Author's Notes:

This story takes place during Season 3.

The stars above shifted and moved. At long, long last, one below had been chosen. The one would rise up and know her destiny anew, to become something more than she could ever hope to be.

All she had to do... was realize it.

Applejack sat at the dining room table, drumming her fingers on its surface. She fidgeted her hooved feet against the ground, scratching at an itch on her snout. She idly nibbled at an apple while her thoughts wandered.

Something was amiss, but she wasn’t quite sure what. Had the fields not turned up any fruit? No, the crop was coming along nicely. Was something wrong in the family? No, not that she was aware. Maybe she was just tired? It’d been a long day of work… maybe she was slowing up, getting old? Well, yeah, but it wasn’t like she could just stop aging.

Big Mac strode into the house. His whole shirt was soaked with sweat, the tight garment was clinging to him like a second skin. He peeled it off and wiped his brow, slinging the garment around his shoulders.

“Phew… South field’s done, sis. Sorry I got started so late.”

Applejack glanced up at him. “Hmph. Better’n nothing, I suppose. Guess that means I only gotta deal with the east field tomorrow.”

Mac caught the odd-note in her voice. “Ya alright?”

Applejack ran a hand through her mane. “I… y-yeah, I’m fine. Just somethin’ on my mind, is all. Don't go worryin’ about it.”

Mac leaned against the wall. “AJ, the only time you tell me to not worry is when there's something to worry over. I’m headin’ out bright and early tommorrow for Manehatten to pick up Granny and Apple Bloom, so you better tell me what’s wrong before it starts festerin’ in your mind.”

Applejack hated it when he was right. “I don’t—look, it’s… ugh.” A fiery blush formed on her face. “It's weird, alright? You don't need to worry about it! Honest!”

“AJ.”

Crap, he was hitting her with the Big Brother Stare™. She wasn't getting out of this one. “...It’s just a stupid dream, alright? Been having it a few nights now, and it’s been buggin’ me.”

“What’s it about?” he asked.

Applejack was already regretting this. “It starts with me looking up at the sky. There are stars—so many stars, filling up the whole sky like the most amazin’ thing ya ever did see. And while I’m lookin’ up at them, I start to feel good… really good.” Her face now felt even hotter. “Then I notice my hands are moving on their own—they’re rubbing my belly, which is all big and round. And every time I touch my bellybutton, I feel little wiggles… like kicking.”

Mac raised an eyebrow. “And?”

“And?!” Applejack gripped her apple harder. “Don’t you get it? Being pregnant felt right! It felt like I was… like I was doing somethin’ I’m supposed to do! I don’t—why the hell are you laughing?!”

A smile had crept up on Mac’s face, his deep, rumbling chuckles like shifting gravel. “Are you pregnant?”

She wanted to smack him. “NO, ya jackass! Can ya be serious for one damn second?!”

But Mac just kept snickering. “Sounds to me like your clock’s begun tickin', is all.”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Well it can keep ticking. I don't have time for a foal alongside all the other stuff we gotta do on this farm, and you know it! Apple Bloom and Granny are enough responsibility as it is.”

Mac picked at a loose edge of wallpaper. “Granny won't be around forever, AJ. And Apple Bloom ain’t exactly a foal no more. Hell, when we were her age, we were already buckin’ trees and planning harvests. The only reason she ain’t is because we don't want her to.”

Applejack didn’t deny that. Her eyes strayed to a framed picture on a cabinet beside her, showing off a happy family of five.

“She deserves a normal childhood," said Applejack. "She didn’t get any time with ‘em, so the least we can do...”

Mac followed her gaze. The shadow of some emotion crossed his face before going stoic. “If I were you, I’d think long and hard about this. If you keep sayin' ‘I don’t have time right now’, you’re gonna wake up one morning and realize it’s too late.”

Applejack grunted. She took a bite of the rosy red apple, staring off at the far wall.

“Just don't get knocked up while I'm gone, alright?”

Applejack threw the apple at him. Mac laughed as he dodged, running upstairs before she could find more ammo.

