//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: It Runs In the Family 
// by CartoonNerd12 
//------------------------------//

Applejack kept staring at her ring that was around her neck. For the ring symbolized her engagement to one of her bestest friends as well as being the love of her life that neither of them knew until one fateful day…



Eighteen-year-old Spike the Dragon left the Castle of Friendship one afternoon to run errands for Twilight who was busy with Starlight. He went into the marketplace and as he was shopping he noticed the Apples' vendor was running more slow than usual. He went over to find Applejack looking upset as she slowly handed over a bag of apples to a customer. She uttered in an emotionless tone that would rival Maud Pie.
"Here you go, have a nice day…"
When the customer left she sighed sadly.
Spike went over in concern, saying, "AJ? You okay?"
Applejack looked up and replied, "Oh, Spike, I didn't see ya there. Which is pretty dumb on my part given how much you've grown in these last few years…"
"Well, thanks, but I couldn't help noticing how upset you look just now."
She shook her head, "Nothing you have to be concern about."
"But it is my concern when one of my friends is feeling sad and I should try to cheer her up."
She made a slight chuckle, "You've been hanging around Pinkie too long."
He shrugged, "What can I say? I've been around her and the rest of you for a long time now that I've pick up on your guys' habits."
She sighed again, "Well, I have to get back to selling these apples before the marketplace closes."
Spike slightly frowned, "AJ… I'm worried about you; won't you please tell me what's wrong?"
Applejack stared into his pleading green eyes, they were hard to ignore given she always found those eyes adorable for as long she known Spike. With a sigh of defeat, she admitted.
"Today… is the anniversary of my parents' death…"
His eyes widen in shock as she somberly looked down. There was silence between them before he uttered out, "I'm sorry…"
Applejack said quietly, "It's not your doin'…" she went back to work but he could tell her heart wasn't in it.
He slowly said, "AJ… You don't have to pretend everything's okay when clearly it's not…"
She looked at him and firmly stated, "I have gone through this before, so I don't need anyone to tell me otherwise."
"But you're feeling this pain by yourself… Something tells me you kept this to yourself for so long that you truly believe that you can handle it."
"It's because I can…" but she sounded unsure.
"Does Big Mac, Apple Bloom, or Granny know you do this?"
"Of course not. I have to stay strong for them so they can be strong on this day too…"
He shook his head in pity, "Applejack… As much as you can hide it, the truth is this day causes a lot of pain to you… And I think you should share that pain with someone…"
She scoffed, "Like who? Who could possibly understand what I'm goin' through…? And don't you dare say our friends. Because they won't."
"You're right, they wouldn't."
She stared at him in shock.
He continued, "If anyone's going to understand, it's me…"
Her mouth went slightly ajar.
"I never knew my parents. I was given to Twilight as an egg, and she raised me. But as happy as I am living with Twilight, sometimes I wonder what it would have been like to have an actual family for myself. To have parents and siblings like the rest of you. I'm the only one of my kind living in a world full of ponies. It may not show much, but it does get pretty lonely…" he faced her to see her reaction and to his surprise, he saw she was crying.
She sobbed, "Spike… I never realized… Here I am concern with how I'm feelin' when I should have realized that you have it far worst… I at least knew my parents, if only for a short time… but you… you…"
Spike took hold her as she sobbed into his chest. He rubbed her back as he told her gently, "It's okay… it's okay… I accepted a long time ago that I was more pony then dragon anyway… It's just wishful thinking that I have a family like everyone else."
She looked up with tear-stain eyes and a small smirk on her face, "Now look whose pretending everything's okay when clearly it's not…"
He vaguely chuckled, "Okay, you got me…"
That made her release a pitiful laugh.
He then asked, "If I can't cheer you up, can I least share my pain with yours?"
Applejack tightly embraced him while telling him, "Spike, I would like nothing better…"
They held on to each other as they let their tears flow.
In the days that followed, they started hanging out more. Spike would help around the farm whenever Twilight was too busy with her duties and Starlight. And Applejack helped with his errands whenever he came into the marketplace, and fought with vendors to give him the best prices. When they took breaks on the farm, they ate together and talked for long periods of time. In those moments, they realized how much they had in common after all and started growing an attraction toward the other. That eventually made them confessed their love for each other.
Then on one special day, Spike took her out to the orchards and into the very spot her parents exchanged vows. Applejack was surprised he would take her here as she gazed up to the two trees that entwined to make a heart.
Then suddenly he got down in one knee and pulled out a single emerald ring!
"Will you marry me, Applejack?" he asked with tenderness.
She stunned at first before proclaiming, "Yes!"



