Drinks Are On Us

Applebloom found herself shocked as she discovered that the cellar had become half-filled with cider barrels already. Especially as she found her big sister setting down another one in the row of kegs. "A-Applejack?"

The aforementioned mare looked up. "Oh, hay Bloom! Don't mind me, just addin' th' latest one to th' pile."

She took a few seconds to take stock, coming to stand beside the older mare. "That's... that's a lot o' cider."

"Yeah, ah know. Ah figured it was a good idea t' go ahead an' get stocked up, this close t' cider day." AJ took a moment to stretch, arching her back as she did so. "Thanks again fer findin' those cups finally, by th' way. They're so much easier t' work with."

"Heh... yer welcome sis." the redheaded filly replied, before observing the barrels again. "Ah dunno if we're even gonna have enough room t' store th' actual homemade cider this year."

It surfaced on her mind to say 'skip it', but knowing how easy it was to run out, she chastised herself for even thinking it. "We'll make do. Store it in mah bedroom, if it comes to it."

"Maybe y'all should slow it down a bit. Ah know what y'all told me, 'bout th' chantin' makin' you make more. Is that what yer usin', t' make all this?"

"Well... " was her only reply to that, as she looked back down at herself. She had opted out of overalls today, in favor of a vest. It was easier to hide any swelling with a vest, she had discovered. "... maybe ah am. But y'don't have t' go worryin' 'bout me, Bloom. Ah know mah limits now." A lot better than ah did yesterday, in fact. She shook her head to remove the warm glow that had suddenly suffused her cheeks, opting to change the subject. " You seen Mac around?"

"Yep!" The little sister bounced. "He's been out workin'! Ever since Doc gave him th' all clear, he's been at it like a madpony!"

"Probably feels guilty after bein' laid up fer so long. Well, we should probably go join'em then. Don't wanna have him workin' so hard, he throws his back out again!"

With a shared giggle, the sisters ascended back into the orchard.

All sorts of ponies came to and from the white fences of Sweet Apple Acres over the year. Sometimes it was friends of Bloom's come to chat and gossip, when they weren't meeting in their clubhouse. Sometimes, it was fellow apple family members from around town or outer Equestria, come to talk shop and make plans with Granny and AJ. Other times, there were pairs of stallions, hoping to catch a glimpse of the hard-working farmmare's form themselves.

Today, one length of fence was being clung to by mares of all sizes, not minding the falling leaves surrounding them. They were here for the tractor pull. Also known as Big Macintosh, working hard enough that he had taken his shirt off to cool down.

Applejack had to roll her eyes as she found him and his nearby fanclub. Strutting over to him, she retrieved his shed shirt and tossed it over his shoulder. "Y'all enjoyin' givin' th' mares somethin' t' oogle?"

He didn't say anything. But an upturned corner of his mouth was as good as a snicker from him.

"Maybe you ought be th' one t' settle down, not me. Y'all got yer pick right over there." She waved at the mares again, who were gracefully out of earshot. "Anypony y' got yer eye on?"

"... nnnope."

She sighed. "Fine. Well, that aside, how're you holdin' up?"

He smiled again, rolling his shoulder a bit. "Better than b'fore."

"Great t' hear. Just in time too."

A squeaking of wheels sounded in the distance. Both ponies turned to find Bloom towing a familiar contraption into the clearing. The cider grinding wheel, along with a couple of bushels of apples.

The mares went into a frenzy, hooting and hollering. They knew what this signified; not just more hot and sweaty stallion, but something even better. The onset of Cider Season itself.

They sat up, right there in full view of the fence. Applejack herself knew that it paid to advertise, even if the methods were a little more hormonally driven than most. Those mares would tell their friends, who'd tell their friends, who'd then let the rest of Ponyville know that it was on its way. On a whim, she scanned the fence, and then the skies, for Dash. There was no sign to be found of her. But then again, she had always suspected her to have interests beyond gender. Ah wonder if there's anythin' like a Cidersexual.

Big Mac sat himself down beside the contraption. Where there might have been a treadmill for a four-legged creature, there was a turning wheel, with a handle long enough for two hands to grasp. Two hands, belonging to the stallion himself, did grasp it now. And Applebloom, on the other side of the mill, began loading the hopper up with apples, inspecting them herself as she did so. "Granny'd say yes... Granny'd say no... Granny'd say no..."

"All right, Mac." the blonde mare announced. "Let'er rip!"

