Applebloom sat at the small kitchen table with her brother, Big Macintosh, her sister Appljack and Granny Smith. It had been a little over a week since the start of Spring and the end of Winter Wrap and all the members of the Apple family here on Sweet Apple Acres had been almost too busy preparing for another year of hard work to share a meal together. However this evening, with everything all caught up the four ponies found themselves sitting together enjoying some delicious apple pie that they had stored over the winter months; it still had a hint of frost which gave the crust an unusually delicious kick.

The little filly nommed away at her pie considering if coming up with a way to make more of these frozen pies could in some way help her get her cutie mark. Applebloom was becoming increasingly aware of fewer and fewer of her school mates with blank flanks like herself and she had a deep seated fear of being left behind because of it.

Her red eyes took in her siblings in turn. Macintosh was doing much better after the injury in the fall ( something the stubborn mule refused to tell her or Applejack how he had received) and was looking much better. He seemed to be smiling a lot more too since Winter Wrap up, making his little sister wonder if something good had happened to him. Applejack, much the same seemed to be more happy now that winter was gone…she had almost a glow about her. Silently pondering this while she played with her food the little filly asked herself if this change in mood could have something to do with how to get a cutie mark…

“So did ya’ll have a nice Winter’ Wrap’p.” Granny Smith said in her old, high pitched voice. The old mare, with her bad hip had a rough time this winter and Applebloom had spent a lot of her time helping her Granny get around and move.

Macintosh was mumbled a deep “Eeyup” when a memory flooded into Applebloom’s mind like a apple falling from a tree!

“OH! Something really weird happened during winter wrap up!” she said excitedly while all three turned to face her, their eyes on her; center stage. There was a pause, they were waiting for her to go on so the small girl took a deep breath. “Well I was coming back to the farm to get Granny’s Cane and I remembered that I had left her old line jacket in the barn! So I went down the path that was cleared to the barn and I heard some really weird noises!” she exclaimed happily, all in one breath. Macintosh’s minor choking in reaction lost on her, but not her Older Sister.

“It was really weird, I tried opening the door but the plough was in the way and it was far too heavy for me to move myself.” She said sadly at how she couldn’t move the heavy mechanism. “And there was those weird noises from inside! It sounded like someone was saying Big Macintosh’s name…” She said pausing to consider this as her brother choked on his pie, AJ giving him a rather sly look across the table.

“Applebloom, any chance ye know who dat voice was?” Applejack teased leaning her way.

“Ya, it kind of sounded like Cara--” Applebloom started to say before she found a wedge of able pushed into her mouth by Macintosh.

“You shouldn’t play with your food.” His deep baritone resonated throughout the room, more words in one setting then he had said in that room in months. Macintosh’s cheeks were flushed a deep red by the conversation, his eyes on AJ who had the most annoying look he had ever seen.

“Oh-hoho!” AJ chuckled winking at Macintosh, and action that made Applebloom rather confused. “Seems like someone was having more fun with the Winter Wrap up then the rest of us…” She teased brutally. Applebloom, forcing the food down her throat had a moment of epiphany.

“Ya Sis,” she started in her thick southern accent. “It sounded a lot like the sounds ah heard the last time ah went to fetch yall from Rar--” She was cut off again this time by Applejack’s booming voice.

“Ah my, look at the time! Time for little fillies to go to bed!” She said kindly, but with a deeply stern undertone. Applebloom sighed and was going to protest but a silent nod from her Big Brother. Groaning the little filly got up and left the room going to her bed.

Leaving behind two blushing siblings and a half asleep Granny who’s face was resting in her pie.

XXXXXXXXX

Applejack sat at the table long after Granny Smith had gone up to her bed, leaving just her and Big Macintosh in the dining room/ kitchenette part of Sweet Apple Acres. The orange coated filly watched her scarlet brother taking the plates from the table and put them into the sink carefully with his teeth. Wondering silently how often she had just gone to bed and not remember how much Big Mac did around the house when the rest were asleep.

AJ shook her head violently pushing those thoughts from her head, no not now. It was a little to late to start questioning her relationship with her brother…so much had changed recently.

Young Applejack had come to some revelations about herself that had shaken the foundation of her character and scared her deeply…to the core. The painfully honest pony pulled on her hat nervously with a hoof as she tried to word her concerns to Big Mac…out of all their extended family Big Mac was the calmest and most open to others… He never let his emotions cloud his judgement or prejudices, not like the usual cowpony…AJ herself felt guilty of it at times herself, but never Big Mac.

“Big Mac…can Ah ask ye somit?” She asked hoofs twiddling together on top of the table.

