Just His Luck

Chapters

Upside-Down Horseshoe
Broken Mirror (or Stool)
A Stroke of Luck?
Spilled Salt (or Milk)
Walking Under the Ladder
13 Pitch-Black Cats
Unlucky! Lucky?!
Blessings
Lucky Charm
Golden Horseshoe
Getting Lucky Again
Lucky for Life

Upside-Down Horseshoe

As he took his second prat-fall while tripping over his over-sized shoes, Troubleshoes slammed into a table full of whipped-cream pies. As he tried to get back to his hooves, he felt his rear pants-flap coming undone from his struggles, with it then falling and showing his rump to all of the spectators in the Ponyville Rodeo audience, the pants carefully designed to not show anything explicit.

The roar of laughter from the crowd and following stomping applause caused him to smile widely as he lifted himself up from the table, overjoyed despite being coated from mane to chest in whipped cream. Everything he went through in that arena was all worth it to hear the loving cheers and applause from his audience, everypony knowing now that his hijinx was all part of the show. That he was an actor instead of the vandal he'd previously been labeled as.

Troubleshoes then did the crowd favorite of chasing after the small colt with the hoop, with the colt easily only a fifth his size, the whole while shouting in a silly voice 'I'mma get through that li'l hoop! Hold still!' while the colt ran away. As he again felt himself lose his balance, he found out quickly that he'd tripped over a conveniently placed haybale comically placed by one of his fellow clown cronies as part of the skit.

As such he ended up landing face-first into a mud puddle, with that causing another wave of uproarious laughter from the crowd as his pants fell down once more, leaving his flank once again exposed to the crowd. As he heard the uproarious cheers and laughter, he himself once again smiled despite now being utterly filthy once more, so happy that he finally found his purpose in life as a rodeo clown thanks to three young fillies.

As the final bull was ridden and the final competitions were completed, Troubleshoes and the rest of his clown posse went and did their final show, ending it with a wide bow. Most of the clowns, including him, fell over forward as they intentionally over-exaggerated their bows, the rest flailing in a silly way to keep their balance, earning them another bout of laughter and hoof-stomping applause from the audience.

As they piled into a tiny carriage and left the stage, pulled by the smallest stallion of the posse, Troubleshoes then got out of the magically-enlarged vehicle's interior when it stopped and went to the showers behind stage, removing his filth-coated outfit and placing it into the laundry basket before running the water. He then proceeded to clean off the sticky, filthy caked-on mess his job demanded he be coated in on a regular basis, using the special soap, comb, and brush they had there to remove everything from his coat, mane, and tail.

Each time he would perform at a rodeo, Trouble's bad luck would decrease for about a month after, leaving him less prone to bad things happening to him as much...though even still, more often than not he was still finding himself tripping over something, or forgetting something that anypony else would have remembered until it was no longer relevant. That was just his lot in life, he supposed.

As he finished cleaning himself up a few minutes later, Troubleshoes headed out of the shower room and outside to his trailer, narrowly avoiding tripping into another mud puddle that would have rendered his time showering wasted. Sighing, he opened his trailer door and went inside.

It would seem that despite still being unlucky and klutzy even after Apple Bloom and her friends showed him his life's purpose of being a rodeo clown, he'd found he had more control over some of the events that he used to have no reign on. It was as though he actually let out a lot of his bad luck on the stage of the rodeo instead of throughout his personal life as he'd used to; seemingly using the rodeo-clowning as a conduit to channel his bad luck away from him.

As Trouble was finishing up making himself dinner a while later, he heard a rough knocking on his door, startling him and nearly making him knock his pot of soup to the floor. Fortunately for him however, he hadn't hit the stove hard enough but to make only some of his soup spill out, making him give a sigh of relief as he then moved to answer the door.

When he carefully opened the trailer door, peaked through the crack and looked way down, Troubleshoes saw that it was an orange-coated earth pony mare who had knocked. Atop her head was a long blonde mane in a braid wrapped by red ribbon, and an old Stetson cowboy hat. As he wondered what such a beautiful mare was doing knocking at his trailer, Troubleshoes nearly fell through the door and landed on top of her, and would have had he not caught his balance at the last second. Giving a sigh of relief, he opened the door fully and gave a cautious "Howdy?"

"Well, uh, howdy. Yer Troubleshoes Clyde, right?" the mare asked, to which Troubleshoes nodded.

"Yup." Troubleshoes answered simply, but for some reason he found himself feeling particularly drawn to this mare. He was unable to help it as he looked down from her face to her muscular fore-legs, then to her hooves, then all the way back to the blonde mane surrounding her rather ruggedly beautiful face again, wondering how silky her hair would feel under his hooves...

Troubleshoes shook his head hard at that thought, causing the whole trailer to sway with his movements. Troubleshoes was by no means a tiny pony, easily standing well over a head over even the tallest stallions and two over most mares. With his mass also easily half more any other stallions as well, he nearly made the small trailer nearly fall on its side as his weight shifted so sharply.

The mare spoke again, "Well, uh, Ah really liked yer performance tonight. Ah haven't laughed so hard since Big Mac lost that bet with me and had to walk down Mane Street in a pair of Granny's bloomers!" She chuckled at the memory, making Troubleshoes only stare at her, the inside joke lost on him as he continued waiting for an explanation for her presence.

"Well anyhoo, how right rude a me t' not even introduce mahself. Name's Applejack Apple, and it's mah pleasure makin' yer acquaintance." Applejack said, tipping her hat at him. "Ah saw ya at yer first performance back in Apploosa too, an' laughed real hard then as well! Y' really do have a special talent at bein'...well, bein' funny." Applejack finished flatly, scratching her mane with a hoof.

"Uh-huh." Troubleshoes responded slowly but promptly, making Applejack tilt her head at him in an adorable way, her mane shifting so perfectly as... Troubleshoes again shook his head, clearing those thoughts from his mind. Surely he shouldn't be having those kind of thoughts about a fan of his, let alone somepony whom he'd only properly met a couple of minutes ago!

After a short, awkward silence, Troubleshoes spoke up. "So, thanks, but uh, Ah've got some soup in here I'd like to get t' eatin'..." Troubleshoes said, leaving the rest to Applejack's imagination, wanting to close the door and get this mare away from him before he did something rash and his bad luck could affect her. After all, it always did so to any mares he got even slightly close to.

He'd been in a couple relationships before, but neither lasted. The mares would always leave him after the second or third date, and always because of his rotten luck affecting himself or them while they were together, with the last breakup leaving him an utter emotional wreck for a couple of weeks, making him not want to risk such heartache by seeking another fillyfriend. Now, it would seem, the opportunity had seeked him.

"Look, uh...Troubleshoes? Ah know this is right sudden an' we've only just met, an' call me impulsive but uh...would ya like t'...go out sometime?" Applejack asked, removing her hat and hiding her face with it as a harsh blush suddenly bloomed. Why in the hay did Ah ask that?! she thought, Ah've never been this impulsive before!

Troubleshoes couldn't help but feel drawn closer to Applejack as she asked that, feeling his instinct shoving him on to say yes. He was highly reluctant though, shifting on his hooves as he looked at Applejack. After all, this wold likely just be another repeat of his last two filly-friends. Well, what was the harm in it? he asked himself as he finally gave into his urges, knowing how lonely he felt on those cold nights alone in his trailer.

To refuse such a beautiful mare offering herself like this to him was outright ludicrous, even if it was so sudden and he did have horrible luck. After all, perhaps this mare coming to him was a sign that his luck was changing for the better!

Troubleshoes sighed. "Ah suppose we could try a date...but Ah gotta warn ya, Ah ain't th' luckiest pony." Troubleshoes said, knowing all he could do was give fair warning.

"Well that's right fine. Who knows, maybe Ah'll be your lucky charm!" Applejack suddenly exclaimed, making her giggle like a school-filly. Why was she acting so strange, she thought to herself. She never acted this way!

They agreed on a day they were both free and a meeting place, with Applejack giving Troubleshoes a tip of her hat as she departed. As she turned her rear to him, Troubleshoes saw her tail flick to the side – and could swear she winked her clitoris at him! Surely he was only seeing things though, right? After all, they'd only just met!

Troubleshoes just stood with his door open for a minute, trying to take in what had just happened. It had all happened so fast: he'd been cooking dinner, then heard a knock at the door – then before he knew it, he'd agreed to a date with a beautiful mare and she'd seemingly 'winked herself' at him, a primal invitation for him to mount and breed her!

Troubleshoes sighed, knowing that this couldn't end well as he realized the time of year. It was Spring, the season when all the mares went into estrus, a time when their hormones made them do crazy things just to get rid of the incessant burn and itch in their lower abdomen. He knew the only permanent cure to a mare's estrus was to have sex with a stallion multiple times and have him 'finish' in them each time while likely getting pregnant from it, taking a special potion, or to have a heat-quelling spell cast on them. With most of Ponyville being earth-pony mares, and most earth-ponies having an opposition through outright abhorrence of magic being mixed with nature, the prior two were the only real option for most.

"It's just mah luck. A pretty mare wants t' go on a date this time'a' year, an' it's only cuz she's probably goin' into heat..." Troubleshoes said, not entirely sure why he'd agreed to the mare's—Applejack was her name?—offer as he then closed the door and went to rewarm his soup, hoping that this date wasn't going to be just another disaster he could add to his endless list.

Author's Note

So begins another taIL (intended!) of love and lust. Hope you enjoy it!

Broken Mirror (or Stool)

It was the date they'd agreed upon and Troubleshoes sat at a table in the small country–style restaurant they'd chosen, nervously awaiting Applejack's arrival. He'd only been sitting there for a couple of minutes and had enjoyed a live folk-country song before she arrived, and as she walked in, his jaw nearly dropped.

Applejack had her mane down for a change from the braid she usually wore it in, instead letting it flow naturally over her shoulders, with it going all the way down to mid–foreleg. She wore no makeup or jewelry, and such would have been an insult to her natural, rustic beauty anyhow. She also wore a basic, non-embellished forest-green frock. There was nothing fancy about it, but nothing could compliment her natural beauty more than such a simple accent, Applejack seeming to be one of the rare types whose beauty fancy clothes only tarnished instead of enhanced.

As she saw him, Applejack smiled and joined Troubleshoes at their table – and as she sat down her stool collapsed under her, making her end up on her back with hooves bent at her chest and her eyes wide in surprise. Everypony in the restaurant stared at her as the music stopped with a screech of a fiddle, the entire restaurant suddenly completely silent.

"M-Miss? Y'all 'right?" a stallion's voice asked, Applejack seeing a cream-colored hoof being offered to help her up. A passing waiter was the first to come to her aid, asking if she was OK and then apologizing extensively over what had happened.

"Ah—Ahm fine. Dun worry, just wanted t' see if the floor was as comfy as it looked." Applejack cracked uneasily as she quickly stood up by herself, feeling everypony's eyes on her and not exactly liking being the center of attention in this respect. Once everypony heard she was OK however, conversations at tables slowly started again, the band started another song, and the other patrons once more continued their meals. The waiter quickly brought Applejack a new stool alongside a couple of menus before leaving them to decide their meal, promising them a free appetizer platter of green-bean fries and hushpuppies with dip in apology for the incident.

A few minutes and a couple of mugs of hard apple cider each later, as well as finishing off both the appetizers, the two ordered, with Applejack ordering a simple 'floral bouquet' salad with extra daffodils and grass, and Troubleshoes ordering a bowl of hearty five–bean vegetable chili, with both dishes coming with the restaurant's "famous" cornbread.

As they waited for their dinner to arrive, Troubleshoes asked Applejack about herself and quickly learned that she was in fact THE Applejack – embodiment of the Element of Honesty and co–owner of Sweet Apple Acres, the largest farm in Ponyville! Troubleshoes then realized just what a catch he had and instantly regretted that she'd wanted to date him, given what had already happened to her from being around him. If his previous luck with mares was any indicator, the broken stool was very likely only the first thing to happen to her tonight.

After some more talk about her adventures with the other Bearers of the Elements and some light talk of his and her personal lives, their food finally arrived. The salad was placed before Applejack first, with her eagerly anticipating digging right into it, not having had time to eat since breakfast that morning. When the waiter suddenly, accidentally, over-exaggerated his bend as he sat down the basket of cornbread, it sent the bowl of thankfully-only-warm chili sliding off the tray – and landing cleanly onto Applejack's head.

Once again the restaurant went silent, another fiddle squeal bringing a screeching halt to the restaurant's sounds again. Troubleshoes could see the burning blush on Applejack's face even under the dense brown goop as she undoubtedly felt the eyes of everypony on her again, the thick chili slopping off of her muzzle and mane. She then quickly, and surprisingly calmly, excused herself to go clean up, leaving a trail of brown chili drips all the way to the washrooms.

The waiter once again apologized extensively for his carelessness, offering Troubleshoes not only free replacements for their food and free dessert, but also half-off their next visit. Toubleshoes accepted melancholicly but had a bad feeling abut them staying. This evening had an uncanny resemblance to his previous first dates, and he knew just how those relationships had ended up.

Applejack returned to the table shortly after, her light rose-scented perfume now instead replaced by the much less romantic and much more delicious scent of cumin, cilantro and tomato. Her mane and coat looked a few shades darker thanks to its greasy chili-bath and her frock was likely ruined, splotches of brown and grease now staining the fabric. Even still, she sat down on her new stool to resume her date – only for it to once again cripple under her weight, sending her once more sprawling onto her back.

That was the last straw for her; she'd been embarrassed enough for one day! Applejack promptly got up and stomped out of the restaurant, leaving a very concerned Troubleshoes alone at the table. With a sigh, he lowered his head. It was only the first hour of the date and he'd likely already lost her. "Just my luck" he muttered softly under his breath, then called the waiter for the check.

After he tried to pay for the drinks, he was told they were on the house, given a rain check for their two next meals to be completely free, and another two for two free desserts, then was followed out the door by a string of apologies.

As Troubleshoes stepped outside and heard a faint sniffling coming from the side of the building, he quickly followed it until he saw the profile of Applejack sitting on the curb, her muzzle down-facing. He heard the soft sniffling coming from her as she struggled to contain her tears, only to fail as a single wet drop streamed down her muzzle then fell to the earth.

Upon hearing hoofsteps, with Troubleshoes not being a small or quiet pony by any means, Applejack looked up for a moment before she lowered her muzzle again upon seeing it was only him, that brief glance of her upset eyes instantly sending a pang of guilt through Troubleshoes. His bad luck had caused this, after all. His bad luck had made this mare cry. "Ahm—Ahm so sorry..." Troubleshoes started, "Ah knew this date was a bad idea from th' moment Ah agreed, with mah bad luck an' all. Ah think Ah should jus' go now, before Ah cause anythin' else to happen to ya..."

Applejack looked up at Troubleshoes again, her small smile and gentle gaze instantly telling him that she wasn't upset with him. But how? He'd caused all of this! Applejack cleared her throat before she spoke again, "Now don't you worry 'bout this Sugarcube. It ain't yer fault any'a this happened. It was jus' bad luck, af'r all. Ah mean, y'all can't exactly prevent accidents from happenin' now-and-again now can-ya?"Applejack finished with her light smile remaining, wiped her nose with her hoof, then stood up and got closer to him. Suddenly, Applejack cuddled against him, burying her muzzle into his chest and nuzzling against him. "...an 'sides, Ah still like ya. That should count fer somethin', right?" Applejack asked, her voice soft and even-toned...if a bit risque!

Troubleshoes was surprised by Applejack's sudden actions, but by no means displeased. He lowered his head to rest behind Applejack's, his large size preventing him from embracing her properly and instead making him have to settle with placing his muzzle around the back of her head. When Troubleshoes heard a quiet, pleased nicker from her, he felt his heart flutter as she continued to nuzzle into his chest, with him in turn leaning slightly forward – only to lose his balance and fall forward, sending both careening to the dirt ground behind them.

Fortunately for both of them, Troubleshoes managed to avoid crushing Applejack beneath himself, but he still managed to drag her down with him, with both landing into the dirt and kicking up quite a dust-cloud. Applejack came up coughing with Troubleshoes following shortly after, the dust–cloud quickly dissipating with the gentle wind blowing it away but nevertheless leaving both ponies coated in a thick layer of dirt now. Applejack's wet frock now looked like she'd rolled in a pigsty with it given she was still damp from cleaning the chili off of herself, her loose, wet mane and tail completely and totally filthy, clumps of mud now throughout it and making her look like she'd had a wrestling match with a pig.

Troubleshoes feared the worst as Applejack stood up, wearing a very displeased look on her face. When she started laughing however, Troubleshoes was totally shocked. That was the absolute LAST thing he'd expected to hear from her! "Th—thi—this is the worst date Ah—Ah've ever been on!" Applejack exclaimed, barely managing to given how hard she was laughing. Troubleshoes contributed a few uneasy chuckles while Applejack fell on the ground laughing, his eyes darting back and forth as he became very uncomfortable at Applejack's admission that this was indeed a horrible date for her.

After Applejack calmed down some seconds later, her laughs turning to giggles, she looked to Troubleshoes – and suddenly tackled him. Despite him being much taller then her and thrice her weight, Applejack caught him offguard and caused him to fall backwards and onto his back, his landing kicking up another dust cloud and leaving Applejack now atop him and sitting on his chest. Before Troubleshoes could even react, he felt a soft pair of lips on his, looking up with wide eyes just in time to see the beautiful mare closing in before her lips met his, her eyes closing on contact. He felt a pleasant tingle rolling through him as she then held the kiss, softly moving her head side to side and sending another thrill up his spine.

After a few seconds, Applejack broke the simple kiss, instead looking into Troubleshoe's eyes and giving him another soft smile. "The. Ab-so-lute. Worst. Date. But despite it bein' the worst, by-hay it's the most FUN one! Tha last couple dates Ah went on were with a couple of snooty-snobs who only took me t' some fancy–pants restaurants and wanted me t' eat fish eggs. FISH EGGS FER PONIES SAKE! Ah mean fer corn's sake, wut kinda pony eats—" Applejack said with a snort of disgust, then cut herself off as she noticed she still had Trouble pinned beneath her. "Oh, uh, sorry."

After she got off of Troubleshoes and he got up, Applejack smiled as she got an idea. "Hey, instead of goin' to another restaurant, hows'a 'bout we go back to mah place an' Ah cook us up somethin' instead? Ah can whip up a mean spicy black-bean and rice casserole!" she offered, then looking to Troubleshoes for a response.

Troubleshoes was once more left in awe: this mare, this Bearer of an Element, hero to all of Equestria time and time again and successful farm co–owner, was now offering him not only for him to come to her home...but to cook him a meal as well, even after what had just happened?! Surely he was dreaming right? Surely no mare could be this amazing.

"Y–y'sure about that? Ah mean, this evenin' was jus' a total disaster. Wouldn't you rather jus' go home alone and ferget 'bout unlucky ol' Troubleshoes like every other mare has?" Troubleshoes asked melancholicly, but shortly after found a comforting hoof against his foreleg.

"Sugarcube, di'n't Ah say Ah still liked ya? This date's been the most fun Ah've had in quite a while anyhow! Most'a my days consist of weedin' fields, buckin' trees, er both. This is like a breath a fresh air t' me." Applejack said, following it with a gentle chuckle. "If this is yer 'bad luck', it sure is fun!"

Troubleshoes couldn't help it as a single tear streamed down his cheek, with him once again stooping down to wrap his muzzle around Applejack's neck. Never before had he felt so fully accepted by somepony as he did by this mare, and before he even knew what he was doing, he'd taken a mouthful of her mane into his mouth and had started to groom her, sifting the mud clumps out as best as he could and getting a slight gasp from Applejack. She was by no means uncomfortable with it, but it was so unexpected!

