"Yes little one...one day, when you're big and strong. All powerful unicorns have to start somewhere my sweet filly.

Now...close your eyes...take in a deep breath....relax.......good night my dear."

- A goodnight from Twilight's Mother.

Macintosh stared up at the ceiling of his apartment, his eyes fixed so intently on one section he was afraid that he'd pierce a hole through it after too long. He turned his head slowly the door and sniffed, the aroma of cider clogging his nostrils. The neighbors were probably drinking again...that's all they really ever did anymore. Drink and party like it was the end of the world...which Macintosh of course said was ironic.

Right now, the only thing Macintosh could really hear that was any sort of 'party' worthy was the steady 'Thump, Thump, Thump' against the wall right behind his head and headboard. The shrill shrieks and screams of pleasure echoed through the thin walls, causing the red stallion to grimace and pull a pillow over his head. Of all the times to Tussle...the bastards had to get it on right when he was trying to take a nap.

He tried his best to tune it out, and for a moment he thought they might be done as the screams suddenly stopped. But no...screams turned to low, hot groans, pissing off the stallion even more. He sat up in bed roughly, turning his body slightly and banging on the wall with his hoof. He waited for any kind of reply or a voice of question...but only groans answered him.

With a loud snort, Macintosh whipped off his blankets and quickly trotted to the door. With a shove out of his door and a quick turn to the right, Macintosh lifted a hoof and banged heavily on his neighbor's door. He waited with an annoyed expression on his face, sitting back on his haunches. After ten seconds, he banged on the door again, harder then before. He could have sworn he heard a splintering sound emitting from the door after his third knock...

It wasn't long after that until Macintosh heard the rumbling of curses and 'What the fuck?!' from behind the door. He listened at the sounds of a few locks being unlocked and finally watched as the door opened slightly. An average sized, sweating colt with a white coat and a blue mane answered, looking Macintosh up and down for a moment. He narrowed his eyes and growled "The hell do you want, I'm busy!"

Macintosh growled back "Can ya'll keep the tusslin' down? Ah'm trying to catch some sleep and it's a bit hard if ya'll are makin' all that racket!"

The colt simply laughed in his face and barked "Why do you have to be so intent on ruining other ponies' fun? I'm enjoying a casual afternoon with my wife and I'd appreciate if you kept your dumb hic nose out of it. Now piss off you fucking imbred." With that, he slammed the door in Macintosh's face, locking it back up swiftly.

Macintosh stared at the door with a blank expression on his face as the sounds of his neighbor's love-making intensified, reaching as far as the front door now. "So much fer a nap..." Macintosh grumbled, turning away from the door and heading towards the complex's stairs.

"What a load a shit..." he sighed, descending the stairs.

Today was going to be a long one...he could tell.

~*~

"Should a seen the flank on that one...hoowee!"

"I've actually hoofed that...not too impressive."

"What?!"

"Can you believe this foal?"

'I'm serious, did it right in the back of the chariot shop!"

Macintosh stared down at his daisy sandwich, his ears drooping at the idiotic conversation between three colts going on behind him at a table. He was sitting in a lunch bar at one of the front counter's stools. He figured if he couldn't sleep...some food wouldn't hurt. Just as he was about to take a bite out of it, however, the colts behind him started their dumb conversation. He dropped his sandwich promptly after that, staring at it for a moment before holding up a hoof and growling "Check please...ah'll take this to-go...."

~*~

Downtown Canterlot was a nice little area, filled with all sorts of neat little shops. Antiques, general stores, jewelry, and countless others! The streets weren't crammed, but they were definitely busy. Macintosh strolled calmly down the right side of the street, walking behind a group of four ponies while his sandwich bounced around in a styrofoam box on his back.

The weather was fairly nice...nice and cool. It reminded the stallion of the spring days where he and Applejack would sit with Granny Smith and Applebloom in the orchard and enjoy a nice picnic. Apple fritters...apple pie...apple cider...and the soothing spring wind blowing gently across his face and mane. It was this thought that brought a slight tear to the stallion's eyes...wishing he could go back to that time...wishing he could enjoy it with Twilight as well.

It wasn't until the sound of a gleeful cry that Macintosh looked up, his train of thought broken. "Heya Big Macintosh! What are you doing on this side of town?" The stallion smiled at the sight before him, his worries boiling away as he beheld a set of pink and a set of yellow hooves approaching him. The hooves belonged to none other than an ecstatic looking Pinkie Pie and a weary Fluttershy.

