Personal hygiene was of the utmost importance in the day to day lives of the folks in Ponyville and indeed just about anywhere else. In a place like Ponyville, where each and every day someone new would pass through, a first impression was vital. Hygiene was probably the biggest factor in terms of making a good first impression, especially considering how your lack of it could be seen, or smelt, from quite a way away. For the citizens, a simple bath would be all one needed to reach an acceptable standard of grooming, but when it came to special cases like Applejack, things were a little more difficult. Early on in their relationship they had been using the bathroom in the homestead. Butter had no real reservations about using it, other than the fact that he kept sliding down the tub, not being tall enough to put his feet on the end. Applejack had the opposite problem in that she had been too tall for the tub. Her feet had been hanging over the edges of the tub, dripping water onto the floor below. She still managed to get clean, even if she had to call Butter in to help get the spots she couldn’t reach. He wasn’t allowed to look though; they hadn’t quite reached that level of intimacy yet.

By the time Applejack had reached eleven feet in height, the tub was not a viable option anymore; her rear alone struggled to fit into it. Instead they had converted the bathroom into a wet room, running a hose pipe from one of the downstairs taps, up into the bathroom. Once again, Butter was brought in to hose her down, but once again, he wasn’t able to look, instead relying on Applejack’s words to guide him where he needed to spray the water. The idea was short lived though, as Granny Smith and Big Mac both complained about the water dripping through into the rooms below, causing water damage. Not to mention that damp was beginning to set in along where the water pooled up against the walls. The only option they had left was to take the same method and apply it to the outside world instead. Applejack had been against the idea and once Butter showed her the place she would be getting cleaned, she was even more against the idea. He had chosen the space behind the Apple family’s barn, no curtain or anything that might shield her from view, just a dusty yard. She vehemently denied that she was ever going to get washed in such a way, even going so far as to refrain from bathing for a few days in protest. Though that resulted in her being caught when she least expected by Butter and the powerful hose pipe. Still, she was stubborn like a mule, even after her surprise soaking; she couldn’t be swayed to try the outside shower.

So Butter resolved to find a different solution, somewhere that he and Applejack could bathe each other, without the possibility of strangers. This brings things up to the current day, where Butter hadn’t made much progress, but was gearing up for a trip outside the town limits for another search. He’d found a lake inside the city limits that he had thought to be perfect, at least until he brought Applejack down to show her. Upon doing so, he found out that the reason it seemed so perfect was because it was a popular relaxation destination when the sun was shining. Given that Applejack couldn’t control the weather when she needed to get herself clean, and she certainly didn’t want to expose herself to any onlookers she might find hiding in the foliage, it was a no-go. So Butter had went about searching for other places and during his research he had heard about another lake, one that nobody went to visit. Mostly due to the fact that it was outside of the town and that there was another popular one stuck much closer to home. So he was rather optimistic that he had finally found himself a place that he could comfortably give his girlfriend a good washing.

So off he went, ready to bring home the metaphorical bacon and finally have a location that would appease Applejack at long last. He trekked through the fields on the outskirts of Ponyville until he arrived at the denser foliage that sprung up due to the proximity of the Everfree Forest. While the forest was on the eastern side of Ponyville, it reached far and wide around the town, the thick of it remaining in the east. Butter was eased a little by this, as the last thing he wanted whilst he, or Applejack were bathing, was for a pack of timberwolves to roam on by and catch them in the buff. The idea itself was rather humorous when it was kept to the imagination, but the reality would be much direr. Applejack might have had a chance to survive and defend herself against the wolves, but Butter was as much a goner as his name would suggest. After cutting his way through some of the denser parts of the foliage, he happened upon the lake in question, one that seemed to be, at first glance, precisely what he was looking for. A large expanse, seemingly somewhat shallow, but Butter hadn’t tested the depth at the centre just yet. He sat on the bank of the lake and dipped his toes into the shallow water. The water itself seemed strange, not like the water at the previous lake. It seemed thicker, smoother, like syrup washing over his toes in waves.

A quick glance around the foliage was reassuring as well; despite there being a lack of tree coverageabove him, there seemed to be incredibly tall and thick foliage blocking access to the lake save for where he cut his way in. It was no wonder people didn’t seem to come here often, as the dense growth around the lake would be enough to put off anyone who didn’t want to find themselves lost in the Everfree. After thirty minutes of waiting, Butter was confident that they were likely to be undisturbed whether by pony or mystic animal. Now if Applejack was ok with coming to this spot to bathe whenever she needed to, then finally the pair of them could put another growth concern to rest, at least for a while. He took his feet from the water, marvelling at how the water seemed to slide slowly back into the pool, rather than simply fall back rapidly like regular water. Not paying more attention to it, Butter made his way back out of the clearing and onto the road out to Ponyville. A further twenty minutes later, he had made his way into town and up to Sweet Apple Acres. The Apple in question, that being Applejack was busy sitting out in the sun by the homestead. Her hat pulled over her eyes and her clothes revealing a great deal of skin; a must if one was after some good sun exposure.

