Author's Notes:

I plan on ending this second act on either chapter 12 or chapter 13 - that will depend on how far the story's gotten by then. I might try and end this story in Act 4 - though, if the story progresses along well in Act 3, that act might be the last one instead. It's not that I want to get this story out of the way, but I don't want you guys to read a story that just drags on for several chapters when it could be over now.

Quick mention on the methane retcon. Only Manehattan and Fillydelphia are affected. The rest of the country is good, yo.

But for now, keep on reading, and enjoy. :)

You awoke with a steady yawn, stretching out your hooves as far as you could. With a relaxed sigh, you opened your eyes to the sun shining through your now opened windows, the blinds lifted up.

For a second, you didn't remember what happened last night. It all seemed to be a blur.

But when you remembered - you smiled.

Dash.

You reached a hoof over to where you thought she was, only to feel the bed's surface. You turned to notice that she was missing, the spot where she had laid empty.

Where did she go? Did she leave?

Maybe she had work today, you think to yourself.

But wasn't it Saturday?

Curious, you decided to get out of bed. You were slow and hesitant, mainly because of the comfort of the sheets, but you knew it would always be there for you.

As you step onto the floor, you give yourself another good stretch, sighing again as your body feels its muscles spasm with pleasure. You had only done it a couple of times since your time at the hospital, but you always enjoyed doing it.

Once you felt ready, you opened up your door and walked out. As you waltzed through the hallway, you took a quick peak into the guest bedroom.

Lilly was still asleep, but the covers had long since fallen off, and she was in nothing but some socks, laying on her back with the occasional leg twitch.

You wondered why in the world she decided to put on socks in the first place.

Then again, it was a bit chilly last night.

Closing the door, you make it downstairs. Halfway down the steps, you start to smell something. The first few sniffs you couldn't recognize, but after enough time...

Is that toast?

You reach the bottom steps and turn towards the kitchen, as the smell was likely resonating from there. When you enter, you notice that the toaster was propped up on the counter, unplugged, but clearly having been used.

It had to have been Dash, no doubt - unless Lilly makes toast in her sleep.

You walk over to the toaster. At first, you were thinking of putting it away - but come to think of it, you were a little hungry.

Grabbing the cord, you ready it to plug it back in.

"I already made yours," a voice calls out to you from a few hooves away, startling you for a brief second. You turned to the source, but you already knew who it was.

Dash, sitting at the kitchen counter, a piece of toast in her hoof, stared at you with a little smile.

"Hey," she says to you, and you say it back in a tired fashion.

Next to the pegasus was a plate with its own set of toast, two pieces with butter spread on each of them.

"You didn't have to do that for me, you know," you say to her with a faint laugh, "I could've made it on my own."

"I know, I know," she replies as she puts down her toast, "But I just...wanted to make it up to you, you know? A way to thank you."

Heading over to the counter, you pull out the seat beside her and sit down onto it - and you turn to her.

"For what?" you asked, curious.

Dash gave a little smile of her own and was looking down to the counter, before turning to you.

"For last night."

"How so?"

She tilted her head, never letting the smile fade.

"Holding me, sleeping with me...telling me you'll never hate me...you don't remember that?"

"No, no - I do. I just...I...I wasn't sure if...the other things were...as important."

Holding me...

You corrected yourself.

"I mean...! Like, holding you - I thought that was important, and...you know...me telling you I'd never hate you...I thought that was important too..."

Dash noticed your stutters and laughed quietly, but it was noticeable, so you knew she didn't take it the wrong way.

You gave a yawning sigh.

"Sorry," you tell her, "I'm still a little tired."

"It's okay." She holds her smile. "I know that struggle sometimes."

You smile back as you grab your place and take a bite into a piece of toast. It's still warm, soft, and the butter is moist, so she had to have cooked it within the past couple of minutes. She could have put them in the moment you woke up.

Nonetheless, it was still a good breakfast.

For the next few minutes, the two of you ate and had a casual morning chat.

"I got the paper for you, if you read that," she mentioned.

"Eh, it's okay, I guess. I don't know if I used to read it or not."

She shook her head. "You didn't. But I know that you used to love getting it every day just for one thing - the crosswords.

"Every once in a while, you and Twilight would hang out and just do the crossword puzzles on the back."

You snickered. "Really?"

"Yeah. She would tell us about it sometimes, how you would spend forever trying to figure out the last letter of a word and getting all red when she found it out just like that."

It made you laugh for a moment, and she laughed along with you. You had to wait until you stopped to take another bite.

"What else did we do together?" you asked as you turned to her.

Dash looked up to the ceiling, humming as she went along, trying to think of the other activities you might have had. It took her a few seconds to figure out just one.

"Ooh! There was this one time when she wanted to try out a spell and you volunteered, right-?"

Dash proceeds to explain a short little story that happened roughly five months ago over the next few minutes. The main synopsis? You ended up sounding like a girl for a few days until Twilight could find an 'antidote' spell to reverse it.

You gave a laugh, but your cheeks went red as she went on. You could only imagine having the body of a stallion and the voice, full-on, of a typical mare.

Imagine the glances you probably got then by the town folk.

