta anythin’ too quick, so we ain’t even near there yet.”

“Relax, Macintosh.” Applejack defended herself, “Ah was jus’ messin’ with ya.” Then she recognized the irony, “Wait… Rainbow Dash is takin’ somethin’ slow?”

“Sh-shut it.” Rainbow said, rubbing one of her forelegs and looking away from the siblings in front of her. “I-I-I just don’t want to end up hurt, you know?” She sighed, letting her ears and wings sag, “I can bounce back from a crash, but relationships are sacred to me.” Big Mac pulled her into a tight hug and she sniffed, trying to fight back the flood of emotion. “Aw, man! Now I’m getting all sappy!”

“Ah think it’s sweet.” Mac assured her, receiving a halfhearted roll of the eyes.

“Ah think this whole thing is weird.” Applejack informed them. “But, Ah couldn’t wish anythin’ but the best fer the both of ya.” She then fidgeted slightly, “Now, if ye’ll excuse me, Ah gotta use the little fillies room. Mac Ah expect the next ten trees bucked by the time Ah return; Ah don’t care if Dash stays or not, but ya gotta git back ta work.”

Mac stood up straighter and gave his sister a mock salute, to which Applejack stuck out her tongue, and Rainbow giggled. Then Mac walked over to the nearest tree and lined up a buck.

“Well, Mac,” Rainbow started, “I guess we won’t be getting together tonight, with Twilight coming home and everything, unless you’re here when I bring your book back.”

“Oh!” Mac said, remembering something. “Ya can keep the book if ya want; Ah’m done with the story.”

“Wait!” Rainbow shouted at him, “So you know how it ends?”

Mac was slightly startled by his marefriend’s outburst, “Uh… Eeyup… Ah did write it.”

Dash blinked a few times, “Oh, right. So how does it end? No! Wait! Don’t tell me! Augh!” Once again, her wings drooped to the ground, “Ok, don’t tell me, I’ve got to get back to work, I need to patch up that hole,” She said, looking towards the opening in the overcast sky she had created, where a single sunbeam was shining through. “Then, I’ve got to go down to the western quadrant, we’re breaking in some newbies and overcast is the most difficult.” She explained, then elaborated further. “You have to keep it kind of thin, so it doesn’t turn into rain, and it still needs to be thick enough to keep it grey and dark. Ugh, I hate taking care of cloudy days, and nopony likes them!” She finished her explanation with a grumpy pout.

Mac chuckled a little as he kicked the next tree, “Well, Ah love cloudy days.”

“Really?” Rainbow couldn’t believe it, “Why?”

“Applebuckin’ in the sun is torture, plowin’ is even worse.” Mac explained, placing new buckets around the trees, “An’ farmin’ in the rain just messes up yer fields. So, some shade feels real nice.”

“Well, thanks.” Rainbow said, “At leas somepony appreciates all the work that goes into overcast. Now, I guess I better get going, gotta keep the newbies from flooding downtown.” And with that, she took off, exiting through the hole in the clouds and sealing it up behind her.

“Macintosh!” Applejack called from the far end of the road, returning from her break. “Ya ain’t done with those ten trees!”

“You ain’t back, yet!” He responded.

“Oh yeah?” And with that, the race was on. Both siblings pushed harder to get finished with their task before the other.

“Up anchor, an’ hoist the mainsail.” I commanded to the few ponies and dogs still conscious. High tide was almost upon us, and we needed to get moving to be able to get through the reef before we ended up as flotsam.

They rushed to follow my orders, hoisting only the sails I commanded them to, keeping the speed of the ship low enough to wind our way through the twisty labyrinth of submerged rocks.

Vincent, Gilda, and Daring Doo took to the sky, scanning the edge of the reef to find the best point of entry for the mid-sized ship.

“Hmmm…” Rainbow Dash mumbled. “That’s a pretty good idea… He’s lucky none of them drank the water.”

We entered the waters that contained the nautical graveyard, and could immediately feel a difference in the surf. The seas became choppy, as the shallow points caused the small swells to break and toss the ship.

I wrestled with the helm, and barked out orders to the crew, making sure that we kept the ship on her course. I watched ponies and dogs wrestle with ropes as they went slack or became taught. Occasionally, a large swell would slam against the hull, knocking over anyone who wasn’t standing firm, and shaking loose any ropes that weren’t secured tightly.

The airborne spotters worked out a useful and effective, system. Daring Doo and Gilda were scouters, attempting to find the widest passage through the maze and to more open waters. They would fly out together, and take turns staying back to mark the forking paths, while the other would scan each one for the most promising path. They then relayed the information to Vince, who stayed closer to the ship, giving me precise directions, to avoid puncturing the hull and direct us down the correct paths.

“Like I said, lucky.”

“Large stone to port, keep her straight.” He called down. “Ease her to starboard. Now, hard to port.” I yanked the wheel to the left and the ship rolled opposite, and threatened to my crew into the sea, but they managed to hold on.

We had been going like this for almost half an hour, when I heard screaming from below decks. All on deck were so alarmed by what we heard, that we may have made slight contact with the reef.