Upon hearing the tiny footsteps of Butter, she flicked the hat upwards, and eyed her lover sprinting closer. She smirked as she watched the delightfully chubby creature running over to her, his cheeks flushed from exercise. He ran as close as he needed to, hunching over once he reached her as he tried to catch his breath. Applejack stifled a grin at his lack of fitness, at least in comparison to herself, though Butter could still see the corners of her mouth turning upwards in his mind. If he didn’t have news to tell her, then he was sure that she would put him through some sort of fitness regime right there on the spot. Not wanting to give her that opportunity he launched straight into his spiel about the lake.

“Applejack! I found a place you can use to get a bath! It’s a whole lake, easy big enough for you!”

“A lake?” Applejack frowned.“Sugahcube, ya remember how th’ last lake went doncha?”

“I do, but this one is much better. I waited around for ages and nobody came at all - even the water seems different to the water you’d find about town. It’s really kind of serene and soothing to be honest.”

“Uh huh, an’ jus’ where is this super lake, huh?”

“It’s outside of Ponyville, not by much, but it’s in this clearing, just on the edge of one of the fields!” Butter gestured toward the forest enthusiastically.

“So, ah guess ya want me t’ come w’ ya t’ see this special place an’ give it mah blessin’ huh?”

“Yup, and y’know…maybe take a bath while you’re there?”

Applejack shot him a look of pure evil. “An’ jus’ wut are ya tryin’ t’ say?”

Butter hesitated, his eyes darting around as he thought of an appropriate response. “Uhm...that I’d like to...take a bath with you?”

“Humph, ah’ll let ya consider that a save. Ah’ll git changed an’ then ah’ll come w’ ya, it jus’ better be worth it.”

Butter squeed at the prospect of Applejack being in her swimwear, but quickly covered it up with a stern look. Applejack made her way inside the homestead and up to the bedroom where her clothes were kept. Butter remained outside for the duration of the change and squeed the moment he saw her return. Her bikini was a navy blue one-piece, with a white stripe across the waist and her breasts. A white splotch was featured at the centre of the lines, with an apple emblem emblazoned onto it. Butter wasn’t focused on that though; he was watching those bare, muscular, lengthy, and shapely legs striding towards him. His cheeks flushed crimson again and his heart rate surged through the roof, though this time it wasn’t because of exercise. No, this was pure, unadulterated, arousal and excitement, and Applejack was only too aware of how she got to him like this. She strode past him, the sway of her overhead hips beckoning him to follow her out of Sweet Apple Acres. Butter willingly obliged, only taking the lead once they had managed to make it outside of town. Though Applejack still had to snap him out of his daze before he was able to lead her anywhere.

With all distractions behind him, Butter led Applejack to the clearing that contained the new lake, standing with Applejack at the edge of the water. Amazingly, the clearing had appeared to change whilst he had been away. Now the light streamed in through the canopy around the lake, creating a broken, shimmering pattern on the surface of the water. The foliage itself seemed to be a lighter shade of green than it had been earlier. It certainly had a lusher and glossy appearance, almost unnatural really when one thought about it. Even the water had seemingly undergone a transformation, turning from a slightly hazy light blue, to a deep and azure blue, something that would accompany an ocean vista or two. Considering he had already been to the location once before, Butter was feeling a sense of wonderment upon viewing it a second time. It was like it was trying to appeal to Applejack as much as possible, to have her come back again and again.

“Well? What do you think, Applejack? Good enough for you?”

Butter turned his head to look at Applejack, only to find her gone. If he had been living in a cartoon, then there might have been a cloud of dust standing right where she had been. Butter heard a splash coming from the lake itself and instead turned his attention towards the lake. There, rippling out from a point in the water, were little waves of water but no sign of the creature that had caused them. Butter checked the area behind him, just in case Applejack was planning on shoving him into the water, like many a child had tried in his youth. There was no trace of Applejack or the orange that she was most notable for. So that left him with one single option, that being to enter the water and see just where Applejack had gotten to, if she had in fact gone anywhere at all. So he stripped down to his boxers and clumsily strode into the water, disturbing the almost crystalline surface of the water further as he began his search. He half expected to trip over Applejack as she sat on the bottom of the lake, or to have her creep up on him.

