When it came to family, Applejack was well versed on the ins and outs of hers, just like other folks would be with theirs. There wasn’t a single thing that happened to her family that she didn’t know about. Whether it was the many new hips that Granny had needed over the years, or the seventeen times that Big Mac had put his back out through sheer hard work. But when it came to Apple Bloom, that was where Applejack seemed to falter somewhat. Her sister spent so much time out of the house and getting into all manner of activities that she just couldn’t keep track. Sure there were occasions where their paths crossed and she had been allowed insight into what she got up to. Nine times out of ten, it wasn’t good news and Applejack found herself teaching Apple Bloom an important lesson or two about life. She had always found herself silently vowing to keep better tabs on the girl in the future and each time she had found herself failing to keep her word on it. Things had been made even more difficult by Applejack’s recent condition, meaning that she spent more time with Butter than anyone else on the farm. She occasionally got a glimpse of Big Mac or Granny when she was helping out with her chores, namely orchard work, but rarely ever Apple Bloom. Their conflicting lifestyles currently took their toll on the pair and soon it was almost a year before they’d had any sort of deep interaction.

Applejack endured quite a shock when she did see Apple Bloom next though. The youth had begun sprouting up like a weed, almost double the height she had been when Applejack had last seen her. She even stood taller than Butter at six feet and two inches tall, which didn’t bother him as his girlfriend currently held the ‘taller than’ record. Applejack had been taken aback though; whilst she was able to hold a conversation with her sister and have a joke and a laugh with her, something bit at her mind. A little niggle in the back of her brain that cried out to her that she was witnessing the very same thing that happened to her in her youth. Such rapid growth, and in such a short space of time, worried Applejack to no end. She had Butter to help her deal with her condition and help her through her troubles too. Yes, Apple Bloom had her friends, but if her assumptions were correct and she was going to end up like Applejack, would her friends stick by her? It was thoughts like this that kept Applejack awake at night and it wasn’t long before Butter was sticking his nose in to find out more.

The pair were sitting in bed together, Butter taking his usual spot of lying on top of Applejack’s stomach, his head wedged softly into her bosom. He was moments away from dropping off to sleep when he felt something thumping against his back. The sounds coming from inside her chest, which Butter soon recognised as the surprisingly rapid beat of her heart. He tilted his head back, peering through her cleavage, expecting to see Applejack flat out asleep. Instead he found her staring off into the distance, her eyes wide, just looking off at the wall. It wasn’t the first time either; the past few nights he’d noticed the same thing. No attempts to pass it off as something else, just her staring into nothing. If ever Butter needed a sign to know whether or not Applejack was troubled, this was it. He rolled onto his front and carefully crawled his way up her body, until he was blocking her view somewhat. He waved his arms around and until she stopped staring at the wall and instead focused on him. Her brow furrowed in confusion, as though he’d pulled her out from some elaborate daydream. Sensing that he might be in for some kind of story, Butter slid his way down her chest, so that he rested on the top of her breasts. He put his arms under his chin and crossed his legs, adopting a listening pose.

“What’d ya want? Ah thought yer’d be asleep by now.” Applejack whispered unnecessarily.

“Well, I was almost asleep, but I looked up and saw you staring off into the distance.” Butter replied in concern. “is something wrong?”

Applejack sighed. “Ya can read me like a book, can’t ya? D’ya remember when ah got t’ see Apple Bloom recently?”

“Yeah? The pair of you really seemed to enjoy it, considering your conflicting schedules. Why? Is that what’s bugging you?”

“Well, did ya notice how much bigger she is? Ah mean, she’s taller th’n you, does thayt remind ya of anyone?”

Butter pondered the question for a moment before he finally understood. “Oh. You think that what’s happening to you is starting again, but with Apple Bloom this time, right?”

“Right.”

“Well, would it make you feel better if I kept an eye on her? Hang out with her and her friends for a while, just to see if she really is?”

Applejack brushed her fingers across Butter’s head, ruffling his ginger locks into a mess. “Are ya sure? Ah mean, ya know she can be a handful, right?”

“Pffft, you know I can handle her. I mean, I’ve got the original handful of Apple right here.” Butter teased.

Applejack shrugged. “Alright, don’t say ah didn’t warn ya.”

