By the time I have the field plowed under, the sun is high in the sky as I drive the tractor back up to the fuel barrels to fill it up. After filling the tank with fuel, I head towards the house and see Applejack standing on the front step with her rope around her neck, tapping her hoof with an angry look on her face, and start scratching the back of my head with a nervous chuckle saying, "Ah was just getting ready to take care of chores..." when she cuts me off.

Applejack then says, "Correction mister! Yer coming into the house so ah can clean and change yer bandages!"

I then say, "Yes ma'am." and make my way inside as Applejack follows me to the bathroom, and then pull out the supplies for her to tend to my injuries.

Once he removes his shirt, she starts to take his wrapping off and sets it aside with an annoyed huff saying, "Yer healing is coming along, but ah can see that ya recently did something strenuous that caused yer wound to open up. What did ya do?"

I then chuckle as she begins cleaning it and say, "Well...ah helped Fluttershy try for a foal this season."

Applejack chuckles and says, "Yeah, ah heard about that from Fluttershy when she stopped by. Ah'm mighty surprised about Fluttershy wanting a foal this season, Rarity is even more surprising. Soon though, it'll be my turn in a few days. So ya best rest and heal up pardner."

I then wince a little as she uses some alcohol to clean the wound better, saying, "What time is it anyway? That tractor doesn't have a clock in it."

She then puts a new bandage on the backside saying, "It's only 11:30, but ah haven't started on lunch yet, so ya'd have time to tend to the chickens and feed Charlie and Angel." then walks around to the front side saying, "Now this side is looking mighty awful, so just hang on a bit." and pulls the bandage off, then tosses it into the trash bin and sighs saying, "Ya should've changed it earlier, there's a bit of crud on the wound because it pulled away from the skin."

I sigh and shake my head saying, "Damn...ah'm sorry, there's just so much that ah have to get done ya know? Planting season is just starting fer oats, the payment's coming in from the Griffon King, ah have to empty out the pits so Rarity can wash mah barns, then ah have to fix a few gates inside before ah can get more piglets in. Today, ah'm waiting on a surveying crew to mark out another couple plots of land, but while ah wait, ah'm gonna be cultivating the first field ah plowed. Ah sure hope they can get that many bushels of spring oat seed in a day or so."

Applejack cleans away the crud around the wound with a sigh saying, "Ah know, some days it seems that we're way behind schedule, but when we are injured, we have to take proper care of ourselves or we might find ourselves in a worse state. Right now, ah think ya should ease up a mite and let yerself heal up."

I then take a deep breath and let it out saying, "Ah know yer right, ah'll start taking it easy once ah get the oats in the ground. Does that sound fair to ya?"

She finishes cleaning up the wound and then puts a fresh bandage on it saying, "It does, but if ya don't ease up, ah'm gonna sic Twilight or Nurse Redheart after ya."

Once a new wrap is in place over the wound, I head out and get started on a few of my chores. When I finish those few things, I head back into the house for lunch.

After having lunch, we clean up the dishes and I head out to take the plow back from where I got it from, then go hook up the International 496 25' disc to the 1586 before getting on chores, then head out to the fields to begin discing them to prepare them for oats. When I start my second pass and head back to the road, I see Applejack on the road and stop at the end of the field. I then set the brake and put the tractor in neutral before getting out and heading over to her saying, "Could ya send word to yer friends that ah'll need 375 bushels of spring oat seed as soon as they can get it?"

Applejack stops and looks over at Roger and nods her head saying, "Yep ah can pardner."

I then smile and say, "Thanks Applejack!" and then return to the tractor to continue working the field.

She continues to walk down the road, watching Roger continue working the first field. When she reaches the corner of his driveway, she turns and heads towards Ponyville to send a message to her friends in Appleloosa to bring Roger 375 bushels of Spring Oat seed.

A few hours pass by as I reach the end of the field when I see a griffon land on the road I recognize it as Gilda, and fold the disc up to go talk to her saying, "Howdy Gilda what brings ya to mah farm today?"

Gilda looks up at the human and says, "I came here to tell ya that your payment will be here in a little bit, the king apologizes for it taking a bit longer to collect the full amount."

I nod and say, "That's alright, ah don't mind waiting a little longer as long as ah get paid. Did ya have a nice flight over here?"

She rolls her eyes and says, "Eh...it was alright, but it was mostly boring due to it being a simple errand."

