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

[SteelEagle]

They started making good time backing towards the fork. Applejack wouldn't say so out loud, but she was placing the blame on this little detour on Big Mac. He was supposed to be the one in charge of this operation. Technically maybe it was Applejack, but he was the big brother. Big brother, big responsibilities. At least he was pushing on ahead now and leading them back from whence they came so they could get a move on towards their goal. She didn't want to be too late as this was already an unusual order, but she figured it couldn't be helped at this point. They'd get their delicious apples when they got them, which if she had anything to say about it would be soon. At least once they got there the could a nice shower. The pair stunk a bit, which wasn't unexpected coming from a pair of work horses but still.

Still, something seemed off about Big Mac. He had a bit of attitude about him, the forceful way he trotted and the indignant way his tail twitched. You didn't get to know a non-verbal pony without learning his non-verbal cues and Big Mac was a stallion of few words but a lot of messages. He was frustrated about something. Well, she guessed he would be. He had led them astray a bit. Sure she hadpicked the right path but he hadn't stopped them. If he had any inclination that she had been wrong yesterday then he might feel a bit under the weather emotionally about the whole ordeal, beating himself up over it. Now that was something she din't want to see, not one bit. Even if he had made a mistake he shouldn't beat himself up about it.

“Hey,” she began behind him, her smile warm and inviting, “you seem upset, sugarcube. Don't be. It wasn't your fault, not one bit.”

[Hippo]

In a stubborn effort to hold his peace in what was in his mind, a complete waste of time and mismanagement of trekking skills and common sense, Macintosh attempted to keep his eyes and emotion forward. His pace even quickened slightly at the thought of trying to cut the losses of the misdirection and time wasted on fixing the apple cart. But even before they could get to the fork, sister Applejack seemed to notice Macintosh's cold shoulder. His horse collar always showed several stress marks coming from his neck when he got upset. She wouldn't let me get away with it.

​

“Hey, you seem upset, sugarcube."

"Nope."

​

"Don't be. It wasn't your fault, not one bit.”

Macintosh scoffed a bit. "Hmf. Eeyup." When Applejack was right, she was right. He knew it wasn't his fault. But Applejack's patronizing statement only grew to annoy him. Small grumbles escaped his lungs with every power step he took. He couldn't look back at her. But there was some need for acknowledgement, so in his lack of effort, he just shook his head softly. All he wanted was to get to the right road, find some civilization and get back on track to delivering the apples to correct location. He would rather not contemplate the hypothetical situation in which he continued to be lost with a sibling who seemed to do whatever it took to make the process as painful and foolish as possible. Celestia, Applejack was a silly sister. Too silly.

​

[SteelEagle]

Geez, she wish he had just given her the cold shoulder. His little temper tantrum may have been little to most but it was pretty big to her. She likely just knew him too well. All his little ticks that told her how he was feeling and all the little moves she had learned to get him to open up and he was opening up pretty big right about now. Usually if you got so much as a muscle flex in his shoulder you could call it a day if he was peeved. It took true and unbridled anger, his boiling blood foaming out of his unhinged jaw, for him to say as much as a word. Apple Bloom and her friends would never now just how incensed Big Mac was on account of the Gabby Gums incident. For now, the flexing along the neck, the harried nature of his powerful and defiant steps, stress marks on the neck- this was an angry stallion. She'd have to help him somehow.

The opportunity came later. The rest of the walk to the fork was in quiet. Applejack would on occasion hum a nice little Apple ditty to herself but she wasn't going to interrupt whatever zen state her brother was likely in an attempt to calm the raging fire within. Besides, it gave her time to think. When she got home there was a lot of work that needed to be done and a little filly with all the time in the world to help. Between the three of them, if they gave an additional four hours each for two days they could make up for the time they'd spent on this. Then they could get back to the normal twelve hour days for Mac 'n Jack. The aforementioned pair reached the fork eventually as the mid-day sun started to set, and it was here that Applejack made her move.
“Here, let me take the lead. Y'all can relax in the back and leave this to yer sis, alright?” Applejack offered gently as she overtook the big goof. Now this time instead of choosing right the pair chose left. Big Mac had led them astray once but now he could just relax in the back. Everypony would be happy!

