Early morning.
Applejack was already gathering a wagon full of baskets in the barn. The doors were cracked open, allowing rays of dawnlight to enter. Applejack went about her task dutifully and quietly. It wasn't until Big Macintosh entered that the silence was broken.
"Uhhhhh..." He stood awkwardly in the entrance to the barn. "...AJ?"
She spoke swiftly without looking back at him. "Ya talk to Granny?"
Big Mac swallowed. "Eeeeyup."
Applejack stored the last of the baskets into the wagon. "Reckon we've got our work cut out for us, huh?"
The stallion nodded, eyes drifting towards the floor. "Eeeeeeeyup."
"Well..." Applejack took a breath. "Only thang I can think of that will help us float for a while is an early harvest. Then—while we roll in the bits—we'll try and figure out somethin' more long-term." She lingered beside the wagon, staring off into the shadows of the building. "I'm... awful sorry for tannin' yer hide over all of the suggestions you made. All thangs considered, Big Mac, yer right. Maybe sharecroppin' is the way to go. Maybe even with..." She grimaced slightly, but continued: "The Radishes."
He peered up at her. "Ya shouldn't be hard on yerself either, AJ," he spoke boldly. "What you did at the Gala—it's not so much a gamble as it was smart thinkin'. But know this—t'ain't yer fault that things didn't improve. T'ain't nopony's fault, really." He shrugged. "Just the way the wind blows."
"Mmmm... I reckon." Applejack nodded. "But now it's time to take root. Ain't gonna be blown over no way no how." She hitched herself to the wagon and proceeded to pull it out of the barn. "I'm gonna be busy for the next few days. Think you might be willin' to fix dinner in my stead? Unless of course you've got yer own schedule to keep."
"I'll be workin' an awful lot too, but if it makes thangs easier for ya—sis—then I can fix the vittles for a week."
"Well, that's mighty nice of ya, Big Mac. I just... I just need to concentrate at the task at hoof."
"Yer always happiest when you are."
Applejack lingered in place for a bit. The wagon caught up with her, and she resumed her trot outside the barn. "Don't I know it."
"And AJ..." Big Mac turned to follow her departure towards the fields. "... ... ...ain't no crime in spendin' some time with yer friends in the weeks to come."
"Ain't got time, Big Mac."
"I'm just sayin'..." Big Macintosh sighed. "...the way thangs are turnin' out, you may benefit from gettin' as close to ponies outside the family as possible."
Applejack clenched her jaw.
Soon, both siblings parted ways and went about their separate tasks.