Sometime later Arc and Applejack sit on the couch with tray tables in front of them eating as they watch television. Applejack turns to him.
“This soup is pretty good.”
“I’ll say.”
“But I think it could use a lot of work to be perfect.”
Arc nods. “Right. We just made it as written for a benchmark.”
“Exactly. Next time we can get creative.”
She picks up a sandwich and points to it.
“What did you call this again?”
“Grilled Cheese. They go well with Tomato Soup.”
He gestures to the television before continuing.
“I remember when I was a kid my mom would make this very meal for us after evening church got out. Then we’d sit right here while we ate and watched a show called ’60 minutes’.”
“What’s it about?”
“News mostly. But my dad really liked a segment near the end of the show called ‘A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney’. It was a bit of an editorial segment.”
“So he give his opinion?”
“Yup.”
“What about?”
Arc shrugs. “It’s been so many years I can’t remember much. The only segment I dimly recall is him talking about frozen food packaging.”
Applejack raises an eyebrow. “Say what?”
“You see, manufacturers would make the boxes bigger so it would look like you were getting more product. He gave an example with a package of ice cream bars, or something. Opening it he pulled out four. His response to that was to say that they could have fit a dozen in there.”
Applejack frowns. “But why not just be honest about what’s in the package?”
“They technically were. If you read the label in the corner it said the quantity and weight of the contents.”
Applejack sighs. “Sounds like something Filthy Rich would do.”
“Yeah. He hasn’t been giving you any more trouble though, right?”
Applejack shakes her head. “Not since you lent me the money to pay off my loan, no.”
“That’s good.”
“I want you to know that I’ve been depositing twenty-five bits a week into an account at the bank to pay you back.”
“It’s okay, Applejack. I was just glad to help.”
Applejack frowns. “No, I have to pay you back. ‘Neither a borrower nor a lender be’ is what Granny Smith always says. And while we haven’t always been able to live by that philosophy, it was my dumb idea that put us in debt in the first place.”
“Fine then. You just pay me back as you’re able then. There’s no rush.”
Applejack sits there silently for a time before bowing her head as she turns to him.
“Arc?”
“Yes?”
“Um… I want to ask you something, and I need an honest and straightforward answer too.”
“What is it?”
“Do you remember that night when you originally lent me the money to pay off Filthy Rich?”
“I do, yes. What about it?”
“Remember how you told me that I didn’t have to pay you back?”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “What are you getting at?”
“I just wanted to ask… if you thought I was trying to get out of that by marrying you?”
Arc drops his spoon and turns to her.
“Applejack?”
“Please… be Honest with me.”
“Of course not. What made you think that?”
“There was something similar said in Canterlot when we were helping Twilight a while back.”
“An audience?”
Applejack nods. “Right. There were two mares and a stallion. So what happened was the stallion divorced the first mare to marry the second.”
“That does happen sometimes, yes.”
“But apparently the first wife had built a business with the money given to her by her then-husband. They were there because the second wife told him she should have to give him a fifty percent stake in the company.”
Arc frowns. “Let me guess. The first wife was trying to get back in the stallion’s good graces so as to not have to repay it?”
“Exactly. And she was pretty… open about how she was keeping her ex-husband happy.”
“And you think I believe you’re doing the same?”
Applejack nods sadly. “I’ll admit, it doesn’t look good for me. After all, you lent me a bunch of money shortly before I confessed my love for you.”
Arc smiles at her. “Well, I believed your declaration, yes. And no, I don’t believe for a moment that you were just trying to get out of paying a debt that I already said you didn’t have to repay.”
Applejack appears relieved. “That’s good. Ever since that case I felt like I was just a tramp like that mare. Using my body as an offering to avoid repayment.”
“But you’ve never once tried to propose anything… um… too indecent to me, Applejack.”
“I know. However it just didn’t sit right with me.”
“Well, I appreciate your desire to make sure we were okay in that regard. And don’t worry, as I never told anyone else about the loan.”
“Thanks. I do appreciate you keeping this a secret, Arc. After all, it’s not easy to admit that I had to accept your charity to potentially save my family’s farm.”
