She’s Got a Secret Garden

Braeburn rolled over in bed. He couldn’t sleep. Part of the reason was the heat. Usually desert nights get cold, but not for the last few nights. He had his window wide open, but it hardly helped. The other part of the reason was because he was just to darn restless. How could he sleep when there was so much future to think about? Soon his beloved Appleoosa would be growing into something... well... something bigger and better than what it currently was. How could he sleep with so much to look forward to? It’s not like that there was anything he could do at one o’clock in the morning. But he sure as shoot couldn’t just lay there in bed.

Braeburn swung his hooves off of his small cot. He left through the front door of his little clapboard house. He stood on his front porch and rested his head against a wooden post. It was hot out here too, but it wasn’t quite so bad as inside. There was just a hint of a breeze out here. His brow was sweaty and itchy, so he rubbed it against the post. His firefly porch-light flickered and buzzed. He looked to his left. The only sign of life in his town was the light and the honky tonk music spilling out of The Salt Lick.

He could go there, he supposed. There would be drinks, and there would be poker. There were dancing fillies and there were whores, usually one and the same. It was fun and all, but it wasn’t really the sort of thing he was looking for.

Braeburn turned to his right. There wasn’t anything there, of course. Braeburn lived right on the edge of town. He looked anyway. There was something. It was a dark mass on the horizon. It was darker than the sky, anyway. That would be Orchard Ridge. It was the little rocky hill that separated Appleoosa from the apple orchard, the town’s pride and joy.

Before he knew exactly what he was doing, Braeburn found himself trotting out in that direction. A midnight stroll might be just the thing he needed. The stars shined brighter out here away from town. There must have been a trillion of them. The Milky Way stretched way over his head and back down to the other horizon. He got a little dizzy from holding his head up high to look at it while walking forward at the same time.

Braeburn made his way up Orchard Ridge. A lot of dust and sand and stones came tumbling down under his hooves. Most of this land was no good. All that wasted space was a real shame. It felt good to be doing something useful with this land.
Braeburn summited the ridge. There it was, the orchard, laid out below him. It looked like a great big black blanket stretched out over the earth. He looked back and forth on either side of the ridge, the orchard on one side, the faint lights of Appleloosa on the other. They were the two great loves in his life.
The breeze coming up off of the orchard side was a little bit stronger, and a little bit cooler. It was probably because of the air blowing off the river. He turned his face towards it and let it wash over him. He headed down the ridge and into the orchard. As much as he loved the place, he had never been here at night before. It seemed different somehow. It was definitely quieter, that was for sure. It was almost sanctified. Holier. It felt to him as if he was walking through nature’s cathedral.
Braeburn just wandered around for a long time, enjoying a bit of relief from the heat. He sat down on his haunches. His whole body seemed to relax. The breeze grew stronger and started to rustle the branches. The orchard was filled with the soft susurrus. Braeburn closed his eyes to rest them. He wasn’t going to go to sleep, he just wanted to rest his eyelids.
There was a noise. It was a loud rustle of a branch. It wasn’t any breeze. And then there was a loud thump. As if hooves hitting the orchard floor.
Braeburn stood straight up. There was somebody else in here in the orchard with him. He stood stock still, not sure exactly where the noise had come from. Had he fallen asleep? He didn’t think so. His eyes were wide in the darkness. A cloud passed over the moon and it grew even darker. He looked around the orchard, craning his neck. He didn’t want to move of a hoof and give away his location. He was starting to think he had dreamt the whole thing.
A rustle. A thump.
All of the hairs on his body stood on end. Braeburn’s head swiveled to his left. It was the same noise as before. Almost exactly. It must have been fifty yards away, through the trees. Who ever it was probably didn’t know he was here. If Braeburn couldn’t see him, then he couldn’t see Braeburn. Braeburn bent low, determined to keep it that way.
Another rustle. Another thump. This time to his right. It couldn’t have been more than ten yards away from him. There was more than one of them. Braeburn’s blood chilled. His heart was in his throat. He was petrified with fear. He had never expected to be afraid in his own orchard. Braeburn heard it again. And again. It was coming from all over the orchard.
Like the flip of a switched, Braeburn realized what he was hearing. He stood up again. He listened one more time just to make sure. He waited. A rustle. A thump. Braeburn grinned. He blushed in the darkness; he was thankful that there was no one around to see him or he would have been embarrassed. Apples. It was falling apples. Braeburn had been afraid of his own apples falling off the trees. When the apple first falls of the branch, the absence of its weight causes the whole branch and its leaves to shake. The thump, obviously, was just the apple hitting the ground. Braeburn had heard it a million times before during the day time. But he had never really paid attention to the sound of the thing. He would have laughed at himself. But it seemed to him that it would have broken the natural silence of this sanctified place.
The cloud over the moon only grew darker. Braeburn didn’t mind. He marveled at the noises of his orchard after midnight. He started walking through the orchard again; he felt refreshed. He could have bumped straight into a tree, it was that dark. But he didn’t. He could actually hear where the trees were. All of their branches were waving in the breeze, at least a little bit, so he knew where they were without having to see them. His other senses seemed to be more alive than usual as well. The air smelled sweet. Spring was long over, and there weren’t any apple blossoms left. But he could almost smell them, maybe there was still pollen floating around. He could smell the river too, and that was strange. How do you smell the river? Maybe it was the clay that made up the banks or something. He could feel the grass and last year’s dried leaves under his hooves. He could feel the cool breeze on his coat. He could see somebody standing a few feet in front of him, silhouetted against the orchard.
Braeburn screamed. He turned and ran. He jumped behind a tree.
He tried to listen, to hear if he had been chased. It didn’t sound like it, but his heart was racing so much it was hard to be sure.
“Who... Who are you?” he shouted out into the inky night. “I’m warning you! I’m shod!”
“Who am I?” shouted back a female voice. “Who are you?”
Female? “Are you... a filly?” Braeburn shouted out, more surprised now than scared.
There was a pause. “Filly? Are you a pony?” shouted the female voice.
“Well, of course I am,” shouted Braeburn. “What else in tarnation would I...,” now it was his turn to pause. “Are you one of them buffalo?” he shouted. He heard some of the ponies from town say that they had seen bison recently, way off in the distance.
Another pause. “Yes,” she shouted. She almost sounded scared. Why would she be afraid of him, of all ponies?
“Well, what in sam hill you doing in my orchard?” he shouted.
“I’m sorry,” came her reply. It really did sound scared.

Braeburn didn’t feel right to be yelling at a lady from behind a tree. He stepped out and tried to see her. She wasn’t where she was standing a moment before. “You don’t have to be sorry for anything that I know about,” he said loudly. “But if you’re here to cause trouble, then I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

He waited. He couldn’t see a thing.

“I’m not here to cause any trouble,” she said, from behind a tree of her own.

“Well then what are you doing here,” he asked.

“I just wanted to see your orchard,” she said.

Braeburn was humbled. “Well, why don’t you come out of there?” he asked. He waited, and then a head appeared from behind a tree. He couldn’t see her face, but at least he could see her silhouette. She timidly stepped out into the row between the trees. She was just a little thing, smaller than him. Braeburn reached up to tip a hat that wasn’t there. He had left it at home, being night and all.

“I guess we must have startled each other,” Braeburn tried to laugh a little, but it got caught in this throat.

She hung her head down a bit. Almost in shame. “Yes,” she said. “I’m sorry.”

“Again, you don’t need to apologize, uh... Miss...”

“My name is Little Strongheart.”

“Well, Miss Strongheart. My name’s Braeburn. Braeburn Apple. It was just a misunderstanding. But I got to ask, what on earth are you doing out here at such a late hour? Or early hour, I suppose?”

“I wanted to see the orchard.”

“Yeah, we established that. But why in the middle of the night?”

“Oh. Well, it was the only time I was allowed to come.”

“But that’s not true,” Braeburn said. “I’m happy to conduct tours any time of day.”

“I mean my people would not allow me to come at any other time.”

“They... let you come in the middle of the night?”

“Well, no,” Little Strongheart said. “I snuck out.”

“Oh,” said Braeburn. “I guess you must like apples almost as much as I like apples, ha!” Braeburn burst into laughter. Little Strongheart’s face didn’t twitch. Again, the laughter died.

“Now if you don’t mind me asking,” Braeburn continued, “why on earth wouldn’t they let you visit your orchard.”

“My people are preparing for the Great Stampede.”

“Ah, I see. You’re busy. You know, I could always give the abridged tour. Don’t take no time at all. It easily fits into the schedule of the busiest pony, ah, er, vis a vis bison, as it were.”

“These are our Stampeding Grounds.”

“Um, no. This here’s the apple orchard. Pride and joy of Appleloosa. You’ll note all the apple trees.”

“This was our Stampeding Grounds before you started planting your trees here.”

“Oh. Um. Gee whiz. Nobody told me nothing about that. But I got the whole plat for the homestead back at the house, and it didn’t say nothing about being stampeding grounds for anybody.”

“My people have been using this ground for the Great Stampedes for over a hundred generations, all the way back to the dawn of time. It is holy to us. The herds cannot gather. The ceremonies have been ruined. We are unable to stampede in the traditions of our ancestors. Our people are grieving. The young war chiefs are enraged, and they hope to make for war. Our elders and our great chief have said no to them. But I fear it’s only a matter of time. They have told us not to come here. They told us that the ponies must hate us, to use our land this way. They think you are very cruel and that you laugh at us.” There was a long pause. Finally, Little Strongheart spoke again. “I didn’t know if that were true. So I came see for myself. You don’t seem cruel, even though you’re a pony. But I can’t tell if you’re laughing at me or not.”

“A hundred generations, eh? The Burro of Land Management didn’t tell me anything about that. Well, I guess that’s bureaucracy for ya, ha ha...” Braeburn noticed he wasn’t being funny. “Now Miss Strongheart, I ain’t laughing at you. I’m just trying to be funny and all. Nothing defuses a prickly situation better than laughs, I always say. Now some of the ponies back in Appleoosa have been seeing you bisons out on the horizon, and they get a little nervous. And your talk of war chiefs make it sounds like people are getting their britches in a bind. I think what we need is a little more communication and get these things worked out.”

“Oh, you think so? That’s what I was hoping we could do, something like that,” she said. “I was thinking maybe we could build a road through your orchard, and we could just stampede through it.”

“Sounds like a mighty fine solution right there,” he said.

“But...,” Little Strongheart said. “I don’t think my people will like having to file into a narrow road. It shouldn’t be that big of a deal. But I think they’d be more upset about the principle of it, then the practical side.

“Eyup, I getcha,” Braeburn said. “Ponies of Appleoosa probably won’t want any trees cut down. Even just a few of them. Even though apple’s one of the best fruit-woods. Principles and practices again. Bit of a conundrum.”

“Yes,” Little Strongheart said. There was an awfully long pause this time.

“Well,” said Braeburn. “You’re already here. How about I show you around?”