With him gone, Applejack sat there as she had before. Mac’s words had left her feeling more frazzled than before, but she couldn’t deny his point. Not really knowing what to do, her thoughts turned back to the events of the dream itself. Thankfully, Mac hadn’t picked up on how heated that dream had left her, nor the strange feelings that still remained afterwards.

If things kept up like this there’d be a lot of questions on why she was doing laundry so often.

AJ took the braids out of her mane and tail, letting her blonde hair go free. She didn't always go to bed without them (her long hair tended to get everywhere) but tonight she wanted to relax.

The house was locked up for the night. After Applejack and Mac had had dinner and gone their separate ways, Applejack had spent the last hours of the day running into to town to see Twilight about a book on dreams. Of course Twilight had had plenty of recommendations, presenting Applejack with a double-wide stack of books that came up to her waist. Applejack had dodged the explanations and just taken the top-most one in the stack.

Applejack wasn’t sure why she’d gotten the book in the first place, to be honest. Wanting to look up a bunch of mumbo jumbo? That wasn’t like her at all! But still... she looked over at the given book on her dresser, the concern on her face reflected in the mirror behind.

“I did go out and get the damn thing...” Begrudgingly, Applejack retrieved the book, turned on a bedside lamp, and began to read.

She started by looking up any entries about pregnancy. It turned out there was a whole section dedicated to it, but Applejack couldn’t help but laugh at what she found. Apparently, dreaming about being pregnant could mean anything to that she actually was, to that she was having two or more foals. She skipped all that hooey and instead looked for what had her more concerned about her dream, which was the stars. Stars were an important symbol in everyday life in Equestria, and having dreams centered around them was more than a little troubling.

“Destiny?” Applejack double checked the short entry she’d found. All that was written was a single word, written in plain, black font. “Whaddya mean, destiny? I’m destined to get pregnant, then? Is that it?”

She looked up from the book to stare back over at the mirror. It wasn’t long before she was laughing even more.

“Great job there, author!” Applejack shook her head. “Destined to get pregnant… so are most other mares! That’s like sayin’ the sky is blue!”

She set the book down, still snickering as she turned off the light. “Destined to get pregnant… Hoo boy, if there wasn't a more vague, silly set of beliefs, I might be an alicorn. Maybe I should make somethin’ dumb up and write a book about it, too. Could use the money to expand the north field.”

She was quiet as she laid there in the darkness, curled up in her sheets and blankets. Her two-piece pajamas were the only thing she needed to wear under the home-stitched covers, even on the coldest nights. In the autumn like it was now, she was more than comfortable.

Idly, Applejack looked out her window at the clear night sky above, the stars shining bright in the night sky.

Suddenly, one of them moved.

Applejack did a double take. She stared at the spot she’d seen, but all remained black and still. She was about to dismiss it when another one moved, right out the corner of her eye.

“The hay?” She got out of bed and opened her window. The cool breeze greeted her as she watched closely for a time, but no matter how long she stared, the sky remained like a portrait.

Applejack shook her head clear. “What’re you doing, girl?” She reached out the close the shutters, but then, she noticed a glimmer in the east field—a small, silver light flitting between the trees.

Applejack groaned. Damn it all, those two colts from Apple Bloom's school were at it again! Probably trying to get away with a dare about stealing a bushel of apples from the farm or something. Applejack swore, some of the kids in Apple Bloom’s class could be ornerier than a bull with poison ivy.

“HEY!” Applejack yelled across the homestead. “I warned you two last time! Ya'll are trespassin' on private property! Don't think for one minute I won’t come out there and buck your sorry flanks into the next county!”

Normally that did the trick, but the light continued to move about in the field, unworried and unhastened. It didn’t seem to move with any purpose, but it wasn’t really moving away...

“Consarn it.” Applejack grabbed one of her plaid overcoats. She didn’t bother re-braiding her hair; she wouldn’t need to for chasing off a couple bratty colts. She was the biggest, strongest mare in town, and she was well-aware she struck quite the imposing figure when the mood struck her. Having a body built from a life of farmwork didn't hurt, either.

Applejack left her room and went downstairs, re-locking the door as she stepped outside. She dashed across the homestead with surprising speed, an orange blur vanishing off into the inky night.

