Sweet Apple Acres, Ponyville
September 2nd, Year 22 under the Four Princesses
Dawn was breaking over Ponyville, bathing the land in a gentle orange glow that cut through the chill of a windy night that had come before it. The weather mirrored the year the town had experienced in an odd way, initially cold and disorganised thanks to the latest mayoral elections but now giving way to a brighter beginning as it turned out mayor Diamond Tiara was actually doing a good job of it. Not that anypony would be drawing that comparison at this time of day. Few ponies were awake at this time of day and fewer still were out and about. Indeed, of the thousands of ponies that called Ponyville home only one could be expected to be awake at the crack of down. Out on the western outskirt of town sat that pony's home that also doubled as one of Equestria's most renowned farms and the effective origin of Ponyville itself: Sweet Apple Acres.
In one of the upstairs bedrooms of the main farmhouse, Applejack rubbed some sleep from her eyes and picked up a brush from a dresser before starting to straighten out her bed mane. Sleep was going to be a luxury for the new few days as applebuck season had started yesterday, compounded by the fact that the apple orchards had doubled in size over the years to keep up with growing popularity and demand. She had a team these days at least, friends that worked with her every day to make sure the farm was at it's best. None of them were here now though, she thought to herself. That was something that she only thought about when she was alone. Out there, she could focus on her work and be the hard working leader other ponies saw her as. Out there she had everypony.
Here, within her farm, Applejack was alone.
Big McIntosh was still among her farm workers but he lived in Ponyville itself with his wife and children. Apple Bloom had no significant others but stayed within town as well, having converted part of her carpentry workshop into a living space. Granny Smith and Winona were both at rest now, having finally joined her parents all those years ago. That left the formerly active and friendly farm down from its old maximum of six down to just one permanent occupant and that fact left a faint sense of sadness gripping her chest whenever she was the only pony present.
Applejack knew from experience that the loneliness wasn't entirely bad however. Periods in her younger days when she had had to maintain the farm singlehoofed, sometimes for months at a time, had sharpened her mind and honed her body considerably. While she had never been the most lithe of mares, decades of constant work had gifted her with considerable muscle that stood out beneath her coat and expressed how well toned she had become with every movement. While her muscle was never going to match those dedicated to it like Bulk Biceps, nopony could deny Applejack was buff, to the point that ponies unfamiliar with her mistook her for a short stallion and at thirty-eight years old she was still acknowledged as one of the strongest mares in Equestria.
The problem was that those were past experiences. They had been able to counter the loneliness once but for a family focused mare like Applejack, she needed something more long lasting. Something that she had never quite had the time to look for.
Still, the feeling had been there long enough that she knew how to let it be without letting it get in the way of what she needed to do. Applejack gave her mane one last check before swapping the brush for a manetie and fixing her mane into her signature ponytail. That manestyle had become a part of her, almost as synonymous as her farm or her position as the element of honesty. Or her Stetson hat, which completed the look as she picked it up from the dresser and put it on. Now she was the Applejack everypony knew, albeit one that still needed to finish her morning routine.
After quickly dealing with any other hygiene matters that needed to be handled, Applejack made her way down into the kitchen. Due to her daytime workload she typically took care of morning preparations the night before. A plate of oatcakes was ready in the fridge and the mail delivered the day before was ready on the table. Applejack took a few minutes to warm the oatcakes a make herself a cup of coffee, a creation she had highly praised many times over the last few years. With her foot hot and drink ready, she sat down and started on breakfast while going through the mail. Much of it was the usual fare, business related or export orders for the harvest currently in progress, but one letter with a Manehatten address caught her eye. Applejack opened it up quickly and started reading, a smile growing on her face as she recognised the writing style.
Dear Applejack,
You've mentioned before how hectic the city life feels for you, imagine having to live it! Even I lose track of time sometimes. That's no excuse for taking four months to reply to your last letter though and I'm really sorry. I bet you've been looking forward to some answers, right?
So first off, my accent is actually south-east Equestrian. A lot of ponies can't guess it first time, there's a lot of accents in the Baltimare area. Secondly, I play music in my spare time, guitar is pretty easy when your wings are nimble enough to reach the strings. Thirdly...Wow, bit personal don't you think?
Heh, don't worry, no more personal than any of the other questions. I'm only an average build for a stallion, so your brother could squash me easily if I started getting any funny ideas about you and me. Not that I have, I mean you can't fall in love with a pony through letters right? That does lead into your last question though. I don't have anypony special in my life either, I'm still young enough to eke a little more out of life before I start looking I think. I do have a number of good friends though, part of why I took so long to reply was that I was helping one of them through a rough patch in her life after her career collapsed. Now I have a bit more time since things have picked up, there was something I wanted to ask you.
P.T.O
Applejack chuckled softly through a mouthful of coffee, feeling more awake as she flipped the letter over and continued reading.
I know it's a lot to ask with your work going on and it's just an idea at the moment but...If I found myself in Ponyville in the future, would you be interested in meeting up? It'd be nice to be more than quillpals and I could always bring my guitar if you wanted to hear my music firsthoof. Like I said, just an idea at the moment, but one that would be nice if it happened.
I'd write more, but things are still a little busy here. Hopefully you can reply sooner than I did, Celestia knows it always cheers me up to read them. Hopefully harvest season goes well for you, let me know if you need any help!
