The party was over, many of the guests had gone home, and the sun was slowly setting beyond the horizon. The orchards of Sweet Apple Acres were bathed in a calming orange glow of the end of the day, and as she walked through the place that was now her home, Sugar Belle never once took her eyes off the great tree before her. She'd been here once already before, when she went through the most joyous moment of her life. Yet now, she was here again, but alone this time. Nopony else was here to see her, and she wanted it that way. This was to be a moment for her alone. Well, her and the two she now walked to. Even with all the strange things that called Equestria its home, this tree, a union of apple and pear, was a sight to behold, and it brought a smile to her lips to look upon it. She was silent for a time, but very much looked like she wanted to just get her thoughts in order. There was no rush, even if this was something she felt she needed to do. But after a time, she finally knew what it was she needed to say, and as she looked to the gently rustling leaves above her, she broke the silence.

"...Hello."

A quick giggle escaped her.

"A silly thing to do, I know. Talking to a tree. But...you're not just any tree, are you? Not to them. Not to us."

She paused, took a deep breath, then resumed.

"You're...you're the closest thing I'll have to getting to speak to...to Pear and Bright. Mac's Mother and Father. I don't know about all those big questions. Is there something beyond the end? Can those who've passed look back and see their families?"

She contemplated those very questions, if only for a few moments, before again smiling to the tree.

"But if there is...and you can...then I wanted to really introduce myself to you. My name is Sugar Belle. And I'm...well..."

A blush crept onto her cheeks.

"...I'm your son's wife."

Another breeze blew through the area, causing a second quick rustle of the leaves. Sugar Belle smiled to this.

"I know. It's quite a thing, isn't it? We met a while back and...and my life has been all the better for it. He's made me happy, and I like to think I've made him happy too."

Slowly, she looked behind herself, to the immediate area, where not so long ago her friends and family had been brought together for that special day she and Mac shared together. The moment they had become more than boyfriend and girlfriend. It brought a tear to her eye, the happiness of that memory returning full force to her memory, even so recent as it was.

"Today...was a day I'll always treasure. I know Mac feels the same."

She looked back to the tree.

"And I know I don't know you as well as he did. I know I'll never really know you. But I want to believe you'd have been as happy as he was today."

Here, her smile faded, and she stared at the ground.

"Mac never said it, but I know he would have wanted you to be here for him today. He misses you, they all do. Nothing in this world would have made him happier than to have you see him get married."

But then she stopped, and she started to hesitate, to doubt, to the point where she even took a full step backwards.

"Would...would you have liked me? Would you have thought me good for him?"

A wince came to her.

"Or...would you not have wanted us together at all?"

"Sugar...they'd have loved ya."

Instantly, Sugar's eyes widened, and she spun in place, seeing Applejack emerge from the treeline close by.

"Applejack! I...er...I was just..."

But Applejack, after chuckling quickly, calmed her down by placing her hoof upon her shoulder. "Y'all don't need ta fret, Sugar. Ah were a bit worried when ah saw ya sneak out earlier. Figured ah'd follow. Make sure ya were okay."

Calming down, Sugar sighed.

"I just...I wanted to talk to them. Or at least as close to talking to them as I could."

Applejack nodded, glancing up at the tree, a fond smile on her face.

"Ah know the feelin'. When ah first saw this tree, ah wanted ta talk to em too. Used ta spend whole afternoons doin' it too."

She kept her smile as she regarded the latest addition to her family.

"Ah don't blame ya fer wantin' ta do the same thing."

Her expression softened.

"Especially since ya have as much right as we do ta come here. Yer an Apple now, same as me, same as Mac. Yer family."

Sugar smiled to her, but then the doubt returned, causing that smile to face once more.

"Would they have liked me, Applejack? Your parents?"

Applejack considered that, but only for a second.

"As sure as the sun rises in the east, Sugar."

Another chuckle from her.

"Or should ah call ya 'sister' now?"

