“COME’N’GET IT, EVERYPONY!”

Big McIntosh stirred in his warm, comfortable bed, lifting his head up to peer blearily out the window. Another day on the farm, the sun just peeking up above the horizon, painting the vast orchards of Sweet Apple Acres with red and gold till it looked like the trees were ablaze. He glanced up, noticing the heavy cloud cover that was reflecting the sunlight and grunted to himself. That’s right, the Weather Team had promised heavy rain over the south orchard today, it was in dire need of the water. When had they said they’d be here? Noon? Well, that gave him plenty of time to finish what needed doing.

He rolled out of bed, all four hooves landing on the floor with a heavy thud, slipping his head through the heavy wooden halter and shrugging it down to sit comfortably on his shoulders with one smooth, well-practiced movement. Funny, some ponies in town thought he actually slept with it on, thought it was maybe part of him like it had just spontaneously grown in place. Folks around here sure did get some strange notions in their head some days.

Stopping just long enough to clean his teeth and splash water over his face before patting his mane down into some semblance of order, the big red stallion clomped downstairs to join the rest of the family.

“Mornin’ AJ, Granny, Applebloom,” he whickered as he settled at the table. He took a deep breath and sighed in pleasure at the scent of pancakes, grits and coffee; all the things a growing stallion needs before a day working the fields. Granny Smith and Applebloom both beamed at him before they fell to their own plates but he was surprised to see Applejack staring down at hers, absently drawing patterns in the remains of the syrup with the tip of a hoof. Funny, looked like she was drawing a crescent or something.

“Uh, AJ?” He ventured in his deep, slow voice drawl, “Y’all right?”

“What? Oh, mornin’ Big Mac. Didn’t see ya come in there. Didn’t sleep real well that’s all. Weird dreams.” Strange, even as the words left her mouth she seemed to recall a dream with a weasel and.. Princess Luna? Nah, couldn’t have been. Her mind was obviously just playing tricks on her. Luna and Big Mac? Oh come on, her brother was certainly a fine figure of a stallion but she was a Princess! She’d more likely go after one of the Wonderbolts or one of the Canterlot elite. She’d heard rumours that Luna had even been seen in private conversation with one of the star hoofball players from the Canterlot Colts. Just a weird dream then. Not interested in Big Mac at all. Nope. Never happening.

“Ah’ll be in the South field.” Mac said as he helped himself to some food, “Need t’finish up there ‘fore the storm.”

“Oh yeah.” Thoughts of odd dreams were pushed aside as the needs of the farm took over. “Ya need a helping hoof?

The big stallion shook his head before he took a big bite from the stack of syrup-drizzled pancakes, licking his lips before simply replying, “Nope.”

“What about you, Applebloom?” AJ turned her attention to her younger sister, “It’s Saturday. You and the girls got more crusadin’ to do?”

“Course we do! T’day we’re gonna be doin’ Cutie Mark Crusader lumberjackin’, Cutie Mark Crusader arch… Archieoo… Diggin’ up bones! Cutie Mark Crusader taxidermy, Cutie Mark…”

Applejack simply nodded at the appropriate spots, having learned by now to simply tune out the long list of things the three blank-flanked foals were going to be doing in increasingly desperate attempts to get their cutie marks. She’d tried nudging the three in the right direction when their individual talents became obvious but apparently what was obvious to her was still a mystery to the trio and the end result had been them bringing the house down, well the stage anyway, following one of the most “interesting” rock ballads she’d seen in a while.

“…’An then we’re gonna go see Twilight at the library! She’s gonna be with Rainbow Dash! Dash is teaching both her and Scootaloo how to fly!”

“Wait, wut?” Applejack blinked as she mentally rewound the conversation. “Rainbow is giving flying lessons? T’Scootaloo AND Twilight? Boy howdy, this ah gotta see! See y’all later! I’m gonna find a good spot for this!”

Without waiting for a reply, Applejack planted her hat back atop her head, snatched up an apple from the breakfast table and galloped out the door, closely followed by Applebloom, who didn’t even stop to lick the syrup from her face as she pursued her sister with a frustrated, “Hey! Wait fer me!”

