> A Choice
>  by Bellum
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Eeyup.”

“Was she doing anythin’ with the clouds?”

“Ennope.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thinking this over, he frowned slightly as a pang of sorrow echoed throughout his soul. What was that about? He wasn't going to be upset if he needed to work to get his own... There it was again. It was very faint, but it was there alright.
It would seem that for some reason he wasn't fully committed into settling for a life of a farmer, but that couldn’t be right. He was a simple stallion who wanted the simpler things in life. He loved tending to the fields: watching plants grow, getting down and dirty, and everything that goes with that lifestyle. Sure, there were hardships with the occupation, but he wouldn’t trade it for the world.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Other than those two structures, there were some flagpoles scattered all over the place. A few colorful tents clustered together stood off to one side. A few other stands were also about, but other than that the square was pretty much empty.
As the day passes, the area would become the social gathering it was meant to be, but for now most ponies were still getting ready for the day. The place was almost deserted, which meant that Big Mac could pick any spot he wanted without much trouble. Taking refuge under a nearby tree, he placed the stand just so that when the sun got higher in the sky, he would benefit from the shade that the tree had to offer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“One hundred and eighty.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter Two

In the past week, Big Mac had made more excuses to make trips into town than he had at any point in his life. However, he also finished his morning chores before sunrise and hurriedly got the evening work done before anyone could complain. On the first couple of days, Applejack didn't pay the sudden change of behavior much attention. Though she loved her big brother, she thought of him as lacking in the social department. He hardly had any friends and there wasn’t a mare to speak of. It wasn't right for a young stallion like her brother to slave away in the fields all day thinking that the farm was first to everything else.

To make matters worse, she felt partly guilty for his behavior. Though she did her fair share of the work on the farm, she also took a lot of time off to be with her friends. Sometimes there was something she wanted to do so badly she asked her sweet brother if he could do her work for the day. Not once did he have to agree to take on her workload, but every time he said, “Eeyup.” No complaints, no favors, and no ill muttering came from his lips. He was more than glad to take on the extra work as long as she was happy.

So when Big Mac asked her if he could go into town to sell apples again she was mildly surprised, but pleased as well. Something, or someone, was luring the farmer back into town. Whatever it was had her curious, but she didn't want to scare him or make him feel uncomfortable. So she gave him a smile and a nod of her head. He didn't show it, but she could tell he was happy.

The only times she took a break from her work that day was during lunch and when she fetched her sister from school. The moment she stepped into town she knew something was out of the ordinary. The streets were deserted and most of the stores were closed, but there was no signs of any danger. Glancing into several windows, she saw a few ponies at home, but they didn't seemed distressed.

She would have learned why the town was deserted if she had gone through the town square. However, it wasn't until she met her sister at the little red schoolhouse that she learned anything. Three young fillies were out on the playground, waiting for their parents or siblings to pick them up. Apple Bloom, a yellow earth pony wearing a red bow in her red mane, had her orange eyes glued to her two companions.

A white unicorn with a mulberry and pink mane lowered and raised her melodious voice. In front of her, a blue doll dressed as a ballerina was dancing along to her voice. Though the doll seemed to be made of a shiny glass substance, its movements were as smooth as a living creature. To say its performance was anything short of amazing would be an insult.

Not too far away from the unicorn, to her right, an orange pegasus with a fuchsia mane and purple eyes was concentrating her attention at a board under her hooves. The board was made from a dull gray plastic shaped into a large crescent. The pegasus’ forelegs were planted squarely on both sides of the board with her wings spread out. Under her breath she muttered something that sounded foreign. The board suddenly glowed a bright orange and a gust of air propelled the pegasus to the skies.

For a moment, Applejack nearly panicked, for she knew the filly couldn't fly. However, the fear quickly subsided. The pegasus was only a little more than half a dozen yards in the air, and instead of falling to the earth like a rock, her wings were spread out so she could glide over a short distance. It wasn't flying, but it was the next best thing. Near the end of the flight the pegasus tried to do a somersault. However, there wasn't enough space between her and the ground and she landed hard on her back. Not hard enough to do any harm though, for she sprung right back onto her hooves with a massive grin plastered on her face.