He needed no more persuading. Muscles rippled through his shoulders and arms as he began to crank the wheel. The milling stone behind him quickly built up speed, and it wasn't long before a spigot on the front of the contraption began pouring out freshly squeezed juice. Real apple cider.

There was more cheering from the fence, but no outbreaks of the chant cropped up, for which she was grateful for. Production spurts that she could control were okay in her book. But she still had issues with the words of other ponies causing herself to 'produce' when she wasn't wanting it.

As things were, she felt it was safe to mosey on over to the fence and greet some of these mares herself. She knew the majority of them by name, they were all local mares. Some, like Lemon Hearts and Cherry Fizz, were farmers themselves. Others, like Carrot Top, were 'sworn rivals' and liked to rag and gloat, herself returning the banter, and breaking off with playful grins. And there was always one mare who was heavily dressed down, complete with sunglasses and shawl, as if to hide her identity from everyone else. (AJ was certain it was Fluttershy, even though she kept denying it every year. Nopony else she knew had to work so hard to hide their identity, only to forget to take out their tail extensions.)

It was here, while she was leaning against the fence during a break in the conversation, when she heard another voice. "Heeeeyyyyyy, AyJay. Gotta enjoy a gunshow wherever you see one, am I right? *hic*"

She knew who it was. Turning her head revealed a lavender mare with a burgundy mane and tail leaning against the opposite side of the fence. She was curvaceous, wide-hipped and full-busted, a body type that screamed 'MILF' even though her attitude had always been more the sorority partier. Today, she was wearing a darker purple short-sleeved blouse, the neckline big enough to allow a shoulder to be exposed. And dark blue, almost-black jeans that hugged her like a second skin. It was rather obvious that she was braless. She usually was.

And that she had been drinking. She usually was.

"Hello, Berry."

Berry Punch grinned at her greeting. "Hello to you too, beautiful. Haven't hardly seen hide nor hair o' you lately."

"Been busy, as you know. Things just now gettin' back to normal." Applejack replied, a little huffier than was polite. She didn't know what to make of Berry, herself. She had been a loyal customer, for years on end. Always came and pitched in whenever Ponyville was in trouble. Always supplied the drinks to whatever hootenanny anyone anywhere held. And she was a successful winemaker and mother in her own right.

And yet... her near-constant drunken state. Her tendency to shamelessly hit on anything that moved, male or female. The rumors that she might not be as good a mother as one would hope... they all combined into a cocktail of doubt in the farmpony's head whenever she had to deal with the mare.

Said mare was currently nodding sagely. "Yeaaah, I hear yah. When things get to be too much, you just knuckle down and do your best, right?"

"Somethin' like that."

"I see, I see. Musta been hard getting along without him, I'll bet. I know I'd have a hard time gettin' motivated if I couldn't see those six-packs at work every day."

AJ let out a groan. "Yer welcome t' make a pass at 'em, Berry, but in case y'all fergot, he's mah brother. Ah don't go fer that."

Berry's face went into a pout. "Awww, not even a little? I sure would, if he were my bro. Celestia damn, look at those arms go. And those hands... could make a mare very happy with those~" She returned to gazing out at the display, pressing her bust between her arms as if imagining what those hands could be doing right now.

The orange pony herself looked back out at Mac. She supposed, if she set aside the fact that he was her foalhood bestie, that yeah, he was rather attractive, in his own way. She knew he was healthy in the same way Granny knew, that he was, in most respects, a prime catch. Beyond that, she'd never stared hard at his physique... his well-built chest, the definition of deltoids, that aforementioned six-pack... those rippling strong arms as he churned the crank again and again, the sweat beginning to drip from his shoulders... those big, solid hands...

... ah bet those'd feel real good, on mah tits. Ah'd be willin' t' bet he could hold 'em easily, no matter how big ah got-

She proceeded to slap herself in the face. Berry stared for a split second, before letting out a cackle. "That's what I thought!"

"Oh shut up."

"It's the hands, isn't it?"

"If it were anypony else, ah'd might agree with you. As it is, like ah said, we're blood. It ain't right, an' if yer gonna keep pokin' it, yer gonna find horseshoes up where Celestia's good sun don't shine."

"Alright alright, sheesh." The tipsy mare shuffled half a foot down the fence from AJ. "Didn't think it was that big a deal. You let us watch 'em, after all."

"Granny says he oughta find himself somepony t' settle down with. She keeps hopin' one o' you mares'll catch his eye. Though personally, ah dunno how ah'd feel 'bout you in th' family."

