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How Many Roads Must an Apple Walk Down? (Closed-Big Mac/Applejack)


Hippo

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Eeyup.

Nothing like a good long walk to another town to organize the thoughts of a complicated red stallion. Or so he would, if it wasn't for sister Applejack walking with him, sharing his thoughts in feeling. The two pony minds resonated together as their common link as siblings aligned their reactions to the nature around them. They did a lot of things in unison without even thinking about it. They predicted the weather the same, they got hungry at the same time, heck they even stepped at the same time. But they were not the same pony. Big Mac's quiet demeanor contrasted with his sister's slang and charming voice. He was resistant to actively seeking advice or companionship, while Applejack was very social, even sporting a coltfriend to lean on and make fun of whenever she felt like. And Big Mac was stubborn, but not nearly as much as his sister, he reckoned. Although if you ask him about it, he wouldn't admit for a moment that he was stubborn himelf!

The Apples had a delivery to make to Garden Gait. A secluded part of the woods south of Canterlot. The village always got a regular delivery. I mean, who wouldn't get their fair share of Equestria's finest apples? But this time was special in particular in that the village needed the order rushed for an unknown reason. Maybe they were having a party? Hard to say. Not much was known about the village, and it wasn't really suspected to be the type of place a lot of Pinkie Pie-style parties would originate from. Regardless, Big Mac and Applejack tasked themselves with delivering the order, each with a full cart of apples in their tow. They walked at a leisurely pace, which was good, considering the last time they tried this Applejack made haste on account of her fear of Apple Bloom endangering herself when she was left alone.

Big Mac breathed deep. It was always good when the air was crisp and without need for worry.

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Yeehaw!

Nothing like a good, hard trot to another city to give a mare like Applejack the time she needed to sort out all the thoughts that fluttered around her head like one of Fluttershy's pet butterflies. It would go even better if her brother shared her thoughts her thoughts in feeling. Their minds worked in unison so well together that the same wing that cut through their manes would illicit the same thoughts and reactions within. Their actions resonated with one another so perfectly that like the stars above they aligned in precisely the right manner. They knew when to shelter the farm animals in before the storm and shared the same appetite, the true bane of all pies. Sometimes their hooves even clanked together as they walked into the same place, so perfectly aligned that they nearly shared the same space! Applejack's admittedly boisterous pleasantry was compared without favor to her brother's softspoken nobility. She knew the value of socializing in the town square in preparation of a large sale but her brother was more of a home body without a task to occupy his driven mind. Of course, Applejack would admit she was more of a stick in the mud than her somewhat more carefree brother though if you asked Applejack, she'd have no trouble telling you the best place to have a party anyway!

He was great company no matter what though, especially on this long deliveries to cities outside of the Heartland. Garden Gait was one of their regular money makers and a good one at that. Not a big town by any means but the local farming scene for high quality food wasn't all that great, yet it lay on a good transport route. True that it was no longer the major route it once was but before the arrival of Twilight Sparkle, the Apples had done good business selling to tourists heading towards Canterlot and Garden Gait saw far more traffic. In comparison at least- the Apples had a lot more competition in Ponyville. Garden Gait was simply easy money and the ponies there were kind and easy to work with. This delivering was a bit strange, however. They almost never needed an emergency delivery or something rushed but this small podunk community needed their apple products and they needed it as soon as the older Apple siblings could make their way to the Gait. It hadn't taken any real convincing for Applejack to join her workhorse of a brother this time. She rarely got to see Garden Gait and she knew she could trust her sister- mostly, anyway. And mostly was enough. With nothing else tying Applejack down, she was off.

Luckily, while the delivery was requested as quickly as they could get there, there had not been a deadline or other worrying sign. The Apples had moved the delivery date up more than two weeks and thus moved at a leisurely pace towards their destination, each one loaded down with a heavy wooden cart full of the best apples and apple related products in the entirety of the world. Sometimes for shorter jaunts Big Mac would carry a heavier load, but no use tiring out over the long haul. Applejack generally preferred larger loads herself but few things were worse than overburdening yourself with a covered wagon. They were expertly crafted and reinforced but were used all the time. One day, wear and tear would win out and there was always the chance that this would happen during a delivery. Delivery cancelled. Reputation harmed. Ponies given refunds and discounts. Product lost and all the hard work and love that went into it as well. Bad business all around. So she made sure each load was kept to a reasonable level, well below the carts' tolerance. And so they walked confidently but leisurely towards Garden Gait, each one burdened less by product and more by thought in the gentle winds of beautiful Equestria.