The big stallion paused for a moment, his tail gave a nervous twitch; a habit he developed whenever a voice breaks a nice silence.

“Eeyup.” he said giving his shoulders a roll and going back to the dishes.

AJ took another moment of preparation thinking of how she could word what she wanted to without giving away the truth or lying…She just had to know somepony in her family would be behind her if she…well….

“How do you feel about…you know?” She asked fiddling her hooves more, an act extremely unlike the often overly loud “Like say a colt likes another colt…” she started, deciding the best way to distance herself from the question was to start with the opposite sex; she didn’t notice the nervous twitch in his tail or the glass he dropped into the sink. “… or like two mare’s being together…?” she left the words hanging keeping her eyes on him now, trying not to look to needy.

Applejack expected a long pause, the usual deep thought response from Big Mac, and it did indeed take the Stallion the usual amount of time to respond as he put the last of the dishes into the other side of the sink to dry.

“Well…” His deep drawl started, “I think that one pony’s business is to that pony, and if somepony falls for anoth’r… be them colt or mare…then it’s up to that pony.” Big Mac said in his thick accent. “T’ain’t nopony who has a righ’ to interfere with that.” He moved past her, quickly; wanting to get to bed as soon as he could. Away from this conversation before HE let something slip.

Leaving AJ alone in the kitchen, happy at his words…She did notice he had probably said more words in that little speech then he had said to her in the past two months but in all honesty she had pushed that aside. There was atleast one pony in their house hold who would be behind her when the time was right.

She could always count on Big Macintosh on being there for her, whether she wanted it or not.

XXXXXXXXXX

Toffee had recovered well from her encounter with Big Macintosh, it had taken some time. A part of her still was haunted with the memory of how her older cousin had looked when he had been pinned beneath her. Giving her candy coloured mane a toss she shook those traitorous thoughts from her mind.

Buck a tree. She thought to herself, kicking out her strong hind quarters. Rewards falling all around her into the buckets she had placed. Bucking keeps the bad thoughts away. She confirmed to herself, becoming lost in the rhythm of the buck. Toffee fond herself entering into a near comatose state of: build, prepare, release. The bucking mantra that had been in the family for generations.

Still though, hints of her transgression haunted her, she had not been able to see Caramel… Would not allow herself to see Caramel. Toffee had stuck her muzzle in somewhere it did not belong and had possible damaged the situation far more then she may have helped. She had glimpsed her brother only once, when she had heard he was going to be with Macintosh during the Winter Wrap Up. He had looked nervous, scared and it had hurt her deeply that she was unable to confide in him.

She couldn’t tell him what she had heard when he tossed and turned at night…Though Toffee had noticed him doing that a lot less lately…hopefully he was growing out of his crush…the mare though, bucking another tree.

As if crashing through the forest like a rolling boulder there was a crack directly behind her making Toffee leap into the air. Turning she was face to flank with Caramel…

The situation took a moment to sink in, and it embarrassed Toffee to no end to admit that her initial reaction was
focused purely on the fact that Caramel’s presence had meant he had cleared his part of the orchard and had been helping her do hers without her knowing. Her cheeks flared a brilliant red as she looked away not willing to meet her brother’s face.

“Hey Toffee!” the clumsy Caramel said, in his voice was not depression or sadness…no it was, joy?

Looking up slowly she was able to glimpse her Brother’s smiling face before he turned and bucked another tree. There was no crash of the tree snapping in half, or a bundle of flailing limps as Caramel missed and went careening into a rock or any other catastrophe that Toffee had come to expect whenever her brother was nearby.

Only the resounding thunder of a solid hit and the rain of delicious apples.

“You don’t look okay Tof, maybe you should head in for the night.” He was talking to her. To Toffee. She pulled herself out of her small trance and stuttered some half-assed reply to him, confused.

Caramel shrugged at her reply and walked over the hill which she had imagined him being tossed over just moments before. He plopped himself down laying there in the setting sun. Toffee blinked hard watching her brother, his muscles seemed more tone; his walk no longer had (well as thick) of a nervous sway to it. His sweat dampened coat had a healthy sheen to it as he rested there breathing deeply, exhausted by his pace. Toffee trotted over to him and sat there keeping an eye on him now, suspicious.

There was a deep sigh, a content sigh from her brother’s throat.

Toffee recognized that sigh.

She blushed a little and chuckled slyly, figuring now would be a good time to let it out of the bag.

“So I guess you worked everything out with him…” she teased knowingly, enjoying her brothers flushed and flustered reply.