“Screams?” Dash scratched her chin, “What’s going on…?”

I quickly turned the lumbering vessel away from the destructive forces of the corals beneath us and refocused on the directions of the male griffon.

More screams echoed the first, and I struggled to stay focused on the task at hoof; because, high tide wouldn’t last forever, and getting the ship marooned in here during low tide spelled disaster.

A sudden commotion demanded my attention for just a moment, and I examined to see Cookie, stumbling up from below deck and gasping like a fish on land. I attempted to tune out this distraction and focus on the visual and audible cues from my airborne guide, but Cookie wasn’t about to have any of that.

“Cap- *gasp* -‘n, *wheeze* they *pant* be *puff* waikin’ *choke* op!” the chubby chef then collapsed and continued to try to get his breath back, and I was left to attempt to figure out what he was trying to tell me.

“… They’re wakin’ up?” I guessed, and judging by his nod, I was correct. “Good! Ah’ll see what Ah can do.” I scanned the able bodied ponies on deck for the one that I trusted most to take the helm. “Smoky Mirror, take the wheel. Ah gotta visit our downed crew.” With a loyal salute, Smoky Mirror tied off the rope she was pulling on and took over the wheel.

I hurried below deck, hoping to get to the sick bay and back before something went wrong on deck. My urgency increased as a scream from down the hall made my ears ring. I stumbled as fast as my peg-leg would allow me to hobble.

I skidded around the doorway where the sick bay was set up, and immediately saw Chance sitting up in his cot, staring blankly.

“Chance… Ya alright?” I asked the normally cheerful husky.

He snapped his head in my direction, and I noticed the vacant, glassy look in his eyes. He seemed to be almost looking through me or over my shoulder, and whatever he thought he saw there was absolutely horrifying; because, he started to scream.

I recoiled in shock from my crewman’s reaction, and then noticed something even more worrying; the rest of the semiconscious crew turned to me standing in the doorway in response to Chance’s screams, with the same vacant stare on their faces.

“A-... Are they drugged?” It was the most logical explanation that Rainbow could come up with.

Then the lower deck erupted with a chorus of screams loud enough to drown out my own thoughts. I recoiled as all of the unwell ponies and dogs continued to scream, occasionally getting something slightly understandable out, however most of that was strange and confusing.

“Demon! Let us be!” shouted one crazed pony.

“I don’t want to be fish food!” announced another.

“What a way to die!” and so it went.

I tried to figure out what was going on, but was thrown off by an even worse sound than the shouting and screaming of my crew. The hull of the ship scraped against the seabed and threw me off balance, along with many of the indisposed, who burst into a fresh round of screaming.

“Ah don’t got time fer this.” I muttered to myself as I got back to my hooves. I then left the room and shut the door behind me, figuring that getting the ship through the reef was more important at the moment than playing psychiatrist.

I burst out on deck, and ran up to Smoky Mirror. “What happened?” I demanded.

“I-I-I’m s-s-sorry,” She stuttered out, and I realized that she was stressing out and was probably not in the best state at the moment. “Th-the ship’s j-j-just so big, a-and I think that the tide is going down, and … and-”

“Shhh…” I cut her off, “It’s ok, jus’ go take a short break, an’ Ah’ll take it from here.” I said calmly, as I grabbed the wheel and pushed her softly over towards where Cookie was still panting.

“Sounds like somepony needs to work out more.”

I once again took to taking Vince’s directions and realized with several minor scrapes on the reef below that the water level was definitely receding. Some jagged rocks and pieces of various wrecks protruded from the surrounding sea, where they hadn’t before.

“Vince!” I called up to him, from between directions, “See if the others have any idea how far we got left.”

“Only 15 leagues, Captain!” shouted back my current navigator.

I thought for a moment, still forcing the lumbering ship to do my bidding, when Astro spoke up. “I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news…” He said rather noncommittally, “but there is no way that we can make that with our current speed.”

“Wow, now he’s paying attention.” Rainbow observed what the characters seemed to be overlooking.

All of the crew heard him make that announcement, and they were now looking at me expectant of a brilliant plan to save the horribly understaffed ship. I took but a moment to decide what I should do next.

“More sails! Fore and aft!” I shouted at the crew, who stared at me in disbelief.

“Ooohh… That sounds worrying.” Dash said, rustling her wings underneath her.

“Cap’n?” one of them ventured, “Are ye sure ye want ta do that?”

“Eeyup.” I calmly reassured them.

“B-but, we’ll be goin’ too fast!”

“Nope”

Hesitantly, one of them saluted me and gave me a weak, “Aye, Captain.” He was steadily followed by more, who went about the task of unfurling more sails. As they did, the timbers of the ship groaned with the sudden additional strain, and the vessel lurched forward with the surge.

Vince continued to shout down directions, now frantically as the ship hurried through the treacherous waters. I repeatedly threw the top of the wheel to one side or the other in order to maneuver a tricky corner. The crew was thrown over the deck with every pitch of the ship below them.