The two mares laughed together, but when it was over, Sugar looked to her sister-in-law fondly.

"I'd...actually like it if you called me that...sister."

Much like she did at the wedding, Applejack started to look a little teary-eyed, to the point where she moved forward, taking Sugar into a warm and loving embrace. Sugar herself returned the hug soon after, and they both enjoyed this tender moment together. But the moment, as all good moments did, ended, and as they parted, Applejack cast a quick look to the tree.

"Ya know, ah get why ya feel nervous bout how our folks would feel bout ya. They had a bit o' trouble with their parents too."

Sugar's eyes widened slightly.

"They...they did?"

Applejack nodded.

"Eyup. Grandpear an' Granny Smith full-on hated each other back in the day! An' they really hated the idea of their daughter an' son bein' an item."

She shuddered.

"Ah still don't like thinkin' how angry Grandpear was. He was so mad he left our Mother fer the rest o' her life."

Sugar looked to her, shocked at hearing such a tale.

"That's...that's horrible!"

Applejack nodded.

"Yeah...it was."

Her eyes shut tightly.

"It was the biggest regret of his life, an' he spent so many years alone."

Then, in spite of how unhappy this story had been thus far, Applejack looked up to Sugar with a surprising smile.

"But ah can tell ya this fer certain, Sugar. Our parents weren't like our grandparents. They would never have wanted ta come between you an' mah brother. They'd have welcome ya into our family like he did. And like ah would."

Though she still had some lingering worries about her status as the new arrival in this family, Sugar nevertheless felt a great deal better after having heard that. So she offered yet another appreciative smile to Applejack, which was promptly returned.

"So, ah hope there'll be no more worryin' bout whether yer worthy of bein' an Apple?"

Sugar giggled, certainly looking a lot happier than she'd been before.

"Well, not to put too fine a point on it, but Mac thought I was worthy, as you know."

Like before, the two mares laughed together. Then, at the end of it, Sugar shook her head slightly.

"It's so strange, the journey he and I have taken to get here. Meeting by chance after delivering apples to the village. Getting into that silly contest for my affections. Mixing up messages. A chaotic lead-up to the proposal. We've been all over the place."

Applejack raised an eyebrow and took on an almost mischievous look.

"Sugarcube, let me tell ya somethin' important. When dealin' with love, especially love happenin' mostly in a place like Ponyville, ya gotta expect things ta go all over the place!"

She snickered slightly.

"Honestly, the fact that the two o' ya actually managed ta find each other at all probably wouldn't have happened if it weren't fer a magic table and a crazy Starlight!"

Another laugh between the two mares, and Sugar especially blushed to that.

"You know, I should probably thank her. If it wasn't for her doing what she did, our village would probably never have come into contact with Ponyville at all!"

Applejack adjusted her hat slightly.

"Probably best not ta mention that to her, jus' in case she gets any more weird ideas about it."

Sugar rolled her eyes to that.

"Oh come now, Applejack, she's long past doing bad things."

A quiet moment came for the two of them shortly afterwards, and Sugar again glanced to the tree. It was a calm time between them, and even Applejack joined her in looking up at it. Then, at the end of it all, Sugar sighed.

"Sugar Apple. Yeah...has a nice ring to it."

Applejack smirked to her.

"Jus' between the two o' us, Mac were so excited bout marryin' ya, he actually considered takin' on the name of Big Belle."

Sugar stifled another giggle.

"Really? Oh, how sweet of him."

She glanced to the side slyly.

"Well...that could still be on the table."

Applejack smiled to that thought, then looked to the side, gesturing in the direction of the Apple family home.

"So...ready ta head on back?"

Sugar nodded to her.

"Yeah...this was good for me, Applejack. Thank you."

Applejack tipped her hat to her, then started to walk off. Sugar stayed, if only for a few moments, and looked back up to the tree one last time.

"I promise...we'll make our marriage as happy as yours was."

Author's Note

I wish Mac and Sugar many happy years together