She pet Butter on the head, eliciting a wag of his tail and a chuckle from herself, and stuck him back in his original sleeping position; lifting him up by the arms like a doll and laying him out across her stomach. She smoothed her chest down to give the most pillow possible, before she adjusted herself. Shimmying and wriggling down the bed, her feet hanging off the edges, but otherwise comfortable. She smirked as she pictured multiple scenarios involving Butter and the CMC, the girls taking him for a ride and putting him through his paces. She knew Butter could handle it though; like he said, he’d been dealing with her for long enough, but what was her sister to add to that? She rested her hand on Butter’s stomach as she drifted off to sleep. Her heart rate began to fall, and the final thing she felt was Butter’s own heart rate beginning to rise.

The next morning, Applejack left Butter to go about her chores, pointing Apple Bloom in his direction when they crossed paths. That meant that Butter opened his eyes that morning, to find himself face to face with a large, grinning yellow preteen. Through his somewhat hazy vision, the mishmash of colours frightened him into sitting bolt upright, his forehead colliding with Apple Bloom. Both of them recoiled with shared pain, each one trying their best not to curse, at least not out loud. When the pain subsided, Butter looked up to find Apple Bloom standing at the side of his bed this time, having learnt from her mistake. Rubbing his temple, Butter got out of bed and stood up to mimic her. Unsurprisingly, he didn’t match up to her height, even less so than usual. Apple Bloom now stood at six feet and four inches, a whole two inches in less than a week. It was relieving and terrifying to see that Applejack’s worry wasn’t totally unfounded. Apple Bloom on the other hand seemed delighted that she was even taller than Butter as before he’d even gotten close to her, she was already sizing him up with her hands. Placing a flat palm level with her neck and then raising it and lowering it until he stood close enough for the accurate reading.

“Well, are ya ready, short stuff?” Apple Bloom bellowed, sending Butter’s tired mind into shock.

“Ready? For wha- Don’t call me short, didn’t your sister teach you respect for your elders?”

“Aw relax there, Butter. Ah didn’ mean anythin’ by it, ah jus’ wanted t’ have some fun w’ ya. That’s all.”

“Alright, alright. Just, not so loud. I’m still getting used to these early mornings your sister has me up at.” He stifles a yawn to punctuate his point.

“Alright, well, firs’ things firs’, ah gotta show ya t’ the other CMC. Then ya can come w’ us t’ try an’ get our cutie marks.”

Butter shrugged. “Sure, always nice to make some new friends.”

Apple Bloom took him by the hand and lead him outside into the orchard. Applejack stifled a chuckle as she walked back with a bushel of apples in her hands. Seeing Butter getting led along by someone much younger than him was humorous, but she hoped it wouldn’t last. So did Butter for that matter; the constant shaking of his arm as Apple Bloom bounded her way through the orchard wasn’t doing wonders for him. His feet were struggling to keep up with Apple Bloom’s larger strides, and he constantly stumbled and stubbed his toes on the roots of the trees. His prayers were answered when Apple Bloom led him to the clearing in which their clubhouse was situated. There didn’t appear to be anyone else in the area around the clubhouse besides Apple Bloom and himself. So he assumed that if they were anywhere, they were inside the clubhouse and waiting for them. Apple Bloom let go of his hand, climbing the ladder up to the treehouse like a big, gangly spider, never losing a foot to error. Butter on the other hand was somewhat less graceful. Considering all his time spent climbing all over Applejack’s body during their time together, he was doing at good job at hiding it. It took him almost twice as long to climb the treehouse ladder, losing his footing several times along the way. Odd that an unstable surface was much easier for him than a ladder, but he chalked it up to practice.

When he finally reached the top, Apple Bloom was inside standing with her two friends, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle stood out the most, her white coloured body contrasting heavily with Scootaloo’s burnt orange and Apple Bloom’s yellow. Her hair was the most fancy out of the three though. Rolled into curls of pink and lilac, it was a style that must have taken hours, or minutes by a consummate professional. Not surprising for the younger sister of Rarity, who likely fussed over her whenever she stayed over. Scootaloo essentially had a brushed forward quiff, a style that Butter had seen before, though he was drawing a blank as to where. Sweetie Belle gave off the impression that of the trio, she was the most ‘girly’, as she had opted to wear a white shirt, tied with a pink bow, complete with purple skirt and socks up to the knees. Apple Bloom was much like her sister, in the sense that she had opted for a flannel shirt with the arms cut short and a pair of three quarter shorts, topped with long, wide, leather boots. Finally, Scootaloo had opted for something along the same lines as Butter; nothing more than a simple t-shirt, a pair of jeans and some trainers. Again, a style that Butter had seen before, but it was so common that it was hard to pin it down to one particular pony. The height variances were as severe as one might expect. Scootaloo stood at a proud four feet exactly, whilst Sweetie Belle stood two inches taller, and naturally both were dwarfed by Apple Bloom’s six feet and four inches.