Applejack wasn’t sure how long she’d been running. She’d gone into the east field chasing after the light, seeing it clearly in the distance between the apple trees. She’d followed and shouted, but just when she’d thought she’d caught up to it, it slipped away. She’d kept following deeper and deeper into the fields, but it continued to stay ahead of her, no matter how quick she moved.

Applejack finally stopped after losing sight of it. She rubbed at her temples, her frustration mounting.

“Alright, c’mon now!” she called. “It's already late, and I gotta buck all this tomorrow—oh, Celestia, I gotta buck all this tomorrow—I SWEAR TO LUNA! IF YOU TWO KEEP GIVIN’ ME THE RUNAROUND—”

The light appeared a few feet to her left.

Applejack about jumped out of her skin. The light wasn't a lamp, a flashlight, or any sort of spell. It was a floating orb of light the size of a baseball, like a star fallen out of the sky.

“The HAY?!” Applejack raised her arms. “What’re you?!”

The light zipped off deeper into the orchard.

“No, wait!” Applejack gave chase, slapping away branches that got in her way. Farther and farther into the trees she went, the foliage growing denser with every step, all the while reprimanding herself for even doing this in the first place. Had she gone insane?! Idiot decisions like this were how horror movies got started!

Applejack was now running downhill. The leaves and branches got heavier and thicker, no longer just trees around her. A part of her noted that both those things should be impossible—the east field was nothing but flat land! What she was traveling through couldn’t have been even on her property anymore; the outskirts of Ponyville were just past the east field! There was no dense forest in this direction!

Applejack didn’t know what to think. She just kept moving forward on some strange impulse, each step feeling more like a forest than an orchard. The foliage blocked more and more of her view, yet she could still always see the far-off light, guiding her way through the increasingly-dense brush.

“Great going, AJ,” Applejack muttered. She wasn’t able to run anymore—the undergrowth had gotten so thick that even walking had become a chore. “Follow a ghost light in the fields after dark, all because you’re rattled about some stupid dream. May as well apply to Mensa while you’re at it, ‘cause clearly, you’re a fucking genius.”

She kept walking another few minutes, each step harder than the last. The light was still there off in the distance, guiding her to who-knows-where. “I’m lost in a place that ain't home, ain’t anywhere I know, and ain’t gettin’ any easier to trek through! What the heck’s wrong with me?! I get a few odd feelings about bein’ pregnant, and suddenly I fly completely off my rocker?! Swear to high heaven, if Rainbow ever finds about this—WHOA!”

The ground became a sharp, slippery slope. Applejack lost her balance and slipped, sliding downhill very fast.

“Whoa, nelly!” Applejack put her arms up over her face. She expected to be swatted and scratched by the passing branches, but all she felt was the occasional leaf brushing past. It was almost like the forest was getting out of her way. But before she had any more time to think on that she was falling, shot off the side of a grassy cliff.

“AHHHHH!” Applejack windmilled. She felling into an oppressive dark like an abyss, her heart launched into the back of her throat. Darkness encompassed her as she fell, swallowing her whole as the wind rushed past her ears—

SPLOOSH!

Applejack landed in a body of water. Panic nearly set in as she sank down deep, her hooves not feeling the bottom. She stopped flailing and swam upwards with all her might, breaching the surface with a loud gasp.

“Greh… zeh…” Applejack looked all around. She could make out shadows and silhouettes in the distance, but not much else. She worried she might be in the middle of some huge lake, until she heard the sound of crashing waves breaking against a shore to her right.

Applejack’s eyes adjusted as she swam. She was in some kind of forest grove, the surrounding trees so large, they seemed to touch the stars. The body of water was merely a pond, its waters clear and strangely warm. Only a corner of said grove was taken up by it, the rest a meadow of soft grass and large stones. The cliff she’d fallen from was just behind, some thirty feet high. The base was a vertical stone face without any grips or handholds to be seen.

Applejack realized the water was becoming shallow enough to stand. She stopped swimming and walked forward with tentative steps, the surreal strangeness making her head spin. She looked up at the sky just to see something familiar…

“Oh…” The heavens were filled to the absolutely brim with stars. Comets, constellations, shooting stars, nebulae, and galaxies, they streaked the horizon in wide, thick lines. Colors of blue, green, violet, navy, and white, all painted in patterns that spanned light years. The view was enough to take Applejack's breath away, and for several minutes she just stared, her neck craned upward, jaw hung slack.