A hard turn to port threw some loose barrels over the side. A similar turn to starboard almost threw a dog overboard, but he managed to grab a rope mere seconds before he was truly tossed into the sea, and he hung from the rafters of the ship, dangling over the reef. I’m pretty sure his name is Lucky.

Rainbow Dash blinked and then groaned. “Of course his name is Lucky.”

As Lucky hoisted himself back on deck, the ship righted and we entered a long, narrow, straight channel, that Gilda and Daring Doo confirmed lead into open waters. Certain that we were going to get out of this labyrinth, the crew cheered heartily, and was cut off by a violent surge forward as the path of the keel was cut off by the reef below us.

The screaming of the incapacitated crew below deck was an eerie confirmation of how everyone on deck felt as the ship recovered from its meeting with the seabed. It began to feel less and less likely that we were going to make it out to open water.

I looked to the horizon, and I could see where the water became darker, indicating increased depth, so I made another vital decision.

“Full sail ahead!” I demanded to a crew that couldn’t contain a ship at full sail. “Gilda, Vince an’ Daring! Grab a rope an’ pull!”

They all knew that it was our last chance to survive, so the weak and tired crew jumped at their tasks with a vigor that they had yet to show. The ship surged over the water, leaving a roiling wake in our path. I fought against any waves and crosswinds to keep the heading true.

Minor scrapes and grinds caused worrying jolts and forced me to adjust the helm. I could almost feel the sea floor rising up to meet the hull of the ship. The ship was traveling far faster than it should have been, and every time she made contact with the coral columns below the water, it damaged the hull far more than was acceptable, but I knew that I had to make an exception here.

Rainbow had pulled a wing up to her mouth and was now chewing nervously on one of her feathers.

We could see the open water before us, and the ship was traveling far too fast for the water we were in, but we felt we were going to make it.

The ship creaked and groaned against its riggings, the crew strained against their ropes as they pulled, the three that were flying were wincing against the strain on their wings, and I was wheezing for breath as I wrestled the helm for control of the ship. Even through all of this, It felt like we were going to make it.

Just before we passed through the gate to open water, the crew let out a mighty cheer, They slacked up on the ropes, and I even loosened my hold on the wheel. We were sure that we were finally in the clear, but we were slightly off.

A massive jolt shook the ship. The rudder was jerked and caused the wheel to rip loose of my grip, throwing me to the side, and making one of the handles of the wheel hit me in the chin.

Rainbow gasped.

I was dazed and confused, as I attempted to stand up and ignore the searing pain in my jaw, but the ship was in open water.

Finally, as I got to my feet, immediately sided by Daring Doo and several other crew members, I took a quick inventory. We didn’t seem to have lost anything important. Everyone seemed to be here, even Cookie, who had mostly rolled around the deck as it pitched. The crew was tired and exhausted, but present.

Then a shocked gasp drew my attention from the crew, to the maze that we had just left behind.

“Oh no…”

“Captain, look!” Smoky Mirror shouted, while using a hoof to point at something that she found rather shocking.

I followed her hoof, to the wake behind us, and noticed a rather large piece of the ship, drifting off into the distance. There was something eerily familiar about the flotsam, something that I needed to check.

“Somepony turn the wheel…” Vince followed my command, and the boat barely responded; so, he turned it further, and little more happened. “Dang…” I muttered.

“Ah’m sorry, everyone.” I announced, “We lost our rudder, an’ Ah don’t know what else happened, an’ Ah don’t want the ship ta sink, so if ya could, Ah’d appreciate some help lookin’ fer leaks.” The weary crew saluted me weakly and stowed sails, dropped anchor, and followed me into the belly of the ship, where we found minor leaks coming through in several spots where the hull was bowed in from impact with the reef.

A few minor fixes later, merely nailing boards over the leaky seams, and the crew was trudging off towards their own beds.

The very last thing that I remember, before I lapsed into unconsciousness was hearing the haunting, hoarse screams of the delirious crewmen.

“Well, that was stressful.” Rainbow said, then realized that she had been chewing on a feather. “Aw, man!”

A few hours, and one less chewed and mangled feather later, Rainbow Dash arrived at Twilight’s Library. The five mares milled about, set up for the party, and generally enjoyed catching up a bit before the guest of honor arrived.

When Twilight did arrive, she found her five closest friends, that she had missed desperately during her time in Canterlot.

“Hey, girls!” she greeted them, as they rushed in for a hug. As the moment of mutual happiness ended, she decided to ask them a question. “So, the banner?”

The banner hanging overhead, which she was referencing, read, “Welcome Back, Princess Twilig-”

“Oh, well…” Pinkie cut herself off, as though she was building up tension. “We couldn’t fit it all in!” Then she burst out laughing, with Twilight following suit.

Applejack leaned over to Rainbow and asked, “Why was that funny?” To which, Rainbow had absolutely no answer.

The friends chatted, grabbed some snacks, and settled into comfortable positions around the room. Rarity had brought a couch for herself, Applejack merely leaned against a wall, Fluttershy was perched gracefully on a pillow, Pinkie was laying upside down on her pillow, Rainbow Dash had found a perch on top of a bookshelf, and Twilight sat with a new poise on her couch, as the friends chatted.