Unbeknownst to him, Applejack was indeed closer than she appeared, lurking in the very deepest part of the lake, that being the centre. The azure blue of the water kept her hidden, the darkness hiding her bright, orange, body. She surfaced now and again, using the ripples above her to tell where Butter was and whether or not it was safe for her to rise for a breath. She was waiting for Butter to reach the centre, to enter her domain and receive his just rewards. She rose up and took a breath, ducking under the water just as soon as Butter whirled around to catch a glimpse of whatever was stalking him. The sound of his panicked gasps amused Applejack, so much so that she let loose a couple of bubbles, giving away her hiding spot. Noticing the bubbles, Butter swam over to them, expecting to find what he was looking for, instead finding disappointment.

Applejack wasn’t ready to reveal herself just yet though; she needed to mess with her little lover boy a little more, to make her reveal all that much sweeter. She rose upwards in the water, not going high enough to break the surface, but enough to send water rushing up and outwards. On the way down, she sent secondary waves of water moving under the water’s surface. These ones weren’t noticeable by sight alone, but should they come into contact with Butter, then he was sure to feel like something was swimming around his ankles. If anything, having it coupled with the waves coming from above as well, was bound to increase Butter’s paranoia tenfold. She kept it up for a couple more minutes before she swam closer to Butter, readying herself for her reveal.

Butter was treading water directly above her, completely unaware of what she was up to. She couldn’t wait to see the look on his face when she surfaced, a true terror of the deep, ready to put him through his paces. Carefully, she rose again, making as little movement on the surface of the water as she could. She didn’t want to give away her position just yet, especially with Butter so close to her. She arched her back so that her chest was primed below him, instead of her head, and then she kicked to surge upwards. Like a mermaid rising out of the depths, slicking her hair back and pulling Butter up into her chest. Butter ‘eeped’ and yelped as he was swallowed up in freckled, orange cleavage. Applejack moaned softly to complete her little charade, before sinking into the water and letting a flushed Butter paddle up and out of her chest. Applejack sunk into the water enough that her eyes and nose were above water level. Butter floated near the top of her nose, once he’d combatted the waves of her sinking that is. He had a slightly relieved and goofy expression on his face, while under the water, Applejack was grinning.

The pair decided to have a little fun, one that didn’t involve spending a lot of time stalking him underwater. The little game they played was one that was mostly childish in nature; it was simply splashing each other. Butter’s splashing didn’t really make a patch upon Applejack’s splashes. His slaps against the water merely sent little tiny jets of water crashing against Applejack’s chest. It was like being in a bathtub with a baby; sure there were slaps by the second, but it just couldn’t displace the required water to make a big mess. Applejack on the other hand, could displace enough water to put a mini tsunami to shame. Her hands jabbing into the water and sending waves half as big as Butter crashing over him, washing him further away from Applejack. She giggled as she watched him helplessly trail away; trying in vain to swim against the current she was putting against him. After a short while, Butter gave up, instead allowing himself to be pushed along with the waves. He eventually washed up against the shoreline and lay there on his back, gently rocking back and forth, staring up at the blue sky.

Applejack wasn’t going to simply allow him to rest that easy though. She waded over to him, sending him rocking on some bigger waves as her wider body shoved more water his way. Once she was close enough to Butter, she put her arms onto her hips and stared down at him, tutting loudly. Butter opened an eye and looked up to see what was blocking out his sunlight. He wasn’t surprised to see Applejack standing there, looking at him disapprovingly. Oh how quickly he moved when Applejack swung her fist into the water, mere inches from his head. He gulped down a bit of water as he was overcome by the rushing water, spray shooting up into air, wetting Applejack as well. The bigger of the two playfully stepped back, chuckling as she watched Butter squirm. Something else was at work with Butter though, an idea was forming in his head, spurred on by that sudden fist move Applejack did.

“Hey, Applejack! I bet you can’t do a bomb in the lake!”

“Wut? Are ya trying t’ clear this thing out? There ain’t a tap around here t’ fill it back up, y’know!”

“Pssh, what’s the matter? Scared? I never took you for the kind of person to be a big ol’ chicken!”

Applejack shot Butter a death glare before crossing to the water’s edge and walked out of it. It seemed that Butter’s words had struck a chord with Applejack, possibly to the extent that he had offended his larger companion. She strode away from the lake, disappearing out of the clearing. The dense foliage proved no match for the giantess as she easily snapped and plowed through it all. Butter pushed back from the shore, swimming to the deeper centre of the lake and treading water there, looking worried in the direction she’d gone. Had he offended her? There’d been stronger names passed between the two on their bad days, but sometimes feelings could be a fickle thing. He swam a little inland before pausing as he noticed ripples spreading in the water. Nothing extraordinary about that, of course, until one noticed that the epicentre of the ripples wasn’t Butter himself. No, there was something else at play here, something big, racing towards him. A sudden flash of orange through the bushes told him all he needed to know. Butter frantically tried to swim backwards to avoid what he assumed was going to be quite the splash.