“Just like in the dream...”

Applejack waded out of the pond. She was sopping wet, her clothes already starting to give her a chill. Suddenly, a strong, warm gust blew past her, as if she’d been blasted by a hair dryer. Within seconds she was as dry as if she’d never been swimming all.

“What kinda hay did I roll myself in now?” Applejack walked out into the open meadow. She wasn’t having trouble seeing anymore; the entire space had a strange glow to it. It felt odd to disturb anything here, as if her mere presence was sacrilege. The whole place just felt unnatural, but not wrong, per se. If Applejack had ever had one, she’d say it was like a lucid dream.

Her ears twitched at the pleasant chime of a bell behind her.

It was the ghostly light again. It was hovering a few feet from her, swaying back and forth as its light cast long shadows.

Applejack waited for it to do something. Almost a minute dragged by before she found her voice, although it was weak and uncertain.

“What... do you want?”

The orb chimed like a bell. It shot straight up into the air like a rocket, ascending towards the sky.

“Oh, come on!” Applejack called. “I can’t follow ya up there! S'not like I got wings—GAH!”

Something swept her off her feet. It was a giant spongy leaf, cradling her if she were a newborn. Before Applejack could have more than a thought she was soaring through the canopy, and all she could do was grab onto the edges for dear life. Within moments she could see clouds shooting past them, but there were still trees all around, their tops high, high above.

It was some time before Applejack realized she’d stopped ascending. It was longer still before she gathered the courage to open her eyes. But when she did...

“Whoa, there!” There were lights all around her, each one chiming a different note. A whole cloud of little lights surrounded her, entirely filling her vision. Some of them were smaller, some of them were bigger, but all of them had their own unique presence.

“Are ya’ll… stars?” Applejack scratched her head. “Huh. Well, I’ll be! I never thought stars were so small! I thought you were humongous things far, far away! Color me surprised!”

She watched as one of the stars descended, a tiny thing the size of a thimble. With a wary hand she reached out to it, and the little star landed in her palm.

There were suddenly... thoughts in her head. Applejack realized the chimes and musical notes were the stars speaking to her, each chime a whole distinct phrase. They were quite happy to see her... and surprised that she’d come so readily.

“Heh…” Applejack put a hand behind her head. “I, uh… don’t know how much ya know about me, but I got a knack for tellin’ when someone’s intentions are honest.”

The stars twinkled. They spoke to her in numerous voices, yet oddly, they all said the same thing. They’d brought her here to ask for help with something only she could do, out of all the creatures on Equestria.

She listened as they sang of their history, of how in truth, stars were the special seeds of countless unborn individuals. For untold eons this was the way of things, but then one day, something happened. They could no longer come to be as they once had, and now, they needed special creatures to be realized. For another span of time those special creatures helped the stars come into being, but then... they too became lost. Since then, the stars had searched for a replacement... any replacement, and Applejack was the first that they'd found. She could provide what they needed to come into existence, and if she agreed to help them, her efforts would be rewarded.

Applejack blinked. She wasn’t entirely sure what they were saying after that part—they were all speaking very fast. All she got out of it was that the process had something to do with the littlest star she had in her hand, which merely rested there, shining softly.

“Wait… you’re givin’ me a choice?” Applejack cocked her head. “Choice for—yes, I know what you want me to do, the dream you’ve been givin’ me clued me in… I’m just surprised ya’ll aren’t trying to force this on me! It sounds like ya’ll have been waiting a long time.”

The tone of the stars’ chimes grew somber.

“So I can help ya with this here proposition, and if I do, you'll reward me. But if i say no, you’ll let me go home, scot-free?” Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Really? Just like that?"

The answer seemed to be yes.

“Well, I’d be lyin’ if I said I weren’t tempted..." Applejack clicked her teeth, her jaw moving like she was chewing on something. "Even without them dreams, I’ve always kinda wondered what it’s like, y'know? Buuuuut, I’ve a feelin’ this ain’t gonna be your run-of-the-mill kinda pregnancy. What’s all this gonna do to me?”