[Hippo]

Mares were always different than stallions. At least that's what was understood. And of course, there are specific academic reasons to explain how mares and stallions are different. However, Macintosh might have been blind to this during his youth, mostly because during the vast majority of his foal-hood, and more importantly, including the time of his growing into a mature stallion, a lot of his livelihood and life experience was shared with the enthusiasm and complexities of the female pony mind, with much less a stallion's presence since father had gone away. Today, he has learned through several other stallion sources, some of them being on the other extreme end of gender segregation, that mares are sometimes passive aggressive more often and tend to react with their feelings more based on things around them, which often cause confusion among spectating stallions. Fortunately for Macintosh, Applejack was always mild in these manners, and often filled the shoes of a stallion in ways that most mares could never attempt, so it was a small sample of the craziness Macintosh had heard mares can get to.

But in this instance, Macintosh couldn't really believe what he was seeing. He was not surprised that Applejack would take initiative. She was always there to get done faster than you, for sake of competition or for sake of her feeling of productivity. He wasn't even bothered by her ability to overlook her recent failure and compose herself to be forward thinking and optimistic. Such is a mare that represents honesty. What he was surprised at was the way she walked. She walked as if none of the derailment of the past fifteen or so hours was not her fault. She walked with a swagger that suggested Macintosh need not make more of a fool of himself. A fool of myself? He thought. Does she not realize her not looking where she was going caused a inconvenient and adequately painful waste of time? Time spent fixing a wagon that was broken by the same intuition that was now taking control of the travel? Was she mad?

Well, he knew that she was mad already, but he hadn't considered her to take it this far at this particular time. When Applejack passed him, he grunted his confusion, and then grunted again his displeasure. For his understanding, he knew that with two ways to choose, having to reroute and take the other direction would prove to be the correct path by process of elimination. So if this all ended well, he would not have to consider it her fault to pick the wrong direction. But that didn't matter. Macintosh's patience was already being tested and stressed for measure at how much of Applejack's chipper over-confident attitude he could take. He grumbled quietly as he followed her cart. Taking in his account for how frustrated he was getting at Applejack, at least he didn't have to see her, the cart she pulled full of apples tall enough to cover her entire hind side. But as he looked down, he could see the hoof prints of his little sister walking before him, his steps overtaking the size of hers by about two diameters. Why exactly was she in the lead again?

​

[SteelEagle]

 

Applejack knew this way like the back of her hoof by now. Heck, it only ever took a single pass through a road or a path for her to have it down pat. That was why she was able to farm so efficiently, going from place to place with a practiced calm and precision. In this case, simply following the path was as easy as it ever had been and Applejack made sure that her big brother didn't have to move forward too fast for him. He was as strong as ten oxen but took his life as slow as Bessie and her friends did. It was best she lead this procession of apples in every size and shape to their temporary safe harbor. It wasn't too long before they were making good work of the new trail as well, and this one was properly made too. Yep, obviously the right one. Applejack hummed along pleasantly as one hour became two on the new path.

At least she was in good spirits. Her brother was all sorts of aloof and strange. The first element of that wouldn't seem out of place for Big Mac to most, but there were honestly so many different shades of Big Mac's moods that the difference between a quiet Big Mac and intentionally obtuse and aloof one was screaming loud and clear to her. Maybe it just took family to see it. Maybe it just took somepony to care and notice, and she did. No matter what though she could tell something was up. His snorts and harrumph were short and angry, unlike his normal passive harrumphs and snorts or the jovial ones that escaped him sometimes too. He was upset about something, but what? They were making good time to their destination now. Sure they'd end up a little late but nopony was hurt and everything was gonna turn out just fine. Must've been something other than the job, something hooking into the weaker elements of his personality and dragging him through the muck.