“That would be lovely,” she said. “You’re very sweet. I hope all ponies are as sweet as you.”

“Thank ya kindly, Miss Strongheart,” Braeburn said. He started walking her down the rows of trees. She couldn’t tell one tree from another. In fact, both of them could hardly see a thing. Still, Braeburn prattled on. He knew the place by heart.

“We’ve got all kinds of apples here, Miss Strongheart. We got juicing apples. And we’ve got apples meant for baking. And of course apples for just plain eating. Did you know that there are over seven thousand varietals of apples? Many of them grown right here in the Appleoosa orchard. Now most of our trees are either the dwarf or the sub-dwarf varieties. It makes for easier picking. We have got one standard. That’s right in the middle of the orchard. Sort of like a centerpiece. What’s a standard you ask? Well, do you know that great big tall old apple tree in your Grandmother’s backyard?

“Not exactly,” Little Strongheart said.

“Well, that’s a standard,” Braeburn continued, not listening to her. “A very productive tree. And beautiful. Just beautiful. But there’s no way to reach all the apples, and it’s too long to fall. So that’s why we mostly grow smaller trees. All sorts of varieties though, and each one started from a graft. Did you know that natural apples are plum near inedible? Yup, small, green and oh so sour. Two hundred years ago, apples were only good for making cider. It’s taken a hundred years of horsicultural science to make an apple that you can just eat straight off the tree. That’s why you got to use grafting. You see, if you take seeds from a nice red sweet apple, say a red delicious, and you plant those seeds in the ground. Each of those trees will produce a random variety of apple, but, chances are, they’ll probably be small, green and sour. So that’s why we have to use grafting. It takes a lot of work to run an orchard. But it’s worth it. Who doesn’t love the sweet taste of apples?”

“Um,” Little Strongheart said.

“Well now, I’m sure bison and ponies have a lot of differences. But surely you like apples.”

“I’ve... never actually eaten an apple before,” Little Strongheart blushed, although neither could tell.

Braeburn was flabbergasted. “Well would you like to try one?” was all he could say.

“Oh, yes, please,” she begged.

“I’ll buck you one right this second,” he said forcefully. If he had his hat on, he would have pulled it down nice and tight. He went straight to the nearest tree. A Fuji, he guessed. He turned around, rocked forward on his front legs, and kicked the truck of the tree with both his hind legs. The whole tree shook above them. Little Strongheart put her tiny hoof up to her mouth. She was surprised at how strong he was. No apples fell. “Doesn’t work every single time,” he excused himself. He kicked again. This time an apple fell. It was on the other side of the tree and fell from a low branch. It hit the ground with a thump. “I’ll try again,” he said.

“Can’t I just eat it off the ground?” she asked.

“You could,” he said. “Most ponies would. But it’ll have a big old bruise on it. And if it’s your first apple, well, it should be something real special.” He kicked again. This time another apple fell. It was from a high branch, on his side of the tree. He could just see it as the moon was starting to peek out from behind the cloud. Braeburn leaped for it. He caught it between his teeth. Proud of himself, he trotted over to Little Strongheart to present it to her.

He expected her to take it in her hooves. Instead she reached up and took a bite while it was still in his mouth. She dug her teeth in, waited a second, and then crunched off a piece. The moon chose this moment to come out from behind the clouds. Finally, he got a good look at Little Strongheart.

She was beautiful. Her great big black eyes gleamed in the moonlight. She had a head full of curly brown hair. There was a beaded band in it, and a long feather sticking out. She had a little bit of foamy apple juice running down her chin.

She chewed once. Twice. She closed her eyes and chewed some more before swallowing. She slowly opened her eyes again. She smiled. It was the first time Braeburn had seen Little Strongheart smile, and his heart nearly broke. Braeburn wanted to ask her what she thought, but he suspected it might ruin the magic. Also, his mouth was still full. Instead, he offered her another bite, and again she reached up and took another one. Braeburn spun it around in his mouth and offered the other side. She ate all the way around like that. Then he through the core into the grass.

“You don’t eat the core?” she asked.

“You can,” Braeburn said. “Most ponies do. But it’s stringy and seedy and don’t taste too good. The best part’s around the core. And a pretty thing like you only deserves the best.”

She smiled again. “May I have another?” she asked.

“I’ll buck ya one right away,” he said.

Before he could turn, Little Strongheart bent at the knees, and leaped high into the air. She leaped as high as any deer. She could have cleared eight feet if it was an inch. No pony could jump that high from a standing position. She snatched an apple from a low branch and landed gracefully next to an astonished Braeburn. His mouth was agape. This time she offered the apple to him and he took a bite. He finished it while she held it.

“Watch this,” he said, grinning with one side of his mouth. He backed up towards the tree and placed his front hooves in a comfortable position. He kicked the tree again, this time right in the sweet spot and as hard as he could manage. Two dozen apples were shaken off the tree and fell to the ground. One of them bounced off his head.

“Ow,” he said.

Little Strongheart giggled. It was the first time he had heard her laugh. Braeburn felt as if he could have died right then and he would have lived a rich and full life.

“What about the bruises?” she asked.

“We’ll eat around them,” he said. “Plenty of other apples in the orchard.”

Half an hour later and they had eaten their fill of apples. They had wandered over to the bank where the river cut through the orchard. They were both lying on their backs underneath another apple tree. Their bellies were round from overeating. Their chins were wet with juice. They looked up at the stars above the trees. The moon was reflecting off of the babbling surface of the river, giving them just a bit more light.

Little Strongheart turned her head to look over at Braeburn. Braeburn did the same and they stared into each others eyes. Strongheart reached her head over, put her nose to Braeburn’s and wiggled it back and forth. She rested her head back against the trunk.

“What on earth was that?” Braeburn was stunned.

“We just call that a buffalo kiss,” she said.

“That was better than apples,” he said.

“Would you like another?”

“Oh, yes, please.” he said.

They did it again. This time Braeburn wiggled his nose as well. Braeburn didn’t know how long it went on for. It could have been forever, but that wouldn’t have been long enough. He did know that it was him that ran out of patience first. He kissed her in a proper pony fashion. She must have not been too surprised by the custom, because she was the one who first slid in her tongue.

Strongheart wrapped her legs around his neck. He placed his hoof on her cheek as they kissed. He ran the edge of it through her curly hair. She reached back down and placed one of her little hooves on his. She dragged his hoof back down her cheek, then down her neck. She pushed it down her chest, and belly, and down between her legs. She was already wet. Braeburn stroked her pussy as they kissed.

Little Strongheart had to break the kiss. She had to gasp out loud. The sensation was too strong. Braeburn was pleased to see her enjoy it, but he longed to kiss her again. He was patient and she finally returned the kiss. She was more forceful this time, and he ended up flat on his back. She pushed his leg out of the way, and reached over to touch him.

He was already fully erect. His cock laid straight up his belly. She gracefully stroked her hoof down the shaft. She lifted up his balls and fondled them, and then stroked back up the shaft. Little Strongheart broke the kiss for a second time. Braeburn sighed as she moved her face down his body. She picked up his cock just an inch or so off his body. Then she touched her nose to the tip and wiggled it back and forth, just to tease him. He groaned. She laid it back down and then planted a series of kisses all the way down the shaft. When she got to his balls she started to lick them both with her long tongue.

“They’re as big as apples,” she whispered to him between licks. Braeburn covered his brow with one leg. She rubbed her hoof over his powerful thighs and flanks. “You’re so strong,” she moaned. She had seen just how strong earlier when he had kicked apples clean off a tree. She made one long lick back up his shaft, and then took his head into her mouth. Braeburn screamed out loud. She sucked it down her throat, up and down, but not the whole way. Braeburn was very well hung for a pony his sized. She used her other hooves to stroke him and play with his balls. Braeburn lowered his hooves and started to run them over her head of hair.

Only when her jaw started to grow sore did Little Strongheart pop him out of her mouth. She looked at him and smiled. She laid back down onto the grass, rolled onto her back, and spread her legs to the night air. “I want you inside of me,” she said.

Braeburn was happy to oblige her. He rolled over and got between her legs. He stuck his head up to her pussy.

“Be careful,” she asked of him. “I’ve never done this before and I’m not sure what to do.”

