The Barn
Written by Jake R
“So what’s the damage?”
“Uhh... damage?”
Scootaloo snorted. “Duh. The damage to the Mach Five.”
Apple Bloom flustered as she tried to regain composure. She stammered. “O-oh, uh... yeah, it’s just some tree sap in the gears. All I need is to loosen some parts and clean it out.” She chuckled nervously.
Scootaloo raised an eyebrow, but said nothing else. Blushing, Apple Bloom returned to her repairs, hoping Scootaloo didn’t notice the aforementioned.
She sighed as she leaned back against a tree. Looking out at the surrounding orchard, Scootaloo mused, “You know, you’re kinda surrounded by... nothing.”
Apple Bloom cleared her throat and replied with a crack, “So?”
Scootaloo chuckled. “N-nothing. I’m just wondering... do you get lonely out here?”
“I got you, don’t I?” Apple Bloom replied, almost absentmindedly as she continued working on the scooter.
Scootaloo, unbeknownst to Apple Bloom, smiled and inched closer to her friend. “I’m glad you said that. Because, you know, I’ve been thinking for a while, and...”
Apple Bloom would have heard the rest of what Scootaloo was saying, but unfortunately, her mind was racing with all sorts of problems. All of them tracing back to... well, Scootaloo.
It was no secret that all of the Cutie Mark Crusaders had grown close over the years. However, once all their flanks were adorned with the symbols of their special talents, their friendship went through a transition. Sweetie Belle, upon discovering her musical abilities, departed for Manehattan to be with her kind at Muleiard. While happy that their friend was off to do what she was meant to do, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were nonetheless heartbroken at the demise of their old, triadic dynamic.
Thankfully, however, the two still had each other, as their talents did not require them to leave Ponyville. Scootaloo discovered how truly amazing she was on her scooter and resolved to be the greatest daredevil that Equestria had ever seen. Apple Bloom, meanwhile, had settled into her role as Ponyville’s go-to craftsmare with great ease. Among her accomplishments was repairing and fortifying the dilapidated barn that had long needed remedy.
As a result, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were able to remain close. After all, who else was going to repair Scootaloo’s scooter time and time again?
The two grew older, and as nature dictates, their bodies and body chemistries began changing into new modes. Apple Bloom had always admired Scootaloo’s bravery and charisma, but for the first time ever, she began to find herself admiring more... aesthetic aspects (so to speak).
Apple Bloom really liked Scootaloo, although she wasn’t really sure what to pinpoint that ‘like’ as. Her best guess was that she was ‘in like’ with her friend, if that made any sense. She certainly thought a lot about her smile... and her wings, moving down the body to her flank... and that was as far as Apple Bloom could get before she couldn’t contain herself anymore. Something needed to be done before this got out of hoof.
With Sweetie gone, and Scootaloo being the problem, Apple Bloom had no one to confide with. Applejack had always told her sister that when she had a problem, that she, Big Macintosh, and Granny Smith should always be the ones that Apple Bloom should go to for help. However, with this problem, Apple Bloom just... couldn’t.
Apple Bloom never knew her parents, as they both unfortunately passed away soon after her birth. By all practicality, AJ was the only mother Apple Bloom knew. Parents were the ones that you could count on to put bandages on your wounds or keep bullies off your back. When it came to these urges, however, Apple Bloom was sure that her family would just get mad. Parents never understood these things. Granny would probably lecture incoherently about how she was too young to do anything about it, Big Macintosh would most likely barricade her in her room, and Applejack... well, Apple Bloom wasn’t the type to use hyperbole or get paranoid, but she was almost certain that Applejack would run out into town and beat the tar out of Scootaloo for giving her sister these thoughts in the first place.