She was gonna find out, one way or the other. She slowed ever so slightly and then angled herself. In a few more trots they were standing right next to each other at which point she picked up her speed, matching Big Mac. A broad, pleasant smile greeted the stallion as his sister sought to cheer him up, but the smile was tainted by trace elements of concern as her eyes played their more honest elements up well. “Big Mac, what's wrong? Y'all hide yer emotions worse than Apple Bloom used to hide her dirty diapers when she was a foal. Ain't hurt, are ya?” Applejack asked, fishing for understanding as she tried to imagine all of the possibilities. He likely wouldn't fess up to any sort of injury forcing his hooves to a slow pace but heck, it was the only thing she could imagine out of the box to be wrong with her big brother.

[Hippo]

For a short while, Big Mac was able to escape the typical frustrations of the thoughtless world. His daydreams filling up with the typical nonsense it usually did. The kind of nonsense that was useful, that is, the kind that has the power to lull beasts to sleep and to calm raging monsters to their yield. Time to think about anything usually led Big Mac to think about himself and his place in this world. Why is the air breathable? And does it actually smell bad but we ponies are so used to it that we don't notice? What about the sky? What about the Universe? Is it really expanding as they say, expanding from us? What is it about the universe, is it about us stretching out with it and thinking within it? What is the universe about? And what about us?

Macintosh the astronomer and theologian was slightly interrupted when his pensive frown was interjected by his little sister, who decided to pull to the side next to him, smile, and then ask her question. "Nope." He said, as he closed his eyes. It was to say, 'dear sister, you're wrong and you don't know me.' He was split between obstacles. He could entertain her for the next few minutes by making her guess what it was that bothered him before. Little does she understand that whatever he was angry about a few minutes ago had been forgotten, until Applejack reminded him of course. Macintosh just wanted to continue on and deliver the apples as they intended, and then get home where he can continue being the male representative on the best apple farm in the nation.

But to Applejack, it seemed everything needed to be sliced bread with butter. All things considered, Macintosh was having a better trip now than he had this morning. And not that the orange sister's intervention would always be the bane of Macintosh's existence, today it seemed it was his weakness. He didn't want to talk. He didn't want to open up. And he didn't want to exert any energy to the notion that delivering apples was the most fun he had in years. Though it would be sacrilege to admit that, he would today. To try to answer Applejack's question in the most non-verbal way possible, he sped up his pace, taking the lead of the two pony caravan.

​
 

[SteelEagle]

 

Applejack could tell that her big brother was lying. He wasn't good at it, not one bit, none of the Apples were. It was why ponies loved to deal with them. Honest, upfront, never hid behind false stares or presumptions. They approached the world with open hooves and the world responded with open hearts. It didn't behoove him to withhold something from her. Wasn't in his character. Unless he was a changeling, which meant there was something more going on here. But that wasn't the truth now, was it? And that was why it was so unusual. They loved one another as any good sibling did. Honesty and love, no need to be proud or sinful in the overabundance of messaging. But he was unhappy and she would make him happy. Her eyes scanned the ground near the path until she spotted a lily and grabbed it, removing the harness of the cart for a second to trot over.

She handed him the lily, its heart-shaped petals of fathomless pink downy and feathery in her hooves. The modest lily hides itself in the bank and sends forth its fragrance from within without notice, she believed. And so it was with love, which employs no trumpeter, unfurls no banner declaring itself. Love does not boast -- it is not proud. Unlike the gaudy sunflower or the tall grasses that won't bend and are thus broken in the wind, true love, like the lily, is resilient, pliable and thrives in neglected gardens.
It is humility that gives us nothing to fear, nothing to lose, she said. To give ourselves in love, in humility, requires strength, not surrender. The greater the humility, the stronger we become. And that was why her brother was so strong- he was so humble, swathed in the honors of humility and subtle emotion. And whatever was besieging him, her love would give him strength.

 

Unless of course he was a changeling in which case...she had her eye on him as she hitched herself back up and went forward.  

[Hippo]

Big Macintosh heard his sister's hooves speed up to come along side of him. And she had a flower and gave it to him. Interrupted, he stopped walking in order to free a hoof to grab it. He let the gentle flower rest in his hoof, he looked at it, examining the colors and shapes of such a pretty flower that grew wild along side the beaten path to their destination. He looked up at Applejack, who was smiling warmly, more than usual, especially for such a mare who was often desensitized from all of the crowdedness and stress from the world. She could be sad for all Big Mac knew, for she cries on the inside. But this was only a momentary thought as he suggested to himself that this must have been a snack Applejack wanted him to have. It wasn't too long ago that they ate, but it was whatever. Less time stopping to eat meant they could get to their goal faster, and that's what it was all about, right?