“Never done this before?” he asked. A sudden pang of doubt came over him. “You’re a virgin?”
She nodded at him.
“Miss Strongheart, are you sure? We’ve only just met.”
“Braeburn,” she said, reaching her hooves up to stroke his cheeks. “I want a change. That’s why I came here. I’m sick of the bull-headed elders and war-chiefs. I’m sick of the sweaty teepees and the stinking herds. That’s why I snuck into your garden, Braeburn. And I’ve found the most beautiful place in the world. I ate an apple tonight and it’s the most wonderful thing I’ve ever tasted. Then I met you, and you’re the nicest bull I’ve ever met. And now? Now I want to have you. I’ve never been so sure in my life.”
Braeburn didn’t say a thing. He closed his eyes and laid this head down by her shoulder. Braeburn pushed, but it didn’t budge.
“Ow,” Little Strongheart whispered.
Braeburn pushed again. This time it budged. It went in. Little Strongheart sucked in her breath through her teeth. She had to bite her lip. Braeburn withdrew and then slid it back in again. He started off as slow and gentle as possible. He slowly sped up as the pain seemed to flow away from her body. It wasn’t very good sex. Braeburn knew it, but Little Strongheart had no basis from which to judge. It wasn’t supposed to be, Braeburn thought to himself, not the first time. But there was something here that was different than his previous times. There was something new to him. And it made it better. There was tenderness here. They loved each other. Braeburn’s hips started to pump reflexively, setting up an even rhythm. He hardly paid attention to the sensation anymore. He was fixated and enraptured on Little Strongheart herself. She looked up at his eyes, into his eyes and saw his soul. Her gaze drifted up. She saw the stars above him. They wandered and wheeled while he moved on top of her. It could have been a full hour.
“Could we try a new position,” she asked. They were both dripping with sweat now.
“Eyup,” Braeburn said, climbing off of her. He hadn’t been able to read Strongheart’s face, and was glad she asked. She got up on her hooves and turned around. She lifted up her little curly tail for him. Braeburn loved that tail. He mounted her. It slid in easy this time. Something must have happened. Maybe it was because they weren’t looking into each others eyes anymore. Whatever the reason, the eroticism spiked. Little Strongheart really paid attention to the sensation of Braeburn’s stiff cock plunging into her. Braeburn concentrated on the same. His balls felt heavy, swinging back and forth, slapping on Little Strongheart. She started to squeal underneath him. She moaned, groaned, squeaked and screamed into the night air. Braeburn pounded harder, really giving it to her now. She begged for more. The slapping noise echoed through the orcard.
At some point in the night, Little Strongheart ended up on her back again, Braeburn driving between her legs. He had lost focus of what was happening and could only concentrate on the fucking. This time the eroticism remained. They could look into each others eyes again. The love only strengthened. Braeburn had never had sex like this before. It was the greatest he ever had. He could feel himself starting to come.
“Do you... want me to come... on your belly?” he asked. That’s what all the fillies back at the Salt Lick demanded of him when he paid his visits.
“You can do what ever you want with me,” she said.
He pulled out his cock onto her belly and he came. He watched as the white droplets fell on her chest and face. She was still looking up at him with those big beautiful eyes. Suddenly he pulled off her belly and drove his dick back into her pussy. He finished cumming inside of her. Somehow it felt better this way. He leaned down and kissed her full on the lips. The last of his cum shot into her as their tongues danced with each other.
Braeburn pulled out and flopped down into the grass next to her. They rested their for awhile and caught their breaths. The stars wheeled over them. Braeburn finally turned over to her.
“I’ve never met a bison before,” he said.
“I’ve never met a pony before,” she smiled to him.
“What’s this?” he asked, nuzzling her.
“That’s my ear, silly,” she giggled.
“Kinda long and skinny for an ear,” he said. “What’s this?”
“That’s my hair,” she laughed.
“That’s hair, but it ain’t really a mane. And what’s this?” he said, nuzzling her nose.
“My nose,” she said.
“Looks like it was made for kissing. So what’s this?”
“Ahh, that’s my udder!” It was tiny and pink and pulled up to her body.
“Is it ticklish?”
“Yes!” she screeched with laughter. Braeburn laughed too and then fell back into the grass next to her. When they stopped laughing, they both saw a hint of light on the eastern horizon. They both stood up and stared at it.
“Braeburn?” Little Strongheart said.
“Yeah?”
“I have to go,” she said.
“I know, sugarcube,” he said.
“Braeburn?”
“Yeah?”
“I don’t want to go,” she dove her face into his mane.
“I know,” was all he could say.
“My people,” she said, “they’re so mad at you little ponies. They would never let us be together. I hate it so much.”
“Yeah, well, I guess some folks back in town wouldn’t be to happy with me courtin’ a bison.” She sniffed. “But you know what? I don’t give a God damn what any of them thinks. I love you, Little Strongheart. And I suspect you love me too.” She nodded. “Well, I won’t give you up for nothing. Not bison, not ponies, not any war between the too. I’m gonna keep loving you no matter what comes between us. Oh, I can keep it a secret if I have to. At least long enough for this property foolishness to blow over. I’ll keep coming here ever single night to see you if that’s what it takes.
“You will?” she asked.
“You better believe it.”
“Tonight then? I mean, after today?”
“You can count on it. Moment that sun sets below in the west. I’ll be here looking for you.”
“Alright, Braeburn,” she said. She started walking backwards away from him. “Until then. Goodbye!” she waved.
“Bye,” he said, waving back. He. too, started walking backwards.
“Bye,” she said again, still waving. “I love you. Bye.”
“Bye bye,” he said, still walking backwards. They eventually disappeared from each others views behind the trees. They kept waving every second they could see each other. Braeburn turned and started trotting back to Appleoosa. Love must be an awfully powerful thing, he thought to himself, if it hurt this much to say goodbye.
Braeburn climbed back up Orchard Ridge. The sun was peeking up over the horizon. He looked down at Appleloosa. It was just a collection of shacks, really. He looked back at the orchard. Just some plants in the ground. Neither meant much to him now. Not in comparison.
Braeburn descended towards Appleoosa. He had a lot of work today. He would set some of it aside and try to get some sleep. He had another long sleepless night to look forward to.

Spike looked around the gloomy, sooty teepee. The bison were standing over him. They were enormous and intimidating. They were far larger than the ponies, and even the ponies were big from Spike’s perspective. The bison were also silent. That was quite a change from the last few hours. When they discovered him hiding in the sleeper car, there had been a lot of shouting and point. They had shown him to a nearly blind village elder who had laughed at his appearance, and then kissed them on the cheeks. There was more shouting, and then they had gathered together various herds grazing in the fields. They held a big dance in Spike’s honor, and sang many songs in a language that Spike didn’t understand.

Then they ushered him into this teepee and sat him on a tall stool. Now they were silent, and brooding over him. A young buffalo girl came in, she was carrying a large bowl covered with a decorative blanket. She laid it down before him. She was much smaller than the others, maybe the size of a pony. Spike felt she was much less intimidating, and even pretty cute. He smiled down at her and she smiled back up at him. He blushed. She left the teepee and quickly came back with another bowl, smaller but also covered. She left a third time and returned with a large woven basket. Laying this in front of him, she sat down on her haunches.

The other bison turned as one, and shuffled their way out of the teepee. They closed the heavy cloth flaps behind them, leaving only the small embers of a dying fire for light. Spike was alone with the buffalo girl.

“Spike, dragon, on behalf of my people I present these four gifts to you in good will and with love to your people, and...”

Spike got down off his stool and interrupted. “Hey, hey, excuse me. I haven’t been able to get in a word edgewise this whole day, but you seem like somebody I can talk to. You know my name, but I didn’t catch yours?”

“I am called Little Strongheart.”

“Pleased to meet you. Anyway, I... Can I just call you Strongheart?”

“Yes,” she smiled at him.

“That’s a pretty name. Anyway, Strongheart, I was wonder why everybody was being so nice to me. I’m sure you can’t do this for all your visitors.”

“It’s because you’re a dragon,” she said. “It has been a very long time since our people have seen a dragon.”

“I sort of figured that. And I appreciate it. But what’s so great about dragons, if you don’t mind me asking?”

She blinked a few times at the unusual question. “Don’t you know the story of Scale the Dragon?”

“I’m afraid I don’t. Should I?”

“Long ago, vast herds of our people lived in these lands. Are stampedes were so large, they would turn the whole earth black, from horizon to horizon. Then a great and terrible evil came. Many bison were killed. Many more were hurt and had to flee our lands. Our people despaired. Then Scale, the Great Green Dragon, looked down from the sky and saw the evil. He fought with it, and defeated it. He sent it back to where it came from. Our people rejoiced and thanked Scale. He was kind and accepted our gifts. We were very grateful. Then he flew off to the Great Smoking Mountain. Our people haven’t seen him in three generations. Our elders miss him. To honor him, we’ve sworn to honor all dragons who come into our lands. You’re the first, Spike.”

“I’m touched,” Spike said. “I’m not sure if I could except gifts meant for somebody else.”

“Oh please, Spike, it means so much to our people.”

“Well I wouldn’t want to offend anybody. And I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Let me see what you have.”

Little Strongheart pulled the blanket off of the larger bowl. It was filled to the brim with large, beautiful pieces of turquoise. “Oh, wow,” Spike said. He picked one up and took a bite, as if it were an apple. “Mmm, phosphatey,” he said. Strongheart gave him a curious look. “I mean that in a good way,” he added. “You know, cryptocrystalline. Good comfort food. I could eat the whole bowl. Honest.”

Strongheart smiled. She pulled the blanket off of the smaller bowl. “We found these in the southern deserts,” she said.

Spike picked up one of the smaller pebbles to take a closer look. It was black and shiny. Inside he could see little flashes of red and green deep within. These were black fire opals, very rare. Spike popped one into his mouth. His eyes rolled up into his head. “Aaaaugh, these are delicious! I’m not going to be able to finish these in one sitting. Too rich, it’s like eating fudge.”

Strongheart untied the cord on the woven basket. “These are the written traditions and accounts of my people,” she said.

Spike pulled a parchment out of the basket. It was handwritten, but with a very careful hand. It was also beautifully illuminated. “Wow,” Spike gasped. “If I take these back to the library, Twilight and I could translate them and make copies. The originals belong on a museum.”

“We would be honored,” she said.

“So, um, you said there were four gifts?” Spike asked.

“Yes,” Little Strongheart said. “I am the fourth gift.”

“You’re... you’re the fourth gift?”

“Yes,” she smiled.

“Wh...what am I supposed to do with you?” he stammered.

“You’re supposed to take me.”

“Take you where?”

“No,” she smiled. “You misunderstand. I mean you’re supposed to take me. As a bull takes a cow.”

Spike was speechless. He started to open and close his jaw, unable to speak. Strongheart noticed and started to frown.

“Don’t you like me?” she asked.

“What? No! I like you. I think you’re very pretty. This is just all very strange to me. We don’t act like this in Equestria. This is all kinds of wrong. Well... at least where I come from. For starters, I’m just a baby dragon.”

“Yes, we know,” Strongheart explained. “That is why I was chosen. I myself am only a calf.”

“And you and your people are OK with that?”

“If we weren’t, we would not be offering the gift. We would be offended if you did not accept.”

“But...,” Spike didn’t know what to say. “We only just met. We don’t even know each other. What about romance? What about love?”

Strongheart flinched as if she had been struck. She bowed her head down. It almost looked like her eyes were beginning to water.

“Wait, what’s wrong? Was it something I said?”

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“Sorry for what?”

“Sorry for making this uncomfortable. I did not expect this to come up. I am in love. But not with you. I love him very much.”

“And you’re still OK with this?”

“I am, because our love is forbidden. He is from... another herd. Our love can’t exist. We’ve tried and failed. I just... wanted to get on with my life here.”

“I think I kind of know how you feel.”

“You love a girl dragon? Is it forbidden?”

“She’s a pony. And it may as well be forbidden. She practically doesn’t know I exist. Sometimes I think she’ll never notice me. It hurts sometimes.”

“It’s weird,” Strongheart said. “It looks like we’ve got nothing in common. But maybe there’s more in common between us than anyone might guess. I think we’d make good friends.”

“I’d like that, Strongheart,” Spike said. “I think we could be best friends.”

Strongheart smiled. She stepped over the bowls of gemstones, approaching Spike. She leaned her head down over him; he looked up to her. Their faces were inches apart from each other. She closed her eyes and leaned in further. She touched his nose with the tip of her snout, and then wiggled it back and forth, their noses mashed together. She stopped and leaned back up. Spike was staring back up at her. He had a grin stretching ear to ear and was blushing.

“What was that?” Spike asked.

“A buffalo kiss. Would you like another?”

“Yes, please,” he said.

She leaned over again. This time he got up on his toes. He closed his eyes as well. They rubbed their noses together for a long time. Spike almost broke it, not knowing how long it was supposed to go on, but he kept doing it. Strongheart broke it and Spike rocked back onto his heels. They stared into each others eye for awhile, the embers from the fire reflecting in them. She leaned over again without a word and they rubbed noses for a third time. Spike only let this go on a few seconds before he cocked his head to one side, reached up, and kissed her on the lips.

Her eyes sprang open, but her eyelids soon started lowering, finding the kiss too good to focus on anything else. She slowly lied down on her knees. She was so much taller than him, this made it easier. Now his head only had to bend a bit down to kiss her. He had his small claws on her cheeks. He started to tenderly stroke her curly hair. He slid his tongue into her mouth and she started to play with it. Like the flip of a switch, Spike could feel his new found friendship turning into passion. All thoughts of Rarity vanished. His heart only longed for Little Strongheart. At least for the time being.

