Chapter 5

725 years ago: Starswirl the Bearded’s cabin near the Everfree Forest, Kingdom of Equestria

It had been a very long and eventful night for Starswirl and his new son, Frostmere. Starswirl usually liked to get up early so he could eat his breakfast and go into the Everfree Woods to find alchemical ingredients for his various experiments and healing poultices. Frostmere was still sound asleep next to Starswirl’s bed, curled up in a small crib Starswirl had magically fashioned out of a large stump. Starswirl, being an almost lifelong bachelor was adept at such household tasks as sewing, cooking and cleaning. He learned the crafts more so out of principal rather than necessity. His status as the court mage entitled him to many luxuries that normal ponies couldn’t even dream of, but he had refused to take any servants preferring instead to live a simple life. Starswirl was just one of the ponies who liked to do everything with his own hooves because it gave him the satisfaction of being self-sufficient.

Starswirl began to cook some oatmeal porridge for both himself and Frostmere. While milk would have been ideal, Starswirl just didn’t have access to a nursemare and even if there were some they all lived in Castle Canterlot, a half day trek from his cabin. He knew enough about pony physiology to know that the foal would likely be able to digest the oatmeal because it was already cooked and didn’t need to be chewed. Starswirl decided to add some blueberries to the mix, adding a bit more nutrition to the meal and of course some flavor.

Starswirl could hear a very faint yawn and noticed that Frostmere had woken up. He went over to the crib to bring Frostmere over to the table. Frostmere had a big grin on his face and giggled as Starswirl picked him up. As Starswirl picked up a bowl of oatmeal, Frostmere looked at it expectantly with his deep blue eyes.

“Oh my you’re a hungry little one aren’t you? Ha ha ha I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t either. Eat up son; we both have a big day ahead of us. Quite frankly, I was worried you wouldn’t eat my porridge.”

Frostmere seemed content and was looking around the room. He spotted a big crystal ball on the top shelf of a large bookcase. As is the case with many babies, shiny objects are a constant source of amusement and wonder. Frostmere’s horn glowed sapphire blue as he levitated the ball in the air. He continued to play with it until his horn started glowing even brighter, then the crystal ball disintegrated in a blue, fiery explosion.

Starswirl couldn’t hide the shock in his voice. “Sweet Celetsia’s teats child, you a bundle of destruction! I suppose you can’t help it though, but perhaps I can. Your mana levels are astronomically high, so much so your body has to siphon off some of the power so that it doesn’t destroy you. If there was only some way to bleed some of your power off and help you control it better. Ah ha! I know just the thing. I’ll craft you an amulet that will absorb some of your mana each time you cast a spell, that way you’ll be able to cast without devastating everything around you.”

Starswirl decided to skip his usual herb gathering routine and go straight into town for the supplies he would need to craft Frostmere’s amulet. While not a jeweler by trade Starswirl knew how to craft magical items, rings and necklaces in particular. It was a very lucrative venture for mages to construct such items because there were always hapless nobles that wanted a good luck charm or something to protect them. He found another blanket and wrapped that around his shoulder, using it as a makeshift papoose for Frostmere. Starswirl then teleported to the Canterlot market district.

Canterlot market hummed with the sounds of merchants hawking their wares, hooves clopping on cobblestones and smiths working their hammers. The Kingdom of Equestia was one of the largest nations in the world and thus one of the richest. Practically anything a pony could want was available for purchase; this was due in no small part to Princess Celestia’s tireless efforts to broker peace treaties amongst the other nations. Such treaties allowed the flow of trade between nations, making all involved rich with edible and material goods. Starswirl made his way over to one of Canterlot’s best smithing shops, the Golden Hammer. The Golden Hammer not only produced quality weapons but also served as a jewelry shop as well. It was run by Golden Sparkle and his wife Ruby Sparkle. Golden was the master smith who made the jewelry and weapons, while Ruby found all the gems.

Starswirl approached the Golden Hammer to find a stallion working the forge. He was a normal sized earth pony, but extremely muscular from having to work the forge constantly. His coat was dark blonde in color, the mane and tail a sandy brown. The cutie mark on his flank showed a gold bar crossed by two hammers. He stopped his forging to greet Starswirl.

“Good day Milord, what brings you to my humble shop?”

“Greetings Golden Sparkle, I have come to purchase some supplies for crafting an amulet.”

“Is that so? I didn’t realize you were into making trinkets for nobles. I guess a pony’s gotta make a living somehow.”

Starswirl laughed. “Oh no my friend I’m crafting an amulet for the little one over here.”

Golden Sparkle gave a quick smirk and whistled. “Well now it looks like you got yourself a new companion. You know my wife and I just had our child nary a week ago. I couldn’t be more proud. Ruby, dear could you come out for a minute and bring our daughter.”