Looking forward to our next discussion,
Windhover
As she finished reading and set the letter down again, Applejack couldn't help but smile to herself. Windhover's words had a way of loosening up that hold on her heart ever so slightly whenever she read them. The two of them had gotten in contact two years ago when Applejack had answered a newspaper ad for a pony in Manehatten looking for a quillpal on a whim. It turned out to be one of the best decisions she had made in recent memory, since going through his letters and writing responses had become one of her more enjoyable pastimes. A reply would have to wait for now though, she only had twenty minutes before everypony else turned up for the day.
Applejack finished her breakfast and went through the rest of her mail while she washed up, putting everything she would need to go through again later to one side for review once she was finished working. By the time that was done it was approaching seven o'clock and the coffee was starting to do its job, perking her up and sending a little more energy coursing through her veins. She was as ready as she'd ever be for the task at hoof today. Time to go to work.
She stepped out of the farmhouse into the morning light and stopped for a moment to take in the sight. Even with the sun rising there was still a slight chill in the air and a breeze that teased at her fur, though her bulk helped to keep it from becoming uncomfortable. It provided a constant soundtrack for the farm though, the sound of thousands of trees filtering the wind through their reach and carrying the scent of apples across the area and out to the other farmlands on the outskirts of Ponyville if the wind turned the right way. This was Applejack's little slice of the world, one she had helped create since she was just five years old and hopefully would continue to do so for the rest of her working days.
Applejack simply observed the orchards for a few moments before sighing gently and heading for the main entrance to the farm. The rest of her team should be arriving any time now and she had made greeting them a habit. Making a way through the pathways across the farm was second nature to her and it only took a minute or two to reach the oak gates that now marked the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres. Visible through the bars was a chestnut coloured earth mare with a yellow mane that was styled into a more traditional ponytail compared to Applejack's, inquisitive sky blue eyes and a cutie mark of an apple seed in mid-sprouting.
"Morning, Little Hayseed." Applejack greeted her cheerfully as she unlocked and opened the gates.
"Morning, AJ!" Little Hayseed replied as she stepped through and flexed a hoof out. She had been an employee of the farm for a little under four years now and while somewhat quirky, not helped by the fact she was half a foot taller than Applejack, she was efficient.
"Sleeping any better?"
"A little, maybe it's just the weather but I still got woken up during the night. Eh, it'll improve," Hayseed sounded as perky as ever as she made her way up toward the barns before stopping and looking back at Applejack. "You shouldn't have to wait too long either, I saw Arby and Mac on my way here."
Applejack nodded and looked back toward Ponyville, her thoughts drifting to the two ponies her colleague had mentioned by nickname. Big McIntosh was the same as ever; quiet, hardy and capable of clearing an orchard with just one hoof. He had opened up more though, thanks largely to his wife Cheerilee, as well as his children Frostleaf and Akane. The other pony mentioned though...
Arboreal was a whole different pony to the rest of the team. A green earth mare with a reddish-brown mane that Rarity would have described as rosewood coloured that had been cut back and styled into a short braid. Lilac eyed with a cutie mark of a mighty scots pine, her knowledge of tree care and evolution had proven invaluable in supplementing Applejack's knowledge and boosting the farm's productivity. She was somewhat loud and haughty though, as if she believed her time here was wasted. She never showed any actual desire to leave though and when push came to shove she could be trusted to keep up.
Even now Applejack's ears twitched as she picked up the oh so dulcet tone of Arboreal's voice as the mare approached the farm. She spotted Big Mac first though, her older brother's size dwarfing the more average mare walking next to him. His appearance had changed less than his personality, the only noticeable difference was the beginnings of a beard running along his jawline but behind that was the same strong stallion as ever.
"Howdy, all rested up an' ready to roll?" Applejack asked as they reached the gates, her smile becoming ever so slightly more forced as she looked to Arboreal.
"Eeeyup." Big Mac replied with a smile.
"Of course, ready for another day of bucking." Arboreal added, offering a hoof that Applejack bumped in response.
"Are we the last ponies here?" Mac asked.
"Not quite." A voice came from behind them. Applejack looked round her friends quickly, recognising the voice.
Approaching the gate was the last of her coworkers. A white unicorn stallion with a dark green mane that sported a lighter highlight down the center with the same in his tail, blue eyes that resonated with a hidden depth and a cutie mark of a fruit basket loaded with a variety of produce. His name was Bounty, he was the newest member of the team and...Everytime Applejack saw him she felt her breath catch slightly. She couldn't explain it, but every time she saw him, she wanted to look for slightly longer. His body was well built, his expression welcoming, his voice gentle and smooth. He seemed like the kind of stallion that could make any mare fall for him.
Yet something about him felt oddly familiar, something she hadn't been able to place.
"Well, you happen to be last today." Applejack told Bounty as he joined the others.
"Shoot, and I got up early as well." He replied, chuckling softly as he rubbed his forehead. Applejack noticed that he winced slightly as he did, likely another of his migraines.
"You sure you're fit to work, sugarcube?" She asked, watching as he stepped through the gates.
"Couldn't stop me even if I wasn't, not at a time like this."
"If yer sure, though don't be afraid to holler if you start feeling any worse again."
Applejack had to remind herself not to tell Bounty not to push himself, he hated that. He had only arrived in Ponyville two years ago and seemed to have been trying to prove he belonged ever since. Not that he needed to. His magic was above average, capable of clearing a tree of apples and carrying them to storage even faster than she could. Not to mention he was generally able to get along with ponies and, if Applejack was honest with herself, pretty easy on the eyes. Between the rest of her team, he managed to balance things out, and now they were all waiting for her.
Between all of them, her family, and her many other friends within Ponyville, the thought was enough to force the cold sensation around her heart to relinquish its grip as she headed off to start the days' work. For now.