Strongheart broke the kiss. Spike bit her bottom lip, but she still pulled away. She kissed his chin. She kissed his neck. She kissed every segmented scale that Spike had on her way down to his chest, belly, and below. Spike watched her, he couldn’t keep his eyes off of her. She stopped kissing when the bottom of her chin touched his erection. Spike didn’t even know it had already slid out. Strongheart pulled her face away from his belly and lowered her chin. Her lips danced on the head of his penis. Spike watched it all, he had a sudden feeling of inadequacy.

She sucked it into his mouth. Spike’s feelings were gone, replaced completely by pleasure. She held it in her mouth for a moment, not having a problem with taking the whole thing. She slid her tongue around it, tickling it. Only after that did she start sliding it in and out of her mouth. Spike was in ecstasy. He was running his claws through her curly hair again. He took her long silky ears into his hands and held on to them tight. He was rocking back on his heels as she was shoving her head forward. He started to return some force on his own. He started to thrust his pelvis, humping her lips. He started to moan. He could come right here and now.

Spike resisted the temptation. He didn’t want to just use Little Strongheart in the way the bison outside intended. He wanted to make love to her. If she wouldn’t love him back, at least maybe she could make her enjoy it as much as he was, for the moment that they had together. He pulled away from her, a long cord of drool hanged from her mouth to the tip of his cock. The feeling that he was just about to cum died away. She looked up at him with those big dark eyes, and his heart melted.

He walked around her body and got behind her. There was no sense in her getting up. She lifted up her curly tail, inviting him. Spike looked underneath her tail. There was nothing there to see except her ass and more brown hide. Spike grabbed her tail with one hand and reached underneath her. He found her pussy with his claws, but she was dry. He start to rub the outside, focusing on where her clit was still hiding underneath its hood. Spike rubbed and rubbed, she only got a little moist. Spike worried that she wasn’t into it, and that he should back off. As soon as he thought that, she got wet. Intensely wet. He looked down again and could clearly see it now. He spread her lips with two of fingers and slid a third one in. It slipped in easily.

Spike couldn’t take it anymore. He got his hips squarely behind her rump. He guided his dick to her pussy with his hand, and then slid it all the way in. Little Strongheart strained her neck back to look at him. She was biting her lower lip. Spike started pumping his hips. She kept looking back into his eyes, watching them. Spike started to pound harder and harder. Strongheart turned her head back around to face forward. She lowered her head, shutting her eyes in concentration. Spike dug his claws into the hide on her flanks. He pushed into her with all of his weight, over and over.

“Be careful of my tail,” she squeaked. Spike looked down again. Her tail was being bent hard, right at its base to make room for him. Spike slowed down the pumping. He slowed to a stop. He was starting to lose his breath anyway.

“Turn over,” he sighed. She rolled over onto her back. She spread her skinny bison legs out before him. Her pussy lips were spread out as well. They were a soft bright pink, glistening in the light of embers. It was so inviting. Spike bent down and started to lick it; he couldn’t resist. Strongheart started making cooing noises. Spike’s sharp ears picked up some noises from outside the teepee. The hooves of bison. Were they just passing by? Were they eavesdroppers? Spike listened intensely, but the noises stopped. He realized he didn’t care anymore. Spike got up on top of her, between her legs. He slid himself back into her. He started his pumping again. This was even better than before. He buried his face into the soft hide of her belly. His hands clutched the hide at her sides. She wrapped her long legs around him. Spike felt the sensation of an approaching orgasm coming upon him again.

He got back up, still pounding inside her. He grabbed both of her skinny hind legs in his hands. She stroked his face with her tiny front hooves. Spike felt himself cumming; he couldn’t stop now if he wanted. The feeling started in his balls first. It went back up inside him, intensified there, and then he felt it racing down and out his shaft. He burst out into her, filling Strongheart’s pussy with his warmth. He jerked himself into her one more time, and then collapsed down onto her belly, exhausted. He was still inside her.

She clopped her front hooves together and then used them to pull up his face so that she could look him in the eyes. “Did I make you happy?” she asked, a big smile on her face.

“Yeah,” Spike tried to say, out of breath. “I haven’t felt this happy in a long time. You?”

“I’m happy to make you happy,” she said. Spike realized she had dodged the implied question. He didn’t really need her to answer. He knew she hadn’t come. It bothered him. His face must have betrayed his feelings.

“What’s the matter, Spike?” she asked.

“I’m too small,” he admitted. “I want to finish you off. Don’t move.” He got up from on top of her. He too a few steps away. He looked down at her. Her cute little pussy was still spread out. A little bit of white semen was dripping out.

Spike turned around. Then he lifted his tail. He placed the tip of it right in her warm pussy.

“Spike?” she asked. “What are you doing?”

“Shh,” was all he said. He hadn’t forgotten about potential eavesdroppers.

He started to back up; his tail slid into her. She gasped. The arrowhead shaped tip was squeezed a bit, and then it made it in. The rest was easy. The flexible, semi-circular scales that lined he ridge of his tail tickled her clit as each one folded over and went in. He was able to get it all in. Then it was a simple matter of rocking on his feet, to shove it in and out of her. She started to squeal. The squeals turned to shrieks. The shrieks turned to screams. If there were any eavesdroppers outside, they were bound to hear her. She obviously didn’t mind. The whole village could probably hear her. She lowered her hind legs around his shoulders. He reached up and grabbed a hold of them, using them as leveraged. He kept pumping backwards into her as fast as he could. This went on for long minutes. He looked down and saw that he was once again semi-erect. He felt excited in her excitement. He grabbed a hold of himself and started jerking it.

Little Strongheart started to cum. Spikes scales where flicking on her clit every time he shoved his tail in; it was like the teeth of a comb. The orgasm came from deep within her, and spread out everywhere. She lost control of her body. Her legs were kicking in all directions. It was the most intense feeling she had ever had. When she finally came to her senses, she looked down. Spike had turned around. He was fucking her again, just for a bit. His eyes were rolled up in the back of his head. He finished for a second time. He had wanted to cum inside of her again.

He collapsed on top of her again, finally spent. He crawled up her belly, and she wrapped her legs around him, hugging him. They fell over onto their sides.

“Thank you,” Little Strongheart whispered. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

“No, thank you,” Spike said. “You’ve given me the best gift I’ve ever gotten.”

She giggled. She wanted to say something nice to him, her new best friend, but she couldn’t think of anything.

Their minds wandered off in the afterglow, but they kept rubbing their noses together.