Macintosh leaned into the flower and started chewing on it, swallowing it after only a few chews. He looked at Applejack again and gave a smileless approval. "Eeyup," and continued the pull the cart forward.

​
 

[SteelEagle]

 

Applejack had to bury a small laugh under one of her hooves, stopping ever so momentarily to keep from busting out as she observed her older brother. He never was one for meanings or hidden thoughts paraded about in such subtle manners. It was partially why he was such a lovable lump. He wasn't no dummy, no siree, but sure as the sun is hot, Big Mac was direct, and she couldn't blame him for deciding to just chow down on the flower she gave him. It did look mighty tasty. She wasn't gonna follow suit and eat anything she just found all willy nilly like out in the wild, though. She wasn't about to get sick on account of some flower. Her brother could probably handle it even if he did get sick, though. He was just that type of stallion. When was the last time he was sick as opposed to just out and out injured?

“Hey Big Mac, when was the last time you were sick? For tha life of me Ah can't remember,” Applejack asked lazily a she continued the trot. They were making darn good time now, easily outstripping her more optimistic estimates. This was no doubt a result of their flawless, problemless, seamless teamwork and sibling love. Obviously she was able to cover up the flaws he had, and those flaws had certainly cost them, and he covered up hers, and her flaws could maybe eventually somehow cause trouble for them. Together they were the perfect pair of productive parcel ponies, and these apples were gonna get gobbled up something fierce soon thanks to their work.  

[Hippo]

Macintosh couldn't understand why Applejack was in such a good mood. If she was feeling like he was feeling, this trip might be a lot quieter. And so, as his sister continued to egg him on about what seemed to be harmless, yet random, subjects he started to unshell his emotions. Emotions that for a pony of his type was extremely hard to shed. He sighed. "Appreciate your positivity an' all, but it's been a long and rather disappointing trip, so I just really want to get this delivery done and go home."

A sudden change in Big Macintosh's game plan had him speaking more off his mind. He had realized it wasn't really fair to withhold as much in conversation as he has from his sister. Sure, he was a pro at not speaking, something that not only was a trait of his, but a quality! But when it came to family, Macintosh was always much easier to open up. Yesterday and today had shown how sunk his mood had truly gotten.

​
 

[SteelEagle]

 

 That wasn't the response she had expected from him, but at least it meant he wasn't sick. Just a little on the gruff side. Well, that would explain his quieter than usual self and his lack of any response. It wasn't that he was sick, felled by some illness sapping his legendary strength. Rather he was being undone by his own emotions, the deadliest foe of all. Applejack hid her sadness better than most but Big Mac hid everything behind a generally impassive if friendly mug. It could be hard to read him, but she didn't think she had read him this wrong. He must have been awfully sore about something, and for the life of her Applejack couldn't imagine what she could have done to make him so. A few missteps here and there true but the pair were going to make their delivery on time. What was there to be upset about? Was it something he had done?

If so, he shouldn't be so hard on himself. But seeing how gruff he was, Applejack decided not to press the issue any further. Some ponies just needed to fight their own battles and to fight them silently, and if her brother didn't want help pushing that rock up the hill then he could do so alone until he asked for that to change. She assumed her position and continued to trot, this time in silence, admiring the beauty of the landscape as they closed in on their destination. There, Applejack and her big brother would make the delivery and probably rest a little, getting off of their weary hooves and getting a bite to eat. Maybe his big ol' tummy was just empty and that was the root cause of his poor move. She could only hope, at least.

[Hippo]

Applejack had remained quiet after Big Mac's sudden outburst. An outburst, which regardless of how many words were used, required little animation from the stallion to understand that he was a little upset. What he was upset about, like some stallions, became a mystery the more and more he dwelled into it. Like a chain of thoughts that cling to one another, he had honestly forgotten what made him so upset to this point. Sure Applejack had made a couple questionable calls regarding navigation, but none of them cleared up while on the trek. None of the physical action that normally wears off most day to day stress was able to deal with the stubborn stallion's poor mood.

