It's many many years before the events of the current series, in fact many decades back. Applejack Buckerton Sr. (aka Applejack's dad) is a twenty year old and is expected to carry out applebucking duties with Uncle Happy Trails and quickly pursue a family. However, he does not get along with Sue Pie, the mare he is arranged to marry, no matter how much their mothers do. Another Uncle, Prairie Tune is deathly ill and problems arise when he worsens. Minnie Pie, Applepie Smith's (middle age Granny Smith) best friend has her own woes when she and husband Jimmy have descended from friendly faces to near hating each other, and she longs for the career she was never able to have. Applejack has to look for another potential wife if he doesn't want to marry Sue Pie, and fast. Prairie Tune needs an extremely rare miracle cure from the other side of Equestria if he is to survive, a golden yellow rose. Applejack, Happy Trails, Minnie and Applepie go on a long, epic journey to secure the plant and save Prairie Tune's life. Along the way, they just might find what else they were looking for. No romance in the beginning, but it will happen by the middle.

Applebloom is suddenly hit with a crush, a normal occurance for little ponies her age. But theres a twist--it's on a filly! In a society where fillyfooling is looked down on and treated like it doesn't even exist, there can be horrible implications if anyone finds out the truth of Applebloom's strange feelings towards a certain purple-tinted grey unicorn, Dinky, a new friend she makes at School with a glum past. With the help of some familiar accepting ponies around town including her faithful friends, sister Applejack and brother Big Macintosh and other likeminded ponies, maybe she can survive the harsh judgement of everyone else, but who will accept her and Dinky? Who will be less accepting? And what will they do about it? (Warning: Starts rather slow and upbeat but will get sadder in later chapters.) Read on, as crushes, opinions and cutie marks are found, but the cost of a little filly's crush may tear apart the town...