The stars… struggled to describe it. They bickered between themselves a few moments before settling on three simple words.

Quick. Wonderful. Fulfilling.

Applejack frowned. She tried to get them to elaborate, but it seemed they couldn’t explain it any better. The whole idea of pregnancy seemed foreign to them. They were pretty clear on the amount of power involved, though... Something to do with funneling the energy into her through a shared link? Although that link would be unstable at first, prone to leaking and spreading to others, which is why they’d brought her here. Otherwise she ran the risk of ‘contaminating’ others.

Applejack looked at the tiny star in her hand. It, too had a voice, although it was the weakest and quietest of them all. If she listened carefully, she could hear it whispering to her in the back of her mind beneath all the others.

Grow. Life. Give. Need.

Applejack chewed on her lip. She could feel a faint tingling from the little spark, but nothing more. Strange that such a small thing could be the beginning of so much, but that was often how things were. Could she really refuse when the stars themselves were asking—BEGGING her to help them? She still wasn’t sure she understood all of this yet, but if all she had to do was grow this little guy in her for a while, and they were saying it’d be quick while feeling rather nice...

“...Alright. I s’pose I could give it a try.”

The stars all chimed at once. It would’ve been beautiful, had Applejack not nearly been deafened.

“Yes, yes, you’re welcome! Settle down already, yeesh!” Applejack gingerly rubbed her ears. “So what do I gotta do here? Anything special?”

In reply, the little star leapt from her hand, dancing on top of her coat near her belly. Sensing where this was going, Applejack slowly rolled up her overcoat until her smooth stomach was exposed. The star traveled along her exposed surface, sending a warm tingle across her skin wherever it went, pausing right before her bellybutton.

Without warning, it dove inside.

“Mmmmrhhh...” Applejack could only coo as a sensation shot down deep in her gut and buried itself farther into her. Her mind began to feel hazy, the stars feeling farther away, the smell of a forest teasing her senses.

Applejack didn’t know where she was. All she knew was that she was still resting on the giant leaf, her whole body warm and cozy. Her head was still spacey, lost in a lovely relaxing fog, and so she just concentrated on breathing, feeling the muscles in her abdomen rise and fall. A soft, gentle sensation kept tingling across her midriff, and then without warning, she felt her breaths getting shorter, like someone was sitting on her chest.

Applejack sat up. It helped a little bit, but she was struck by a stronger desire to stand. The sensation was still rising, the breathlessness mixing now with an ache. She realized she was back in the grove, so she started walking around, keeping to the edge of the western side.

A strong, pleasant shudder ran through Applejack. It was so great it made her knees buckle, having to lean against a tree to catch herself. She just stood there a moment, red-faced and panting, a familiar feeling stirring in her loins. Why it was so hard to catch her breath?! Was all this supposed to happen?

Applejack became aware of a new feeling in her chest. She looked down, curious, and that’s when she noticed that that her breasts looked a little... off. Just then, the hand around her lungs let go, and Applejack took a deep, filling breath, her already-impressive rack ballooning a size larger.

Applejack blinked several times. Had… had she really just seen that? As her chest rose and fell, she registered her breasts’ increased weight, their heavier press against her chest. Her nipples were now showing a little bit underneath her overcoat, bigger and more pronounced.

Applejack didn’t have any time to think further on it, for now another sensation sprouted, this time in her gut. It was like her heart had migrated down deep into her belly, thumping and growing something inside her. A breathless sigh escaped her as she leaned heavily against the tree, feeling it fill out bit by bit, her midriff teasing against the fabric.

When her heart finally began to slow, Applejack regained enough of her faculties to see. Her cleavage was indeed a bit more, but what truly caught her eye was her belly. It had swollen to the point that she looked four or five months pregnant! Curious, she brought her hands to its surface, gingerly placing them beneath the coat and upon her skin, stroking it just as she had in her dream.

“Ooooh nelly, that’s good...”