"Ahhh, take a nice, big 'ol breath of air Big Mac! Gotta say, Ah don't understand for a second why a pony would wanna shut themselves up in a house when thar are days like today ta look forward ta," She said, breathing in deep as she looked around. It really was a beautiful land, and one she loved. She knew her brother loved it as well. Her coltfriend did. A long line seemed to center Applejack's relationships in life, a respect for Equestria that went beyond normal. She was a mare of Equestria and was **** proud of it.

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"Eeyup." Big Mac responded to Applejack's sense of travel. These haunches weren't strong for no reason. Several breaths of fresh air, and it wasn't entirely sure if what you were breathing was still very fresh. You got used to it fast, which made it very unpleasant the first time you stepped into a dusty building. The walk continued for about a mile. Up until now, Macintosh and little sister had already turned the road to go to Garden Gait, a spill southward from the main road to Canterlot. The road here was less grooved, and a random cobblestone that needed stepping around occurred from time to time.

And then, just ahead, a fork in the road. Now if you had asked the red stallion back at home how to get to Garden Gait, he would easily tell you that it's off the main road to Canterlot going south towards the woods, and once you started seeing the bright orange ferns of the Whitetail, you would be arriving at a simple pony folk town that seemed to appear out of no where. No where in his explanation would he have surmised there be a fork between the two steps. And it wasn't like no one ever made this path before. But it definitely was first, as was Applejack. A mail carrier pony would make heads and tails of this fork, as they probably see it daily. But for two apple runners on their way to a town making their first one-day shipping request? Big Mac was at a loss. He stood still and stared at the sign in the fork. The sigh was a directional sign, and 'Garden Gait' was written on it. But it pointed up. Not left. Not right. Just up, as if it was just up ahead. Both directions in the fork seemed to go on forever, neither of them looking any more used or safe than the opposite. "Hm. Which is the way?" Big Mac hummed.

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Her brother's soft-spoken pragmatism and simplicity belied his true intelligence. He could quote from any number of philosophers if he so pleased. He just didn't, well, please. That was what made her brother even more gifted than Applejack would normally think. He didn't have to vocalize his intelligence, he simply lived it and those that knew him knew the truth of him. A simple eeyup meant a lot more to those that mattered because of that one simple fact. Applejack couldn't help but be the opposite. Compared to her big brother she had the gift of gab and a passion for wordplay even if she was considered one of the quieter members of her own circle of friends. She guessed it couldn't be stopped. She was an Equestrian and if there was one things Equestrians liked to do, it was socialize. That and work, for Applejack mostly work, but socializing was always fun too. Big Mac should try it some more. He was a hit in the fantasies and daydreams of marefolk from far and wide and if he would ever put himself out there he would be rolling in offers. Too bad for the marefolk that her brother was smart enough to stay away from that sort of trouble. Eeyup.

And what a time for trouble to be on the mind for they were now in some. She didn't remember there being a fork in the road and it didn't make much sense that it would be here. What dumbtail decided to make two separate roads branch off in this area? The road leading to Garden Gait was just fine the way it was and led to Canterlot all the same. Probably some idiotic land management supervisor who wanted a new road named in her honor. And it would most definitely interfere with future Running of the Leaves. Even the sign was stupid. This was stupid. Why did ponies do such stupid things? It was like Derpy had been in control of signage and Berry Punch road design. It had all the signs of a drunk and a ditz tagging together to create agony on the mind. Applejack took off her hat in great vexation and rubbed her head to relieve the small itch of frustration that gathered there in an epic and successful operation to annoy her.

"Goddangit, who tha hay makes paths as half-flanked as this? Y'all reckon this'd pass up back in Ponyville? Shoot, not even the mayor is klutzy enough ta approve this dumbtail suggestion," She sighed, quickly analyzing the options. After you bypassed the really silly idea that they needed to split the road you came to the next big problem. Where in the hay were the roads supposed to lead to? Did one lead to Canterlot and the other to Garden Gait? If so, that was really silly. Why do that just for the road from Ponyville? No sense. None at all. So that made Applejack decide to think that the second theory was true. The road to the right would probably wind through the important bits of the Whitetail and into the strand and the one on the left would continue on to Garden Gait. She believed this to be true but wouldn't for a second place her bits on it. Luckily, she had the cheat sheet of an amazing older brother to stack the odds in her favor.