“I figured that much.”
“And not to try and sound crass, but since we’re on the subject of money, how exactly would all of us go about splitting our earnings after forming the herd? When we’re legally wed, I mean.”
Arc puts a hand to his chin. “Truthfully, I hadn’t really thought of that.”
“Honestly, in my opinion, the most fair thing to do would be to just keep each of our finances separate.”
“Agreed.”
“But… that just kinda feels… I don’t know.”
“Impersonal?”
“Kinda. I mean… married folks are supposed to share everything. Money included.”
“From what I’ve heard that’s generally true. However, there’s no rule that says we have to.”
“That and our situation is far from what would be considered normal. But it just doesn’t feel right. After all, if nothing in our lives is going to change other than living together then what’s the point of getting married?”
“What you’re describing is ‘cohabitation’.”
“I guess it is. But that feels kinda… inappropriate too.”
“Truthfully, I’d really like to make the relationship official when the time is right. However it’s not the marriage part that makes a proper bond.”
“It isn’t?”
Arc shakes his head. “No, Applejack. It’s the love we all feel for one another. The commitment we all share is the important part. Anyone can stand before their friends and family and get married. But that doesn’t mean they love or even like each other.”
“I… guess I never really thought about it. As far as ponies go, when two of us want to spend the rest of our lives together we get a marriage license and see either a preacher or justice of the peace. But I just always assumed that was just how things were done.”
“It’s the same for humans usually. You can have love and commitment without a piece of paper declaring it though.”
Applejack sighs. “I kinda thought that might be what we have to do if Princess Celestia vetoed our plans.”
“And I’m still open to that possibility if need be, yes.”
“Do you think it’ll come to that?”
Arc shakes his head. “No. After all, we have the approval the other three princesses. But I’d like to have a real wedding.”
“A big one?”
“I was thinking more along the lines of something… modest. The gathering of our friends and family in front of the Ponyville Town Hall, or something.”
“Really?”
“Something wrong with that?”
Applejack shakes her head. “No, not at all. I just kinda thought you’d want to get married in Canterlot, that’s all.”
“Why’s that?”
“Well… because you’re a really important individual back in Equestria. That and Twilight’s a princess now. You two kinda deserve something a bit more… special.”
“I suppose if that’s what everyone else wants to we could do that. But I doubt it. After all, Twilight’s still herself inside. A fancy title and wings won’t change that, after all.”
“She does still act like she always has, I suppose. Don’t tell her I told you this, but… I just kinda assumed at some point she might start acting more… regal.”
“Twilight does. At least in her own way.”
“Have you talked to the others about any of this?”
Arc shakes his head. “Nope. Just you.”
Applejack grimaces. “Then maybe we’d better stop.”
“If you want to, sure.”
“Everyone should be involved in talks like this when we have them. Or at the very least more than just me.”
“I suppose that’s true. After all, we don’t want them thinking we’re trying to make plans behind their backs.”
“Right. So let’s table that until we all come together.”
“Agreed.”
They finish eating and push back their trays. Applejack turns to Arc again nervously.
“Can I ask you something else, Arc?”
“Anything.”
“Um… what I told you about Granny Smith… could that just stay between us please?”
“Of course.”
“I know that everyone can see that she’s going downhill mentally. But she still deserves her dignity.”
“Agreed. But how’s her physical health holding up?”
“Okay, I suppose. As long as she takes her medication and gets plenty of rest, that is. She has other health issues too, of course. But that’s normal for a mare her age.”
“Might I ask what?”
Applejack sighs. “Arthritis and hearing loss have been a big problem for a long time now. However recently her hearts been giving her trouble. Doctor Horse says she has high blood pressure for which he prescribed daily medication to add to her other pills.”
“Humans have some of the same problems in their later years. Lots of pills for them too.”
“Yeah. She’s been able to live a normal life so far. But I’m wondering how much longer that will last.”
“I’ve seen that she gets around pretty well.”
Applejack sighs. “Maybe a bit slower than others, of course. But she gets where she needs to be in the end. However the last time I was at the hospital for a checkup I did talk to Doctor Horse about her future.”
