Scrrrrrrrk!
Orange hooves slid a container out of the back of a wagon.
Thump!
After dropping the last basket of apples behind Barnyarn Bagains, Applejack looked up with a bright smile. Her mane was neatly brushed into a thick ponytail and her freckles shone from a full night's sleep and an early morning shower.
"Thank ya kindly for keepin' the back door open for me," the teenager said, slapping the back latch of the wagon shut. "Better deliver early than later, ya reckon?"
"Thanks a lot Miss Applejack," the employee said, marking down a sheet of paper on his clipboard.
"Please..." Applejack waved a hoof, chuckling. "Just 'Applejack' will do. Or 'AJ,' if yer feelin' extra casual-like."
"Heh..." The clerk smirked. "Sure thing. I'll tell the boss that you made the last delivery a day early—" At the sound of clamoring hoofsteps, he and his associate looked over their shoulders at a haphazardly parked stagecoach. "Oh! Speak of the devil!"
Panting, Filthy Rich galloped to a stop before AJ. "Applejack!" He swiped the sweat off his brow and straightened his tie. "Oh, I'm so glad I found ya, darlin'! I heard about what happened!"
"I know! Isn't it fantastic?" Applejack smiled wide. "A whole bunch of the local ponyfolk showed up and helped me finish buckin' the apple trees on time! Even Mr. and Mrs. Cake arrived with refreshments—"
"No, I mean all of the heavy labor that you put yerself through!" Filthy Rich grimaced. "Strugglin' on yer lonesome to get all of the apples harvested in time!" The stallion pointed at her bandaged fetlock. "I can tell it took its toll on yer poor lil' soul."
"Eheh..." Applejack fidgeted, dragging her hoof back and leaning against the cart. "I'm fine, Mr. Rich. Honestly, I am."
"Applejack, darlin', please." Filthy Rich smiled sympathetically at her. "You must forgive me! I was off at a business meeting for most of the week. I wish you had sent a letter or somethin' to catch my attention! If I had known that you were goin' through so much hardship, I would have easily postponed the delivery date by a week! Even longer!"
"Mr. Rich. It's all okay!" Applejack stifled a giggle. "Everythang worked out in the end. And... if you must know..." She sighed gently, her lips remaining curved. "I think all that 'heavy labor' was just the sort of thang I needed in order to... straighten myself out."
Filthy's eyes wandered to her mane, then back to her pleasant face. He breathed easier, a warm smile spreading across his aged features. "Yes... I reckon you could have used a good stretch of the legs... f-for spirit."
Applejack simply nodded.
"Y'know, Applejack..." Filthy Rich trotted closer and rested a hoof on her shoulder. "When... when my Pa passed away... I was devastated for months. Unlike you, I had very few ponies to depend on. It was no fault but my own, of course. And while I wallowed in despair... I-I let slip a good portion of the family fortune... a fortune that my own Pa spent so much of his life to build up! I earned a whole lotta that back and then some, of course, but I've never been able to live down... t-to live down those kinds of mistakes."
"What matters, Mr. Rich, is that you found yer balance in the end." Applejack winked. "Barnyarn Bargains is as big as it's ever been! I'm sure yer Pa would be proud."
"Well, that's awful kind of ya to say, darlin'," Filthy Rich said. He leaned back to brush a hoof through his own mane. "But... the proudest my father's ever been was when he was workin' with yer Pa... and with his Pa and Granny Smith."
Applejack took a deep breath. "And I hope we can keep workin' together like nothin's changed... because Sweet Apple Acres is here to stay."
"And that brings much joy to my heart." Filthy Rich stared at her. "Ponyville's got a good future so long as there are such strong, dependable earth ponies in it."
"Well, I'm only as strong as my family is, Mr. Rich."
"Indeed." Mr. Rich sighed, smiling. "You've got yerself a wonderful future just waitin' for ya, Applejack. Someday... yer gonna meet a loyal stallion who'll treat you proper and then the two of you will make that family even stronger than ever."
Applejack opened her mouth, but had nothing to say. She stared at him for a few seconds, blinking. Finally, she put on a breathy smile. "Sure thang, Mr. Rich!" The young mare nodded. "You bet!"
"I'm gonna tally these apples myself!" Filthy Rich said, yanking the clipboard from a surprised clerk and waving excitedly at the teenager. "A million thanks, darlin'! Barnyard Bargain owes you!"
"Hey..." Applejack shrugged, trotting off and hitching herself back up to the cart. "We're partners, ain't we?"
"Darn tootin'! And you tell Granny Smith that my door is always open if she wants to come on over and chat about old times! All y'all ain't out of friends so long as Ponyville stands on Celestia's earth! Y'hear?!"
"Heheheh... I hear ya, Mr. Rich!" Applejack tightened her muscles, drew the cart, and marched towards the west end of town with a strong smile. "I hear ya..."
Good Guy Mr. Rich.
Yeah... this kinda makes him dropping the SAA partnership like a bad habit even worse.
...he still never explained to Dash about that while they were at Photo Finish's party.
Intemeresting.
I feel like this sort of societal pressure is gonna turn out to be exactly why Applejack isn't already smoochin' on Rainbow in current-time Appledashery.
7697048 I'm gonna be honest, I completely forgot he tried to explain that. and now that's bugging me because it means JE is probably planning on doing something with that particular detail later.
7697050
My eyebrows rose a few inches too. Societal pressure may not be influenced quite so much by religious beliefs in pony society like it is in humanity, but it perhaps still pushes Applejack to try and reproduce to keep the farm going -- the community probably heavily depends on Sweet Apple Acres and continuity. Applejack, in that case, would be forgoing her own happiness for the good of the town.
So we must ask ourselves -- does AJ actually want the foals, or does the community want them for her, and she wants something entirely different?
7697936
I doubt that a town as friendly as Ponyville would be openly homophobic. I would think that Applejack would be more concerned about the future of the farm, rather than worrying about what others could think of her romantic preferences.
Applejack can still be with another mare and have falls, the two aren't mutually exclusive. They could always adopt, or they could get a sperm doner. Or they could just get Twilight to use some temporary gender bending magic on one of them. Applejack can still contribute to the Apple Family legacy without having to marry a stallion.
I know that gender bending can't be all that easy otherwise Caramel wouldn't have too many problems. But Caramel wants a permanent change, while I would imagine a short term spell could be performed by a unicorn as powerful as Twilight.
7698490
I don't think they view it as homophobia as much as necessity.
Hmmm... adopted Scoots, perhaps?
Filthy Rich shows his accent a little more when he gets emotional. After all, he's as much a ponivillean as Applejack.
... you fooled us for a thousand chapters you magnificent bastard Skirts.
Well, ya got one thing right, at least, Filthy.