As the pegasus dashed back toward the board, Applejack announced her arrival. “Howdy girls! Where’d ya get the fancy toys?” They were so absorbed with what they were doing the fillies were surprised to see her. The pegasus came to a halt in front of her board while the singing stopped abruptly, causing the doll to come to a stop on one hoof while its two fore hooves arched over its head.

“Hey big sis,” Apple Bloom called out once she noticed her elder sibling. “Do you mind if Ah stay a bit longer? Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo’s new toys are so fun t’ watch.”

“Maybe for a few more minutes,” replied the cowpony as she took a closer examination of the doll. “Ah must say, Ah never seen somethin’ like this before. How were you able t’ make it move without usin’ magic, Sweetie Belle?”

The unicorn shrugged. “Beats me. Mr. Dollar said that this is a device European singers use to help with their singing. The better a pony sings, the more elegant its movements become.” To prove her point she sang a little piece that the cowpony wasn't familiar with, but the filly’s voice made it delightful to listen to. The doll agreed, for it started to move once more with fluid movement. When she stopped singing the doll stopped. “Now you try.”

Wanting to see if what Sweetie Belle said was true, Applejack sang a little folk tale off the top of her head. Her voice was decent, but compared to the unicorn it was weak. The doll moved once more, but unlike earlier, it jerked its way across the grass with little grace.

“Guess it don’t like my voice,” she joked as she stopped singing.

“That what Mr. Dollar said,” said the unicorn with a giggle. “He thought that I'd get more joy from it than he did.”

Though Applejack wondered who this Mr. Dollar was, she turned her attention onto the pegasus. “An’ that thing is?”

“A launch pad,” exclaimed Scootaloo as she bounced onto it. “It’s supposed to help pegasus fillies get a feel for the air by launching them. All you do is put your legs out like this, spread your wings, and say,” she shouted, “Levantar!” Again, a gust of wind tossed the pegasus into the air. Like before, she glided for a couple dozen feet, but this time she was able to execute a clumsy somersault before making a decent landing.

Running back over to them, Scootaloo said, “I would offer you a try, but it’s not really made for you.”

Nodding her head, Applejack asked, “That’s pretty neat, but whered’ya get it?”

“Mr. Dollar gave it to me after Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and I helped him out this morning,” she replied.

“This mornin’,” Applejack asked sternly with a raised eyebrow to her little sister, “as in this mornin’ when you shoulda been in school.”

“It was nothing like that!” exclaimed Apple Bloom as she spun around to face her sister. “We didn't skip school or anythin’. My friends and Ah were heading straight for it when we ran into Mr. Dollar. He was heading t’ town square and bumped into us. He wanted our help to spread the word that he was in town, but we told him we needed to go to school. Instead of sayin’ goodbye he asked where our school was and we took him here. After talkin’ to Miss Cheerilee we were excused for the mornin’ as long we made up for it later.”

Pointing to the objects, she said, “And we told anypony who would listen t’ us about Mr. Dollar. There were so many ponies at town square that he wanted to award us. He offered us payment in bits, or we could get an item of equal value.” Craning her neck to the side, she bent down and turned back around to show a small cloth bag in her mouth. Putting it down, she continued, “Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo got new toys. Ah went for the bits.”

“If Ah were to ask Miss Cheerilee about this story, would she tell me it’s true?”  Applejack asked skeptically.

“Yes!” exclaimed the Cutie Mark Crusaders in union.

“She’s still in the school house doing whatever it is teachers do after school,” said Sweetie Belle.

After a few seconds of examining innocent faces, Applejack trotted into the school to find the teacher. She said a quick hello and talked about Apple Bloom's grades just to be polite. She then asked her to confirm the Crusaders' story. Yes, said the teacher, a charming, young stallion by the name of Silver Dollar came in to ask if several of her students could assist him. At first, the teacher was a little suspicious of him, but after a nice conversion she allowed the Crusaders to help the stallion.