AJ’s friends didn’t seem like viable options either for Apple Bloom. For as long as she could remember, her sister’s friends had always viewed Apple Bloom and the other Crusaders simply as the annoying little sisters of various members of their own inner circle. Twilight Sparkle and Rarity would just giggle at Apple Bloom’s turmoil and dismiss it as something unimportant. Fluttershy would get flustered and tell Apple Bloom to avoid Scootaloo and any other mare she considered attractive. Rainbow Dash would probably react much like Applejack and threaten her to stay away from her ‘little sister’. Finally, Pinkie Pie would do... anything except be helpful.
There was no doubt about any of it in Apple Bloom’s mind. Even though she had long had a cutie mark and was blossoming into a mare herself, the older ponies would still treat her like a little filly when it came to her Scootaloo problem. Thus, she accepted that she had to fight this fight alone for now. After all, help had to come in some form eventually.
Help came in the form of a Scootaloo.
She had brought her Mach Five scooter to the old Crusader Headquarters, which Apple Bloom had converted into her workshop, for some usual repairs (years after crusading, Scootaloo couldn’t stay away from the tree sap). The two sat under the shade of the trees, and as Apple Bloom was working, Scootaloo was talking to her about... something. She wasn’t the best pony when it came to multi-tasking, and it certainly didn’t help that her work was being distracted by her thoughts of the toned, sexy daredevil sitting inches from her and making small talk (something about “nothingness” or whatnot).
Apple Bloom tried to shake off these thoughts, but at the same time, she kept reminding herself that at some point, she had to do something about these powerful urges.
As it turned out, that something came a whole lot sooner than later... and from an unexpected source.
Scootaloo took on the role of action and placed it on Apple Bloom’s back. She froze up and dropped the monkey wrench she was using, feeling the tender caress of a hoof on her back.
Scootaloo inched closer and poked her head to the point that their faces were practically touching.
“I get a good feeling from you, Apple Bloom,” she whispered with a smirk. “Do you get a good feeling from me?”
Apple Bloom shuddered, but was still unable to freely move so as to escape. Completely cornered, all she did was give a curt little nod.
Scootaloo’s grin widened. “Awesome.” She nudged her face that extra half-an-inch so that the two pairs of quivering lips finally met.
Apple Bloom tried to resist, she really did. It’s just... and just like that, everything else just stopped.
Scootaloo was crazy. Now, of course, Apple Bloom meant that Scootaloo was “crazy” as in “crazy-good.” However, in the state that she was in, she couldn’t put complete sentences together in her head. All that resonated in her mind was “crazy”, and of course, “more.”
Apple Bloom had closed her eyes, as all the world just melted away in this wild embrace. The filly hastily removed the bow from her hair and let her red mane flow forth in all its silky glory. She then pushed away Scootaloo’s Mach Five, not that Scootaloo particularly minded, it seemed. She was busy with getting her hooves busy.
Scootaloo laid Apple Bloom down on the grass and ran her hooves down her friend’s torso, eventually parting so that she had a firm grasp on each of her friend’s flanks. Although Apple Bloom couldn’t see, she could tell that Scootaloo felt victorious, as the dominant pegasus gave a firm slap to Apple Bloom’s right flank. Hurting so good, Scootaloo’s victim’s eyes widened as she gave out a lusty groan.
Scootaloo lowered herself so that she laid right on top of Apple Bloom. The two shared a sensuous kiss. Apple Bloom murmured into Scootaloo’s mouth, and as the two separated, she uttered between pants, “You got... no idea... how bad I needed this!”
Scootaloo panted as well, replying, “Same.” The two rejoined their lips for another round of foreplay. Any concern that Apple Bloom might have had about moving too fast or anything like that was instantly disregarded with every flick of Scootaloo’s tongue.
It was perfect.
It was bliss.
It was too good to last.
Suddenly, what sounded like large hoofsteps and a large cart began to resonate closer and closer to the relatively secluded part of the Acres where Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were getting it on. Apple Bloom’s first instinct was to try her hardest to drown it out and pretend that it didn’t exist. That seemed to be Scootaloo’s instinct as well, as she pushed her tongue further into Apple Bloom’s mouth and rubbed her body faster, as if trying to salvage the heated moment that was soon to end.