"Big Mac, whatcha reckon? Ah'm thinking tha right, but Ah don't have a lick' of an idea. You be the captain here," Applejack offered with only a little bit of pride lost. She cared more about getting the job done right than her pride being harmed a little.

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Sibling relationships were sometimes strange, but they were often predictable. Big Macintosh didn't talk much, but usually because he was in the presence of ponies would gladly talk for him. And often times, if it was kin, he would be in agreement with someone. The apple never fell very far from the tree. And in the event Big Mac would be misunderstood, he would just sit and contemplate a way to explain it, until everypony lost interest in the discussion and went to carry on with whatever short attention span day they were having. A stallion like Macintosh always took delight in smelling the flowers.

"Y'all reckon this'd pass up back in Ponyville?"

"Nope."

And there she was. Applejack speaking for Big Macintosh again. Although he didn't mind it. He would let her speak for him all day, assuming she could read his thoughts. Which, despite what some rumors outside the family say, does not happen. She was right though. The Mayor would never let a fork like this exist in the township's limits. And if Macintosh was given enough time to think about it, he would probably say the same thing. Sibling relationships were strange.

"Big Mac, whatcha reckon? Ah'm thinking tha right, but Ah don't have a lick' of an idea. You be the captain here."

Big Mac just paused and stared into the paths. It was kind of a trap. Applejack requested his opinion, but after saying she would pick the right, was it really a request for his opinion, or was it a request for validation? If he was open-mouthed about it, he had no idea either. And so he would chose with his sister, providing her the faith that she was right. Family did everything together anyway. Without speaking, Big Mac just started slowly walking to the right path, assuming his sister would follow along side.

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The Apples only slightly hesitated at the fork in the road of both life and the path to their destination before resolutely choosing one path to go down on. There was probably some heavy symbolism floating in the air about it and how they worked together to reach decisions and how that was a metaphor for the existence of Sweet Apple Acres and the Apple family. Maybe a few lines of thought could be thrown in about how they were the perfect team but Applejack was as far beyond metaphors as they were above smiliies, and they could crash against the rocks of her eternal shores of indifference and be broken. She just wanted to get from point A to pont B and then repeat that process in reverse as quickly as she could and she was happy that her brother seemed to fall in line with her thought process. No doubt it was because as Apples they thought correct more times than not. Sure they were capable of error but everypony was. When they were together, they were utterly unstoppable.

And so they continued on the right-right path for several hours, moving so far up that by the time night crashed against the sky the fork in the road behind them was closer to Ponyville than it was to their intended destination. Applejack had the stamina to run 'cross Equestria four times over but it wouldn't be too much loinger before she started feeling a bit cranky. They had left in a bit of a hurry and their lunch was small. if she had to go all the way to Garden Gait sans food she could, but she didn't and she wouldn't. But there were two ponies here. Big Mac might want to move ahead and push through to the town and reach it by dawn. They could then sleep in town and make their way back at the same time anyway. However, it wasn't like this was something that needed to be there by morning. They had a full day to get it there extra with no real incentive to be there early. She wanted to set up camp, but Big Mac needed his opinion heard...until she found the biggest reasn not to move forward. They reached a part of the path where the tree cover became intense, blocking their passage further. And in such darkness, it was nearly impossible to fathom fightig through the brush.

"That's odd that they'd go ahead an' allow some parts of the path ta be overgrown...but it's a big path, anyway. Guess they can't be expected ta keep the whole thing under wraps. Seems as good a place as any ta set camp and rest for tha night. What about you, Mac?"

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The long stroll after the fork wasn't familiar at all. The road was less traveled by ponies from Sweet Apple Acres, anyway, but there was an odd amount of unfamiliarity that pulsated through Macintosh's mind. We're they going the right way? There was no way of knowing. Especially because of the darkness setting on the ponies, and the forest shrouding the sunlight more and more, it was obvious that there was not going to be much progress made. Even Macintosh's lantern that glowed its light hanging from the cart he was pulling didn't provide enough light to see ahead. And should they be on the wrong path, they would probably have a better chance at navigating through the woodies pathway during the day, as when nighttime started to settle in, the stars also started to become covered by unwelcome clouds that seemed to radiate from the nearby woods. Too bad it wasn't Nightmare Night.