Underneath his left foreleg was a sharp pain that started to make its way known. And as Macintosh continued to walked, the uncomfortable pressure he felt on his leg with every stride caused him to favor it. Instead of acknowledging that his foot was under some sort of fatigue or pain, he was more concerned that if her began to favor it too much, that Applejack would take notice and return to annoying him and thus continuing the long string of thoughts that continue to haunt him into having a bad day. He grumbled a bit while walking, attempting to put full weight on his foreleg instead of letting it rest between strides, as if he was punishing himself for having any pain at all. He shut out his emotions, and with it, he tried to shut out his pain.

​
 

[SteelEagle]

 

 Applejack had been more or less fine with allowing her brother to stew in the juices of his own boiling self-immolation. He needed to do that sometimes, she reckoned. Heck, the same could be said of most ponies. Nopony was perfect. Even fewer really wanted to run 'round and do what they did and share all the sorrows ans regrets that could count against a pony's conscience. Applejack was a stubborn pony herself who rarely felt her emotional needs rising to the level of telling everypony else her problems, especially when they were something she could keep bottled up and deal with on her own time. She could fight with the best of them and hold it in better than anypony else she knew- except for Big Mac- so when she spoke up, it was wise to listen up. When Applejack revealed a weakness, you better react to it because it has already become a crisis.

But when she saw somepony she cared about with a glaring weakness she had to respond as fast as her mind could act. It was a bit of motherly instinct cropping up in her that had honed itself on the sharp and emergency edges of raising Apple Bloom without warning or consent. And due to that, it could push her to be a bit authoritarian in its approach. She saw her brother with a slight limp and her ears twitched, her pace quickened and her haunches stiffened with the bulging of muscles. It didn't take much to get her worried when it came to her brother's oddly often broken body and this was no different. “Big Mac, yer limpin'. Y'all okay? Ah made sure ta pack up some medical supplies. Hey- stop for a minute. Don't put your weight on it- can Ah take a peek? Ah don't want you ta get hurt out here an' have ta abandon some mighty fine apples on account of you beinga stubborn sonofagum,” Applejack spoke quickly, eyes locked on the offending part as she trotted to get to his side.

[Hippo]

"Nope, I'm fine." Macintosh snapped. He pulled his cart faster, wincing faster also, his legs moving past the inspection of Applejack's overly-curious eyes. Only in times like this when another pony pushed the precise button on his temper, would he start using his words more than you would expect him to. "I'm not limping. I'm fine." As he walked faster, his limp became more unstable, but his pain was still blocked by his stubbornness and his short range fury.

​
 

[SteelEagle]

 

 

Nopony could outstubborn Applejack. This was a fact of life, like saying that ponies liked grass or that some of the younger generation were a bit too preoccupied with projector pictures. But that didn't stop some ponies from trying to get others to switch over to an all hay diet, or some fillies from bounding about in nature like Applejack did when she was a little filly. And it sure as heck didn't stop Big Mac from being almost as stubborn as Applejack was. But almost wasn't good enough for her when his health was at stake, especially since he already had such a history of getting hurt far too often for his own good.

“Now you hold on there Big Mac,” Applejack said, a hint of sternness underlining the greater sense of concern that was heavy on her breath, “Ah'm serious. If you get hurt out here, it'll be an awful big job patchin' you up all on account of you being a stubborn ol' stallion. Just let me take a look. If yer able ta walk an' trot then it can't be anything too serious, can't it? Lemme nip it in tha bud before it becomes a weed, Sugarcube,” Applejack asked, catching up to and slightly overtaking her brother. She had some medical supplies in the wagon. It wouldn't be a problem for her to simply take a look at him. If there was a probkem that needed fixing, she could fix it before it became something bigger. And if it wasn't, he could neigh and moan and be prissy but in his heart of hearts, thankful that he had a loving little sister there to ensure her big brother didn't get hurt. Or at least, that's how Applejack chose to view it.