A few more minutes pass, and the two of you finally manage to down the rest of your toast. Your plates were empty and littered with breadcrumbs. You picked up Dash's plate along with yours and went to wash them with a mixture of soap and water. Of course - what else would you use?

After you scrubbed them both down and dried them off, you placed them back into the cabinets where they belonged. As you closed it, you put the toaster back in its respected cabinet and quickly wiped down the counter, making sure not a speck of breadcrumbs remained. As you went over to the sink and washed off your sponge, cleaning it of any grime or crumbs that it caught up, Dash got off her seat and walked over to you.

"Hey," she called to you.

You put the sponge beside the sink and looked at her with a kind smile, curious at what she had to say.

"Yeah?"

She put a hoof on your shoulder again - you didn't mind it.

She was soft.

Dash spoke.

"Look, I...know I came over here to help you with sleeping and all, but...thank you. Last night just...it really meant a lot to me."

You gave her a warm grin. "It was nothing, really."

"To me...it was."

Her own smile faded, and she told you just why.

"I am not proud of the things I've done in the past. Looking back at it now, it's just...it makes me so...angry. I said things, did things that I can probably never take back. I mean...sure, maybe right now, I could, but when it all comes back, I...I just...don't know."

Every sentence or so, she would look into your eyes, then turn away, looking around you, before turning back to you. You didn't stop her at all - you continued to listen to her - and she continued to speak her mind.

"And now when I look at you, and you're...talking to me, and you're smiling and you're laughing and just...just grinning...you know, it makes me just so...happy."

She paused, resting her other hoof on your other shoulder.

"But every time I think of you, I'm thinking of the things I did all those months ago, and I just can't get it out of my head-...because I know that soon, you're gonna start remember all of that, and-...and I just don't want what we've had so far to just...disappear."

She looked at you again.

"This is the first time in such a long time that I've genuinely been happy. I've spent so much time screaming and running away and being so...not...me."

Dash readjusted a hoof so it was closer to your chest, while keeping the other on your shoulder. And there she was again, looking into your eyes. She took a short, deep breath, then exhaled.

She swallowed.

"I don't want to lose that again."

You took a good look at her face, but more so her eyes. They were sad.

But they were real too.

That was what you liked about her.

It was what you loved.

"I don't want to lose that...because-...if I lost the moments like this...the moments where I feel safe...and happy, and...and cared about...I-I-..."

You lifted a hoof and put it on her lips, shushing her gently. Your own lips curled into another smile, and you looked into her eyes.

The smile then turned into a caring grin

And you told her what she needed to hear.

"You're not gonna lose them."

Her face was stiff, like she tried to hold back another set of tears. They settled at the base of her eyes and waited for any moment to flow.

She had to ask you.

"No matter what?"

You nodded.

"No matter what."

When she smiled back, a single left tear fell down her cheek, and she sniffled. As soon as she realized she was about to cry again, she gave a little laugh and turned away from you, wiping away the tears from her eyes and from her cheek, sniffling along as she did so.

"Sorry," she said to you.

"Hey," you say back, "It's okay to cry. I don't mind it."

"I know...but, I just...I don't want it to be awkward or anything."

"It's not. I promise." You gave her a little chuckle. "If you want to cry, you can cry."

When she turned back to you, she opened her mouth slightly, as if she was ready to say something, but sighed and shook her head, giving a faint smile alongside.

Before you could say anything, she chose to change the topic. She probably didn't want to stay stuck to the topic - so somewhat reluctantly, you went along with it.

"So, um...do you have any plans today?"

...Come to think of it...

"Actually," you start, "I was thinking of heading over to, uh...Applejack's place."

She was curious. "Why?"

"Just a job. I thought that...you know, now that I'm out of the hospital and feeling...better...I should probably start...working again."

"So soon?"

You gave her a little shrug. "Well, I've been out of the hospital for almost a... a week, I think. It's best I get back to work...you know? Do you know if she gives out jobs?"

Her eyes turned to the ceiling, but it wasn't of thought.

"Well," she started, "You kinda already did have a job with her."

You cocked your head. "I did?"

She nodded. "You worked with her for a while. Mainly, you guys just bucked trees and move bales of hay around."

"What happened?" you asked, curious to know if you were fired or not.

"Uhm..." Dash looked around, a little bit embarrassed, like she didn't want to tell you for your sake alone.

But she told you anyway.

"You...kinda almost burned her barn down."

...

Well, you weren't expecting that.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

The two of you stared at each other in a near-awkward manner.

"Well...uh...I might have to apologize to her about that, then."

Rainbow laughed. "Yeah."

Taking a glance at the clock hanging on the wall, you could see that it was just barely past nine o'clock. Surely, Applejack had to be awake. Living on a farm as big as that, it would have been no surprise.

Does she wake up to a rooster? That was something you wanted to know recently.

"I...probably could go see her right now. Maybe if I'm lucky, I could start working today."

"Maybe," Dash answered. "That'd be good."

"Yeah, it would."

You should probably get going now. Every minute standing about was a minute of potential work gone.

"Uh...I'll...see you later, then? I might try and find you later. Maybe we could...hang out a bit more?"