Intrigued, Applejack asked her what Silver wanted help with. Nothing much, just wanted them to spread word that he was setting up shop in the town square. From what he had told her, he was selling exotic items to help fund a trip he was about to make. He was also looking for anything that could only be found in Ponyville.

The cowpony thanked the teacher for the information and went back outside to collect her sister. The younger sibling protested, but in the end she said goodbye to her friends. As they walked home, Apple Bloom unknowingly dropped a bombshell. “Was Big Mac sellin’ apples today?” she asked.

“Last Ah checked he was,” replied the cowpony with a small smile.

“Well, Ah saw him when we were in town square,” said Apple Bloom as she shifted the bag of money on her back to a more stable position. “He had the stand with him and he was right across from Mr. Dollar's store, starin’ at it.” Pausing for a second, she added, “Did you know that Mr. Dollar is lookin’ for ponies t’ go with him ‘round the world?”

“No,” replied a slightly bemused Applejack, “Ah did not.”

For one more day she didn't bother with the thought as Big Mac, for the third day in a row, took the apple cart into town. She did, however, ask her sister to swing by town square to see how their brother was doing. She reported the exact same thing she had the day before.

So, when the farmer tried to take the cart into town the next day, she refused the request. “Sorry Big Mac,” she said as she feed the hogs. “Ah’m goin’ into town to meet up with Fluttershy, an’ some of the fencin’ needs ta be worked on. You wouldn’t mind takin’ care of that would ya?” He didn't say no, but she could feel he wanted to. “Maybe tomorrow,” she added.

That day she did have something to do in town: to go and see what the big fuss was about this Silver Dollar. Yesterday, several of her friends came by to see how she was doing. Though they chatted a little on different subjects, the topic would always return to the strange merchant and his wagon.

Twilight visited the merchant to see if she could expand the library's collection. To her surprise, he had some of the rarest books ever printed, which now had a new home in her personal collection. Though Rarity believed the clothing Silver wore was out of date, the clothing and fabric he sold was so new and fascinating. She paid a pretty penny to get her hooves on them. Fluttershy was somewhat conflicted about the merchant. He was kind and generous, but she was appalled that he sold fur coats. It didn't help that he told her of a time when he and his father tracked and killed a manticore.

One had to be either deaf or living under a rock to not know how the merchant operated by now. At the crack of dawn, he left his hotel and towed his wagon to the town square. From sunrise to sunset, he sold his wares. As soon as the sun dipped into the horizon he packed up and headed to the hotel to spend the rest of his day looking for a new employee.

Applejack tried to meet him personally while he was selling, but by the time she got to town square, most of the town had converged on him. It didn't matter if the pony was buying or not because, in his own right, Mr. Dollar was a show pony. She shoved her way to the front of the crowd to see what got them riled up. When she got there she was momentarily blinded by a flash of light.

Once her vision cleared, she quickly spotted the object that blinded her. Standing on his hind legs, Mr. Dollar held a four foot long, curved steel sword in his mouth. Strapped to his back was a black, shiny sheath which looked out of place against his working clothes. Set in front of him was a ten by four board held up by a purple glow. In one smooth, downward movement, the sword cut through the wood with little resistance. Because of the magic, the wood stayed in place, but whoever held it pulled the two halves apart.

The merchant pressed the sword point into the ground and placed a hoof on its handle to keep it in place. “There’s no doubt that the blade is sharp,” said the merchant. “ Made to hack off flesh and bone, but it can also make a nice decorated piece. Miss Sparkle, please take the blade and do be careful about it.” From somewhere in the crowd Twilight appeared with a smile on her face.

“Yes sir,” she said as her horn glowed violet. The same glow gripped the sword by the hilt, slowly levitated it into the air, and made it face the crowd horizontally.  

