Author Note: I plan to have this based during the 1800's or somewhere around granny smith's flashbacks , also major character death, thats a warning. I understand that this starts off pretty fast but once I get started trust me it will be good.
"Ahh, another wonderful dinner made by only the best Granny," Applejack said as she sat down next to her sister.
"Hey I helped to you know!" Applebloom interrupted.
"Oh I'm sorry miss, now tell me what dish did you make?" Applejack responded in a sarcastic way.
"I helped make the salad," Applebloom said quite proudly.
"Yep, because salad is really hard to make," Big Mac said under his breath.
Laughing lightly at her brothers joke, Applejack shoved his arm and helped herself to the salad.
"Now now *cough, cough* Applebloom did help make it and might I say she did a good job to." Granny said walking in to the room from the kitchen and patted Appleblooms head.
"Granny are you all right? You sound awful." inquired Applejack, and after she did Granny Smith started breaking out into a serious cough and wouldn't stop.
"Granny? GRANNY!" Applejack yelled.
"AJ take Applebloom to her room I'm gonna go to the hospital with Granny" Big Mac shouted at his sister.
And with that applejack scooped up her sister and lead her to her room. The last thing Applejack saw of them was from her bedroom window.
"AJ?" Applebloom's sweet little voice came from behind her.
"What is it half pint?," she responded
"Will Granny be ok?"
"We don't know yet, anyway are you hungry? Let's go eat some of that salad you made," trying to make the moment look better in her sister's eyes, Applejack lead her sister back downstairs to eat a least a little somthing.
Awhile later after Applebloom and Applejack had eaten and after Applebloom had gone to bed Big Mac had come back from the hospital but without any Granny Smith.
"Are they keeping her overnight? Or….," Applejack said in a soft voice.
"AJ we need to talk," And with that Big Mac went outside in the peaceful night with his sister.
"Well what's going on!?," this time Applejack kinda yelled at her brother.
"It's Granny… if you have anything to say you better go and say it now, she's fading and fast, I already said my goodbyes I thought you should have a chance to."
*Gasp* "NO!" she screamed.
Once at the hospital Applejack quickly ran to her Grandmother's room for she knew what might have to happen if her Granny did pass on.
"Applejjjjackkkk iiisss thatttt youuu" Granny said slurring her words together.
"Yes Granny its me, Applejack" in tears now Applejack held her granny's hooves.
"Listen, no matter what your brother says or what you think, you must find your own true love, if Macintoish wants to marry you off to some rich man don't you do it, can you promise me that?" Granny said with her soft voice.
" Yes Granny, anything I promise" Being part of the lower status in Ponyville there was no other way to move up if you didn't marry off your oldest daughter, or in this case sister.
"Good now I never got to do that all I want is for you to be able to," Granny Smith said with her last breath.
"I'm sorry, she had a heart attack and that was it, your brother is waiting outside" said the nurse behind Applejack said to her.
"Oh right thank you." Once outside Applejack collapsed in her brothers arms crying.
"Big Mac she was all we had left," Applejack said with tears in her eyes.
"I know I know and you know what this means right?"
"No what"
*sigh* "All right I'll tell you but you better sit down," so Applejack sat down on near by log.
"Ok so Granny Smith was the one to hold the contract between our family and Filthy Rich and in the contract it said that if Granny did die then the contract would be broke so that leaves us without any ties to their family also leaving us without a business partner. If that plan does carry out we or I would have to sell the farm to the them because they are our landowners and we would be forced to leave Ponyville and go live in Appaloosa with cousin Barburn."
This was a lot to take in. Applejack knew about the ties there family had with Filthy Rich but she didn't know it was this strong. She wanted to say something but what was there to say?
"Anyway back to my point," Big Mac spoke up again.
" Umm Big Mac this is a lot to take in all at once Can you continue maybe tomorrow?" Applejack started up only to be cut off by the doctor.
"I'm sorry for you too, I want you to know that we tried everything that we could but at this day and age we just don't have the right technology or supplies to cure a heart attack," The doctor said. "If you want I can get you started with the funeral plans?"
Funeral plans!? Was this guy out of his mind Applejack thought, our Grandmother died only two minutes ago and you want us to start thinking about funeral plans!?
"Um nope, thats okay I think we might wait awhile," thankful that Big Mac spoke up for the two of them, she just eyed her brother in a way that gave relief.