“Huh.” Mac returned to his breakfast, finishing the last of his pancakes before helping himself to an apple, munching thoughtfully away on it while Granny cleared up the dirty plates. Well, as amusing a thought as it was to see Twilight struggling to fly, and Rainbow Dash attempting to be patient, there was plenty of work that needed doing so he might as well get on to it.

Leaving the house once he’d finished his morning coffee in his usual contented silence (well, he was silent while Granny Smith went on about whatever topic had caught her fancy that particular day), Mac again gave a wary glance up at the sky. The weather team was usually spot on but he wasn’t sure he entirely trusted their estimates this time round. Some of those clouds looked as if a breath of wind would set them off. Best not to hang around, there were chores to be getting on with.

Sliding his head through the yoke he hitched himself up to the wagon and trundled down the dry dirt path towards the orchard, noting the little puffs of dust that were thrown up with every step till the feathered hair around his ankles was coated with dull brown grime. The ground was almost painfully dry, this rain couldn’t come at a better time.

With every year that passed, it seemed to get that much harder to get the weather they needed around the farm, Cloudsdale always insisting that there was some shortage or another, some other town that needed the rain more than them and their facilities were “already stretched”. Luckily Rainbow Dash was a master at getting every drop of water from the clouds they were sent and wasn’t above nudging errant rainclouds from the Everfree Forest into Ponyville’s borders when nopony was looking.

Luckily no wrangling of wild clouds was needed today. This rain was all scheduled and approved and he was glad of it, even if it meant a soaking. Arriving at the orchard he left the cart by the gate and quickly set to work, humming softly under his breath as he turned about at the first tree.

Applebucking looked easy, but that was because he and his sister were able to make it look easy. He still remembered Dash’s abortive attempt after losing a bet with Applejack, the pegasus too proud and too headstrong to listen to any of their advice. One buck later and she’d damn near broken both her legs as they slammed into the trunk and the tree didn’t budge an inch. They’d made sure she was alright, of course… After Applejack had stopped laughing.

He looked up at the heavy branches overhead and their cargo of ripe, perfect fruit, barely a breath of wind stirring the leaves. He’d suspected, sometimes, that being able to grow like this was a particular kind of earth pony magic which was why you didn’t tend to hear of unicorn or pegasus farmers. Racial prejudices aside, earth ponies really were just made for it, body and soul.

A soft breath, a moment to pick his spot on the trunk, that innate sense of just where he had to hit guiding him to where he knew the perfect spot would be. Mac’s hooves lashed out in a perfect arc and connected with that invisible sweet spot.

~THUD~

Just as he knew they would, the apples rained from the tree as they were all jolted loose from their branches at once, landing in neat piles in the baskets he’d set out for them. Checking to make sure he hadn’t missed any he gave a satisfied nod and moved to the next tree and continued working.

By the time noon rolled around, Mac had finished near half the south field and was lining up for the last tree in this particular row when he felt the skin between his shoulder blades prickle uncomfortably, like someone was watching him. Huh. Well, knowing folks around here that could mean anyone from Dash sleeping in a… No, couldn’t be her, she was busy with Twilight. Maybe it was the Crusaders with yet another hare brained… No, couldn’t be them either, at least two of them were with Dash and it was unlikely Sweetie Belle would be out here alone. Maybe it was Pinkie Pie planning to spring some sort of random, zany surprise on him? Possible, but unlikely. He wasn’t aware of anything that needed a Pinkie Pie party to celebrate and as random as she was, Pinkie always had a reason for doing something.

So, that eliminated all the most likely candidates but the question remained. Who or what was watching him? Timberwolves were a possibility this close to the Everfree but after the pounding he gave the last pack unwise enough to set foot on the farm he doubted they’d be back anytime soon.

He paused with one hoof raised to buck and turned to look back over his shoulder, eyes widening in surprise. Staring back at him with sullen, angry cat-like eyes was a grey, bat winged pegasus clad in ornately decorated purple armour, a frilled helmet planted firmly atop his head. Mac had never seen one up close before, but everyone knew who they were and who they served but that still left one question; What was a member of Princess Luna’s Night Guard doing in Ponyville?

The silence stretched out as Mac looked at the pegasus and the pegasus stared right back at him. Finally it was Mac who broke the silence, “Help ya?” he asked simply, tilting his head to one side.

“No.”