“Yessiree,” Braeburn cheered. “I’m glad you got a chance to sit back and really see Appaloosa, after all that buffalo business and whatnot. Take a good look, because it’s changing mighty fast. Ten years from now you won’t recognize the place. There’ll be tree lined boulevards. A big old stone courthouse. Marble fountains. Proper schools. More intersections than you can count. We’re gonna lightnin’ bug the joint. We’ll be a real shining beacon of Equestria, here in the wilderness. We’ll be a Ponyville West. Yup, everything’s looking up for Aaaapleoosa!” Braeburn neighed.
They were both sitting on the front porch of Braeburn’s little clapboard house, admiring the view of the town’s one main street. “Well, now that sounds plum dandy, cuz,” Applejack said. “And it seems like you’re really on top of things, so to speak. When this town grows, you’ll be in a real position of authority.”
“I guess so, but I try ‘n’ stay modest about it,” Braeburn replied. “Say, would ya care for some more lemonade? I got a pitcher back in my ice box.”
“I believe I would,” AJ said. “In fact, I think I’ll follow you in.” The horseflies were starting to gather around the porch. Both of the ponies retreated into the shade of the house.
“It’s been so long since I seen you, cousin,” Braeburn said, “it’s nice that we could have a chat. I was worried all the commotion wouldn’t give us a chance.”
“It has been awhile. You didn’t make it to the last reunion, didja? Last summer? I can’t remember the last time I laid eyes on you.”
“That would have been that family reunion when we were foals. I’m surprised you forgot.”
“Oh, that!” Applejack blushed. “Oh, I didn’t forget that at all. I still think about it from time to time. Especially that time that... well, you know. But I didn’t realize it was that long ago. You still think about it too?”
“Just about every night,” Braeburn answered. “Or if not at night, then when I wake up in the morning.”
“Ha!” AJ laughed. “Well, we was young and foalish. That’s what colts ‘n’ fillies do when you leave them alone. No sense in being ashamed over it.”
“Ya know, speaking of colts and fillies,” Braeburn said, “there was something I was meaning to talk to you about.”
“Oh, yeah?” Applejack started to smile. She hoped this was the moment she had been thinking about during the train trip.
“I’ve tried to tell other ponies. But I haven’t been able to. So I thought that you should be the first. I’ve met someone, Applejack. She’s real nice. I... I think I’m in love.”
The smile dropped from AJ’s face. She blinked in the gloom of his house for a moment. She took off her hat, slapped her knee with it, and stuck it back on her head. “Well, shoot, cousin! Why didn’t you say so earlier? Congratulations! Is she pretty? When do I get to meet her? There gonna be a wedding? Is it going to be soon? Because I can always take another train ride.”
“Oh, she’s real purty. Wait...wedding? Whoa there, Nelly. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet. I sure ain’t asked her. Although, when I think about it, I sure know I want to spend the rest of my life with her,” Braeburn said.
“Ain’t that sweet,” AJ said. “You gonna have a big family? Lots of foals?”
“Foals ain’t even on my mind.”
“I can’t wait to meet her. How many times is she removed? I didn’t know there were any other Apple relations in Appleoosa. You are keeping it in the family, ain’t yeh? We’re a good breed.”
“Awww, nope. No relation, not even distant or by marriage.”
“Well, she’s from one of the Ponyville families at least?”
“Fraid not.”
“Well then,” AJ said, frowning. “Tell me she’s at least not a pegasus or a unicorn. I don’t want you bringing shame to our family.”
“She ain’t,” Braeburn said. AJ sighed in relief. Braeburn had been a little worried she might act like this. “But...,” he took a deep breath. “She’s not an earth pony either.”
Braeburn watched as Applejack’s mouth slowly dropped open. He watched as her eyes darted back and forth, like she was trying to peer into his left eye and then his right eye, trying to see through them. Trying to see what he was thinking.
“In fact,” Braeburn continued, “you’ve already met her. You liked her. Applejack, it’s... it’s Little Strongheart. I love her. And she loves me. We want to be together. I... I hoped you’d understand.”
“Braeburn,” AJ started slowly. “I can see how... how you might get a little lonesome in this little town. And I can see how easy it might be to forget about where you come from. Good old Apple stock. Like I said, we’re a good breed. Best earth pony breed there is. I can even see why you might want to shack up with some sort of other breed of earth pony, even if that meant foaling some mongrels. But Braeburn? A bison? She ain’t even a pony. Don’t you know how wrong that is? You’ll throw everything you have away. You’ll be a laughing stock in Appleoosa. Even with your own family, that’s how bad it is. Do you want that? Why would you even think of this?”
“I...,” Braeburn whispered, staring down at the floor, “we’re in love.”
“Oh no you ain’t, sugarcube,” Applejack said. “You’re confused. That’s what you are. Now I can understand the need to sow your wild oats. And you’ve probably been sowing them in some pretty strange and barren fields. But it ain’t right. You’re forgetting about how much better ponies are. You’re just confused. Besides, while I can see that she’s pretty in the way of her own people, she’s put some kind of spell on you. She’s a temptress.”
“Please don’t say anything bad about her.”
“Think of the bad things you’re saying about ponies. Preferin’ buffaloes over us. Don’t you like ponies? You used to, you know. Don’tcha remember the fun we used to have? Back at that reunion? You said you did, but I think you forgot.”
“I didn’t forget.”
“Oh, so you remember then. You remember the time we went behind the barn. And the time we went swimmin’ together? There was the time we kissed and I let you put your tongue in, remember? Your thing came out, and you let me play with it. Then we figured out what to do with it. Don’t you remember that? We had fun, didn’t we?”
“Well, sure. We had fun. But that was a long time ago. We were foals. I’ve changed.”
“I don’t think you’ve changed. I think you’re just confused. I think what you need is a reminding.” Applejack turned around and lifted her tail clear up in the air. Braeburn turned his eyes away as fast as he could. Then his nostrils flared as he caught a whiff of her pheromones. He turned back. AJ’s ass and pussy were right in his face. “You want this, don’t you, sugarcube? You’re a good, strong, wholesome stallion. You must want it. It’s only natural.”
“No!” Braeburn started to back up. AJ followed him, walking backwards. She backed him up into the corner.
“No? You don’t like your own kind? You don’t think it would feel good to stick it in this?”
“No!” Braeburn said again. He actually wanted to jump up on top of her back right then and there; but he couldn’t do that, not to his beloved Little Strongheart. Instead he turned around and faced the corner. He let his head down to rest against the walls. He shut his eyes in frustration. This had all gone so wrong. He was confused; AJ was right. He hadn’t been confused five minutes ago, but he was now. He waited for AJ to leave. She didn’t. He heard the sound of her hooves on the floor, but she wasn’t leaving, she was turning back around.
Applejack leaned her head forward. He flinched when she stuck her muzzle between his hind legs. She slid out her tongue and licked his balls. She licked broadly several times. She took the tip of her tongue, and carefully danced up that little seam. Braeburn lifted his tail into the air and out of her way. He wanted to tell himself it was involuntary, but he couldn’t lie to himself. This felt so good. AJ licked up that seam again, and then licked broadly, first on the left then the right side. Braeburn’s scrotum had been pulled up tight against his body, but as she licked it got warm and loose. It started to relax, slowly lowering his balls closer to the floor. They seemed to swell. His sack was loose enough that she could fondle each ball with her tongue individually. She cupped them, she rolled them around, she sucked them into her mouth. Braeburn winced every time. They were so sensitive, but it felt so good. This went on for long minutes. He could feel his cock getting stiff. His swollen head popped out of his sheath. His shaft extended out and dropped down towards the floor. He was ready.
Applejack stopped. Braeburn turned around. It was dark in his house. The late golden sunlight was streaming in between the blinds. A fog of tiny dust mites danced in the light, turning the bars of sunshine a nearly solid gold. AJ’s long blond hair seemed illuminated. She looked beautiful. She reached up and whispered into his ear.
“Do you really remember when we was foals? You remember everything?” she asked.
“I do,” he sighed.
“Then you remember what I let you do?”
“Yes,” he said.
“I let you put it in my butt. But do you remember why?”
“You were saving yourself for marriage,” he said.
“That’s right,” she whispered. “Well, I’m still saving it. I’m a virgin. But I’ll give it to you, cousin. If you remember where you come from. If you forget that animal. I’ll let you fuck me proper, Braeburn.”
She took a couple of steps backwards. She looked up at him with those enormous green eyes. She turned around and raised her tail into the air. Her tail also glowed like her mane in the strange sunlight. Her pussy was a dark groove in the shadows, but the wetness dripping from it glistened.
Braeburn closed his eyes. He mounted Applejack. His cock, now rock hard, swung around a bit and then planted itself on her cunt. Braeburn had known mares. There were several whores at the saloon that he had laid with. He didn’t really know them very well though, not like AJ. And he had never been with a virgin mare before. Little Strongheart was another matter. He wished she was here right now. She wasn’t. Braeburn pressed forward just a little bit. He expected resistance. There was none. He pushed a little more.
“You OK?” he asked.
“Oh yeah,” she said. “I mean, it’s tight. Real tight. Ahhh. Go slow please.”
He pushed a little more; it kept sliding in.
“Ow, ow, ow. Don’t stop,” AJ said. “It’s just so big. Keep going.”
Braeburn kept sticking it in. Soon the whole thing was inside of her. It had seemed to have gone smoothly.
“Oh, god, Braeburn,” Applejack said. “Is it all in? Fuck me, cousin. Fuck me slow.”
Braeburn started fucking her. He started fucking slow, as she asked. But he started to increase his speed. He kept watching to see how she would react. He didn’t want to hurt her any more than he already had. At the same time he wanted to get this over with. He was incredibly horny, but a part of his brain knew this was wrong. She didn’t seem to mind at all, so he just kept fucking faster. And he fucked harder. AJ’s ass was wonderfully curved and feminine. But it was also muscular. He could tell she did a lot of applebuckin’. On some of the strokes he stopped with himself deep inside of her. He pushed against her cheeks and she pushed back. They were so firm. He pulled himself out and then slammed himself in again. It looked like she was enjoying it. He slammed into her again and again. His balls were slapping up between her legs.
“Oh god,” she moaned. “Oh fuck me. You’re so big. Oh, fuck me, Braeburn.” She started to squeal. She started pumping backwards with her own hips, almost breaking his rhythm. She screamed. “Oh god, I’m coming!” Almost at once she got incredibly wet. He could feel it at the base of his shaft, and on his balls. It was dripping down onto the floor.
Braeburn squeezed his eyes shut tight. He reached forward and grabbed her mane in his teeth. Her hair felt long and straight on his tongue. He pretended it was shorter, and curly. And brown. He dreamt it was Little Strongheart’s. He started to feel a heavy weight in his balls. It moved up inside of him. He groaned loudly with his teeth clenched together.
“On my back, on my back,” AJ demanded.
Braeburn slammed into her cunt three more times, then he withdrew. He slapped dick into the crack of her ass and then shoved it up, so it was sticking up in the air at a high angle. Braeburn came. His load shot high in the air, shining in the sunlight, and came down all over AJ’s back. He rubbed up and down her ass a few times, making sure it all got out. Then he dismounted and got down on all fours.
AJ walked away. She found an old dusty horse blanket and wiped the cum off her back. She walked back over to him, smiling.
“So you had a good time,” she said.
“Uh huh.”
“You know, it’s getting real late.”
“Eyup.”
“I should get back to my friends at the hotel. They’re probably wondering about me.”
“OK.”
“You remember where you come from?”
“Yes, Applejack,” Braeburn said, starting to feel a little angry.
“Good,” she said. “That’s all that’s important.” She reached up and kissed him on the cheek. She turned and walked out the door.
She left him standing in the gloom. He was standing over a small, drying puddle of semen and vaginal fluid. There wasn’t any blood in it. There also wasn’t any blood on his dripping, shrinking dick. Braeburn didn’t notice. He wouldn’t have cared anyway. He had more important things to think about, like Little Strongheart. Braeburn hung his head down. He grieved.

“Ha!” Rainbow Dash shouted, more than a little out of breath. “Beat you.”

Little Strongheart took in deep lungfuls of air. “Yeah...,” she panted. “But you... have wings... and flew.”

Rainbow Dash admitted to herself, but not out loud, that her wings were the only reason that she had won. And she had only won by seconds, instead of minutes, and that fact was driving her nuts. She had expected the little buffalo to have taken the series of switchbacks down the first canyon wall and then up the other. She hadn’t expected her to take a series of death-defying leaps across a series of tall stone pillars. She had never known any earth pony who could leap as far or as high as Little Strongheart could. She was graceful. Beautiful, even.

“Oh, like I’m going to tie up my wings for a race?” Dash asked. She had this conversation once before, with Applejack. “There’s no way I could beat you if I couldn’t use my wings.” Rainbow Dash didn’t want to admit it, but she couldn’t lie. The bison was amazingly fast.

“Yeah, well if I had wings,” Strongheart gasped, still out of breath, “then there’s no way you could beat me either.”

Dash’s blood pressure surged. Her eyes boggled. She did not just say that. Dash felt a wave of anger, followed by a sort of jovial camaraderie, followed by admiration. Dash wondered just how fast Little Strongheart could be if she had wings. She was glad she didn’t have to find out.

“It’s a shame we’ll never have a true race, then,” Dash said.

“Oh, I think there might be one way,” Little Strongheart said. “Sidewinder Canyon.”

An hour later and they were standing in front of it. It was a box canyon. It was only a couple of yards wide, and the walls were completely vertical. It was winding left and right like the eponymous snake. Some meandering stream had cut it out over millions of years and through multiple geologic ages. There were brightly colored horizontal stripes which contrasted wonderfully with each other and the blue sky above.

“So what’s the plan?” Dash asked.

“We start here and race to the end of it. I run, you fly,” Little Strongheart said.

“Are you serious? There’s no way you can beat me.”

“See that bright yellow stripe near the top? Third layer down?” Dash looked up. “Don’t fly above that, and we’ve got a race. No flying over the top.”

“Deal!” Dash agreed.

“Then go!” Little Strongheart shouted, and she was off.

It would have almost been cheating if Dash hadn’t been expecting it. Dash took off a split second after Strongheart. She gained altitude in the twenty yards or so before the box canyon’s entrance, and then she was in the thick of it. She had to bank sharply right, then left, then right again. It didn’t take long for her to figure out Little Strongheart’s game. In the narrow, winding ravine, Dash simply couldn’t pick up any speed. She had to slow down at each turn, and nearly the whole course was a turn at some point. She couldn’t dive because she didn’t have any real altitude to begin with. And flying like this was exhausting work. A hundred yards in and Dash was nearly ready to quit.

Dash nearly had to slow to a hover at one near-hairpin turn. Strongheart barely had to stop at all. She kicked off of a wall and left Dash behind. Dash was furious. She nearly flew up over the ravine to cheat, but her conscience got the best of her. She pushed herself forward, as hard as she could. There. The end. The ravine straightened out and the trail rose up to the top of the canyon rim at the end. Dash put everything she had into one last flying sprint, and hit the sand and gravel trail just feet above Little Strongheart. She finished the last few yards on hoof, charging out of the ravine, and across the agreed upon finish line just one body length ahead of Strongheart.

