Work today was hard on the Apple farm, as it usually was. Big Macintosh was currently bending down to pull a fairly large weed from between two apple trees, surprised with himself for not noticing and neutralizing it before it‘d gotten so big. Clamping his teeth on the stem and giving a sharp tug, he pulled it out by the root. He then threw it into the cart he pulled behind him, it joining about a dozen other weeds of various sizes and species. He moved on through the rows of trees, before looking up and seeing the broken branches in Row 15, the branches broken by Rainbow Dash when she’d crash–landed last month.

Big Mac was surprised the branches were still there, as Applejack usually pruned the trees rather regularly, removing the broken or dead branches so the tree would remain healthy. He then recalled that she’d been helping with the caterpillar infestation they’d had earlier, then had so many other chores to do...so of course she hadn't removed them! Big Mac chuffed at himself, giving himself a mental reprimand as he realized that he’d just falsely accused his sister, the most dependable of ponies, of slacking off.

Big Mac decided to remove the branches himself, and headed to the nearby barn to retrieve a stepladder. He hadn’t gotten ten steps before he was interrupted by a cyan–blue mare suddenly landing right in front of him, not a sound emitting from her hooves as they landed on the ground. The only sound that marked her landing was a soft shuffling of her feathers as they rubbed together when she folded her wings to her sides.

Big Mac instantly stopped himself as he flailed, trying to prevent himself from crashing into her but instead lightly colliding with her side. The impact sent the unprepared stallion falling on his rump, causing the wagon he was pulling to rumble slightly as it moved backwards. Déjà vu... he thought to himself, thinking back to the same thing happening a few days previous on his and Rainbow‘s month–iversary.

As Big Mac looked at the cyan–blue mare before him, Rainbow still having to look slightly up to meet his eyes even as he was sitting, he saw a huge smile forming as she bit her lower lip. He heard her making sounds suggesting she was struggling to contain her laughter, snickering softly as her eyes started to water at the effort. Finally she couldn’t hold it in anymore, and Rainbow Dash burst out laughing as she hit the ground and started rolling around on the dirt road, causing a small dust cloud to form from her commotion. Big Mac rolled his eyes as he stood up, coughing lightly as he breathed in some of the dust Rainbow was kicking up.

When she’d finally calmed down, Rainbow Dash stood up and looked Big Mac in the eyes, a mischievous grin plastered on her face. “Got ya again!” she shouted triumphantly, “Rainbow Dash two, Big Mac zippo!”

Big Mac rolled his eyes again as a grin formed on his face, giving a soft hmph as he admitted defeat. “DASHIE two." he emphasized. causing Rainbow to chuff at the nickname. Big Mac then realized something – this was the first time Rainbow had dropped in unannounced—rather literally—while he was working, making him curious to know as to why she’d shown up so early.

“So,” Big Mac started, keeping his voice in a lower tone so Applejack – who was a few rows away– wouldn't overhear the their conversation; “What’d ya want? Ah still got a couple hours ‘fore I’m done workin’ fer today, iffin you were gonna ask me to take off with ya.” Rainbow’s enthusiastic posture drooped slightly at that statement, with her just then realizing that it was only three in the afternoon. Big Mac didn’t get off until five.

Rainbow had left early from her weather job because there was really nothing for her to help with, and she dismissed almost everyone else as well, asking a few volunteers to stay in case there was a weather emergency. She'd intended to come over to the farm to hang out with Big Mac, but hadn't realizing the time was still within his set hours of work. “Well…” Rainbow Dash started to say, but then stopped herself. She wanted it to be a surprise. “I just wanted to see if there was anything I could do to help you!” she finished, thinking up a cover on the spot.

Big Mac considered what Rainbow'd said, eyeing her suspiciously. Her intentions seemed a little fishy to him, but he had no reason to outright doubt her. He looked her straight in the eyes and noticed her look away slightly, hinting to him that she wasn‘t being entirely honest. Now he knew something was up. Despite knowing she was hiding something, Big Mac said bluntly; “Well alright, Ah can use yer help.” If she wanted to help, he could definitely use another pair of hooves... or in this case, wings.

Big Mac led Rainbow Dash back to Row 15 and asked her to pull down the loose branches he'd earlier intended to, and Rainbow Dash looked up at the row of broken branches, instantly recognized the spot. “…This is where we met...” she said, before flapping her wings and flying up to the branches, tugging on the nearest one with her mouth and feeling it coming off even at the gentle tug. She quickly pulled the remaining ones off as she was asked, pressing the already–removed ones against her chest with a hoof. After pulling the last one off and landing, she placed the stick her mouth under her wing. She wanted it save this for later, a memento of what had started it all.

