The sun hadn't budged an inch in the sky since Spike began the grueling work he was tasked by Big Mac. Pulling another apple from the tree he stood in and dropping into the basket below, he paused and turned his gaze skyward, his draconic green eyes squinting in the relentless sunlight before lowering to watch as Big Mac moved to his next target.

Once again he thanked the fact he was born a heat resistant creature, and pitied the large red stallion turning to buck another tree nearby. Then he remembered how dismissive Big McIntosh had been about his current condition, and found that the pity lessened somewhat.

When Spike realized he'd lost the memories of all his experiences before waking up on that hillside, he'd almost had a full blown panic attack. Big McIntosh had simply let him freak out on his own, waiting silently as the little drake asked him question after question about what was going on.

To be fair, Spike had rattled on, talking over the stallion every time he went to reply, and in the end, Big Mac had given up and just stood there in exasperated silence. Once the baby dragon had finally calmed himself down, Big Mac had only said one thing.

"If yer memories are that important to ya, they'll come back on their own, just give it time."

And that was it.

With those words he returned to his work and urged Spike to do the same, pulling another basket down off the cart for the drake. A baby dragon though he may have been, he still had strength enough to carry the large wooden basket on his own, though it was an awkward load to bear, as it was bigger than he was.

The cold attitude didn't sit well with Spike, and he grumbled and mumbled about it under his breath, but nevertheless set off to accomplish his task. He had told Big Mac he'd make up for the apples after all, and Spike wouldn't let a little bitterness get in the way of clearing his debt.

That had been two hours ago now, and he'd started to work himself to complete exhaustion. Big Mac had it easy in that he could just turn and buck, felling dozens of apples in one go. Spike had to climb each tree, pick each individual apple, and drop it into the basket below, and it was a painfully slow process.

To Big Mac's credit, he'd offered to take the full baskets when he'd noticed the small framed and slightly pudgy dragon struggling as he tried to futilely push the laden baskets to the next tree. It was undoubtedly heavier, but the stallion didn't complain or outwardly show any additional stress.

He just put the baskets back in the cart, pulled out the empty ones, passed one to Spike, and they'd start again. It was rough going, but something he could appreciate was that it kept him busy and his thoughts unclouded by the concern regarding his amnesia.

He even began to fall into a rhythm, and while he didn't particularly enjoy the work, he was content with the process, but it was clear he was running out of steam, and a glance over to Big Mac revealed a similarly tired expression. The exhausted dragon was about to suggest a break when a loud, long cry rang out from the nearby forest.

It was unlike anything Spike had ever heard, and yet the eerie, unnatural sound tugged at something in the back of his mind, even as he turned towards the noise. The sound startled the baby dragon and nearly made him lose his balance, but it was the bright flash of light in the distance and the low rumble that caused him to actually stumble and fall right out of the tree with a panicked shriek.

Big Mac, who'd turned just in time to see Spike stagger, had already begun moving, and managed to catch Spike on his back. That done, the stallion returned his attention to the alien cry coming out of the infamously dark forest nearby, his eyes troubled and his frown grim.

The sound didn't last too much longer, and by the time Spike had regained his senses, it had died down completely, along with the mild rumbling. After a few moments of stunned silence, Spike stood up atop Big Mac's back, wincing and putting a claw to his head at the sudden dull, throbbing pain he felt.

It only lasted a moment before it passed, and he sighed in relief another moment later. He turned back to the eerie forest, its thicket of trees made all the more so by that unsettling and oddly familiar howl.

"Hey, uh... Big Mac?" Spike began hesitantly, "what do you think that was?"

Big Mac narrowed his eyes slightly, his ears twitching every so often as if expecting another cry.

"Nothin' good."

Spike wanted to roll his eyes at the obvious statement, but held back, opting instead to cast a worried frown around the orchard. The cry had been terribly loud, probably loud enough to be heard for miles, and Spike wondered if there were any other ponies around nearby that'd felt the small tremor.

His silent question was answered when he heard a distant, panicked shout coming from somewhere behind him. He and Big Mac turned to see two other earth ponies galloping towards them, one a stallion and the other a mare.

The stallion sported a light blue mane and tail while the mare's were a dark red in color, though both shared the same pale olive coat color. Spike hadn't seen either pony since he'd started helping Big Mac, but by their drawl and the fact that they looked just as tired as he himself felt, Spike thought it safe to assume they were related in some way.