“So, Twilight?” Rarity asked, “What did you learn at ‘princess school’?” Everypony perked up, deciding that they needed to know what Twilight learned about the inner workings of Canterlot’s royalty.

“Ugh!” Twilight said, sagging down in her couch. “There was so much! Did any of you know that Equestria’s Constitution allows for a monarchy? I didn’t. Princess Celestia says that she has never gone for the title of Queen, because she appreciates dividing her responsibilities with Luna, but I don’t know if I believe her.”

All of the ponies were surprised by the acknowledgement. “Ya don’t believe the princess, Twi?” Applejack asked, voicing the question on every mind in the room.

“Hey!” She defended herself, “I learned a lot about the princesses that nopony else knows! They mess around with their subjects! They were just sitting around playing with somepony, like they were a discussing a romance novel! Ugh, but before I start to rant too much, did anything exciting happen around here since I left?”

The general murmuring consensus of ‘no’ was a perfect time for Rainbow to think about how she wanted to make her exciting announcement, but she was so engrossed in her own thoughts, that she missed Applejack’s sadistic grin.

“Rainbow’s datin’ mah brother!”

The announcement left merely a single moment of silence before the room exploded in noise. The noise was initiated when Rainbow Dash jumped in shock at the sudden declaration and fell from her perch on the bookshelf, and then everyone else gasped and began to talk at once.

“Really, Rainbow? That’s surprising...”

“Oh my goodness!”

“Rainbow, Darling! When did this happen?”

“I guess it shouldn’t really be that surprising…”

“I’m glad he found somepony nice…”

“I mean, seeing how the whole ‘working hard’ thing is important to you both…”

“Applejack! I thought that you said I was dating your brother!”

The whole group fell silent at that and turned to stare at Pinkie. “Ah never said that.” Applejack tried to remind her.

“Yeah you did!” Pinkie defended her position. “You were whispering to Rainbow, and you told her that Rarity or I were dating Big Mac, which I must say, I wouldn’t be against, but anyway. Then you told me to get out of your basket of apples, so I did and went home and tried to remember our first date, but I couldn’t, so I guess I wasn’t actually dating him and you were just wrong.”

“Um, anyway, Rainbow, are you really dating Big Mac?” Twilight redirected the conversation, being unsure of how to respond to Pinkie.

Rainbow, now recovered from her tumble from the bookshelf, answered, “Yeah…”

“When did this happen?” Rarity inquired.

“Actually, it, uh, was just a few days ago, like not very long ago at all.” Rainbow answered nervously. All of her friends were watching her intently, with varying levels of surprise and intensity. “So, uh, you guys aren’t about to let this mess up our friendship, right? ‘Cause if Mac’s going to get between us, I can call it off.” Rainbow thought it was a perfectly justified fear, knowing that Fluttershy had been on a date with him, Rarity liked him, and Pinkie Pie might like Mac too, but apparently she was wrong.

“Rainbow!” Rarity said, as though the suggestion was more appalling than eating spaghetti in a wedding gown, “Why ever would we make you do such a thing? Macintosh is certainly a handsome stallion, and a true gentlecolt, that any mare would be lucky to have at their side, and I wouldn’t dare split up one of my closest friend’s relationship, especially with such a fine specimen of stallion. But you know we’re going to need details of everything, as it happens.” Rarity finished by giving Rainbow a comforting hug.

“Yeah, Silly Filly!” Pinkie chimed in, “Big Mac is a big hunky chunk of juicy eye-candy, but I don’t think that he could have done any better than picking you, Dashie!” The puffy-maned mare joined in the hug.

“I’ve got my eye on somepony else.” Fluttershy admitted with a distant smile on her face. “So, no worries here.” And she joined her friends.

“I honestly haven’t put much thought into dating.” Twilight admitted with a light blush, but joined in on the hug anyway.

Applejack wasn’t attempting to hide her discomfort at having her brother talked about and appraised like that, especially Pinkie’s description. “Ya’ll are sick, ya know that right?” But she chuckled and joined in on the hug quickly.

“Thanks, girls.” Rainbow said. “I should have known that you would take it well.” After a few moments, she realized something, something that needed clarification. “Wait… Fluttershy? You’ve got your eye on somepony?” and immediately, attention had been shifted to the other pegasus, who’s eyes became monstrous with the realization that she had indeed let that slip.

“Um… yes?”

Finding Common Ground

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Rainbow Dash had managed to persuade Twilight to let her borrow the balloon. It wasn’t too hard to convince her, she just had to promise to not pull it excessively fast.

She never promised anything about pushing it.

Thinking back on the exchange with an evil grin, Rainbow continued to assist Fluttershy with her little critters; something changed slightly when Twilight caused the whole ‘cutie mark fiasco’ and now Rainbow enjoyed helping Fluttershy with the cutsie animals.

Rainbow hoisted a bag of birdseed up to the cluster of feeders and began to distribute the seeds among the feeders, while trying to strike up a conversation with the butter-yellow pegasus on the ground. “So, this mystery stallion…”

A minuscule squeak came from Fluttershy, as she tried to make herself smaller and less noticeable.