Rainbow smiled once again and nodded along. "Yeah. I'd like that."

"Okay then."

You got close to her and brought her in for a hug. But you chose to give her a gentle smooch on the cheek first. It was still only slightly damp - salty a bit, too - but you didn't mind, and neither did she, it seemed.

The two of you hugged for a few kind moments, taking in the fuzzy warmth of both of your bodies. Or maybe it just felt nice to hug someone.

When you departed, the two of you said your goodbyes and you made for the door.

"Uh," Dash spoke up, "Maybe I should come outside. You know, if you don't want me in here."

You shook your head. "You can stay as long as you want. Maybe just in case Lilly wants to know where I've gone."

Oh! Speaking of Lilly...

You quickly make your way back upstairs and into the bedroom. A moment or two passed before you seemingly flew right back down.

"Sorry," you say to a slightly confused Dash, "Had to grab my pill."

That would've been bad had you left without one.

"Ah," she said, concluded.

With a smile, you waved her goodbye, and she did the same. You made for the door and walked right out. The cool summer breeze touched you everywhere.

It felt so pretty.

Hopefully, it stays like this, you think to yourself as you start making your way towards the ranch, visible in the far off distance.

It looked so beautiful from far away.

You couldn't wait to see it up close.

After a few minutes of walking through busy streets, you eventually left the general limits of the town itself, and soon enough, you came across the large sign hanging above the dirt with an apple in the center.

Past that - the holy grail of Ponyville: Sweet Apple Acres.

The mass land of the farm itself spanned several yards, strewn upon with dozens upon dozens of trees, each of them holding their own fair share of apples. From where you stood, it looked like a small forest of apple trees.

The massive red barn standing nearby seemed to be Applejack's home. What really caught your eye was that it was not only her house, but an actual barn as well. Was that common at farms? You weren't sure, but that seemed really interesting.

You also had noticed another distant house further on in the fields, holding its own little sign: A carrot. You're assuming the pony living there was named Carrots?

Was she a farmer here too?

You'd probably find this all out soon enough.

With a step forward, you start making your way over to the main farmhouse. As you get closer, you notice in the distant fields a red stallion bucking his legs against a tree. A moment later, several apples fell into the buckets laid around it.

He didn't seem to notice you, but you didn't want to disturb him from his work, so you moved on.

Once you were up to the front door, you gave it three solid knocks, enough for anyone with decent enough hearing to notice. You stand there for a short minute, taking in the gentle breeze still flowing about. Looking up, you can see the clouds moving slowly on their own - and every once in a while, you could see a pegasus or two, sometimes more, moving some clouds about, placing them in one place, mixing them together, or breaking them apart.

While you didn't mind that they were only doing their job, you really did wish they would-

Suddenly, the door of the house swings open, and an old, elderly mare steps out. She notices you and gives you an old...well, elderly smile.

"Well, hello there, sonny!" she greets you, "It's been ages since we've seen you 'round here!"

"Uh," was the first answer you could give, "We've met before?"

"Of course! Y'all couldn't forgit ol' Granny Smith, now could ya?"

The elder Granny Smith looked at me with a kind smile, like she had seen an old friend for the first time in a long time - which probably wasn't all too far from the truth.

You honestly felt guilty you couldn't remember anything about her.

"Uh..."

And if you could be correct, that simple response alone prompted her to remember.

"Do-oh!" she answered, slightly facehoofing herself. "That's right, y'all did forgit. Amnesia, wasn't it? Sorry, dear!"

Now you felt worse.

"No, no! It's okay, don't worry about it. Really." You gave her a smile to let her know that it was fine.

"You sure, sonny?"

"Of course!"

It took a few moments for Granny Smith to agree with you. She was probably as reluctant as you could be. You might have known that before.

"Well, alright, then. What can I do for ya, dearie?"

You gave her a kind smile. "I'm looking for Applejack. Is she here?"

"Oh, I'm sorry hon, but AJ left a while ago to get some supplies for dinner ton-" That was when Granny stopped. Before you could ask what was wrong, she looked behind you and said, "Well, speak of the devil! There she is now!"

What-?

You turned around to see if she was true.

And true she was.

The farm mare was walking just under the sign, paper bags hanging by her teeth, a gentle smile on her face as she gave a little wave, apparently to the red stallion bucking in the distance.

And that's when she saw you.

Her eyes went wide, as if she had been taken by surprise - which she most likely had been.

The bags fell from her mouth, and she started to smile again.

She started making her way to you, and you to her.

As soon as the two of you made contact, you embraced each other in a warming hug.

"Hey, Sugarcube," she greeted you with a laugh.

Sugarcube? That's new.

"Hey," you answered back as you pulled away, "How are you?"

"Ah'm fine. Ah wasn't expecting ya to visit today."

You had been meaning to visit her for the past few days, but never really got the chance.

"I've been caught up in...other things. I'm sorry, I've been wanting to visit."

"No trouble at all. Ah'm glad ya came anyway."

You gave her a smile, before taking a look at the bags behind her. "I didn't damage anything in there, did I?"

She only laughed a little. "It wouldn't be yer fault anyway. Yer just lucky there was nothin' breakable, though."

You smiled back. "I'll go get them for you."