Troubleshoes continued for a few more minutes as he groomed Applejack, carefully cleaning her mane out and leaving Applejack speechless. She hadn't been groomed by somepony like this since her parents did it when she was still a filly! Applejack felt a twinge of sadness as she remembered her parents, then quickly shifted her focus from sad memories and instead to the lightly-pleasant feeling of Trouble gently tugging her mane as he got the dirt-clumps out, not wanting to mar this moment with painful memories of her past.

As he finished a short while later, Applejack gave Troubleshoes another nuzzle. "Thanks fer that, but y'really didn't need to. Ah've got a shower back at th' farm after all." she said, feeling a light burning in her cheeks. She was blushing, but had no idea why. "So, uh, anyhow. Sugarcube, didjya wanna come back to my place fer dinner, er...?" Applejack asked again, soon after getting a stiff nod from Troubleshoes. He knew this was a bad idea, but also knew that giving up an opportunity like this would be his biggest regrets of his life if he simply left. To leave such a beautiful, important mare with such a wonderful personality without even trying to make the blooming relationship work, that would be darn near criminal!

"Ah–right, y' just follow me big boy." Applejack said with an almost-seductive tone that instantly perked Troubleshoe's ears up. Surely he was imaging things. No way she was...coming onto him?

Author's Note

Best first date. 10/10.

A Stroke of Luck?

It was a short while later before Applejack and Troubleshoes arrived at the gate of Sweet Apple Acres, the restaurant only a short walk from her home and one reason why it was one of Applejack's favorite hangout. As Applejack unlocked the front door, Troubleshoes took another look around himself. He took in the beautiful, rural view around him, of apple trees as far as he could see, a number of grass fields, as well as various flower plants also visible from the porch of the main farmhouse. He could see what he could tell were cornstalks just starting to grow and the trees just starting to produce their leaves given it was only the start of Spring, with Winter Wrapup only having finished a few weeks ago.

As they stepped inside, Applejack did a quick look around and checked the rooms of the house, coming to the conclusion she was expecting: they were still alone. As she'd been told earlier, Granny Smith was off visiting family, Big Mac was out on a date with Cheerilee, and Apple Bloom was on another Crusader mission with her friends and co-Crusaders Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo under the supervision of Fluttershy. Smiling widely at their solitude, Applejack invited Troubleshoes to have a seat in the living room or to feel free to look around the family room, then offering him a drink before she went to clean the caked mud and chili odor from earlier off.

Troubleshoes remained seated on the couch with his beverage until Applejack returned some minutes later, her mane in a towel but the rest of her otherwise unclothed as per Ponyville standard – and her undiluted beauty made Troubleshoe's jaw nearly drop off and onto the floor. She'd been beautiful in that dress, but now...

"Hot darn Applejack, yer... yer beautiful!" Troubleshoes exclaimed, almost regretting the words once they left his mouth. What if he was being too forward? What if she viewed the compliment as something it wasn't? What if—

"Well, thanks Sugarcube!" Applejack said cheerily, Trouble seeing a light blush burning on her cheeks again at the compliment. "Ahm jus' glad t' be outta that gal-darn dress. Ah wanted t' come to the restaurant jus' like this, but mah friend Rarity jus' insisted Ah wear that thing an' some perfume...bleh." Applejack said, sticking her tongue out at the fact that she'd actually done it.

Troubleshoes let his eyes wonder over Applejack's now-uncovered body, seeing the faintly bulging musculature that had once been hidden by the all-covering frock, that toned frame no doubt earned from her countless years of hard work on her farm. He then felt his eyes drawn down her barrel to her firm rear, seeing the curves so perfectly placed. Not too wide, not too flat, utterly perfect.

"Like what y' see there, stud?" Applejack had asked lightly and followed with a soft chuckle, snapping Trouble out of his daze. Realizing he'd been virtually eye-humping her, Trouble bit his lip and quickly looked away from her, a blush hot on his face. "Ah, it's alright Sugarcube. Ah know how stallions are when they get 'round an attractive mare." Applejack teased, only making his muzzle sink lower.

"Well Ah know the view from there is mighty fine—" Applejack started, giving Trouble a smirk, "—but Ah should get t' work cookin'." She gave a light chuckle before walking towards the back of the room. "Y' can go take a shower, then feel free to either relax er look 'round the family room a bit if ya want while Ah make supper. Guest bathroom's upstairs, first door on the right." Applejack offered, giving him a nod as she then parted ways with him and headed to the kitchen. Shortly after, the utilitarian sounds of chopping and the sizzle of simmering vegetables could be heard, Applejack getting to work 'craftin' her vittles'.

Troubleshoes meanwhile took Applejack up on her offer of a nice shower to clean up and, after he finished that, he chose to explore, always a curious sort even if his explorations generally did end in something getting broken or knocked over - or in the worst cases somepony getting unintentionally hurt. He got up and looked around the family room, especially focusing on the family pictures. As he picked up a rather old-looking, gold-framed photograph of two middle-aged ponies, he figured that they must be Applejack's parents. Suddenly he lost his grip on the frame and seconds later a crash of breaking glass could be heard as it hit the floor, the sharp sound echoing throughout the reverberant house.

Applejack came galloping to see what was the cause of the ruckus moments after Troubleshoes had dropped the frame, quickly seeing Troubleshoes sitting over a pile of broken glass and holding the now-bent picture frame that had contained the photo of her parents. She quickly rushed over and carefully picked through the broken fragments of glass, grabbing the unharmed photograph itself and looking at it, then feeling tears coming to her eyes again as she was reminded of her parents for the second time that day.

Applejack couldn't help it as warm tears rolled down her cheeks, holding the photo close to her and hugging it against her chest as memories of them flowed back to her, reminding her just how much she missed them even after all these years without them. She hugged the photograph to her chest tighter as she felt the hot tears roll down her cheeks, remembering her father chasing her through the fields one early spring evening, seeing her mother smiling as she'd watched her filly and stallion play. She remembered they'd gone for ice cream after that, with her laughing softly as her father had smeared some ice cream on her muzzle, getting back at him by doing the same back to him...

Troubleshoes could only watch on as this tough mare was once again brought to tears in his presence, Applejack looking up to him moments later as she quickly recovered. Wiping the tears from her eyes then her muzzle before carefully placing the photo down, she quickly got to work cleaning up the broken glass. She'd have to remember to buy a new frame next time she was in Ponyville.

"S-sorry, Ah don't know what got int' me." Applejack said with a froggy voice, clearing her throat a couple times before proceeding, "Ah don't usually get so emotional 'round others."

Troubleshoes nodded in understanding, then indicated the bent frame he was holding. "Sorry bout yer frame...Ah'll get y' a new one later, promise." Then he felt his curiosity take over again – "Those your parents? They look like wonderful ponies." he asked, watching Applejack visibly tense and instantly regretting his question as he watched Applejack's eyes start watering again.

"Y–yeah, they...were." Applejack answered unsteadily, looking on the verge of tears again. Before she let them fall again, however, Applejack quickly wiped her eyes and sniffed instead. "Sorry, Ah need t' get back to supper. 't-ain't gonna cook itself after all!" Applejack suddenly exclaimed, turning tail and moving back to the kitchen.

Troubleshoes watched as Applejack walked away, subconsciously studying every aspect of her toned rear and her now-unbound tail again as she did. Before she left the room, however, Applejack—surely unconsciously mind—flicked her tail to the side, revealing to him the supple, petite treasure underneath once more before her tail swiftly moved to a downward position again. It was just a subconscious action, right? But she'd kept her tail up so long for a simple flick of the tail...

As Troubleshoes was left to ponder that and Applejack's previous actions, however, there was no doubting it now – Applejack was definitely, subconsciously at least, inviting him to...mount her.

Just under an hour later Troubleshoes heard the clanging of a triangle, a classic example of a dinner-bell, that was much like the one his own mother had used during his colthood to announce supper being ready. As he entered the dining room, he was quickly ushered to the table by Applejack and promptly seated, the sweet aroma of baked corn and the bold scent of sauteed peppers and onions that had been floating throughout the house and teasing him the whole time making him quite eager to chow down.

Applejack quickly moved to her own seat – but was surprised to find Troubleshoes instead pulling her chair out for her! "Thank ya kindly Clyde! Such a gentlecolt!" Applejack said – before once again ending up on her back, facing the ceiling with her forehooves against her chest and back legs spread wide. Apparently Troubleshoes had misjudged the distance of the chair from the table, ending up in Applejack once again meeting the ground – for the fourth time that day.

"OHMIGOSH AHM SO SORRY!" Troubleshoes shouted, quickly helping Applejack up – only for him to lose his own balance in the process and end up with her landing on top of him, both in stunned silence at what had just happened. Then Applejack suddenly burst out laughing and Troubleshoes couldn't stop himself from joining in, the melody of their laughter dancing throughout the empty house as the pure absurdity of what had just happened set in.

When they'd calmed down after a while and stopped laughing, Applejack bent over and gave Troubleshoes another kiss on the lips, surprising him once again as she locked lips with him, pinning him down but at the same time being gentle with her embrace. After she broke the kiss a few moments later, she then climbed off of Troubleshoes – but unknowingly left something behind. Troubleshoes noticed a patch of matted, sticky wetness on his lower barrel as he felt it cool when it was exposed to the air – knowing only one thing it could have been, given its location right under where Applejack's crotch had been and what they'd just been doing.

They both went and sat at the table, with Applejack then serving the meal she'd prepared and the rest of the dinner going off without a hitch. They talked and laughed while eating the delicious, lightly–spicy meal; Troubleshoes telling a particularly hilarious recounting of a clowning act he'd done in the Fillydelphia and making Applejack howl with laughter as though she'd actually been there watching it, his depictions so vivid that she actually felt like she had been. With their meals Applejack had included a large bottle of apple cider for them to split and after pouring a mug for each, she led a toast to their future endeavors, whatever they may be.

As Troubleshoes cleaned the dishes even after Applejack's initial refusal of his help because he was her guest, he nearly dropped a piece of the fine Japonies glassware but barely managed to catch it before it could shatter in the sink. He'd broken enough of her stuff already as it was after all! He quickly finished the other dishes without incident and soon after met Applejack in the family room, only to be introduced to another large bottle of hard apple cider.

They'd then talked more as they drank mug after mug of the fizzy apple drink, neither Applejack nor Troubleshoes noticing that the sun had set until it was well into the night, too caught up in their laughing and talking and joking around to notice how many hours had passed since dinner. Troubleshoes was constantly making Applejack laugh and riveting her with tales of his past rodeo performances or of his foalhood misadventures, and when it was her turn, Applejack would tell of one of the many adventures she and her five friends had been on or discussing her own rodeo competitions, unintentionally humbling the stallion at just how grand her accomplishments were compared to his.

As the second bottle of cider reached empty, both ponies' speech grew slightly slurred, a misplaced word here or there clearly displaying their inebriated state. "Ah...Ah, think we should go up to mah room now." Applejack said suddenly, throwing Troubleshoes for a loop. Surely she couldn't be asking what he thought she was...

"Why?" Troubleshoes asked – not totally oblivious to the implications, but highly doubting them. Plus, it would be mighty awkward if he made assumptions like that and they turned out to be false.

Applejack smiled a really suggestive smile before getting up and walking over to the rather large – and might she add rather attractive – stallion. As she got nearer, Troubleshoes bent down to reach eye level with her – and as he did, Applejack put her muzzle right up against his ear before whispering her desires to him; "Ah really like ya Troubleshoes, and Ah'd like t' have some fun with ya. Up in mah room."

Troubleshoes' eyes expanded to the size of saucers as he'd heard the confirmation of what he'd thought Applejack had meant earlier – and instantly knew nothing good could come of it. He'd only ever gotten to this stage with one of his previous mare-friends before, knowing there was likely a good reason behind that.

"Applejack, y'sure about this? Ah mean, Ah ain't th' most lucky of pony and doin' somethin' as serious as this with ya...Ah just don't know how it could possibly end well." Troubleshoes said, knowing his track record with mares was not a good one.

"Yah, Ahm really sure." Applejack said in the most seductive, wanting voice he'd ever heard from a mare, with her then getting up and walking over to him and nuzzling his muzzle with her own. "Do ya think Ahm perty?" she suddenly asked, the last question Troubleshoes would have expected to hear from her.

What kind of question was that?! Troubleshoes asked himself, never before having seen such a beautiful mare before. To him, she was like an angel sent to him, her perfect—"A'course yer... beautiful, Applejack! What kinda question is that?" Troubleshoes asked aloud, seeing as Applejack smiled softly at the compliment.

"Then come upstairs with me?" Applejack once again asked seductively, making another tingle go down Troubleshoe's spine at being asked by such a beautiful mare to join her in her bedroom. As she started to walk to the stairs, Applejack's rear was facing him and he found himself again watching her flank move ever-so-perfectly as she took each step, shifting so smoothly as the well–toned muscle underneath moved flawlessly...then he looked up to her—and noticed she was watching him!

"OH! AHM...UM..." Troubleshoes stammered as he felt his face flush, only to get a quiet chuckle from Applejack. Troubleshoes watched in awe as Applejack then lifted her tail over her back, flagging herself to him and putting her pert marehood on full display – leaving no doubt of her intentions and making Troubleshoes unable to assume mere subconscious displays anymore. She wanted him, and there was no denying that now.

"Y' like what ya see there, lover–boy? Hmm? Well come get it!" Applejack said in a teasing tone, then lowered her tail and started up the stairs quickly, giggling all the way. Troubleshoes couldn't even hope to resist her feminine allure as he got up from the couch and nearly tripped over a side-table in his eagerness, narrowly avoiding crushing it under his hooves as he made his way from the couch to the stairs, pursuing the mare who had now so obviously invited him to share her bed with her.

Author's Note

Oh, Applejack! :ajsmug:

Next chapter is where things start to get...juicy. ;)

Spilled Salt (or Milk)

It was only a matter of seconds later before Troubleshoes and Applejack were in her room, Troubleshoes having followed her closely the whole way, not letting that perfectly toned rump out of his sight.

It wasn't until now that he'd gotten close enough to her rear to really smell her arousal, the very light and almost fruity scent she was giving off making his penis drop and start to harden before they'd even actually done anything. He hadn't had a mare-friend for years now and his body was clearly eager for this obviously–presented opportunity to sate its needs, with his own hooves being a poor substitute for a real partner.

Once they'd passed the threshold of her bedroom door Applejack had flagged her tail again, once again putting her treasure on full display – and it definitely had not gone unnoticed by Troubleshoes, the sudden increase of that oh-so-arousing scent making his penis throb in response as his eyes darted to her now-moist slit, a few thin strings of her arousal attaching her marehood and tail hairs before snapping moments later.

As Applejack then went and laid on her bed, tail still flagged, Troubleshoes watched as she turned her head to look at him – then watched as her eyes expanded and her jaw dropped slightly.

Instantly keen that something may not be right with him at that reaction, Troubleshoes initially panicked. "What'sa matter?! Is somethin' wrong wit' me?!" he quickly asked, looking behind himself and all around but not seeing anything out of the ordinary.

Applejack only chuckled, her shocked look changing to one of subdued amusement mixed with heavy arousal. "No, no, ain't nothin' like that. Nothin's the matter with ya and matt'r a fact, it ain't nothin' bad at all. Nothin' bad at all...it's jus'...well...corn's sake Troubleshoes, yer bucking HUGE!" Applejack exclaimed, then getting off the bed and approaching him.

Troubleshoes was quite confused by this statement from her, as he figured such a thing was very obvious and didn't really need stating. Anypony even looking at him could tell he was a large pony, given he stood a head taller then most stallions and easily towered at least two heads over Applejack, as well as being possibly three times her weight, so, of course, he was hu—oh. Oooooh.

Troubleshoes' thoughts were cut off when a matter of seconds later he felt a nudge between his legs, a brief twinge of pleasure riding his spine and making him gasp softly at the unexpected sensation. He looked back and noticed Applejack kneeling under him, getting a perfect view as she licked his length and sent another, stronger burst of pleasure through him, making him notice at last just how hard he'd gotten without even realizing it! "W–What're ya doin'?" Troubleshoes asked her, a slightly surprised tone in his voice.

"Sorry fer bein' so sudden wit'ya, but since you seemed t' be more then willin' to show it, Ahm admirin' what a huge cock ya got! Tarnation, this is the biggest one Ah've ever seen!" Applejack exclaimed, never one to leave her thoughts unspoken. She then actually looked over his penis for the first time, not really taking the time to examine him between when she'd first glanced it and had gotten to teasing him.

The first thing Applejack had noticed – besides the sheer size of the thing, with him easily being over fifteen inches long and a good four inches in circumference, most other stallions maxing out at ten to twelve long and three around – was that unlike most stallions where the penis was only lightly mottled, his was nearly entirely blackish-purple with some mid-sized splotches of pink here and there. He looked almost bruised in appearance, but Applejack knew better as she gave him another lick, hearing a soft moan that was most definitely not from pain.

When Troubleshoes pulled away and gave a short, nervous whinny as he stepped back, Applejack sighed in as much frustration as in disappointment. "NOW what's th' problem?" Applejack asked somewhat huffily, thinking Troubleshoes was now just playing hard-to-get and not appreciating the perceived teasing at all. It had been so long after all since her last time with a stallion...

"Well...y'see, the last mare who did this for me...kinda...went to the hospital fer a while. Ah don't care to go into detail, an' it's not that Ah don't appreciate what yer wantin' to do fer me, but...maybe this in't such a good idea?" Troubleshoes asked as he gave a nervous smile, only to get an exasperated sigh from Applejack.

"Look, iffin yer worried 'bout hurtin' me, dun you worry 'bout that. Ahm a tough mare an' ah can take anythin' ya can give me...even this monster." Applejack said with a gentle chuckle as she closed in on him again, nudging his member and getting another squirm from him, totally confident in her body's ability to contain even such a beastly size within her. After all, if she could handle the same huge dildo Rarity used for her heats, surely she could handle him right?

"Also," Applejack continued, "Ah ain't in heat right now, and my first cycle ain't startin' fer a while, so there ain't no way I'm gettin' knocked up by ya either. Even so, an' since yer so worried bout this, Ah can even get one of mah brother's condoms just t' be abso–tivly sure. OK? We good now?" Applejack asked, hoping that she'd covered all bases and quelled whatever his worries were.

"It's just..." Troubleshoes started to say but was quickly interrupted by Applejack suddenly taking his whole glans into her mouth, making him gasp sharply at the sudden, if short–lived, warmth on his cock and blaze of pleasure rolling down his spine.

"Cmon Sugarcube, y' sure ya wanna pass up an opportunity t' have a good time with a mare such as mahself, jus' offerin' herself up like this t' ya?" AJ asked, once again, and to his disappointment, pulling away from his stallionhood to speak.

Troubleshoes was in quite a bind over the situation; he was indeed wanting to be physical with a mare after so long without a touch of another, but at the same time extremely nervous over all of the possible outcomes, most of them ending badly for Applejack or himself...as well as totally unsure on how to take JUST HOW SUDDENLY AND HARD she was coming onto him. Generally, such eagerness to be intimate and breed was a sure sign of a mare who was in heat, but he couldn't smell the tale-tale earthy-musky scent that would always accompany an Earth-Pony mare's estrus, nor did he notice any other signs of her potentially being 'in season' outside of her being really physical with him and horny.

Even still, as he felt her starting to suckle softly on his flare again and that warmth slowly surrounded more of him for the first time in years, he finally decided to give in. After all, Applejack did say they could use a condom right? That would surely prevent any...problems...even if she was in heat."Ahlright, fine." Troubleshoes said simply, and as he muttered that, he felt Applejack's efforts on him redoubled, feeling her sink his shaft deeper into her maw and start to slather her tongue over his glans as well as what little of his rather long length she could initially take.

Troubleshoes gave a soft hmph from the sudden increase in sensation, but afterwards simply leaned down slightly and enjoyed being serviced by this beautiful mare, with Applejack quickly moving to lay down closer to him, happy to avoid straining her neck with the new position he'd put himself into for her. What a gentlecolt, she thought.