She couldn’t believe how sensitive she was. Simply rubbing her hands across her womb’s surface brought all kinds of fluttering sensations to the surface, her insides feeling like they were alive. She continued to stroke herself, struck by the knowledge that she was carrying a new life, revelling in the rightness of it all.

gurrrrrgle

Potent hunger pangs had struck Applejack like she hadn’t eaten a thing in days. And considering that she was now obviously needing to eat for more than just herself, this was cause for alarm.

“Ya still there, starfolk?” Applejack said aloud. “I’m feelin’ real hungry all of a sudden! Got any grub around here?”

Plop! A heavy vine dropped right in front of her.

Applejack stared. It was as big around as one of those rainforest snakes she remembered seeing in a book once. She hefted up the end and examined it, noting that it was heavier than she’d expected. The tip ended in a smooth taper, dripping some kind of sap that had an amazing aroma.

Before Applejack could stop herself, she’d brought the tip to her lips for a taste. It was some kind of sweet sap, but with a hint of… apples? Yet it wasn’t actually apples—it was something different, something she’d never had before. Well, whatever it was, it was considerably filling, and she wasn’t about to be picky!

Applejack began sucking on the vine without a second thought. The delicious apple-like ambrosia washed over her tongue, her taste buds alight as the thick syrup sank into her gut. She started teasing the vine, not entirely sure why, but every once in awhile she could feel more of the delicious concoction pump into her. She gulped down as much as she could, so much so that she could feel her stomach bloating further with every long drag, but even still she didn’t stop, her hunger coaxing her to swallow every last drop.

The vine squirted one last immense load into her mouth before going dry. Applejack swallowed it all despite coughing and spluttering, her middle now a somewhat-uncomfortable size. The empty vine retreated back into the treetops, and Applejack was left alone once again in the grove, staring up at the watchful stars. Her belly sloshed from the heavy meal she’d just had, but the uncomfortable feeling shifted with seconds, more gurgles and grumbles sounding within her.

“Well, then.” Applejack could only watch in wonder as her stomach shrank back down, every bit of the thick sap processed by her body. “Guess this is just all part of it—AH!”

A feeling like lightning lanced through her. She fell back against the tree as vibrations rocked the surface of her middle, like pleasureable fire burning inside her. A low moan escaped her as the heady sensation of her growth washed over her, tiny hooves kicking and moving.

She soon realized there was more than one. Her womb was expanding faster now, her overcoat having trouble holding her. The buttons strained as they fought to stay fastened, trying to contain the orange orb beneath. Applejack grunted as the foals all kicked in unison, and she arched her back along with her belly’s growth, trying to push it free. Yet the stubborn coat refused to break, stretching more and more.

Applejack felt a tickle around her navel. It turned into a building pressure, becoming greater and greater with each surge. The pressure sent more flutterings across her skin that now spread to other parts of her body, making them feel deliciously hot. Her navel became shallower and shallower, the pressure ever-increasing. Her breasts swelled again, now aching to be set free. The stitching in her pants strained as her now-growing plot pressed against them, and all the while her womb continued to grow, greater and ever more prominent than anything else, more… and more… and more—

RIIII—IIIIII--P!

Applejack sighed as she was released from her coat, the smell of warm, confined flesh washing over her. Her navel popped out audibly as her once-flat crest grew a small mountain atop it; a smooth line marking her pregnancy that only broke in the middle. She could see her belly now, burgeoning before her with life that’d occasionally bump its surface. Her perky breasts pushed at the limit of her pajama top, the nipples noticeably thicker, a fresh, milky wetness soaking through. She ran a hand upon her flank, feeling the added meat onto her thighs, her already-immense hips now the greatest example of foal-bearing legs she’d ever seen. It was no small wonder how her pajama pants had stayed together, and she had a feeling if she moved the wrong way, they might very well explode.

Applejack could only take in the sight as she pushed down her hot and labored breathing. Her breasts had grown to the size of her head, and her belly was like she’d swallowed a couple watermelons! Full, thick, and round, her womb was well beyond the size of a full-term pregnancy, its round shape distorting and swaying with her movements. She smiled as she stroked herself, feeling the warmth and movement of the lives within, her hefty breasts aching to feed them. Her hips gave her the strength to bear their weight until they were ready to be born, and for a time she just stood there, leaning against the tree and revelling in the new sensations.