That had been over two months ago, but she still couldn't get over the fact that Spike proposed her and now they were about to get married!
A voice teasingly said, "You know, if you keep starin' at that ring, ponies are goin' to think something's wrong with you."
She turned to the source that was her fifteen-year-old sister Apple Bloom as she smirked at her.
Applejack rolled her eyes, "They can think whatever they like, but this ring will forever mean something special to me…"
AB cheekily replied, "Like how the love of your life had been standing in front of ya all this time?"
Applejack stated, "As a matter of fact, yes."
Sugar Belle, their sister-in-law joined them then at the kitchen table, "I remembered when Mac proposed. I couldn't get over it either that I was about to marry the stallion of my dreams."
Apple Bloom sighed, "I can't wait for the day I get married…"
AJ humorously scolded, "Now sugar cube, let's not get ahead of ourselves… You're only fifteen after all and you've just started dating. By the way, when are you leavin' tonight for the movies?"
"Right after dinner, Pip's goin' pick me up."
Sugar Belle questioned, "Pip? But I thought you were seeing Tender Taps."
Apple Bloom sighed sadly, "I was, but… it didn't work out so we broke up. Then I came across Pip and we been goin' out these last few weeks."
Applejack inquired, "And how's that been working out for ya?"
Bloom smiled bright, "Not bad! We've been talkin' a lot and really enjoyin' each other's company!" she sighed lovingly with hearts popping up all around her, "It's been the best few weeks of our lives…"
Applejack and Sugar Belle exchanged knowing looks. Before the unicorn said, "I better get going, I'd promised I'd meet Mac for a picnic lunch." she giggled like a school filly.
Applejack smirked, "You do that now, and tell him I'll be working my shift a little late, because I'm meetin' with Rarity to fit for my dress."
Apple Bloom exclaimed, "Ooh! Can I come too?! I want to see what my big sis is goin' wear on her special day."
The older cowgirl rubbed her sis's head with a chuckle, "Oh, alright."
"Yippee!"



Sugar Belle levitated the basket in front of her as she spotted her husband setting up a picnic blanket next to a pear tree and an apple tree entwining in the shape of a heart. Ever since Big Mac told her about his parents' love story she was just so awestruck by the whole thing. To Sugar, those trees were the symbol of everlasting love.
Big Mac saw her and waved her over.
She beamed as she approached him, "Hi, honey."
"Darlin'." he said.
She giggled as she levitated the basket down. Then she used her magic to open the basket and levitated the food and plates out as they set themselves on the blanket.
"I love it when you do that." he smiled.
She giggled again as she set herself down and he followed. As they began to eat, Sugar Belle told her husband how his sisters were being starry-eyed recently. She inquired, "Were we ever like that?"
The stallion replied, "Eeyup."
Sugar asked, "But are we still like that? We've been married for about a year now. Are we still that much in love with each other?"
Mac stated with a smile, "I know we are."
"How can you be sure?"
He pondered on it before he looked at the tree and gazed down to where the rock was below it. He grinned and declared, "I'm as sure as this stone is attached to these trees… Where it always will be… Now and forever…" he started to sing, "One perfect moment… Just one humble stone… But oh, what a stone can do… It means that I have one love forever… And one love alone! A now and forever with you…"
Sugar Belle sang back, "Now and forever… As sure as the snow… As long as the ocean roars…"
They both sang, "I'll love you in a way that I'll never… Begin to outgrow… I'll now and forever be yours…
He sung, "From this blessed day…"
She sung, "From this blessed day…"
"For this whole life through…"
"All this whole life through…"
"Started when we said…" 
They both sang, ""I do"! Forever and ever and ever…"
He sang, "Now and forever… Just one humble stone…"
She sung, "But oh, what a stone can do! It means that I have one love forever... "
They vocalized, "And one love alone! A now and forever…"
He sung out, "With you!"
She sings, "From this blessed day…" 
He sang back, "From this blessed day… 
"All this whole life through…" 
"For this whole life through…"
"Started when we said…"
They recited, ""I do"! Forever and ever and ever…"
She intoned, "Now and forever…" 
He sung, "Now and forever…"
"As sure as the snow… As long as the ocean's blue…"
They both sang, "I'll love you in a way that I'll never… Begin to outgrow… A now and forever and ever… And ever and ever and ever… And ever and ever with you…!
He finished, "Now and forever!"
She finished too, "Now and forever!"
They leaned in to rubbed noses before kissing.