“You said he was a Royal Guard…” Rainbow continued, thinking back upon the conversations from the slumber party. “How on earth did you meet him?”

“Oh, um… D-do you remember when Princess Celestia came to visit?” Fluttershy asked, barely glancing to her oldest friend.

“Which time?” Rainbow had her clarify, recalling numerous times that the Princess had visited the small town.

“The, um…” Fluttershy trailed off, uncomfortable with the next part of the story. “The time that I, uh, well, I … kidnapped her bird...”

“Oh…” Rainbow responded, knowing that her timid friend was pretty shaken up after that. “Yeah, I remember that.”

“Well, he was part of her entourage, who guarded the door.” She described, drawing up an image of the two stallions that Rainbow had attempted to get to laugh or break character in any way. “He came by my cottage after the whole disaster was over, to apologize for startling me earlier.” Rainbow could almost hear the blush on Fluttershy’s face as she told the story. “He was so nice, I had him in for some tea, and he offered to write to me, so we’ve been writing back and forth ever since...” She trailed off, mumbling something that Rainbow couldn’t hear very well.

“What was that?” Rainbow said, getting closer to her timid friend, not about to leave that mumbling alone.

“He’s, um, actually going to take me out to eat soon…”

Rainbow Dash was simply shocked by that revelation, “So, wait, that was what, like 2 years ago?” Fluttershy nodded. “And he’s just now taking you out on a date?”

“Well, we were just friends for the most part,” She began to defend her significant other, “And we’ve seen each other a couple times between then and now, and he just said that he wanted to take me out for a date recently.”

Rainbow recoiled slightly from the fierceness in her soft-spoken friend’s voice, then she remembered something that was fairly relevant. “Ok, so if you have been involved with this Guard, why did you go out with Mac?”

Fluttershy tried desperately to shrink down and disappear behind her mane. “Oh, uh, well, um, you see, uh, Applejack mentioned it, saying that Big Mac liked me, and I didn’t want to disappoint her, plus Mac was really nice, but I don’t think that we would have worked out.”

“Yeah, I heard that you got kicked out of the restaurant.” Rainbow said, causing Fluttershy to flinch. “Oh, sorry.”

“No, it’s alright.” She took a breath. “It’s what happened”

“Well, thank you for letting me help you here, Fluttershy, I need to do a few things, I’m taking Mac to meet my parents tonight.”

“Any time Rainbow! I always love having help around here with the critters.”

I awoke far earlier than I had hoped for, rolling unceremoniously out of my hammock and tumbling out onto the deck. A quick glance out of my window revealed the dim glow of the pre-sunrise morning.

Rainbow cringed at the very thought of waking up that early.

I decided to take slightly better care of myself this morning. I washed the sweat out of my mane and beard, the scrubbing soothing out some stress. I trimmed my wild hair and beard, throwing the coarse remnants out of my window and into sea. I put on my hat, my cape, and went to don my belt, when I recognized a serious problem.

My sword was missing.

Thinking back, I remembered throwing it at that disturbing deep-sea beast, and now that I thought about it, I realized that it was a poor idea.

I sighed, strapping the belt around my waist, pistol resting peacefully in it’s holster, and the empty scabbard flapping limply by my side. I pushed open the door to my quarters, stepping out on the deck of the ship and taking in the early morning sights and sounds.

The sea was almost motionless in the windless morning. The cool air drifted lightly around my legs as I walked to the bow of the ship. I looked down into the deep, clear water beneath me, dark without the sun.

Except it wasn’t dark.

In the sea beneath me, I saw a green glow, cool and inviting, like the lights of a firefly. A swarm of these lights drifted lazily along with the inward flow of the tide, congregating among the currents as though telling me to follow it.

Rainbow couldn’t help but imagine laying in the grass with Big Mac, looking out at a swarm of fireflies drifting through the warm summer breeze.

The transfixing display was disrupted as a school of fish swam through, scattering the lights to the mercy of the tides. I turned away, deciding to check on the disabled crew members.

As I trotted carefully down the steps, making as little noise as possible, I could hear the sounds of a sleeping crew, heavy breathing and snores filling the lower decks of the ship. I carefully slipped past a number of crew quarters, and into the deeper bowels of the ship, where the infirmary was located.

I pushed the door open slightly and nosed into the room quietly, finding the disabled crew sleeping fitfully. I walked in, stepping lightly to avoid waking them up and starting another screaming match.

I began walking over towards the closest cot, where Lumber Mill was resting. I looked at his face, it was pale, dry, his lips had cracked with dehydration, and he shivered with a chill. His coat, mane, and blanket were still damp from sweat, and the liquid let in the cool night air. I turned to look at the cot beside him and made a mistake in doing so.

I wasn’t paying close attention to where my false leg was going, and it went straight for the leg of the cot that Lumber Mill was laying on. The sudden wood-on-wood collision caused a hollow thunk to ring out in the storage room.

I froze, hoping desperately that none of them would up and start screaming.