Around the clubhouse were a few things, which defined it as ‘theirs’. There was a little podium sitting at the back, no doubt where they had their deliberations over what was going to be their next adventure. To the left and right were models and childish doodles of past creations, though in the case of the models, it seemed someone in the club had a thing for Rainbow Dash. Posters, memorabilia and other craft creations of Rainbow Dash’s achievements were kept to this one particular corner of the clubhouse. Crayons, glue, even glitter, littered the floor; thankfully the glue stayed firmly in its pot. Butter wasn’t ready to lose his trainers to the terrors of a glue soaked floor just yet. Two windows either side of the building made up for the lack of actual lighting, by providing the natural sort instead. All in all, it was a quaint little building, the perfect retreat for three little girls with a sense of adventure.

“So, Butter Nut, ah’d like ya t’ meet the oth’r CMC, this here is Sweetie Belle,” her hand rested on the aforementioned mare’s head. “An’ this here is Scootaloo.”

Both the girls waved back, sharing Apple Bloom’s positivity. “If you’d like to take a seat, we were uh, just about to begin our daily meeting.” Sweetie Belle explained meekly. Her cheeks looked a little pink, probably from having her friends hand on her head so easily from their size difference.

Butter nodded and sat himself down where he stood, pushing the door closed to avoid a draft, a nearby pillow serving as a cushion. The CMC moved away from the door and took their own places for the meeting. Apple Bloom stood at the podium, making it look comically small in comparison, whilst Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle sat before her. The meeting began and Butter listened intently to each and everything they said. There was talk of Apple Bloom’s size, Sweetie Belle asking if she had been at Zecora’s potion closet again. Apple Bloom denied it, saying that you only needed to look at her sister to know that this was just Apple family genetics. Butter made a note of this in his mind as it was certainly worth telling to Applejack. There was talk of another branch of the CMC somewhere in Manehatten, and how they were getting along well with recruiting new members. Finally, they came to the itinerary for the next couple of days. Today was going to be spent trying to get a spelunking cutie mark, which Butter raised a question about them being a little young to do that sort of thing. He was met with a group chorus that boiled down to ‘yes, yes we are’.

Once the meeting was over, the CMC and Butter left the clubhouse with haste, heading over to the caves that dot the southwest hills outside of Ponyville. There were plenty of small spaces to crawl into and if one was trying to get some kind of cave exploring mark, this was a place to do it. The girls all got geared up with harness and hard hats with lamps attached, readying for cave diving. Butter had vehemently opted out of the activity, on the grounds that he was the only other pony here. If he went down with them and something happened, there was no-one out there to help them. After that explanation it was widely agreed that he was making the right choice. Scootaloo led the charge into what looked to be an impossibly tight cave, diving into it and scrambling into the darkness. Tied behind her was Sweetie Belle, who took some nudging, but thanks to Apple Bloom giving her a gentle nudge into the hole, followed Scootaloo. Then it was time for Apple Bloom to have her turn. She prepped herself at the entrance and slid her head forwards into the darkness. Her headlamp caught the rears of both Sweetie and Scootaloo, only the smallest shred of the latter visible past Sweetie Belle. Apple Bloom managed to get around halfway into the cave before she struck a problem. Her body was wider and taller than her friends, which meant that she was scraping up against the sides of the cave something fierce. The problem however, was the fact that her hips refused to move past the entrance; in layman's terms, she was stuck.

The rope connecting the three of them pulled tight, preventing her friends to venture any deeper. They called out to her, asking what was wrong and Apple Bloom reluctantly informed them of the truth. They called back asking if she was sure and she called back to Butter to make absolutely sure that she was stuck. He gave her legs a push, even going so far as to push her thighs once or twice. He refused to try any further than that, no matter how much they told him to try other places. He insisted that she was just going to have to face facts that she wasn’t going to get any further in and that this idea would have to be abandoned. Apple Bloom agreed and retreated in time with her friends, popping her hips back out of the hole and bringing the whole team back out into the light. She apologised for her role in the failure and together they returned to the clubhouse. Apple Bloom remained strangely quiet for the time it took to return to the clubhouse, only speaking when spoken to. Suffice to say, none of them got their spelunking cutie marks that day.