Applejack suggested to set up camp. And while it was inconvenient to just use up the pathway, it wasn't likely anypony else would be trying traverse such an aweful road. It must have been paved during the Discord millennium. Big Mac took a long look ahead, and saw nothing but fog and trees, and looked around to only see covered moonlight being the only favorable sign of continuing. "Eeyup." Big Mac ungirthed himself from the wagon and on a cabinet along the side of the wagon, pulled out two sleeping sacks, a bag of apple chips, and a book Macintosh was reading. Of course, unless he wanted to burn out the lantern's wick, he probably wouldn't have any time to read. He rolled out the sacks next to each other and grabbed the lantern and put it on the ground next to them. He looked up and around the trees. It was one of those creepy sensations that you felt something or someone was watching you. Yet not even an alarming owl's hoot could be heard in the darkened path to Garden Gait. If it was.

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The Apples packed well. It hadn't been a plan of theirs to really have to rough it out as it didn't seem too odd to expect an inn of some sort on the road, but she figured that the road less traveled had less inns as a result. No real problem however, all that meant was that Applejack would get to camp out another night. She lived it. Something about the feel of the small rocks and riff-raff on the ground that poked the tent up by an inch or less and the sound of the critters in the sky and underbrush as they went about their wild stylin' way of life seemed relaxing. Maybe it was a particularly debased part of her that knew that back in ancient times this was how ponies lived all the time and every night she lay out in nature's embrace was one day more she felt a little bit closer to her very roots. maybe she would get a sharp stick and fend off some predators before munching on some grass or some such. Who knew! The world was wild and maybe one day she'd be allowed to be a little wild too.

Not tonight, however. Tonight she would just have to rough it with her brother, which quickly went about setting up camp. Well, not much of a camp. They hadn't brought tents since they hadn't seen the need, but two sleeping bags would do the trick. The light would give them enough to work off of, and for entertainment Big Mac had his book and Applejack had her business log. She rarely got time alone to seriously work on it and as vexing as it could be, it was nice to get ahead on it. She didn't mind burning the wick a bit in the name of work. It'd be different if it was leisure- that was a luxury earned and treasured, not a luxury to have resources wasted on- but for business exceptions could be made. She then arranged the two carts in a semi-circle around the two ponies and tied them with taut rope to nearby trees. Nopony was gonna get wise and try and steal their carts out from under the watchful gaze of the Apples...as long as they were also tied to massive tree trunks. Applejack flumped down onto her sleeping bag and pulled out her business log and quill.

"Whatcha readin', Big Mac?"

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  • 2 weeks later...

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He collapsed into his sleeping bag, and after a short minute to think, decided he would not try and read. If he kept reading after Applejack finished whatever data she was logging, the lamp's wick may not actually have enough fuel with it to keep it burning when it needed to. He tossed the book towards Applejack to answer her question. It was a science book he found in the library about how sound waves work. He fascinated himself with how sound travels, and what sound is doing when it is quiet. Was it ever possible for it to be truly quiet? He would read books to answer his silent questions about silence. But with the refusal to read, there was only one thing he could do. Macintosh rolled around and positioned his sleeping bag so that it cushioned his entire body. For a moment you could hear his heavy exhales, and then they would eventually turn into vibrating whinneys as he lost himself to sleep.

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Applejack got the book in her mouth, spitting it back out and catching it gracefully. Too bad the subject of the book wasn't nearly as graceful. Of all the books for a pony like Mac to get, one relating to the science of sound waves. Between his perverse silence and his fixation of the auditory sensations of a sensational world, it made Applejack wonder if there wasn't something wrong with the stallion. Everypony had some odd kink about their personality that was obviously queer to somepony else but came so naturally and simply to oneself that it was never questioned. Big Mac's silence had been such a thing and for years she had tolerated it and for years more she would do so. It was just Big Mac, and weird fascination with sound and the lack of sound was part and parcel of what made Big Mac Big Mac.

She chuckled and laid the book down to her side, muttering lovingly about her weird older brother before she too started her process of sleep. Unlike her brother who was loud and quick she fell asleep slower, easing into it quietly. Her eyes closed slowly as they took in Luna's sky, the beautiful stars poking out through the tree branches and her leg crossed and bobbing with energy. She didn't even bother getting in the sleeping bag and instead laid on top of it, looking up to the sky with a smile before easing herself into unconsciousness. Piece by piece she shut down until finally Applejack joined her brother in the land of dreams, doing so silently- not a snore or neigh could be traced to her as she once more ended her day tired and content.