"Ouch. Am I really that bad?"

"Considerin' what you were goin' on about a bit ago..."

"Right..." for a split second, AJ thought she caught a true look of repentance upon her face, before it was quickly whisked away. "Well... thank your Granny for letting us see this show then. Stallion-made-cider... just can't wait this year!"

"Y' usually cain't wait any year."

"I know. Can't help it. You guys make the best, I should know."

"You would know, y' drink nearly everythin' else."

"Nearly." Berry corrected. "I know to never pair a white wine with a mushroom steak, never drink from a bottle that's been stuck in the fridge for weeks, and bottling a worm in the tequila, while charming, is really only good for the griffons."

She was impressed. Surprisingly so. "Well... ah stand corrected then."

"Gotta know my drinks. I'm the town drunk, after all. And right now this mare is thirsty! For stallions! And cider!" She extended an arm up into the air and let out a whoop. "You go Big Mac! Grind that stone! Cider cider, cider, cider-!"

Aj's eyes bugged, before she sucked in a breath, as her shirt suddenly began to tighten. The warmth flushed her body, and she found herself swelling at a rather alarming rate. Down the fence, other ponies were joining into the chant, not helping matters.

As nonchalantly as possible, she let go of the fence, and began walking away down it... 'began' being the key word. As her breasts filled, her sense of balance was quickly going off-kilter. A few confident steps quickly turned into swaying, overbalancing, her arms flailing briefly to stay upright.

And then suddenly, she heard the gasp. She turned to find the source.

It had been Berry. Gratefully, she had stopped chanting to do so. However, it had been because she had first seen AJ's wobbling, causing her vest to fly back, exposing her suddenly-swollen bust. And the turning-around had allowed her to see that it was still swelling... and possessing of golden wet spots upon telltale peaks.

They traded stares. Suddenly aware of her leakage, the blonde pony crossed her arms around as much of her bust as she possibly could. She then watched the other mare, frozen like a deer in headlights.

She stared back. Slowly, her eyes widened, as if in realization. She looked down the fence at the other mares chanting, then back to her, then back and forth again. Something in her eyes sparkled. This did not look like someone who had discovered something horrifying, as AJ had feared. Instead, the look that came over her face was something much more akin to someone having found the legendary Golden Apple. She didn't know if she liked that look any better.

Standing up off the fence, the wine mare sauntered down towards her, hand touching a post every now and then. It was a purposeful saunter, hips rocking back and forth with every step, like a cat stalking its prey. When she finally reached AJ, she looked her up and down, and then asked, with surprisingly little husk in her voice "Need some help?"

"I... a-ah.... e-err..." was her intelligent and witty reply. The swelling was slowing down, but she could feel it wouldn't stop so long as she was in earshot within the other chanting mares.

Berry's expression shifted to one of mercy, as she lifted a hand and placed it on the farmmare's shoulder. "... Horte Cafe, 2:00 tomorrow afternoon. My treat. Hope to see you there."

And with that, she let her go, and proceeded to walk off down the road, back towards Ponyville, leaving the gunshow and one very bewildered cider mare behind. AJ stared after her, watching that hypnotic walk and sway of tail. ... what in th' world was that all about?

She had no idea what to make of Berry's sudden offer. She told Granny, Mac, and Bloom about it, though Bloom was the only one who got the full unedited version. The general consensus was that Berry had never been a bad pony, as far as anyone was aware of. Only Equine. Granny in particular said it would be bad manners to not show your face after they'd said they'd be treating.

Still, AJ told her sister later, she felt that Berry knew what was going on. She didn't know how she'd put it together so quickly, but the way that it had gone down... she had a nagging suspicion of the town drunk. Something something golden goose eggs, she'd said.

Applebloom's answer had been simple. "Don't go alone."

This was the reason why Twilight Sparkle and Spike were having an early dinner today at the Horte' Cafe. When asked of the details by her assistant, she'd simply explained it as 'insurance'. Basically, if Berry really did try something as asinine as a kidnapping, she'd have to deal with the Princess of Friendship herself first.

The alicorn had been perusing her menu, when she saw Berry Punch walking in, close to twelve minutes before 2:00. They'd chosen outdoor seating for this purpose, to keep an eye on her better. And to make themselves a little visible as well. If the mare felt any nervousness at seeing the alicorn having lunch at her chosen restaurant however, she didn't show it.

