"Rainbow Dash!" Applejack yelled, cupping her hands over her mouth in order for her voice to carry to her friend, who was currently sitting on a thick apple tree branch.

Rainbow, from her place on the tree, also cupped her hands over her mouth and shouted back. "What?!"

"Y'all mind NOT sittin' on mah family's property?"

"Aww, that's sweet! You're concerned about me, but I ain't gonna fall with these babies." Rainbow flexed her wings, causing a few leaves to fall to the ground.

"Ugh!" In anger, Applejack kicked a nearby tree, causing a number of apples to fall.

Rainbow rolled her eyes and jumped off the limb, landing on her feet. She pulled up her jeans and pulled down her shirt, (though her bare stomach could still be seen) walking over to Applejack, who was tossing the apples in a nearby basket. "So can we get goin' now? My baby's probably done by now."

Rainbow's "baby" was her year old, red and black Chevrolet Camaro...Which she blew every dime she had on upgrades.

"Yeah, yeah, lemme put these apples away then we c'n go."

Rainbow leaned against another tree and kicked it gently, sending a green apple directly into her palm. Applejack looked over at her friend and saw her munching on the green apple. "Just what in tarnation are y'all doin'?"

Rainbow swallowed a big chunk of apple. "What?"

"Do ya mind askin' first?"

"But I thought we were family?" Dash said in a sarcastic tone.

Applejack pressed her fingers to her temples. "Dash..."

"Uh-huh?"

"Sometimes you're a real pain in the-"

"Applejack!" Big Mac called out to his little sister.

"What?!" Applejack called back.

"Granny Smith needs y'all." Big Mac said, appearing before the girls, wearing dirty brown boots, jeans, and no shirt.

"I gotta take Dashie to the garage." Applejack explained, resting a hand on her waist. "She helped me with gettin' the apples and ah kinda owe her."

Big Mac nodded. "Alright, but ya need to get back here when you're done."

"Uh-huh." Big Mac waved as he left in the direction of the house.

Applejack reached into her shorts pocket and grabbed her keys, holding them in her hand. "Ready Dash?"

"Yeah, yeah." Rainbow followed closely behind her friend in the general direction of Applejack's black 70s BOS 302.

After dropping Dash off at the garage, Applejack was on her way back home to find out whatever it was Granny Smith wanted her for. She gently turned the steering wheel on the black muscle car onto the dirt road that led to her house. It was getting late so she had her headlights on, the beams of light went ahead of her to show the dirt road. Applejack was so used to driving the road however she could drive through the entire thing blindfolded. (Not to mention the races she and Dash had along the road didn't hurt)

But suddenly the beams of light came across a body. 'What in tarnation?' Applejack slowed the car down and saw that it was the farm hand, Caramel. His hands were in his pockets and he looked pretty depressed. Being the country girl she was, AJ drove over to his left and called out. "Hey, Caramel?"

Caramel looked over at the girl in the car, but didn't respond.

"Are y'all right?" Applejack asked.

Caramel just shrugged and continued walking in his depressed state.

Applejack groaned and charged ahead of the yellow earth pony, suddenly jerking the whole car sideways, blocking the road. Caramel stopped, then glared at Applejack, who glared right back.

"Do you mind?" Caramel asked.

"Tell me what's eatin' ya and I'll move."

"It's none of your business." Applejack heard the faintest sniff after he said that.

"Isn't it?"

"No! Now just leave me alone!"

"Well if y'all wanna be alone why'd'ja come here?"

"Maybe cuz I'm just some stupid depressed twenty-six year old who can't keep any of his relationships! THERE! YA HAPPY?!"

Applejack looked at him. It was dark so she couldn't make much out, but he sounded like he was crying. After a few minutes, Applejack turned the car off and got out of the car, walking towards the man. She looked at him for a few moments, managing to see his teary eyes. "What happened, sugarcube?"

Caramel bit the inside of his mouth, unsure of telling his boss about the unfortunate incident. But before he knew what happened, he felt a feeling of warmth enter his body. Curious, he looked down and saw Applejack, hugging him. A large blush came across the yellow earth pony's cheeks, the thought of being hugged by the (rather attractive) cowgirl.

Caramel wasn't sure how to react. His problem weighed heavily on his mind, but the hug from his co-worker helped quite a bit. She didn't even know what his problem was, but there she was, giving him comfort. They barely even knew each other, but she still cared. Fresh tears began to flow down his already wet cheeks as he continued biting the inside of his mouth, not noticing notice the pain.

Applejack finally broke the hug, but looked Caramel in the eye. "Do you need a ride home?"

Caramel didn't feel comfortable telling Applejack that one of his problems was losing his home, even though it wasn't exactly his, which was a reason he didn't want to tell her. "I-I think I can get there."

"Are ya sure?"

Caramel managed a nod, and quietly muttered. "Thanks, though."

"Sure, Caramel." Applejack gave Caramel another hug, and got back in her car, waving as she drove off.

Applejack looked back at Caramel, he still seemed upset. Part of her wanted to know why he was so upset, but on the other hand, she didn't want to upset him even more by asking, and it wasn't really any of her business anyway. Besides, she hardly knew Caramel. He mostly kept to himself when they worked. When he had gotten the job at Sweet Apple Acres five years ago, before Twilight and Spike had even come to Ponyville, Applejack noticed how, well, cute the yellow earth pony looked. He wasn't half as muscular as Big Macintosh, and on the occasions when it got so hot Caramel took his shirt off, he looked rather thin.

Despite all this, Applejack could confess she used to have a crush on her co-worker, but she managed to hide it well all those years ago. Fortunately though, she had gotten over her crush. She realized that she didn't have time for boys at that point in her life, maybe some day she would manage to slow down, get married, and have a few kids. Though now wasn't a good time, she had a farm to take care of.

Still...