“Thank you,” said Silver. “This katana was made by a master swordsmith back in the late 1600’s. Before the island nation Uma closed off its border, one of my grandmothers managed to sneak in and buy it. Not sure why, but then again, it’s because of her that I have so much weaponry lying around the house. Would anyone like to take a closer look at it?” A few hooves went into the air. “Come forward and please be careful. These swords are extremely sharp and one wrong move could cause a terrible mess.”

Several ponies made their way to the front row to take a better look. One of them being a rainbow mane pegasus who popped out of nowhere three ponies down from Applejack. For a moment, Applejack thought of walking over to the pegasus and asking why she had been avoiding her for the past month. However, she knew the pegasus could easily fly away, so the cowpony chose to wait for another opportunity.

Turning her attention back to the merchant, she watched as the sword slowly hovered several inches from ponies' faces. When it came by her she understood why it should be held with caution. The single edge looked to be well cared for and, based on what happened to the board, it wasn't hard to imagination it cutting through her skin as if it was paper.

A few more ponies examined it before the sword was placed back into its sheath. Getting back on his hind hooves, the merchant took the sheath off his back. “As promised, I have shown off one of my more dangerous items. If someone would like to buy it, be my guest, but be aware that it isn't a toy.” Based on several faces, some of the ponies didn’t hear him. Walking back over to his store, the merchant placed the sword away where the crowd wouldn't see it.

“Now,” he said as he leaned on the counter, “may the next customer come up.” One would think he was selling the last of the apple cider at the end of the season by the way the crowd swarmed to be first. Applejack lost sight of both of her friends and nearly got pulled along with the mob.

Deciding it was best to meet Mr. Dollar later, Applejack spent the rest of the day wandering around town. Somehow, in the afternoon, Rarity drafted her into fitting several of her new dresses. That ate up several hours that she didn't want to spend, but thankfully, the white unicorn loved to talk while she worked, which made the rather daunting task pass quickly. The only reason she got away in the end was because the sun had nearly set and Rarity had other business she needed to attend to.

Once she was out of her friend's mane, Applejack went straight to Ponyville’s only hotel. The hotel was a large, white building with green trimming called The Wanderer Oasis. Though it was primarily a place to rent a room, it also served as a bar and a place of meeting. Usually it wasn't too busy, but it obviously got enough business to stay afloat.Today, there was a line to get into the hotel.

Applejack knew Ponyville wasn't the biggest town in Equestria, but there couldn’t be that many ponies who were willing to leave everything they knew behind for a trip around the world. It should be pointed out that most of the ponies were around her age. Old enough to make their own lives, but young enough not to be deeply rooted to one place.

Not wanting to spend her night in a line, Applejack thought to try again another day. She did, however, stand there long enough to tell that the line wouldn’t last. Apparently, not just anyone can be hired for plenty of sad looking ponies left the hotel.

Though she didn't meet Mr. Dollar, she saw enough that she wondered if Big Mac was drawn by the pony's charisma and promise. Nothing in the past would have indicated that he ever wanted to travel. However, since he was young, it was pounded into his head that his duty was to the farm and his family. It wouldn't surprise her if he kept what he believed a forbidden dream to himself.

For the last three days of the week, Big Mac’s actions kept on proving her hypothesis. Working harder so he had time to go into town, bring their little sister back home from school so he could swing by the town square, and once she suspected he broke some tools just to get away from the farm.

On one of these days he managed to talk to Mr. Dollar. He negotiated with the merchant about the selling of a couple of barrels of the family's apple cider. The cowpony agreed it was a good idea to sell the cider for the right price. However, she disapproved of the fact that he did this without her knowledge.

Tonight was the night that Applejack got to the bottom of this mystery. Whether her brother admitted it or not, he wanted something from that pony. And the more he refused to face it, the more irritated he became.

When she was a filly, she remembered a bitter, old pony that came to town. The reason he was so bitter was because he was too afraid of chasing a dream that was in his reach. She didn't think Big Mac would turn out that way, but still. Better to not go down that path than receiving a pony from it.                       

