Time can pass in the blink of an eye. Or so the saying goes. For some, a single year could seem like such a long time. However, once you reached the end of that one year mark, it could often not be helped but to look back and wonder where all that time went. It was almost as if time itself had slipped like fine grained sand through the fingers of an open palm, never really figuring out where it went after it fell.

Perhaps, that’s where the idea for hourglasses came from. You really didn’t know though.
What you did know though, was that as time passed, so did came with it life changing events that smacked their victims like runaway trucks. Or, seeing as there were no trucks in the world you now lived it, perhaps a runaway carriage or wagon would be a better analogy seeing as time had made no exceptions on how it treated you.

Within the blink of an eye, life for you in Equestria had changed, sometimes for the worst, and sometimes for the better.

Since the moment you found yourself face down in the dirt after arriving in Equestria, to the time you celebrated your first Hearth's Warming Eve, followed by the time when you first slept alone in your own home, and the time you found yourself running from a mob of heat crazed mares… There had always been a lingering doubt in the back of your mind. One that you could not simply shake off and toss into a closet to be forgotten till you felt like dealing with it again.

Where was your life leading you to, and what would be the outcome of all this when it was said and done?

Things had happened. Some traumatizing, others magnificent. The latter had made the former almost non important. Or so you liked to think.

Fate had thrown so much at you through the course of a year, more so on that fateful day that it had all seemed almost impossible and hopeless. Yet, you had come out on top. You had survived an impossible event of which you had no natural right of being involved in the first place. And yet, you had done it… and in the end had managed to gain something precious along the way.

It was honestly rather easy for you to be lured into thinking that fate had run out of challenges for you.

You should know better though.

Fate liked to hit people when they had their guard down. And as it so happened, the time for a new challenge had reared its ugly head again.

Lucky for you though, this one was one you had grown accustomed to over the past week or so, as you began to stir from your slumber and joined the rising sun for a new day.

You could feel the morning rays of the sun begin to warm your back as you slept on your side, facing away from the window. The more you stirred, the more you took notice of a slight nip in the air that you breathed. It was to be expected though, seeing as it was well into the winter season.

Unlucky for you though, you were nice and toasty under your blankets, so that made it difficult for you to want to get up out of bed. However, luckily for you, that heavenly warmth that called you to stay in bed not only came from the bed sheets, but from the form that lay nuzzled against your chest, embraced tenderly in your arms.

It made it easy for you to want to open your eyes, and partake in an all too familiar morning routine as you pulled the warm form closed to you and opened your eyes.

A curtain of gold was the first thing that greeted you as your eyes adjusted and you breathed in an all too familiar scent, cinnamon and apples. You couldn’t help but smile as you began to hear her breathing and felt her side rise and fall lazily as you embraced her from behind. Her tail was wrapped around you leg, and you relished the sensation of it.

You had to admit, you loved waking up to this, to the sight of the one you loved, to the sight of Applejack resting so peacefully.

It made it worthwhile to wake up no matter what the weather outside was like.

Perhaps that’s why the following was always so difficult.

Gently, you began to inch away from her to give yourself a bit of space to work with. You didn’t want to wake her up. She deserved to rest. Almost every day of the year she would wake up at the crack of dawn and work till dusk as hard as she could. She always worked so hard. And, although she wasn’t alone, especially with you being around more now… you knew she never let up.

With the exception of the winter season that is.

Winter was the only time of year when the workload diminished considerably at the farm, and the Apple family could take a break. It was the only time of the year that Applejack could sleep in for just a little bit longer.

You’d be damned if you were going to deprive her of that.

Slowly, you continued to inch your way away from her, careful not to disturb her as you began to pull your away from her. She was lying on your other arm and her tail was wrapped around the opposite leg. It was almost like playing a game of Twister with how you had to contort and adjust yourself as you continued to pull away from her.

It was a shame, really. You were already starting to miss her warmth. But you had somewhere to go to, so…

“Yah promised sugahcube.”

So that would have to wait as you suddenly heard her sleepy voice and felt her forelegs hold on tighter to your arms. Her tail lazily coiled around your other leg. She had you trapped.

“Morning sweetie… sorry about waking you up.” You said as you pulled her towards you and placed a kiss on her neck, sacrificing whatever precious ground you had gained in your bid for extraction. It felt good to feel her warmth against you again though.

“Mmm, yah ain’t gonna get off the hook that easily.” You heard her reply through a smile that she hid from you as she pressed her back further into you. By the sound of her voice though, and the unlady like yawn she let out, she was still obviously rather sleepy.

You could only remain silent as you heard and felt her breath, and paid attention to the ticking sound of the clock in the room. If you waited a minute or two, she might fall asleep again, and you could try a second attempt. But damn, you were starting to feel sleepy again yourself. It was way too early to try for a second attempt, but…

Carefully again, you began to pull away, but Applejack tightened her grip and you ended up dragging her along for the ride.

“Ah’m still awake sugahcube.” You heard her say in a sleepy singsong voice.

“Yeah, sort of figured that…”

You waited quietly again for a few more ticks of the clock and tried again after you had counted more than sixty.

“Nnope.” You could hear her smile as she teased you, no longer sounding as sleepy as before.

“Yah promised and ah’m gonna hold yah to it… literally by the looks of it.”

“I know Applejack, but I did say one more week and today is technically the seventh day of that week.”