[Hippo]

Macintosh's leg may or may not have been broken. But it was his emotions that finally have snapped. "Nope... nope.... NOPE.... NOPE!!!!" He grunted louder and louder as Applejack tried to reason with him, but he was having none of it. His patience was completely bone dry, and there was little Applejack could do to stop him. Only a force of nature larger than himself, could stop him in his tracks.

Whoops.

Just as Macintosh grunted and pushed his cart forward ahead of Applejack, cutting her off so close that she could have gotten hurt, he pulled ahead, his limp becoming a new step, until the ground gave out. "I ain't gonna say it again! Nooo-ooahahwhahhh..." The soil on the path he was on crumbled, and a sinkhole appeared underneath him. His pain, his stubbornness, his cart, his limp, all fell into the hole. He landed at the bottom of the sinkhole, which was roughly four or five pony heights. But the worst part of this tumble was that he mistakenly braced himself with his bad leg. A wicked ker-snap vibrated through all of Big Mac's body moment he hit the bottom, and his grunt turned to a wail.

What a horrible road, Macintosh would have thought, had he not been writhing in pain. Little did he realize that in his closed off emotions and stubbornness, did he miss the sign that said, 'Restricted Area: Sinkholes. Detour on right.' He stayed left. Macintosh was swimming in unfortunate emotion. And if he was honest, part of him wished that Applejack would still leave him alone. Maybe he would be left to die, but at least he would have his dignity.

​
 

[SteelEagle]

 

It was bound to happen. He was so caught up in being the most difficult sibling in Equestria that he didn't pay attention to his surroundings. Silly lug could only ever pay attention to one thing at a time lately, it seemed, something he should look into. All those thoughts played in her mind briefly as she watched him force his way past her, rude and indecent in the way he was treating his little sister all on account of being his stubborn self. Why was being so ornery? If he wasn't, he'd have seen the sign. Applejack had. She'd assumed her brother had, but he was so caught up in his anger that all he could do with his big body was go precisely over it. She tried to yell out but it was a quick moment and he was in a large sinkhole, cart and all. It was almost surreal how fast everything had gone downhill.

But then she heard it. The ker-snap. She winced and Applejack could swear that she could feel a pain in all four legs. That was no good. No good at all. A snap was not usually a sign of good times and friendship. It was usually very bad times, especially for her fortune-deficient brother. Applejack galloped over to the hole, wincing as she heard the last environs of the crash. She looked over, biting her lower lip as she looked for him. The whole cart had collapsed on top of him, shattering the wooden construct, the small bits of iron cutting through the rest and rendering the whole thing unusable. Apples had been tossed every which where, with the running juice from the crash telling her that a great many had been crushed. Many others were dirty and bruised. Unusable. None of that mattered to Applejack- her brother writhed in pain, wailing. A broken leg? All the way out here? This was becoming a disaster, and becoming a disaster quickly.
 

“Ah'm getting' you outta thar, just keep calm!” Applejack bellowed into the hole before she ran to her cart and opened the saddlebag she had in it. A long length of rope was pulled out, which was quickly knotted into an impromptu and effective lasso. She charged back to the edge of the hole and located her brother's center mass. She twirled it, twirled it, aimed, and fired, getting it over his midsection. Rope in mouth, Applejack braced herself. Then one hoof got a hold of it. Then two. Then she started pulling. “Yer-UNNF- gonna be fine, Big Mac!”

[Hippo]

The moans from the large apple pony were painful. Painful to hear, and painful to give, Macintosh seldomly said or mumbled anything, and when he did, it was an outpour of emotion that forced him to open his mouth. His groans at this moment were entirely involuntary. He had nothing to say, nothing to do. He could not move without hurting himself more, and he had no plan.

Applejack roped him around his midsection. It was an odd situation. He lost his ability to stay content with his own misery, but instead he was at the mercy and love of his sister. Knowing full well he was going to be dealt with, he braced for his own pain to spike. Applejack had saved the day several times before. Big Mac would not admit it for today, but it did not mean Applejack was going to keep him from feeling any more pain.

Macintosh tried to stand up on two of his good legs, knowing full well, a tug from the sister was coming. But as soon as she pulled, He fell over again, his face dragging on the ground. A painful moan came from Macintosh. He was in no state to recognize she was doing everything she could do.