Once they were back at the clubhouse, Butter bid the CMC farewell and returned to Applejack. He thought about what he’d seen and he couldn’t help but get the odd flashback about how Applejack was the same. When she had first realised that there were certain things that she wasn’t able to do anymore, she had been upset, angry even, and hadn’t spoken to him for a few days. Thankfully, Butter had reminded her that there were other things that her size allowed them to do, which had perked her back up. Problem was, Butter couldn’t tell those same things to Apple Bloom because most were wildly inappropriate for the ears of a child. The other problem was that he didn’t have the time and resources to dedicate himself to taking care of both Applejack and Apple Bloom, so he was going to need a workaround. He opened the door to the barn and slipped inside, greeting Applejack who was sprawled out on the couch, awaiting his return.

“So, how’d it go? Did ya manage t’ see wut was goin’ on?” She asked.

“Well, as much as you don’t want to hear it, so far it looks like the same thing that happened to you. She even used you as an example when her friends were questioning her about it.” Butter saw the way her face fell and reluctantly added, “I’ll need a few more days to see for certain, but I think she’s taking it as well as you did.”

“That well, huh?”

“Yeah, and she’s younger - she’s going to miss out on a lot of things if this keeps up the way we both think it will.” Butter paused to climb onto the couch and settled on Applejack’s stomach. “It isn’t fair for her, but we shouldn’t assume the worst just yet. After all, most of your relatives are tall naturally, so this could just be her time to spurt up.”

“S’pose so…ah jus’ hope yer right about it not bein’ a repeat.”

“Only one way to find out.” Butter replied, settling in for a little nap to rest.

Two days later, Butter awoke to the sight of Apple Bloom once again. This time, the distance was a little more stark. Apple Bloom’s shoulder reached the top of his head, which he estimated put her at around seven feet exactly. An almost incredible increase over two days of six inches. There was no way she was growing in her sleep, like one would expect. It had to be a gradual thing, adding more to her frame throughout the day, bit by bit until it was big enough to notice. He asked her how long she’d been that size, hoping that there hadn’t been a noticeable spurt in the last day, hoping that all this growth was done on day one. Sadly, Apple Bloom gave him the answer he feared; it had been three inches on day one and three the next day. She didn’t seem bothered about it though, and the events of their last encounter had obviously been erased from her mind and replaced with a ‘new day’ mentality. Once again, the pair ventured to the clubhouse and sat through another meeting before knowing what they were going to be doing today.

They were going to be playing hide and seek, to try and secure both hiding and seeking cutie marks. They were going to take it in turns, with two people hiding and one person seeking. First that would be Apple Bloom and she would be seeking Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Once again, Butter was choosing to opt out, this time looking for any subtle growth done by Apple Bloom during the course of their task. Applejack was going to be extra worried once he brought this growth spurt to her attention. If she didn’t stop soon, they would have no choice but to assume that she was going to be repeating Applejack’s process. He watched with intense scrutiny as Apple Bloom easily found both Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo in record time. The same could be said when Apple Bloom went to hide; her abnormally large frame had her sticking out of just about every hiding spot she chose. Sweetie and Scootaloo tried to soften the blow a little by deliberately looking in the wrong places, but they could only do it so long before she began to get wise.

Each time they rotated the teams, Apple Bloom always seemed to be getting the short end of the stick, contrary to her immense size. Butter could see it in her eyes that she knew that she didn’t quite fit in. She was still a child at heart, but her body was almost in proportion with an adult and it meant she couldn’t enjoy the childish things. She had grown up too fast and Butter couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. He had hoped to come up with a workaround to help her deal with her problem, but right now he was the first responder and it was up to him to set up the proper care for her. The question was, how did he ensure that Apple Bloom would be looked after while he was busy with Applejack? He made a mental note of her close friends, and how they tried their best to make her feel involved, despite the glaring problem. They kept it up for the majority of the day before they noticed their lack of cutie marks and abandoned their pursuit.

On the way back to the clubhouse, Butter wrapped himself up deep in his thoughts. This time, Apple Bloom hadn’t been upset or felt that she had ruined the task for the others. If she was, then she was doing a darn good job of masking it. As far as he could tell, she was just as happy and excited as her friends, and the way she pranced about and played as they walked seemed evident of that. He bid them farewell at the clubhouse and took a moment to watch them head inside. As he expected, Apple Bloom knocked her head against the frame of the door and then again on the roof inside. Another growth spurt from her and they might just end up looking for a new place to meet. He’d need to consult with Applejack about possible contingencies should their fears be realised, but as he walked back, he focused on thinking long term.