“Nnope, yesterday yah said you’d spend the whole day home today.”

“I miscounted.”

“Ain’t mah’fault you don’t know mathematics.”

There was a long pause as the both of you remained silent. You had promised her yesterday that you would spend the whole day at home. Yet, you had made plans.

In less than a week, the Hearth's Warming Eve pageant and celebration would take place in Canterlot. And like the year prior, during your first Hearth's Warming Eve, Applejack was going to play the part of Secretary Smart Cookie. The difference though, was that this time around you and she were together. Something that thanks to your ignorance the year prior, she had not been able to enjoy.

You planned to make up for it this time around. You were going to take her out wherever she wanted to in Canterlot.

You knew she wasn’t all that into the sophistication and high class that oozed out of every corner in Canterlot. But any mare would love to be treated out to a fancy dinner once in a while, right?

Right.

However, that plan required bits to pull off and you had been setting aside a few here and there from your work at the repair shop. You only needed one more day, just one more customer, and you’d have enough bits to make sure everything went off without a hitch. Especially since she didn’t know what you were up to. It was supposed to be a surprise after all.

And apparently, so was what she began to do with her tail as it lazily uncoiled and traveled up your leg towards…

“Oh?”

“Mmhmm, wouldn’t yah rather stay here with little’ol me sugahcube, where it’s nice n’hot?

Yes. The answer was yes. Or so your thoughts screamed out at you as you smiled and used your hands to massage her stomach before pulling one back to run down her side, caressing her as it slid down towards her haunches and…

“Appljack?”

“Mmm?” You heard her coo softly as you whispered into her ear from behind and continued to embrace and caress her.

“Today is the last day sweetie…”

Her tail suddenly stopped moving and pulled away from you.

“I promi-”

“Fine…”

“Huh? KYAAH!”

Some things never change.

The cold wooden floor suddenly greeted your backside as you were pushed clear off the bed by Applejack’s well toned rump. Your body reacted immediately as the cold slapped you fully awake and you stood up trembling.

You should really start wearing more than just your boxers to bed.

“Sweet Celestia it’s COLD!”

“Ah know.”

You immediately turned to look at the culprit as you trembled uncontrollably and wrapped your arms around you for some form of warmth. She was in your spot now, hogging all the blankets as she looked back at you with an overly content smile considering what she had just done.

“Ap-Applejack? What-what gives sweetie?”

“Well sugahcube, if yah don’t want to stay here with me n’keep me warm, then ah’ll have to settle for yah warm spot and your pillow.” She declared nonchalantly as she nuzzled your pillow and inhaled deeply.

You could only stand, trembling, as you watched her. You had to admit, although you were doing this for her, you had been a bit… distant during the past week. But, you were going to make up for it and then some. Or so you hoped at least. But, then again…

“Applejack?” You called as you leaned over her and rested your hands on the mattress around her.

“Can’t hear yah, ah’m asleep.” She replied rather cheerfully for a pony who was supposedly sleeping while snoring rather loudly. A smile was the only thing that showed on you face as you leaned further down towards her, and stopped less than an inch from her ear.

“Well, perhaps a kiss will wake you up then…”

“Yah can try sugahcube, ah sure as hay won’t stop yah.”

“Perfect…”

Without warning, you wrapped your arms around her, blankets and all, and fell on her and rolled around the bed while peppering her with kisses. She immediately “woke up” in a fit of uncharacteristic giggles as she tried to fight back, and only managed to tangle the both of you in the blankets. You couldn’t help but feel it was just what she wanted.

“No! Stop yah varmint! Haha! No! Not there! OH! Definitely there though!”

In a matter of seconds, the struggle for dominance over the warm bed lost its momentum as Applejack retaliated and began to rain down her own kisses upon you while her hooves wrapped themselves around you. Unfortunately though, you ran out of bed, and you both suddenly found yourselves on the floor, buried in a mess of blankets. And rather undeterred, as you both continued to kiss each other.

You ended up on top of her, and slightly pulled back teasingly as she tried to kiss your lips again and pulled your hips against hers with her hind legs. She instead settled for a smile as she began to kiss your neck and nibbled on it.

Suddenly, getting kicked out of bed didn’t feel like such a bad punishment.

“Yah gonna be late sugahcube.” You heard her whisper as she let out a pleasant sigh against your neck.

“Don’t matter sweetie, I can be a little bit late.” You replied as you pulled her closer against you and pushed your hips harder against hers. You could hear her let out a cute moan as she breathed hotly against your freshly kissed jaw, and worked her way towards your lips.

“Aw sugahcube… yah gonna be a heap more than a bit late.”

The way she bit her lower lips when you looked down at her after she said this, said a heck of a lot more about just how serious she was. And you were perfectly fine with that. Besides, what’s wrong with a little bit of fun before work?

Not like I can fire myself for being late to my own store.

Author's Note

Welcome one and all to the second race of the year! I hope you are ready for it.

This is the sequel to a prior story of mine. So, if you're a bit confused as to what the hay is going on, then I would suggest you go read the other one first.

Read the first first and then come on back to the second with the knowledge you gained from the first.

Wait... what?

Well, doesn't matter. ENJOY!

Disclaimer - All characters presented in this work of fiction are owned by their respective creators and owners. In short, all the wubs go to Hasbro.