Harder and harder the two tried to drown out the whole world, but alas, it was not meant to be. Their embrace was soon interrupted by a loud, booming gasp. Both sets of eyes widened and pointed in the direction of said gasp. Apple Bloom wanted to disappear right then and there, as Big Macintosh stood there, mouth completely agape.
In an instant, Scootaloo jumped off the Apple Bloom, and scampered behind the nearest tree hoping to extend her life by a few precious seconds. Apple Bloom, meanwhile, jerked herself to stand, albeit staggering to keep her balance. As soon as she regained some composure, she flailed her forelegs in a desperate attempt to explain to her brother.
“B-big Macintosh! This ain’t how it looks! I swear to ya!”
Mac gulped as he stammered out, “Uh, I gotta go... somewhere and do... somethin’.” Without waiting for a response, the stallion galloped off into the distance, leaving behind the full apple cart behind.
Apple Bloom couldn’t say anything. All she could do was plop down on her rump in a despondent state of shock.
This was it. Her life was over. Big Macintosh was going to tell Applejack and Granny. Apple Bloom was going to be locked away in her room forever, and Applejack was going to pull some strings to have Scootaloo banished forever.
Scootaloo, upon seeing Big Macintosh scamper from the orchard, sighed heavily and wiped the beads of sweat from her brow.
The two fillies stared out into the distance. Neither said a thing. Neither took so much as a glance at the other. A gust of wind gently shook the trees in the orchard, the breeze and ruffling of the leaves being the only sounds.
Scootaloo finally broke the silence as she murmured, “Talk about a mood killer.” She chuckled to herself at her quip and looked to Apple Bloom, who was still sitting in her despondent state.
Worried, Scootaloo galloped over to her would-be lover’s side and placed a foreleg on her shoulder. Nuzzling her, she asked, “You okay?”
Apple Bloom didn’t respond at first. The scenarios playing in her head had all of her attention at the moment. Her eyes were widened and her jaw was set, essentially catatonic.
“Apple Bloom?”
No response.
“Apple Bloom?”
Again, no response.
“Come on, just talk to me already--”
“Leave.”
Scootaloo stopped, looking shocked and hurt. “A-apple Bloom, look! I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have made any moves. It was stupid, please don’t be mad at me!”
“T’aint your fault. Scootaloo. I just don’t want you to be around for what happens next.”
Scootaloo removed her foreleg from Apple Bloom’s shoulder. “W-what happens next?”
“Dunno. Gotta be somethin’ awful, though.”
Scootaloo looked away from Apple Bloom and stared with her into the distance, another pregnant pause defining the moment. She eventually stood up, prepared to leave.
“I’ll-uh...” Scootaloo cleared her throat. “I’ll come back for my scooter later, ‘kay?”
Apple Bloom gave a curt nod. “Yeah. That sounds good.”
With that, Scootaloo flapped her wings and hastily flew off into town, leaving behind Apple Bloom, who was, in her mind, rightly screwed.
Apple Bloom paced back and forth in her shop, having barricaded the door from any potential reckoning... namely, her sister.
The question was not whether or not Applejack was coming after Apple Bloom. The question was in what order would Apple Bloom’s reckoning come. Would Applejack first come after her to yell at her and then go after Scootaloo, or would it be vice-versa, wherein Applejack would find Scootaloo first to drag her over as a witness to Apple Bloom’s punishment?
Of course, Applejack wasn’t really the type to be so extreme. In no other context would she act with such aggression when it came to her sister. Then again, as Apple Bloom thought, things that she got into didn’t usually involve almost going all the way with her best friend in the middle of the family’s orchard. In that case, it seemed reasonable to the filly to believe that her sister might be more angry than usual. Thusly, Apple Bloom was a complete wreck.
Continuing her pacing, her freakout was promptly interrupted by a familiar mare’s voice calling into the shop.
“Hey, Apple Bloom. Why dontcha come on out for a sec.”