No doubt such feelings would remain when she woke up...

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  • 2 weeks later...

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Macintosh suddenly woke up. Because that is how you wake up when lying in the middle of the road in a dank forest. Although, the sun appeared to be shining bright enough for Macintosh to know it was indeed time to get up, he had a slow thought processs that brought him to the conclusion that there was no need to be in a hurry to get up and continue the trek to the lonely village. So, instead of pulling himself up and rolling his sleeping sack up, he just turned his entire body on a new side, and attempted to continue whatever dream he already forgot he had.

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Applejack slept like a foal. Once she did fall asleep she never had a problem staying asleep, not being plagued by nightmares or the falsehoods of light that would shine on through weakened lids and force her to spring forth like a flower blossoming in time lapse magical photography. Instead, it was a nice and beautiful night of rest, not even interrupted by the hammering snores of her elder brother. When she finally did awake, Applejack did so slowly, becoming aware of her reality only simply and lowly until she rolled over on her back and opened her eyes fitfully in a series of blinks, the sun beaming down on her with as much pride as a pony could receive. Applejack smiled and then pulled herself up, yawning as she stretched. According to the weather reports she had gotten from Dash before leaving the next few days would be beautiful to a fault and if this morning was as honest as Applejack then Rainbow was right on the money. Good time for Applejack to wake up.

Of course her brother hadn't gotten up yet. He was always a bit late to rise anyway. No matter. She had assumed such would be the case and went about her newest task, breakfast. They hadn't packed with an overnight stay in the woods on the mind but they never went anywhere completely unprepared and Applejack was used to cooking when everypony else was fighting off the last vestiges of dreams anyway.She pulled out her travelling brick oven and the kindling and started up the fire, laying out some hay bacon strips and some dried cumin apple chips from her emergency bag. Apple chips: Never leave home without it. Or leave home without it and face the consequences. She got out two wooden bowls and two stone goblets, bringing out the tiniest amount of milk from a pouch and emptying it inside as she yawned once or thrice more. Soon enough the smell of hay bacon strips wafted all around the makeshift camp, hopefully prompting a big wake from a big brother!

"Big Mac, get up and get yerself fed 'fore Ah start eatin' it all up."

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There wasn't anything that would make Macintosh voluntarily get up from his slumber. He was perfectly fine lying where he was until his brain could no longer rest. Of course, Granny Smith would often convince him otherwise, on account of all of his morning routine chores he would normally have to do, coupled with the fact that Granny was smashing pots and pans together while dancing on top of him while he slept to get him out of bed. But he wasn't on nthe farm today, which meant he would sleep. And he knew Applejack would respect that privilege as well.

Of course, there was always the wildcard motivation, the smell of hay bacon strips. When Macintosh heard his sister, he paid her no mind, but when the smell of crispy hay wafted around his nostrils, his reflexes promoted him to get up from his reclined position. He was up. A quick roll of the sleeping sack, and Macintosh would sit right next to Applejack, hovering over her watching the hay bacon pop and sizzle. "Eeyup." Applejack always knew how to start the day.

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Her brother was always so slothful to start the day any time she figured to give it any thought. No doubt it probably took a lot of energy to get that big hulking mass of muscles to move and even more when you consider how comfortable the Apple family beds were. had to have a powerful incentive to get him up most days. Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Granny Smith could go ahead and get a whole list of chores done before Big Mac would be able to get his head up and off his pillow. Once he got up he more than made up fr it so Applejack was more than fine with him wanting to sleep in most days. It wasn't about how you did it as much as it was how well you did it and how much you did. He could sleep until noon if he wanted as long as he hauled more apples than a trio of stallions for eight hours a day. She prepared him a plate and set it forth under his hunger driven face as she went to work on her own.

"Here ya go Big Mac," she replied lowly, feasting on her own. She was often a somewhat slower eater unless she was very hungry, but today she moved with a special speed. She was working and the job needed doing sooner rather than later. It wasn't entirely too long before her plate was quite literally licked clean- no need for table manners without any tables around- and even as her brother finished she went about packing up camp. It never took as long to pack away as it took to set up. She was sure there was a metaphor for something there but in any case in short order she had wrapped up the tent, rolled up the bags, packed up the saddlebags, got the cooking area cleaned up, and tossed it all on the backs of the two ponies. It took long enough that he should have finished- and if he hadn't, well, he wasn't hungry enough to deserve what shehad cooked anyway. When all was said and done she untied her rope from the cart and strapped it back on.