I chuckle and look at the field I just disced up and say, "Yeah the simple jobs might be boring to complete, but are just as important as the tougher tasks. There's an old saying where ah come from, and if ah remember it right it went something like...for want of a nail, the horseshoe was lost. For want of a horseshoe, the horse was lost. There's more to it, but it is saying that a single problem not corrected can lead to even bigger problems down the road. So it is always best to get it done right the first time."

Gilda sighs and shrugs her shoulders saying, "That may be true, but it is still boring to do the simple things."

I then look up to see a flock of griffons heading towards the farm in the distance and say, "Ah'll meet ya by mah house to take the chests into the basement." then head back to the tractor to take it up to the house.

Applejack returns to Ponyville from her visit to Appleloosa with a smile on her face at hearing that they can get the alfalfa seed for Roger, also able to deliver the oat seed to him within a day or two. As she trots up the road, she looks towards Roger's farm and sees several griffons flying away from his farm and wonders what's going on.

I watch the last griffon fly off as Gilda hands me a large scroll listing all the details of the transaction of the sale and see a place to sign my name at the bottom and ask, "Is there a copy of this for me?" and then set the scroll on the steps by a quill and inkwell she put there.

She watches him sign and puts the cork into the inkwell and wraps the quill up, then puts them both away with a nod, then pulls out a second scroll saying, "Here's your copy of the details, Mister Sheridan. The griffon kingdom thanks ya for your business, enjoy the rest of your day."

Before she can take off, I nod to her as she tucks the signed scroll away saying, "Ah will, and ah'll make sure to send word to ya when ah'm ready to receive piglets and how many."

Gilda then nods her head and says, "Okay, I will make sure to tell His Highness. See ya later." then takes off into the sky to join the other griffons.

I then head into the house after checking the dates on it, then set the scroll on a desk inside and head back out to disc the field one more time to ensure I have the soil broken up well enough for a good seed bed when I go to drill them. I get back into the cab and start it up, then take it over to the fuel barrels to fill the tank before I make my way back out to the field.

As I finish pouring diesel into the tank, I see a couple of chariots flying in with several ponies in them. I turn the pump off and hang the nozzle back up, and then return the cap to the tank. When I turn to look back at the incoming chariots, I see Applejack standing by the tractor and smile at her saying, "What's going on Applejack?"

Applejack smiles back and says, "Oh not much, just got back from paying a visit to my friends and family in Appleloosa. Ah have good news for ya, they are able to get that alfalfa seed for ya. They can also get the Spring Oat seed to ya in 1 to 2 days as well as the Spring Wheat seed."

I then chuckle and say, "Ya didn't need to go all the way to Appleloosa, ya could have just sent them a letter."

She chuckles back and answers, "Ah know, but ah wanted to pay them a visit to see how they are handling things there."

I then shake my head and sigh happily saying, "Well ah am glad they are able to get that seed, do ya know if there's any fertilizer available to put on crops?"

Applejack thinks about it for a bit and says, "Well, there is some stuff that some ponies use for their flowers, and there is some spray to deal with pests. Ah have a feeling that what yer needing is something a bit different, am ah right?"

I nod my head and say, "Yep, it looks like there's more research for Celestia and Luna to assign to their R&D division." then rub the back of my head and say, "Well, it looks like the surveying team is here, wanna tag along?"

She then shrugs her shoulders and says, "Sure, how much land are ya gonna get this time?"

I make my way over to the scooter to go meet the surveying team saying, "Ah'm thinking about just over a couple hundred-acre plots on either side of my house and the two fields ah currently have." and hold the door open for Applejack to hop in. Once she is in the seat, I close the door and get in after her.

Applejack whistles at hearing the number of acres and says, "That's a pretty large area to work, if ya need any help, all ya have to do is ask ya know?"

I then smile and nod saying, "Yep, ah do know that, thanks a lot fer offering. Once ah get them mowed down and baled, ah'll have to get a few ponies to help clear 'em of rocks, then move the animals off, level 'em and prepare to prepare 'em fer planting. Ah will have to seek out a newspaper that delivers to all the towns and cities and post an ad in it about all the grass bales ah've accumulated."

She then chuckles and says, "Sounds to me like ya have things planned out fairly well, if ya need help with anything, just let Twilight know and she will be sure to spread the word around that ya need help."