The soft fragrance of Applejack's aroused-mare scent was starting to permeate the room now as she herself got more and more worked up over what she was doing, the soft, lightly-fruity scent growing slightly stronger as well and giving Troubleshoes' mind a kick into high gear as he smelled an aroused mare nearby. He quickly noticed that it wasn't the scent of a heated mare however, but merely that of a mare who was undoubtedly and quite obviously very horny. Even still, the scent of a willing mare at all was quite beckoning to him after so long without such company and he sure as hay was gonna enjoy it.

Applejack softly suckled on what little of his girth she could get into her mouth, not even reaching the half–way mark of it before his glans unexpectedly hit the back of her throat and triggered her gag reflex. As she noticed him tensing above her at that sound she carefully pulled back to a more comfortable depth, his glans about a half-inch from her uvula now. She felt as he calmed down after not hearing any other distressed noises from her for a few moments, then just lowering his head down again and enjoying the soft pleasure that her wet, warm mouth and gentle bobs were providing for him.

"Get up an' go lay on th' bed. Ah promise it's a lot more comfy th'n standin'." Troubleshoes heard suddenly, accompanied by the lack of a certain wet warmth on a certain part of his body, with Applejack then pulling off of him and standing up. Reluctantly he'd walked over to the bed, followed VERY closely by Applejack behind him as he felt her muzzle stick between his stifles, giving gentle licks on his balls and stallionhood even as they'd walked! She was definitely nothing if not eager.

Finally Trouble arrived on the bed and laid down, Applejack's tongue leaving him for only a second as he'd shifted to lie down. The second he was on his back and his stifles were spread, Applejack carefully grabbed one of his large balls in her mouth and started to rub it between her lips, getting a very pleased moan from Trouble at the gentle rubbing on that rather sensitive orb. She then moved to the other, making sure to give it equal attention as the first. He'd never had a mare play with him there before!

After a few moments of playing with his balls and working her tongue over and under them, Applejack made that rather lovely muscle trace the central crease up to his stallionhood, working over his lightly-furry sheathe and stopping briefly to give the hairless edge of it a lick, making Trouble's hips buck up as that most sensitive flesh was unexpectedly licked. Applejack surely knew what she was doing, knowing and exploiting every sensitive spot as she worked up his stallionhood slowly, stopping to focus on the most sensitive points and making his hips start rocking lightly on reflex, his arousal and desire to simply feel something surrounding him growing with each second.

At long last, Applejack reached his tip again – only to go to the base and slowly licking along his underside one last time before finally taking his head into her mouth and starting to bob on him, finally giving him what he'd wanted for the last nearly three minutes of constant teasing. As he went to put his hoof on her head to help guide her bobs as she'd gotten deeper on him, Applejack swatted the hoof away on contact, making it clear she was in control. That she would please him as she saw fit and nothing more.

It was only after a couple of minutes of this not-so-gentle treatment before Applejack felt Troubleshoes tense again beneath her, but this time she knew it wasn't from discomfort – quite the opposite in fact! "Go ahead, cum fer me." Applejack said, removing her hoof from her now–soaked vulva she'd been rubbing and instead placing and rubbing the well-lubed tip along the very sensitive underside of his medial ring, earning another hump of the hips from him, taking him back in her mouth as she heard his strained grunts grow in volume. He was only seconds away...and then she felt his flare expanding in her mouth, him shifting beneath her – before she suddenly felt him thrust roughly and deep, the now-swelling head deep in her throat and cutting off her breathing as it almost instantly grew to full.

Applejack expectedly panicked as she found her throat filled so full so fast, finding herself essentially locked in place by his huge, fully-flared glans, with him now too big for her to pull out without risking hurting herself until he'd finished and it had deflated on its own. Applejack's muffled sounds of panic were apparently unheard or unheeded as she felt Troubleshoe's pulses start to grow stronger as he soon after reached his peak and plummeted over, Applejack quickly feeling a massive torrent of warm fluid rocketing down her throat and hearing a long, contented groan from Troubleshoes as he felt his first orgasm to another in many, many months.

Troubleshoes kept cumming down Applejack's throat for a great number of seconds, so hugely pent up after so long without a partner that he gave her gush after huge gush, constantly flooding her throat with his cum. Applejack started feeling light-headed as she felt him pulse again and another wad of his seed rocket into her stomach, noticing the lack of oxygen starting to get to her a rather large number of seconds later as Troubleshoes was clearly too blissed out to realize he was unintentionally asphyxiating her with his cock, her head growing very light and her vision starting to dim around the edges. Her belly was starting to feel rather full now as he gave her an extensive amount of his backed-up seed, making her almost worried he would never stop cumming and let her breathe.

Finally, thankfully, Troubleshoes gave one of his last bursts of semen and his flare only slightly deflated, but that minor change in circumference all the same gave Applejack the room she needed to pull off of him and gasp for breath. She instantly started coughing from the rough thrust that had greatly irritated her throat as well as from the last small shot that had entered her windpipe as she'd pulled him out, rising to her hooves as she tried to get it out of her.

Troubleshoes had just come down from his orgasm and was snapped out of his afterglow as he heard Applejack's ragged hacking and wheezing, quickly looking down to see his semen trailing down her muzzle and out of her nostrils – one of his first powerful shots clearly having at least partially entered her nasal cavity from the suddenness, undoubtedly adding further to her discomfort.

"Ohmigosh...Ahm so sorry...Ah–Ah–y' were just so good an'...Ah...Ah...knew this was a bad idea..." Troubleshoes panickingly stammered out as he watched on in chagrin, his voice barely above a whisper and almost unheard over Applejack's hacking coughs as she brought up globs of his semen, all while gasping for breath with which to do so and feed her oxygen-starved body. It was a while later before Applejack finally lay down again, apparently having finished cleaning herself out and stabilized her breathing again – her chest still aching from all the coughing but otherwise perfectly fine.

As she lay there, Applejack considered hollering at Troubleshoes for having nearly made her black out and causing such discomfort for her with what he'd done – but as she looked up and saw him with his muzzle downward and tears rolling down his muzzle, she couldn't help but feel sympathy for him instead of anger. It was clear that he hadn't humped into her throat intentionally, with Applejack knowing it was in fact a reflex of a stallion to try to get as deep into a mare as possible when he felt himself flaring – but she all the same wished he had reigned his instincts in instead of embracing them, given how absolutely huge he was in scale to her.

"Look Troubleshoes," Applejack started – using a calm, even tone, if a little raspy from her recent coughing fit – "Ah ain't angry with ya, Sugarcube. Ah know you di'nt try to hurt me on purpose, and since this was all mah idea Ah—well Ah shoulda expected somethin' like this af'er ya said y' ain't been with a mare for so long, given how pent–up stallions get. Ah know what that's like, given Ah ain't had a stallion mahself in—feels like forever!" Applejack finished with a sigh, the intense need in her loins coming to the front of her focus again as the discomfort in her throat and chest soon after faded.

As he heard Applejack wasn't upset with him, Trouble raised his muzzle to look at her, tears still streaming as he wiped his eyes with a hoof. "Ah...it's jus'..." he stammered out, but was stopped by a hoof landing softly on his muzzle, then gently stroking it from his forehead to his nose and repeating the soothing motion again and again.

"It's alright...Ah said it's alright Sugarcube. Don't ya worry yer handsome head about it..." Applejack said in a calm, almost motherly voice as she continued to stroke his muzzle, hearing his sniffles decrease before soon after ending. Even through all of this, Applejack still felt the unpleasantness of her unsated lust, her body having been worked up and not giving that state of arousal up so easily. She knew she was beyond horny; her clitoris winking occasionally on reflex behind her in her arousal, her slit leaking its clear and slippery love-juice all over her bedroom floor, but she knew now may not be the best time to ask for what she so needed...and then she noticed it.

He was still hard as a rock.

Author's Note

o3o

Walking Under the Ladder

WARNING: Chapter contains a very suggestive image at the end. You have been warned.

~ ~ ~

As she saw Troubleshoes' still–hard breeding tool, Applejack felt another pulse of want from her dripping sex, having received no pleasure past the soft rubs she'd given herself while she'd sucked him. That was going to change as far as she was concerned though, and it was gonna change right now. "Troubleshoes, Ah'd mighty appreciate it if...y'know...you'd return th' favor?" Applejack asked with a hint of desperation, rising to her hooves and turning to him with her tail flagged over her back, wiggling her perfect rump in his face and making her need very obvious.

Troubleshoes felt Applejack's sex only an inch from his muzzle, the warmth radiating off of her, the swelling of her labia, and the gentle glint of her fluids in the bedroom's dim light clearly showing her intense arousal. As her gentle yet oh-so-sexy scent quickly surrounded him, he felt his penis slap his underside, her feminine scent making his body ready itself again for her even so soon after his first climax. But before any of that, however, he still had a debt to settle with Applejack. The score was one–zero in his favor after all, and after what she'd done for him and what he'd put her through her, it was only fair for him to even that out first.

After some hesitance that did not go unnoticed by Applejack, with her shifting uneasily and waiting quite impatiently to get her share of pleasure, she finally felt Troubleshoes work his tongue over her dripping sex. Her whole sex, her teats, and parts of her inner stifles. Apparently his tongue was right in scale with the rest of his body – huge! Applejack moaned loudly as her needing slit was finally being tended to, feeling that warm, wide tongue working over her outer lips and sending a large shudder of pleasure through her, his tongue–tip teasing her clit each time he reached it again.

When Applejack felt Troubleshoes pull away as if to say or ask something, she backed into him again before he could speak, burying his muzzle again into her sopping wet crotch and feeling the vibrations of what would have been words rocking even more pleasure through her. Applejack let loose a moan as she felt, at last, the pleasure she'd been so long without, getting a taste of it and for definite wanting more; and she could only hope the same was true of her stallion, in more than one way!

As she felt Trouble start to lick softly once more after clearly getting the hint, Applejack sighed happily as she realized he must be enjoying himself too, hearing his soft moans of his own as she leaned down her front half now and rested her chest on the bed. She gave herself to this stallion to do with as he pleased, hoping he'd get the hint and go deeper as she spread her legs wider and left her rump high in the air.

Troubleshoes wanted to question if Applejack was OK after feeling her first shudder and hearing her moan, but as he felt her back into him again when he backed away and start to softly grind against his muzzle as he tried to speak, he easily got his answer. He calmed down as he smelled the inviting scent of Applejack's arousal so strongly now that he was buried between her legs, his mind telling him to relax and please his mare – and so he did. For a number of moments, he only softly licked her outer lips, his tentative movements unknowingly merely teasing Applejack the whole time.

"Uh Sugarcube, ya actually wanna get t' work down there, or Ah gotta do it m'self?" Applejack asked somewhat huffily nearly a minute later of the gentle licking later. She was beyond horny as he'd apparently missed the hint of her posture change, constantly-winking clit, and her legs spreading more, and his so-minor licking doing little to sate her. At that sharp request, she finally felt that wide, wonderful tongue penetrate her lips not a second later, making her gasp as she was finally entered by a stallion after so long. "Ooooh Clyde..." she moaned out quietly—feeling that lovely, flexible muscle ever-so-slowly moving deeper, "'At's way better..."

Troubleshoes knew better then to leave her again and ask if she was OK this time – the virtual waterfall of Applejack's juices, her gentle whimpers, and her words of pleasure more than confirming that fact. He instead continued to move deeper into her welcoming passage, her inner muscles eagerly working over his tongue and pulling him deeper into her as he did, another sure sign she was thoroughly enjoying herself and REALLY had needed this. Soon after, his lips met her lower lips in a most intimate kiss as his lower muzzle pressed flush against his mare's clit, hearing quite a contented moan from Applejack as he bottomed out in her.

Applejack had never felt as content as she did then with just a stallion's tongue, feeling so delightfully yet gently stretched as Trouble bottomed out in her, feeling so utterly filled by him already. Another sharp burst of pleasure surged through Applejack as something nudged her clit – then he started moving his tongue inside her.

"Ooooh, you know what yer doin', don't you?" Applejack asked with a moan, the simple but steady up-and-down pattern Trouble was making inside her foal-hole causing Applejack give a quiet whine of pleasure, feeling such intense pleasure rage throughout her even as he'd just started moving within her. Never before had she felt this completely pleasured before she and her partner had actually got the main act – and even then, rarely.

At least twice in her experience, the stallions Applejack had invited to her bedroom had only quickly licked her just to get her juices flowing, then proceeded to rut her at full speed and blow in her in under a minute – both times leaving her unsatisfied as they fell asleep, not even considerate enough to pull out before falling asleep on top of her. Of course, those inconsiderate foals always ended up literally bucked out of her bed and quickly found themselves bucked all the way outside the main gate of Sweet Apple Acres at two in the morning – but that was another story...

Despite her ingrained Earth-Pony endurance, Applejack could only last a few minutes into what had to be the single-best eating-out she'd ever gotten. Troubleshoes had obviously done this before, and given he had quite a natural advantage on his side in his long, wide tongue, he'd easily bested even a couple of the stallions she'd been with in size and skill—and not just with their pathetic oral either!

Applejack's pants and twitches were getting more erratic as she tilted her head back when she felt him starting to rub on her toned inner stifle or belly and teats with his hoof, constantly alternating between oral techniques all the while—from plunging his tongue deep into her and wriggling it about, to shallowly licking just within her folds, to holding back her clitoral hood with his upper lip and suckling on the sensitive heart-shaped nub; the wide variation and rapid changes in sensations drove Applejack wild.

"Ah Celestia, that TONGUE!" Applejack exclaimed, nearly shouting it as she was held on the edge for over a minute, holding out as best as she could under his constant assault, only being given a few seconds break from that sensual overload as he came up for breath before being slammed back into a world of wet, wonderful ecstasy.

Applejack's eyes were sealed shut tight and her muzzle buried into the mattress as she let out long, bellowing moans into it, feeling like she was going to cum any second but never quite going over. Troubleshoes slowed each time as he'd noticed her tensing, edging her and intentionally denying her of her orgasm just as she'd teased him earlier. That, and he knew how much more intense the orgasm would be if he brought her right to the edge a few times before letting her finally fall over.

Applejack was enjoying this too dang much to let it end so soon, but as Trouble's tongue–tip started to trace circles around her clit once more and his hoof suddenly gave her tail a firm yank, Applejack's head jerked up and her mouth opened wide but nothing came out – that yank on her tail finally, swiftly tipping her over. "AAAAH! C–CUMMIN'!!!" Applejack squealed out in a high pitched tone, just as her dam of pleasure broke.

Applejack stiffened up as she felt her marehood start to ripple over that wonderful tongue buried within her, her head flinging back and her open mouth finally giving forth only a short squeak as she had one of the most intense orgasms of her life, with him having plunged back in as deep into her as he could when she'd announced she was nearly cumming. He'd pulled back on her tail to get just a bit deeper into her, that sensation only making Applejack squeal a little as she felt that lovely tugging sensation again. Her inner muscles started to work Trouble's tongue well as he continued its motions as well as he could through what she knew must have been very tight workings. Applejack knew her inner muscles were as strong as her outer...at least from what her previous partners had told her.

Applejack felt when she loosed a few gushes of her mare-juice for Troubleshoes as she moaned again, her winking clit showing her stallion just how well he'd pleased her as she started grinding roughly against his muzzle, smearing her mare-scented cum all over it as her clit rubbed against his chin and sent another intense bolt of orgasmic pleasure through her. As she heard the distinct slap of flesh-on-belly from behind her when Trouble's stallionhood undoubtedly slapped his underbarrel again and felt a moan from him extending her orgasm, Applejack was sure Trouble was indeed enjoying this almost as much as she was.

Applejack came for what felt like longer than her average, her passage rhythmically clenching over that still-buried tongue as Applejack felt surge after surge of pure pleasure washing through her, making her skin tingle each time she clamped down on him, feeling herself being eased down by the soft rubbing of his hoof on her clit and only then noticing that he'd been doing it all the while since she'd started her orgasm. Many seconds later, Applejack finally started to relax after such an intense release, her muzzle burying again into the mattress as her head hit it with an audible *pompf*, then soon after felt Troubleshoes slowly start to withdraw from her as she rolled her head to the side so she could pant and recover.

"W...wow." Applejack drunkenly slurred out after she had enough of her faculties back in order to, noticing she'd actually drooled throughout her orgasm, feeling a line of wetness trailing down her jaw and throat. "T–thanks fer that. Holy buck you were amazin'!" Applejack said, gasping in response at a soft lick on her lower lips after Troubleshoes pull out of her the rest of the way and started to clean her mess up, the soft licks slowly bringing her down from her high and making her sigh contentedly as her afterglow soon set in.

Applejack just lay there for a few moments with her eyes closed, enjoying the aftershocks of one of the best orgasms she'd had in years – make that pretty much ever! Surely nothing that even a state-of-the-art, magic-powered dildo could bring her. No matter how impressively sized or exotic the toys Rarity kept in her private collection, nor what enchantments were placed on them, they were all cold and lifeless compared to the tongue or penis of an actual stallion – latex or whatever other artificial materials they were made of not able to compare in the slightest to flesh and blood.

Applejack slowly opened her eyes and felt a gentle smile cross her face as she saw and felt Troubleshoes still diligently licking between her legs – and despite it still feeling really good, Applejack finally found the will to reach back and gently push his muzzle away a few seconds later, getting a confused look from him in response.

Applejack then suddenly got up and left the room, making Troubleshoes even more confused and leaving him to ponder why she'd so quickly made her exit. Hadn't he done good, he wondered – after all, from the way she'd squeezed on his tongue and all those squirts of her...mare-juice...weren't those both signs she'd climaxed?

Much to Troubleshoes' relief, Applejack returned shortly after – and held in her mouth was a fairly small, square, silver–wrapped package. The crater-like bulge in the middle made what it contained very obvious, the large red 'XL' printed on the front making it even more so.

Trouble swiftly realized that Applejack was holding a condom, and was giving him a most suggestive smile and wink as she simply stood there, looking sexy as ever.

Author's Note

0_0

13 Pitch-Black Cats

This is really it, huh? Troubleshoes thought to himself, his eyes locked on the mare in front of him with that small silver square in her mouth, no doubt whatsoever what it was or what was insinuated by its presence. "Applejack, y' SURE..." he started softly, but was interrupted by Applejack walking over and putting a hoof on his muzzle.

"Would'jya give that a rest already?" Applejack asked with a smirk, her speech slightly slurred by the package she was holding; "Now gimme a hoof with this condom. Ah got no idea how in tarnation this 'Madam Lovehoof' expects us Earth Ponies to open these thangs alone." she finished, holding an end of the package towards him. As Troubleshoes reluctantly gripped it with his teeth, Applejack moved her muzzle a little closer to get a better grip – only to softly bump muzzles with him.

Both pulled, tearing the package opem, and Applejack gave a soft chuckle after she set the now–open condom down. The muzzle–bump sent an uncommon shudder through her – and not one of simple lust. "Look lover–boy, we can do the lovey–dovey stuff AFTER ya rut me to the Moon and back, alright?" Applejack said with a snicker – but got a rather serious nod from Troubleshoes. As much as she almost hated to admit it, Applejack eagerly decided to hold herself to that promise, now looking forward to the promised post–snuggling almost more then the main act itself.

Applejack told Troubleshoes to go lay on his back on the bed a moment later, then picked the condom up in her mouth when he had, placing the tip inside and the main ring between her front teeth. She then placed the condom on his stallionhood and got a light twitch from it in reaction, using her hooves and some fancy tongue-work she'd learned during her time with the few other stallions she'd been with to get it on him, rolling it over and down his stallionhood...well mostly at least.

It would seem that the extra-large condom that her brother reported fit perfectly on him only managed to fit two-thirds down Troubleshoes' apparently above–extra–large stallionhood, also seeming to be slightly stretched by his girth as well.