I heard Lumber Mill adjust in his cot and I immediately folded my ears back, preparing for the inevitable.

“Cap-” I heard Lumber Mill croak out, before he started to cough. I looked back at him, finding he was looking at me with squinted, bloodshot eyes. He had doubtless hurt his throat from the screaming, so I searched the infirmary for any drinkable liquid, I found that Cookie had left a pail of water with some mugs in the corner.

“Oh, they’re finally better.” Rainbow sighed.

I brought a cup of the soothing liquid over to the ailing sailor, who accepted it graciously. “How ya feelin’?” I asked him after he had downed a few swallows.

“Uhh…” He rasped, “Confused.” He looked around the infirmary, taking in the sight of all the other patients. “What happened?”

I took the next few minutes explaining the situation to him. I described Chance’s mistake in drinking the water, and how he had convinced much of the rest of the crew to join him in his revelry. He cringed, noting the lump on his head, as I recounted the sudden lapse in consciousness of all who had drank the water. I told him of the suspenseful trip through the coral maze, and the collective screams of the unwell passengers.

“Actually,” he spoke up, “I remember having nightmares, they were horrible, but I don’t remember what they were about or why they were scary, but I do remember light, blinding, searing, burning, horrible light…” He punctuated his recollection with a shudder.

“Ah’ll git ya some more water, jus’ try ta git better.” I cantered off to the stores, where I found a large barrel full of water. As I carried the barrel back into the infirmary, I noticed various other crewmen waking up, and hurried to get water to the ship’s surgeon.

“Th-th-thank y-you Captain.” Stitch stuttered, after taking a deep drought of the cool liquid.

“Anythin’ Ah can do ta help y’all get back on yer hooves?” I asked.

“Lemons.”

"Lemons?"

“Lemons?”

“Yeah, l-l-lemons sh-should help the sore throats.” She began to test her strength, leaning on Lumber Mill, who had already regained much of his strength, for support. “Other than that, I-I-I think that we sh-sh-should be g-g-good.”

I then turned to Lumber Mill with a question that had been bugging me. “So… Ah think we lost the rudder… do ya think ya can do anythin’?”

“Lost the…” He looked at me with shock, obviously in shock over the impressive feat, then he shook his head and tried to overlook it. “Uh, well, I think that maybe, if we have enough lumber, I might be able to improvise something to last for a few days.”

“That’s all we need.” I informed him, knowing how close we were to the uncharted island.

I could hear the sound of hooves above me, as the crew began to wake up and move about their cabin. I took my leave, walking up the stairs to see those who were rejoining the land of the waking.

After Cookie had delivered lemons to the sore-throated sailors, and the rest of us ate breakfast, we began to go about a full maintenance mission. Fraying ropes were replaced, ripped sails stitched together, and strained boards of the hull repaired, all while Lumber Mill used what wood we had stored away, to construct a temporary rudder.

I thought back on the required maintenance and turned to Sea Dog, asking, “Is she seaworthy?”

He screwed up his muzzle, obviously unsure, “That be a strong way to put it.” He scratched at his ears, “She won’t hold well in rough seas, or full-sail.”

I nodded, before turning over the deck, shouting, “Up anchor! Sails, half-mast!” the crew rushed to follow my orders, scurrying around, back at full capacity. The sails billowed as they filled with the wind at our back.

Timbers creaked as the battered ship limped forward. The swells were minimal and winds were good, but still the broken vessel strained.

Sailing was uneventful and slow for a few hours, as we slowly sailed in the direction of the still unseen island.

“Land!” came a jovial call from the crow’s nest, as Spotter peered through his spyglass. A collective cheer rang out as the crew grasped what he meant. As though mistrusting or desperate to see for themselves, Vince and Gilda took to the sky, looking in the direction of Spotter’s spyglass. Upon seeing the dark spot rising from the horizon, the two embraced and dropped to the deck, where they confirmed the news to everyone.

“Finally!” Rainbow said, falling back into her pillow. “He’s been at sea for long enough.”

“Well, Big Mac,” Daring Doo began as she walked over to me. “It sounds like you did it.” I returned the cocky look she was giving me, and kissed her.

“Oooh…”

The crew had a renewed vigor as they went about their duties. The prospect of stable, dry, land was almost overwhelming to the sailors. Only a few minutes passed before the ship was quaking with the passionate liveliness of a sea-shanty, and I couldn’t help but join in with them.

As we approached the island it became more visible, and far less appealing. There appeared to be a dormant volcano growing from the center of the small refuge, the stones an inky black. The foliage was a dark green, and the whole land just seemed hostile.

I called Sea Dog over and asked, “Thoughts?”

“Looks a bit…” He drifted off, trying to find the right words.

“Eeyup.” He didn’t need to go any further. “So, should we find a place ta beach her? Or do we anchor out here an’ send small boats in?”

“Ugh,” he scratched behind his ear. “Beach ‘er, an’ keep some muscle ‘bout, jus in case.”

“Eeyup.”

The crew stowed sails as we approached the land, and as we got really close, some leapt overboard, grabbed ropes and pulled.