Dash won. Then she collapsed into the dust, utterly exhausted. Little Strongheart had the strength to remain standing.

“You won,” she gasped, “fair and square.” If the final climb hadn’t slowed Little Strongheart down, she would have won.

It took a long time for Rainbow Dash to recover her breath. She used the time to take an account of her situation. A few days ago she hadn’t known Little Strongheart, or any other bison. The other day, she and Applejack had played with Strongheart all evening, once the Appleoosa situation was resolved. They had become the best of friends. Today, Applejack was gone, visiting with her cousin in town. So it was just Dash and Strongheart.

It was strange. The other five ponies were Dash’s very best friends. But there was something else between her and Little Strongheart. She had never known such a strong friendship to form so quickly. Maybe it was the competition. She had never known a better competitor. Dash actually respected her as a racer, and might even lose to her some day. Even Applejack couldn’t compete like Little Strongheart could compete.

Maybe it was the exotic nature of the little bison. Her culture wasn’t something Dash had ever known before. She wasn’t even the same species, yet it seemed their spirits had so much in common. Even their voices sounded nearly the same.

It was probably the competition.

“I wish this day could last forever,” Dash said, once she was rested.

“Oh?” said Little Strongheart said. “And why is that?”

“Because you’re so much fun. Duh. You should come back to Ponyville with me.”

“Or perhaps you should stay here with me. You’re my friend to, Rainbow Dash. You’re just about the best pony I’ve ever met. I’m having a lot of fun too.”

“Just about? I wanna be the best!”

“Well, um...”

“It’s a shame there isn’t some other competition where we’d be better matched,” Dash interrupted her.

“Can you swim?”

Some time later the pony and the bison found themselves on the bank of a muddy, wide, but fast-flowing river.

“Is that the Coltorado?” Dash asked.

“Mmhmm,” Strongheart said.

“So what are the rules?”

“You see that bank over there?” Little Strongheart pointed downstream and across the river. There was a wide flat alluvial bank, practically a beach.

“Yeah?”

“First one across wins. Don’t swim past it. It’s dan...” Dash leaped into the water with a laugh. “Dash, wait!” Strongheart cried. Strongheart leaped into the water after her. The water was ice cold, and shockingly fast. Strongheart aimed directly for the opposite shore, allowing the current to take her downstream to her target. She hoped Dash had enough sense to do the same. It was hard to see her, despite her bright colors.

Little Strongheart pulled herself out on the opposite bank, shook off all the water, and looked around. She could just see Dash’s rainbow mane bobbing in the brown water; she was downstream. Little Strongheart did the only thing she could do, and jumped in after her.

Dash was treading water. She had overshot her exit point, and now the banks were too steep to exit. In calm water, it might have been possible to kick with all four legs and get her wings above water. But not in this river; it was too fast. It was hard enough to keep her snout above water. She turned around saw Little Strongheart swimming after her fast. “I beat you!” she taunted. Then she saw the look of wild fear on Little Strongheart’s face.

Dash turned forward. She heard the rapids before she saw them. Little Strongheart wrapped her legs around her just before they both dropped into them. The whole experience lasted less then a minute, but it felt like a lifetime. They went over three drops, each bigger than the last. They missed massive jagged boulders by inches. In the last drop, they entered a hydraulic, and were tumbled over and over again underwater, unable to breath and unable to escape. For a moment they were both certain they were about to drown, then they were spat out into calm water.

They hauled themselves up onto a bank and collapsed. They gasped and cried and laughed all at the same time.

“You saved my life,” Dash said, wiping tears and river water from her face.

“No,” Little Strongheart said. “I didn’t save you. The spirit of the river saved us both. I was as helpless as you.”

“Then why’d you come after me? You could have stayed on that bank. You could have been killed.”

“Because I didn’t want to be alone,” Strongheart said.

Dash blinked in thought for a moment. Then she wrapped her legs around Little Strongheart and bowled her over, hugging her. Strongheart hugged her back and laughed. “See,” said Dash, “this is what I was saying about not ever wanting to leave you. But I have to go back to Ponyville soon.”

“Well,” said Strongheart, “there is one way we could be together forever. Sort of.”

“What’s that?”

“Maybe I shouldn’t bring it up.”

“No, you already did,” Dash said. “It’s too late now. You have to tell me.”

“Blood sisters.”

“Blood sisters? I think I’ve heard of that. It’s a buffalo thing, right? I mean bison?”

“Yes,” said Strongheart. “It’s one of our oldest traditions. It’s powerful magic.”

“So we’d be like sisters then? I never had a sister.”

“Closer than sisters.”

“Really?”

“Closer than friends. Closer than lovers. Closer than sisters. We’d be of the same blood.”

“Wow.”

“Do you still want to do it?” Strongheart asked.

Dash looked into Strongheart’s eyes. They were big, and dark, and very, very cute. She wasn’t about to deny her new best friend. And Dash was, if anything, impulsive. “Alright,” she said. “Let’s do it.”

It took another hour of hiking before the two of them found themselves at the base of a cindercone volcano. Strongheart found what she was looking for- obsidian. She showed Dash how to smash off a piece, creating an edge sharper than any razor or scalpel. They used this to cut their legs. First Dash, then Strongheart. They cut each other. It wasn’t deep enough to hurt badly, but deep enough to bleed. Little Strongheart used her headband to lash their legs together, cut against cut. And that was that.

It was a long walk back to Little Strongheart’s herd encampment. It took them awhile to get used to walking with their front legs tied together, especially since Dash always liked to fly every where. But they managed.

They got into camp just as night was setting in. There was a sort of aquamarine gloam still on the western horizon. The other bison were coming out of their teepees to see them. Strongheart was a bit worried. Bison were highly territorial, and did not like uninvited guests. This was especially true for ponies, even though the stampede conflict was resolved. Dash, however, was a different matter. She was the only pony they had ever seen with wings. And the fact that she was the color of the sky was auspicious. Her coat was like the summer sky, her eyes were like a pinkish purple sunsetssurrounded by white clouds, and, of course, her mane and tail were made of rainbow. Her colors were very significant to the bison aesthetic. They started to form lines on either side of them as they walked through camp, a gauntlet. To Strongheart’s relief, they were both greeted with smiles, or at least eyes wide in amazement. The herd saw their legs lashed together. Dash would be welcome in their community as long as Strongheart was welcome.

Little Strongheart led Dash into her teepee and pulled down the flap. They both collapsed into a pile of blankets, and Strongheart unlashed their legs. They washed their cuts in a bowl of water, inspected them, and determined they would heal just fine. They both had worse scrapes and bruises from their day of racing.

They returned to their pile of blankets. The desert air had turned chilly in the night, yet neither wanted to start a fire. They felt hot despite the cold air. They were, perhaps, dehydrated. They had completely overworked themselves, and every muscle in their body was sore.

Dash was lying on her belly on the blankets. She stretched all of her legs out as far as she could. It hurt, but it was a good kind of hurt. Strongheart was laying next to her. She rolled over onto her side and rested her head on Dash’s back.

Dash let her mind start to wander. She wasn’t exactly about to fall asleep, but she started feeling a bit dreamy. She felt her muscles unwind. She felt a new energy starting to well up inside of her. It wasn’t enough to get up and do anything, but it was energy nonetheless. She sometimes felt this way when lounging around her clouds. Horniness was the best way to describe it. She probably would have masturbated then fallen asleep, if she wasn’t a guest in somebody else’s home. Dash pushed the thought out of her mind.

Little Strongheart rolled over onto her belly, and dug her chin into Dash’s back. There was pain at first, and then the muscles relaxed and Dash felt the pain turn into pleasure. That thought returned to Dash’s mind. Strongheart started rubbing her chin around in little circles, massaging Dash’s back. Dash groaned out loud in pleasure. Every taut muscle and tendon seemed to loosen as Strongheart worked her way down Dash’s spine. She stopped at every vertebrae and massaged around it. Sometimes she would dig in and there would be a tiny pop, and Dash would sigh. Dash was now feeling inarguably horny, and she wondered if Strongheart felt the same way.

Strongheart ran out of Dash’s back. She kept going anyway, driving her chin into Dash’s butt. It was soft and large and round, but there was muscle underneath, and the tension was released. Little Strongheart shifted over to Dash’s other cheek, and massaged this until it relaxed. She could tell both by the way it felt, and by the way Dash held her face down into the blankets.

She sensed that Dash was ready. Little Strongheart grabbed Dash’s tail between her teeth, right at the base, and pulled. Dash rocked back onto her hind knees, shifting her hips up into the air. She lifted her tail up as high as it would go.

Strongheart very slowly let the tail go from her teeth. She carefully lowered her head down. Her neck still ached and burned. Her nose grazed down between Dash’s cheeks, past her ass, then stopped right at the base of Dash’s pussy. Little Strongheart slid her tongue in. Dash was hot and wet, very, very wet. Dash’s wings rose up erect. Strongheart reached up with her hoof and started to play with Dash’s clit as she flicked her tongue in and out of her. Strongheart pressed hard against her clit, then rubbed in tight little circles, first clockwise then counterclockwise. She stretched her tongue deep inside and found Dash’s g-spot. Dash’s hips quivered left and right in response. Strongheart tickled it until her tongue was sore. Strongheart pulled out her tongue and lifted her chin up to kiss all over Dash’s round butt. She lifted her hoof up to replace her tongue. She slid it in.

Dash rolled her head back and neighed wildly. Strongheart’s hoof and leg was long and thin. She wasn’t like a pony. Dash had been hoofed by ponies before, but it wasn’t anything like this. There wasn’t any pain or stretching or discomfort, there was only pleasure as Little Strongheart rammed it in over and over. It was better than any cold lifeless toy. Little Strongheart was warm and very much alive. She was thrusting it in faster and faster, fucking Dash like no pony could. Dash thought it couldn’t feel any better. That was until Little strongheart bent her had underneath her hoof and started to lick Dash’s clit. Again Dash neighed.

Strongheart sucked greedily at Dash’s erect clit and tickled it with her tongue while it was between her lips. Dash started to lean over to her side, and then rolled over onto her back as Little Strongheart serviced her. She continued to slide her leg in and out, while licking Dash’s clit above. Dash’s whole body was twitching left and right, as if she wanted to wriggle out of her own skin. She reached down and pulled out Strongheart’s leg, then she wiggled herself around and got underneath her, behind her hind legs.

Dash reached up around Little Strongheart’s waist and pulled her pussy down onto her face. Dash licked at her hungrily. Strongheart craned her head up and cooed, before bending down and plunging her face back into Dash. She loved the way Dash reached up with her powerful pony thighs and wrapped them around her head.

Dash had never known a mare like Little Strongheart. Her body was so light and lithe. She even tasted different. The idea of becoming a lover of a different sentient species thrilled her. She looked up and saw her little curly tail in the moonlight coming in through the hole in the teepee above. It was adorable, she had to squeeze it and pull on it as she ate Strongheart out.

