Sweet Apple Acres was the apple farm of Ponyville which possessed all the apple orchard that surrounded the village. The farm was the first building to be built in the village, although it has started as a simple cottage where the first family in Ponyville lived after those lands where their orchard grew have been given very cordially by Princess Celestia. This family was the Apple family.
Currently, only four Apples lived there and they managed and took care of the farm that was their livelihood. Those four were a grandmother with her three grandchildren, both siblings. Most of their businesses were the fruit of their work in their apple harvest. With the apples they made apple cider which the inhabitants of Ponyville bought and drank. They also sold them fresh or candied, they made apple compote or sweets like pies or waffles...
At that moment, the two oldest of the three siblings were harving apples. The eldest was a great earth pony stallion with a moderate crimson coat, one light gamboge mane, moderate sap green eyes and light yellowish gray coatless hooves. He had three freckles on each cheek and a half apple as Cutie Mark. Another feature of his was the work horse collar that he had around his neck. Her sister was a mare of normal structure but very sturdy. She had a pale, light grayish olive coat and a brilliant light gamboge mane. Her eyes were like those of her brother and she also had the same freckles on his cheeks. A feature of her was his brown cowboy hat.
The two were bucking the trees with strong kicks that made the apples fall in baskets they had placed under them. Of course the red stallion was who dropped more apples due to his many strong kicks, but his sister wasn't anything behind him. For a small pony, she was very strong.
"Jest one more and we end'd up today, bro" Applejack, the sister, said.
"Eeyup" Big McIntosh, the brother, said.
He then gave a strong kick in the tree, making the apples fall to the baskets below.
"Well, now we have to separate those that go to tha apple cellar and those that go for sale" Applejack said. "Big Mac, can ya get the wagon to take the baskets?
"Eeyup" he replied.
"Very good, so, while ya do that, I'll separate tha apples" Applejack said.
Big Mac then went fetch the wagon, trotting. The stallion was the eldest of the family (excepting his grandmother, Ganny Smith) and he had worked on that apple farm since he was a young colt. He helped his father in bucking apples and always with a smile on his face. He had always been like that: a born worker. He was like that all his life without changing a bit. But when his parents died in an accident, he became the most responsible as possible for the sustenance of his family. Granny Smith was not getting any younger and she couldn't no longer participate in the apple harvest and his sister Applejack was a young filly and her sister Apple Bloom was still a newborn foal, at that time.
When her older sister was old enough, she began helping his brother in the harvest, but even with extra help, Big Mac never stopped working to the maximum.
He found the wagon, secured it to himself and prepared to go to Applejack, when a young filly appeared. She was his younger sister, Apple Bloom. She had a pale, light grayish olive coat and a brilliant amaranth mane and eyes, unlike those of his brethren, were brilliant gamboge. On her mane, she had a pink bow.
"Howdy, Big Mac, have ya finish'd the apple buckin' today?" She asked to his oldest brother.
"Eeyup" Big Mac replied, nodding.
That pony was always of few words. He always limited to just answer yes or no questions with "eeyup" and "nnope". However, when he talked normally, he knew well the words to use.
"Great!" Apple Bloom exclaimed. "Can Ah go with ya with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle? We can help ya and maybe we can get our Cutie Marks.
Big Mac made a suspicious look at his little sister and asked:
"Haven't ya done this already?"
"We think we can do it again" Apple Bloom replied. "However, Applejack may not want us to help in the sale after what happen'd last time. Please, Big Mac, can ya convince her tah let us go? Please."
Apple Bloom began to pout and to make her sad eyes to him. Big Mac, although big and strong, had a soft heart and could not resist those eyes of his younger sister.
"Eeyup" Big Mac waved.
"Really?" Apple Bloom asked with a smile from ear to ear. "Ya'll ask her?
Big Mac waved again and Apple Bloom squealed with excitement and then she told to a bale of straw that was there:
"Girls, mah brother said he'll ask AJ."
"Really?" a little voice asked, with it belonging to a pegasus filly whose head appeared in the straw bale.
"That's amazing" another little voice said that belonged to a unicorn filly whose head appeared next to the other.
They left the bale of straw and placed next to Apple Bloom. Those two were her best friends: Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo was a young pegasus with a brilliant light gamboge coat and a moderate cerise mane. Her wings were small, what not yet allowed her to fly like a usual pegasus. Sweetie Belle was a unicorn with a light gray coat and a grayish mulberry rose with pale grayish light stripes mane. They, along with Apple Bloom, didn't have any Cutie Mark, so they tried at all costs to find their true talents. They call themselves Cutie Mark Crusaders.