Apple Bloom froze. Something wasn’t right. Applejack wasn’t screaming or anything. If anything, she seemed calm and... normal. Surely, Big Macintosh told her what he saw her and Scootaloo doing. So what was going on?
Deciding to find out for herself, Apple Bloom slowly removed the the dresser that was blocking the door. Once that was done, the filly opened the door with extreme trepidation. Once the door was open by a crack, Apple Bloom poked her head out to see her sister standing on the patio. As if things couldn’t get any weirder, she had a kind smile on her face. It’s like she had no idea what was going on.
Apple Bloom stepped outside nervously. Rubbing the back of her neck, she said, “Uhh, hey, Sis. How’s it goin’?”
“Can’t complain.” Applejack was still smiling. “How’s your day been?”
“Uhh...” Understandably, Apple Bloom was completely baffled. Applejack must have been playing dumb. She was trying to lure her into a false sense of security just so she can go in for the kill. It was the only explanation.
“I’ll just take that as a ‘good’, then.” Applejack walked past her and headed for the ladder to the shop. Before descending, she turned to her sister and said, “How about y’all take a walk with me over to the barn. How’s that sound?”
A walk to her proverbial gallows. How could her sister be so sadistic? Was Apple Bloom’s “crime” so heinous? Was she deserving of such condemnation? All these questions circled in Apple Bloom’s mind before being interrupted by Applejack.
“Well, come on, slowpoke! I aint waitin’ all day, so shake a leg.”
Apple Bloom quivered before obeying her soon-to-be executioner. The two descended the ladder and walked in the direction of the barn. Apple Bloom looked over at Scootaloo’s Mach Five, which had teetered over from Apple Bloom’s push in the middle of their heated embrace. Next to it was Apple Bloom’s bow. It was then that the filly realized that her hair was hanging out freely, and she chastised herself for not even attempting at covering up the scene of the crime before Applejack showed up.
“You know, I kinda like your mane like that. Y’all should let your hair down more often.”
Apple Bloom looked to her sister and nervously cleared her throat. “Uhh, thanks.”
Applejack was just baiting for the switch. Apple Bloom was sure of that.
The walk to the barn after that complement was in total silence. Applejack appeared as though she was just admiring the beautiful spring day, but of course, Apple Bloom had her inner malice figured out. Applejack was mama wolf, plain and simple. When Apple Bloom was a filly, Applejack ostracized and berated Zecora just for looking different. What chance did Scootaloo have when she came onto, kissed, and felt up this crazy cowpony’s own kin?
Jeez, this walk felt like forever. At this point, Apple Bloom had basically accepted her fate, and it was the waiting that was the real torture.
Finally, the sisters made it to the barn, where Apple Bloom was sure her fate would be sealed.
However, rather than enter inside for any punishment, Applejack just stopped outside of the barn. She was continuing to drag out the inevitable! Apple Bloom was cracking. Was this how her sister got her sick kicks? Was bringing about pain her pleasure? Oh, Luna, have mercy! The poor filly was suffering, praying for something to come and, with swiftness, bring down the mighty hoof of mercy, allowing her to make recompense for her deviances.
Then, it happened.
“So, Big Macintosh tells me he saw you and Scootaloo havin’ some fun out in th’orchard.”
Apple Bloom’s acceptance of her fate melted away, as she turned into quivering filly begging for forgiveness. She pleaded, “Applejack! I-I’m so sorry, I was just workin’ on Scoots’s scooter, a-and she just kinda pounced on me... b-but it ain’t her fault, Sis. Honest! Please don’t be mad! I’m sorry, I--”
“You know he did the same thing to me when I was your age?”
Apple Bloom stopped and cocked an eyebrow. “Huh?”
AJ nodded and grinned. “True story. There was a time when there weren’t that many fillies catching my eye. Then, one day, this hotshot pegasus comes swoopin’ into town. Now, this is one fine lookin’ filly, I tell ya what. She and I just had to get a piece o’ that flank.”
