Fallen Apples and Broken Chords

The warm lights of the stage dimmed, plunging her world into blackness for a few moments. The bar roared to life with hoof-beats and stomping, every stallion and mare in attendance cheering her performance. Indeed, it had been one of her best yet. The memory of the last eight songs she sang ran through her head one after the other, playing out the scene of her sultry half-lidded gaze sliding around the bar, setting on one pony or another. She gave plenty of teasing winks, a few coy smiles, and even one lusty full-bodied lick of her lips.

Her accompaniment shuffled over, breaking her out of her haze. She cast one last look out across the hazy atmosphere of the bar, trying to pierce through the ever-present, cloying cloud of pipe smoke. But with her eyes adjusting to the dim lighting after the stage lights had gone out, she saw nothing but a vague shadowy outline of any given pony.

’Such a shame, too… That stallion leaning against the bar couldn’t take his eyes off of you. And he looked to be from out-of-town, too.’ Applejack led the five of them off-stage and into the dimly-lit backstage area. She didn’t even wait a heartbeat before seeking out the burly pony standing by the door that separated backstage from the bar.

“Anypony.” She quipped. “Up to three.”

“Uuh.” He blinked at her, his brow furrowing. “Are… are you sure, Honeysuckle?”

“Positive.” Applejack gave him a stoic nod, looking longingly at the door leading out into the bar. “Let them to my room.”

“A-alright, you’re the boss.” He shrugged and turned his gaze to the door, waiting to do his job. Applejack turned tail to him and made for her room, brushing past the twins on her way. She’d have made it were it not for Ivory stepping in front of her.

“Honeysuckle, are you feeling alright?” She asked, levelling a serious look into her eyes. Applejack blinked at her before frowning.

“I’m fine, Ivory. Please move.”

“Alright, I will, I just gotta ask if you’re doing okay. I know there are nights when you want to sing what you want to sing, but it gets a little old when all we do is listen to you fawning over any pony with half a mind to come to your room.” Ivory stepped out of the way, but her under-hoofed comment couldn’t go unanswered. Applejack glared at her, a fire in her breast to match the rampaging inferno of desire in her haunches.

“Excuse me?” She growled, stepping towards Ivory. “What did you just say?” For all her meekness (both on-stage and between the sheets,) Ivory stood her ground. She squared up opposite Applejack, an angry look on her eyes.

“I get it, Honeysuckle. You’re horny. Shit, we all are. But at least you could tone it down a little? I like playing those songs just as much as you love singing them, but seriously, take it easy next time. I don’t know if I want my singer giving the whole bar ‘fuck me’ eyes.”

Applejack felt a lump well in her throat, halfway between bucking this poor bitch halfway to next week, and half between crying because she had just been called out on the one thing that had been haunting her thoughts every time she put on the disguise of Honeysuckle. She mulled over those warring thoughts for a few moments before turning her back on Ivory. She flicked her tail out, catching the mare across her muzzle, and cast a coy smile over her withers.

“Well if you think you’re pony enough to handle me tonight, feel free to back up your talk. Otherwise,” She turned forwards, her eyes set on the door to her room. “You can eat your words, and leave me be.”

“Honey, I-“ The pianist was cut off by the door slamming shut, product of Applejack kicking it hard enough to shake the frame in the wall. She stared at the mirror, at the solitary bulb burning bright above it. Her chest heaved with deep breaths, and tears threatened to spill over at any moment and ruin Rarity’s makeup job. The two mares appeared in the mirror again, the sultry Honeysuckle and the stoic Applejack.

’She’s got a point, Sugarcube.’

‘What point? She’s just jealous, you rocked the house and you’re going to get twice as much tail tonight than she’s ever had in her life.’

‘Y’all keep tellin’ yerself that, Honeysuckle.’ Applejack shook her head with a slight frown. ’But ya know jes’ as well as ah do, she ain’t the kind t’ pull her bucks. When Ivory speaks, she says the truth. An’ that, more n’ anythin’, ‘s what put her in yer bed the first time.’

Applejack turned and walked through the closed door, vanishing and leaving nothing but herself in the mirror. Wide-eyed, trembling Honeysuckle. Nothing but Applejack dressed up with makeup and a slutty dress, all so she could get her rocks off with somepony new each weekend.