"Thanks, Sugarcube."

Making your way over to the bags, you bent over and picked them up with your hooves first, dusting them off before carrying them by your teeth. As you looked back up - he was staring at you; the red stallion.

He was smiling and waving right at you.

Assuming on the chance that you knew him as well, you waved back with your own grin.

You went back to Applejack. She asked you if you'd like to come in. You gave a nod, and she and Granny Smith walked into the house and went into the living room.

The living room was...roomy. It was fairly small, but at the same time, was a decent enough size to fit a couch, a love seat, and...you take it that's a doghouse?

Why is there a doghouse inside?

"So what 'cha here for?" she asked as she took a seat on the couch. She somewhat sank into the cushions, indicating it was definitely a soft couch.

"Ehhh..." you muffle as you continue carrying the bags over to what you assume to be the coffee table. Once you put the bags down onto the table, you look back to AJ.

"Uhm..." you speak clearer. "...I was kind of...hoping that maybe I could...have a job here?"

She looked back at you with an expression of interest on her face.

"Really?"

"Yeah," you answer, but before she can speak, you add onto it, "And I know about what happened...the whole 'me almost burning the barn down' thing."

"How-?"

"Dash."

"Oh."

"Yeah." You gave a chuckled 'hmm.' "I'm sorry about that, by the way. I know I don't remember doing it, but...I know that I'd be sorry."

She smiled. "Ya were. Ah know y'all didn't mean to cause any trouble. Even Ah know the struggle of carryin' a bale sometimes - especially where Ah don't know where the heck Ah'm goin'."

While you did laugh along at that statement, you could feel your cheeks redden and warm up in slight embarrassment, but AJ only told you that it was nothing to be embarrassed about.

"Mistakes happen."

She wasn't wrong about that.

They do.

Applejack quickly went back to the topic of a job.

"So, ya wanna work here?" she asked you.

With a nod, you answer, "I've been back for a while. It's only fair I get back to work."

She seemed to look at you with a hint of concern to her eyes. "Are you sure? Ah just don't want y'all gettin' hurt or passin' out from heat exhaustion. And you've only been awake about a week."

A week? Man, time flies.

"I'm sure, AJ," you assure her. "I don't want to be a freeloader. I know you're worried about me. Heck, Dash has been worrying about me since I woke up. I don't blame her. But I'll be fine. I promise..."

You tilt your head. "...This time around."

The mare looked around for a moment, clearly in thought. You hoped that she would say yes, but you hoped that you didn't accidentally pressure her into saying it. You knew that any of your friends would have their share of concern for you - no surprise, considering what's happened so far [and they've clearly been in more than you have] - but you didn't want to just sit around while they did their duties. You already felt bad enough every time Lilly made a meal for you or followed you around. Making dinner last night was the best thing you've done so far.

And you wanted to do more.

And AJ could definitely see that in you.

She smiled.

"Okay, Sugarcube. Let's get you to work."

Already?

You were okay with that.

"Huagh!" Applejack grunted as she lifted her two back legs and bucked them hard against an apple tree. In less than a couple of seconds, several apples fell from the tree, all around you, and into the buckets placed all around her.

"Phew," she said as she hopped back on all fours, "Lil' one may be growin', but Ah've still got it."

You turned to her, head cocked again. "Little one?"

Applejack looked back to you with a somewhat confused expression, only for the light bulb to spark in her head.

"Oh! Y'all din't know, don't ya?"

You shook your head. You were only slightly confused and only slightly curious.

But then she placed a single hoof on her stomach.

"Ah'm...well...expectin'."

...

Oh.

Wait.

So...she...wasn't...?

...

You feel awful.

And she could tell, just from the look on your face.

"Y'all thought Ah was puttin' on some weight, din't ya?"

Wide-eyed, you looked at her. "No! I-"

But she laughed instead. "It's alright, Sugarcube. Ain't the first time somepony's thought that. Pinkie told me once Ah should lay off the sweets. Heh."

You felt a little better - but you still honestly felt bad.

"Sorry," you say. "I didn't think it in a mean way or anything."

"Ah know ya didn't." She gave you a kind smile, and it made you feel just a little bit better.

Curious, you asked her, "So...how far along are you?"

"About three months. This here? This here's just the typical after-dinner belly. Ah can only imagine when they're ready. No work for this gal when that happens, heh."

It gave you a bit of a laugh, and even she laughed along too.

But it wasn't long before the laughter stopped, and the smile faded. It was like she wanted to smile, but at the same time, just couldn't have the strength to do so. It was like laughing just that one time took all of the energy out of her.

And as was instinct - you just had to ask.

"Are you okay?"

At first, the cowgirl could only nod slowly. But eventually, she shook and sighed.

"No. Ah ain't."

You moved to her. "Hey," you say gently. "What's wrong?"

AJ didn't look up from the ground. She couldn't seem to, or simply didn't want to.

Her face was sad.

With a sigh, she held her hoof back against her stomach and rubbed it gently.

"Ah'm raisin' him on mah own."

It took you a moment to understand the significance of those words, and you grew even more curious.

"Who's the dad?"

She swallowed her spit.