"Big Mac!" the stallion cried as he and the mare came to a stop in front of the larger pony, "Big Mac, what the hay was that all about?" he blinked and furrowed his brow in confusion as he spotted the little dragon standing atop Big Mac's back, "and... is that a dragon?"

"Hey," Spike replied, waving a claw in an awkward greeting, "name's Spike. It's, uh... nice to meet—whoa!"

"Awww~" the mare cooed as she yanked Spike off of Big Mac's back and pulled him into a tight embrace, "well ain't you just the most adorable little thing!"

"Wha—hey, let go, I can't..." the helpless drake grunted in both surprise and annoyance as he tried to pull himself out of the mare's strong grip, "Big Mac, can you please do something?"

"Big Mac?" the stallion continued, turning back to the larger stallion after a moment, "what in Cele... what in the Queen's name is goin' on here?"

"Found the dragon sleepin' in one o' the trees after he'd darn near eaten all the apples in it," Big Mac replied curtly, completely ignoring the drake's plight, "can't remember nothin' 'sides his name. Dunno what the noise was fer sure, but ah aim ta find out."

"What?!" the stallion cried, "Big Mac, you heard that noise! Whatever it was, it ain't o' this world, an' that aside, it came from that Tartarus forsaken forest! Ya'll can't tell me yer just gonna—"

"Ah ain't goin' in alone, Red Delicious," Big Mac interjected calmly, "no doubt the Mayor's gonna send some ponies out ta investigate. Ah'll join em' an' be back before ya know it," before Red Delicious could open his mouth to argue again, Big Mac raised a hoof to stop him, "the Everfree is too close to the farm ta just ignore what's goin' on. Ah gotta do what ah can ta protect this farm an' the rest o' mah family, and ya ain't gonna stop me."

For a moment, Red Delicious' mouth flapped open and closed like a fish before he finally let out a resigned sigh. The mare, still holding Spike in her clutches, looked from Red Delicious to Big Mac, her expression one of worry and uncertainty.

"Alright then," Red Delicious finally relented, "ah won't try ta stop ya, but ya'll promise me you'll skedaddle if things get too hairy out there, will ya?" his tone grew serious, his face grim as he spoke, "they ain't never said it, but ah can tell that between you, Granny Smith, an' little Apple Bloom, yer the bond holdin' this family together right now, so ya'll better come back in one piece, ya hear?"

Big Mac grimaced and hung his head slightly as he mulled his cousin's words over. Images of his deceased ma and pa rose to the forefront of his mind, their warmly smiling faces quickly followed by the retreating form of his younger sister as she made her way to the Ponyville train station to meet their Aunt and Uncle.

Why had he just let her go like that? Why didn't he do anything to stop her? He should've done more to convince her to stay, should've fought harder and said more, but in the end, he'd relented, and it had turned out to be one of the biggest regrets of his life.

Big Mac knew all too well that without Applejack, the family didn't feel complete, and to this very day it still felt like there was something missing.

It wasn't just him that could feel it either.

Granny Smith could feel it too, and so could Apple Bloom even though she had no real idea who her older sister even was. Sure, she'd heard stories, but that was all they were... stories. Even so, Applejack's departure had left a large pit that couldn't be filled, and each of them were suffering from it to some degree.

Now wasn't the time to dwell on the issue however, and with a shake of his head, Big Mac brought himself out of his melancholic thoughts. He raised his head and looked into his cousin's eyes, his jaw set and his expression determined. He'd failed his family once, by not convincing Applejack to stay, and he wouldn't fail again.

"Ah'll be back before supper, ya can count on that."

A minute passed by as Red Delicious eyed the red stallion, but he smiled and gave a small satisfied nod a moment later. Spike had been shifting through several expressions ranging from irritation, to worry, to thoughtfulness as he silently watched the exchange. He was about to throw in his own two bits when Big Mac spoke again, turning and beginning to trot away.

"Red, Bumpkin," he called back, "keep an eye on the dragon fer me until ah get back, would ya?"

"Ya can count on us, cuz!" Apple Bumpkin cried, squeezing the dragon a bit tighter and causing him to groan in frustration, "just please be careful, an' don't do nothin' stupid!"

"W-Wait!" Spike suddenly shouted, making Big Mac stop in his tracks and turn a quizzical frown towards the dragon. Spike grit his teeth as he tried to wrest himself from Apple Bumpkin with little success, "take me with you! I... I think I might be able to learn something if I go!"