’That’s it, isn’t it?’ Her own inner monologue started, absent the apparitions of her duality. She approached the mirror slowly, looking at her disguise intently. ’It’s not about the singing, or the atmosphere, or the music… this is just a way for you to get another pony between your legs, huh? Applejack would never be able to live with herself if she slept around this much. But Honeysuckle? Sure, you can sleep around all you like. Each weekend it’s a new pony, a new crush, a new bit of meat to fuck you silly.’

The first tear threatened to spill over, quivering on the cusp of her eyelid, like a boulder teetering atop a potential landslide. She knew if she let that tear drop, disaster would follow. It might even tear down her entire disguise, and render this entire farce sterile. If she cried now, she’d end up caving to her honesty, and telling every single pony involved in this debacle who she really was, and just how desperate she had been to live another life. It’d all come crashing down on her head, and rob her of everything she had built these past six months.

The tear fled back into her eye as a timid knock came from her door. She looked at the mare in the mirror one last time, making sure she looked okay. Her eyes had gone back to their half-lidded, sultry look, and no evidence of her inner struggle marred the perfect mask of demure temptation she wore so easily; almost like a second skin at this point.

“Come in.” She cooed, picking up an eyeliner brush to make it appear as if she were busy touching up her makeup.

“H-hey, Honeysuckle.” It was Ivory again, though she looked deflated compared to just a minute ago. Applejack looked at the off-white mare in the mirror over her shoulder, halfway between telling her to leave, and asking what she was doing. Instead, Applejack opted for silence, letting Ivory approach her sheepishly.

“Look, I’m sorry. I was out of line.” Ivory started, her voice quavering. “I wanted to apologize. I never should have called you out like that; it was poor form. It’s just- ugh.” She hung her head with an exasperated sigh. “I’m so damn stressed, it’s like I’m about to burst.”

“Oh?” Honeysuckle lofted an eyebrow at her, a coy grin spreading her lips apart. “What’s got you torn up, love?”

Ivory paused for a few moments, looking at Applejack through the mirror. She looked to be waging a war of her own inside, a war not unlike the one still raging within Applejack’s torn mind. But her own trepidation wasn’t the focus of this particular conversation. Beneath the shallow apology and sheepish demeanor to be expected of the shy pianist, there was an underlying current of desire and arousal. Maybe she was reading into it, or maybe it was the remnants of the entire bottle of cider still buzzing in her mind, but Applejack could tell. Ivory was on the cusp of asking her to bed that night.

And Applejack was seriously considering the offer.

After almost a full minute of silence, Ivory spoke. “It’s been almost a month since I’ve been laid. I guess it’s just gotten to me, Honey… I feel like a spring, ready to burst at any moment…” She let out a hot breath, closing her eyes as she hung her head. “I guess I just saw a little of myself in you tonight, and I got jealous.”

“Oh, is that all?” Applejack gave an easy laugh, turning from her mirror to face Ivory fully. She walked over, her hooves open. “Come here, love, I forgive you.”

“Thanks.” Ivory collapsed into the hug with a sigh, nuzzling into Applejack’s neck. Normally, the shy mare would have woodenly embraced her, maybe looked all the more sheepish for their history between the sheets. But that soft touch, the gentle movement of her muzzle into Applejack’s neck, told her everything she needed to know.

“You’re not about to leave her alone, are you?” Applejack purred, her lips hovering a scant inch over Ivory’s ear.

“N-no,” Ivory balked, shuddering faintly. “I… I wasn’t hoping to.”

“Aah, and it’s so not like you to take a random mare from the bar with you to your motel…” Applejack chuckled. Ivory blushed so hot she could feel it on her own coat, spurring Applejack on. “Well, I did say if you felt like you could handle me…”

“Right.” Ivory whimpered, pulling away from the hug to look Applejack in her eyes. “Sh-shall we, then?”

“Hmm,” Applejack groaned, leaning in until her lips were naught but a breath away from Ivory’s. “Something about ‘springs’ and ‘tension’ and ‘relief,’ I think…” She sealed the deal with a quick kiss, pressing her lips hungrily against Ivory’s. The pianist surged into that embrace, her thin lips puckered hard as she kissed Applejack back with all she was worth. When they broke apart, Applejack leaned back enough to let the pianist see her tongue peek out to lick her crimson lips lasciviously. “Lead the way, love.”