After driving out to the field and informing the team of my intentions for the two lots, I head back to the house to let them measure it out and mark the boundaries for me so I can get it mowed down after I get the first field finished. I then leave Applejack to do whatever as I head back out to disc the field under a second time in a different direction. By the time I get done with the second discing and do my chores, it is already past sunset.

Applejack is just setting dinner out on the table when she hears the door open and close saying, "Ah was keeping myself busy by doing the laundry for ya, and was watching for when ya were starting your chores so ah'd know when to start on dinner."

I head to the bathroom and wash up a bit before heading to the table with a chuckle, saying, "Yer spoiling me with yer cooking Applejack."

She smiles a little and says back, "Do ya expect me to just sit around here like a lump on a log? Ah'd rather be doing something than do that, now let's eat up and check those bandages of yours before we hit the hay." then digs in while feeling the season's early stages slowly get stronger.

We both enjoy a hearty vegetable salad with mashed potatoes and gravy which Applejack told me that it was made from vegetables and is one of Granny's special recipes that she came up with herself. I sit at the table, fully stuffed after eating some of the leftover cobbler and say, "Ya better make sure that ya write down any recipes that ya'll came up with to pass them down to yer children's children's children so they have a way to remember ya."

Applejack chuckles saying, "We do, so ya don't need to worry about that pardner. Shall we get started on cleaning up?"

I nod and pick up some of the dishes and take them over to the sink to wash them, filling the sink as Applejack collects a few dishes herself and brings them over to me.

The two of us spend about forty-five minutes washing the dishes and getting them put away before we make our way to bed, watching as Applejack hangs her hat on the hook attached to the door. The next thing she does is untie her mane and tail and crawls up onto the bed as I start to strip down to my underwear and crawl in after her, cozying up behind her and wrap my left arm around her barrel and place my right underneath her head, whispering to her ear, "Goodnight Applejack." then pull her up against me.

She feels his body up against hers, making her subconsciously put the corner of her lower lip between her teeth as the season's effects make her fight a little to maintain control of herself as she turns her head and whispers back, "Goodnight, Roger." then kisses him on the lips lightly before laying her head back down thinking, 'It will be my turn to receive a foal very soon...'

Luna patrols the Dream Realm, hoping that the season comes to her soon as she looks forward to being a mother when she notices a new door appear. When she looks at the door a little closer, she realizes almost instantly that it leads to Roger's dream and opens it, then walks through, closing the door behind her. Finding herself standing in a large field of growing oats, she hears the sound of a tractor moving across the field somewhere and uses her wings to fly into the air to see where he is at.

I am in my John Deere 7010 which has narrow tires to drive between rows, having a Kuhn Deltis 1302 MTA3 sprayer on the back with a front weight to keep the front on the ground. I head toward the end of the field, watching where I am closely so I don't overspray one part when I notice something flying towards me in the air. I look up at it to see that it is Princess Luna and open up the door to shout to her, "Ah'll meet you at the end of the field, don't breathe in the mist when ah get there!"

Luna hears him and heads to the end of the field, landing upwind of his current path and waits for him to get there. When he does finally arrive, she holds her breath until he shuts off the mist and lets it out to breathe normally. As she hears him shut off the tractor and watches him exit the cab, she says, "How is everything going on your farm, Roger?"

I walk up to her with a smile and say, "Everything's going good, ah got paid by the griffons yesterday and got the first field disced up really well. The surveying crew came out to measure a couple new large plots on either side of mah farm, which ah will be paying ya what ah owe fer the land ah have and want. Though there is one matter ah have to bring up. How is Equestria's Research and Development or R&D set up?"

She then thinks about it for a minute and says, "Well, it is set up in divisions, there is the Magic Division which researches spells, magical devices, and theories of magical uses. Then there is the Non-Magic Division which researches everything else, ranging from simple quality-of-life items to complex inventions."

I then nod my head and say, "Hmm...so only two then." I then look at her and sigh saying, "That's too few, ah'd hate to bother yer sister while she is dreaming peacefully, but do ya think ya can bring her here?"

Princess Luna then nods and says, "I sure can, I will be right back." and then goes off to find her sister.

Celestia is standing on the balcony overlooking the city of Canterlot and the lands beyond, eating a slice of double-chocolate cake when she hears hoofsteps approaching her. She turns to see her sister visiting her and says, "Morning, dear sister, I am glad to see you, but shouldn't you be asleep at this hour?"

She chuckles and then says, "I do apologize for intruding on your dream, sister, but Roger asked me if I could bring you to him. He wishes to discuss how our R&D is arranged."

