First Chapters... should I continue? (Some are really old)

“Ah saw it. It was there, right there. I wrote it down, see?! Ah grabbed a swipe’a hay. There it was again, that many stalks; Ah done wrote it there, see? Apples! I buck a average of that many a day per tree. I buck that many days a month. There’s that many days of mah estrus, start ta finish. Big Mac’n me was in our mama fer that many months… he’s a touch stubborn...”

“She’s been like this since Apple Bloom came by my boutique, I haven’t an idea what’s wrong, Twilight.”

Rarity had led Twilight through the farmhouse and up the stairs to where Applejack was in her room, talking to herself through the closed door. Twilight’s wings twitched at the thought of a new problem to solve, barely hiding her growing smile. “I understand, Rarity. This’ a simple number obsession. They happen all the time, from what you’ve told me it’ll be as simple as casting a spell and she’ll be back to her old self.”

Rarity bit her bottom lip, lightly. “I hope so. I’ve never seen her in such a state, I’m genuinely concerned.”

Twilight used her magic to slowly open the door. “Rarity, don’t worry. This’ nothing to worry about. Applejack’s the toughest… wow,” Twilight whispered, her smile growing slightly at the sight before her.

The number was written, scratched, and drawn across the far wall. Various basic math equations were across the open spaces, each equation met the same result, the same number.

Twenty three.

“Twi!” Applejack shouted as the alicorn entered the room. Applejack smiled with an awkward grin; Her mane was untied and unkempt, her hooves were worn in uneven places, and her coat was unbrushed making her look more like a traveling vagabond than the productive member of society she was. She was lying on the floor by the foot of her bed and scratching something into the floor with her hoof.

“Ah’m so glad yer here! Ah found it, the number, it’s everywhere!”

“Applejack,” Twilight replied with a nervous tone, “what’s… all this?” Rarity shared a look of growing deep concern.

“This’ it! The number… The number,” she said again, her eyes widening, “you’re the number, too!”

“AJ, I-”

“Hush! Lookit! We all are! All six’a us! Take all our ages, add ‘em up, see?” Applejack got up and bound to the far wall, reared and placed her hoof onto an equation. “Divide ‘em by the six of us, then add the number of sisters we all have in town, what’s that equ-”

“Twenty three, yes, I can do the math, Applejack. But, why do you see this number so-”

“It’s in mah family, too! Look,” she jumped, still on her rear legs, and tapped another equation, “Granny’s eighty-nine, divide that by Big Mac, who’s twenty-two. Multiply that times Apple Bloom’s age when she met her friends and you-”

“That’s thirty-two point three two, not twenty three.”

Applejack stopped and looked intently at Twilight. “Thirty two and…”

“Thirty two point… three,” Twilight resigned, looking sheepishly to Rarity, who shrugged, a blank expression graced her. “Look, Applejack, this is, concerning. What brought on this arithmomania.”

“Arithmomania, Darling?”

“Obsessive compulsive disorder that affects ponies, making them obsess with numbers,” she gestured, “like our dear friend Applejack. Now, if you don’t mind, AJ?”

“...Twenty three.” Applejack stated. The unicorns looked at the mare who was making her way back to the foot of the bed and was about to begin scratching into the floor boards again.

“Applejack, I need you to-”

“There were twenty three characters in the sentence, Twi. It’s real. The number, it’s everywhere. Just look, Twi. You’ll find it… There’re twenty three steps in the first floor’a the house. There’s twenty three pictures…”

Twilight backed away, standing beside Rarity. She motioned towards the door and began to walk towards it, Rarity followed. “What is it, what’s gotten her so worked up over this… number obsession?”

“I don’t know, but this seems beyond me. She’s not good at math,” Rarity looked skeptically at Twilight after her comment, “and we both know it’s true. Now, suddenly, she’s counting the letters in the words we speak, and punctuations!? That’s something not even I’ve done, and I’ve had my moments.”

Rarity snickered into her hoof with a nod. “Certainly, Twilight. This, however, is Applejack. The most stubborn member of our troupe, this’ far beyond normal.”

“You’re right, and I’m not denying anything. We need to get her out of her room and into the orchard… that’s always made her better. Can you get Granny Smith and the others to meet us out there?”

“But of course. Consider it done,” Rarity replied, quickly passing Twilight and descending the stairs.