They slunk out of Applejack’s room, seeing and being stopped by nopony, though Applejack did pause long enough to meet the security’s seeking gaze, and indicate she was already on her way out with somepony else. After the guard nodded his understanding, they were home free. Applejack wrapped herself in her heavy coat and leaned against Ivory as they stepped out of the warm bar and into the chill Ponyville night. Snow clouds hovered on the horizon, playing harbinger to a cold market tomorrow, but the otherwise clear night sky illuminated the dim streets of Ponyville on their way towards the train station, and Ivory’s motel room.

The travelling accompaniment liked to cut corners when it came to housing. Many nights, they would stay with local friends (or in the case of their drummer, the pegasus Hi-Hat, family.) Ivory was the only one of the four who had no friends in Ponyville, and as such paid for a modest room in Ponyville’s lone motel. There was a shiny new hotel being built opposite the train station from this part of town, but for the time-being, Honeysuckle and Ivory would have to make do with a small room and a bed made for one.

At least there was plenty of liquor to be had. Ivory led them into her motel room, kicking the door closed behind Honeysuckle, and smiling as she went to fetch her ever-present assortment of top-shelf hooch from the free fridge that came with the room.

“I can go get us some ice, if you’d like…?” She offered, but Honeysuckle just grinned at her and shook her head.

“It’s cold enough, just get me the usual.”

“Cider, then.” Ivory grinned and set about to pouring two full glasses of delicious, amber liquid. Applejack downed her glass outright, relishing the burn in her throat, and the fuzzy feeling returning in force to her mind. Ivory could only match half of her pace, but finished her glass after one breathy break.

“Well then,” Applejack cooed, her eyes dancing with glee. “Shall we?”

“After you, Honey.” Ivory purred, sweeping a hoof out to the bed. Applejack lifted one hoof, giving them both a moment’s pause.

“You know the rules.”

“Right. Light’s out.” Ivory grinned as her horn flared to life for half a moment, flicking the light off and plunging the motel room into darkness. Applejack moved as if out of memory, sliding up onto the bed, her legs splayed open in invitation. Ivory crawled up between her rear hooves, already breathing heavy. Her hot breath washed over Applejack’s thighs, trailing its way up to her face.

“Hmmn~” She moaned into the kiss, tasting the cider inside Ivory’s mouth. The slender unicorn lay fully on top of her, wrapping her hooves around Applejack’s back to pull her into a tight embrace. A single leg rose between Applejack’s thighs, teasing her with the first tantalizing brush to her damp marehood. The slippery, wet kiss was doing wonders to stoke that particular blaze, and she flexed her core muscles to seep a single droplet of liquid that smeared onto Ivory’s thigh.

They kissed for a few long minutes, lavishing attention on one another’s tongues while Applejack desperately ground her ever-slickening marehood into Ivory’s hot thigh. She could feel the other mare’s arousal building as well, betrayed by the ever-quickening breath between the two of them. The room was completely dark, as Applejack was always adamant it was. It wouldn’t do to strip her dress off only to be discovered with her own cutie mark. Not that Ivory would recognize her, but there were other ponies she had done this with that would. The cakes, for one…

Carrot Top, for another.

“Haah.” Ivory finally broke away from the kiss, her hot, cider-tainted breath washing over Applejack’s face. “Can I?” She panted, sliding one hoof down to the dock of Applejack’s tail.

“Only if you promise to make me cum.” Applejack whimpered, squeezing Ivory’s thigh between her own. Ivory just gave a soft exhalation that could have been a lusty grin before pulling at the zipper of her dress. Applejack sat up to let Ivory work at it, squirming her hips and assisting with the tricky bit of fabric until it slid down and off. She kicked the pesky dress to the side, opening her legs nice and wide for Ivory to settle between. She took that invitation openly, plastering her stomach to Applejack’s nethers as her mouth set to work kissing her neck and chest with lavish, long, warm kisses. Each new one sent a tingle of pleasure down her body, culminating in her core with a prodigious amount of arousal. She could feel the liquid coursing down her backside, over her anus, and into the dyed strands of her raven tail. Her breath hitched in her throat as Ivory continued her slow descent, painting the entire route with breathy, wet kisses.

When Ivory arrived at her destination, it was with a clipped cry from Applejack, and more than a bit of feminine arousal. The first shock of pleasure rocked into her core, shooting straight from her dripping cunt up into her chest. Applejack’s eyes crashed shut as her back arched, driven back down into the sheets by two insistent hooves from Ivory. She rose against that restraint, but Ivory just put more pressure on her, even as the pianist’s tongue lashed against her slick pussy.

