//------------------------------// // Obstinance // Story: Sweet Apple Contract // by SpiritDutch //------------------------------// A suitor. Twilight could not believe it. Literally, her mind could not reconcile what she thought she knew with the damning evidence before her. Granny Smith was seeing a suitor. Twilight had gone to each shop in Ponyville and asked for a record of Granny Smith’s purchases. They’d supplied it cheerfully, acting as though it were perfectly within the realm of normalcy for an alicorn princess to be stalking the financial habits of a wizened grandmother. On the list were was roses, chocolates, silver rings (in matching boxes and wrapping), and several evenings worth of fancy diners. Twilight put the list down and put her head in her hooves. How was it possible?! Granny Smith had to be smarter than to spend money on trinkets and expensive meals. After all, she had gotten the damn money by selling her farm! “This has got to stop.” Twilight decided. - As fortune and fate would have it Twilight met Granny Smith on the road out of town, Twilight outbound, Smith inbound. “Good evening.” Twilight smiled hollowly. Best to start off cheerful before the dirtiness came out. “Evenin, Twilight.” Granny Smith beamed. “How’s y’all doin nowadays?” “Just the same as last week.” Twilight said. She bit down on her lip, resolving not to dance around the issue. “I’m concerned that you are going through the sale money rather quickly.” “What do you mean?” Granny Smith’s brow knitted. “I had a look through your spending, to see where I could cut costs, and I noticed some curious expenditures.” Twilight partially lied. “What, for example, do expensive meals and designer cut flowers provide that Apple Family home cocking and wildflowers don’t. Businesses wise, its a bit decadent.” “Why would y’all think it’s for business?” Granny Smith arched a brow. “And I don’t rightly understand why it’s important in anycase. It’s my money and I can spend it how I like.” “Yes it most certainly is yours, but I feel like we had an understanding.” Twilight said, getting slightly frustrated. “You were to hold on to the extra bits from the sale and use them on a rainy day.” “But the worst is over, thanks to you Twilight.” Granny Smith didn’t seem to get the point. “The worst maybe, but I strongly advise you NOT immediately blow everything on frivolous purposes!” Twilight spat, then seeing Granny Smiths shocked expression, followed up. “I’m sorry, but you need to understand. That’s not to even begin to say the ramifications of the relationship itself.” Granny Smith turned angry. Not having any good argument against the first of Twilight’s points, she latch on to the second. “You don’t think there’s true love at mah age?! You can’t understand it till you’ve had it!” Love. Twilight’s stomach sank, not for her own sake of course, but for Granny Smith’s. “Think about the farm! If he has children of his own-” “He do.” Granny interrupted haughtily. “Well then his children might try to push something against Applejack and Big Mac. If you marry, then the issue of inheritance, and primacy inheritance in particular, is going to become muddied. Need I say you don’t want that?” “Why would they do somethin like that?! They ain’t crooks. Besides, you can give the farm to whoever when I’m gone. I jes don’t understand why you’d try to keep me from being happy now!” “I’m sure they aren’t crooks, but the contract is written in such a way that the succession is all on your end. If you aren’t careful, Applejack and Big Mac could lose it all.” Twilight repeated. Repetition engendered understanding. “As long as we’re clear on no marriage, I have no desire to keep you from being happy. But back to the issue of the money, you should limit your luxury expenditures to no more than-” Granny Smith brushed past Twilight, continuing down the path to Ponyville. Twilight was dumbfounded. Granny Smith had blown her off after all she’d done for her! The message was clear: Granny Smith could no longer be relied upon to hold responsible commitment to the contract. Twilight, in her shrewdness, had built a clause into the fine print for such a circumstance. - Applejack trotted down the path to her southernmost field, where a forest of apples awaited her bucks. It was a sunny and beautiful day, one that made her happy to be a farmer. The smell of the earth, her earth, made her feel alive like nothing else. “Applejack!” Twilight’s call came. The purple alicorn came galloping up from the direction of Ponyville. “Applejack we need to talk!” Applejack turned and smiled. “I always have time for talkin to you, Twilight.” “Okay, maybe not talk, as much as I talk and you listen very carefully.” Twilight seemed seriously concerned. “Can you please do that for me?” What in the hay was Twilight on about, Applejack wondered. It must have been the same silliness that made her hurry off earlier. Still, she signaled her agreement with a curt nod. Twilight took a deep breath. “It’s about Granny Smith. Five days ago, she approached with a proposition. She herself and the farm were in serious debt, and the only way to keep all the property within family hooves was...” Applejack felt herself detach from the conversation, as her innermost thoughts revolted. The farm was in trouble? Why hadn’t anypony told her?! She saw Twilight’s mouth move, but her heard heard no voice. She read her lips: ‘Sale’ , ‘Contract’ , ‘Marriage’ , ‘Assignee’. Her legs failed. More and more of her vision was filled by the earth that did not belong to her, until her head smacked into it with a thunk and everything went dark.