It didn’t take long. There bodies were exhausted, yet they had been subconsciously waiting for this moment all day. The muscles around Dash’s clit started to twitch. She reflexively started thrusting her hips up into Strongheart’s sucking mouth. Strongheart was pumping hers downward. They both bit lightly on each other’s clit and then they came, simultaneously. They kept holding on with their teeth as their hips shook, then they both let go and screamed.

Little Strongheart rolled over into the blankets and Dash turned with her. Neither had any energy left to move, so they lied their like that, face to crotch, legs around each other’s hips. They were alert for a couple of minutes in the afterglow, and then they fell asleep.

Little Strongheart woke up, fully alert, to the sound of hooting and shouting. Somebody was entering camp. A stranger. An unwelcome guest. She kicked at Dash, who was slow to wake up.

“What’s going on?” she mumbled.

“There’s somebody coming to camp,” Strongheart explained.

“Who?”

“I don’t know. Probably a bison from another herd.” The shouting grew louder.

“What are they doing?” Dash asked.

“They’re having him run the gauntlet,” she said. It was an old tradition. Intruders were forced to walk between two rows of buffalo. They were taunted, shoved, sometimes even kicked. If they couldn’t take it, they were turned away. If they made it through, they were free to go about their business. The shouting died down.

“I guess he made it through,” Strongheart said.

Dash grunted, then rolled over the pile of blankets to fall back asleep. Strongheart rested her head down and blinked in the darkness, wondering who it had been. “Strongheart!” came a voice from outside. Her head shot up and her ears perked up. “Little Strongheart?” came the voice again.

“Oh my gosh,” cried Little Strongheart, leaping up to her feet. That was Braeburn’s voice. Her beloved’s. He came ducking through the flap of her teepee.

“Little Strongheart?” he called. His hat was missing. His mane was a mess. His eye was blackened and swelling even still. He had run the gauntlet for her.

Little Strongheart leaped forward with tears in her eyes and threw her arms around his neck. “Oh my gosh,” she cried, “Braeburn, I didn’t know it was you. Oh, I’m sorry.” She buried her lips into his face and started kissing him all over, even his bruises.

Braeburn flinched, but he smiled. He had missed her deeply. He reared up and hugged her back.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m sorry I didn’t come earlier.”

“I was scared,” Strongheart said. “I thought there was going to be a war. I despaired. I thought I would never see you again.”

Rainbow Dash’s eyes were wide and alert. She tried to duck herself further down the pile of blankets. It was dark at the edge of the teepee, and she didn’t think Braeburn had seen her on the way in. She hoped to remain that way. She didn’t know what was going on between Braeburn and Little Strongheart, but she didn’t want to get involved.

“But now you’re here!” Little Strongheart continued. “Oh, now you’re finally here! And our people are at peace. My herd will accept us. Oh, we can be together forever and ever.” She kissed him all over his face again. He tried to stop her but she wouldn’t let up. She gave him one big kiss right on his lips. Braeburn closed his eyes and a tear rolled down his cheek. She broke the kiss, then smiled up at him.

“Little Strongheart,” he said. He reflexively reached up to straighten his hat, but it had been beaten off of him. “That’s not why I’m here. I’m not here to stay.” Little Strongheart’s eyes opened wide. “In fact,” he continued. “I won’t be coming back. I suspect you won’t be seeing me again. I came to say goodbye.”

Little Strongheart’s hind knees began to wobble. She fell down on her hind end. Behind the blankets, Dash’s eye’s began to water, even though she didn’t comprehend the situation. “Are you going to tell me why?” Strongheart asked. She burst into tears.

“It’s because I... I...,” Braeburn struggled for words. “It’s because I broke my vows.”

“But you didn’t make any vows,” Strongheart cried. “Except to meet me in your garden.”

“I don’t mean vows exactly like that,” he said. “You know what I mean.” She shook her head, confused. “I mean... I’ve been weak. I’ve been unfaithful.”

Rainbow Dash bit the tip of her hoof. Little Strongheart still didn’t understand.

“I laid down,” Braeburn said. “With another mare. A pony, I mean. I cheated on you.”

Little Strongheart blinked, and tears rolled down her face. “Oh,” she said. She looked down at the decorated blankets that made the floor of the teepee, unable to look him in the face. “Who?” she asked.

“What?”

“Who,” she asked again. “I want to know who this pony was.”

“Oh,” said Braeburn. “Well... it’s Applejack.”

Rainbow Dash had to bite her tongue from screaming out loud. Applejack? Her own cousin? How could she?

“Oh,” said Little Strongheart. “I see. Applejack is a pretty pony. And she has owns a lot of land. So you want to be with her instead of me. I understand.”

“What?” said Braeburn. “What? No. No, Strongheart, you don’t understand at all. I... I’m ashamed. I cheated on you. I’m a horrible pony. A scoundrel. I’m the worst sort of scum that there is. And that’s why I can’t be with you any more. I’m no good. You? You’re an angel. You’re the best thing that ever came into my life, and I can’t be with you no more. I don’t deserve it. I can’t sully your good name with my sins.”

Little Strongheart blinked a few more times, but her eyes were dry. “You think you can’t be with me because you slept with a mare?” she asked.

“That’s right,” he said. “Ah’m more sorry then I’ve ever been in my life.”

“You don’t think I’ll still love you?”

“I don’t see any reason why you should,” he said. “I can’t even look myself in the mirror.”

Little Strongheart jumped up and kissed him, full on the lips. His eyes went wide, but they soon lowered. Rainbow Dash snuck a peek, and then hid under the blankets again. Her eyes were still watering, but she had a smile on her face.

She broke the kiss and reached up to whisper in his ear. “I forgive you,” she said. “Just please don’t leave me.”

“You forgive me?” Braeburn said, startled. “Just like that? It’s that simple?”

“Braeburn, I love you more than anything. I won’t stop loving you just because something comes between us. But it’s not that simple. I have to forgive you. Braeburn? I’ve... been unfaithful too.”

Braeburn went pale. So did Dash, behind the blankets. She gulped hard. “Who?” he asked.

“Spike the Dragon,” Little Strongheart said.

Again, Rainbow Dash found herself biting her tongue to keep from shouting. Spike?

“Spike?” Braeburn asked.

“Braeburn, I’m so sorry,” Little Strongheart buried her face into his chest and cried again. “Braeburn, I thought I’d never see you again. I despaired. They said there was going to be a war. They said you’d all be killed. I thought we would all be killed. Braeburn, they wanted me to lay with him, as a gift. A sacrifice. Braeburn, I thought my life was over, so I agreed.”

She fell silent.

Braeburn said nothing.

Dash waited, worried.

“Strongheart?” Braeburn asked.

“Yes?”

“Was he...,” again he struggled to get out the words. “Was he better than I am?”

Little Strongheart laughed; her tears fell off her face. “No,” she said, then reached up and kissed him again. This time it didn’t take him by surprise. It felt like heavy lead weights were falling off of their hearts. Dash, in hiding, felt the same way although she still didn’t fully understand what was happening.

Little Strongheart slid her tongue into his mouth, and he slid his into hers. Soon they fell over into the blankets. Dash could hear them as they made out. There were a lot of wet, slurping noises as they kissed. Dash could do nothing but wait. She couldn’t sneak out without getting noticed and interrupting them; they were blocking the only exit. Dash was caught in a situation where she didn’t know if she should just leave now and save as much face as possible, or just stay hidden. The latter choice dealt with the risk of being caught after they moved progressively on with their love making.

The sounds of heavy kissing stopped. It was replaced by the sound of light pecking. Somebody was kissing somebody else’s body. She heard Braeburn giggle. It must have been Strongheart doing the kissing. The pecking stopped and was replaced by... something else. Dash wasn’t sure what it was, a kind of muffled breathing. It just kept going on and on. After several minutes, Dash decided to risk taking a peek.

Dash looked up over her blankets. Braeburn was on his back. Strongheart was over him. She had his penis in his mouth. His big stiff cock was sticking straight up in the air. She had her lips around it and was sucking it up and down. Sometimes she took it all the way down to the base and wiggled her nose around before moving back up. Dash ducked back down behind her blankets. She wished she had gotten out while she still had the chance. Still, a minute later Dash stuck her head up again. She wasn’t sure why. But she watched. She didn’t care at all for Braeburn and his dick. But there was something about Little Strongheart. Something about the way her mouth was wide open and full. The way her cheek ballooned out when his head rubbed it from the inside. Dash found it incredibly erotic. Dash surprised herself when she quietly reached down and started rubbing between her own legs. She wasn’t sure why she was doing it, this of all times, but it felt so good.

Dash looked back at Little Strongheart. She looked into her eyes. Little Strongheart looked back at her. Dash, shocked, ducked back down below the blankets. Strongheart had seen her. She had known Dash was there and watching. Dash had thought that maybe Strongheart had simply forgotten. Dash realized that bison spent most of their lives sleeping in teepees, often several families to a single teepee. There was little room for privacy. Maybe this was just a part of the lifestyle. Maybe Dash had been the rude one by watching.

Dash kept her head down this time. She didn’t want to bother them again. The noises changed. Little Strongheart was making little squeaking noises. Dash kept fighting the urge to slide her hand back down to rub herself off some more. Sometimes she would rub a few times and the force herself to stop. After ten or fifteen minutes, she noticed their breathing was getting heavier and heavier.

Rainbow Dash risked another peek. Sure enough, the couple was fucking. Braeburn was taking her from behind. Little Strongheart was sprawled out on the floor, and Braeburn was pretty much laying on top of her, thrusting in and out of her with fast, shallow strokes. Dash bit her lip, then reached down and started rubbing her clit hard. Little Strongheart started to moan. Dash realized that neither of them were looking in her direction. It meant she could risk watching. Then she suddenly noticed that they were no longer blocking the exit.

Here was Dash’s chance to escape. She took it. Little Strongheart was starting to scream. Dash quietly pulled the blankets off of her body. Braeburn was starting to moan. Dash felt lucky they were making so much noise. Maybe they wouldn’t hear her. She started to creep around the circumference of the teepee on her belly, hoping to not make a peep and making as low a profile as possible. All she had to do was make it to the flap of the teepee.

She was almost there when Little Strongheart started to come. Dash stopped in her tracks and looked. Braeburn was directly between her and Little Strongheart. She had her back legs spread apart and bent at the knees. Her little black hooves were sticking up in the air around Braeburn’s flexing ass. Dash literally couldn’t help herself. Her hoof involuntarily shot underneath herself and started to rub again.

Little Strongheart screamed in ecstasy. So did Rainbow Dash. She writhed uncontrollably on the floor. They both had simultaneous orgasms for the second time in the same day. When Dash picked herself up, she looked at Braeburn. He had pulled himself out of Strongheart, and had backed up to the edge of the teepee. The shocked look on his face made it perfectly clear that Dash had surprised him with her presence. Strongheart was still laying prone on the floor, occasionally bending her legs in post-orgasmic bliss. She was turning her head to both Dash then Braeburn, looking at both with soft bedroom eyes.

