To Grander Pastures-

"Mac !!!" Apple Fritter exclaimed, excited beyond belief to see not only her cousin but also a member of her family.

Being one of the few apples that operates in Manhattan, Fritter being appreciative of Big Mac's company was an understatement.

Caught in the middle of an embrace on a scale she didn't anticipate, Fritter was having a hard time acquiring air.

"Mac.....can't breathe" soon Fritter began taping on Mac's tree trunk that is supposedly mandated to be called an arm, which swiftly turned from tapping into hammering.

"Hmm, OH!" Mac quickly realized he turned a passionate hug with one of his distant cousins, into a PFC; sleeper hold.

Fritter stated to breathe in air like a Saddle-Arabian would water after a week being lost in the middle of a dessert.

Mac started to consul Fritter, "Fran I'm so sorry !" Fritter quickly retorted with a softer hug "I know, I know, I missed u too." Fritter hushed.
Mac didn't react he just let it happen afraid he'd mess up again.

After Mac claimed his luggage the two apples headed off to Fritter's farm, in up-state Manhattan.
Their mode of transport was Fritter's Pick-up truck, along the ride Fritter dumped her music collection on Mac's lap asking to pick something.

The mini cardboard box held multiple cassette tapes with one thing in common, they were all country.
Holding band names ranging from:
The Rolling Gems, The Dixie Fillies, to the classic Alabamare.
Mac didn't have a real preference, due to the fact that he lived in a small village and had little time to be listening to music, from working on the farm "non-stop" so he picked something random.

Halfway along the trip Fritter spoke breaking the silence "So how did you manage to escape Jack-Alcatraz?"
Fritter giggled.

Mac turned the radio off, so she could hear him.
"Well, contrary to popular belief, we are not cutting ourselves ragged up on Sweet Apple Acres.
Do you remember that letter I sent you a few months back Frany?"

"Yeah, something about Jack working herself to her grave?"

"Right....."

"Sorry, bad joke, anyways you also wrote the only way she stopped was when Jack's friends sat down wit 'er and were afraid she'd hurt 'er shelf."

"Eyup, Jack finally got it through her skull, so we decided to hire a few hands on the side here and there, like Caramel, we even got Carrot Top to loan a little help every now and then."

"Don't Carrot have her own farm though?"

"She do, but it's much smaller then the Acres.
The arrangement was when her carrot's came into season we'd come and help her pick 'em, though, when we cleared out her fields, she'd had to come help us that season, and a few Bits never hurt.
Any who with all the new hands we got on the farm we are a few months ahead of schedule, so I decided to come help my favorite cousin wit her farm out her in the big city."

"Mac........ You didn't answer my question." Fritter actually took a moment to look at him in the eyes to staple her point.

"Well, well you see to Jack a few months ahead is few months behind, so I took the earliest train to Manhattan to try to escape, but unfortunately Jack started to catch wind of things."

"Did she find one of my letter's?"

"No I have 'em all right her, see."

Mac presented a few of Fritter's letters from his backpack.

"Huh, so how did she figure out?"

"I ain't got a clue Franny, but I think it has something to do with her element."

"How's that?"

"Do I look I created the Elements of Harmony, I don't know, she just tends to have idea when one the field hands are lying back on the farm."

"Did she ever act on it?"

"Yeah she did, there was this one time when Caramel tried to cut out of work early this one time, said he had a *hot date* or something."

"Did he."

"Let's just say you didn't need to be the Element of Honesty to see through that lie."

They shared a little chuckle.

"Mac that's mean!"

"It's the truth, I swear!"

"Okay, so how did you get out?"

"I guess since I kept it all under wraps, she couldn't call me out on it."

"Couldn't you just ask her?"

"Oh yeah sure, *Applejack do you mind if you let me, Big Mac you're top earner, leave the farm for a few month?*
"*Oh sure Big Mac, no problem!*"

"Ok, ok, ok! Jeez you don't have to be such an ass about it."
Big Mac chuckled.

"Oh look, their it is!" Fritter exclaimed.

Finally Fitter's farm came into view, it didn't have the size like the Acres, but it was "cozy", Mac coined to himself.

Mac and Fritter was finishing up one afternoon of bucking when out of Fritter's joint bathroom Mac could make out a "Mac I forgot my towel could you get me one!"

On his way to drop off the warm towel, Big Mac was about to knock when Fritter swung the door wide open, revealing Fritter naked as the day Celestia put her on this planet.

Big Mac quickly thanked his creators for giving him a red coat to easily hide his blush, but it didn't fool Fritter.
Making a quick draw of covering his eye's with his one unoccupied hand, shooting his other to present Fritter with the requested towel.

"Sweet Celestia Fran!!"

"What!"

"Your naked!"

Silence, nothing but dead silence.

"Mac look at me."
"What, no!"
"why?"
"Because........cause."

Mac was having a hard time finding a solid explanation, slowly he dropped his hand but not yet turning to stare at Fritter.

"Mac please....it's me, you can look."

Within the long week Big Mac has worked aside Fritter on and off the farm he slowly but surly growing a stronger relationship with his cousin but he never thought maybe on a level like this.

But the decision he chose that may very well have changed not only his life, but the life of Fritter's, was that he remembered.

Not the grossly over stretched of a week working on the farm with Fritter.
But the very first among many Apple Family reunions he could remember,
He saw a very shy colt, and an over enthusiastic filly.

The filly was trying to get colt out of his shell "Hey Mac come play with me."

"Mac.... are you okay, Mac?"

The filly became concerned and soon discovered the colt was crying.
The filly tried to comfort the colt,
But to no avail tried to shake him out of it to pry a response.

"Mac are you okay, talk to me!"

The filly became more and more engaged over time, crying too, but shouted.

"MAC! COME BACK TO ME MAC! MACINTOSH!!! SNAP OUT OF IT!!!"

With a slap Big Mac came back to reality, like he got hit by a freight-train.

There he stood staring at Fritter, still nude with her towel still in his hand.