"Thank you, Big Mac" the three said in unison.
He smiled. It was always nice to see the smiling little fillies. They always put him in a better humor.
The four returned to where Applejack was, with her having already separated the apples that would be sold and those that would go to the apple cellar.
"Ya're jest in time, Big McIntosh" she said, picking up the baskets already at her reach. "We have much tah do."
She then noticed on the Apple Bloom and her friends.
"What are ya girls doin' here?"
"We wanted to know if we could go with ya to sell apples" Apple Bloom replied.
"Oh, don't even think ov that, sis" Applejack replied, shaking her head. "Have ya forgotten dah last time ya helped me? Ah had to give almost all of my apples. Besides, wasn't this somethin' that was already scratched from yer list to obtain a Cutie Mark?
"We thought we could try it again" Scootaloo said.
"Oh, come on, Applejack!" Sweetie Belle asked. "We want to help."
But Applejack did not seem convinced.
"Hey, AJ, let them come" said Big Mac. "Some more hooves will jest help us."
"Of course ya'd be at their side" Applejack replied.
She looked at the three fillies who smiled with all their innocently. Applejack then sighed and finally said:
"Oh, okay. Ya may come."
"Hurray!" the young fillies exclaimed, jumping of happiness.
"But jest 'cause we don't have much time tah waste on this thread" Applejack said, starting to load the wagon with baskets for Big McIntosh take to the apple cellar. "C'mon, help me out here tah load the wagon fer Big Mac take these apples tah the cellar."
After a great job loading the wagon for Big Mac to take the apples to the cellar they had next to the farmhouse, they loaded the wagon with apples and Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle went to it. After that, Big McIntosh and Applejack marched to the village with the latter bringing the stand. They arrived at the place where Applejack prepared the stand with a kick. Big Mac put some baskets on the edge of the stand and the three young fillies descended from the wagon.
"What do ya want us tah do?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Yes, where do we start?" Scootaloo asked as well.
"First, ya'll help Big McIntosh tah take apples tah Barnyard Bargains" Applejack said.
"What?!" Sweetie Belle said. "But we want to help you with the sales!"
"No, Ah deal with tha sales" Applejack said. "Ya'll help Big Mac. Then we'll see. Do ya have somethin' against it, Big Mac?
"Nnope" he answered.
Sighing, the three fillies went back to the wagon. Applejack approached her brother and said in his ear:
"Maybe this will keep them busy til Ah sell somethin'".
The two brothers laughed and then Big Mac started walking toward his next stop.
"Ah jest hope Diamon Tiara isn't there" Apple Bloom grumbled.
"Tell me about it" Scootaloo agreed. "It's enough endure her and that bootlicking of Silver Spoon in school."
"Calm down, girls" Sweetie Belle said. "Maybe she's not there."
Sweetie Belle turned out to be right. They helped Big Mcintosh to carry apples to the warehouse and they even met with Diamond Tiara, a classmate who was always bullying them for not having Cutie Marks. After that, Big McIntosh went to Carousel Boutique because Sweetie Belle wanted to get something to her room. She was Rarity's little sister. However, he was being distracted by his sister and her friends' conversation about what they would do next to find their cutie marks he ended up colliding with somepony, listening to the sound of something falling to the ground.
"Ah'm so sorry!" he exclaimed clumsily. "Ah didn't see ya!
"It's okay" a female voice said. "I'm fine."
It was then that Big Mac stayed without reaction when the mare with whom he had bumped with moved her mane to take it from her face. He had never seen a mare as beautiful as that one. Her coat had a shade of blue so soft that the sun made it shine and her mane was like fire so red it was and seemed to be as silky as silk, falling perfectly around her horn. But when those cyan eyes touched on his, he felt his heart accelerating and a strange feeling in his stomach that made his jaw to drop. It seemed that time had stopped to him and nothing else existed beyond that amazing mare who was before him. When he was brought back to reality, she said:
"My name is Cherry Blossom" she introduced herself. "I'm new here. What's your name?"
"Ah... Ah'm..." Big Mac started, but being unable to finish it.
"Howdy!" Apple Bloom greeted, waving to Cherry Blossom allong with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. "Mah name is Apple Bloom and they are mah friends: Scootaloo an' Sweetie Belle. He's mah big brother, Big McIntosh. But ya can call him Big Mac. Lots of ponies do it."
"Well, then it seems that I have to do that too" Cherry Blosso said. "Do you agree, Big Mac?"
"Eeyup" he said nervously, avoiding looking to her.
He felt himself blushing and he hoped she hadn't noticed.