The front door to the shop opened and a mare holding a foal appeared. She was also an earth pony but her coat was blood red, her mane and tail were blue with purple highlights. The cutie mark on her flank depicted a large, red, ruby.

Ruby gave a quick curtsy. “Greetings Milord, how do you fare this day?”

“Very well Ruby Sparkle. Who is the little foal you have there?”

Ruby cradled the filly foal and had a large smile on her face. The foal’s coat was a light shade of purple and her mane and tail were blue, much the same as her mother’s highlights. “We named her Amethyst for she is the jewel of our lives and her coat much resembles one.”

Starswirl patted the little foal on the head and she giggled in response. “It seems I have forgotten my own little bundle of joy. His name is Frostmere, I found him near a burned cottage. I’m afraid his parents were killed during the blaze, so I took him in as my own.”

Ruby had a somber look on her face. “Yes such things happen in this world, but it is fortunate that you found the babe when you did otherwise he may have perished.”

“Hmm yes fortunate indeed. That reminds me of why I am here. I need to purchase a bar of silver, a chain and one of your finest sapphires.”

“Ah looking to craft an amulet Milord?”

“Indeed, I need to construct an amulet that can better attune a unicorn’s magic.”

“We certainly have all the materials you require Milord; however the sapphire you need will be expensive.”

“I figured as much. It’s not as if I can use a sub-par sapphire, it needs to be of the highest quality to ensure stability otherwise the gem would break.”

“For the whole kit, I’m going to need 200 bits.”

“Thank you Golden and Ruby, hopefully I shall see the both of you again soon.”

The Sparkles waved goodbye to Starswirl as he teleported back to his cabin. When he got back he decided to put Frostmere to sleep so he could work on the amulet. Due to the high quality of the materials, crafting the amulet was pretty straight forward. Starswirl managed to finish crafting it in about half the time he expected and best of all Frostmere was still sound asleep. The amulet was circular, silver and had two unicorns on either side holding the sapphire in the middle. It went perfectly with Frostmere’s eyes Starswirl thought. A dark but practical thought came to Starswirl’s mind.

“I may have to place a spell on this amulet just in case Frostmere’s magic truly gets out of hoof. As much as I hate to do it, the possibility exists that he may become extraordinarily dangerous. This hex should drain all of his magic, but it won’t take his life at least.”

Starswirl knew that magic was a large part of any unicorn’s life. There were a few spells developed to strip a unicorn of his or her power without killing them, but it was a punishment reserved for only the most heinous criminals. He would only activate the hex in the most dire of circumstances; however he would try his best to train Frostmere not only to be a diligent magic user but an up standing citizen as well.

Starswirl walked over to the sleeping foal and ran his hoof through Frostmere’s mane. Frostmere stirred from his nap but was not upset. He looked into Starswirl’s eyes with a look of utter contentedness. Frostmere then propped himself up crawling over to Starswirl. The little foal fidgeted around to get himself comfortable and snuggled Starswirl’s chest.

Starswirl couldn’t help but smile as he kept stroking Frostmere’s mane. A determined look burned in Starswirl’s eyes. “Don’t worry little one, I will always look after you no matter where you are or how old you become. I swear it, Celestia as my witness.”

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Present Day: Sweet Apple Acres, Equestria

Iron Cross and Applejack had finally made it to the left side of the apple orchard. It was about two in the afternoon and the sun was still high in the sky radiating a fearsome heat, making the already strenuous task of pulling weeds all the more difficult. Applejack was feeling guilty for both forgetting to do this chore earlier and for dragging Iron Cross into it. While she would rather just go back to the farmhouse and enjoy an iced tea on the porch, the sooner they got this done the better. Weeds if they weren’t pulled would ruin the trees when it came time for the harvest and that would not bode well for the Apple family.

Applejack stopped weeding to wipe sweat from her forehead. “Holy horseapples is it hot. Ah guess we ain’t used to the heat on account of bein’ inside most of the day.”

Iron Cross pulled out another dandelion and looked Applejack’s way. “You can say that again. Where I came from we had only mildly warm summers, but never was it this hot. Perhaps this is Celestia’s doing?”

“Ah guess so, but the Princess just wants us ta have a good growin’ season is all. The more the sun shines, the healthier the apples git. Of course too much sun can be a bad thing but that’s why we got rain.”

“I couldn’t help but notice that the weather here in Equestria seems to be unnaturally convenient at times.”

“Most of the time it is Iron. The pegasai control the weather ‘round here and make it rain or shine on certain occasions. We still got all the seasons ‘cause Celestia thinks it’s unnatural fer the climate ta always be on a single season. Ah think it would be mighty unnatural as well because plants need time to grow and to rest. If it were summer all the time, why all the plants would die.”

“You make it sound as if Celestia controls the seasons…how is that possible?”