"Well hey howdy Miss Pie!" Macintosh exclaimed, stopping in front of them "And a mighty fine hello to you Miss Shy, you just back from Cloudsdale?"

Fluttershy smiled weakly and nodded slowly, whispering "Um...yes, Rainbow Dash is still out on a recon mission so...I got to come back."

"Yeah! They came back with a whole bunch of new ponies! I was coming down here from the castle to get supplies for a 'Happy Rescue Party' and then I found you!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, her body vibrating with excitement. Macintosh chuckled at this, always finding it amazing that even in their predicament, Pinkie was still as bubbly and as happy as ever.

"Well ah hope you find what ya'll are lookin' for" Macintosh began, clearing his throat before going on "Have ya'll seen Applejack or Rarity?"

"Oh..." Fluttershy said, putting a gentle hoof to her chin "Applejack went with Rarity and the crusaders to the park. I think they were going to have a picnic...which we're going to after we get Pinkie's supplies." She smiled a warm smile towards the stallion and muttered "Would you like to come with us?"

"That's ok..." Macintosh said, an apologetic look on his face "Ah'd rather be alone today, if that's alright."

"Oh no that's perfectly fine!" Pinkie said, giving the stallion a big hug before jumping back "We'll be in the park if you change your mind!"

Fluttershy watched as Pinkie bounced away before turning and giving Macintosh a shy smile. "Um...see you later..." she whispered, walking around the stallion and leaving him amongst the busy street.

It was good to see them, Big Macintosh thought. He knew the past three months had been hard on them, what with them being trapped outside Ponyville...wondering if any of their friends were still alive. They seemed to be in high spirits though, a lot higher than his. It seemed to him as if the rules never really changed after they left Ponyville...like they were still being followed as if they were burned into the back of everypony's mind. Well...at least some of them anyway.

Rule #6: Keep yourself Sane...

Keep yourself happy, keep yourself in bright spirits. A pony's sanity was just about as precious as their barricaded home or fortress. It seemed that Pinkie and Fluttershy were having no problem in keeping theirs...but ever since Twilight ran off on him...he could feel his mood slipping piece by piece. He wanted to leave...he wanted to go outside. Emotion was starting to play on reason...with logic failing and his heart taking the reins. What point was there in being stuck inside a bubble? What point was there in waiting?

He simply sighed, moving down the street quickly in the hopes that he could get to a peaceful spot to eat. Somewhere quiet...somewhere peaceful. Somewhere that nopony would want to go...

...somewhere like the shield...

~*~

Macintosh stared at the humming shield that glistened in front of him, the midnight blue color dimming and glowing every few seconds. There was nopony around here, a secluded section of trees and an empty street which led towards nothing but the cliff of Canterlot. It was the perfect spot to eat his sandwich, alone and away from the stupid, pointless discussions and the loud, obnoxious love-making of ponies.

His stomach growled as he sat back on his haunches, laying the styrofoam box in front of him. It was time...time to devour his delicacy of daisy goodness. He put a hoof on the bottom part of the box and a hoof on the top, gently popping the small tab out of its holding. He slowly pulled back the lid, as if he were opening a rusted treasure chest filled with precious goodies and priceless artifacts. His eyes grew wide as he beheld his perfectly preserved daisy sandwich sitting there, begging to be devoured by the big pony.

He had never seen a more beautiful sandwich in his life.

The daisies were pristine, the crust of the bread was crisp and cooked to perfection. It was like Luna herself had blessed this beautiful morsel. It was all his...all his for the eating. There was no stopping him now! He gently lifted the sandwich from the box as if he were lifting a baby from its cradle, being careful to keep it in a firm hold and to make sure it didn't drop. The aroma of his lunch gently wafted over him, filling him with a sense of joy.

Just one bite...that's all he wanted, was one bite. He slowly brought the sandwich up to his lips slowly, opening his mouth in preparation to take that first, delicious bite. He put his teeth over the sandwich and...

...a glob of white splattered onto the top of the bread.

A bird...had shit on his sandwich.

... Macintosh stared forwards with wide eyes, pulling the sandwich away from his lips and back down into the box. He closed it gently, pushing the box away from him and staring down at it. For awhile Macintosh simply stared down at the box, his stomach quietly rumbling. At long last though, Macintosh's inner walls broke and he let out a wailing sob. Tears streamed from his eyes as he bawled, falling on his side and curling up in the tightest ball he could. He shook and shivered as he wailed, punching the ground with a hoof several times.

What a load of SHIT! How could he just SIT there! Why couldn't he do anything!?

The shield...that damn shield!