So, Cherry Blossom used her magic to take the bag she had dropped when Big McIntosh bumped into her. Sweetie Belle noticed the bag and asked:
"You were in my sister's boutique?"
"Your sister?" Cherry Bloom asked. "Oh, you're Rarity's sister. You're lucky for having a sister like her. She's very generous. She gave this dress to me as a welcome gift."
"Yes, she's very cool, in her own way" Sweetie Belle answered.
"Sweetie Belle, don't ya have somethin' tah get from yer room?" Big Mac asked, who didn't want to stay there for much longer, not with Cherry Blossom present. "Ah think ya should go and get it now. We have much tah do."
"Okay, Big Mac" Sweetie Belle said, leaving the wagon and into the boutique.
"So, where are ya from, Cherry?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Oh, well, I'm from far away" she answered.
"How far?" Scootaloo asked. "Do you come from outside of Equestria?"
"Galls, it's enough of filling Miss Cherry Blossom with questions" Big Mac admonished.
"It's okay" Cherry Blossom smiled. "They can ask what they want."
Her smile made Big Mac get uncomfortable and blush again. Feeling his own face getting even redder than his coat, he turned his face. He hoped no one would notice, but to his bad luck, it did not happen.
"Ah have one jest one more question" Apple Bloom said. "Do ya have a coltfriend?
That question did Cherry Blossom be caught by surprise. Big McIntosh, of course, did not like Apple Bloom's audacity.
"Apple Bloom!"
"It's okay" Cherry Blossom. "Young fillies always want to know these things. I..."
She hesitated to answer, but then she said:
"I don't have any coltfriend".
Big Mac didn't know why, but he seemed relieved to hear that answer. It was like if a ray of hope had filled his heart. To his great relief, Sweetie Belle returned with her saddlebag and climbed back into the wagon.
"I'm ready" she said.
"Good" Big Mac said, turning then to Cherry Bloom. "We have tah go."
"Of course" Cherry Blossom said. "I hope to see you around."
"Eeyup, me too" Big Mac said, correcting himself when he realized what he had said. "Ah mean, we too. Well, bye then."
And he began to trot away with Cherry Blossom waving them and the fillies nodding her back.
As he walked away, Big McIntosh could feel his heart beating normally and the feeling in his stomach disappearing. He couldn't believe what had happened back there. He had never experienced anything like that before. He had seen a lot of mares in his life, but none one woke him what he had just felt.
It was then he heard the fillies in the wagon whispering and laughing. Knowing that they could not be plotting anything good, he stopped and turned to them, asking:
"What are ya plottin'?"
"Nuthin" Apple Bloom answered.
"We are, you know, talking about things" Scootaloo said.
"What things?"
"You now, things" Sweetie Belle answered.
But when they took the piercing gaze of Big Mac, they realized that they were not able to hide anything from him.
"Okay, we are talkin' bout the way ya look'd tah Cherry Blossom" Apple Bloom said.
"Way?" Big Mac asked. "What way?"
"The way of somepony that looks to the pony he loves" Scootaloo insinuated.
"What’cha ya mean?" Big Mac asked somehow nervous.
"We mean you like her" Sweetie Belle, with a smile.
"Well, she is a good pony" Big Mac said.
"Ya got perfectly what we mean?" Apple Bloom asked. "Ya loooove her."
Big McIntosh felt uncomfortable and blushed when they told him that and tried to avoid looking to their provocative smiles and looks. Then, gaining back his compound, he said, turning steadily forward:
"Ya're wrong. Ah don't love her."
And he continued walking.
"But you think she's pretty, don't you?" Scootaloo asked.
"Well, she is pretty" Big Mac said. "Ah jest think that bout her."
"Yeah, right" Sweetie Belle said ironically. "And you just blushed because it's normal for you to blush always when you find yourself with some mare."
"Confess, bro, ya like her, don't ya?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Have ya forgotten what happen'd the last time ya stick yer mazzle in mah love life?" Big Mac said.
"Yeah, but this is different" Scootaloo said.
"Right, you really love her" Sweetie Belle.
"Ah cannot wait fer ya and Cherry Blossom begin datin'" Apple Bloom said. "It will be great!"
Already sick of all that, Big Mac lost his temper for a moment and shouted:
"AH DON'T LIKE HER!"
And then he kicked over the wagon so hard he ended up hitting one of the wheels that broke, what made the young fillies being thrown forward. Realizing what he had done, breathing more quietly, he blushed with shame.
"Well, I guess we'll have to buy a new wheel" Apple Bloom said.
"Eeyup" her friends agreed.