​
 

[SteelEagle]

 

Applejack pulled with every fiber in her being. She was smaller than her brother and it wasn't close. He was basically one giant muscle in the form of a pony, contrasting neatly with her more athletic but less strong form. She tugged, small moans of excruciating effort billowing through. Hooves on rope. Mouth on rope. Bent back turned to exhaustive bones struggling mightily to support the muscles that were moving heaven and earth, or something similar, to try and get her big brother. All she could add to it was her big heart but heck, even that was coming and going with every tug. Sometimes she gave ground due to his weight. Other times she made progress. Either way, she tried and tried and he was a wet noodle who couldn't help.

“Yer...comin'...with....me...” Applejack grunted, with a mighty pull of her rope. She felt something give in her neck and a painful spike that seemed to drill through it, but she couldn't stop. Her big brother needed her goshdarnit, and she wasn't going to let him down. With a last heaving pull, the fiber of her neck straining with every galactic scale twinge of effort, she pulled him out of the hole, falling down with a singular yelp of terrifyingly excruciating pain. It shot through her and Applejack could literally feel her vision blur and her senses seemingly shake as she brought herself back up, followed by every breath sending unfriendly sensations down the rivuleting boulder that was a muscle outrageously misplaced. No matter what though, she made her way over to Big Mac. “Yer okay, right? Big Mac, can ya hear me?” She said, ignoring the shots of pain.
 

[Hippo]

Macintosh was in a different place, a different plain of existence. He passed out from the pain. All he could see was an endless horizon filled with white lights, with no one, and everyone, standing around him, screaming and whispering his name in question. "HM." He grunted loudly, unable to speak. "Hm." His answer to the anonymous voice was a one word grunt, that if heard correctly, could be understood with all the frustrations of Macintosh's past, the struggles he has for the present, and the challenges he will face in the future. He himself does not understand his answer to his own question, but he did understand one thing. He was stubborn as a mule. He was just too much in pain to recognize it.

Maconitosh came to just in time for Applejack's rushing to his side after pulling him up. "Hm, ugh.... No!" He grimaced, knowing full well it was an honest no, knowing full well he needed help. "I'm sorry Applejack, hm, I ruined the trip. No way these apples will get there on time now. The order is lost, and it's all my fault." Macintosh was in physical pain, but he knew long after any bones would heal, the pain of losing a valuable customer in Garden Gait would continue to linger and haunt him. And it was all because of his stubborn pride and his temper.

​
 

[SteelEagle]

 

It was good to see him coming to, at least in some small way. She had more than little kindled fear inside of her that she was going to have to drag him on her back to town, something that she could probably do but would ruin her for a week. She was strong and she could endure but everypony had limits- limits she would surpass in the name of her family, but not without consequences. She helped him up and listened intently, allowing herself a moment to calm herself down. He was okay. Well, not really okay, but better than she had feared. The cart sure as hay wasn't, but somethings couldn't be helped. She'd have to deal with things as they came and it was true that this had turned into something of a disaster, but it was a better outcome than what she had feared.

Sweet Apple Acres served hundreds of regular customers, a number which grew daily. She also served thousands who weren't regular, a number which grew as well. This was much about their reputation as it was their quality, their service as much as it was about their legacy. It was important that they delivered on time, with the highest of quality, what was ordered. And they would see to it that one way or another their customers were pleased, but there was limits on Applejack's ability to endure in the face of harm to her family in the name of business. In fact, the limit was very little. She wasn't going to destroy her brother so some apples could be delivered. Not today, not yesterday, not tomorrow. She wasn't a fool for bits.

“Big Mac, calm yerself down. Can ya walk on yer own? Ah can take mah half jus' fine, even if Ah need ta get ya there mahself,” she sighed, looking at the hole, “but Ah reckon these apples are goners. Maybe on our way back we pit 'em, take their seeds. That way their loss ain't in vain,” she said, placing her hoof on her brother's face, pulling him down to her, “it ain't nopony's fault, Big Mac. Yer just tryin' yer best, and yer best is...well, normally tha best. An accident was bound ta happen in this goshdang forest. Anythin' Ah can do ta help, big bro?”