"Someone Ah loved...someone Ah still love."

And the curiosity peaked.

"What happened to him?"

Silence was the first answer. Then came the second.

"He ain't here anymore."

You looked at her with sorrow in your eyes. A glance at hers - you could see the anguish. It wasn't minor much, either. The eyes could never tell a lie like it.

"I'm so sorry," you say. "I...shouldn't have brought it up."

But she shook her head.

"It's okay," she replies, "Ah just...needed to get that out. Somepony was gonna ask eventually."

After a moment, she looks up to you and smiles faintly.

"Why don't y'all work on some of these trees for a bit, okay? Ah've got some things Ah need to get done."

"You sure?"

She nodded.

"Okay."

Applejack turned away from you and started making her way back to the farmhouse. Meanwhile, at the same time, you're doing nothing but hitting yourself inside your own head. You felt awful for bringing it up, but...you just wanted to know. Maybe it was because you didn't see any other stallion than her brother, and...well, you doubt that, whoever that dad might be - you don't think they would be cowardly enough to ditch someone like her.

But for now, you decided to get those thoughts out of the way.

You could at least do one good thing right now - for her.

After at least three hours of picking, setting up buckets, and bucking until your legs were sore, you had filled multiple buckets with juicy, mouthwatering apples, ripe and plump. You were nearly compelled to give just one a bite, but you decided against it.

Around the three hour mark, that was when you came across AJ's brother - Big Macintosh. The two of you hadn't spoken today until now. But what he wanted to talk about was not how many apples you picked, or how many hours you had been working.

It was about his sister.

"She cares a lot about you," the first thing he said. "Sometimes, she worries about you."

You looked at the tree you were picking out, ready to buck - but you stopped and you talked with Big Mac.

"I'm starting to worry about her, especially after what she told me."

"AJ is a strong girl. Tougher than nails. She'll overcome it."

"I know, but..." Your mouth hovered open for a few seconds before you added, "All by herself? I'm just afraid she wouldn't be able to handle that on her own."

He looked at you.

"She's not alone."

You kicked the tree again, trying to figure out a proper response - but instead, he told you a story.

"When mah parents died...Apple Bloom was just a little foal. Few days old, could barely open her eyes. And our Granny, she...she wouldn't be here for a few weeks. She had been elsewhere, in Appleoosa.

"For the next few weeks, it was just me and AJ. AJ was just a young teen. She had no experience in how to take care of a kid, and neither did I."

As he paused, you gave the tree another kick, and more apples fell down into the buckets. But it didn't distract you - you still listened on to his words.

"But we learned. We learned how to feed her. We learned how to get her to sleep, we learned how to...calm her down. Granny didn't come home until three weeks after. By then, we had been taking care of her like she was mah own. Like she was AJ's own."

You didn't kick again. You gave another look at Big Mac as he finished.

"Ah don't think that ever left her. Ah still see it in her sometimes when she's with her. You can trust me on this...if AJ could take care of Apple Bloom like that...she will be a great mother."

You gave him a subtle smile. "You think so?"

"Eeyup."

You started to grin. You grinned because you knew it was true; Big Mac wasn't the type to lie, or very well didn't seem like one to lie. Just hearing the story alone...it was sad.

But it made you feel better.

Not long after noon, you took a break from the bucking and sat beneath the shade of the very same tree, hoping to regain your strength. You were too exhausted to go grab a drink, but Big Mac volunteered to get you one.

"You don't have to."

"But Ah'm gonna."

You laughed as he took off. With your back against the bark, you blinked a couple of times - and you were starting to notice that your vision was a bit fuzzy. It was obvious that you were definitely worn out for the moment. You had hoped the weather would have stayed nice.

But you couldn't be too surprised. It was summer, after all.

After a couple of minutes, Big Mac returned with a cup of cool, refreshing water. You downed it in just seconds, and you thanked him right after. He eventually left to go work on other nearby trees, leaving you alone. You didn't mind it. Perhaps you could get a little nap in.

Getting your head into a comfortable position, you laid back against the tree's base and closed your eyes, giving a brief yawn before letting out a relaxed sigh.

But it only seemed to last for a few moments before Applejack woke you up. It took her a few tries at first, as she tugged on your shoulder and whispered to you - probably not to surprise or scare you.

You thought it was nice of her, at least.

It turned out, however, that you had been sleeping for at least an hour or so. How Big Mac didn't decide to wake you up, you'll never know. Or maybe he was sympathetic and let you sleep - for more than one obvious reason.

Feeling refreshed now, you decided to buck whatever trees were nearby that Big Mac hadn't bucked already. They were few and far between, but you didn't mind it. Applejack chose to help you along, despite you saying she didn't have to.

"But Ah'm gonna."

Runs in the family, I guess.

For the next few hours, you and Applejack talked as you bucked the trees, picking up and collecting the apples as you went on. Eventually, the conversation changed to that of her...belly.

"What about it?" she asked.

"Well," you start, "I was wondering if you've felt it kick yet. Like, how early does that happen?"

You had to be honest, you could've worded that better. It got the message across, at least.