Another jostling of the leaves and a loud, booming, cry of ‘yeehaw!’ heralded Applejack bursting through the bushes from a completely different spot to where she had left. Butter’s jaw dropped open at the sight of a giant orange cannonball coming towards him. Applejack had tucked her legs tight to her chest and her arms had wrapped around them to keep them tight. A round, growing shadow engulfed Butter as Applejack came crashing down upon him. Butter was forced under the water and right down to the bed of the lake, crushed underneath Applejack’s rear end. The air was forced from his lungs, taking the shape of little bubbles that rushed up to the surface of the water. There were a bunch of larger bubbles that came up from higher up in the lake, coming from Applejack no doubt. A garbled sound of pain accompanied both sets of bubbles; Butter’s coming from being flattened and Applejack’s coming from the bruising of her backside.

Butter felt the cheeks of her backside swelling over his sides, their weight proving difficult to move when combined with the watery environment. He struggled and wriggled, growing more and more frantic as he used up the oxygen contained within his body. He felt a little movement from above as Applejack’s head movedaround in the water. She was looking frantically around to see where Butter had gone, but could not see his body near the surface anywhere on the lake. Butter jerked his body rapidly, trying to get her attention. Applejack’s worry was cut short as she felt the strange sensations under her rear. Butter was exhausted now, his oxygen used up, the edges of his vision going dark. Of all the ways to go, this wasn’t one of the best, but the inclusion of Applejack’s rear certainly made it a little more pleasant. Just as his vision completely clouded up, he felt that immense weight above him lift up, still lacking the energy to do anything about it though. He lay there at the base of the lake until a pair of hands clamped around his waist.

He was pulled out of the lake and held up in the fresh air of nature once more. He gasped greedily and rapidly, his chest rising and falling in quick succession as he filled his lungs again and again. Gradually, his vision began to fill with colour again, and his other senses began to return to normality. Their return came back like being slammed into a brick wall for Butter though; each second a new scent, feel, flavour or sound came to pass over him. Applejack watched on as her little lover writhed in her grip, feeling immensely worried for him. Her instincts were telling her to flee the lake at once, with Butter in tow and take him to the nearest hospital. He seemed to be recovering for the most part, but uncertainty still gnawed at her. This was her fault; she could have just walked away and had Butter follow her. Sure, she could say that Butter was partially to blame for this mess, thanks to that chicken comment he made, but she was still the one that had crushed the life out of him. Butter spluttered and coughed up some water before he sat up straight in Applejack’s grip.

“Ugh...that...that was close…” He choked out.

“Butter, ah...ah, don’ know wut t’ say t’ ya. This wus all mah fault, ah should’ve jus’ walked off like ah planned t’ do. Ah dunno how ah could be so stupid…” Applejack began to babble.

Butter looked up at that face, that wet, sad looking face and smiled a dopey smile. “Hey, you might have crushed the life out of me, but with the way you hit the bottom, I doubt you got let off the hook.”

Applejack smiled in relief. If he could tease her after all, then he must be okay. “Well, mah butt does feel a little sore, but does ah bruise really match up t’ wut ya went through?”

“Well, perhaps not exactly the same, but hey, I’m here, you’re here, we’ll just call this mutually painful, eh?”

“An’ ah think we’re both agreed that there’ll be no more bombing durin’ bath time, right?”

Butter laughed, wincing as he bent backwards, sending a searing pain through his spine. “Haha...ow...ooh…yeah. Say, if you’re feeling clean enough for now, why don’t we head back? I think I could do with a lie down…”

Applejack nodded and walked her way out of the lake and into the foliage, not once letting go of Butter even as she scooped down and collected his clothes. Something was up with his back it seemed, so it was unfair for her to make him walk all the way back in his condition. She exited the foliage and was now in the fields, Butter pressed closer to her chest than he had been when she started walking. He wasn’t complaining as the sensations of burying his face into her bosom seemed to dull the sensations of pain in his back somewhat. Applejack wasn’t complaining either; she was happy that he had found something that made him feel better, and the least she could do was let him enjoy himself after his recent experience. They got some disapproving looks from the other people out and about, but Applejack didn’t care and Butter was too absorbed in something much more important. Together the two of them walked to the homestead, disappearing inside so Applejack could spend the evening playing nurse with him. Something else that Butter wasn’t exactly opposed to…