Mac wasn’t really surprised by the stallion’s taciturn reply and just nodded agreeably before he bucked his hoof back into the tree and resumed working. Checking to make sure he hadn’t missed any apples, he moved on to the next row of trees, occasionally flicking an ear back in the direction of his curious guest. The armoured pegasus continued to watch him, tail absently flicking from time to time, never saying a word, barely moving.

Definitely curious, Mac decided. No sign of any Princesses, no sign of any other troops or anypony at all for that matter. What had he done to attract the attention of one of Luna’s personal guard?

“Why you?” The question interrupted Mac, halting him in mid-buck for the second time. He returned his attention to his near-silent audience.

“What was that there?”

“Why you? What could possibly be so special about you?” The pegasus growled now, voice thick with emotions Mac couldn’t decipher. Anger, confusion certainly, but there was something almost wistful about it, some desperate need to understand… Understand what, Mac had no idea, but it was obvious there was a lot more going on in this pegasus’ head than he was privy to.

“Can’t rightly say.” Mac finished his buck, the apples raining down into the baskets once again. Nearly done, and not a moment too soon, the first spots of rain staring to fall, pattering against the leaves overhead. “Storm comin’,” he added, though he doubted the pegasus would pay him any heed until he’d done whatever it was he’d come here to do.

“That there is. You have no idea, farmer.”

Now that right there was just unmannerly. He was well aware, of course, that some pegasus looked down on earth ponies as being good for little more than growing crops, as a lesser species that should know their place, but he’d never expected to run into one of that particular lot in Ponyville of all places. There was such venom in that one word “farmer”, like it was the deadliest insult the pegasus could throw at him.

Had he upset him somehow? Insulted him? He’d never had dealings with any of the guard before, though of course there was that rumour that they all looked alike thanks to a glamour cast on their armour. Could be he’d met this particular individual in the street and never known it.

But still, what could he have done? He treated everyone he met equally, never lied, cheated or stole from anypony so why would this one hold such apparent animosity? Mac mulled it over but had to admit he really couldn’t think of a single thing even as he slammed his hoof home into the last tree, sending the apples tumbling neatly into the waiting baskets. One quick check later, a satisfied nod, and he helped himself to a well deserved snack from the top of the pile as he relaxed a fraction after a job well done.

Mmmhmm, crisp and juicy, with just the right amount of sweetness. This crop was a good one and should fetch them a good price at market. Not everything the Apple family produced was sold in Ponyville, there were far too many trees for that even with the residents’ seemingly insatiable desire for their goods. They had begun to ship a fair amount of their produce out to Canterlot and even as far as Manehatten thanks to Rarity of all ponies putting them in touch with folks with the right connections. Who knew the prim and proper fashionista still kept up with some of her parents’ old business partners?

Mac turned back as the rain began to fall in earnest. The pegasus was still there and still staring, unflinching as the rain began to glisten on his armour and mane, the wind beginning to pick up now. Okay, this was getting to be a bit odd, even by Mac’s standards, and he’d once fought half of Ponyville for possession of a raggedy old doll.

“Well,” he offered in one last vague attempt to be, if not friendly, at least polite. “See ya’round.”

“You will, farmer. Be sure of it.” The pegasus growled, and this time that vague animosity was gone and there was nothing left but pure, unadulterated hatred so strong that it took Mac aback, pinning his ears to his head, left so surprised he could find nothing to say as his visitor spread his leathery wings and leapt into the air. One quick flap of his wings and he shot up and into the clouds, disappearing from sight.

Now what the hay had that all been about? Maybe Twilight would know if there was something odd going on with the Princesses now that she was one too. Maybe that was it? Perhaps there were going to be night guards in Ponyville to take care of their newest princess? Well, okay, say that was true then what possible reason could they have to take offence with him?

He sighed and shook his head just in time for a large, heavy raindrop to land right in his ear, making him snort and shake his head all the harder before it trickled too far inside. Damn, this was neither the time or place for that kind of woolgathering. Quickly grabbing the baskets in his teeth he began to ferry them back to the cart as quickly as he could as the dry paths swiftly became muddy channels under his hooves.

Thoughts of strange pegasus were pushed to the back of his mind as Mac got back to work. Whatever his visitor had been talking about, he was sure it would all work itself out in the end.