"Well, they usually-hyah!" she interrupted with a buck to the tree before going on, "-Usually tend to kick around four or five months into it, but...sometimes, they can kick as early as three. T'aint noticeable, but they definitely are kickin'."

She kicked again, and you looked at her mid-kick. Her belly wasn't too big, but it was starting to show. It was more of a bump, and at certain angles, it would've been obvious she was pregnant and not...you know.

"...Have you felt it kick yet?"

"Hyuh!" she yelled as she gave another kick. "Only once, a couple days ago. Nothin' since."

She kicked a few more times, and more apples fell perfectly into the baskets below. They quickly filled up, and soon enough, it was time to move onto the other tree.

Mid-move, you asked her a question.

"Can I feel it?"

You weren't sure if it was a dumb question, considering she was still early - but something in your mind seemed to tell you that you had always wanted to feel a baby kicking in its mother's belly.

"I mean, if you're okay with it, that is," you added, not wanting to put any pressure on her.

"Of course, partner. Feel free," she gave with a kind smile.

Surprisingly, she was okay with it.

You felt nervous, still unsure if she was truly fine with it. But you had to think about it - if she wasn't, she would tell you. And she definitely wouldn't be smiling at you.

And yet, she was.

Putting down the baskets you had on your back and onto the floor, you made your way to Applejack and started to bend down just a bit, enough for you to be able to put your hooves against her stomach gently and be careful all the same.

Her belly was soft and only slightly bumpy. It was cute, in a strange way.

For a moment, you let your hooves rest on her stomach, feeling around slowly, trying to find the smallest signal of a kick.

"Ain't sure yer gonna feel another kick for a while, sugar-"

And then you did.

The baby kicked. She could feel it too.

The kick wasn't very strong, but it was definitely there. The kicking hoof pressed against your own left, and you held it back for just a moment. The hoof stayed there for maybe seconds, only for it to recede back in, and for the tiny, tiny bump on AJ's stomach to fade away.

It was such a small moment.

But unbeknownst to you, it was more than just a moment for Applejack.

For you, it was cute.

But to her...

"I felt it," you say to her as you get back up.

She smiles. "Ah felt it too."

You thought that smile was genuine. And maybe, to an extent, it was genuine, real. A passionate smile.

At the same time - it was a lie. Applejack wanted to be happy - she wanted to smile and enjoy the fact that the father of her child was alive and well. He was going to live and see her, his baby be born. He's going to see his child and smile, laugh with it - be his friend.

But would he ever know that it was his own?

You never knew it. How could you know?

Instead, you smiled for Applejack, happy that she was going to have her own foal to love, and you would only feel sorry for whoever the father was - wherever he was.

Who he was.

The day went by quick, or at least the last few hours had. Applejack wanted you to go home early for today. You wanted to work just a bit longer, help her out just a bit - but she only told you there was always tomorrow.

You felt bad about it, but her general response told you, "There's always tomorrow."

It had to have been four o'clock when you started making your way home. You would've worked at least another three hours. Applejack reminded you that, in your case - at least for a while - nine o'clock was a good enough time to work. You didn't mind working ten hours. With the shade of the trees, refreshing cold water, and the apple pies Granny Smith shared with you, working here wasn't so bad. Even the pay was well worth it too.

During the walk, you could feel the sheer soreness of your muscles. You had to have bucked half the orchard today. At least, it felt like it. You wondered if the apples grew again overnight or over a couple days, and there were only a set amount that you could buck before waiting for them to all grow back. You never thought to ask AJ about that.

You'll ask her tomorrow. She's probably as tired as you are, and you'd feel bad to bother her any further.

Walking home took just a few minutes longer than the morning, but you didn't mind. As sore as your bones were, the sight around you was enough to make it go away, at least for just a moment.

The setting sun in the distance - must've been Daylight Savings? - the ponies walking about, chatting each other up, dining at the nearby cafe, playing guitar to entertain some passersby, or even going for a quick shop in the market.

And the market was booming. At this time of day, it had to have been packed with a third of the town's folk. It definitely seemed like it. You only visited here the first day you were out, but none of you looked at it much. Maybe it had been because the three of you were too hungry to care at the time.

You laughed a little and kept on going. The soreness was growing, and you just wanted to get home and rest for a bit - just a bit.

With enough wishing - and speed - you were back home. The front door was still unlocked, and you entered without much of a problem. When you entered, Lilly was laying down on your couch, with her head closest to the radio. Her head lifted enough to notice you, and she gave a smile.

"Hey," she spoke to you, "I'm guessing you got the job?"

With a quick greeting of your own, you answered, "Yeah. We got started as soon as we could."

Lilly looked at the clock hanging on the wall, and turned back to you with a surprised expression.

"Only seven hours?"

"No, she just let me out early. Figured it could just be until I heal up, that's all."

"Oh."

You looked around the living room for a moment, and noticed something was off.

"Is Dash gone?"

With a nod, she answered, "Said she was headed to the store a little while ago, but she hasn't been back yet."

"Did she ever say what she was getting?"

Lilly shook her head. It didn't pique your curiosity that much anyway; for all you knew, she was probably grabbing some groceries or some food for her turtle. Or was it a tortoise?

You only saw him once. He was a strange pet, but cute all the same.