"Uh, ain't it supposed to cover t' whole thang?" Troubleshoes asked, getting a bad feeling again as he noticed just how snug it felt on him and how it barely fit over his medial ring. What if during his climax it...

"Ah don't worry 'bout it Sugarcube. Even with it bein' so small on ya, 'the condom material is magically reinforced t' keep its hold no matter how far it stretches, fer added security' – at least that's what the package says." Applejack comforted him. Applejack thought; <he just needs to live in the moment for once and simply enjoy this time with a mare instead of worrying about the worst possible outcome of everything!>

As Applejack gave Troubleshoes' now-wrapped glans a kiss through the latex and moved aside, she felt him shift and soon after get to his hooves. Apparently now that he was wrapped, it was time to get on to the main act Applejack had realized... and much to her delight, at that! Troubleshoes watched as Applejack went and lay down on the bed on her belly, spreading her back legs then flagging her tail up at him, his jaw dropping and eyes springing to her sopping crotch as she so obviously and fully presented herself to him again.

After some seconds of not being mounted, Applejack wiggled her rump and winked her marehood to the stallion behind her, making her offer the most obvious she possibly could. When there still was no reaction from Trouble, she looked over her shoulder to him. "Y' comin' Troubleshoes? Ah can't exactly have sex with mahself now can Ah..." Applejack said, noticing he still was where she'd left him, a very nervous expression on his face.

"C'mon it'll be fahn. Even if th' worst DOES somehow happen, Ah still ain't in heat. Ah promise, it'll jus' be a bit o' fun... an' that's comin' from the Element of Honesty, y'hear?" Finally, Applejack saw Troubleshoes starting to approach her, that final assurance seeming to at last break his unease.

Troubleshoes mounted Applejack carefully, his rather large hooves planted to either side of her on the bed, having to bend his back legs slightly to line himself up. "Mmm, 'at's right, c'mon big boy..." Applejack encouraged, and soon felt Troubleshoes' partially-flared glans rub against her slit, feeling just as huge as it had in her mouth and throat. Perfect, right on target. "Ooh, you know just what yer doin, don't ya Clyde? Ya know how to rut a mare jus' right too, alongside givin' her the best eatin' out she's ever gotten?"

She cooed sensually, feeling him grind against her slit and lubing the condom up a bit more, small tingles of pleasure already working through her at the simple contact. Finally, Trouble started to slowly undulate his hips against her, tapping her slit as he now worked to enter his mare for the evening.

Applejack cried out as she felt his huge flare finally pop into her; it felt like he'd put his whole hoof inside of her! "Y'alright?" Trouble asked nervously, only getting a rapid chain of nods from Applejack. Content he wasn't hurting her, he continued on slowly, gently sliding into her, not wanting to be too rough with her at the start. He knew he was larger than the average stallion, in more than one way, and knew also that Applejack hadn't done this for a while. As such he was being extra careful at the start despite wanting to ravage her silly, his instincts screaming to breed her already and give her what she wanted; to fill her full with his cum.

"Y', y' can go a bit faster 'n' that, Sugarcube." Applejack said when he'd entered her only three inches nearly a minute later, a tone of impatience in her voice.Troubleshoes took the hint, entering more of his wide stallionhood into her and earning a long moan as another inch was swiftly introduced. "Mmm, 'at's a good pace. Keep goin' like that." Applejack encouraged, her pleasure slowly rising, feeling him steadily sliding into and stretching her more as he delved deeper.

"Aaaah Applejack, yer too tiiiight!" Trouble said as he had to increase his force to get himself further into her and reached his medial ring, feeling her tightly gripping him and making his entry both difficult and very pleasurable; constantly afraid he couldn't get too much deeper in her, but glad that every further inch he claimed proved him wrong. He gave a good ram of his hips and forced the wider medial ring into her upon reaching it, making her gasp sharply as it roughly rubbed her clit, her passage responding with a wink and squeeze.

"N–no Sugarcube, yer just too buckin' huge!" Applejack exclaimed, feeling a twitch from him inside her at the compliment, that sensation making her moan as he slowly went deeper. It felt like he was straining her passage a bit, her feeling like a whole foreleg was buried inside of her and stretching it nearly to its limits, but she knew she could handle it; plus it felt heavenly.

Moments later Applejack gasped again as she felt Trouble's glans hit something deep inside of her, her breeding instincts flaring hot now as she felt just how deep he was. "W-well Sugarcube, looks like ya finally hit th' end a th' line..." Applejack said, her tone deep and throaty. As she reached a hoof back and felt he still had quite some more to give, she was fairly surprised. She knew he was huge, but not so huge he couldn't even hilt her! she thought, <it'd be a lot less fun if he couldn't even get that far!>

Applejack felt as Troubleshoes' rod gave another gentle pulse in her, moaning deeply into and squeezing very tightly to her muzzle the nearby pillow she'd grabbed as she felt her inner muscles trying to work over his huge stallionhood, her body struggling to adjust to the stretching its rather large guest gave her. Never before had she felt so utterly full as she did now, all of her previous stallions lucky to be half Trouble's girth.

Hearing his mare moaning and squeezing on him like that made Trouble really want to continue, barely resisting the urge to start rutting her hard as his instincts demanded he do. "How do ya want me t' start?" Trouble asked, finding that keeping himself still was becoming harder and harder as he felt her hot, slippery passage gently contracting around him constantly, his haunches quivering lightly and his back hooves stepping in place as he became antsy; eager to rut this wanting mare.

"Mmm Trouble, Ahm happy with whatever you wanna do – rut me, make love t' me, I'll love it either way. An' dun worry 'bout givin' me th' rough lovin' neither; remember, Ah can take it, Ah promise. Jus'...whatever yer doin', Ah need it now!" Applejack virtually growled, feeling herself literally encased by his larger form and feeling his warmth on all sides of her as well as very deep inside her – needing him to do something already, her arousal uncomfortably high now as he simply stayed still inside her.

Trouble responded by pulling out and entering Applejack again with a rough hump, hearing her cry out softly. He was getting less nervous now at her sounds, not halting upon hearing another quiet cry as he pulled out and entered her again with a harsh thrust, realizing they were sounds of pleasure and letting himself start to get more into it instead of worrying about her. He was quite enjoying the warm, tight softness of a mare's passage surrounding him again for the first time in many, many months, as well as the rather cute whines and pleasured cries of the mare beneath him, his body finally feeling the full embrace of Applejack's innards once more.

"Ah Yer doin' –mmmh– y-yer doin' GREEEE-AT Sugarcube. K-keep at it!" Applejack encouraged, each pull out making her feel like he was dragging half her body out with him in the best possible way, each thrust in making her feel as stuffed as she'd ever felt. She was beyond satisfied as he started a pattern of slow but deep humps into her instead of the infrequent experimental thrusts he'd been giving her before, unable to help but constantly moan as his thick medial ring rubbed her clit with each thrust in, its re-entry bringing with it a snake of pleasure up her spine.

Applejack was somewhat disappointed when Trouble slowed down to a softer, slower pace for a moment a number of minutes in, her pleasure softening from the jagged surges to gentle ripples and her moans softening as she felt his thrusts become less forceful. Before she could question why he'd slowed, she suddenly felt him bite on her crest as a wild stallion would a few seconds later, her rather loud moan from that sensation echoing through the small room as she felt his thrusts suddenly increase in force. She felt his medial ring constantly rubbing her clit, whining again as she felt her pleasure swiftly rising, her passage constantly clamping down as she was given the best rutting she'd ever had.

"Goo-good gravy, yes! J-Jus' like that!" Applejack exclaimed, feeling her pleasure ramp up as her stallion started to get rougher, his love bite and less-than-gentle pulling on her crest sending tingles of pleasure and slight pain along her neck as her inner muscles started squeezing against him more frequently, making him lightly moan in turn. She felt so dominated by Trouble, so owned by this stallion in the best way.

From the way he was going at her, this was definitely not something anypony could call 'making love' – no, this was being rutted like an animal, being bred out of heat...and she loved it. Applejack groaned deeply as the bed started to rock with the force of Trouble's thrusts, with him apparently working on instinct to claim her as his.

"Ahhhh! Y-Yeah! Ahm yer mare! M-make me yer mare!" Applejack heard herself crying out encouragingly, her pleasure starting to really well up now, her hips starting to arc up against him to make his thrusts angled deeper, her lower muscles working hard to keep him as deep within her as they could when he tried to pull out.

A minute or so of the rough humping later, Applejack felt Trouble slow down to rest again; somewhat disappointed, but finding that she loved the soft, slow pace just the same as the rutting. Her pleasure softened again along with her moans as well, feeling his thrusts become slower and more meaningful.

Applejack then felt his bite on her crest grow looser as well before stopping altogether, with him apparently no longer working to claim her and instead planting tender kisses on her crest and neck now. She gave him softer moans now as she was pleased more lovingly instead, quite enjoying herself all the same either way but actually preferring this now. Now THIS was making love.

Minutes turned into what felt like hours, with Trouble switching between rutting Applejack like she was in heat to slowly making love with her, driving her mad with the variations of pace and positions. Every so often he would plant kisses along Applejack's neck again, making her shudder and breathe shakily, rolling her over on her back so he could start planting soft bites on her neck and kisses on her muzzle while rutting her hard.

About a half-hour in, in their starting position again, Applejack felt herself tensing up again, her inner muscles' squeezing starting to become more insistent as she felt her pleasure peaking. She was so close...so...

With a muffled, very pleased whinny into her pillow Applejack came hard, squeezing said pillow tightly with her forelegs as her inner muscles started working his penis inside her, unbelievably high swells of pleasure rocking through her as she buried her muzzle into the pillow and let loose another loud, if muffled, whinny. Her whole body was lightly trembling at the feelings surging from between her legs, her hips rhythmically grinding against Trouble on instinct, her widely-stretched muscles clenching as well as they could on the huge mass they contained as her mind blanked and her vision pulsed with white.

Trouble was forced to stop hilted inside Applejack as she climaxed, feeling her grip him incredibly tightly within her as she started milking him, unable to continue thrusting as her passage simply gripped too hard for him to even move within her. He easily held out as she came and remained deep in her, letting her feel him inside her during her orgasm, the pleased whines and quiet whinnies telling him she loved having something big and hard and alive to clamp down on during it. The feeling of her winking clit and the gush of wetness against his crotch once again told him he had pleased his mare well, knowing she'd likely reached orgasm because of him once more.

As Applejack finished her climax quite some seconds later she fell limp beneath him, panting and still lightly shuddering as she recovered. "W-wow Sugarcube. A–Ah ain't cum that hard in y-years, and never outside a a heat!" Applejack said in a slightly quivering tone, undoubtedly having to force the words out. Trouble nodded, gently kissing her on the cheek before she turned and brought her muzzle to his then kissed him. She kissed him for a long while before breaking it, then bracing herself again.

When she re-positioned herself onto her back again, made herself more available to him, and again gave him a nod, Trouble continued to mate his mare, starting slow before swiftly getting to a rutting pace again. Applejack could only accept each thrust as she was gently pinned against the bed, each deep thrust forcing her into the mattress a bit. "H-Hey S-Sugarcube, could y' stop please? Ah...wanna try somethin' else." Applejack suddenly asked after a few humps, an idea coming to her. Trouble really didn't want to leave her wet, warm body again but pulled out regardless, his soaked stallionhood slightly chilled by the air now as her mare-cum started to dry on him, getting up and now standing behind her.

Applejack got up off the bed and stood beside Trouble, slightly confusing him. "Ahl-right, mah turn. Lay on yer back." Applejack said, with Trouble nodding. Eager to continue, Trouble got onto the bed and lay on his back as asked, his breeding rod sticking tall and proud in the air. After giving it a pleased look-over, Applejack quickly got onto the bed herself and straddled over him, having to raise her rump rather high just to line herself up just right. Moments later, Applejack started to slowly descend on Trouble's cock without hesitation, swiftly making it disappear again into her wet, eager folds.

"Ohhh by Celestia! Yer the best stallion in all a' EQUESTRIA!" Applejack nearly shouted as she started to ride her stallion, feeling him going deeper than before into her as gravity helped her get him further in, his glans pressing tightly, and somewhat painfully, against her cervix with each measured drop she made on him. She felt that pain mix with her pleasure however, that sensation only making her keep going, making her want more and continuing to drop deep on him.

While she rode him, Trouble let his forehooves wonder over her body, feeling the tight, well-toned muscles he'd earlier only observed under her coat. As his hooves worked over her tight belly, he felt and watched the slight bulge his cock left as it went in and out of her, mesmerized at just how far open he stretched her and just how deep he went. He then moved his hooves lower and made her shudder, reaching them to her crotch and gently playing with her teats again. As his hooves made his way to her haunches shortly after, he felt as she put those powerful muscles to good work, roughly thrusting herself down on him, pounding him against her cervix each time.

"Ah yeah, get along mah little bull. Ahm gonna ride ya 'til Ah win a blue ribbon – er at least another cum!" Applejack said with a chuckle, Trouble responding with one of his own. "YEEHAW, GET ALONG!" she again called out, her next laugh interrupted with a moan as she hit a particularly sensitive spot inside herself on her next drop, thinking that was enough novelty for now and not enough rutting. She felt his glans starting to swell up now, his urethral process starting to softly tap at her cervix, making her shudder instinctively each time it did, knowing he was getting closer too if his body was preparing for the final step; inseminating his mare as deeply as possible by his process meeting or slightly entering her cervix. Judging by the rest of him, likely the latter.

Some time of riding him later, one of Applejack's back hooves slipped, making her drop sharply with all her weight onto Trouble, suddenly forcing his stallionhood deeper into her. "Ah BUUUCK!"Applejack cried out in an intense mix of pain and pleasure as she felt a very deep and sudden spreading, feeling Trouble bypassing something previous stallions couldn't have dreamed of even reaching.

Applejack stayed still for a while as her vision whited and her body trembled, soft, involuntary whimpers of both pain and pleasure coming from her between pants as her mind virtually exploded from all the sensations now rushing through her. As her mind came back to her and she felt just how deep he was in her belly, she realized what must have happened, no real doubt about it. Clyde had fully penetrated her cervix, full flare and all.

Trouble initially panicked when he felt that deep spreading of something very, very tight inside Applejack, feeling himself going deeper still and entering unfamiliar territory, knowing what that likely meant as Applejack then sat hilted on him now; hearing whines and whimpers coming from her, feeling her trembling but not knowing what it all meant. "Applejack, y'alright?" Trouble finally asked in a tone higher-pitched than normal, afraid he'd really hurt the mare straddling him. Soon after, and much to his relief, Applejack stopped whining and trembling and instead started panting hard as she then looked at him, her open eyes lidded and her tongue hanging out. The look of pure ecstasy.

Applejack answered by quickly meeting her muzzle with his, giving Trouble another deep, passionate kiss. A few seconds later she broke the kiss and nodded, then getting back to work lifting and lowering herself, moaning even deeper than before as she hilted him with every drop now, feeling his glans rubbing inside her very core now and her pleasure nearly unbearable.

The feeling of him being so deep inside her, stimulating every inch of her whole tract, made Applejack tense up again in no time, and with a few more downward thrusts on him, Applejack moaned deeply as her body went rigid again. "AAAAAAH–IIIIIM–AHM CUMMIN'!" Applejack squealed out, feeling her entire tract now literally suckling his cock and begging for his seed as she was overtaken by another mind–blowingly intense orgasm, her inner muscles kneading him of his life-giving sperm. She felt his flare swelling HUGE so deeply inside her belly, with his easily the biggest she'd ever taken, even among the other Earth-pony stallions she'd been with before; Earth-pony stallions well known for their huge flares and virility.

This time, the feeling of being so very deep inside his mare, hilted and feeling her milking him again finally set Trouble over, making him unable to hold back anymore as he felt his cock pulsing more, his flare swelling even more. "C–cummin'!" Trouble grunted himself as he felt that growing tautness in his pelvis snap, feeling Applejack's very womb grow tight around him as his head flared massively in her, hearing Applejack cry out again as she felt herself being stretched so deeply, his glan's ridges pressing into her womb's lining.

Seconds later Trouble let out his first massive gush of cum, his hooves tightly wrapping around Applejack's hips and croup in a tight hug as he felt the accompanying burst of orgasmic pleasure that joined it, holding her sealed against him as he came as deep into her as a stallion possibly could into a mare. Gush after gush was pure ecstasy for both as Applejack felt that satisfying warmth so deep inside her, feeling each hard spray through the condom and each hard throb of his cock along her entire passage, more then noticing as the condom started to balloon out as his cum inflated it – and her womb along with it.

Pop

As both heard that subtle popping sound, Applejack moaned deeply and tapered it off into an intense whinny as she felt a sudden flood of hot wetness explode deep inside her abdomen, her body going into double-time as she started to milk Trouble more as her third orgasm was set off by that warm, thick, creamy feeling so deep inside her.

Neither could think what any of that meant as Applejack remained planted on Trouble, feeling gush after gush of his warm, thick, sticky cum deep inside her womb with each throb of his...

Wait.

That wasn't supposed to happen. Trouble wasn't supposed to cum inside her!

He was wearing a condom, wasn't he?!

Applejack quickly pulled off of him with some effort, with his massively flared head swollen up and anchoring him inside her womb, continuing to pulse his virile load as deep inside of her as possible, making it a much more difficult than expected – and as she felt a sticky-slipperiness as she pulled him out, the sensation of a cum-coated stallionhood sliding out of her was quite distinct. "Ah horseapples..." Applejack cursed, looking back to see Trouble's whitewashed cock with only half the condom on it. "...looks like ya came inside'a me..."

Author's Note

Yep. They did the do in breeding season and the condom broke. Well at least she's not in heat, right?

Unlucky! Lucky?!

The second he realized what had happened when Applejack pulled off of him, Troubleshoes' heart dropped to his hooves. He quickly got up and watched as Applejack's lightly-pouched belly drained the excess of his rather massive load, with him having been pent-up for so many months that his second load was just as huge as his first – the sight of that much of his virile fluid coating and draining from a mare's pussy during breeding season, let alone any at all, making him nearly go through the roof. "Oh Celestia...Ah thought ya said that condom couldn't break?! HOW DID IT...Ah, just mah luck!" Trouble nearly squealed out, his voice almost mare–like in tone, his breathing turned to panicked gasps.

Applejack was still standing there in shock herself, the satisfying warmth deep in her belly still quite present and streaming down her back legs, the passive tingles of her orgasm still making her so–recently vacated vagina twitch occasionally as her afterglow started to settle in, making more of his seed stream out for a moment with each contraction. "Don't worry Sugarcube, shhh, s'ok." Applejack started, putting a hoof on Trouble's muzzle and petting it, trying to calm him. It worked again and his gasps calmed to normal breathing soon, the soft touch of the mare soothing him. She still saw the worried look in his eyes but no longer was he panicking, as upon seeing Applejack was calm, that was making him settle down as well.

"But..." Trouble started, only to feel Applejack push down on his muzzle, wordlessly cutting him off.

"Ah told ya a'fore we started, Ah ain't in mah heat yet. Despite this not bein'...ideal, It's still OK." Applejack told him softly, feeling him nod. "Th' magic on th' condom must've worn off an' ya caused it to break, on account 'a' how much y' filled it up an' strained it..." Applejack said, thinking aloud as she picked up the other half of the condom that had come out of her, with it having come detached from the base when she'd pulled him out and fortunately ended up sticking out of her partially; "Guess Mac ain't been gettin' any with Cheerilee fer a while..." she finished under her breath, flinging the sticky pieces of condom into a nearby trash can.

Deciding to put the broken condom situation behind her as best as she could, she removed the broken half from Trouble with her hooves and a few well–placed licks then a few extra for good measure, threw it away, then decided to simply move on with the night. After all, she wasn't in heat, so nothing could happen cuz of it, right?