She was ruthless, paying equal attention to Applejack’s insides and her swollen clitoris. She had this technique that drove her to the edge of orgasm and held her there, where she would suck Applejack’s clit into her mouth and run it back-and-forth over her teeth rapidly. As soon as she was about to surrender to a blissful orgasm, though, Ivory would lavishly lap at her entire pussy, drooling and spreading more wetness down there. Applejack was on the edge and ready to blow, but Ivory wouldn’t let her.

Not without some provocation.

“Ivory!” Applejack’s gravelly alto voice cried out in exasperation. “Ivory, please! I’m gonna cum!”

“Hmmn.” The skilled unicorn moaned between her legs, flicking her clitoris once more. This time, she didn’t stop. Just like Applejack remembered, the poor pianist couldn’t resist the mare she was pleasing when they started to beg.

With a leg-shaking exhalation of bliss, Applejack surrendered to bliss.

And yet, in the back of her mind, an orange pony in a Stetson was frowning at her, and the word she spat hurt more than she had thought it would.

”Slut.”

Ivory’s chest rose and fell evenly, betraying her partner for the evening had fallen asleep. Applejack lay opposite her, watching the moonlight that bled in around the motel’s drapes paint the faint outline of the sleeping mare. She watched Ivory sleep for a few more moments before slowly extricating herself from the blankets. Finding her shed dress in the near-dark was a chore, and she didn’t even bother putting it on. Instead, she crumpled the complex fabric up and crammed it into the pocket of her coat.

The chill night air bit into her face as she slowly opened the door and left the motel, sparing nothing but a passing glance back at the door to Ivory’s room. When she awoke, the pianist would be alone, with nothing but the smell of a dozen orgasms and a guilty post-coitus cider on the air. Turning into the night, Applejack set her sights on the Carousel Boutique, and the solace of Rarity’s all-purpose makeup-and-dye removing spell.

As was to be expected, the upstairs light was on, and Rarity answered Applejack’s soft knock in a short minute.

“Aah, you’re back late.” Rarity wore her reading glasses, and Applejack could smell the remnants of wine on her breath.

“I have to help Big Mac with the last market tomorrow… eer, today.” Applejack sighed, slipping inside as Rarity stepped back.

“Aah, and here I’d hoped you would have found somepony to stay the entire night with. No matter, Sweetie Belle is staying with Scootaloo for the night. You can sleep in her room, if you’d like.”

“Thanks, Rarity.” Applejack smiled at her friend as she shed her coat. The alabaster unicorn didn’t miss a beat, as she levitated the crumpled dress out of the coat’s pocket.

“I’m glad you came right over, then. Come on, let us shower.” She led the two of them upstairs and into her bathroom, where she proceeded to crank the shower on hot. Applejack followed her into the tub, letting her frumpy mane and tail soak down. Rarity wasted no time, her horn glowing as she began using her magic to scrub and cleanse Applejack’s face. Slowly, inch by inch, Honeysuckle began to disappear, and Applejack took her place. Save for the raven mane, but Rarity set to work on that shortly after her face was cleaned.

“And there you go.” She smiled, having stripped the dye out of Applejack’s hair neatly. She pulled the sodden strands over her shoulder, smiling faintly at the blonde mane she had always known and loved.

“Thanks, Rares.” Applejack sighed, feeling her vocal chords untighten, falling back into their default state. “It means the world t’ me, havin’ you help out with this.”

“Anything for a friend.” Rarity teased, kissing Applejack’s cheek tenderly. “After all, what would I be if not the Element of Generosity?”

“Right.” Applejack grimaced, not missing the subtle reminder that her own element was at war within her own mind. Rarity set to work on her tail, leaving the humble farm pony to mull her thoughts and actions over.

The shower was over, and Applejack fetched her Stetson from a downstairs rack before retiring to Sweetie Belle’s room. She had slept over at Rarity’s quite a few times in the past six months, having bailed on a night of sex early in order to avoid being discovered as Applejack in the dawn’s light by an early-rising lover. Some nights, Rarity herself would play host to Applejack’s lascivious fantasy, and the alabaster unicorn was nothing if not skilled with the fairer sex. It had been some time since Applejack had slept with Rarity, though. For what reason, she wasn’t sure. It wasn’t that it felt awkward or wrong, just that there were more lovers out there than Applejack could stand to pass up.

Still, she fell into a fitful, uneasy sleep alone that night. In her dreams Applejack and Honeysuckle stood on opposite sides of a mirror. Which one was her, and which one was the reflection?