“Did he have any advice?”
“Just a list of things of things to watch out for. But he did say that she needs to stay mobile if at all possible. Keep those limbs strong.”
“And at what point would she need additional care?”
“At best, when she can’t get to the toilet in time. At worst… if she becomes bedridden.”
“And you’re worried about how to pay for that?”
Applejack shakes her head. “Equestrian healthcare provides for such things if the patient or their family is unable to pay. I’ve already checked into it, and she does qualify.”
“But…?”
“The public nursing home is in Manehattan.”
“And you’d have a hard time traveling there to visit her.”
“Right. Especially around harvest time when we’re at our busiest. It’s not unusual for us to come in from working the orchard and go straight to bed.”
“Any local alternatives?”
“Ponyville Hospital has a small section for elderly ponies. But admission isn’t covered under normal healthcare.”
“So you’d have to pay for it yourself?”
“Exactly. And I already know we can’t afford it.”
She sighs before continuing.
“Sometimes I lay awake at night trying to think of what we’d do if she suddenly had a stroke or something. There’s no way we could care for her twenty-four hours a day for the rest of her life. Not even if we were medically qualified.”
“Is there space for her in the assisted living section at the hospital? Should she need it, I mean.”
Applejack nods. “They always have spare rooms, yes. The real issue is how to pay for it.”
“How much is it?”
Lowering her voice, Applejack whispers in his ear. Arc shrugs.
“I think I can solve that problem.”
“You can?”
“Sure. If she needs it, I’ll pay.”
Applejack gasps. “You… you will?!”
Arc nods. “You and your siblings need Granny Smith and she needs all of you too.”
“But that’s a lot of money!”
“I can afford it.”
“But you won’t get paid after you resign, right!”
“I can still go back to my old job doing writs. That and I’ve saved the lion’s share of my wages since becoming the Hero of Light to the point that my vault literally wouldn’t hold all of it. And I’m sure the princesses occasionally will need me in the future. If need be I can contract my services to them based on my old wages.”
“But you’ve already done so much for my family!”
“It’s a small price to pay for your happiness.”
“But…!”
Arc puts a hand over her mouth as he speaks.
“Applejack, please. I’m okay doing this for you and your family. Please just let me help Granny Smith.”
Applejack grins with tears in the corners of her eyes. “Okay, sugarcube! And I promise to be the absolute best wife to you I can be in return!”
Arc shakes his head. “No, Applejack. I’m not making this offer in return for your hand in marriage. Just as a guy who wants to help out a friend in need.”
“But I HAVE to repay you for all of this somehow!”
“All I want is for Granny Smith to be near her family should she need extra care. Now then, I also want to say that this isn’t dependent on you marrying me, Applejack. If we decide that it’s not meant to be, I’ll still pay for her to…”
Applejack, apparently forgetting that she’s currently a human and not a pony, turns to Arc on all fours and looks him in the eye.
“But why?!”
“Why what?”
“Why would you do that if I were to reject you?!”
“Because even if we didn’t get married, I’d still be your friend, Applejack.”
Applejack sits back on her ‘haunches’ with a look of bewilderment on her face. “Wha-what?!”
“If it’s not meant to be then I don’t want us to enter into a relationship beyond that.”
Applejack puts a hand to her forehead and turns away. “I just… I don’t understand that. What would you get out of it?”
Arc put a hand on her chin and turns her head to face him again before speaking.
“The knowledge that you and your family are happy.”
She opens her mouth to speak, however nothing comes out. Eventually a huge smile spreads across her face and she nods for a full ten seconds before finally finding her voice.
“I… th-thanks, sugarcube. If you EVER need anything, I’ll do my best to help you!”
Arc chuckles. “Just enjoy the time you have left with Granny Smith. You along with your brother and sister, that is.”
Suddenly leaping into his lap, Applejack wraps her arms around Arc’s neck and hugs him tight.
“Thank you, Arc! You have no idea just how much this means to me!”
Arc smiles silently as he returns the hug.