*******

Upstairs in his room, Big Mac sat quietly at a desk as he read through the book before him. The desk on which the book rested was much like its owner; plain, simple, and undecorated. However, the wood had been waxed to prolong its life. Beside the book was a candle, illuminating the page's neatly written, cursive words.

He could see why Twilight first thought it was an autobiography. The first half a dozen pages were spent describing some of the author's own experiences in life. None of it was interesting and the author himself joked that he was boring the readers. He ended the last paragraph of the chapter in a peculiar way. Since time can't tell its own history, it is time for me to tell a part of it for it.

From there, the author launched into the lives of about a dozen different ponies that were all related in one way or another. The first few pages were dedicated to a short summary of the pony’s early life, but soon they described the journeys which they took later on. Some of the tales told of the first ponies who settled Equestria while others traveled to foreign lands. All of them faced a hard life, but the endings varied greatly.

Just as Twilight said, there were plenty of pictures and drawings to view. The author claimed that every image was a photocopy of the original. No way of telling if that was true, but the degree of artmanship did change with the stories.

For the past week, every evening, he locked himself away in his room, turned off the lights, and used the candlelight to read the book. At the moment, he was reading about a stallion paddling down the Nile River. Good thing that Pinkie Pie's pet baby alligator was toothless. It may not be a crocodile, but he’d rather not have the close relative chomp down on his flank.

The pounding on his bedroom’s door ripped him out of his reading. “Big Mac,” Apple Bloom called out, “are ya in there?”

“Eeyup,” he shouted back.

“It's time for dinner.”

Mentally sighing, he said, “Be there in a moment.” He listened to his little sister's hooves clatter away from his room. And I was getting to a good part, he thought as he marked his page by bending one of its corners. He closed the book and blew the candle's flame out. For a moment or two, he blindly walked through the dark- the only light source was moonlight filtering through a lonely window. When he ran into the wall, he put a hoof on it and started to feel around. Once he found the light switch he flipped it up.

The light turned on to an overall empty room. Its walls were painted a light shade of green. A queen size bed covered in sheets was positioned in the middle of the room. Next to the bed was the window, overlooking the apple orchard. Below the window sat a small square table holding a lamp. On the right side of the room sat his desk and on the left was a bookshelf. Several books occupied the shelves, but old toys, random stuff, and a rag tag stuffed animal took up most the space. To some ponies the room may seemed to be lifeless, but to him it was perfect the way it was.

As he looked the room over to memorized the layout. He didn’t know why as he had seen it over a thousand times, but he did anyways. With a mental picture in mind, he unlocked the door and headed toward the dining room.

The dining room was a nice size area connected to the kitchen and living room by narrow hallways. A maple wood floor showed signs of many years of wear. Walls were painted a seemly red and covered with pictures of the Apple clan. From old gray photos of the founders of the farm, to more colorful one of recent inhabitants and relatives. Centered in the middle of the room was a round table big enough to sit eight ponies, but four chairs accompanied it.

Someone had set the table for dinner. Four good size bowls accompanied by glasses sat in front of each chair. Napkins laid beside the bowls with a single spoon set on top of them. A pot with a ladle sticking out of it rested in the center of the table. Salt and pepper shakers, crackers, and a bowl filled with shredded cheese were scattered about.

Already sitting at the table was Apple Bloom and Granny Smith. Granny Smith, an elderly mare well past her prime, fought to stay awake. Her white mane and tail were pulled back into a bun, but a few strands of hair stuck out. Light lime green fur did little to hide the wrinkles. Light orange eyes peered through half closed lids. On her flank was an image of a baked pie in its pan.

Unlike her older counterpart, Apple Bloom jumped in her chair trying to make conversion. It was on the topic of her friends and their new attempt in getting their cutie marks.    

“Good evenin’,” said the farmer as he walked into the room.

Apple Bloom faced her brother with a big smile. “Howdy Big Mac, Ah was just tellin’ Granny how the Crusaders and Ah excavated Daisy’s backyard for fossils.”