“ B-but w-what do-do you me-mean…” he stuttered deeply suddenly that clumsy little self again, the Brother she knew so well.

“Mmm fine don’t tell me… but when you do I’ll be there for you.” she said knowingly she nuzzled against her brother before turning in for the night walking away.

XXXXXXXX

Toffee was busying herself with the dishes while Caramel went up to bed early, he had deserved it after an almost flawless day of bucking. It was almost impossible to imagine he had overtaken her today… but it made her feel rather proud of her Brother. Grampa Jonagold was sitting still, the elderly Stallion watching his Grandson leave the room with curious eyes.

“Well somepony’s cheered up quite a bit…” Jonagold said, to himself more to Toffee though she dropped the plate in her mouth anyway. It crashed against the other dishes loudly, but harmlessly. “I wonder if he finally stallioned up and got himself a nice young filly-friend.” The elderly stallion said in a deeply pondering voice stroking his chin with his hoof as he watched the door from which his grandson had just left. “What do you think Toffee?” He asked, the one question she wished he wouldn’t.

Now Toffee’s never been one above extending the truth, almost to the point of a straight out lie… But she had never needed to lie or omit in regards to something so serious before. Swallowing deeply her eyes shifted to the door, hoping silently that Caramel would come in and interupt the conversation… Toffee wanted nothing more then to protect her brother till he was ready to bring his relationship to their family’s eyes… But this was something serious to lie about, much more serious then lying about how many apples Caramel sold, or saying a tree had fallen and that was how so many apples in their load had been bruised and ruined… Those were easy lies, something that really didn’t matter to Jonagold… he was content that she would go out of her way to make sure Caramel was happy. This was something so much more though…

Still… Toffee loved her brother and would protect him. Do anything to protect him.

She bit her lip for a moment, trying to make the pause seem sincere thought and not her panic. “I wouldn’t know, but he’s doing much better out in the field.” She said softly finishing the dishes, Toffee wanted to leave. Moving past Jonagold she put a hoof to the handle pulling on the door he interrupted her.

“Keep an eye on him for me? I don’ mind him playin’ around with some filly as long as it don’ hurt the family.” The elder’s voice was deep and caring, Toffee knew he meant nothing harmful about it.

Jonagold was from a different time, a different generation of pony… Toffee knew that but it did nothing to stem the panic in her heart. She said something non-committal but nodded to him anyway before walking through the door and closing it behind herself.

She found herself panting on the other side eyes closed trying to stem the racing of her heart.

Oh Caramel what have you gotten yourself into this time…?

XXXXXXXXX

Caramel leaned back against the hay stack being forced against it by Big Macintosh… It was the first time the two of them had been able to spend any time together since Winter Wrap Up. Beyond the occasional blush ridden nod…

They were locked in a deep kiss, passionate… Caramel had come over to help buck the first batch of apples as well as help fertilize the soil for the next batch since he had done so well the last few days at his own farm that they were ahead of schedule…

Honestly the time had just flown by for him…there was when he was with Macintosh and there were the times when he wasn’t…those moments always seemed to fade away into a blur though. Purely reflexive. Caramel’s body wanted to do the work as fast as he could, as right as he could to be back with Macintosh as he was now…

The brilliant red stallion reached up on his hind legs a little fore-hoof stroking down Caramel’s chocolate mane in a way that created a bestial growl within his throat that he never knew he could make. He wanted Macintosh, and the idea scared him a little… they really hadn’t done much more then they were doing now and the idea of more well… suffice to say Macintosh was a large Stallion and Caramel feared it would all be to scale…

All those fears went away when his back hit the back of the barn and a thick powerful tongue forced its way into his mouth…Swooning it was all he could do to keep standing.

They were both so deep into it that neither heard the tell-tale creaking of the barn door opening, and they wouldn’t have stopped at all if it wasn’t for the squeal and the crash that followed. The two stallions turning and breaking from each other to see a collapsed and shivering Granny Smith, her breath casting broken cones of fog into the air.

The elderly mare seemed to be badly shaken up and the fall had seemed to have hurt her rusty ol’ hip a lot more then either of the stallions could understand. They rushed apart from each other.

It felt almost as if time was moving in slow motion for Caramel as they moved to her side, Macintosh’s deep voice calling out to her as he lifted her up over one shoulder, the other side of her tossed over Caramel’s. Though the beige pony couldn’t make out a word of what he was saying.

Caramel was far to scared to hear much of anything…

Scared for Granny Smith, for Macintosh…for the Farm…and for them…

After all… they had been seen. It was not something they could hide any more.