But as the minutes dragged on...

Applejack yawned. The drowsiness was returning in full force, and it wasn’t taking any prisoners.

“So, can I just sleep anywhere?” she asked. “Or ya want me to—oh. That’ll work.”

Another huge leaf had appeared before her. She stepped into it with care and laid down, the leaf cradling her so that she was able to rest without feeling the weight of her womb. She rested on her side and continued to stroke her heavy middle, her eyes feeling heavier by the second. Another leaf descended and draped over her like a blanket, leaving her warm and at peace.

Applejack squirmed. She took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh air of the grove. She emerged from sleep to notice that her middle felt tight, constricted by some outside force. Her eyes snapped open to see, but what she saw only made her confused.

Her paunch was encased in a wooden... bulb of some sort, like a seed made of bark. It definitely hadn't grown from her, but she could feel her bump inside of it, almost like a kind of protection. It wasn't very cumbersome, at least, and after the initial panic subsided, Applejack found she didn’t really mind. All it really did was act like a blanket for her womb, letting the warmth spread throughout her body.

GUUURRRRGLE

Applejack blushed. She’d never heard such a loud noise from her stomach! She didn’t even need to ask for food this time—her leaf was still beneath the shade of the tree, and a new vine had already snaked down beside her, oozing the same sap as before.

She wasted little time in sucking away. This vine had more sap than the first one, and it pumped it out faster, feeding Applejack to her heart’s content. She welcomed every strong push of ambrosia, lovingly suckling every time it surged a particularly large batch into her gut. She could feel her greedy stomach expanding, adding to her already-impressive size, pushing against the limits of the bulb.

There was some kind of oil seeping into her skin from the bark, like a cooling lotion that left a potent tingle. She couldn’t help but grind against it, and every time she did, more sap would flow out of the vine, punching her gut just a little bit higher, forcing the bulb’s limits a little more. Another grind, more sap, more growth, more oil onto her skin. The process went on again and again, Applejack’s hunger seemingly endless, her stomach expanding almost as much as her womb—

CRACK!

Applejack saw it happen. Her bellybutton had punctured straight through the bulb, standing round and proud for all to see. It’d grown to the size of her palm, now less of a nub and more a bump in and of itself! She cast the vine away and brushed off the splintered debris, but when she did, she accidentally brushed her hand across the smooth crest. She cooed as the touch sent a tingle throughout her entire womb, feeling it swirl and move inside the bulb. She touched her navel again, and once more that wonderful feeling sent her insides fluttering, sensations coursing through her body.

Applejack began heedlessly stroking her navel, pushing the nub into her palm. The oil from the bulb had left it so soft and smooth, and the feelings only grew stronger as she continued, her stomach gurgling in approval as she continued to please herself. Without warning her womb swelled again, now almost twice the size it’d been before going to sleep. Her breast swelled as well, growing larger than her head and still filling with more milk. Applejack ignored the sound of her clothes and bulb straining—she could feel her navel growing in her grasp, slowly filling out into her fist as it pushed her fingers apart, the soft flab squishing in the space between her digits.

She sat in wonder a moment, stroking the fleshy bump in her hand. Every supple stroke gave way to an amazing pressure that built down in her womb, growing ever stronger as the sensations never ceased to fire across her skin. She was practically kneading it, her heart throbbing strong enough to send waves of warmth through it. Her womb fluttered stronger and harder with every stroke of her navel, greater and greater sensations constantly battering her body as she let herself go completely.

A strong pressure foretold more growth. Appleack’s pregnant belly pushed harder and harder into the bulb, spidery cracks forming on its surface. Her bellybutton continued to swell larger as well, escaping the grasp of her hand as it became larger than most fruits! She could only breathe hotly from the release, watching the mass move about as the bulb barely held her.

But her eyes kept straying back to her navel. It was so large now, rosy red and still oh-so-wonderful to touch, it gave off a flustering warmth that drove her wild. She placed her other palm upon it, the nub large enough that not even two hands could cup it, gently stroking it again...