“AJ!” Apple Bloom interjected, taken aback by her sister’s sudden crassness.
“Hush now, I’m tellin’ a story. So anyway, this filly’s runnin’ through my mind at all hours o’ the day and night, so I take action into my own hooves. I leave a note at Sugarcube Corner for the pegasus to read. It said to meet me at the clubhouse. I was thinking, ‘Hey, it’s a nice, secluded part o’ the farm, so nopony’s gonna notice us.’ So the pegasus comes over and I start actin’ all flirty and obvious--”
“You what?”
AJ chuckled. “I know. I can’t believe I thought I had to try so hard with her at the time. If only I knew. Well, live some ‘n learn some, I guess.”
Apple Bloom cleared her throat. “So, uh... did you two, uh... ‘get far’?”
“Heh. Farther than y’all did, I reckon. I tell ya, I was sure that the clubhouse was the perfect place to get it on. The only thing is, I didn’t consider the fact that my girl would be a screamer.”
Apple Bloom blushed in a mix embarrassment and titillation. Of all the things she was expecting from her sister today, it certainly wasn’t this torrent of... “information”. Was this her punishment, she thought. If that was the case, then Applejack was terrible at punishments, because the only thing her self-exposé was doing was give Apple Bloom images to insert herself and her own pegasus.
Applejack continued, “So Big Macintosh hears the screamin’ and comes a-charging to the rescue. When he opens the door to the clubhouse, he shrieks like a little filly and scampers off like he’d seen a ghost or somethin’.”
Apple Bloom involuntarily chuckled. “Uhh, all he did was gasp for me.”
Applejack laughed. “He must’ve been jaded by now, huh?”
AB grinned nervously. “Uhh, yeah.”
“So anyway, I figure to myself at the time, ‘What’s the worst that can happen?’ I’m a grown filly, I got my cutie mark, what was there to get mad about? Once again, I didn’t exactly think things through. I didn’t even consider who Mac might run to tell.”
Apple Bloom gulped. “Did he go to Granny?”
“Worse. Grampy.”
Apple Bloom’s eyes widened. “Ohhh.” Although she had no memory of her grandfather, second-hoof accounts told Apple Bloom everything she had to know about the Apples’ former patriarch. The stallion was the meanest, nastiest geezer to ever mark Celestia’s earth.
“So, uhh... what did Grampy do?”
AJ chuckled. “Before I get to that, I gotta tell you another reason why I’m so stupid in this story. I don’t even tell my girl to leave while she can. To add to that, she says she doesn’t even wanna leave, says she wouldn’t leave a friend hangin’. I mean, yeah, I do tell her that she can leave while she has the chance, like it’s an option, but I’m not really that assertive at the moment, you know? And then, Grampy comes marchin’ over to the both of us.”
Apple Bloom gulped. “What did he say? What did he do?”
AJ sighed. “Let me put it like this: Rainbow Dash did not come back to this farm until Grampy was dead.”
Apple Bloom’s eyes widened. “Wow.”
AJ nodded. “Needless to say, he didn’t go too easy on me, either.” She stopped, almost as if trying to regain some lost composure. She sighed. “The things he said... really tore me up. He made me ashamed, Apple Bloom, ashamed of my own body, of my own wants and needs.”
AJ’s lip quivered slightly as she grunted to mask the awakened frustrations of the past. “I never forgave him for what he said, and I promised myself that I would never repeat it to anypony, especially the ones I love.”
Apple Bloom got teary-eyed and approached her sister for a hug. “That was beautiful, Sis. Thank you--”
“Story ain’t over yet.”
Apple Bloom jerked back and threw up her forelegs. “Aw, come on! Now you’re just filibusterin’!”
“Don’t go wavin’ your fancy-talk at me. Now pipe down, this’s the important part.”
Apple Bloom sighed as she plopped down on her rump.