It wasn't until you were making your way into the kitchen that you noticed that Lilly was wearing her nurse outfit. While she was more of an assistant than a nurse, she still helped around with Cobalt and such.

"Are you leaving?" you asked her.

"I was just waiting until you got back. I didn't want to leave the house until you got back."

"What about when I'm there longer?"

The mare shook her head again. "They don't exactly need me right away. If you came back a few hours later, I'd just go then."

"They're fine with that?"

"For the moment, yeah."

While you appreciated Lilly's care for and about you, you still felt bad holding her back because of what was going on. Even though she said before she was fine...

You don't know. It just couldn't click right with you.

"You can go now, if you want," you tell her with a smile. "I'll be fine here."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I'll just cook up some eggs and just watch for Dash. No biggie."

It didn't take long for Lilly to agree. Not that she didn't really have a choice - it was her job, after all, and you didn't want to keep her waiting.

Grabbing her bag, she got up from the couch, leaving the radio on, and made her way out the door, giving you a upbeat, "Later!" on the way out. After she left the house, you did exactly as you said. Finding a half dozen eggs still in the carton, you grabbed two and put them aside while the pan heated up. After a few minutes of cracking and cooking, your eggs were ready.

As you ate, you listened to the radio as the news was delivered.

"As the Manehattan and Fillydelphia crises continue on, authorities in and around the cities are still attempting to restore peace in the further affected areas. Manehattan from Grand Park upward continues to remain a warzone, as survivors of the methane blast that rocked the city just last month continue to fight for the ever dwindling resources and growing cases of the ongoing Cholera outbreak."

Oh my, you think as the word Cholera hits your ears. You knew it was bad, but not 'deadly waterborne disease' bad.

"While the total cases have only exceeded past a thousand, officials are saying that north Manehattan will be quarantined until the outbreak has lifted and the conflict has ceased."

You finished your meal and washed the dishes before heading over to the couch and listening to the news further. A few times, it mentioned Princess Celestia and even Twilight. Supposedly, Twilight was leaving in a few days and heading to Fillydelphia as a sort of charity effort. You thought it was nice of her.

After another half hour of listening nonstop to the news and occasional song or few, you hear the knock on the door.

"It's me." The voice of Rainbow was obvious to you.

Getting up from your comfortable spot, you head over to the door and unlock it. Dash is standing under the porch, only just a tiny bit damp. You saw that it had been raining, or at least starting to rain.

You asked if she needed a towel as you closed the door behind her, but she refused.

"I'm not that wet."

Dash shook her body just for a moment, drying off whatever parts of her were wet. You sat back down on the couch.

"When did you get home?"

"An hour ago," you answered. "Lilly went to the hospital to help out."

She didn't seem all too surprised that Lilly left you here alone. You weren't expecting her to, anyway. You told her that you had already eaten some eggs and that you had just been spending the past half hour or so listening to the news.

"Anything interesting?"

"Just talk about Manehattan, that's all."

"Ah."

Dash, once she was completely dry, walked over to the couch and sat down right next to you. As she got herself comfortable, you asked her about the Cholera outbreak.

"Yeah, I heard about that. I didn't think it was that bad."

"You think it will get better?"

"I hope. There's still millions in there, you know? I can only imagine what they're going through."

"Yeah..." you drifted off from what you were going to say. In the end, you decided to change the station to something more uplifting, maybe to get your spirits in a positive light.

And for a while, it worked. You and Dash sat together for several minutes, listening to some good news from other parts of Equestria, and shaking your heads to some of the upbeat songs that played throughout.

But after an hour, things got quiet and calm. The music became more mellow, slow. Some of the best singers of decades ago - at least, that's what the radio said - played for your ears. It made you smile as you listened to its message and resonated in its sound.

Your position had changed on the couch. Now you were laying down, your head towards the radio, and your face to the ceiling. Dash was content with laying down on you, but being careful not to put all of her weight on you. You didn't mind, and you don't think she did. The both of you were already tired, and it was only now nearing six o'clock, so it was still relatively early.

The sun had long since gone down, and the only light in the living room was from the candle you lit earlier. Whatever lights from the outside world had been blocked by the blinds and the curtains, and it was almost completely quiet.

You felt Rainbow breath on you, her chest raising and lowering, the air from her nose blowing onto your chest. It tickled just a bit.

The current song ended, and it was onto the news.

It was grim again, so you turned it off. Dash didn't seem to mind.

Looking at her, you thought she was in fact sleeping. Her eyes were only half open, but she was still awake. She didn't seem to notice you looking at her.

It was like she was in thought. You let her be for now.

As you stared at the ceiling, you were thinking yourself. Your mind was full of whatever you could've been able to think of. Manehattan, your friends, Twilight, Cobalt, Lilly...

Dash.

She caught your eye the most. She was the first pony you ever saw the moment you woke up in that hospital. She didn't seem to leave your side at all this whole week. She helped you whenever possible.

You kissed her on the balcony that one night.

And then there was last night.

She cried for a long time.

You seem to have had such a long history with this girl.

How much more could you be able to-

"I love you."

-...make.

You looked away from the ceiling, and down to her. She was looking at you, chin on your chest. You heard her, what she said, but you didn't say anything.