Both Apple Bumpkin and Red Delicious protested, but Spike ignored them and kept his eyes trained on Big Mac. The large red stallion watched him, his scowl deepening as he thought it over. He wanted to refuse the baby dragon outright, not wanting to put Spike in danger needlessly.

He may not have known the drake for very long, but he was a hard worker who was serious about paying his debts, at least, when he wasn't stealing apples and snoozing in a tree. He hadn't said as much, but the little dragon had begun to earn his respect, and he would've hated for something to happen to him on his watch.

Still, if he truly believed whatever was out there could help him get his memory back, who was Big Mac to stop him, really? He may have earned respect, but he wasn't family, and thus Big Mac had no obligation to hold him back from doing what he felt was right, even if he himself knew it was the wrong decision.

Not like with a certain other pony.

The thought ignited an almost overwhelming urge to tell Spike no, and have him stay on the farm until he got back, but he pushed the urge down and told himself that it was simply the reminder of his own failure that would've driven the decision, and that wouldn't have been right or fair to Spike.

Small though he may have been, he was his own dragon, and Big Mac had no right to deny him in regaining what he'd lost.

"...Alright then," Big Mac relented, "ya'll can tag along, just remember that this ain't no field trip, and that we're headed into a place where critters would chomp ya down as soon as look at ya."

Spike's determined frown faltered at that and he turned and he gave the distant forest a worried glance. It looked far more menacing this close than it did from way back up on the hill, and it gave him pause, but only for a moment.

He wasn't gonna get his memories back by being a coward, and he knew there were answers waiting somewhere in that forest.

"I don't care," he finally said, turning back to Big Mac and restoring his look of conviction. At Big Mac's frown he quickly amended his words, "I mean, I'll be careful, sure, but I need to go. I won't... I'll... try not to get in your way."

Big Mac eyed the dragon for another long minute, reluctant, but appreciative of the honesty all the same. He sighed inwardly and nodded to the dragon before addressing Apple Bumpkin.

"Ya'll can let him go, Bumpkin," he said with a hint of resignation, "ah'll take care of him."

"But... you sure, Big Mac?" Apple Bumpkin replied, looking down at Spike with no small amount of concern, "I mean, he's just a little guy an' all. I don't think—"

"Hey, I can take care of myself," Spike cut in with an indignant frown, "I may not look like it, but I'm pretty tough, y'know? A stupid old forest isn't gonna bring me down."

"Ah'm more worried about the critters in the forest, sweetie," Apple Bumpkin deadpanned, "ya got a tough hide, sure, but some o' them critters have some nasty teeth that could bite right through solid rock from what I hear."

Spike said nothing in response, not willing to admit how nervous that actually made him as he tried to keep his confident grin.

"Just leave it be, Bumpkin," Red Delicious sighed, before giving Spike an indulgent smile, "we'll see him an' Big Mac again, don't you worry none."

Apple Bumpkin looked from her brother, to Spike, before her eyes settled on Big Mac. They held each other's gaze for a minute longer before she let out a small defeated sigh of her own and released the drake.

"Finally," Spike muttered, flexing his arms and legs as he tried to get the kinks out, "you're really strong, you know that?"

"So I've been told," the mare replied with a small smirk. It fell a moment later in favor of another worried frown, "hope yer able ta remember who ya are. Ah know ah'd feel terrible if ah couldn't remember mah family."

"Family," Spike quietly repeated to himself, "yeah... right."

"Well, don't just stand, there," Big Mac called back, jolting Spike out of his thoughts, "hop on, we ain't got all day."

"Right, coming!" Spike called back as he made his way over to the red stallion. He paused a little ways away from the other two ponies and turned back to Apple Bumpkin with a wide, reassuring grin, "BIg Mac and I will be back before you know it, just you wait! Then I can tell you guys all about how awesome of a dragon I am!"

Both siblings nodded and gave encouraging smiles of their own, though it was clear even to Spike that they weren't entirely convinced. His smile fell a bit, but he quickly shored up his resolve and hurried after Big Mac. The larger stallion watched as Spike climbed back up onto his back.

"Ready?" Big Mac asked.

"Yup," Spike replied, "all set."

Big Mac nodded once and together, they took off towards Ponyville proper. Though neither said as much outwardly, both of them could feel the large knot of unease in their gut, and it was only growing worse as they thought about what they might find in the Everfree.

To forestall a bit of confusion, Good Future Twi and Starlight, Bad Future Twi, and Spike all arrived at different times. As to why, that'll be explained at some point... in the future.