Special Sneak Peek at the new Applejack Story · 9:23pm Mar 23rd, 2021
Ever notice that there are more mares in Equestria than stallions?
Applejack never did. But now that Big Mac has found his special somepony, maybe she's starting to think about romance, and maybe Rainbow Dash and Rarity are pestering her to get married, and maybe Fluttershy wants a litter of foals to play with, and maybe Pinkie Pie wants to throw another engagement party...
Curious? I hope so. A sneak peek follows, but beware of spoilers. 
It was always amazing to see what a week’s worth of hard work could accomplish.
True, Applejack was beginning to both feel and think like she was one of the very trees she was harvesting, but the south forty had been finally harvested, and now she could turn her attention to sorting. She’d keep the finest for a batch of cider, the wormy and diseased ones would be tossed in the garbage, and the rest divided out depending on size, shape, and shine.
With a yawn, Applejack stumbled downstairs to begin making breakfast, but she missed the last step and tumbled into the kitchen. For a few moments, a fierce internal debate raged on the matter of getting up again, but the Pro-Rest argument was, once again, soundly routed by the Work To Be Done platform. With a grunt, Applejack slowly hoisted herself up, paused while the screaming protests from her muscles died down, and then limply dragged herself over to the icebox.
At least she was only cooking for one this morning. Apple Bloom had gone to a sleepover with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, and she wasn’t due back until that afternoon, when Applejack would need her help to load the sorted apples for shipping. Big Mac would be along… eventually, she supposed, but whenever he did show up, he would already be fed and ready to work.
Or, at least he’d better be, or Ah’m gonna strangle him.
“Ah! Good morning, my dear Applejack. Breakfast will be ready in just a moment.”
Applejack froze, all of her sleepiness and aches forgotten with the surprise announcement. There wasn’t supposed to be another pony in her house, but despite this, there was a stallion by her stove, with a large skillet being held over the flame in his magic.
“My, you look like you’ve had a rough night. If you’d like, I can whip up one of my famous energy protein shakes for you. Completely organic, of course, but loaded with essential vitamins and minerals to help balance and energize your day.”
“WHO IN TARNATION ARE YOU?!” Applejack finally found her voice, and her question rattled every last window in the house.
“Me?” The light blue stallion chuckled and stirred whatever he was cooking with a quick flick of the pan. “Oh, forgive me. My name is Brambles, and I’m your new husband.”
Applejack’s mouth and jaw moved rapidly, but the only thing that managed to make it past her throat was unintelligible babbling. Five or six questions were trying to be asked all at the same time, but there was no way to sort out the jumbled train wreck that emerged.
“Don’t worry, I get that reaction a lot when I first meet a mare,” Brambles said with a chuckle. “Have a seat, won’t you? I’ll get everything dished up for us, dearest.”
“Hold it!” Applejack finally got her thoughts and her words straightened out, and she marched across the kitchen to go nose-to-nose with the intruder. “Hold on just one apple-pickin’ minute! You ain’t my husband! You ain’t even supposed to be in here! How’d you get in here, anyway?”
“Let’s not concern ourselves with the details, dear,” Brambles said with a charming smile. “The point is I am here now, to be yours for as long as we both shall live. Now, have a seat. The watercress will burn if I leave this on the heat any longer.”
“Oh no you don’t!” Applejack shoved Brambles towards the back door, and kept pushing over his protests. “Ah don’t know where you got such a plum idiotic notion, but Ah sure ain’t gonna let no trespasser stay in my kitchen and use up my vittles! Out!”
“But, Applejack, dearest!”
“Not listening!” Applejack gave Brambles one last heave, and she made a point of slamming the door in his face before throwing the deadbolt, and then wedging a chair under the doorknob for good measure. “Of all the insolent tomfoolery! Ah ain’t got time for addle-headed imbeciles running around in my home!” She paused to inhale, then glanced over to the skillet. “And what in Equestria was he cookin’? Smells like the inside of my muck boots.”
Applejack pulled the skillet off the stove, extinguished the flame, and studied the contents of the pan. To her, it looked like Brambles had dumped in a pound of seaweed—which was probably the aforementioned watercress—some weeds from the burn pile out back, a bunch of odd-looking spices, and a healthy dash of brown.
If it tasted the same as it smelled, then the intruder had made slop for the pigs, not breakfast. With a snort, she picked up the pan, marched back to the back door, and removed the obstructions before flinging it wide open. Sure enough, Brambles was still there, the morose look of defeat instantly melting into a grin when he glanced up to her.
“I knew you’d…”
“You made this, you eat it.” Applejack shoved the pan in Brambles’ face, and he yelped as he tossed the still-hot food from one hoof to another. “Once you’re done, leave the skillet on the stoop and get offa my property. Don’t you come back, neither!”
The door slammed shut once more, and Applejack grumbled to herself as she marched back to the icebox. “Where in the wide world of Equestria did he get such a ridiculous notion, anyway? My husband?! I don’t even—”
Applejack’s words cut off when her gaze moved to the table, and she saw that morning’s edition of the newspaper, unfolded and opened to the Gabby Gums article on page four. Which just so happened to be one page over from the classified section, where a certain advertisement had been last week…
“No,” she snorted again and shook the thought from her head. “Can’t be related."
It looks funny, I'm sold
interesting...tell me more
Only pony in the house? What about Granny Smith?
I’d imagine that another house was built for Big Mac and Sugar Belle, so they can raise their own little ones.
Wait.....did Applejack accidentally get a mail order husband?
I skimmed it (because I don't want to completely spoil my "dinner", after all.). Looks promising. Will add to "read later". I might not get to it for a few weeks. I've got 25 other stories to get through first.