A little worried that he might be filling in holes sometime soon, the farmer asked, “Did ya find any?”

“No,” said Applebloom, the smile faded away into a frown. “All we found were rocks, dirt, and some black, sticky liquid that was almost impossible to get out of my coat.” Turning her head to look at her side, she added, “Ah think there might be a stain, but it isn’t noticeable.”

“Did Daisy let ya dig in her yard?”

“Of course she did,” said Apple Bloom, a little offended. “Ah wouldn't dig somepony’s yard up without permission.” Being on the receiving end of one of the Cutie Mark Crusaders' schemes, Big Mac was skeptical. However, unless Daisy came over and complained about it, he’d give his sister the benefit of a doubt.

“Sit down in your chair,” said the farmer. Happy that he wouldn't pursue the matter, Apple Bloom complied.

Taking his seat at the table, Big Mac found that he sat across from an empty chair. Applejack cooked tonight’s dinner, so that wasn't so strange. She was probably grabbing a loaf of bread to go with the vegetable stew. For a minute, the three sat there with Apple Bloom talking about how things were doing in school, the recent adventures with friends, and a little about a classmate she wasn't all that thrilled about.

The sound of hooves heading toward the table told of the chef’s arrival, but none of them gave her much thought. However, the large platter she put in front of them caused the raising of eyebrows. A jug of milk and water was where they should be, but the large jug of cider was unexpected. “Milk and water for anyone who wants it and apple cider for the adults,” said Applejack with a queer smile.

“What's the occasion,” asked Granny Smith, a little confused.

“Yeah,” Apple Bloom said, “and why can't Ah have some cider?”

“Who said that somethin’ special has to happen for us to have a little treat? Besides, everypony has been workin’ hard this week so Ah thought that a treat is in order.” Before her sister could complain, she added, “Ah have an apple pie in the oven as we speak. As soon as the timer goes off Ah'll go get it.”

The mentioning of apple pie got Apple Bloom to settle down and took Applejack’s kindness as face value. Granny Smith and Big Mac weren't so easily persuaded, but they couldn't see anything wrong with her statement, and especially since the cowpony was an awful liar. They knew she was telling the truth.

As soon as the cowpony took her place at the table, dinner began. Each Apple got their respected portion of the meal and additives. Big Mac and the eldest sister served themselves a glass of cider while Apple Bloom poured milk for Granny and her. As they ate, the three mares idly chatted about everyday life. Big Mac more or less kept to himself, pausing from his meal only to add a minor comment or when his opinion was wanted. As supper progressed, the farmer drank several glasses of cider. It wasn't enough alcohol to get him drunk, but he could feel the drink working its magic.

If he paid any attention at all to Applejack, he would be wondering why she gave him a satisfied glance each time he poured more cider into his glass. He would also be curious about the fact that she hadn't drunk more than half a glass of her cider. None of the Apples were alcoholics, but they appropriated a good drink when given to them.

Sometime during the meal the ringing of a bell came from the kitchen. “Be back in a sec,” said the cowpony as she sprinted out of her chair. A minute later she came back into the room on her hind legs, carrying a steaming pie in her gloved hooves. After setting the pie on the table, she went back into the kitchen to fetch a knife, four plates, and four forks. She quickly set each dish and piece of silverware in their place before returning to her seat.

It went unsaid that dinner must be finished before anyone got a slice of pie. Apple Bloom wasn't inhaling her stew, but she ate fast enough that her sister told her to slow down. Granny slowly chewed away at the vegetables while Applejack had long since finished and now talked to pass the time. Big Mac had also finished, but he sat nonchalantly in silence; relaxed to the point where time was non-existent.

Cider and a good, warm meal did that to a pony. Add the apple pie into the factor and tonight, he could easily go to bed and fall asleep within minutes. At the moment he lazily shoveled chunks of pie into his mouth. Apple Bloom already devoured here first slice and served herself a second. Granny managed a few forkfuls before deciding she was full. She muttered about going to bed, but the chair she was in would do for a quick nap.