You couldn't be shocked either.

Did you have the right to be shocked?

She crawled up onto you, until her face was level with yours.

And she just stared at you, into your eyes with her own. You weren't sure what to say, and it was like she didn't seem to know either. But all you could do was stare back and forth, breathing slowly.

Dash reached out and touched your face, carefully, with her hoof. Her mouth hung open, hanging on the words to say next.

"I love you so much."

You could see it so.

You move your hoof up, slowly, to Dash's chest, just where her heart was. And you could feel it beat if you really focused.

It was so fast, and her breathing was faster.

She didn't stay frozen any longer.

Dash moved down and kissed you. It was a deep kiss, and while it took you by surprise, you were still expecting it. You didn't fight back - simply because you didn't want to.

It just...felt right.

The mare rested on top of you as she brushed and rubbed her lips against yours. Your hoof continued to rest on her chest, and you could feel her heart beat faster. Her hooves rested on your shoulders, and every once in a while, she would part from the kiss to give you a peck on the cheek or kiss your neck - which you weren't expecting to be as sensitive as it was - before going back into the kiss.

The little make-out session went on for a good minute. Dash positioned herself over you and all you could do was help her along.

It was such a...nice feeling, her body on top of yours. You pushed yourself into the kiss, enjoying it as much as she did.

But then you stopped when you felt yourself touch her.

She stopped too, and she gave you a shiver. You could feel the goosebumps on her arm.

You knew, however - or just somehow - that she was waiting for it to happen. A part of you wanted it to happen to; you were practically anticipating it.

But you had to ask her.

"Are you sure you want this?"

With a heated sigh, you saw her nod as she looked at you.

She started it first, lowering down onto you as quick and as painless as she could.

"Oooohhh...fff...mmmph..." the mare moaned as she buried her face into your neck.

When she reached your hips, she let out a muffled, but loud moan. Her breathing was a bit heavier than normal, and she gripped you tightly as her coming moans were shaky.

Dash only hesitated for a moment, but soon enough, she started to move. At first, she did so on her own - slowly forcing herself upward, stopping just at the tip, before pushing herself back down and moaning again, but quieter.

For the first few moments, it was a slow pace. You didn't want her to hurt herself, and you didn't want to hurt her accidentally. But eventually, she pushed herself up and grabbed your hooves, resting them just on her hips, before laying back down onto you and picking up her pace.

"It's okay," she whispered to you, "You can help me if you want."

You didn't hesitate, but you didn't go straight ahead.

After another minute of slow rocking back and forth, and the gentle thrusting of her body against yours, you tightened your soft grip on her thighs. She could feel it and giggled a bit through another moan.

Up, down. Up, down. Slow.

It was just like this for a short while. At one point, Dash covered both of you with the blanket above the couch.

"It's chilly."

Through your own moans, you laughed out.

She kissed you again with another push down onto you. And just like that, seemingly, she went faster. It wasn't noticeable at first, but soon enough, you were helping her along. Each thrust back down was another moan into your mouth, and another into hers. Every time the two of you broke away, her sighs and breaths were fast and rough.

"Oh...goddesses...hmmmnnn~"

Her sounds were blissful to you, it felt.

After another minute, she was faster. She was harder. She begged you to do the same, and you couldn't deny her request. You gripped her thighs tightly as you entered her again and again. The couch beneath you rocked and creaked only slightly, while the blanket covered everything that the two of you were doing.

In a way - you liked it that way. It was such a secret action, but at the same time, it was obvious.

Dash gasped and buried her face into your shoulder again as her rear rose into the air, only to come back down, eliciting a moaned scream from her.

You felt her bite down into your shoulder.

You liked it, somehow.

"Fuck me...fuck me, fuck me..." She moaned the same thing over and over again. It was another request for you to go faster, go harder.

You listened to her begs. Every time her body moved down to you, yours moved up to her. Just like that, you felt her collapse on to you, her arms clinging to your body as she begged and bit. You pounded yourself into her again and again, wanting her to feel pleasured. Loved.

She moaned your name, and you smiled.

"I'm gonnaaahh...mmnnggh...I-I..."

You knew what was happening. You anticipated it.

She went limp completely, and you could feel herself leak onto you. The sheer force of it caused her to scream, moan, and bite all the same. Her bite was deep and strong.

But you didn't stop. She didn't let you.

So you kept going, pushing yourself in and pulling yourself out. Over and over, she moaned and shivered all over you. She felt your own breathing quicken, grow bigger.

"I-Inside. It's okay."

She lifted herself just a bit, just to look into your eyes again as she breathed heavily. Moving in, she kissed you again. It was deep as she felt you release yourself into her. Her body trembled, and her moans were shaky again. You felt yourself release drop after endless drop into her womb.

After the moment of bliss finally subsided, you pulled out of her, and the mare could finally rest her body.

"Thank you."

With another deep kiss, she laid to your side, just enough space for the both of you. Within a short time, Dash was sleeping, clearly exhausted.

You really just wanted to get up and shower...but you didn't want to leave her side right now.

The shower could wait for the morning.

As awkward as it will be.

...Will it?