"Hey, wanna cuddle after we clean up? Ah offered earlier, an' Ah ain't gonna go back on it." Applejack asked and gave a small smile, looking to Troubleshoes eagerly and seeing him nod with a smile of his own. Trouble kept his smile as thought nothing was wrong, watching Applejack leave the room presumably to go clean herself up...but inside he just knew something bad was gonna come out of this. He was plagued by bad luck, and he knew it wasn't gonna change just because he had another mare in his life now.

Matter of fact, it may get even worse now.

After they cleaned up the room and took separate showers, Applejack then went and laid back on the bed on her back, beckoning Trouble over with a hoof to lay behind her. He accepted happily, settling in behind her as she shifted position to lay on her side, nickering happily as he buried his muzzle into her soft, lemon-shampoo-scented mane. Her bed was rather small comparative to him and as such his back hooves stuck off the end of the bed a fair amount, but that was a small price to pay as he felt the soft mare in front of him sigh and squirm happily, feeling her warm back pressed against his chest and underbelly.

A long while of cuddling and soft kissing later, Troubleshoes dismissed himself to go home after giving Applejack a chaste kiss on the lips, quickly making his way back to his trailer and his own bed. Neither knew that they'd been observed during their earlier acts, nor that sometimes things aren't always as they seem...

As Applejack thought about the day before going to sleep and just how good it had felt getting rutted by him, she oddly thought that maybe it wouldn't be so bad even if she did get pregnant from it, though she still knew how unlikely it was since she didn't feel her heat. Even still, if carrying a foal was payment for the best four orgasms she'd ever had, that only seemed fair!

~ ~ ~

Applejack awoke the next morning in a very good mood, getting out of bed and putting her Stetson on, with the small smile she'd awoken with never leaving her muzzle. Hay, she hadn't felt this good in years! After using the restroom and leaving some of the excess of her previous day's gift from Troubleshoes behind in the process, she walked downstairs and was met by Big Mac at the base of the stairs. "Mornin', sis," he said, a rather serious expression on his face.

"Howdy Mac, what's up?" she asked, her smile fading. She sensed there was something more than a simple greeting intended by him judging by that dead-serious expression he held, the one he always wore when something was wrong or worried him.

"We need t' talk. Privately." Mac said flatly, indicating her room. Applejack nodded, stepping aside and letting him lead, with them soon reaching her room and shutting the door.

When the door was closed, Mac looked at Applejack. "So who was that with ya las' night?"

Applejack rolled her eyes. Just like Mac to be overprotective, just like with every stallion she'd invited over that he knew of. "He's jus' a stallion Ah met a while back, an' he jus' took me on a date las' night. Nothin' t' worry 'bout, alright?" Applejack said, keeping her calm expression but getting a bit nervous. They'd been alone in the house last night, how could he have known?

"Eeyup, jus' one li'l' thing, if it was jus' a simple date. Sis, would ya like t' explain why mah bedside drawer was left open an' one of mah condoms is missin'?"

Applejack felt her face burn even hotter as Mac had asked that, remembering that she'd indeed forgotten to close his bedside table drawer in her eagerness to get back to Troubleshoes. "Oh, um...yeah. That." Applejack stammered, a hoof rubbing the back of her head now. She'd been caught. "Ahlright, fahn. We did kinda have some...'fun' las' night after we came home from th' date."

"Uh-huh. Sis, did ya really...go 'all th' way' with 'im?" Big Mac suddenly asked, making Applejack nearly bury herself in the floor at the question. Why would he ask that?!

"Y-yes," Applejack answered flatly after a moment's pause, knowing that even trying to lie her brother would lead to her being called out on it, them indeed being together their whole lives and knowing each other extremely well as such. Even in such uncomfortable situations as this, she knew honesty was the best policy. After all, he must have a good reason for bringing it up, judging by his own huge blush and uncomfortable expression.

"Applejack, Ahm gonna come clean. Ah saw everythin' last night; y' ridin' on top of 'im, th' condom breakin'...Ah mean Ah didn't mean to, honest! Ah heard ya moanin' and cryin' out as Ah came in from workin' an' was scared ya may have hurt yerself and needed help, then Ah found yer door was locked so Ah looked through the keyhole t' see if ya were alright an'...yeah." he finished, his own face turning a brighter red than usual. "Applejack, t' reason Ahm bring all this up is...well...were ya aware y' were –in heat– when ya had sex with him?" Big Mac asked.

Applejack's stomach tied a knot as she quickly sniffed around herself and detected the distinct, lightly musky-earthy scent she always carried in her heat. But...she didn't feel like she was in heat, just feeling passively horny like yesterday! "Bro, what's t'day?" Applejack asked, forcing a calm tone though she was the exact opposite, her gut squirming nervously, with her indeed still feeling the very likely virile cum of a stallion inside of her lower belly.

"Fifteenth of June." Big Mac answered simply, making Applejack's stomach knot tighter. She WAS in heat! Her cycle started the previous day, and she'd been two weeks off! But... yesterday she hadn't smelled her heat, and she knew Troubles wouldn't have had sex with her if he had, given how reluctant he was as it had been! As she looked at Big Mac and noticed his stallionhood was starting to peak out involuntarily from her scent, she knew it was true. She must have been in a concealed heat the previous day and she'd bred during it! That explained was why she'd been so horny...then she'd taken Trouble into herself and he'd...

"Oh buck..." Applejack said, realizing just what was being implied as this was brought to light.

"Y' need to talk t' him 'bout this, sis..." Big Mac said, his expression remaining extremely serious and staring straight into his sister's eyes; "...er Ah will." he finished a couple second later, soon seeing a chain of small nod from Applejack.

After telling Applejack she should speak to her new coltfriend about her possibly carrying his foal, Big Mac quickly dismissed himself before he could get too turned on by her pheromones. She was his sister after all, and getting hard because of her was most inappropriate even if it wasn't by his own choice. Once he was gone, Applejack put a hoof over her full-feeling lower belly as she sat on her bed now, a worried expression on her face and her mind racing. Could she really be...

Applejack could barely eat her breakfast as she thought about the situation, managing to eat only half before packing the rest away for later, too antsy and nervous now to finish. She then headed out a few minutes later, walking towards the center of town, enjoying the nice spring day in such a way as though she were a pony marching to her doom.

A short walk and a lot of thinking later Applejack reached the Ponyville Rodeo gates, showed her ID, then entered, quickly making her way to the personal trailers in the back. As she reached #9, she knocked on the door a little harder and a few times more than she probably should have, her nervousness apparently manifesting.

A few seconds later the trailer door opened, Troubleshoes looking out to see who was there, and upon seeing Applejack his usually dreary expression instantly morphed into a welcoming smile. "Well howdy Applejack!" he said cheerily, a tone which hadn't passed his lips in many years. He didn't know why, but he felt exceptionally happy to be with her right now – then he smelled it.

"Uh, Applejack. Did ya know yer...'in season'?" Trouble asked out of habit, with warning a mare of her estrus done by many stallions out of courtesy. As he saw Applejack's nervous expression and her diverted eyes, the situation dawned on him and he realized what her being in heat today meant given their previous night's activities, his eyes growing wide as dinner plates at the realization.

"Oh...buck..." Troubleshoes said simply, a sentiment clearly shared by Applejack's own expression.

After moments later inviting her in and offering her a beverage, Applejack and Trouble sat on the small sofa he had with a glass of iced tea each, the scent of her heat slowly permeating the small building. "So, uh...about last night..." Applejack started, seeing Trouble tense up. "Ah...uh...Ah think Ah may have been in a subdued heat then too...and ya bred me durin' it..." she said, unable to bring herself right out and say it.

Troubleshoes sighed, bringing his hooves up to his head as he realized the implications, the fatigue headache from staying up all night worrying about just this very outcome, his head throbbing even harder as it was revealed to be true. "Stupid, STUPID Troubleshoes; ya KNEW matin' with her was a bad idea but ya went an' did it anyhow! Just mah luck, I meet the perfect mare, make love to 'er – then the condom breaks and it turns out she's in heat!" he stammered out, banging his hoof into his head hard every few words.

Applejack tried to counter that, to give him some hope that it wasn't as it seemed; "Hey! it ain't like ya made me do it! This was both o' our choices. Besides, mares only make an egg once per cycle right at the end, right? Ahm sure yer sperm will be long gone by then, cuz they only live a day inside'a a mare...right...? Er...was it several eggs throughout and seven days fer the sperm...?" Applejack trailed off, not easily remembering the biology lessons of so many years past; never really needing to know anything except not to take a stallion inside her and let him cum when she felt her heat, or knew it was near, to avoid making a foal before she was ready to have one.

Troubleshoes rose his head and looked to Applejack, accepting he'd likely gotten her pregnant the previous night. He knew she had been too alluring to him and too insistent to get him to her bed for it to simply be from their loneliness, yet he'd been too blinded by how sexy she was to tell it was from her pheromones. "Well, ya can bring me th' sire verification paperwork later an' Ah'll sign it. Ah'll try my best t' pay fer foal support, but th' rodeo don't pay the best..." Trouble said with a sigh, as always jumping to the worst possible conclusion that she'd want nothing to do with him after this; given his life and past experience with mares, he knew it was probably the correct one anyhow.

Applejack shifted nervously, her eyes locked on the increasingly-interesting floor;" Well, we don't know fer definite Ahm...preg...nant yet." Applejack said, wincing as that word was forced from her mouth in a near-whisper.

"Applejack, look who we're talkin' 'bout here." Troubleshoes said, indicating himself, "Ahm what mus' be th' most unlucky pony in th' world and Ah came inside ya durin' yer heat. Right in yer womb. Like, a GALLON. So a'course yer pregnant..." he finished, getting up and pacing as much as he could in the tiny trailer, snorting out through his nose occasionally in frustration at himself for letting this happen.

Applejack nodded softly, knowing the odds were quite likely that she was indeed with foal; she was indeed bred in heat and inseminated in her womb after all, and her family was very fertile. Suddenly, Applejack got up and kissed Trouble roughly on the lips and got a short, muffled whinny from him as she'd apparently surprised him. As she broke it, she bit her lower lip, thinking carefully about what she was about to say.

"Trouble, in the light of this, Ah'd like t' be yer mare. Would ya be mah stallion?" Applejack asked suddenly, seeing Trouble's eyes grow wide again.

As Applejack had spoken, Troubleshoes was nearly knocked off his hooves at her sudden proposal. "Applejack, a–are y' sure? A–Ah mean this is so sud–" Troubleshoes stammered out, but was interrupted by another soft kiss on his lips cutting him off.

When they broke the kiss a few seconds later, Applejack spoke first. "Clyde, think 'bout it...are ya really unlucky, or do y' just have a diffr'nt kinda luck then other ponies?" Applejack asked, that question making Trouble start to think about it, never having even thought about it that way before. "Ah mean, Ah think this 'bad luck' is jus' yer trial in life, just like mah trial is keepin' honest no matter what. No matter how hard it gets. So know it's true when Ah say Ah...Ah think Ah love ya, Clyde. If it's true an' Ah do turn out t' be pregnant, then Ah will bear your foal, proudly, as yer mare in marriage." Applejack said, wrapping her hooves around Trouble's neck in a tight hug.

She loves me? Trouble thought, How can she love me if she's only known me for a few days? But as he looked upon her – her beautiful blonde mane, her perfect muzzle and features, her giant, beautiful dark–green eyes, and remembered their previous night of talking and laughing together, her wonderful personality he'd love to get to know more of – he couldn't help but feel a deep fondness for her too. He nodded to her, wrapping a hoof of his own around her and hugging her back. "Ahl right then...well...Ah guess we may as well keep datin' then. But iffin ya turn out t' be pregnant, Ah think yer right. We should take it to th' next step..." Trouble said with a gulp, barely believing what he was saying, "...an' Ah should make an honest mare of ya by us gettin' married."

Applejack nodded with a big smile, cuddling against him. As she looked down, she noticed his stallionhood was starting to drop from her heated scent and contact with her, her now-burning needs coming back into focus as she saw that part of him coming out for her and smelled his musk. "Hey, uh, Trouble? Since Ahm already probably pregnant, it wouldn't hurt t' make love again, right? Ah mean if Ah am, Ah probably already am an' a li'l' more 'fun' wouldn't hurt. Plus, Ahm...kinda burnin' up between th' legs here..." Applejack all but begged, standing up and flagging her tail high, revealing to Trouble just how wet and swollen she'd gotten since she'd arrived, her body long ago readying itself for him upon smelling his musk when she'd walked in.

Trouble thought about it for only a moment, then sighed and nodded towards his bed, just a simple mattress and pillow without cases on the floor. As they'd arrived on it and he smelled her very arousing scent again seconds later, Trouble felt himself fully hard again, putting his massive horsemeat on display and quickly catching Applejack's eye. Applejack promptly winked herself at him and invited him to mount her, which he swiftly did, simply stepping over her easily given their size difference.

As he mounted her again and she felt his underbarrel rubbing her croup again, Applejack quivered slightly in anticipation, feeling his slightly-flared head rubbing her lower lips again. "...An' jus' think; we ain't gotta worry 'bout condoms this time..." Applejack said with a lusty chuckle, spreading her back legs subtly more, tensing slightly as he started to press against her more.

Just my luck! Ah finally get with a mare, an' not only do Ah most likely knock her up, she's still in her heat too! Trouble thought grimly, before then jerking his hips forward and burying himself into his mare once more, quickly getting to work on claiming and satisfying her again. His humps were deep and forceful, trademark of a stallion in rut breeding his heated mare, their only purpose to bring him to orgasm and seed the mare once more.

His demeanor quickly changed as he entered her again however, the feeling of her warm, tight, and very fertile passage on him again making him groan in delight. But on second thought, is her still being in heat really such a bad thing?

After another three mind-blowing orgasms for Applejack and another couple of very filling loads from Troubleshoes deep inside his mare's womb, with him having rutted her hard and near-constantly throughout, both lay on his mattress, their hour-long session leaving them sticky and sweaty, but utterly satisfied. Applejack felt her stallion's heavy loads sitting deep in her belly again, once more quelling the burning from her heat while Trouble's own rutting instincts were calmed, an instinctive sense of accomplishment rolling through him as he'd fully seeded his needing mare again as well as he possibly could. He held her close as he embraced her from behind, slipping out of her some time later and wrapping his hooves around her protectively as they spooned.

Applejack sighed in satisfaction as she buried her muzzle into the crook of Trouble's throat, nuzzling against him as she relaxed in her afterglow. "Ah love ya Clyde..." Applejack whispered, making Trouble smile. As he gave her ear a small kiss and felt it flick from it, that reaction made his heart swell at the embodiment of cuteness and beauty laying in front of him. He knew that if she wasn't pregnant already then this had likely sealed the deal, but now that she'd asked him to be her stallion, he wasn't so worried about that anymore. Matter of fact, as he felt this warm, soft mare cradled against him like this, he was kind of happy this had played out as it had.

"Ah love ya too mah li'l' apple pie..." Trouble replied softly, getting a contented sigh and squirm from Applejack as she rubbed against him. Not long after he'd said that Trouble heard a light snoring beside him, looking down to find Applejack asleep next to him with her muzzle still buried against his neck and her warm breath washing against his sensitive throat, with him barely avoiding shivering at the pleasant sensation. He smiled as he then pulled his old, slightly-tattered blanket further over them, shifting only slightly to get more comfortable.

It wasn't long before Trouble himself felt his own eyelids growing heavy, the warmth of the mare laying beside him, the tiring romp and two large orgasms he'd had only added to his exhaustion from his over-nighter. Before he went to Luna's Realm of Dreams in peace after a whole night of worrying about the worst that had never come to pass, he had one last thought.

Ahm the luckiest stallion in the world to have a mare like her in my life.

Author's Note

So if Applejack wanted to be bred again when she KNOWS she's in heat...what does that mean?

Blessings

It was a few weeks after Applejack had first gone into heat as Trouble joined her to Ponyville Hospital for 'official confirmation'. They'd bred many more times after the second time in his trailer, each time Applejack dragging him to his trailer again or to her bedroom, having him climb on top of her and fill her full once more. Each time was ecstasy, with her heated scent and pheromones making Trouble rut her at least thrice every day even after her heat had ended, no mercy given to or desired by her. Each time, he'd fill her fully but never again did he hilt her. That was one line she drew and kept.

Applejack claimed that she was likely already pregnant anyways, so what was the point of them not making the most of her added sensitivity from her heat, and the increased production Trouble had from the rutting state she'd put him in? Troubleshoes was reluctant each time but couldn't fight his instincts as she'd flagged her tail and so blatantly invited him, her scent all but a siren's call dragging him into her hot, wet depths again – and every time she'd flagged for him he'd mounted his mare, rutted her and filled her full of his cum once or twice more, satisfying her heat and his own rut. Her heat ended a couple days after the condom broke, with Applejack recognizing the less-then-subtle hints her body was already giving.

Her cycle usually lasted five days, not two.

~ ~ ~

As they'd arrived at the hospital and requested a pregnancy test, Applejack had gone into the restroom to use it while Troubleshoes sat outside in the waiting room as he awaited his fate, though already knowing it. He sat surprisingly calmly while he waited, actually holding a small smile on his face. He realized that he would be happy either way, the last few weeks he'd spent with Applejack an absolute delight; with him having had the most fun and feeling the most love from anypony then he'd ever had in his entire life on the dates they'd gone on, or just the time they'd spent together.

Five minutes later, Applejack came out of the restroom holding the test strip in her mouth, her expression blank. She looked to him with a thinly-veiled look of worry as she sat the test down next to Troubleshoes and let him get a good look at the result:

/ Pregnant

"Congratulations...daddy." Applejack said a few seconds after setting the positive test down before him and watching him stare at it, and upon seeing his small smile had not faded, she gave Trouble a bittersweet smile in return. She was still not quite sure how he'd react to her indeed carrying his foal, despite all of the discussions they'd had and how he'd promised to stay with her if she indeed turned out to be pregnant – but she did all she could at the moment, and that was hoping for the best and that he was as honest as she was.

As he looked upon the positive pregnancy test presented to him, Troubleshoes was only mildly surprised by the result shown given just how much of his seed he'd pumped into Applejack's fertile body throughout her heat and at her demand. He could only guess she'd intentionally wanted to get pregnant after their first romp when the condom broke – but if that was the case, it meant that she must have wanted this now. That she must have wanted his foal.

"Just mah lot in life, Ah suppose." Trouble sighed with resignation, then turned to Applejack; "Well mama, Ah think we should go. We got a lotta plannin' fer our future after all, and our...foal's." Trouble said nervously, but not glumly. For the first time, he actually felt eager for the future as he'd learned that Applejack carried his foal now, happy that his life may actually hold a purpose now, something beyond making others laugh at his clumsiness and living alone in an admittedly crappy trailer.

After booking an appointment for a checkup in a couple weeks, with the nurse congratulating Applejack on her new foal, Applejack gave Trouble a nod and they then turned and left the hospital. "Alrighty then mah stallion, let's get to it then. Toget'er" Applejack said with a smile, giving her stallion a soft kiss on the muzzle which was quickly reciprocated.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Uh big bro, we need t' talk." Applejack said, Troubleshoes laying beside her on the sofa and Big Mac sitting across in a chair. It was a few days after they'd gone to the hospital and found out she was definitely pregnant, just the three of them sitting in the family room after having a dinner of vegetable soup, salad, and fresh–baked sourdough bread. Granny Smith was out of town and Applejack had invited Troubleshoes to have dinner with her and Big Mac, thinking it would be a good idea to introduce Troubleshoes to him and to tell him the good news before she started to show in a few months.

"Is this 'bout what happened b'tween you 'n' this here stallion a couple weeks ago?" Big Mac asked, getting a nod from Applejack and seeing Trouble tense as it was revealed Mac knew about him breeding Applejack. Big Mac knew just what this likely entailed, having prepared himself for such a situation after he'd privately spoken with Applejack the day after. Big Mac simply nodded himself in reply, "Ahl–right, go on."