It was almost a week before he was met with the sight of Apple Bloom looming over him again. He didn’t need her to speak to know that she had grown again; he’d dropped below the shoulder and was level with her upper arm. Despite not needing to, he decided to ask Apple Bloom for the growth span of this latest spurt. The explanation he received however, was far more than he was expecting. Given that he was expecting some kind of one inch per day, given the week between meetings, he was surprised to see that the seven inches she had grown happened in one night. That left six days that she hadn’t done any kind of growing at all, which for Butter was all he needed. He practically leapt out of his bed and hugged her in delight. Apple Bloom embraced him for the hug, but she wasn’t entirely clear as to why she was being hugged so intensely by her sister’s boyfriend. Not to mention it was strange hugging a stallion older than her, yet so much smaller.

As far as a reason went, Butter was simply relieved to finally hear that there was a long gap between the current time and her most recent spurt. With just over five days between them, Butter was confident that this was enough evidence to prove that this wasn’t a repeat of Applejack. But still, he told Apple Bloom to run on along to the clubhouse and send her friends back to him. Apple Bloom was confused, but she complied, eager to get everything out of the way so she could start another day of cutie mark collecting. Butter waited in the barn for ten minutes before he was greeted by Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. The pair wore the same confused expression that Apple Bloom had when she had left. Still, they had arrived and now he could get down to business. He invited them to take a seat on the couch, helping them up before moving up to sit with them. The pair were taken aback by the size of the couch, but Butter could think of no better place to discuss his concerns with the pair.

“I’m sure you’re wondering why I brought you here girls.” They nodded in agreement.“It’s about Apple Bloom. You and I are aware that she’s been growing a lot faster than say, yourselves or anyone else around.” Sweetie Belle opens her mouth and Butter interrupts before she can speak. “Applejack excluded.”

The pair nodded.

“Up until today I was worried that it might a repeat of her sister, or rather, Applejack was. Right now I’m firmly in the belief that it’s just her being an Apple – the whole family is pretty tall.”

“Like Big Macintosh!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed.

“Or Babs – remember how tall she was last time she visited?” Scootaloo looked over to her friend, who nodded in agreement.

“Exactly – it might just be good genetics that’s all.” Butter sighed. “But if it isn’t…well, the reason Applejack deals with it so well is because I’m here to reassure her that everything is alright. Now, it’s hard enough to deal with someone that might never stop growing, so I can’t keep splitting myself between her and Apple Bloom. That’s where you two come in. I need the pair of you to be there for her - to do the reassuring for me if it’s really happening. Try and steer her away from ideas that will disappoint her due to her size. Keep her positive, and lift her spirits when she’s down, because she will have those moments, believe me. Even if she doesn’t grow another inch it can be hard being so tall without a good friend, or two.”

“Sure, we can do that!” Sweetie Belle squeaked.

“Yeah! Besides, she might not feel so bad once we grow to catch her up, right?” Scootaloo added, crossing her arms and nodding.

Butter ruffled their hair and smiled. “Sure thing, Scootaloo, whatever you say.”

With the talk finished the pair scampered off, shouting something about being Cutie Mark Crusaders forever. For a moment, as the two pushed the giant doors wider apart, Butter could have sworn they looked off. As if they didn’t fill his vision the way his mind had expected. Perhaps taller than he could remember? But that was a silly thought; Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo weren’t growing like Applejack, and now likely Apple Bloom, was. It was hard to tell the heights of normal ponies after dealing with taller mares, that was all. A distant greeting from the CMC announced Applejack before she entered into the barn, filling his sight with her orange legs as he’d been staring down where the girls had just been. She took a seat next to Butter and helped him into her lap, nuzzling him softly atop his head. Butter settled in and enjoyed the warmth. He preferred to deal with this big Apple, more than the smaller big Apple; there was far less energy involved for a start. He chuckled at his own joke, prompting Applejack to look down and give him a quizzical look.

“Do ah need t’ ask?”

“Nah, you don’t need to worry about anything for the time being. I took care of everything. Apple Bloom should be happy at seven feet and seven inches and I’m totally ready to focus solely on you.”

“Ah knew ah could count on ya!” She hugged and squeezed Butter tightly.

“I knew I could count on me too.” He wheezed.