He got to his hooves quickly, rounding on the shield and growling loudly. With a furious shout he charged towards the shield and threw a hoof at it in utter rage. He immediately howled in pain however as his hoof throbbed wildly in pain. It was like punching a brick wall, the stallion flying back and cradling his hoof in his other leg. He glared towards the blue barrier and sniffed, wiping a few tears away.

That was it...that was all Macintosh could do. With no way out and nothing else to do...he got to his hooves. The pain in his throbbing hoof at all but subsided, becoming a dull pain as he tried to limp away. As he neared the street however...a voice called out to him

A voice with an ethereal grace...but one of power.

The voice of a stranger...

...from BEYOND the shield...

"Hey...wait!"

Macintosh froze, his eyes widening and his ears perking. Slowly...he turned his head and looked on towards the shield, gasping as he beheld the figure standing just beyond the barrier.

It was a mare, he could tell, but who she was...that was something he couldn't. She wore a large brown cloak with a hood that concealed her body and head, with a white mask covering her face. Her legs were clasped with blackish armor, leading Macintosh to believe her whole body was adorned with it as well. A brown cloth was wrapped around what appeared to be her unicorn horn...and with that, Macintosh couldn't even tell the color of her fur.

"Holy horsefeathers, what the hay are ya'll doing out THERE?!" Macintosh shouted, rushing towards the barrier.

The mare shook her head quickly and spoke with quick urgency "Please, there is not much time! I have come at the request of-"

"Forget that!" Macintosh interjected "It ain't safe out there! Just stay put and ah'll go get the guard, we'll get you in here to safety!"

Just as he turned to leave, the mare shouted "Please, don't! I've come at the request of Twilight Sp-"

Macintosh was back at the barrier before the mare could even finish her sentence. A look of utter shock was splayed across Macintosh's face as he stuttered "T...Twilight?! She's alive?! Where is she, why isn't she with you...who ARE you!?"

The mare shook her head again and whispered quickly "I haven't the time! The Afflicted will be coming soon and I must return to her in Appleloosa! She asked that I retrieve you from Canterlot and I am bound to honor this!"

Macintosh had so many questions...so many answers he wanted...that he needed. The only one he had though...was that Twilight was alive. "How do I get out o' here then?! This barrier's thicker than a cow's ass!"

The mare looked up into the sky, scanning the clouds for danger before looking back down and whispering "I can get you out, but the spell will take time. I need you to gather as many supplies as you can for the trip, and meet me back here in half an hour! Don't let the Lunar Guard or anypony know you're coming!"

Macintosh nodded, turning and beginning his gallop off, taking a moment to shout back "Ah'll be back! Don't ya'll go nowhere!"

The mare nodded, smiling behind her mask as she hissed "Oh don't worry...I won't."

~*~

Macintosh bounded up the stairs to his apartment complex. He had to get his saddlebags, some food, supplies that would allow him to gather more supplies outside. He had gone on plenty of hiking trips before, he knew how to live off the land. It shouldn't be a problem...despite the fact the land was swarming from diseased, ravaged ponies...

As Macintosh ascended the stairs, the same questions began to burn in his mind. What was Twilight doing all the way down in Appleloosa?! Why didn't she come to Canterlot herself!? Was she hurt, was she in need of help? If that was the case, why didn't the mare she sent allow him to alert the guard? In fact...who was that mare? How did he even know she was sent by Twilight?

He stopped as he neared his floor, frowning. How...did he know if it was the truth or not? What if it was a trap...? Macintosh quickly shook his head, shaking off the thought. Trap or not, if Twilight was in danger he had to rescue her! That and he was tired of being cooped up anyway, stuck inside the same monotonous cycle of living in a cage for the past three months.

He stepped up onto his floor, dashing down the ramparts. He immediately cursed however as Applejack closed her own door, looking over at Macintosh with a frown and shouting "Well howdy Ma- whoa nelly, where's the fire!?"

"No time sis', ah can't explain!" Macintosh shouted back, throwing open his own door and rushing inside his tiny room.

"What do ya mean 'you can't explain'?!" Applejack shouted, poking her head into his room. "The hay has got ya'lls flank worked up?!"

"Ah'm leavin' Applejack, alright!?" Macintosh barked, throwing his saddlebags up and on "There's a mare outside the shield, says she knows where Twilight is. Ah'm bustin' out o' here!"

Applejack stared at her brother with a look of horror and sorrow, her voice catching in her throat. She couldn't do anything except stare as the work horse threw several items into his bags, shifting the weight about and getting it comfortable. When her voice finally bubbled out, it came off as terrified and saddened "N...now you just hold on a minute! What do ya mean you're leavin'!?"