Troubles almost panicked as he saw Big Mac's blank expression, unsure if he was going to attack him after they told him or would remain calm. He did seem like the protective brother type after all, and despite Trouble being a head taller, Big Mac was definitely more fit and powerful–looking, no doubt able to easily do a lot of damage if he chose to.

"So, um...sir...Mister Apple sir. Ah...um..." Troubleshoes stammered, only getting a slight cock of the head from Big Mac at his word stew. Trouble tried to continue but found he couldn't, all that could escape his throat now being a small, nervous squeak as he saw that Big Mac's stern expression had remained unchanged since he'd entered the door a few hours ago, always catching him staring at him and admittedly highly intimidated by the rather powerful-looking, bulky farm pony.

Applejack stepped in as she saw her stallion's distress; "What Clyde here's tryin' t' say is...we're gonna have a foal together!" Applejack said with a happy tone to her voice, nuzzling up against Trouble's side and noticing how tense he'd gotten as she'd made the reveal instead of him.

When Big Mac stood up and approached the sofa, Trouble nearly bolted for the door—but he knew that he'd have to face this eventually, and that running away now would only show cowardice. As he winced and anticipated the hard buck to the jaw that was inevitably coming, Trouble was instead surprised to feel nothing at all. After a few seconds without a massive jolt of pain going through his head, Trouble dared to open an eye and look to where Big Mac was. All he saw was the large red stallion sitting a few feet in front of him, seemingly staring him down and holding that blank expression he always seemed to carry.

After a few more seconds of nervous bracing, Trouble turned to face Applejack's brother, seeing Mac's expression unchanged as he simply looked at him. After a second more, Big Mac finally spoke. "Clyde, Ah know what yer thinkin'. Yer thinkin' that Ahm gonna buck yer head off and send it into orbit fer gettin' mah sis knocked up, raght?" Big Mac asked, to which Troubles nodded. "Right, well ya can rest assured Ah ain't gonna. Ah initially wanted to af'er hearing ya had sex with mah sister while she was in heat, but Ahm over that." he said, and at that assurance Trouble visibly relaxed, letting out a subtle sigh of relief. Big Mac then turned to Applejack. "Sis, does this here stallion make ya happy?" he asked her, tilting his head towards Trouble.

Applejack nodded. "Bro, Ah ain't never been as happy a'fore Ah met him. He always makes me laugh, keeps mah spirits up, an' he's got an amazin' personality. An' despite him bein' a bit clumsy and mopey at times, he's got a good heart. Yes bro, he does make me happy."

"Do ya love him?" Mac then asked, getting another nod from Applejack and returning it. He then turning back to Trouble and made him tense slightly again, still feeling wary despite Mac telling him he wasn't gonna hurt him. "An' you, Clyde. Do ya love mah sister too? Does she make ya happy?" Mac asked, his expression and voice having taken on a lighter, much less neutral tone now.

Trouble nodded, then spoke. "Sir, since Ah met yer sister Ah've felt like mah life has purpose outside 'a' makin' people laugh as a clumsy rodeo clown, that Ah actually have a meanin' in life now, an' that meanin' is to keep her as mah mare and care for our foal with her. Ah feel like yer sister is an important part 'a' me now, even iffen we've only know each other fer a short while. Sir, she does make me happy an' Ah do love her with all a my heart."

Big Mac nodded at this, seeing in Trouble's eyes that he was being totally honest with him, and that his words were true. "Well alright, glad yer happy together. So, about the foal. What're ya gonna do? Clyde, do ya plan to make mah sister an honest mare and take her as yer own?" he asked, facing the named stallion.

Clyde looked to Applejack, seeing her nod softly, then turned to face Big Mac again. "Mister Apple, Ah will gladly take yer sister as mah mare — but only with yer blessin'." Trouble answered, getting another nod from Mac.

"Well alright then, y' have mah blessin' t' marry 'er Clyde – an' congratulations t' both of ya." Big Mac said, then got up and surprisingly wrapped Trouble in a massive bear hug, making him unable to breathe for a second from the tightness. He wasn't sure if it was actually intentional how tight he squeezed him, but he sure knew he was gonna be feeling it for the next few days.

As Trouble got ready to leave and head back to his trailer, Big Mac stopped him in the hallway with a hoof on the shoulder. Trouble felt his nervousness from earlier return now that they were together alone, still somewhat expecting a buck to the jaw even though he'd said he wouldn't and had even given him his blessing to marry Applejack.

"So, do y' really love mah sister?" Big Mac asked seriously, getting a prompt nod from Troubleshoes.

"Ah love her with all mah heart, sir." Trouble responded, knowing he spoke nothing but the truth, indeed loving Applejack as much as he claimed.

"OK," Big Mac said simply, moving to wrap his hoof around Troubleshoe's shoulders a little tighter than he'd have liked; "but ya better treat her right y'hear? Ah know she pursued you so she must like ya, and Ah also know my sister well enough t' safely say she'll always be loyal to you. As such, Ya better do th' same. If Ah ev'r hear of ya mistreatin' Applejack in any way or that you've betrayed her trust, then a buck to th' head's gonna be the least 'a' yer worries. Understood?" Big Mac finished with a fairly threatening tone, making Trouble pin his ears back and nod rapidly.

"Good. Now, mah sister's waitin' t' say goodbye t' ya. Y' best not keep 'er waitin' long." Mac said in a much lighter tone as he took his hoof from around Trouble's crest, watching him quickly retreat from him and make his way back to the family room and his mare.

As he watched Trouble turn the corner, Mac stood there for a moment, considering what today's revelations had started. "Ah just hope y' chose well sister." Mac said softly to himself, then headed upstairs to his room, leaving Trouble and his sister alone together. If she trusted him to be her loyal stallion, Mac supposed he could too.

Author's Note

They're having a baby and getting married! :pinkiehappy:

Happy times indeed!

Lucky Charm

The next few months since Applejack had learned that she and Troubleshoes were having a foal, and since he'd gotten Big Mac's blessing to marry her, passed quickly. Both eagerly watched as her belly started to slowly grow after the three-month mark, with Applejack apparently being an early shower. They'd been on many dates since, and with each, they only learned how much they loved each other that much more.

They'd started to plan the wedding just recently as the date they'd chosen quickly closed in, planning such a large event a new experience for Trouble but not for Applejack. She was used to planning for such large events like marriages and the like after all, with the Apple farm also running a small-time catering business on the side for friends and family.

After he'd gotten engaged with Applejack and they had gotten serious with their relationship, Troubleshoes had noticed that he was no longer nearly falling into ditches or mud-puddles outside of at his rodeo performances anymore—and that, oddly, nothing truly unlucky had actually happened to him since Applejack had gotten pregnant. Though, now that he'd thought about it more, was Applejack getting pregnant really a bad thing if it meant he got to spend the rest of his life with such a wonderful, beautiful Southern belle? He didn't think so.

Perhaps she really was his good-luck charm as she'd always said, since the day they'd met...

Applejack tried to stand still as her dress was having some last-moment adjustments done, with her belly having grown quite a bit in the past month since the last one, her baby bump having continued its slow, gradual expansion all while its owner quickly busied herself making plans and preparations for the most important day of her life. Well one of them at least, with it being second only to the future birth of her foal she figured.

As Applejack stood in the fitting room and looked down at the beautiful wedding dress her friend Rarity had made for her being fitted upon herself, she couldn't help but chuckle giddily at just how plain it looked, and she could want nothing more than that.

Rarity was nothing if not a true fashionista, the fairly simple white wedding dress only accentuating Applejack's natural rustic beauty instead of covering it with gaudy frills and gems, a small group of subtle green accents accentuating her eyes and at the same time perfectly contrasting her natural orange coat color.

Her hair was pinned up in a style similar to how she'd once worn it as a filly, waving down in layers with a small emerald-encrusted tiara behind the bangs. She'd, of course, wanted to simply wear her mane down and unaccented, but Rarity had once again insisted she'd worn it like this, so with an exasperated sigh she'd agreed.

As she now stood outside the doors leading to the chapel, Applejack took a deep breath, mentally bracing herself for what she was about to do, preparing for a most important event in her life. As she heard the song-bird choir and organ music start, the doors were opened and Applejack was preceeded by her sister Apple Bloom and her sister's friends Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo—her flower-fillies—spreading rose petals along the center aisle, as well as her brother Big Mac accompanying her to 'give her away' at the alter in leiu of their father.

With one more deep breath she started walking, nervously biting down a little tighter on the rose bouquet in her mouth as she slowly made her way up to the alter when she felt the butterflies starting again, tasting the slightly-bitter plant-green flavor of the juice, hearing a small snap come from it as she'd bitten hard enough to break a stem.

The bride-to-be looked to her left and right as she walked, recognizing everypony on her side as her extended or close family and friends from Ponyville and all over Equestria, including her six best friends in the whole world – Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Princess Twilight Sparkle and Spike, Rarity, and last but surely not least, Fluttershy.

The three other Princesses of Equestria had also been invited to join and now attended, with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna for once not looking at odds with each other over something trivial, instead peacefully sitting next to each other and watching the proceedings. To their left was Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, or 'Cadence' for short, and her husband Prince Shining Armor, with Cadence having a rather large box of tissues handy for her husband's expected crying, as he did so at every wedding they attended.

On Troubleshoes' side were much fewer ponies, just a few of his fellow rodeo clowns and a few other friends he'd made through his travels, as well as his parents whom Applejack had met before. He never was much of a socialite, given his shyness and bad luck, and that fact now showing.

As the song met its end and Applejack refocused her attention, her hooves having worked on auto-pilot as she'd surveyed the crowd, she found that she stood in front of the alter facing her stallion-to-be just as practiced, Big Mac having guided her there and smiled as he gave her away.

As the minister spoke, opening the ceremony with the standard words of an Equestrian wedding, Applejack could only look up into her stallion's eyes through the veil, looking deeply into those deep green pools that strongly resembled her own. Looking into the emerald pools she'd many times before bathed in, almost consumed by them once more before she brought herself back to the surface, letting out a held-in breath of nervousness in a quiet woosh.

When the minister finished and called for the bracelets, with them being used as a sign of unity by Earth Ponies and sometimes Pegasi instead of the horn-rings used by unicorns, Apple Bloom brought the pillow with two gold bracelets.

Each bracelet was beautifully engraved with a pattern chosen by each for the other and set with a single small emerald in the center of each at Troubleshoes' insistence. Applejack's had a complex engraving of a farm panorama, highly detailed to the point where one could see the individual leaves on a nearby tree if they looked closely.

Troubles' had an engraving of a rodeo scene, including a pony running an obstacle course and another riding a bull, a couple more scenes in addition separated by a thick line between each, with Applejack knowing how much her stallion-to-be loved the rodeo.

At long last, the moment all had been waiting for had arrived. "Applejack Apple, do you take this stallion to be yours, to love and care for, so long as you both shall live?" the minister asked, then turning to Applejack.

"Ah do!" Applejack responded boldly, leaving no doubt she wanted to be forever joined with the stallion she loved.

The minister then turned to Troubleshoes. "...and do you, Troubleshoes Clyde, take this mare to be yours, to love and care for, so long as you both shall live?" the minister asked, getting a bold nod.

"Ah do. Proudly." Troubles responded, then looking to his mare, his soulmate, and the proud carrier of his foal. His soon-to-be wife.

They then placed their bracelets on each others' fetlocks, the act showing their dedication to each other.

"Then by the power vested in me, I hereby pronounce you mare and stallion, Mister and Missus Troubleshoes Clyde!" The minister announced, to an uproar cheer from the crowd. "You may now kiss the bride."

Troubleshoes lifted Applejack's vail to the stomping applause of the audience, gazing into Applejack's eyes for but a moment before lowering his lips to her muzzle. He made contact, but not quite correctly, as his lips landed on the top of Applejack's muzzle, right on her nose. With a light chuckle from his mare and audience, Trouble quickly pulled back and quickly fixed his trajectory, and this time their lips met, to another round of hooves stomping the floor, whistles, and cheers.

As he broke the kiss moments later, Trouble simply chose to hold her close to him in an embrace, his eyes closed, a single tear rolling down his cheek as he felt Applejack's hoof wrap around his arm. Subsequently, he heard a rather distinct stallion bawling loudly from the audience, followed by a quiet shushing. Looks like Trouble wasn't the only stallion crying at his wedding.

Shortly after, Applejack climbed on Troubles' back and was carried out of the chapel, followed by the guests into the front yard. Upon everyone arriving, Applejack tossed her bouquet out into the crowd, all the single mares clamoring to get it, but a purple-and-white head popped up victorious, the rose bouquet held proudly in Rarity's muzzle.

After Applejack gave Rarity a wink, the couple then went into the carriage, seen off with the throwing of rice, and joined with cheers. Everypony followed the carriage to the reception hall a short trot away, eager to get on with the celebration.

At the reception, Trouble and Applejack were greeted by the usual 'congratulations' and 'best wishes' as they walked along, thanking the ponies offering them and occasionally answering 'fine' as to how the foal was when asked, Applejack's five-month baby-bump visible even through the dress.

They first ran into Big Mac and Granny Smith, with Big Mac instantly grabbing Trouble in another bear hug. "Welcome to t' family, bro-in-law," Mac said when he finally let go of the second nearly-bone-crushing hug he gave Troubleshoes, with Mac then moving to Applejack and giving her a much gentler hug, whispering congratulations to her as well.

Granny Smith gave them congrats of her own before shakily holding out a wrapped box to them, presenting her gift to them directly. "Here ya two go. Ah wanted t' give ya this here gift directly so Ah could explains it to ya." Granny Smith said, holding the box out to the couple and softly pushing it towards them, telling them to take it.

Applejack and Trouble then took and unwrapped the box together, opened it and looked inside, finding another pair of small, velveteen boxes. As they opened those, they were presented with a pair of small gold broaches on gold chains, each engraved with an apple on one side, then a rightside-up horseshoe on the back. "Those there are the best good luck charms the Apples have." Granny explained, "They were presented to me an' yer grandfather when we were married, given t' us by one of our friends, a Zebra, who explained the'r significance to us. Then we passed 'em down to yer parents when they were married as well – an' now, Applejack, in leiu of yer parents, Ahm passin' them on t' you 'n' yer stallion."

As Applejack looked at the smaller, more delicate looking broach and chain obviously intended for a mare, she remembered her mother wearing that same necklace constantly when she was a foal and filly, then remembered it disappearing after—

Applejack quickly wrapped her hooves around Granny Smith's neck in a gentle hug, the sniffles coming from her showing just how much this meant to her, how meaningful it was to her to have such a precious heirloom passed on to her. After the embrace, Granny Smith continued; "Now these here necklaces 'ere a pair, and they only work when worn by a married stallion an' mare who're part of th' Apple clan. They'll bring good luck in all aspects to y' two so long as both a ya wear yer necklace at th' same time – an' that's includin' fertility!" Applejack and Troubles exchanged a knowing look at that one, with both barely stifling a chuckle. They certainly didn't need any help in that category, it would seem!

As Granny Smith and Big Mac parted ways, the next up were Applejack's Ponyville friends. Congratulations were given by all, hugs freely dished out to both Applejack and her new stallion. They then followed her over to the gifts table, with Trouble and Applejack then getting on to opening the many, MANY gifts given to them. After opening the various gifts from her family, most of which were practical gifts like housewares and linens, they gave them all a thanks – only to be given back a loud, shared 'congratulations' from the crowd. They smiled, then hearing another cheer given in their honor.

After the presents were collected and moved to a cart for transport, Applejack and Trouble then proceeded to the dance floor. Soon after, a slow, romantic southern-style song started, Applejack and Trouble then taking the dance floor for their first dance as mare and stallion. They did a slow dance, their chests pressed together throughout, their hooves moving in tandem with each other as Applejack pressed her muzzle against her stallion's side.

"Why shoot Trouble, Ah didn't know y' could dance..." Applejack said, realizing that he was dancing just as well as any of the other stallions – and even better than some!

"Ah didn't know either...never really danced before." Trouble said, just as surprised as his mare was by how well he was dancing. They continued their slow dance until Big Mac asked to take Troubles' place and he accepted, giving his new bride over to him for now.

After the reception came to a close some hours of joyous celebration later and everypony was leaving, Applejack and Trouble went to leave only to be stopped by her five best friends again, three of them holding a box each.

Twilight presented them an entire volume of foal–care books written by the experts of Canterlot. “I’ve read all of these, so I’m sure I can help at least somewhat with advice! Just call me if you need my help in any way!” she had said, and both Troubleshoes and Applejack nodded in acceptance, both sure they could use at least some advice with their baby here and there.

Rarity brought forth a number of clothing sets and a long, silken crib blanket she had crafted in neutral colors, as Applejack and Troubleshoes had yet to learn the foal's gender, but Rarity was too eager to wait to make them, wanting to have them ready before the wedding. She also promised to produce any other clothing they needed as the foal grew gratuitement, and that all they needed to do was ask her for it when it was needed. The two smiled at her as Applejack beaconed her over, and when she was in range reached out and wrapped a hoof around her neck, hugging her friend and thanking her.

Pinkie Pie promised she would be available to help watch their foal if they ever needed it, as well as for any catering help they may need for its future birthday parties, and adding with a chuckle that she could also provide any sweets cravings Applejack may get during her pregnancy upon request. Applejack chuckled at that one, knowing she'd indeed been visiting Sugarcube Corner more than she probably should be. She just gave Pinkie a smirk and Pinkie returned an overly-wide smile, an air of snarkiness about her.

Rainbow Dash offered some other, non-foal-related gifts, not wanting to get caught up in the whole 'baby' thing. She claimed that even the thought of ever having a foal kinda freaked her out, but that she would help with it if absolutely needed. She was, after all, loyal always to her friends. Applejack nodded her thanks, and Rainbow nodded back.

Fluttershy was the final one to offer her gift but bore no material item. Instead she said, barely loud enough to hear – “Um…if you want to you can come down my cottage…um if you wanted to…I mean if you’re free later…to choose a family pet for you two and your foal? I mean I know you have Winona already but...” she finished, hiding her face behind her mane. Both Troubleshoes and Applejack nodded in thanks, with Applejack reaching over to the yellow pegasus and hugging her dear friend tightly enough to get a soft 'eep' from her.

After all had calmed down and most ponies had left, Applejack and Trouble got back into the carriage and went to the train station, intending to take the next train to Dodge City for their honeymoon, to visit the town they'd first met in and now spent their first time together as mare and stallion. Both were now wearing the lucky broaches, and never would they remove them, with them a sign of their unity, and just how lucky they were to be together as they were. But was it really just luck?

Troubleshoes could already tell as he looked over his hometown and kissed his mare, that he was gonna be lucky for life with Applejack beside him.

Author's Note

Marriage! Yay! :yay:

One more chapter planned.

Golden Horseshoe

"TROUBLE, IT'S TIME!" Applejack shouted in pain as she jolted to an upright position in bed, breathing heavily. It was seven months after their wedding, and just over eleven months after their first date and the time she got pregnant.

He'd been moved into Sweet Apple Acres since he and Applejack had gotten married, having set aside his rodeo-clowning job and the crappy trailer it came with in exchange for his new role as a farmer, and he indeed did a very good job with it given how large and strong he was.

Surprisingly to him, he'd indeed found that nothing unlucky had ever happened to him since he'd started wearing the lucky broach he was gifted at their wedding, only once having tripped in a mud puddle since... but a little bit of bad luck was expected in anypony's life, right?

As Applejack gave another pained groan, Trouble instantly got up upon feeling a wetness on their shared bed; groggy from the sudden awakening, but still knowing exactly what that wetness and his mare's pained cries meant.

"TROUBLLLLLLLEEE!" Applejack squealed desperately, with Trouble quickly moving through the motions of getting Applejack to the hospital, nearly forgetting their planned overnight-bag in the hurry.