Big Mac noticed this, and slightly smiled to himself at Rainbow's sentimentality. As Rainbow placed the remainder of the sticks into the cart along with the weeds, Big Mac moved them to the refuse pile near the edge of the farm perimeter with Rainbow Dash following him. Big Mac proceeded to dump the weeds and sticks out into the shortest pile then started to walk away with the cart in tow, but something tugged at him mentally as he walked away...

Rainbow Dash was walking slowly in the opposite direction, anticipating Big Mac to follow her and tell her how else she could help him – when she instead she heard the cart stop, the wheels turn, then start moving again with the sound fading slightly. As far as she could tell, Big Mac had turned around and she wanted to see why. Rainbow Dash turned her head to look back just as she spotted Big Mac digging into the refuse pile and holding three more of the sticks in his teeth as he trotted away. She gave him an unimpressed look as he grinned at her around them, then caught up with her.

“You big softie.” Rainbow Dash teased as he caught up to her. Big Mac gave her a knowing, stick–filled grin as he tapped his hoof on the wing with the small stick she’d put under it. She blushed slightly, caught herself. “Oh. Yeah. That.” she muttered, before both shared a chuckle. Big Mac gave the remainder of the sticks for Rainbow Dash to hold, the small nubs fitting perfectly in the crook of her wing.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

For the next few hours, Rainbow helped Big Mac with his various chores. He taught her how to check for healthy trees while she joined him as he watered his half of the orchard, sharing with her details on the most common apple–tree diseases and parasites, along with the signs they caused the tree to show when infected. Instead of being bored as she usually was when taught, the way Big Mac told Rainbow about the infamous and dreaded Appleseed Caterpillar they’d earlier been infested with instead fascinated her.

The way Big Mac spoke with such enthusiasm and precise knowledge about his work made Rainbow Dash fascinated to hear what he was teaching, if not to actually learn it, then to hear his deep, intelligent voice present her with the fact – selling her that knowledge in a way that could easily rival and beat the Flim–Flam brother’s boisterous sales–pitches. Instead of being obnoxious as they were however, Big Mac presented his knowledge with a much more subtle and less pretentious enthusiasm that knowing his job well and many years experience brought him.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When time came to gather the eggs from the chicken coop, Big Mac taught Rainbow how to ever–so–delicately pick the eggs up in her mouth in order to avoid breaking the shell. He invited her to try after she’d watched him a few times and she’d accepted, never one to turn down a challenge. As she picked up the first one, she heard the distinctive sound of an eggshell cracking and tasted the flavor of raw egg in her mouth. As she spit, trying to get the raw–egg flavor and slimy texture out of her mouth, Big Mac snickered but kept it subtle. He didn't wanting her to feel bad for failing her first try, after all.

Big Mac then told and showed Rainbow again how to properly grip the egg with her teeth, and the next time her head came out of the nest she held not one but two eggs. She somehow managing to grin with their large forms in her mouth, her cheeks bulging slightly as the eggs pressed against her teeth. “Heh, showoff.” said Big Mac with a minor taunt in his voice, but Rainbow Dash brushed past him with a look of pride on her face, lightly bumping against his side as she passed by him towards the basket and flicked her tail against him before gently setting the eggs down against the others.

Suddenly a breaking sound came from one of the eggs and Rainbow Dash’s face fell from elation to one of self–disappointment, a light frown crossing her face upon thinking she'd failed twice in front of her colt–friend. Big Mac placed his hoof under her chin as he gently raised her downtrodden muzzle up as he'd seen what was actually happening, bringing her eyes to the egg as it continued to crack.

Suddenly the top of the egg popped off, followed by a bright yellow head. A baby chick had hatched! Rainbow Dash’s smile returned as she realized that she had not broken the egg herself, but instead it was a new baby chicken bringing itself into the world. Big Mac gently picked the chick up in his hooves and moved it back into the nesting room, placing it in the nest Rainbow Dash had taken it from, explaining; “We di’n’t have a chance at see if any of th' eggs were fertile. Ah can show ya how we do it if ya want?”