Applejack, however, hardly touched the pie that sat in front of her. Instead, a peculiar smile was plastered on her face. “Hope it's tasty,” she said directly to her brother. “Ah tried some different apples from what Ah usually use. Ya know, mix things up a little.”

“It tastes great!” shouted Apple Bloom as she devoured her second slice of pie.

“Eeyup,” said Big Mac.

“Are ya sure?” Looking to her sister, Applejack said, “Gulpin’ it down without even tastin’ it doesn't count.” The filly got the message and slowed her devouring to a more reasonable speed. “What about ya, Big Mac? Have any opinions on my bakin’?”

Baking apple pastries was a family pass time, so it wasn’t uncommon to give and receive criticism. Already influenced by a warm meal and alcohol, Big Mac's tongue was freed from his mind. “It’s fine, but it’s a little too tart for me.” Absentmindedly, he clanked his fork against the plate several time before realizing that it was empty. Putting it down, he added, “Apple Bloom sure likes it, and if Granny could stay up long enough, she would agree. May Ah ask, what apples did you use?”

“The name escaped me,” replied Applejack as she took a forkful of the pie. After lazily examining it she place it in her mouth. As she chewed she said, “Ah got them off of Mr. Dollar when I visited town the other day. Said the apples are only found in Europe and are primarily for cooking.”

“Maybe someone can go back to him and ask what breed it was,” said Big Mac. He was a little too slow to the see the rolling of the eldest sister's eyes. “If Ah could go to Europe Ah would be more than happy to get ya some. However, Ah can’t seem to recall Mr. Silver having any…” His mind finally jumped in to stop his mouth, but the words were already out. Without meaning to he told Applejack something she wasn’t supposed to hear.  A bit of shock showed on his face as he stared at the triumphant smile of his sister.

“What Ah meant to say is... Um...” The farmer felt as if he was caught stealing sugar cubes form the sugar jar.

“Does my brother plan on travelin’ the world?” exclaimed Apple Bloom as she jumped in place. “That would be so cool! Big Mac, world class traveler! Off to show everypony what an Apple is made of!”

“Now who said I was goin’ anywhere,” snapped the farmer, more aggressively than he meant to be. He regretted it the moment Apple Bloom cringed. “Sorry, what Ah meant to say is...”

“Mr. Dollar turned ya down?” interrupted Applejack.

“No, and Ah wasn’t going to ask him.”

Applejack arched an eyebrow as the Applebloom said, “Why not? Ah thought that ya wanted to travel the world?”

“And where did ya get that idea?” asked the farmer with a stern frown.

“Ah took a peek at the book ya were readin’. The one ya seem so protective about that ya locked the door t’ your room to keep me out.” The farmer’s face set into a stony expression, but a single bead of sweat ran down his forehead.

As he promised himself, Big Mac got the book from Twilight the day after the merchant arrived. That same day he had left his bedroom door unlocked. When he went out to the fields to start planting some seeds, Apple Bloom went to his room in search for him. Her brother wasn't there, and, instead of leaving, she went into his room. She found the book and managed to get a good look at it before an annoyed brother ordered her to get out.

“What was it about?” Applejack asked to anyone, not sure who would be first to answer.

“A group of ponies who explored the world,” answered Apple Bloom. The cowpony gave a nod of her head as she peered into her brother's expressionless eyes.

“Just out of curiosity,” said Applejack, “how long have you been having these thoughts?”

A shrug was the unwanted answer she got. Several more seconds later, the farmer said, “For some time now.” He looked to the floor to hide his shame. “Haven't put much thought into it until recently.”

“So what’s the problem?” asked Apple Bloom. “I'm sure Mr. Dollar would be more than happy to hire you. You're big, strong, and pretty smart too.”

Shaking his head at the filly, he said, “I can't do that.”

“And why not?” asked Applejack.

“Because Ah can't just leave the farm for ya to handle alone,” he said his voice raising until he was nearly shouting.