Applejack threw back her head and moaned. The sensations returned threefold, their strength aided by her navel's newfound size. Every squeeze, every soft stroke, it was so intense as she used both her hands to coax herself onward. It seemed endless as she kept pushing, groping, doing whatever she could as the sensations left her shuddering for more. Even greater pressure began to build in her gut, churning with the forces that she’d provided and stoked, but she barely even noticed as the bulb creaked more and more...

A mighty throb struck her, the surprise of it making her grab onto her navel. The second one tested the bulb’s measly limits, the cracks becoming greater and greater. Applejack held onto the sides of the leaf as the sensations overwhelmed her, a coiling spring winding tight in her core. The third surge caused her to THRUST out her womb, sudden spasms contorting the mass that was her midriff. She continued to grunt and thrust, pushing alongside her throbs as the bulb's cracks slowly grew larger, giving her belly more and more space.

Each pulse of growth sent shivers across Applejack’s body. Tingling goosebumps covered her from head to hoof, fueling the lusty flames within. She could feel her breasts swelling with extra milk, dripping readily now through the failing fabric of her pajama top. The stitches of her pants POPPED as her flanks bulged further, her thick rear getting thicker. But she just kept thrusting and pushing throughout it all, her middle churning and groaning, wanting more room to grow… grow past her limits! The bulb was barely holding itself together, parts of Applejack’s immense gut poking out between the fissures in its surface, but those fissures were getting wider by the second, more of her size showing through...

Applejack pushed one last time, and with all her might, she held herself forward as a humongous pressure ripped through her. The bulb SHATTERED as her gut doubled in size in seconds, the stitches in her pants breaking as her hips grew in tandem. Her pajama top burst to shreds, her suffocated breasts bounding free to grow to the size of over-inflated beach balls. Her navel was now truly immense, far larger than she could ever hope to encompass alone, and the sight of it was enough to push her over the edge. She came with a lewd, girly squeal, squirting marecum all over her meaty thighs and soaking the leaf with her essence.

Applejack lay there, breathing hard. She almost couldn't believe how large she’d become—not just her womb, but everything else as well! Her hips could decimate an unsuspecting tree with a forceful enough bump, and her breasts... well, she had no worries about feeding the brood inside her, that was for sure! She stroked herself a bit, letting the warmth of her body just blossom through her, feeling the multitude of hooves that gently teased the walls of her womb. She reckoned she could’ve fit two full-grown stallions inside her gravid gut. She picked off parts of the bulb that hadn’t scattered from her rather explosive conclusion, trying to collect her scattered thoughts.

It occurred to her how much of a mess she probably was. She fidgeted, making to stand up, but the leaf lifted a few inches in the air, gently moving her over to the pond’s glassy waters. Applejack tossed aside the tattered remnants of her pajamas and cleaned off the bark proper, then scooched off the leaf to ease into the warm waters. Every ache and pain she’d accumulated over years of hard work swiftly melted away, and Applejack sank deeper up to her chest, her huge belly only halfway submerged.

She was still in the afterglow of all. She could feel the blush swimming through her navel, as well as in two other places further north. Intrigued, Applejack took a nipple in each hand, each one much larger than they had ever been before. She felt the dark, tougher skin of her areolae, then gently massaged them like she did with the cows. Dear Celestia, did they ache to be milked. The feeling of her hands slowly pressing harder into the firm masses was heavenly, and it only made her groan. Just that simple touch alone was enough to make them both spurt, breastmilk trickling down the sides of her island of a womb like waterfalls.

Applejack stopped herself before she ended up emptying herself for no good reason. Considering how good that’d felt, she might now have trouble stopping herself from doing that more. A part of her worried she should be more concerned with what’d just happened, but the more time that passed, the more accepting she became. She’d agreed to this, after all, and so long as the stars held up their part of the bargain, she saw no cause for alarm. This place was wonderful, and everything here only left her feeling better and better.

“In fact,” she said aloud. “I think this is the first real vacation I’ve ever had.”

She sank a little lower into the warm waters, slowly drifting off into a daydream. Her womb rocked and bounced with life all the while, sending small ripples out into the pond.

The only thing missing was her hat to pull over her eyes.