After many weeks at sea, the pale, fine, hot sand felt great beneath my hooves, and many others were enjoying themselves as well. Things were not perfect, though.

The tree line ahead of us loomed menacingly, daring us to enter, and it definitely didn’t feel completely natural.

“Mac?” Daring Doo said, getting close to me. “Do you feel like you’re being watched?”
“Eeyup.”

Macintosh braced himself into the basket of Twilight Sparkle’s balloon, as his marefriend pushed harsher than he felt comfortable with. He looked straight down, and realized that the basket was swinging back far enough to allow him to look over the edge as he did so.

“Rainbow!” He shouted, hoping that she would listen this time.

“...and sometime I’ll have to take you to the Cloudisseum! Maybe we can see the Wonderbolts!”

“Rainbow!”

“Huh?”

“Slow Down!”

She simply rolled her eyes and slowed down a little bit. “Is that better, Pansy?”

“A bit…”

Then she looked down and her heart nearly stopped. Mac was holding tightly to a rope, as he swung underneath the basket, having fallen out during a turn too sharp for the balloon shortly before he called out the last time.

“Some help?”

She jumped in the basket and began to hoist her coltfriend back into the relative safety of the balloon’s basket. He crested the wall and collapsed onto the floor, where he panted, trying to catch his breath.

“Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry, I promise I won’t do it again! Please don’t hate me, I didn’t mean-” She was cut off as Mac hugged her. She sat there, shocked for a moment, before hugging him tightly. “I’m so sorry.”

“Ah’m alright, but Ah think we should slow down, jus’ a bit.”

“I promise.”

They slowed down to a reasonable speed, with Rainbow directly behind the basket pushing and giving Mac a tour. They passed over several housing districts on the edge of Cloudsdale, with the beautiful city ahead. Mac was in awe of the sculpting that took place, without ground restricting, the city was able to be built in many different ways. It all just seemed so impossible.

Rainbow Dash pointed out the weather factory, the Cloudisseum, and several of her favorite places to go after a good flight about Cloudsdale, and Mac couldn’t have been happier.

Eventually, they approached a medium-sized cloud house in a development on the edge of the city, where Rainbow flew down and tied the balloon off.

Mac took his first step off of the balloon and onto a cloud for the first time. It was weird.

The structure of the material beneath his hooves was strange, it gave way much like a marshmallow, but had a deeper strength like a mattress.

“Hmmm…” Rainbow said, drawing him out of his musings, “I don’t think I have ever seen somepony sink in that much. I’ll just keep you off of the thinner clouds.”

Macintosh tried to ignore that worrying thought, when some new voices joined them.

“Rainbow? Is that you, sweetie?” Came a confident older female voice.

“How’s my little filly?” A raspy male voice joined the other.

“Mom! Daddy!” Rainbow shouted and took off, reaching the door where two pegasi were standing in less time than Mac could register.

Rainbow stood hugging the two pegasi who were obviously her parents. Her father had a faded purple coat and the same mane as his daughter, he was built lean, with large, powerful wings. His cutie mark was a meteor with a rainbow trail. Her mother was a sky-blue mare, with a curly, white mane and tail; her build was notably lighter and more graceful than her husband and daughter. The graceful mare’s cutie mark was a sun peeking out from behind a small cloud.

“I’ve missed you two so much!” Rainbow Dash said into her parents’ shoulders.

“We’ve missed you too!” they responded, holding their only daughter tight.

After a few moments, Rainbow pulled away and stepped back. “It’s so great to see you guys! Oh!” she exclaimed, remembering Mac. “Mom, Dad, this is Macintosh Apple; Mac, these are my Mom and Dad, Sunny Skies and Sky Strike.” She announced proudly.

“Howdy.” Big Mac said through his incredibly dry throat. “It’s an honor ta finally git ta meet y’all.”

“Ooooh!” Sunny Skies exclaimed, finally getting a good look at the visiting stallion. “Good choice, Sweetie!” Mac began to blush furiously, as his sweating became intense.

“Mom!” Rainbow Dash complained.

“I’m only joking; now, come inside! I’ve got dinner waiting!” She announced and turned to return to the house with Rainbow following closely behind. This left Mac on the front porch with only a rather stern stallion standing between him and the doorway.

Sky Strike glared at Mac for a moment, before he gestured through the door, allowing Mac to enter.

Sky Strike’s steely gaze was rather worrying to Mac, who found himself swallowing hard as he passed through the door and into the surprisingly cosy home.

“Oh, Mom, your eggplant parmesan is the best!” Rainbow Dash said as she reclined back from her empty plate.

The meal had passed with plenty of catching up between Rainbow and her parents, leaving Mac to follow along rather quietly.

“Thank you, Rainbow, I know it’s your favorite.” Sunny Skies then looked over to Mac, seeing that his plate was empty as well. “It seems like Macintosh, over here, enjoyed himself as well.”

“It was perfect Ma’am.” Big Mac said with enough respect to make his pappy proud.

“Such a gentlecolt.” Rainbow’s mother remarked, then added, “But, if the two of you eat like that all the time…” She faded off, allowing her lighthearted remark to hang in the air.