She cocks her head curiously and says, "Of course, but couldn't he come to the throne room to discuss it during the day?"

Luna smiles and then answers, "He could, but it is Estrus Season and there are even more mares here than in Ponyville. Poor Roger wouldn't make it to the throne room alive, he would have to be teleported here by Twilight or Starlight. However, I doubt he would be able to get away due to all the work he has to do on the farm with the new land he is going to purchase."

Celestia sighs and finishes eating her cake, then says, "Oh alright, let's go see what he wants." and follows her sister out of her dream and into Roger's.

I watch as Luna brings Celestia over and say, "Apologies for interrupting yer dreaming, Princess Celestia."

She lands by him with a sigh, then smiles saying, "It is alright, what is it you wish to discuss about our R&D?"

I then head off the field and sit on the grass saying, "Please make yerself comfy, we might be here for a bit." and wait for them to make themselves comfortable. When they summon a couple small couches to lay on, I can't help but chuckle.

Celestia then huffs at his amusement saying, "What? Did you really expect us to lay on the grass? Grass stains are a pain to wash out of our coats you know?"

I then laugh and say, "But you are in a dream, so this grass isn't real."

She then blushes lightly and then turns her nose up at him saying, "Hmph!"

Luna joins in the laughter for a little bit saying, "What was it you wish to discuss with both of us?"

My amusement passes and I calm myself down and clear my throat with a light cough saying, "I think that having just two divisions is too few, because there needs to be at least several different departments with subdivisions underneath them. For example, the USA has several. One of which is the Department of Agriculture..." and then tell them about each department and its subdivisions.

Not wanting to miss an opportunity to improve their subjects' lives, Luna uses her magic to have her body outside the Dream Realm begin writing everything down.

As I tell them about each department and its subdivisions, even bringing up the individual agencies, I then say, "If ya create an agricultural department, ah want to donate a million bits to its budget. I also would recommend whatever smaller division gets started on researching fertilizers that help boost yield and helps restore and improve the soil, herbicides that kill off undesired plants in the crop which also provide minimal protection from pests such as insects that feed on those plants, and last but not least...pesticides that help control weeds and eliminate pests that affect a crop's productivity. Hopefully, they can develop liquid and powder forms for herbicides and pesticides while coming up with a liquid and granular shape for fertilizer, granular form is a really small, round ball and is measured by weight where as a liquid is measured by volume, usually gallon or liter. After Estrus Season is over, we can discuss further matters about safety guidelines and such involving any agricultural equipment powered by magic or by fuel. There are a lot of cans of worms that ah don't really wanna get into, but ah hafta for Equestria's safety. Speaking of safety, are there any spells that help remove pollution from the air when burning wood, coal, or anything like that?"

Celestia thinks for a moment and shakes her head saying, "No, I don't think there is. Why? Is smoke a bad thing?"

I then nod my head and say, "It is not good for a pony's health, but without trying to help keep emissions like exhaust smoke and chimney smoke down, it will build up after a few centuries and start to affect growing seasons as well as the temperature."

She then sighs and says, "I will remember to give that task to the magic department to sort out tomorrow, thank you for showing concern for protecting our environment. Is there anything else you wanted to talk about before I return to my dream?"

I then chuckle and say, "Just one more matter is all that ah have right now, which is the payment for the land ah got including the two new fields. Of course, ah can't forget the 100 bits per day from the 3^rd of March. Could ya send some guards to collect it tomorrow?"

Celestia then nods her head and says, "Of course I can do that for you, Roger. Just so you know, you won't have to worry about sending anything in for taxes until next year around April."

I nod my head to her and say, "Thank ya very much for that, Princess Celestia. What do you charge for taxes at the moment?"

She then smiles and says, "Currently, we have them set at about 5 percent for those who have a work income of 1,500 bits per year."

I smile and say, "Ah'll start keeping track of mah expenses and saving mah records, ya'll hafta send me something that tells me what all ya'll be needing to know when tax season comes. Ah shall see ya some other time, Princess Celestia, ah hope ya enjoy the rest of yer night."

Celestia then nods and gets up, then dismisses her couch and says, "See you later and thank you for sending that annoying riddle stating how things were on your farm."

I chuckle and smirk saying, "Did ya just find out what it said today?"

She huffs indignantly and trots past him with her nose in the air and subconsciously raises her dock up saying, "Of course not, I figured out what it said a few days ago. Your calligraphy is absolutely horrid, you know? My sister had trouble understanding it."