Walking home Applejacks mind was going crazy! What else was Big Mac going to say to her? Did it have something to do with what Granny Smith had said to her something about find your true own love? Why did the doctor want to help them with the funeral right after she died? Come to think of it that doctor was Dr. Whooves the stallion that Twilight had met in Canterlot when she went out to Princess Ceslestia's Academy for gifted unicorns. Being that her parents could afford her to be educated, unlike Applejack. When she was little while her parents were still alive they couldn't earn enough bits from cider season for Applejack to go to school but Granny Smith had taught her everything she knew. Granny had also saved up her own personal bits for Applebloom to go to school. If she had never done that Applebloom would have never met her newly found friends, Sweetie belle and Scootaloo.
"AJ we're home," Big Mac said breaking her train of thought.
"Oh right, well I guess we better get some rest, we still have to finish the south field of apples tomorrow," Applejack said walking in the doorway
"Um AJ about that," Big Mac spoke up.
"What, What is it Big Mac?"
"Oh nothing, I will tell you tomorrow."
"Hey before you go to bed, can I ask you when the ranch-hand we're expecting will come?" Before Granny had died Big Mac had sent out poster all over town to see if anyone was willing to become a ranch-hand at the farm but of course that was back when we had the extra bits to afford an extra hand on the farm.
"Oh yeah we are expecting him tomorrow actually but he is going to have to be part-time instead of full time like we expected, well I'm getting tired so goodnight and see you tomorrow,"
"Right oh goodnight," Applejack's mind was going crazy now she couldn't sleep how could she sleep with all this clutter in her head and just think she was fine this morning with no worries.
X X X
"COCA DOOODL DOOOO"
"Oh shut-up and go back to bed" Applejack yelled at the rooster perched on the fence post right outside in the apple fields.
"Rise and shine sleeping beauty," It was her brother yelling at her from her bedroom doorway.
"Is that pancakes I smell? Big Mac have you've been cooking?!" She yelled at him as she was getting out of bed. All of a sudden a sweet, yellow colored pony came in to her room.
"Actually I'm the one cooking and their buckwheat pancakes I found the recipe in your grandmother's recipe box," it was Fluttershy, or a . Big Mac and her have been so called "dating" but I can't get him to find the courage to buy a ring already.
"Oh Fluttershy, you didn't have to do that. I can cook to you know, you're making me look bad," Applejack said playfully.
"Well I wanted to. Big Mac told me what happened and I couldn't resist not coming over to cook a little something after all. I know how much your grandmother cooks for you." she said in her calm but confident voice.
"Oh Fluttershy, thank you. I will be down stairs in a flash. Let me go break the news to Applebloom."
"Ok I'll keep them warm for you," and with that the small shy pony went trotting back down stairs to her boyfriend.
"Big Mac a word!" Applejack yelled.
"Yep sis," he said walking upstairs to where she was.
"How could you? Dragging poor Fluttershy down here to cook for you and you must have had to wake her up nice and early right?! Am I not right?,"
"Hey whoa whoa whoa there, first off I told her last night when you were talking to Granny, she lives only a block away from the hospital you know and also, I never went to wake her up. She came over and I can't turn her stare down you know."
"Well those are some good excuses, any way, when are we going to break the news to Applebloom? I was thinking right now," Applejack said in a defective type way.
"Go knock yourself out I ain't telling her, she wouldn't believe me,"
"Fine, now don't go and eat too many pancakes with out me." Applejack was now trotting down the hall to her sisters room.
"Knock Knock, any pony in here," she said in a quick voice.
"Depends who's their," her sister's voice sounded sleepy as it came from her bed.
"Why, it's only the best big sister in the world." she responded by pouncing on her sisters bed.
"Hey what are you doing! Stop! HEY!," Applejack was tickling her sister to wake her up and to get her spirit happy, for the news she was going to receive was not so good."Has Granny come back from the hospital, because I smell buckwheat pancakes."
"About that Applebloom, Granny Smith she has, well, moved on and its actually Fluttershy who has come over to make us some breakfast,"
"What!" Applebloom said with tears in her huge eyes now.
"Hey, hey, look at me, look at me it's ok. You know we are going to be ok. Now get up and lets do your hair the way Granny would always do it and go eat some pancakes, then I'll let you head along and go visit Sweetie Belle. I heard she and Rarity are headed to a day trip in Canterlot."
"You would let me go!" She said now a little happier.
"Well you have to get up first."
"Oh, right, of course," and with that Applebloom was looking her best and headed downstairs to eat.
"Hey AJ, we've got some mail here from some stallion by the name of Caramel," Big Mac said as Applejack walked down stairs.
"Well open it up and lets see what it says." she said. So Big Mac read aloud….
To: Big Macintosh and Applejack.
I'm sorry I will not be able to come on time to Ponyville to live out my duties of becoming a ranch-hand.
"Oh it's from the ranch-hand," Big Mac said.
