Applejack spent a full, rich day in the fields.
She only wished that she was having to deal with nothing but apples.
"That's just the thang, Applejack," Big Macintosh said, huffing. He drew a large wagon full of large barrels. "Granny Smith won't talk about it 'cuz she's ignorin' just how deep of a plight we're in!"
"She ain't denyin' nothin', Big Mac!" Applejack retorted, dropping a few bucked apples into a basket and heaving it into the wagon. She was drenched and sweat and dust from hours of working the orchards, but she made sure to keep her hat—and the fragile treasure beneath it—in one piece. "She's found her own separate peace. If ya just went up and talked to her about it, I'm sure she'd offer several bits of priceless wisdom!"
"Ya know how choked up she gets whenever she remembers what happened to Ma and Pa!"
"Yeah, and...?" Applejack raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to do with anythang?"
"Why, everythang, AJ!" Big Macintosh exclaimed. "It was one heck of a heavy loss—not just for us, y'know. Now we're bottoming under—"
"We ain't bottomin' under—"
"We're bottoming under and Sweet Apple Acres stands to lose so... so much more! An old mare like that just... can't deal with somethin' so heavy-like!"
"Granny's a heapin' lot stronger than ya think, big brother."
"Even still, it's time that we took charge of thangs!"
"Hah!" Applejack smirked bitterly. "Who's 'we?'"
"I can come up with good ideas too!"
"Yeah?" Applejack wiped her brow. "Like what?"
"Share-croppin', for one!" Big Macintosh's eyes narrowed. "We share the land with another family and we split the profits! At least for a few harvests, then we divvy up the land again!"
"Uh huh..." Applejack squinted at him. "With which family, exactly?"
Big Macintosh took a breath, then said: "The Radishes."
"Ya mean Golden and her kin?" Applejack grimaced. "No-way, no-how!"
"Whatcha got against Golden Harvest?"
"Ain't nothin' I've got against her!" Applejack stomped her hoof. "It's the folks she lets do the numbers for her! Ya think our farm is bad off now with low profits?! We let them into the fold, and things will really go up in smoke!"
"They've been at it for a long time, AJ. They're experienced."
"They're Radish farmers. Ain't nothin' but bad luck!"
"Hrmmmff... now yer startin' to sound like ol' Uncle Rust."
"Hah!" Applejack couldn't help but smirk. "You comparin' me to stubborn Uncle Rust?! Whew... I think you should be checkin' yer ears, Big Mac. Fluttershy's mane hair's gettin' clogged up in yer brain noodle!"
Big Macintosh shrunk instantly, his muzzle turning twice-red. "N-now that's p-pushin' it too far, AJ..."
"Is it? Is it really?" The younger sister leaned towards him, wagging her eyebrows. "Hmmm?"
Just then, a foal's voice echoed from across the fields. "Hey! Applejack! Big Mac!" Apple Bloom called out. "Come to the farm house! We've got ourselves a delivery pony!"
"Hmmm..." Big Macintosh looked over at Applejack. "We expectin' a package?"
"Guess we are now." Applejack trotted briskly to the house. "I'll sign for it. Every time you put a pen to your muzzle, it looks like a dragon tryin' to draw a bird through a window."
"Mrfffnghhh..." Big Mac trotted after her. "You really should give the Radishes a chance."
"Big Mac..."
"Considerin' the alternative, don't we owe it to ourselves to reach out to them?!"
"For the last time, Big Macintosh..." Applejack entered the house through the kitchen door and grumbled over her shoulder. "We can’t be share-croppin’ with no Radish Ranchers! Judgin’ from the way they messed up their western crops last winter, they ain’t in the business of preparing for the changin’ seasons! So I ain’t havin’ none of them near our land! I don’t care how desperate we are—”
Just as she said the word "desperate," her eyes grazed across something blue. Something fuzzy. Something trailing with heart-stopping bands of color.
The farm mare skidded to a stop, jerking so hard that her hat flew off.
“Land’s sakes!” She beheld the petite pegasus with a quivering expression. "Rainbow! Apple Bloom said that we had a delivery pony! The lil’ filly said nothin’ about you bein’ here…”
“Errrrr…" Rainbow's voice cracked as adorably—as heavenly—as ever. She stood in the center of the kitchen with a damnably cute yellow apron clad to her lithe figure. "Th-there’s a reason for that.”
Applejack narrowed her eyes on what turned out to be a delivery uniform. “Wait a tick… are…” She leaned forward. “Are you…?”
But Rainbow was leaning forward as well... leaning above a certain brown stetson. “Here! Lemme get that—”
Applejack's eyes twitched. In a flicker of darkness, she saw a statue shattering into a million pieces across the royal lawn. She held onto the thought, and it trembled against her, squeaking six desperate words that were about to melt in a blink.
“No!!” Applejack shouted, lunging to preserve them.
Rainbow jolted backwards, nearly knocking a vase of flowers over.
Applejack—in the meantime—had grabbed the hat and slapped it safely over her skull. She felt the flutter of a feather drifting loosely in the hollow of the article. Its ticklish softness made her tremble... so that she looked awkwardly at Rainbow Dash in a brand new lucidity.
“I’ve been… uh…” Applejack fought the urge to tremble. She scoured the heavens for a half-truth... half-truth. "I’ve been workin’ mighty hard on the orchards all day, and I’ve gotten this thing mighty sweaty. It… uhm… wouldn’t be proper, ya hear?”
She breathed with relief. In some way, it was a full-truth.
“Uhhhhhh s-sure!” Rainbow Dash responded with a perky smile. “I hear!”
“Yeah… uhm…” Applejack lingered, seeking another concrete thing to say. Something assertive... strong... affirmative. “Nice apron.”