“Oh, Mac doesn’t have to worry about that!” Dash said, finally sensing a way to transition the conversation to her coltfriend. “He is a farmer, after all.”

“A farmer?” Sunny Skies asked, not displeased but surprised. “Really? Tell me more.”

“Well,” Mac started, glancing towards his glass to assure that it was full, his dry throat was going to need it. “Ah run Sweet Apple Acres with mah sister.”

“Oh, yeah! We love your cider!” Sunny Skies told him. “Wait… Dash, I thought you said that your friend Applejack…” Suddenly, a sly smile grew across Sunny Skies’ face.

“No, Mom, it wasn’t like that, I promise.” Rainbow backpedaled.

“Sure, sure, I believe you.”

The conversation continued to revolve around Mac and Dash for a while as Sunny Skies asked questions and Sky Strike continued to evaluate Macintosh.

A sudden buzzing from the kitchen drew everyone’s attention from the conversation to the kitchen.

“Oh! The brownies!” Sunny Skies said, jumping up. “Rainbow, could you help me dish out dessert?”

“Oh, uh, well…” Rainbow tried to come up with a decent excuse to stay with Mac.

“Dashie.” Sky Strike said softly, drawing her attention, “Could you please go help your mother?”

Rainbow had always been a daddy’s girl, and found herself saying, “Sure, I’m coming, Mom.”

Mac was left alone, in the dining room, with a stallion possessing the single hardest gaze in the world.

Mac gulped.

Mac took a deep breath, and hoped that the right words would come to him as he started. “Sir-”

“Marry my daughter.”

That was not the response that Mac had expected. “P-pardon?”

Sky Strike’s gaze had softened into a look of genuine assurance, and maybe a little bit of desperation. “Please, marry Rainbow. I have never met a stallion that I have approved of nearly as much as you. You’re so respectful, you have a stable job, you really seem to love Dashie, and better yet, you’re an Earth Pony!”

That last one really threw Mac off. The farmer really had no response to that.

Apparently, Sky Strike had realized his verbal error, “Oh, that came out poorly.” He then decided to elaborate a bit further. “When I was her age, I was trying to upstage and show up every pegasus that I met. It was because of this, that I was never able to hold a steady relationship. It wan’t until I met Sunny, and tried to beat her at her own game, that I learned to slow down. She’s a ballerina, and no matter how hard I tried, I was never anywhere near as good at dancing as she was,” He added with a chuckle, “but the real defining moment was when she refused to race me, she knew that I was going to be faster, and I finally slowed down to appreciate her.”

The older stallion sighed and looked down, “I’m just glad she learned to slow down before I did.”

“Mom, I don’t like leaving Mac and Dad alone in there.” Rainbow said as she placed a few piping hot brownies on a cooling rack.

Sunny Skies just laughed, “Your father was going to act that towards anypony who tried to take you away from him.”

“Well, yeah, but I’m still worried.”

“Oh, believe me sweetie.” Sunny Skies said as she pulled four bowls out of a cabinet. “Macintosh seems to be a perfect gentlecolt, and your father will approve of him more than you think.”

“Do you really think so?” Rainbow asked as she tried to listen into the conversation in the adjacent room.

“Of course,” The elder of the two mares pulled ice cream out of the freezer. “He might threaten him a little, but if I know your father, he will be pulling out your baby pictures any moment.”

Rainbow’s heart sank a little bit at that. “Uh oh, I hope not.”

“Sweetie, you know it has to happen.” Her mother said, looking over at her with a sly, half-lidded glance, and happened to notice the chocolate crumbs covering her daughter’s mouth. “Really, Dash? Don’t you think you’re a little bit old for sneaking brownies?”

“No way, Mom!” Rainbow defended herself, “Your brownies are the best!”

After Dash had cleaned her face and ice cream and brownies had been loaded into each bowl, Rainbow Dash braced herself for whatever she would find upon reentering the dining room.

“It was the most precious thing that I have ever seen!” Sky Strike exclaimed, apparently finishing up a story.

“Aww!” Mac drawled, “That does sound adorable!” they then turned to face the two entering mares with smiles across both of their faces. “Dash! Yer Pa was jus’ tellin’ me ‘bout yer first flight show.”

“Dad!” Dash groaned, immediately recognizing the story. “You really had to tell that story?”

“Of course, Dashie,” He explained himself. “It’s my job.”

“Ugh…”

Another hour passed, with pleasant conversation, story telling, and a much more relaxed atmosphere. Eventually, it was time for Rainbow and Mac to leave.

Sky Strike and Sunny Skies found themselves on the porch, waving to the balloon as it drifted off below the clouds.

“So…” Sunny began, “Strikey, what do you think?”

“He’s perfect.”

The confidence that her husband used to call their daughter’s coltfriend perfect shocked her. “Perfect?”

He sighed, hanging his head, “Yes… and I’m disappointed that I don’t want to talk her out of it.”

“Ha!” his wife laughed, wrapping a wing around him. “Come on, let’s get some baby pictures together, we’re going to need to visit soon.”