“Well sure she does. She controls the rising and settin’ of the sun. Her sister, Luna, controls the moon. They keep Equestria in balance, makin’ it a pleasant place to live.”

“Now I understand why she is your princess, which would also explain why she is so adept at magic. The only thing I am still confused over is if she and her sister control the heavens and seasons wouldn’t they be extremely old? Celestia didn’t seem very old when I met her.”

“Yer right about that sugarcube. They are what we call alicorns. It’s a mixture between a pegasus and a unicorn. Most ponies don’t live real long, maybe about eighty to a hundred years but alicorns are immortal. They are immune to sickness but they ain’t invincible. They can be hurt and die from their injuries, but under normal circumstances they live fer thousands of years. Ah reckon Princess Celestia is over a thousand years old.”

“Wow…I never knew that. You see on my world Applejack, humans would rarely live to one hundred. Human kind never had any immortal rulers, but I guess that’s what makes them so special. Humans have a strong desire to achieve their goals quickly due to their mortality, so they do great things in very short periods of time. You must also consider that Earth is a place devoid of magic, so humans needed to be clever in how they got things done. That is why humans invented machines. While some of the machines were used to improve people’s lives, others were used to destroy and kill. That is the one thing I don’t miss and I hope that Equestria never uses machines to wage war.”

“That’s a darn shame, although ah reckon it was bound to happen. Someponies round here do the same things with magic and inevitably there’s a pony who wants to weaponize simple spells. Ah will say one thing though, Celestia tries her hardest to keep Equestria peaceful and that’s why we love her.”

“It’s always a good thing to have a benevolent ruler. Sometimes leaders lose sight of what’s really important and that is the safety and security of their subjects.”

Applejack surveyed their handy work. She had to admit the weed pulling had taken a lot less time with Iron Cross helping her, not to mention the talk they had seemed to speed things up as well. Applejack belatedly realized that both she and Iron Cross were filthy and covered in sweat. She didn’t really want to show up to dinner all sweaty and covered in muck. A thought occurred to Applejack, there was a small lake nearby that she and Iron Cross could cool off and wash up in.

“Ah was wonderin’ Iron Cross, since we’re dirtier than a cowpony on the open range, why don’t we go off ta that lake over yonder an clean up a bit.”

Iron Cross tentatively sniffed himself and grimaced. “Uggh I smell like a pig stuffed in a barrel filled with fish guts. Alright I don’t see why not Applejack.”

Applejack and Iron Cross made their way over to a small lake that was on the way back to the farmhouse. Iron Cross had to admit it was a beautiful little lake. The lake was a pristine dark blue, free of any kind of pollution, not even algae grew there. He remembered such lakes being pictured in postcards from the Reich, of course now even if those lakes were still there he bet they were polluted by all sorts of unmentionable things.

While Iron Cross was staring off into space with his thoughts Applejack was already taking her hair ties out and took off her hat. She placed them near an old willow tree a few meters away from the shore. A sudden splash shook Iron Cross from his thoughts.

“Well ain’t you gonna join me slowpoke?”

“Oh…uhh yes just a second Applejack.”

Since Iron Cross wasn’t wearing anything he just jumped in. Applejack had already gone underneath the water and surfaced again floating on her back. Iron Cross decided it was good to dive as well to get all the dirt out of his hair. He surfaced again in about thirty seconds, noticing Applejack had a playful smirk on her face. She then splashed his face with some water.

“Ha ha gotcha Iron!”

“Oh no you don’t, it’s my turn now!” Iron Cross splashed Applejack with twice as much force. She ended up looking like a drowned rat.

Iron Cross chuckled. “You should see yourself…sorry Applejack I just had to do it.”

Applejack just laughed. “It’s alright the water feels mighty fine anyway.” In a quieter voice she added. “…and even finer that yer here too.”

“What was that just now Applejack?”

Applejack had a choice to make. The kiss she gave Iron Cross earlier was no simple thank you. She didn’t know what his response was going to be when she gave it, and to her surprise he returned the kiss with an equivalent amount of passion. She was no expert in matters of romance but that had to mean he was interested. Life was just too short, and she wasn’t about to let Iron Cross slip through her hooves. Rather than shrug off her comment she steeled herself and went straight for the killing blow.

“Ah said today is an even finer day because yer with me. Ya know what it’s even more than that. I’ve grown ta like…no hay with it, love ya Iron. All mah friends have been tryin’ ta set me up with a stallion fer years and ah never had much luck with any of em. Then you just show up outta nowhere and change mah life. With the farm and everythin’ going on ah thought I’d never find love, but ah realize that ya were willin’ ta stay on the farm to help all of us out. That’s more than ah could ever ask for. There ah said it, and even if ya don’t feel the same way it sure as hay feels good to git that off mah chest.”

Iron Cross let out a hearty laugh. Applejack’s mouth dropped open and she stared at him with disbelief. She was on the verge of tears.