The cowpony eyes narrowed as she slammed her hooves into the table. Coldly, she said, “Ah can reassure ya that Ah can easily run this farm with ya here or not.”

Big Mac chuckled darkly. “Really? Who's going to pull the plow so we can plant the crops on time? Who's going to carry all the weight that ya can't carry? Who's going to keep the finances in order so we can pay the bills?” Pointing an accusing hoof at the cowpony, he said, “If it wasn't for me this place would hardly produce, much less, sell apples.”

“Guys,” said a worried Apple Bloom who was completely ignored.

“Ah can hire help if need be,” Applejack countered. “Better yet, there are family and friends who are more than willing to lend a helping hoof. Once upon a time, when we were younger, this farm may have needed you around, but now isn't that time.”

Big Mac knew he couldn't put up a defense against that, but he could be as stubborn, if not more, as his sister when he wanted to. “Still, Ah can't just leave.”

“Ya want permission?” Applejack asked with a roll of her eyes. “Believe it or not Ah think ya should at least try to get the job. If that pony doesn't think you're good enough for it, fine. However, to ignore a possible trip of your life is just plain stupid.”

“Ah don't need your permission,” said the farmer as he stood up, “and Ah can't just leave the farm.”

As he turned to leave, an old, crackled voice spoke up. “You're right. You're a stallion who can make his own choices, but Ah do give my permission for ya to go.” Stopping in his tracks, the farmer turned around to a fully awake Granny Smith and she didn’t look happy.

“Granny,” he tried to speak, but the old mare put a hoof out to silence him.

“Don't say a word. It's time for me to speak.” Glancing over at the walls of pictures, her eyes focused on an old black and white photo of the farm when it first started. There wasn't much to look at. A single log cabin with the area around it cleared away was the only structure standing. In the background one can see apple trees, but they intermixed with the trees of the forest.

“Have Ah ever told ya the story of how our family came over from the old world?” she asked with a dream like expression.

“Yes Granny,” said Apple Bloom with a bored tone, “for like the billionth time.”

“Well then, y’all must remember how hard it was for us to leave our home behind to come here.” There was nods of heads. The Apple family’s origins were that of Terra, a nice size country located in Europe. When Granny’s parents decided to leave the country, it was facing famine, high crime rates, and threat of civil war. Not wanting their family to live through this, they got on the first boat to the magical land called Equestria. However, it was still hard for them to leave everything they knew behind in hope to find a better life.

“Think about this. If my Ma and Pa didn't bring the family here, then Ah doubt any of ya would be around today.”

“Granny,” said Big Mac, “Ah don't think...”

“Let me finish! Ah know that ya don't want to go because ya feel obliged to stay. Maybe you're even scared to do so, but don't let any of that stop you.” A kind smile graced her face as she said, “Who knows what will happen over a period of three years. Just promise me that you'll come home when it is over and done.”

For a moment, the farmer stood there, speechless. Looking to his sisters, they both gave him approving grins. “We'll be fine,” said Applejack. “Think of this as payback for the time Ah left home for Manehattan. I was gone for a year or two, so it should work out.”

“Yeah,” exclaimed Apple Bloom, “and while you're away, Ah'll help out with the farm more often.”

“Don't think for a minute that you’re getting out of school because of this,” said Applejack with a suspicious look.

“Ah would never think of such a thing,” said Apple Bloom as she sat up straight and put her hoof to her chest. However, she couldn't hide the trace of sorrow in her voice.

For another moment Big Mac stood there uncertain on what to say. Slowly but surely, a small smile crept onto his face. “Geez,” he said, “with y'all pushing me to do so, Ah guess Ah can't refuse.”

“Good,” said Applejack as she got up from her seat, “because tomorrow ya got the night off. No ifs or buts about it. Now go t' bed and get some sleep. Ya got to be well rested for that interview.” With no reason to protest, Big Mac did just that. However, his restless thoughts weren’t going to allow him much rest that night.