Rainbow Dash nodded in agreement, eager to learn

anything

if he was the one teaching it. Big Mac flipped a nearby switch then held up an egg to the light–bulb he had turned on, close enough to allow Rainbow Dash and himself to see through the shell. When illuminated, a light yellow ball appeared at the top of the egg, with the rest a lighter color. “Th’ yellow ball at the top’s the yolk, which is used t' feed th' baby chick when it's developin' inside the egg.” Big Mac explained and looked at Rainbow, with her nodding in comprehension.

Big Mac replaced the egg in the basket before reaching over to a nearby nest and pulling another egg out and holding up ther second in front of the bulb. This one had a large blob of red visible in it when held up to the light, almost the entire egg’s entire interior taken up by it. “Y’all see th’ difference? The fertile one has red, an’ the regular one‘s yellow – the red’s the baby chick growin’ in there." he said. As he still held the egg, he then quickly got up and headed to the chicken coop. Returning shortly after, he explained to Rainbow what he'd done. "Have to put that‘un back in its nest; it‘s gonna hatch soon.” Big Mac then took a small bow – "...an' that's how we tell which eggs got babies in 'em." Rainbow smiled and gave an only half–sarcastic hoof–stomping, fascinated by the lesson more than she’d ever imagined she could be by farmer's knowledge.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After a few more various bits of farmer's knowledge were passed on to Rainbow Dash – who learned them as eagerly as she previously would have learned a Wonderbolts signature move – Big Mac’s work day ended with the large clock tower in Ponyville signaling the fifth hour with five loud gongs. “Now that Ahm done workin‘, what’d ya really wanna do?” Rainbow’s face turned blank, the last few hours with Big Mac making her forget why she’d originally come here. Then she remembered, and blushed slightly when she realized he'd caught her bluff. She looked to him, then beaconed with her hoof for him to follow her.

“Oh yeah! Come with me to ‘our spot’! I’ve got something to show you!”

~

A short walk later, Rainbow Dash and Big Mac arrived at ‘their’ grass field. Rainbow Dash guided Big Mac over to the solitary apple tree, and Big Mac saw a small amount of bark scraped off by the following symbols carved into the wood beneath and surrounded by a large heart:

MA
♥
RD

Rainbow Dash awaited Big Mac's reaction, with her grin very wide as she grew near–ecstatic – watching him closely analyze the carving she’d done, expecting him to be as overjoyed as she was at how she’d immortalized their love in their special spot. All the memories bound to that spot were now christened with their initials there as long as the tree stood, sure to be standing even long after the grass around it had browned and withered away. They could even later show the tree to their children and tell them of how they’d met and become a couple in this very field, the carving proof of their stories. Proof of their love.

Big Mac noticed his initials, and quickly surmised those of Rainbow Dash. He realized that this must have been what she was so eager for him to see – but as looked at the deep gouges into the apple tree, the bark was scraped away…all he could see was Rainbow leaving it open to the Bark–Rot spores. Memories of that horrid disease decimating that part of the orchard not long past came to his mind, as well as tales told by Granny Smith of it taking out the entire orchard at one point, leaving Ponyville without apples while they dug up and re–seeded the entire orchard also entered his mind. The memories caused him to huff slightly as anger started to brew in him, remembering back to the most recent catastrophe that spore caused.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

About two years past, Big Mac had walked outside to water the trees and noticed a single tree with a small gouge in the trunk during watering. He'd just decided to ignored it and figured nothing of it. After all, it was just a fairly small scrape that the tree would heal itself of in a matter of days.

The next day, Big Mac came out to repair the tree's bark. He'd brought it up at the dinner table the previous night, with and Granny Smith reminding him of the Bark–Rot fungus and it's effects on trees – that when the spore gets past a tree's bark, it releases a magical pulse that causes all other trees and vegetation within a certain radius to shed their bark and shrivel up, leaving but a dried husk of its former self. Granny had figured that Bark–Rot could have been made by Discord, but even she doubts that he could be so depraved as to starve ponies for no reason.

As Big Mac headed out to fix the tree the next morning, intending to place some simple burlap over the tree's gouge to prevent the spore from getting in it, he dropped the burlap sack and tools in shock. His eyes went wide and his jaw hung open as he looked out onto the south field only to see a brown wasteland of dried, withered apple trees, their branches bare and curled, the fruit that was growing on them having dropped to the ground and festered overnight. Leaves as brown as those from autumn blew around in the gentle breeze, a few blowing in Big Mac's direction. He looked on in shock for minutes more before he finally came to his senses and went to tell his kin of the horrible news, knowing how much work they had to do now. That it was all his fault.