"Ya'll ready ta get this finished? Ah got a date tonight with Carrot if we can get back fast enough!"

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As soon as Applejack dropped Big Mac's serving of hay bacon, he dove into it and started eating it. Applejack seemed to be in a hurry. Although she was always efficient, even in the style of consuming good food. Macintosh was much more laid back, he chewed on the bacon like it was never going to be cut by his large grinding teeth. With a long minute of savory the flavor, his mouth lazily started rotating with his chews, sporting the traditional cow appearance of eating. It was good hay bacon, to be fair.

But never too soon, Applejack was ready to go, and with a bacon strip still lodged in his mouth, he go himself up, tied himself to his cart, and made sure everything was packed away. He finally swallowed his food. "Eeyup." A quick lick of the lips and Macintosh was walking forward to continue the journey to Garden Gait, and thanks to the pleasure of eating some fun grub prepared by his sister, he did so with a smile.

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It wasn't long before the siblings were ready to take care of business and make some ponies happy. It was always the dirty little secret of good business that the smiling faces of your customers was not the primary reason you were involved in business. If it was, then you'd do it for free. But it was a great secondary benefit to good business. She was always fair- the family was always fair- when it came to what they did. She prided herself on never treating somepony dishonestly and she double prided herself on the fact she had the highest retention of any businesspony she had ever known. Perhaps most of all, she got to share the good vibes with her brother today. He didn't tag along on as many business jobs as she would have liked. He was as sturdy a stallion as had ever been constructed and as strong a brother that a sister could imagine, but she would have enjoyed somepony a bit more willing to head into the itty bitty of the nitty gritty bitty making deals of business.

They started a healthy trot out of camp, Applejack finishing her hay bacon strip with no hooves. Tongues could do amazing things! The path ahead continued to be impeded and covered by increasing foliage, to the point that it started to become worrisome. It was one thing for a path to be partially covered, another for it to be this unkempt. Branches whacked across her face and scrapped her fetlocks as vines lay on the ground lazily.

“Big Mac, doesn't this seem a bit, uhh, od-” she began before she walked right over a cliff with a five foot drop!

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The pony siblings walked ahead. Unfortunately, the road did not seem to clear up at all. In fact, despite them waiting for sunrise to see better, they were seeing less ahead of them than they did the night before when fog was creeping in on their ability to count on the stars for easy navigation. The brush of the trees and vines started making it seems as though they were no longer on a path. Applejack noticed too, and spouted at him about it. It was indeed strange.

But before she could finish, and before Macintosh could explain his long-winded expression in many words as to how he thought in the same vein as her, Applejack misstepped and she fell down. It almost looked like a trap was set for them. But the vines were not covering the road. They weren't even covering a hole in the road. There was no road! As soon as the shocked Macintosh could see he sister face-planted a few feet below him, realizing she was probably fine, he looked up to see nothing but more brush off the cliff his sister fell off.

Macintosh ungirthed himself and walked over to a tree and snapped off a vine. He carried the vine to the cliff edge and threw one end down at Applejack. He could help his sister back up, but the apple cart would have to stay there for now. Maybe when Applejack comes back up they can try to lasso vines around it and pull it up. Silly Applejack. Doesn't she ever look where she is going? Of course, truth be told, since Macintosh was with her, he had no idea where they were going either. Where in tarnation were they?

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Applejack hit like a ton of finely honed and toned bricks at the bottom of her small drop, the cart collapsing next to her as the fines and branches along the way submitted to the tons of muscle and cargo slamming into them. The collar she had worn to hitch herself to the cart had weathered the brunt of the impact and kept her shoulders secure and safe but at the cost of the connecting piece, the wooden handle shattering and disconnecting her from the cart. She figured that was a better outcome than her being cut up by the impact. It had only been a few feet. She had a bad pain in her front fetlocks as she had landed on then something fierce but beyond that no damage to anything save her pride. That had been hurt pretty bad but well, what was a pony to do.