Troubleshoes stayed in the delivery room of the hospital with Applejack as she delivered while standing, always right beside his mare as she squeezed his hoof tight in hers with each contraction, using him as an anchor in this hard time. She was silent save for her grunts and the deep breaths they'd practiced, her eyes sealed shut in concentration and her expression one of determination, always strong and stoic even at a time like this.

With a final, strong push from Applejack some time later, Trouble heard a soft gurgling cry coming from beneath them, and finally, Applejack collapsed to the floor to rest, exhausted but with her job finally done. "Congratulations, it's a beautiful filly! Good job mama!" the delivering doctor announced, making Troubleshoes smile largely.

"Good job honey, y'did it!" Trouble quietly cheered, with Applejack giving an exhausted pant and tiny dazed smile in return.

"Nah hun, we did it."

After the preliminary post-birth tests, their child was brought to them with a clean bill of health, perfectly healthy in every way. As they looked down to their foal swaddled in the pink blanket given to fillies, Applejack and Troubleshoes saw that the foal's coat was a golden brown, her mane light-brown, and her whole muzzle and up to between her eyes a cream-white color that was just like her father's markings, through and through.

Applejack also quickly found that she was indeed an armful for her, knowing she was big while carrying her and especially while giving birth. She was large even for being an Earth Pony foal, with them always being bigger than their Unicorn or Pegasus counterparts. It would seem Troubleshoes' size-determining genes had most definitely been passed on.

A short while later their filly opened her eyes, looking upon her parents' eyes with the same color of green eyes that both had looked into on each other, with each thinking that they were looking into a smaller version of their own or their mate's eyes as they looked into hers.

"Welcome to the world mah beautiful li'l' filly. Ahm yer mama." Applejack said softly, her smile the largest, yet most tired, one Troubleshoes had seen on her since their wedding day. As Applejack nuzzled their foal affectionately, Trouble joined his head beside hers, with Applejack looking up to him and planting a kiss on his cheek.

"...an' Ahm yer daddy," Troubleshoes said happily, feeling the same pride that Applejack undoubtedly did as he looked upon the small brown foal wrapped in pink, feeling a wet warmth streaming down his cheek. He was a father. He was a father to a beautiful little filly, and he had a beautiful mare to share her with.

After a short while more of initially bonding with their new little filly, the nurse came back to the couple with the customary forms, and after a few questions, they came to the name portion. As both looked to each other and Troubleshoes nodded, Applejack cleared her throat. They'd decided a while back what the foal's name would be, regardless of gender. The name that only seemed fitting given just how lucky they were to have it.

"We want t' name 'er Golden Horseshoe. Golden Horseshoe Clyde." Applejack said, with Trouble nodding his consent once more. "A perfect name for a perfect filly."

As soon as they finished the paperwork and Applejack rested a bit more, she was tested to make sure she was fit to leave the hospital, coming through it with flying colors. Just then, Applejack's friends, Granny Smith, and Big Mac were welcomed inside, all cooing at the new foal – and even if she later denied it, so was Rainbow Dash!

"Ooooh! What's her name?! What's her naaaame?!?!" Pinkie Pie excitedly squealed out, only to be shushed by a nearby nurse.

"Despite not all of us being so enthusiastic as Pinkie Pie, I think we'd all like to know," Twilight said softly, getting an agreeing nod from the other four.

Applejack gently unswaddled Golden's head, letting them see her sleeping face fully, her friends leaning in a little closer to get a better look. "Gals, Ah'd like t' introduce y'all to Golden Horseshoe, our beautiful li'l filly." Applejack said, answered by more excited chattering and congratulations from her friends. As she looked over to Big Mac, Apple Bloom, and Granny Smith, she saw their eyes watering as they looked upon their niece, cousin, and great-grandchild, respectively; each happy to see a new branch grown on the Apple family tree.

Soon after meeting, greeting and some more hanging out with Applejack's friends and family, the new parents left the hospital, bringing with them the beautiful pink-and-brown bundle that was their daughter. Applejack felt more proud that day than with any of her other accomplishments, this moment to her being the greatest achievement she'd ever completed. She'd brought somepony new into the world, and nothing could compare to that feeling; not even helping save the world a million times over.

Upon arriving home from the hospital, Trouble laid his filly into her bassinet as they stepped into their room and nursery, simply looking upon Golden for a while, as if in awe that she was finally here after just over eleven months of awaiting and preparing for her; of seeing the slow growth of her within Applejack. As Golden looked up to him and met his eyes for a second, Trouble felt another pang of pride roll through him alongside the love he felt for her, still somewhat unable to comprehend that he'd helped make this beautiful little filly.

Applejack came in a while later and stood beside him as they looked upon what they'd created, nuzzling softly against each other, with Applejack giving a contented nicker as they did. "What did Ah do to deserve this? Ah got a beautiful mare and a lovely little filly too." Troubleshoes soon after said, getting a soft kiss from Applejack for that, with her then leaning softly against his side and tucking her head under his chin as they looked back into the bassinet, watching with dim smiles the sleeping, lightly-wriggling mass inside.

"It's just mah luck."

Author's Note

Everypony likes foals, even athletic ponies who claim not to!

Getting Lucky Again

Applejack could hardly believe that it had been two years since that wonderful day that Golden Horseshoe was born to her and Troubleshoes. She watched as she played outside in the leaves one Autumn afternoon, hearing the joyful squeals that only a very happy filly could produce as her daughter threw the stick for their new dog and Winona both once more and watched them peel off after it.

They'd gotten Ryder, a mid-sized male terrier-mix, as a puppy when they'd gone to Fluttershy's cottage to pick a family pet. Fluttershy had adopted a terrier who had seemingly been abandoned at her cottage upon being found pregnant with mutts and had delivered the pups two months prior. The couple had come to take their choice once the pups were of age to be weaned, getting the first pick of the litter and taking him home that day.

The dog had just been a puppy when they'd gotten him, with Applejack ten months pregnant with Golden at the time, and now looking at him and her filly both, it was hard to believe how time had flown. The past first years of her life had been surprisingly uneventful and typical for a growing Earth Pony filly outside of a few minor highlights, with Applejack mostly watching Golden while Troubleshoes took her place in the field full-time, having left his clowning days behind not long after their marriage. They took turns switching between foal-duty and working out in the field every few days, and though Applejack had been against that idea at first, she eventually settled into a less active lifestyle than she was used to, taking on the motherly role required of her and finding she rather liked it.

As Applejack once more realized that Golden was playing alone with the dogs while Applejack was indoors taking care of the housework today, with Troubleshoes out helping Big Mac in the field on his turn of field and orchard duty, she could only think of her having somepony else to play with. Granny Smith was outside watching her from the porch to keep her out of mischief, but was definitely not a spring chicken when it came to playing with young fillies, instead mostly knitting while she glanced up whenever the filly stopped squealing in joviality for any extended period. As she thought about it more and more, of her little girl playing alone, she decided that maybe, just maybe, it was time.

Applejack and Trouble had always been very careful when she went into her estruses, both avoiding the temptation of just letting loose like they had that first year, not knowing if they were ready to have another foal just yet. Instead, Applejack would take herbs from her zebra friend Zecora, an alchemist, to minimize the effects of her heat, and Trouble would do his best to restrain his instincts as much as possible, knowing Applejack was still fertile even if she didn't emit her pheromone after she took the heat-suppressants.

When worse came to worst and the temptation grew too strong, they would always use oral to relieve each other as much as was possible, generally arranging themselves so they could service each other at the same time, or would use a condom freshly enchanted that day to prevent bursting before doing what they both needed so badly. Even if it didn't totally satisfy the burning in Applejack's belly, the one that not even the herbs or a few ruts without Trouble actually finishing inside her could, a protected rut and no foal was still better than total satisfaction at the cost of another baby they weren't ready for. Now, as Applejack felt and knew her body was starting to ready itself for another estrus within the next few days, she decided she would discuss with Troubleshoes what she'd been thinking over for a long time.

"'Ey Trouble, you an' Ah need t' talk," Applejack said as she lay with Troubleshoes on her bed later that day, with him having showered after coming in from work that evening and after they'd eaten, both now resting together in their shared bedroom and Applejack smelling the scent of lemon shampoo on him. Applejack had chosen to share the same bed with him this evening and snuggle with her stallion, while Granny Smith spent some more quality time with her first great-grandfoal, insisting that they deserved some time alone together even with a foal. She was so understanding, and Trouble did not, and would never, say no to snuggles and alone time with his mare.

"Yeah? What about, mah li'l' apple pie?" Trouble asked as he nuzzled against Applejack and started playfully nipping at her ear, getting a smile and exaggerated groan from her as she gently pushed him away.

"C'mon now, this is serious," Applejack said, with Troubleshoes quickly stopping his pressing against her hoof and resumed nibbling as she said that. After a moment of considering what to say, Applejack spoke again; "Ah want t' talk to you 'bout us havin' another foal."

At that last word, Troubleshoes' eyes widened and he got a slightly panicked expression on his face. "B-but when we 'did it' yer last estrus we used a condom! A good, new condom that actually fit, and this time it didn't pop...how could ya possibly...be..." He cut himself off. Maybe if he didn't say it, it wouldn't be true. "Ah...knew that was a bad idea."

At that initial reaction, Applejack considered backing out of the idea but decided to press on anyhow. "Nah Sugarcube, ain't nothin' like that...yet. Y'see, Ah was thinkin'...Ah was thinkin' 'bout you an' Ah makin' Goldie a li'l' brother er sister mah next estrus." she said, following with a soft smile and a loving expression. "Ah mean, Ah know Big Mac an' Cheerilee are gonna have their foal soon and Golden could play with him or her in a while, an' that she'll likely make lotsa friends when she goes to school in a couple years, but 't'ain't th' same as havin' a li'l' bro or sis all yer own t'play with, an' t' love 'n' care for. Ah should know, with me havin' Apple Bloom an' all..."

"Ah...Ah dunno Applejack. Y'sure about this? Ah mean, Golden jus' recently got more independent, an'...well, are y' sure yer ready to do all of this again, not t' mention carrying another foal?" Trouble asked, his tone showing not hesitance on the idea of having another foal, but instead concern for her, "...an speakin' of, are y' sure yer body's even ready for another foal? Ah mean, Ah know that pregnancy takes a lot outta a mare, an' that it takes a while for her to recover..."

Applejack smiled as Troubleshoes showed his concern for her, then softly nodded her head. " Well firstly, Ah am totally ready fer havin' another foal, both mentally and physically. Doc only said Ah needed 'bout a year, and two years at most, t' fully recover from carrying and foaling, so Ahm totally healthy in that respect. Plus, Ah thought long an' hard 'bout whether Ah was ready personally fer another bundle a joy. Ahm ready Sugarcube, an' Ah just wanted to know if you were ready. Ah know how hard it was workin' while gettin' as little sleep as y' did when Golden was newborn, an' then when she was cuttin' her teeth..." Applejack said with a wince, remembering how closely Troubleshoes had resembled a zompony during those long first months.

As Troubleshoes looked into Applejack's eyes, he saw that she truly did want this. He looked away with a sigh, one of submission and agreeance rather than frustration, before he nodded. "Alright. If yer ready t' have another foal, th'n so am I." he said, before meeting her gaze again with a smile. "So, when d' ya go into yer heat?" he asked, only to get a sultry smile from her, with her leaning close to him and whispering in his ear.

"Any day now."

As the days passed, the couple grew more and more physical with each other, with Troubleshoes instinctively sensing that Applejack was close to her estrus, her scent growing closer and closer to that of a fertile mare. He'd noticed that she'd started coming out to the fields with him recently, knowing she was within a day at that point if she was keeping him that close to her.

While Applejack clearly showed enthusiasm for having another foal, Troubleshoes was more reserved. Sure, he'd promised Applejack more foals when she'd asked him for them shortly after they'd gotten married, but did that mean they needed to get started on the next so soon? Then too, it was best to have a smaller age gap between foals after all. Maybe it was the right time after all.

~ ~ ~

A few days after their discussion and agreement of having another foal, Applejack had awoken after Troubleshoes had gone out to work in the fields again, finding the subtle burn in her belly she was so familiar with and knowing just what that meant; that she'd just gone into her heat within the past few hours, and today was the day at long last. She made sure to put on the broach today of all days, knowing she needed all the help she could get to make it a success. Granny Smith had told them the broaches helped with fertility as well as general good luck, and she chose to use that to her advantage.

She quickly decided to go out and see her stallion out in the fields again, her instincts urging her to be with him. As the fates would have it, today was one of Big Mac's days off given it was after Winter Wrapup and the workload was low, leaving Applejack to go and work the fields while he presumably went and spent some time with his very pregnant mare and wife Cheerilee, with her carrying the first of their many planned foals. Golden was left to be watched by Granny Smith, the elder mare loving her great-grandchild and treasuring every moment she had alone with her. Applejack headed outside and found the weather rather cool today, but was most definitely certain that it would heat up soon enough if she had anything to do with it.

As Applejack moments later approached Troubleshoes and instantly met her muzzle to his in a passionate kiss, she realized that he'd been turned to face her, seemingly awaiting her arrival. After they broke the kiss a while later, Applejack couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "Y'could smell me 'fore Ah even got here, couldn't ya?" Applejack asked sensually, only receiving a hesitant nod from Troubleshoes. She noticed he wore his broach as well. Perfect.

As Applejack approached him and got right next to him, Troubleshoes could feel his nostrils flaring as he smelled a mare in heat so close, letting out a quiet, deep-toned breeding whinny in response. He noticed Applejack's tail lifting in response to it and chanced to nip her ear. As he did, Applejack responded with a quiet, surprised whinny of her own, but its tone suggested surprise more than lust. Applejack hadn't expected such a primitive gesture from him!

"Th'n ya know what Ahm here for huh? Heh, Ah guess Ah bring th' animal out in ya, huh Sugarcube?" Applejack asked in a throaty tone as she glanced down and saw Trouble's girth peaking out already in response to a fertile mare being right in front of him, giving a quiet, eager whicker of her own at the sight. She knew she wanted it, yet...

"Applejack, are ya...ready?" Troubleshoes asked, the desire in his voice more than obvious.

This is exactly what Applejack had planned on. Get him all wrapped around her hoof before..."Y'know Sugarcube, Ah've been havin' second thoughts after all. Maybe we shouldn't be havin' a foal jus' yet..." Applejack said teasingly as she saw Troubleshoes stallionhood at its full, almost unbelievable, length once more, a drop of pre-cum already on its flat head. "Ah mean, we'll just get all wet an' sticky 'n' sweaty, might have t' take a shower t'gether... an' don't get me started on how good and relieved it'll make us..."

"Applejack...come here." Troubleshoes interrupted, but it wasn't the voice of her love, the stallion she'd married and who cared for her. No, this was the demand of a stallion who was going into his rut because of her, the voice of Troubleshoes' deepest and most basic need coming to light and demanding her to come to him. To be bred by him.

"...an' what if Ah don't?" Applejack asked in mock challenge, her still-flagged tail swishing over her back, spreading her scent even more and showing her true opinion on the matter.

"Applejack, Ah asked y' t' c'mere." Troubleshoes asked again, this time more demandingly, clearly starting to lose control of himself as he knew what Applejack truly wanted and that she was playing hard-to-get intentionally. He had asked her multiple times over the past couple days and had gotten the same answer each time he had, making him absolutely sure of her desires; positive that she wanted to bring another life into this world, with him full-heartedly siding with her decision.

"Oh yeah?" Applejack asked again in a defiant tone, scraping a hoof against the ground and bending down slightly, as if to charge at him; "Why don't y' come get me?"

As Trouble indeed moved towards her, Applejack trotted further away from him, but with Trouble in hot pursuit. Applejack was indeed growing nearer and nearer to her own point of no return as she again caught a waft of her stallion's masculine scent and his pheromones alongside, knowing it wouldn't be long before—

"C'mon Trouble, come claim yer naughty, disobedient mare already and make 'er submit t' ya! Hold 'er down then give 'er yer foal!" Applejack nearly shouted, still turned defiantly towards him even though her tail was still flagged in invitation.

"Applejack, Ah...Ah don't want t'..." Troubleshoes said, his last shred of resistance and civility kicking in, fighting his instincts to dominate this 'unwilling mare' and 'force' himself upon her; "Ah...don't want t' hurt ya."

"C'mon Trouble, Ah want ya. Claim me as yer mare again! Claim mah womb fer yer second foal!" Applejack said with vigor, before then simply waiting for him to make his move. She knew it wouldn't be long.

Finally unable to take any more teasing, Troubleshoes trotted up to Applejack and, before she could get away again, nipped her rump. This made Applejack stop in place, giving a muffled whinny in response as a small amount of her urine streamed down onto the ground and her clit winked on reflex, her body showing her total readiness to her stallion. As Trouble saw that, he nipped her rear again and saw her flinch in response, then saw as her back legs spread more and she winked repeatedly, her very slick entrance all the more inviting him on instinct.

"C'mon Trouble, what's th' hold up?" Applejack asked impatiently, wanting, needing to feel her stallion on and in her.

"Knock me up already!"

At that final straw being dropped, Troubleshoes gave a loud breeding whinny, almost sounding like a growl in its intensity as he reared up and lunged forward, mounting his demanding, defiant mare. Almost instantly, he started by grabbing Applejack's crest between his teeth to hold her in place, his forelegs locking around her barrel as his hips started their instinctive undulations, his thrusts working to find their obviously-presented goal.

"AH! There we go!" Applejack cried out in a lustful tone of her own, her breeding instincts going haywire as she was being taken so...primally. She felt his tip tapping against her rump roughly and rapidly, his humps too eager for him to enter her easily, feeling as he got closer and closer to—

"A-AHHHH! Ooooooh yeeeeeah!" Applejack moaned out as his last thrust struck true, hearing Trouble whinny out in instinctive victory as a good few inches of his length entered her ready passage and slid deeper by the second, making her moan again as her highly-sensitive marehood had something to very tightly clench on now.

Those tight squeezes didn't stop Troubleshoes as, right upon reaching the end of her canal, he immediately got back to work pounding his rebellious, needing mare into submission, hearing her cries of pleasure as with each thrust he bottomed out in her; stretching her muscles wide as he always did when they made love, forcing his head tightly against her dilated cervix. Troubleshoes knew he had more to give still but had nowhere to put it. He'd long ago promised he wouldn't hilt her again...unless she asked him to.

As Trouble yanked himself out and pulled on Applejack's crest as he thrust back in, Applejack gave a feral whinny as he slammed home and she heard the wet clap of his swollen balls against her soaked teats, before immediately pulling out to repeat it all over again. This wasn't making love. This was being bred, feral and as nature intended, its only goal to make a foal...and Applejack absolutely loved it.

"A-aaaaah!" Applejack cried out again in pure pleasure, the loud squelch of his cock roughly slamming into her soaked passage once more sounding out to both of them with a loud slap of wet flesh on flesh, telling her just how soaked she was, her muscles kneading the rock-hard breeding rod buried deep within her on their own. Her mind was ablaze as she was surrounded by the scent and warmth of her virile stallion wrapped around and covering her, with him so totally dominating her, doing his damnedest to keep her from moving again until he'd seeded her womb and was done with her. She was lightly trembling with each relentless, forceful thrust he gave her, his forehooves gripping her barrel tightly, not risking her getting away again. Little did his animal mind know, she was more than willing to receive his foal, and had been from the very start.

"M-MORE! D-Don't stop!" Applejack demanded, feeling Trouble less-than-gently yanking on her crest as he rammed himself into her, using that leverage to get even deeper and press roughly against her tight, inmost ring. Each time his head met that barrier, Applejack remembered back to the first time when he'd sunk to the hilt in her, entering the very core of her then-too fertile body. She remembered the pain, yes, but also the sheer ecstasy of it; the feeling of his warm, virile cum pumping into her very womb, his flare spreading her deepest, most sacred chamber so widely...