The next week had been mostly dedicated to Big Mac and Applejack digging up the fifty–nine trees they'd lost and chopping the husks into firewood to sell. Come harvest time, The Apple family lost a lot in sales that year, losing an entire third of their apple crops to that incident alone, not to mention the other minor losses from other trees dying of other causes. The firewood from the apple trees helped cushion the financial blow, but they still felt the loss. Since that event, Big Mac had always carefully checked the trees, sure to check for any scrapes in the tree no matter how small and to patch them up immediately. He would also check for any other signs of any other diseases in the trees, to make sure another disaster didn't take place at his fault.

In order to recoup some of their losses from the incident, The Apples decided to plant grass around the land which housed the apple trees prior, choosing to use part of the land to plant a few fields of grass – as it grew faster then apple trees, and yielded a less profitable but less risky crop. The one apple tree that had survived the event was the one Rainbow Dash had carved into, the tree having been just out of range of the magical pulse that destroyed the rest. The Apples planted the field of grass around it and left it as sort of a memorial to the loss of the others, but for Big Mac a reminder of his failure. By carving into it, Rainbow Dash has unwittingly mocked the past loss as well as his mistake, deeply hurting Big Mac emotionally in the process.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“What’d ya do ta that tree? That’s jus’ askin’ fer Bark–Rot!” Big Mac suddenly snapped, the barely–repressed anger in his voice causing Rainbow Dash to flinch back in surprise. “Ya know it's impossible t' fight Bark–Rot?” Mac continued ranting, not noticing the tears starting to develop in Rainbow Dash’s eyes, his attention instead remaining locked on the carving – that blasted Bark–Rot–inviting carving!

“But I—” Rainbow started to say meekly with her voice starting to choke up from her forming tears, but was instantly drowned out by another heated statement from Big Mac.

"Las' time we had Bark–Rot on a tree, the pulse killed fifty–nine others. Fifty–nine, our whole south field at the time...well, save for one. The one you carved up willy–nilly. We had to dig e'ry last one of 'em dead trees up up, then deal with the financial losses to boot. Ah told you this before, an' you invited it t' happen again by carvin' up this tree, t' last survivor of that? How could ya be so STUPID?!” Big Mac continued to rant, not noticing what a toll this was having on his mare–friend.

Rainbow Dash had started softly sobbing to herself as she realized that she had not only upset Big Mac and endangered his livelyhood, but had personally insulted him by carving up the last survivor of a horrible past event and mocked its significance. He had indeed told her days past of how the Bark–Rot was so prevalent around here; of how it magically killed all vegetation within its area of effect if it could get even a single spore under the bark of even a single tree and cause the affected trees to dehydrate and wilt, the plants to wither to brown strands. He had also told her before of the incident they'd had with it two years past, ending in the total destruction of this entire section...and yet she'd still done this to him. She'd still insulted him.

After he stopped ranting, Big Mac finally looked away from the carving on the tree as he heard a sobbing sound, and turned around to find Rainbow Dash facing away from him and crying, slumped down as low as he'd ever seen the confidant mare go. Big Mac slowly approached her, feeling his gut wrench up as saw what his careless anger had caused, wanting more then anything to make amends.

The moment Rainbow Dash heard him approaching however, she unfurled her wings and took flight, unable to bear the thought of looking into the face of the one who's farm her careless actions may have endangered. Of the one she'd so deeply insulted by her apparent stupidity. “WAIT!” Big Mac shouted, trying to get her attention, to get her to come back.

Rainbow Dash was gone from Big Mac's sight now, nothing but a cyan speck against the horizon. Rainbow Dash had dropped the four sticks she was carrying under her wing when she'd taken off, leaving them to fall into the grass before Big Mac. As he picked up one of the sticks, still warm from her body heat, he felt something in himself shatter. “Sweet Celestia, what have Ah done?” Big Mac asked himself as he felt tears starting to run down his cheeks. As he collapsed to the ground, he whispered in a choked–up voice, quietly so only he could hear his own plight—“A–Ah lost my Dashie.”

Author's Note

...And here, folks, is the story's first conflict.

After ending it like this...yeah, you can be damn sure I'm immediately working on the next chapter. (Update: it's done and posted!)

Hope you liked this chapter. Please feel free to comment if you'd like.