“What?” Braeburn screamed. “What is she doing here?”

“She’s my guest,” Strongheart said nonchalantly. “She’s by blood sister.” The bison held up her leg to show him her cut, but it was already invisible beneath her coat. “We’ve spent all day together. We were racing and we were swimming. Then we became blood sisters and came home. We made love then fell asleep, and that’s how you found us.”

“I... you... what... I... what?” Braeburn was beside himself. “You said you slept with Spike!”

“Yes,” Little Strongheart said.

“But... but... her!” he pointed to Rainbow Dash. Dash tried to make herself as small as possible.

“She is my blood sister.”

“Oh, and that’s not cheating?”

“No,” Strongheart said. “She’s my blood sister.” She looked at both of them and they both seemed upset and confused. “Do you not know what it means to be blood sisters?”

“Well,” said Braeburn, “I suppose it means your extra super best friends.”

“What?” said Strongheart, “no no no. We are closer than friends. Even sisters. Braeburn, Rainbow Dash and I now share the same blood. We’re of the same flesh. We are like to aspects of the same soul. Our two bodies having sex is like having sex with yourself. It’s like masturbation.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes,” Strongheart said. “Didn’t you know this? It’s very simple.”

“So then if I had sex with Rainbow Dash,” Braeburn said, “you wouldn’t get mad at me? Because it’s just the same as having sex with you.”

“Of course not,” Strongheart said. “I’d expect you to. Would you spurn her? Don’t you think she’s beautiful?”

“Hey, wait a minute,” Dash finally spoke up.

“Now Miss Dash,” Braeburn said, “I’m only talking in the hypothetical. I ain’t meaning to insult you or tarnish your reputation as a lady. Ah’m just tryin’ to get my head wrapped around this situation. I ain’t coming on to you or nothing.”

“Oh?” said Strongheart. “You really don’t like her?”

“Wait, I didn’t say that, I...”

“Maybe I should just go and let you two sort it out,” Rainbow Dash said.

“No, please don’t go,” Strongheart said.

“Maybe I should go?” Braeburn said, utterly confused.

“No, don’t. Stay,” Strongheart said. “I love both of you very much. You’re just confused is all. Here.” Strongheart turned and stepped over to Rainbow Dash. She kissed her hard on the lips and stuck her tongue in. Rainbow Dash opened her eyes wide. She wanted to enjoy the kiss but she couldn’t help but look at Braeburn. Their gaze locked. It was uncomfortable.

For Braeburn’s part, he was only more confused. At least Rainbow Dash wasn’t Spike. He watched as Little Strongheart lifted up her little curly tail for him, showing him her pussy and ass. She waved her tail around, tempting him. By all means he should be jealous, but he wasn’t. His cock had gone flaccid when he was surprised by Dash, but now it was getting hard again. It got harder as he watched Dash close her eyes and kiss Strongheart back.

Strongheart broke the kiss. She turned and walked to Braeburn. “Stay,” she said to him, before kissing him as she had kissed Dash. She lifted her tail up for Dash. Dash took a few steps forward. Strongheart turned back to Dash. “I love you both,” she repeated, before kissing Dash. Braeburn stepped a little closer. Strongheart turned one last time to Braeburn. “Let’s make love again,” she whispered.

Strongheart kissed him once on the lips, and then bent down and stuck her head between his front legs. She forced him to rear up, and he mounted her in the opposite direction. Braeburn flexed his cock up to her face and she sucked it into her mouth. Braeburn’s eyes rolled into the back of his head. When he rolled them back down again, he looked down. Dash had her face planted into Strongheart’s pussy. Strongheart’s tail was swinging left and right over her mane. It was an extraordinary sight, and it really turned Braeburn on. On impulse, Braeburn thrusted his hips forward. He shoved his cock further down Strongheart’s throat. She let out a muffled squeal. It only got Braeburn more excited. He pumped into her face several more times. His balls went swinging up and slapped against her chin.

Strongheart pulled his cock out of her mouth the moment he gave her a chance and gasped for breath. She slid her tongue up and down the side of his shaft for a moment, enjoying Dash’s tongue dancing across her clit, then finally sat down and rolled onto her back. She could tell how bad Braeburn wanted to fuck, and she wanted him inside of her.

Little Strongheart spread her legs wide for Braeburn. He climbed on top of her and shoved his cock in. He set to fucking her hard right away. Dash stood back for a moment and watched. She enjoyed watching the reaction change on Strongheart’s face as she was being fucked. Dash realized she was rubbing herself off again with her hoof. She stepped forward and lowered her face to Strongheart’s and kissed her. Strongheart reached up with her front legs and wrapped them around Dash’s head and jammed her tongue into Dash’s mouth. She was wild.

Rainbow Dash kissed Strongheart for a minute or two. It was odd, as Strongheart’s whole body was violently shaking back and forth with each of Braeburn’s thrusts. Little Strongheart relaxed her grip on Dash’s head, and Dash ended the kiss. Dash reared up, stepped forward, straddled Strongheart’s head, and lowered herself down onto her face. Strongheart dove her tongue in and licked Dash sloppily.

Dash nearly fell forward, overwhelmed. She wrapped her legs around Braeburn powerful, muscular shoulders and dug her face into his neck. When Dash was able to control herself, finally used to Strongheart’s tongue work, she lifted herself up a bit. She still had to support herself by keeping her front hooves on Braeburn’s shoulders. He was stronger than any mare she had known. More solid. They looked into each other’s eyes. They hadn’t expected to be this close just minutes before. Their eyes slowly started to close. Their lips pursed. They leaned into each other and kissed.

It didn’t last long. Dash broke the kiss. She felt a kind of attraction to Braeburn, but it wasn’t exactly sexual. Braeburn sensed that. Instead, they leaned their foreheads together and shut their eyes. They felt a connection between themselves. It was Strongheart. And it was more than just physical. Braeburn continued to fuck Strongheart, as she in turn pleasured Dash.

It didn’t take long before Dash’s face started to wince. She started to squeal. Braeburn could feel the muscles in her forehead contracting. He could tell that she was about to come. He knew that Strongheart was about to as well. He fucked her harder, using all of his remaining energy to increase his rhythm and pounded himself into his lover. Braeburn could hear Strongheart moaning from between Dash’s thighs. Dash rubbed her forehead across his sweaty brow and squeezed onto his shoulders tight as she came. Then she fell over onto her side, into the pile of blankets. Braeburn collapsed onto Strongheart, exhausted. She squeezed him tight with her legs, rolling him around inside as she was still coming.

Braeburn found the strength to pull out and roll over onto his back. Strongheart was still rearing to go. She got herself up and popped Braeburn’s cock into her mouth. She sucked it up and down a couple of times, and then let it go with a wet smack. She straddled him, facing away, then slowly lowered herself down onto his dick, in the reverse cowgirl position. Once she got it all the way in, she started pumping her pelvis quickly up and down. She was determined to finish him.

Dash started to crawl over on her belly to them. She was exhausted, but if Strongheart was still having fun, she felt the pull of competition. Dash crawled between their legs face first. She took in the sight. In the moonlight, she could just make out Strongheart’s little pink exposed clit. It was riding up and down the length of Braeburn’s fat shaft. His big pink balls were bouncing down beneath. Dash wasn’t personally interested in cocks and balls, but she couldn’t deny the inherent eroticism of the scene. Dash lifted her head up and stuck out her tongue, trying to lick Strongheart’s clit. It wasn’t easy, as it was moving up and down too fast. She just sort of had to stick out her tongue and let Strongheart’s clit rub against it. Dash grew frustrated. She bent down and decided to lick Braeburn’s cock. Right at the base were Strongheart’s pussy was just reaching. She licked a few times, then went down further and licked his balls. She wasn’t really feeling it, and she had no sense that Braeburn enjoyed it either. So Dash returned to trying to lick Strongheart’s clit, who clearly enjoyed it based on the way she was squealing. Dash reached forward with her hooves and started to play with Braeburn’s balls, feeling it was the least she could do for him.

Braeburn groaned loudly. He started to cum. Dash pulled her face back, but kept groping his balls. She watched as Braeburn’s thick, white cum started to spill out of Strongheart’s pussy and drip down his shaft. She felt happy that Strongheart was happy to have pleased Braeburn.

Strongheart leaned all the way backwards onto Braeburn. His cock slipped out, spilling more of his seed. Strongheart rolled over to the side and cuddled with her lover. Dash smiled, then crawled up next to Strongheart and cuddled her as well. Both Braeburn and Rainbow Dash wrapped their legs around Strongheart, sandwiching her between them.

They were in the same position when they woke up late the next morning.

Braeburn, Little Strongheart, and Rainbow Dash clambered up to the top of Orchard Ridge. They were late. Appleoosa laid stretched out beneath them. They could see the train in the station. The drive ponies were already harnessed up, destined for Ponyville, Canterlot, and points east. Dash had minutes if she wanted to make it.

“I gotta go,” Dash said. They all knew it. “I wish I didn’t.”

“I’m going to miss you, Rainbow Dash,” Strongheart said. Her eyes were starting to water.

“Hey, don’t get sad,” Dash said. “We’re blood sisters, right? We’ll be together forever, no matter how far apart, right? That’s the whole point.”

Little Strongheart nodded and smiled. Rainbow Dash stepped up to her and kissed her. Braeburn smiled and waited. “You’re going to come and visit me,” Dash said. “Right? The both of you?”

Strongheart nodded. “As soon as we get settled down here,” Braeburn chimed in. “It’d be nice to take a vacation, as much as I love Appleoosa, it’d be nice to take one. It’d be like a honeymoon.” He put a leg around Strongheart’s shoulders.

Dash smiled. She flexed her wings and then took off into the air. “That sounds great,” she said, hovering in place. “I’ll call you when I get home. But I really got to go. Bye!” she waved to them. They waved back. Dash took off down for the train station, but only got a few feet before stopping and turning around.

“Hey,” she called back to the both of them. “Are you two going to be OK? I mean by yourselves? After everything?”

Braeburn and Little Strongheart looked into each others eyes, then to Dash. “We’ll be just fine,” Strongheart called out.

“OK,” Dash shouted. “Make me lots of nieces and nephews.”

Strongheart and Braeburn laughed. “I don’t think ponies and bisons can do that,” Strongheart said.”

“But we’ll give it our best!” Braeburn added.

Dash laughed, turned, and flew off. Braeburn and Strongheart stayed on the ridge and watched her go. They stayed until they watched her and all the others board the train, and then it left the station.

Braeburn turned to the west and looked down on his beloved apple orchard. His garden, as Strongheart called it. Then he turned east and looked at his beloved Appleoosa. Already off and starting a brand new day. The future looked bright for it. Braeburn turned and looked down into his beloved Little Strongheart’s big brown eyes.

He was as happy as he had ever been.

They both were.