"D-Deeper! Put it all th' way in me CONSARN IT!" Applejack suddenly demanded, but quite to the contrary, Troubleshoes stopped dead. Applejack immediately cried out in protest, her hips pushing back on him, trying to eek out what pleasure she could from grinding against him, wondering why he'd stopped so suddenly and left her pleasure hanging. She was answered a moment later as he shuffled his back hooves and shifted his angle further downwards. Moments later, Applejack whinnied in pleasure as she felt his thick tip ram against her cervix, then again and again, with Trouble now working hard to get as deep into his mare as she'd demanded of him.

After a number of very rough thrusts against Applejack's cervix, Applejack felt that painful, yet mindblowingly-intense, spreading sensation she had the first time they'd bred and she'd slipped and fell onto him, letting out a scream of ecstasy as she came right then. As her desperate clenching on him was so sudden and unexpected, and with Trouble running purely on instinct himself, he quickly hilted himself into her womb as he felt her whole tract squeezing so needfully around him, her body already working hard to claim his foal as it squeezed him from base to flaring tip. Her fluids gushed onto his crotch and balls as his own tail started to flag, signaling his own orgasm as his balls tensed up against his body, ready to deliver his virile sperm deep inside his proliferous mare's womb, feeling his unbelievably enormous flare stretching her innermost depths wide once again.

After a few seconds of pulsing and flaring as deep inside her milking, winking tract as possible, feeling her foal-oven itself growing tighter around him as he swelled massively within it, Trouble gave out a very loud, dominating whinny and bit down even harder on her crest as he felt the first gush of his seed flood into her receptive core. The whinny was muffled only slightly by the mouthful of her hair and skin he still held tightly in his mouth, Troubleshoes bellowing his conquest out; claiming his mare and letting the world know that she was his; that her foal would be his. The massive flare of pleasure that exploded in his mind made his hips continue to jerkily thrust into her, before a few humps in he slowed and stopped again.

Applejack in turn gave a cry of her own as she felt that deep, hot gush after gush of sticky wetness in her core, feeling her stallion's warm cum spraying and pooling in her over and over, feeling herself massaging his pulsing cock of every warm shot of his heat-cooling balm into her deepest cove.

The feeling of utter satisfaction as her burning and itching there swiftly was replaced once more by that satisfying, warm and soothing feeling deep within her core.

The feeling she'd so badly missed all of her previous heats that they'd had to use a condom, with the lack of it leaving her instinctively unsatisfied.

The deeply satisfying feeling of a foal being pumped into her womb once more.

They both held still as they came together, completely tensed now as Troubleshoes' seed claimed its rightful place directly inside his mare's womb once more, the only movement from them being the heaving of their chests, the occasional quiver from Applejack, and the internal movements of their bodies conceiving a foal. After a good number of seconds of filling her full, his huge flare giving his cum nowhere to go but up, Troubleshoes eventually slid off of Applejack's back. His cum-soaked stallionhood slid out of her with a loud schlick, a stream of his seed soon following as his softened length swung gently side to side before stopping.

Neither spoke for a while, with Applejack quickly slumping to the ground and rolling onto her back as soon as he dismounted her, her face one of pure satisfaction as her hooves idly traced her lower belly, right over the lump of warmth that Troubleshoes had left in her. Her position on her back made sure all of that creamy warmth stayed as deep within her as possible, in her womb where it was needed, Applejack wanting to make sure this wasn't for naught. She wanted his foal.

As Applejack kept tracing her lightly-swollen belly, she knew it would soon be swelling much more with a new life soon. She rubbed for a few minutes more as she and her stud rested, the sheer amount of cum stretching so deep inside her telling her she'd very likely soon be pregnant again. Her family was very fertile after all.

"W-Wow..." was all Applejack could stutter after countless minutes of silence, her mouth finally being able to form words again. She stood, then gave Troubleshoes a deep kiss, which he gladly returned. "Dang, Ahm gonna be walkin' funny fer a while, but hoo-ey was it worth it! Y' were amazin' Sugarcube! Holy hay, if teasin' ya before gets us this good'a orgasm an' me THIS much cum, Ahm gonna have to do it WAY more often!"

Troubleshoes sat there in his post-coitus daze, swaying lightly as his body slowly flushed the endorphins from his system. As he looked at Applejack again, he noticed a small bit of dried blood that had trickled from her crest where he'd apparently broken the skin from biting her too hard in his breeding haze, making him grow worried about how he'd hurt her. "Ahm...really sorry. Ah was too rough, an'—"

Troubleshoes was swiftly interrupted by another harsh kiss, making him whinny quietly in surprise. When Applejack pulled away seconds later, she simply had a very pleased, beyond-satisfied expression on her face. "Sweetie, that was th' best sex we've ever had, ya gave me another foal, and yer apologizin' fer it jus' cuz Ah got a li'l' love nip from ya?! Unbelievable..." she said with a laugh. "Y' better enjoy this li'l' break yer gettin', cuz we ain't stoppin' 'til mah heat's over an' Ahm sure Ah got a foal in mah belly..." Applejack virtually growled, making Troubleshoes' eyes widen.

Minutes later, and true to her word, Trouble already saw Applejack stand and flag her tail to him, lowering her front half slightly and presenting her quite-soaked marehood to him, both his and her climaxes still decorating it. "Ahlright, break's up," Applejack said, swaying her hips side to side, her clit winking rapidly to him in invitation. "C'mon, get to it! Rut me pregnant!"

Troubleshoes' was surprised to find he was still hard as steel even after already breeding her once, his still-damp penis slapping against his underbarrel as he gave another breeding whinny, picking up on her fertile scent once more. He quickly mounted his heated mare and thrust right into her womb again with the first deep hump, getting quite the pleased squeal from her as he did, her very slippery passage instantly clamping down on his entirety.

"It's just mah luck... Ah gotta rut a beautiful mare like you over, an' over, an' over..." Trouble said with mock disappointment as he pulled out and roughly hilted in her again, punctuating each thrust with a repetition for a short while; easily moving through her as his seed and her thick natural lube made him slide easily, getting another cry from her and a moan from him as she continued to reflexively knead the stallion inside her; trying already to claim a second big batch of his beautiful bubbling baby-batter to guarantee she got what he'd promised her.

"J-Jus' shut th' buck up 'n' rut me!" Applejack moaned out, another huge swell of pleasure rolling through her as he once more slammed himself into her sticky, white-painted depths.

And so he did as asked.

Many, many times, in many, many different ways.

Author's Note

Who knew Applejack could get so...dominating? Or Trouble for that matter!

Anyhow, hope you liked this chapter. I have one more planned likely, but maybe (very tiny maybe) more.

Lucky for Life

Troubleshoes sat at the hospital a couple of weeks after a rather heated two days of nearly non-stop rutting. Applejack's estrus had once more ended three days early, both knowing what that'd meant last time it'd happened, and this time both hoping for the opposite result of their first hospital visit under the same pretenses. They'd simply come to confirm what they already knew, with Applejack and Troubleshoes claiming to 'feel' that she was pregnant, as well as Granny Smith telling her she was for definite, all along with her heat ending early.

Most Earth Ponies have a certain ability to pick up on when a pony was with foal, though its strength ranged from just getting a funny feeling while being near a pregnant mare, to outright knowing the day it would be born, the time, and the gender of it within the first few weeks of conception, with a pony's age usually maturing the ability more. Applejack's was only just budding, and while Granny Smith's was matured enough to tell definitively that a mare was pregnant, and its gender after a few weeks or so; hers was relatively weak though it would seem, as its strength was nowhere near that of Pinkie Pie's. That mare could predict when a foal would be born to the second, their gender, weight, length, and race within a week of their conception, and in fact did when Mrs. Cake was pregnant with the twins – and she'd been right with everything for both, including the exact time either was born!

Now, as Troubleshoes waited for Applejack to come out of the same restroom as the first time again, he sat with that same small, eager smile he'd held before the first time they'd done this.

As Applejack came out of the bathroom with a smile on her face moments later, his own smile grew much larger as she happily pranced up to him, proudly bearing the test in her mouth and letting him see it:

/ Pregnant

As he saw that positive result, they immediately wrapped each other in a hug. "Well daddy...looks like we've got another foal to plan for..." Applejack said with a smile, and Troubleshoes indeed returned it. Looks like those old lucky broaches, and quite some 'hard work' towards their goal, had rewarded them. As they went up and had it officially documented, they were both smiling the whole time, and decided to take Golden out for dinner and ice cream in celebration.

As they'd arrived at the ice cream parlor after a dinner of authentic Istallian-style pizza, Applejack sat with her bowl of rocky road, watching as Troubleshoes and Golden laughed and fooled around. As she watched, she saw as Trouble scooped some of Golden's ice cream up and dabbed it onto her nose with a verbal 'boop', instantly sending Applejack back to memories of her father doing the same to her all those years ago. Instead of tearing up at those memories however, she simply smiled. She took another bite of her ice cream, her smile not fading for a long time after.

After dinner and dessert, Golden and her parents had gone home again, full bellies and smiles all around. As Applejack looked to Troubleshoes and he nodded while they were sitting on the sofa, Golden meanwhile playing with some of her toys on the floor, Troubleshoes cleared his throat. "Goldie, we need t' talk t' you about something." he said softly, but even still Golden's eyes went wide.

"Ah swear, Ah only mean to take one cookie! Ah know y' told me not to take any or Ah'd spoil mah supper, but they were jus' so good! Granny's such a good baker an'...an'...Ahm sorry!" Golden suddenly spilled out in her little-filly drawl, sounding much like Apple Bloom did at her age, in fact looking near tears in her guilt. "Ah won't do it ever again! I'll even go fer a week without dessert, Ah jus'..." She stopped as her throat closed up, so upset she'd actually stared to cry.

Both Applejack and Troubleshoes looked at each other is shock, then to their filly again, neither believing how guilty she felt over sneaking a few cookies! "Now now Sugarlump, It's alright! We weren't gonna accuse you of that, but since you admitted to it before we could catch ya... well, jus' don't do it again, ahlright? Nex' time Ah won't be so lenient." Applejack said. Normally she would have given her the punishment of a couple of days without dessert for such a stunt, but given the circumstances she was in a very good mood.

Golden nodded and wiped her tears, her worrying lessening at being absolved of her punishment and guilt. "But...if y' weren't talkin' 'bout th' cookies, what were ya talkin' about?" Golden asked, her head cocked. She was now confused rather than worried. They'd gone out for dinner like they were celebrating one of their birthdays or something, and them talking to her wasn't about the cookies...

"Well..." Applejack continued, looking to Troubleshoes and smiling; "Yer gonna have a little brother er sister in a few months!"

After a few moments of silence, with Golden having the same expression on her face the whole time, Applejack and her stallion were starting to grow slightly worried. Was she unhappy? Was she going to be upset that she was going to be a big sister, and wouldn't be the only foal anymore? Was—

"OHMAHGOSH AHM GONNA BE A BIG SISTER!!!" Golden suddenly squealed out, prancing around and squealing out, before rearing on her back legs and aimlessly swatting at the air with her front hooves, her very sudden burst of enthusiasm taking her parents quite aback. As she continued joyously squealing and bouncing all over the place, Applejack and Trouble nuzzled with each other before giving each other a soft kiss. Their daughter loved the idea of having a sibling, and they loved the idea of giving her one...or maybe more. Perfect.

~ ~ ~

"Ma! Pa! C'mon! C'mon!" a young filly shouted behind her as she galloped ahead as fast as her legs would take her, eager to reach their destination. As they reached the flat crest of a gently steeped hill, the filly was bounding with excitement, almost losing her still-oversized Stetson in the process, her long, braided light-brown mane bouncing against her side with each hoof-fall, her bound tail flailing wildly behind her as she galloped.

"Ah really wish ya'd stay with th' group Sugarlump. Don't need ya gettin' hurt." A mare called out in response to the eager just-turned-three-years-old filly, only leading to an excited giggle from the filly and more encouragements for them to catch up.

"Ah swear, she reminds me so much of mahself at that age..." Applejack said as she and Troubleshoes slowly caught up, with Troubleshoes carrying everything at his insistence, both arriving at roughly the same time at the top of the hill with their own happy burdens. As she looked out over the vast expense of apple trees that early-summer afternoon, she sighed happily at the vista presented to her; acre after acre of fertile and green orchard and farmland, all of the trees bearing the starts of apples, all of the plants starting to grow their own respective crop.

"Beautiful, in'it?" Applejack asked, looking to the stallion beside her, who mumbled through a mouthful of basket handle what Applejack thought was a 'yes'.

"What'd yer ma tell ya 'bout talkin with yer mouth full?" Applejack joked, getting a shrill laugh at that quip from the little filly now bounding around in the tall grass, and Trouble soon after setting down the basket and giving a proper 'yep'.

Applejack grabbed the picnic blanket once Troubleshoes untied it from his back, flicking it open and rolling it out on the grass before then laying on it, with Trouble and their young filly Golden Horseshoe soon after joining them after playing around a bit more.

"So mommy, when is mah li'l' brother getting here?" Golden asked with a child's curiosity, looking down to the lightly-swollen midsection of her mother.

"Well, the doctor said Ah'm 'bout four months along now, so 'bout another seven months...an' who knows, maybe they'll be twins! Pinkie Pie did say she was pickin' up on both a colt and a filly after all, jus' like with Mrs. Cake and her twins!" Applejack replied, receiving a gentle nicker and nuzzle from Troubleshoes at that. She simply smiled as she accepted the affectionate nibble on her ear, retaliating it with a kiss on the side of his muzzle as he passed by. They hadn't been back to the hospital yet for an actual foal viewing yet, and Applejack WAS kind of big for that time of her pregnancy...so who knew!

"Eeeeew!" Golden exclaimed as she saw the 'grown-up' affectionate display, quickly sticking her tongue out in over-exaggerated disgust.

"Golden Horseshoe! Y'get yer tongue back in yer mouth li'l' lady. That's right rude!" Troubleshoes said, with Golden instantly complying with the demand, her ears splaying back as she then apologized.

"ALRIGHT!" Applejack half-shouted, quickly getting the attention of both other ponies, "Shall we eat? 'Bout time fer Golden's lunchtime, an' Ah think our other li'l' foal or foals want their share. But first, Goldie, y'messed yer tail all up. C'mere and let me re-tie it." Golden huffed, but cantered over to her mother, presenting her rump and tail, the tie indeed very loose and her tail hair amiss. Applejack had wanted to braid Golden's tail just like her mane was, to prevent this kind of mussing, but Golden had refused. She insisted the way her mother's tail looked was very pretty, and had in turn insisted her own was done in the same way. Applejack agreed wholeheartedly it looked good on her, Troubleshoes voting as third in favor.

After Golden's tail was fixed and re-tied, Troubleshoes reached for and opened the picnic basket, and Golden simply looked eagerly at the basket, knowing that inside was some double-chocolate cupcakes from Sugarcube Corner and made by 'Auntie' Pinkie Pie for dessert. Instead of the sugary delights she so desired however, Golden was given a mixed-flower sandwich and a very large apple, though despite her internal protest and as her stomach rumbled, she quickly started to chow down.

As they brought out food, Winona and Ryder came trotting up, both sniffing around and seeking tidbits. As it would seem, a few weeks ago a certain type of spring fever had overtaken them too, Winona having gone into her heat and Ryder deciding to alleviate her of that condition. Upon catching them in a mating tie after seeking them out, that position making it extremely obvious that they'd been breeding behind the barn, Applejack had taken her to the vet after a couple of weeks had passed, with her being confirmed pregnant as well.

Soon it would seem, their extended family would get even bigger with six to eight new puppies, at least for a couple of months until they could adopt some of them out. Though, they were already planning on keeping a couple of the pups themselves. Already Winona was showing, her belly protruding noticeably, and Applejack knew she'd likely deliver within a couple of months. Applejack couldn't be happier; her long-time companion and herself having children within the same year!

The family ate their meal, tossing the occasional scrap of bread or apple to the dogs, while Applejack and Troubleshoes talked about what needed doing on the farm, and Golden talked about what she'd done the past few days. When Golden soon after asked for seconds, Applejack realized how much her little gal was like her mother in so many ways, including her massive appetite!

After eating and watching Golden absolutely devour a double-chocolate cupcake with extra frosting then a second, Troubleshoes pulled out some horseshoes and planted a stake in the ground, then explaining and showing Golden how to throw it properly and the rules of the game. When the time came for Golden's turn, she accidentally threw too hard and sent the horseshoe flying too far, with it careen off the hill and into a nearby apple tree. As they gave her another one and she tried again after some more advise, this time they all heard the distinct clink of metal-on-metal, all looking to see she'd perfectly thrown it.

"Wow, gettin' it right-on yer second throw! G'job li'l' missy!" Applejack cooed, seeing Golden start to bounce slightly, beaming from the praise. Trouble went over and pushed the smaller Stetson that Applejack had worn as a foal down over her eyes, Applejack having given her that hat on her third birthday and with it not leaving her head from that day on save for during bathing, sleeping, and its occasional cleaning at her parent's insistence.

Golden laughed as Trouble then started to tickle her while she was blind, desperately trying to squirm away as her father targeted her ticklish belly and inner stifles, Applejack just watching on with a smirk as her stallion acted like a colt yet again.

"Ahlright you two, knock it off..." Applejack said after a few seconds of listening to her squealing filly, figuring Golden'd had enough for now; "We should finish up this game, then move on t' somethin' else. T'ain't every day yer Pa an' Ah both get a day off from work, an' Ah say we make th' most of it, yeah?"

Both filly and stallion nodded as they resumed their game, happily enjoying their time together on the beautiful summer day.

After quite some hours of playing, eating dinner, and generally having fun, Celestia's sun had started to get low in the sky, and her latest romp around had ended in Golden laying down to rest her head on her mother's pregnant belly like a pillow. "Ma, Ahm happy Ahm gonna have a baby brother er sister soon..." Golden said, her statement bringing a smile to both her and Trouble's muzzles.

"Well we're happy too, and we're happy you're happy." Troubleshoes said, nuzzling his daughter and earning her hooves wrapped around his large muzzle in a hug. Before much longer, those hooves had loosened before falling back to being curled against her chest, and seconds later Troubleshoes looked down to see she'd fallen asleep. Apparently the day had worn her out.

"We should be gettin' back t' the house 'fore it gets too dark," Applejack said, getting a nod from Trouble.

"Yeah, we should. Ah'll carry her. Ah can come back for th' other stuff later er tomorrow. Rain ain't scheduled fer a while yet, so they're fine unless y' wanna carry some lighter stuff." he said quietly, carefully picking Golden up and placing her straddled over his back, giving a small smile as she softly squeezed around his neck when he did.

As the sun was starting to lower on the horizon, Luna completing her daily duty alongside her sister as they saw the moon rising in tandem with Celestia lowering the sun, they'd just arrived back at the farmhouse. After putting Golden down in her bed, taking longer than expected upon getting some subconscious resistance to her leaving his back, he traveled to his and Applejack's shared bedroom. Applejack was already in bed; her mane, and presumably tail too though he couldn't see it, had been let loose of her red hair-ties and flowed freely over her shoulders, her looking just like their first night together and many nights since.

"Well, t'day was fun," Troubleshoes said, getting a nod and smile from Applejack as she looked over to him, planting a soft kiss on his lips.

"Mmhm, an' jus' think, y' got at least another foal t' be a daddy to comin' in 'bout seven more months...then pro'lly at least 'couple more in the future." Applejack said, feeling as he caressed her belly from behind, making her his little spoon once more.

"Ah know." he said, still rubbing the gently-sloped mound that contained his second foal, or possibly second and third foals, giving Applejack's crest an affectionate kiss as he nuzzled into it.

"It's just my luck."

Author's Note

...and that's it, my third story done! I hope y'all enjoyed it, cuz I know I liked writing it! I love this ship, and I'm glad it's a mildly popular one!

Thanks for reading!

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Pour maintenant, au revoir, et a bientot!