Luckily she was with Big Mac for the day for two big reasons. First and foremost, he could 'save' the fallen Applejack. A vine quickly mad eits way over to her and she got up and accepted it, pulling herself up and back ontop of the 'road' with a single grunt of effort. She didn't need the help to be sure but it sure as heck was nice having Big Mac around, always willing to lend a helping hoof. The bigger advantage was him being a silent pony and not really one to start needling her about falling down holes or cliffs or whatever else fate had decided to prop up against her that day. If Apple Bloom had been around like she wanted then there was a good chance the little blabber mouth would already have a joke lined up once she was sure Applejack was okay. Applejack loved her little firecracker of a sister but some days were better spent in silence.

Applejack got up and looked back at the cart. The top cover had prevented much of it from spilling out, but it looked like the axel was broken. That would need to be fixed. So would the collar connector. That would need to be fixed. The whole thing was a mess and it was all the stupid road's fault. Who built roads like this? Why? They weren't on the frontier. They were a stone's throw or three from Canterlot. Heart of Equestria. The roads were like the anti-heart of Equestria. Applejack made these thoughts known in a profanity laden tirade against road construction. She then grabbed a nearby vine and nodded at her brother.

“Alright, lets get'r back up and fix the axel and collar connector, then Ah guess we'll be on our way. After we make this delivery Ah'm gonna go right ta Twilight and see if she can budget soemthing to fix this mess. Can you believe they let a road get this bad?!”

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  • 4 weeks later...

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Applejack seemed pleased to be helped up by her brother. On finding his sister not harmed, Macintosh was rather annoyed. He really wanted to get a good start to the second day of the trip. It should be the last one, seeing as its much easier to pull empty apple carts back home than it is pulling a ton or two of the crisp fresh fruits. But now with this new snag in their trip made very early in the day, he was a little worried the delay would last longer than it normally would. For not only was the cart broken and needed fixing, but whenever the glue dried, the apple ponies would have to re-imagine exactly where they were going. Applejack didn't seem too worried about navigation, almost like she had seen this road before. Macintosh, however, felt it wasn't a road anymore.

Instead of voicing his opinion to his chatty sister, he decided for now to painfully agree with her comments about the road. "Eeyup." He did so with a large grunt, as he spoke while pulling the cart up with a tight rope around the cart. Surely, some apples would spill, and the apples ponies would probably want to cut their losses on them instead of taking the time to search a dank trench in the middle of thick brush for several minutes. After halfway pulling the cart up, his eyes glared at Applejack, with a rare dissatisfaction across his face. He was mostly mad at the situation, but if Applejack didn't speak more subtle about their inconvenient detour of a delivery, he might have some unfortunate things to say.

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The cart was slowly pulled up by the combined efforts of the siblings, Applejack heedless of the stares of her brother. Unlike him, she wasn't one giant muscle masquerading as a pony. She actually had to flex and strain to help pull up her share, especially slow enough to try and keep a good portion of the product safe. She was willing to cut a few bushels here as a loss but any more than that and she would have a great deal of worry as they found their way back on track. A few bits here and there was nothing to worry about but the cost of the replacements parts when she went back into town to stock up was added on top of. Fancy mathematics may not have been her strong suit but simple mathematics told her all she needed to know for her business and it wasn't any good.

The cart rolled up onto the path with the siblings, leaving Applejack to inspect it. The axle was toast and would need to be repaired. So was the collar connector, though that would be an easier fix. The Apple mare mumbled something one moment and spoke quite loudly the next. “Alright. Okay. We'll fix it in a quick jiffy and be out of here fast. Ah guess this road must be down or somethin', odd that they don't have a sign or something at tha fork. Let's get ta work,” she said confidently, her usual high energy back. Even though this was a poor turn for the siblings, it was nothing a little hard work and elbow grease couldn't fix. Applejack squeezed herself down below the cart to get to work, only her bottom half wiggling out from beneath it.

“Wrench, Mac?”

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Applejack seemed chipper still, however Macintosh knew what she was like. Applejack had a relatively short attention span, but she didn't often let it surpass her ability to reason and make the next logical step. With a practical smile on her face, she suggested a quick fix to continue. Macintosh had some resilience of his own, but he needed Applejack to pull him through this one, his face showing a lack of enthusiasm for the way the day had started. To fix this cart, Applejack would need to pull herself underneath it and tie a few springs together. Macintosh, knowing what this meant, lowered himself next to the cart and lifted up on it to give Applejack the space she needed to get under it. With all those apples still in the cart, Macintosh felt the burn immediately. A strong yet fragile sister would be crushed if Macintosh decided to let the weight on his shoulders go.