AJ cleared her throat, back in the mood for lighthearted regaling. “Now, all the stuff that Grampy threw my way was both a blessin’ and a curse. His words stung me good, but the good thing is that they stung Big Macintosh good too.”
“Huh? How’s that a good thing? I mean, I guess you’d be mad at Mac for tattlin’ and whatnot, but that seems kinda--”
“Would y’all hush? I wasn’t done.”
Apple Bloom rolled her eyes.
“Now then, as I was tryin’ ta say, Big Mac felt really bad about all the bad stuff Grampy said to me. He wanted to make things right, so he took action.” Applejack trotted up to the barn door. “Y’see, Apple Bloom, Mac realized that there was one place on this whole farm where we could use as a... you know, whadya call, like a safe place?”
“Sanctuary?”
AJ beamed. “Yeah, that’s it! ‘Sanctuary’! Heh, I figured your fancy words would be good for somethin’ sooner or later.”
Apple Bloom, once again, rolled her eyes, but then returned to the topic at hoof. “How’s this y’all’s sanctuary?”
AJ grinned proudly. “Every Friday night, when you and Granny go to sleep, Big Macintosh has the barn for the night. Every spec of light and any noise that comes out of this barn goes unnoticed by me. Mac pays me that courtesy on Saturday nights. We do... whatever we need to do to get our rocks off. It's good stuff."
Apple Bloom cocked an eyebrow. Why was Applejack telling her all this?
“Applejack, why’re you telling me all this?”
Applejack leaned up against the barn door. “This arrangement between me and Mac’s been goin’ on for years, and now, it’s an arrangement between Me, Mac... and you.”
Apple Bloom’s ears perked up and her eyes widened to their extreme. “W-what?”
Applejack chuckled. “Okay now, considerin’ you make your own hours, I figure Sunday nights should be okay with you, am I right?”
“S-so, you’re sayin’--”
“From now on, on Sunday nights, anything that goes on in this here barn goes unnoticed by me ‘n your brother. We expect you to pay us that same courtesy on Fridays and Saturdays. Do we have a deal?”
Apple Bloom didn’t know what to say. Her sister didn’t yell at her. She didn’t give a lecture. She acted... like a sister who trusted her would act. That was the word: trust. For the first time in her life, Apple Bloom had earned the trust and respect of her sister.
Parents may not have understood, but Applejack sure did.
Quivering and ready to cry, Apple Bloom blurted out, “Deal.”
Applejack walked up to her sister and gave her a hug. No longer, in AJ’s eyes, was Apple Bloom a filly. She was a mare... a mare who was sniffling like a little filly, but a mare nonetheless.
The repairs to the Mach Five were finally completed (it seemed all Apple Bloom needed to remove the tree sap was a can of penetrating oil). It was good that they were, as Apple Bloom really needed to see Scootaloo again. The recent change in her life needed the attention of her friend (maybe-lover) ASAP.
While putting away her tools, AB heard another familiar voice.
“So you’re alive, huh?”
Apple Bloom turned around. “Scootaloo!” She ran up and gave the her friend a giant hug around her neck. “I really needed to talk to you.”
“Me too, me too.” Scootaloo patted her friend’s back. “I’m really sorry about just leaving you out to dry yesterday.”
“Aw, think nothin’ of it, Scoot. I told ya to leave, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, it’s just I still feel really guilty.” She pulled away to look Apple Bloom in the eyes. “I know what I did yesterday kinda gave you the idea, but I feel like I have to say it out loud. I really care about you, Apple Bloom, and I wanna be with you if you’re cool with that.”
Apple Bloom beamed, her crush being emotionally reciprocated. “I reckon I’m cool with that, Scoot.” She leaned in and gave her new girlfriend a kiss on her cheek, which blushed upon contact.
“Now then.” Apple Bloom continued with a sultry smirk. “There’s the matter of that business we didn’t get to finishin’ yesterday.”
Scootaloo’s ears perked. “What, uh... did you have in mind?”
“Lemme ask you, what’re you doing Sunday night?”