I will be delayed in Manehatten my home town, and hope to enter the Gold Rush and see if I will be lucky enough to find a gold nugget and hope to share some profit with you if I do, being that I'm delaying the job for this.
"Ditching us is he now, well thats not very nice," Applejack said.
I hope to be in Ponyville in about a week from today which is probably three days ago from when you get this.
Sciencarly, Caramel.
"Well are we going to wait around for him or what?" asked Applejack.
"I don't know, I will hold out for him, but if we just end up getting another letter from him I will be done," Big Mac said
"Ok sounds like a good plan," Applejack said.
"Hey Applejack," It was Fluttershy's voice coming from the kitchen.
"Yep I'm coming in… whoa Fluttershy you shouldn't have," Fluttershy had cleaned all of the dishes and put them away and she had three dishes put out with a stack of pancakes already buttered,dripping with maple syrup.
"Yeah well I have to go feed all my animals at home, I cleaned up the kitchen for you and I do hope you like the pancakes,"
"Why thank you Fluttershy I don't know what to say."
"Bye ," after Fluttershy walked out the kitchen Applejack could hear her say goodbye to Applebloom and then she could here a huge smack of two lips hitting each other followed by a huge "EWWW" then another "goodbye Big Mac."
"Where are my pancakes AJ!" Applebloom said coming from the dinner table.
"Come help me bring them in Applebloom," Little Applebloom trotted in and took over what was originally Applejack's job left to her by Fluttershy.
"Gosh Dang that little Fluttershy can cook," Big Mac said with a mouthful of pancake.
"Hey what were you going to tell me last night about the whole contract with Granny and Filthy Rich," Applejack said changing the subject in a whole new direction.
"Oh right well you see some who we need to either make another contract with Filthy Rich or, well, you're probably not going to like this part but, we could marry you off to his son, but listen here before you say anything. Think about how good this would be for the farm. Not only would we now own our farm but we would regain our business partner and receive plenty of money for all the payment that need to be paid off for the supplies.
"Now what here fella are you going to marry me off to some snob of a rich guy to save our farm!?" Applejack yelled at her brother.
"Wait! You don't mean Diamond Tiara's big brother!? Do you Big Mac? 'Cause he's the one who has been asking me all those weird questions about AJ," interrupted Applebloom.
"What weird questions are you talking about, Applebloom!" Applejack shouted even louder, "Will some pony tell me what in tarnation is going on!" Applejack was frustrated now. Not only has her own brother planning to marry her away to some stallion she didn't even know, but apparently this stallion knew she and Applebloom because he'd been asking her sister about her. What stallion has the nerve to not even go walk up to her and introduce himself to her but rather go and ask her sister! WHO DOES THAT!
"Please AJ I can explain," Big Mac said, now feeling ashamed that he hadn't told his sister earlier.
"Well get explaining," Applejack said.
"To start off, this stallion is Filthy Rich's son who, yes Applebloom, is Diamond Tiara's brother. His name is Charleston Rich or also known as Charles. I will tell you this right now, he has been asking Applebloom about you for some time now and AJ you have a stalker on your hooves. I've planned for you to meet him at the Sugar Cube Corner bakery in two days, you will meet and he had already asked me for your hoof in marriage.
"Spoiler alert," Applebloom said under her breath.
"Well? What did you say Big Mac?" Applejack said in a demanding voice.
"I couldn't say no…,"
"Are you saying that you just gave me away to some stallion I don't even know but apparently he knows me because he has been stalking me and asking my sister questions ABOUT me but won't ask me them?" Applejack yelled making her point.
"When you put it like that it sounds bad," Big Mac shyly said back to his sister,
"Applejack, please don't marry him. Can't you just say no and find whoever is meant for you out there and end up marrying them instead." Applebloom said in a cute small tone of hers.
"Oh Applebloom its not that simple. I wish it was, but not everything can be like a fairytale."
"You know what Granny Smith told me before well, you know? She told me that she wanted you to find true love and not to listen to anyone about it and that you can love whomever you want to."
"Even if its not a pony?" Applebloom said in a small sweet voice.
"Well I don't care who the hay you like, if you wanna marry the chicken have at it," Applejack said in a playful mood trying to make her sister laugh but with a failed attempt. "Now go put those dishes away and get ready to go see Sweetie Belle and Rarity
"Well I don't like a pony, I like a dragon," Applebloom mumbled to herself as she went to go put her dish in the sink.
With that little morning routine over, Applejack had lots of work to do on the apple fields and in the house. First she at least needed to clear ¼ of the fields with Big Mac, then she needed to make something for lunch and dinner, do the breakfast dishes and find something to wear to her date / proposal two days from now, oh how she couldn't wait for her ranch-hand to come.