And then she asked for a wrench, as if he wasn't already suing all of his might to keep the cart up. The wrench was just out of reach in a saddle bag. Holding the weight of the cart, he attempted to creep his front hooves towards the bag to slip it open and knock out the wrench. The closer he got, the more burden he felt on the cart side. Finally he was able to touch the bag, and he knocked it over to get to the wrench, but just as he swung for it, the cart's weight slipped on his shoulder and he lost leverage of it. Quickly, he grabbed the wrench with his teeth and lifted the cart up again, waiting to hear a squished Applejack's displeasure.

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Applejack could work her way around the great and wild world of repair with the best of them, but she had her limits. Mostly, anything and everything that involved transportation or barns she could handle. She was confident in her ability to fix the cart as it was a relatively simple job. If it had caused a fracture along the carriage or on the underside of the cascading edge of the axle connector it would be a major problem, but what had happened was just enough to be a problem and not enough to really concern her. This was also due to the fact she had the most capable and amazing big brother of all time with her. He could do just about anything. He was truly special to her, even if he never said it. Or much of anything, for that matter.

As she was waiting for everything to come together, near calamity struck. The cart suddenly fell almost entirely on top of her, the weight only off just enough that it didn't come down on her head. Sizeable pressure still was applied to her, sinking her into the lightly mullered ground. Unable to press against it, she was pressed down into the ground a few inches in a tight and painful embrace she was unwilling to let continue. “AHHH!” she screamed, muffled against the cart just as Big Mac pulled it back up. A somewhat woozy but generally okay Applejack collected herself and pulled herself out from under the cart, staring at her brother with bore-like intensity.

“Big Mac, warn me if its too much next time! Y'all almost crushed me! Can't be getting careless now if we're gonna make time, ya hear?” Applejack stated evenly, taking the wrench and moving back under, ready to do work.

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  • 5 weeks later...

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Big Mac grunted at Applejack's complaint. She had reason to complain, but he felt like she failed to realize that the only reason they were in this predicament was because clumsy Applejack decided to walk off a cliff with a cart full of apples. Big Mac huffed at her response, alluding to the desire to respond with a sibling-grade comeback, his nostrils spewing dust that cluttered up his sinuses in the dew of the filthy brush he was standing in.

Patiently, he waited for Applejack to finish. With each passing minute, he lost more and more motivation to lift the cart, which was unfortunate, considering his sister's safety depended on it. But for some reason, she wasn't fixing it as fast as he thought she could have. He started tapping his right front hoof.

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Big brothers were a great thing most of the time and an even greater help some of the time, like Big Mac right about now. But the major problem is for some reason they had attitudes the size of mountains when they got even the tiniest bit huffy, and a pony the size of a mountain could rarely make a disapproving sound without his sister hearing it. She trued to conjure up what could be upsetting him so much- well, maybe the fact she was short with him. That was only natural though on account of him almost letting her get squeezed into a pancake Jack. In any case she just allowed all of the possible negativity to slide off. She had a job, he had a job, and they as a team had a job. Get this produce to their customers as fast as possible with as little trouble as could be had. They were being a bit negligent on both accounts- hopefully they could make good time beating back from whence they came, the underbrush holding no secrets for them. Applejack finished her job quickly, pulling herself out from under.

“All right you big goof, let'r go. Take a breather and then we'll get going. Y'all holdin' up?” Applejack asked as she wiped the sweat off of her brow. She was herself doing okay but even she could admit to a bit of a stretch or sprain in her hindquarters. All that moving and crashing and sudden unexpected movements could do a number on an unprepared pony and that was what she was today. She stretched out a bit and then attached one cart to herself, the heavy burden on her shoulders now more real than metaphysical. “Well, that's enough lollygagin'! Yer ready, right?”

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  • 4 weeks later...

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Applejack finished fixing the cart to make it pullable, and suggested he take a breather to get ready for the trek's continuing. He didn't think he needed to take a break, although, it was all Applejack's fault for this hesitation in the travel. "Eeyup." Big Mac grunted with a little attitude, pulling his cart ahead of Applejack's, in the direction they came from the day before. He figured if they couldn't go forward through the brush, might as well go back to the fork they split last night and try to find another way up the other road. He wasn't sure this was the correct way, but the one thing he was sure is that it wasn't Applejack's turn to get lost.

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