“What the hay…ah lay mah feelin’s on the line and all ah get back is a laugh. Is this some kind of cruel joke, cause if it is I’m buckin’ yer face into next week.”

“No, no Applejack you misunderstand. I’m just very happy that’s all. I too found myself attracted to you for some time now and I wasn’t sure if the timing was right to ask you out after our kiss. I just wanted to make sure it wasn’t something that was spur of the moment.”

“Aww horseapples we both liked each other and were bein’ complete mules about it. Iron, I’m sorry ah got upset. Ah was just afraid ya didn’t like me that way, especially when I heard ya used to be a human.”

“Funny that you should mention that Applejack. I didn’t think I could find horses attractive either, but I guess since I’m now a horse it makes sense.”

Applejack’s mouth turned into a predatory grin and her voice became husky. “Ya know what ah think makes the most sense now…is we take our relationship to the next level.”

Applejack swam over to Iron Cross and grabbed his hoof dragging him over to the willow tree where she had stashed her hat and hair ties. She tackled him to the ground pinning him on his back, then hungrily gave Iron Cross a kiss. The two of them fought for supremacy with their tongues each writhing around like a pair of coiled snakes. Neither one breaking except for the occasional gulp of air. Applejack broke off the kiss with a long trail of saliva hanging off her lips. She didn’t even bother to wipe it off this time.

Applejack then began to slowly kiss Iron Cross’s chest making her way down. Iron Cross making a small grunt of pleasure. She then found her target. By this point Iron Cross’s stallion-hood was fully erect. She playfully massaged his balls with her hoof, eliciting a shudder. Then she began to kiss the shaft making her way up to the head.

“Applejack that feels…ughhh.” Applejack proceed to put his entire cock into her mouth and began sucking gently. Iron Cross wasn’t sure just how Applejack managed to fit him inside her mouth, after all he was a lot bigger as a horse than he ever was as a man. She continued to suck at a quicker pace sending ripples of pleasure through Iron Cross’s body. He knew he was just about at his limit; after all it had been quite some time since he had sex.

Iron Cross grunted in a strained voice. “Applejack…I-I…don’t think I can hold it much longer.”

Rather than get discouraged, Applejack continued to suck even faster when finally Iron Cross released himself. She simply stopped sucking and swallowed with a lopsided grin on her face. “Mmm well ya ah was expectin’ ya ta taste a might more bitter, but it wasn’t so bad. Now it’s mah turn.”

Applejack positioned herself on top of Iron Cross and took a look at his stallion-hood. She gently poked it to find it was still hard, making Iron Cross gasp slightly. “Yer still ready to go, of course ah expected nothin’ less from an earth pony.”

Applejack grabbed his cock with her hoof and positioned her crotch above it, slowing inserting him into her. She let out a slight moan of pleasure as she fully enveloped him. Applejack began to grind her hips up and down in a methodical, rhythmic manner trying to maximize the amount of pleasure she could experience. After about twenty minutes both she and Iron Cross climaxed together, letting out primal moans of ecstasy.

Both of them collapsed on the ground utterly exhausted. Applejack just inched closer to Iron Cross and wrapped one of her hooves around him, using the other to stroke his mane. She gave him one long, sloppy kiss before resting her head on his chest. “That was amazin’ sugarcube, ah haven’t had a good buckin’ in ages. Ah forgot how good it felt. Maybe next time ya can ride me instead.”

Iron Cross let out a weak laugh. “I must say you are amazing Applejack. I never experienced such wild sex when I was a human. I’m sure that comes with being a Stallion.”

“Oh I’d say ya certainly are one hay of a stallion alright. Ah almost couldn’t fit yer stallion in me.”

Iron Cross’s face turned bright red. “I was wondering about the whole size thing. I mean I saw horses in my world and they certainly seemed rather endowed, but to actually experience it was a bit odd. I felt so much bigger than when I was human…so I was afraid I might have hurt you.”

Applejack giggled. “Neh, us earth ponies are designed fer stamina and big fellas like you. Ah do appreciate the concern though, it’s sweet of ya. That’s why ah love ya Iron.”

“I wish we could lie here like this forever Applejack, but we should probably get back before your family sends out a search party.”

“Yeah ah reckon we ought to head back, but we should probably take another dip in the lake. Ah don’t want to show up at dinner smellin’ like sweat and sex.”

“Ah yes you have a point there, alright a quick dip then we head back.”

After Iron Cross and Applejack cleaned up a bit, they went on their way back to the farmhouse. Applejack was smiling the whole way back occasionally nuzzling Iron Cross’s neck. She couldn’t wait to tell everypony about her new stallion-friend, after all her friends had tried to play cupid for years to no avail. The irony was not lost on Applejack; she had found Iron Cross on her own without any intervention from her friends. The competitive spirit within her decided that was something to be proud of.