I laugh loudly and watch her trot away, saying, "Yeah, mah teachers in college hated me whenever ah used my unique style of writing, so ah usually wound up having to rewrite it normally or they would refuse to give it a grade."

Luna smirks at how her sister's acting as her body betrays her by raising her tail in a teasing manner, drawing a chuckle out of her before she bites it back and forces herself to remain calm saying with a smile, "Well Sister, I shall take you back to your dream now." then looks back to Roger saying, "I will return momentarily for a brief chat with you about the season."

I nod my head and watch Luna get up and dismiss her couch as well, then guides her sister into the sky over the freshly sprayed part of the field and out of sight. I then lie on my back as my dream changes around me into a freshly cut field of alfalfa, breathing in the refreshing smell for a while before noticing a flowing, translucent dark blue mane in my line of sight and say, "Welcome back, Princess Luna. Care to lie down beside me for a bit?"

She then smiles and says, "I do believe I will..." and then surprises him by lying on top of him lightly, using her front legs to support most of her upper body's weight. She then looks down at the surprised look on his face and says, "I am finding this spot here rather comfortable."

I chuckle at that and reach for her neck, running my fingers up towards the back of her head saying, "Ah'm sure ya do Princess Luna, but let me show you what ah find comfortable..." and then cup my fingers behind her head and pull her face down towards mine.

When her lips meet his, she gasps inwardly for a moment before relaxing into the kiss and closing her eyes. As the kiss deepens, her tongue starts to dance with his when she feels him start to massage her right ear between his fingertips, eliciting a moan from her throat.

As I feel her start to rub against my body, I pull back and slow down saying, "Ah take it ya still want that foal?"

Luna bites her lower lip and looks at him with heavy-lidded eyes, nodding slowly saying in a lusty tone, "Uh-huh, I really do want one still. The season will start to affect me in a few days, so you can expect me to arrive at your doorstep soon...my stallion. If you don't torment my sister too much, I might be tempted to bring along one of my guards to join us when the time is right. I know that she too...is wanting a foal."

I then continue massaging her ear between my fingers and chuckle saying, "Awe, it seems you are trying your hand at helping mares find love, but isn't that Princess Cadance's duty?"

She nips his bottom lip and pulls away saying, "I wouldn't try to meet the Princess of Love during Estrus Season, our niece is rather insatiable when it affects her." she then leans in towards his ear and whispers with a dark chuckle, "In my opinion, she might just be worse than Flutterbat is..."

Celestia is in her dream, happily watching over her subjects during the day while eating her double-chocolate cake when a stray thought enters her mind. She then huffs and finishes off her cake, then walks into her room and looks at herself in the mirror while holding a few pillows against her barrel thinking absent-mindedly, 'I wouldn't look too bad if I were to become with foal...' and then sighs and tosses the pillow back onto her bed with a groan saying, "UGH...I can't have one this year because Luna plans on having one, besides...who would rule Equestria if I did become pregnant? Certainly not Blueblood, he is too self-absorbed to be a good leader. Hmm...but what about Twilight?" She then sighs in irritation as she brings the pillows back against her body when a fever comes over her, causing her dream to slowly change to a large dining hall filled with fillies and colts calling her mommy and wanting her attention. As her children's constant calls for attention bring a happy smile to her face, she sighs in defeat saying, "Foal fever strikes again, but sadly...I just can't get started on a family this season."

The clamoring of the children stops all at once as they all groan and say in unison, "AWWEEEE..." going quiet for a moment before they then smile and continue in unison, "Alright mommy, see you again soon!" and begin to vanish into thin air as the dream changes once again.

She feels sad deep inside to see them go and lets the dream continue to change saying, "Foal fever at its best."

As I continue to caress Luna's face with my hand, I watch as she pulls away from me with a slight smile on her face saying, "Ah look forward to seeing ya again another time, Princess Luna."

Luna gets up onto her hooves and then leans down to rub her nose against his saying, "As do I, Rodger. I know I told you this before, but please call me Luna." She then pulls back and steps away saying, "I must get back to my patrol now, it was nice getting to spend some time with you. Goodnight and sweet dreams to you, my little human."

I sit up and wave goodbye to her as she walks away from me saying, "Goodnight Luna."

Next Chapter: Chapter 41: An eventful day: Part 1 Estimated time remaining: 5 Hours, 38 Minutes