"Ah mean," Macintosh growled "Ah'm leavin'! Ah am gettin' out of this damn city and ah am gonna DO something! Ah'm tired of bein' stuck here all fuckin' day n' night, ah have to get out, ah have to go outside!"

"Macintosh see reason dammit!" Applejack roared, moving inside and slamming the door behind her. She rounded on him, pointing a hoof up at his nose and drawing his attention "There ain't no way outside o' the shield! That magic stuff is too strong! How the hay were you plannin' on even escapin' Mister Earth Pony?!"

Macintosh sighed, pushing back Applejack and pushing two full cider bottles into his saddlebag. "There's this wrapped up mare outside" He muttered "She said Twilight sent her from Appleloosa, she's preparing a spell to get me outta here and outside." He turned on her, pointing a hoof at her and shouting "And ya'll know why ah ain't told the guards bout' this! They're all too busy savin' Cloudsdale and the other cities. They ain't gonna care bout' one filly!"

"They will if it's the Element o' fuckin' MAGIC MACINTOSH!" Applejack roared back, running in front of him and blocking the door. "Ah ain't gonna let you go gettin' yourself killed over this Mac! Ya'll done lost your marbles!"

"Get outta the way Applejack!" Macintosh roared in her face, drawing a slight shiver out of her. She was terrified of her brother's temper...but she held firm.

"NO! Ah ain't gonna let this happen! You ain't well Macintosh! Your just homesick is all, that's all!" Applejack said, her voice still tinged with anger.

The stallion looked at her for a moment before his face fell, turning into one of sadness and sorrow. He turned slowly, sitting on his haunches with his back to her. Applejack watched him as he pulled one of the empty cider bottles in front of him, the small clinking of it audible to her as he played with it in his hooves. "Applejack..." he whispered, his voice breaking slightly.

"Yeah brother?" Applejack whispered back, a tinge of concern in her voice.

He sat there for a moment...unmoving...and then... "Ah'm so sorry."

It happened too fast...all too fast. Macintosh pushed the top of the bottle into his mouth, whirling around and crashing it down over Applejack's head. It shattered loudly over her, the country mare dropping to the ground and landing firmly on her side. She was out cold in a single hit, her brother standing over her with the broken bottle in his mouth. He quickly spit it out and dragged her towards his bed, gently laying her upon it. He pulled the blankets up over her with his teeth and gave her a tender kiss on her cheek before whispering "Ah'm sorry...ah am so...sorry. Please forgive me one day AJ...goodbye."

He turned on his hooves...and quickly made his way out.

~*~

"About time, are you ready?" The mystery mare asked, her horn glowing with a purple-ish glow.

"Eeyup, ah got everything" Whispered Macintosh, a pained look on his face. He felt horrible about what he did to Applejack...but it was the only way she was going to let go, the only way he could get out. He was determined to find Twilight now...he couldn't come back empty hooved...he couldn't let Applejack have the right to scream 'AH TOLD YA SO!' and proceed to make his life a living hell.

"Alright, stand back!" Barked the mare, her head bowing and her horn aiming towards the shield. With a loud cry, the mare unleashed a beam of pink light at the shield, the magic surface bubbling and hissing at the contact. Macintosh watched as a hole started to appear in the shield, small at first, but steadily growing. It took all of about 30 seconds for the hole to become 'Macintosh-sized', and in that instant, the mare cut off her spell. "T...there!" she gasped, staggering back "Hurry, before it closes!"

Macintosh nodded and took a galloping start towards the hole...and with a firm kick with his back hooves, he dove right through the breakage...and into freedom. The sweet mountain air greeted him like an old friend as his belly hit firm ground, the hole in the shield closing up behind him. He let out a laugh of joy and started to speak "Alright! Thanks for that...now...all you gotta do is teleport me t-"

But she was gone...vanished in a teleportation spell used on herself...and not him.

"W...wha...oh horseapples." Macintosh growled, getting to his legs. "Maybe it was a trap after all" he muttered, looking back at the smoking shield. Somepony had to have noticed that up at the castle...the crystal or shield had to have given off some kind of warning of a breach. He quickly turned and galloped off towards the mountains, leaving a trail of dust behind him.

The door to safety had been shut...there was no going back now.

The mare had disappeared, but she had at least gotten him out and given him a direction.

The country town to the south...the home of his (Hopefully breathing...) cousins Braeburn and Caramel.

The town that may be housing his true love...

Appleloosa.