[Hippo]

Applejack's soft sisterly voice reminded Macintosh of something very familiar. The voice was calm and warm, like apple muffins baked in midmorning. He discernment was sound and loving, and her level of intergrity was admirable. Something else about it was even more special though. It was something he hadn't heard in several years. It sounded like... Mom. His eyes began to water as the comfort of her sister warmed his heart. He was still broken, but at least there was hope in the form of a loving family that would try their best with him tomorrow. Well maybe not literally tomorrow. "Eeyeah... I'm gonna need a doctor." He tried to step up, but putting any weight on his front left leg sparked an immediate sharp pain. He figured it might be a few weeks before he could walk without aide. "And a lift." Macintosh was frustrated, and he didn't want to ask, but his pride was already gone. "You think you can pull the apple cart with me in it? We would only have to lose a few apples."

​
 

[SteelEagle]

 

The sudden softening of her brother's face, the little drip of a tear- it was all so unlike him that she could only heave a relieved sigh inwardly. They had broken through that barrier of discomfort that accompanied any good and strong Apple family ego. Now it was simply a matter of time until it came back as unflinchingly stoic as ever but for now her brother was going to be more malleable. And that was good, because just like setting a broken bone, it worked well when another pony could be fixed up right without any jagged edges emotionally to scar the process. And if she did her job right, they wouldn't have to count today as a total loss either. At east not if she tried to follow her brother's idea.

Yikes. Could she? Hmm...well, she figured it couldn't be all that bad. Big Mac did have a point. Just huck a few apples and launch his butt up there. When they got to town and delivered what they could and got him medical attention, she would talk to the customer. There would be some angry words exchanged no doubt but if she just let them know what happened, no doubt they'd be understanding. She was willing to give what they had delivered for free and bite the bullet on costs. She started clearing space in the cart and waved him over. “That sounds fine by me. Y'all just get up in there and rest yer hoof up. When we get ta town Ah'll be sure ta get you ta a doc as fast as Ah can. Think you can hold out 'till then, Sugarcube?”

[Hippo]

Macintosh slowly and painfully three-stepped his way towards the working apple cart, and pulled himself onto it, displacing and spilling several apples off the cart an onto the cart.  The apples would serve a worthy sacrifice, as Big Mac got himself comfortable, earning a little content with his injury.  As Applejack assured him, he muffled, "Hm.  Eeyup."  He appeared to drift into a nap, his comfort level lying on apples just enough to put him to rest, his eyes closed.  A moment later, he could feel the rustling of the cart's straps being tightened, and the wooden wheels ricketing their roll as the cart started moving to Applejack's strength.  Macintosh could not help himself, through his pain he always had at least a sliver of doubt.  "Um.  AJ?  You do know where you're going right?"

[SteelEagle]

Big Mac hopped into the cart the best way he could, crushing some apples and sending others scattering to the ground. Under normal circumstances she'd be a little more than upset but this wasn't normal. Apples could be replaced, but an Apple couldn't. He pulled himself in and Applejack strapped herself to the cart. Oooh nelly, it was heavy, heavier than one of those boulders on Pinkie Pie's farm. She took a deep breath and gathered herself. This was gonna hurt, but sometimes that is what love felt like. It hurt. It hurt a lot. After a few seconds of adjustment she put one hoof out in front a distance and then pulled with all her might, grunting as she did with eyes closed.

It moved. Another hoof and another hoof, and it moved easier. It wasn't going to move fast but come Tartarus or high water, she was going to move this thing. She considered Big Mac asleep and tried to keep her grunts to a minimum, but it was not gonna work. She could feel her body straining but it wouldn't be the first time or last time she pushed herself as far as she could possibly go, do as much as she could possibly do, but she'd have to think about that later. She needed to focus on that. On one step in front of the other. He was heavy, very heavy, and if she realized this was her doing, she might consider this a just punishment for her transgressions. But she didn't think that way, so it was just a lot of hard work, a labor of love. And that was enough for her.

Big Mac woke up
"Ah'm...unnnf...doin' fine...unnf...see...see anything?"