She picked a table of her own, also outdoor seating. Was given a menu, and then without looking at any lists, ordered something right off the bat. Twi knew she could listen in, but in this case, felt she should wait until her friend got here first.

Right at the chosen hour, Applejack herself showed up. Stepping into the group of tables, she looked around until Berry spotted her, waving her over. She and Twi made brief eye contact, before making way over to the wine pony's table.

"Well," she drawled, pulling out a chair and taking a seat. "Ah'm here."

"You are, and I'm glad." Berry replied, grasping her hands together. The farmpony took a moment to realize that she'd changed her attire slightly, an unbuttoned purple shirt, on top of a pure white undershirt. As before, she was obviously braless. But one other thing about her, that set bells ringing in her head... her cheeks were not flush, speech not as slurred, eyes sharp. She was not drunk, or even hung over. She was sober.

"So, uhm... what didja want t' talk 'bout?"

"Well... about you. And about me too. But before either of those, I think we should really have a drink first."

"Call me shocked." Ah shoulda known it wouldn't last.

"No seriously, I think you deserve it. Besides, I did say it was my treat." The mare craned her head to look behind her, spying a waiter. "Ah, here it comes now."

The waiter set upon the table a couple of glasses, and a bottle of red wine, cork already popped. AJ recognized the label as Berry's own winery brand. Well, we sell bottled cider to these places too. No biggie. she thought to herself, only half-listening as her host instructed the waiter to give them plenty of time to peruse their menus.

Once he was gone, the purple mare picked the bottle up, holding it with obvious pride. "Dark Cherry and Grape Merlot, my own personal recipe. Merlot's something special to me, you know. Ingredients are simple, but the outcome's something that's considered high-class. Been making Merlot for years now, ever since Ruby was born."

Applejack perked an ear. "Ruby, huh? There a reason y' didn't name her Merlot then?"

Berry laughed, a guffaw that ended with a snort. "I wouldn't wish that on anypony's foal, AJ. I'm lucky I got away with just 'Punch'. No, Ruby's got a whole different future in store for her." Her smile turned fond. "I can't wait to see it."

She obviously cares 'bout her filly. AJ found herself thinking. There's lies, an' then there's half-truths, and that right there was neither. Out-loud, she asked "Why right after Ruby's birth then? Just a Merlot phase?"

"Oh it wasn't right after. Before, it was just an occasional thing I dabbled in. Later, up to now, it became everything." She sat the bottle down on the table again, keeping it in one hand. "Merlot, with the scent of cherries and plums. Merlot, can be paired with the sweet, and the savory. Merlot, from simple ingredients, to a first-class demand!"

Her companion rolled her eyes. "Is that a mantra?"

"Sure! Oh come on now, you've got your own thing about apples and cider yourself, I'm sure, indulge me here a little, eh? Merlot! With the scent of cherries and plums!"

"Merlot, with th' scent o' cherries an' plums." The heart was not exactly there.

"Merlot! with the sweet and the savory!"

"Merlot, with th' sweet an' th' savory."

"Merlot! From simple ingredients, to a first-class demand!"

"Merlot," Applejack's eyes swept Berry's form critically. "From simple ingredi-"

Something was off. Something was different now, about Berry. Oh she was all up and into her merlot, a sense of pride that she supposed she couldn't fault her for. But there was something else beyond that, something that was front-and-center, yet at the same time, hard to...

... see...

... her bust, had become bigger. She had always been a full-chested mare, courtesy of bearing a foal, but right here and now, it looked as if Berry's breasts had become even fuller, since she had sat down in front of her. But... that cain't be right, wouldn't she have said anythin-

She realized she had been staring. Her eyes timidly tilted up to meet Berry's own gaze. The latter mare had stopped speaking, and was now grinning wolfishly, her head tilted, almost... expectantly.

... like she knew what was goin' on...

AJ's eyes widened. Her gaze returned to the purple mare's bust... and quietly, pitched only so the pony seated across from her could hear, she chanted. "... Merlot, merlot, merlot?"

Berry Punch closed her eyes. leaned her head back, and let out a throaty hum as in her white undershirt, her breasts swelled. They did not surge, they did not thrust. But they did fill her shirt up even fuller, nipples tenting the fabric obscenely. When they slowed, her lips parted to whisper. "One more time, AJ... do it one more time."

"... M-Merlot, merlot, merlot."

Again they swelled forth. By now, it looked like the older mare was smuggling a pair of honeydews underneath her shirt. But it was towards the end of this expansion period that she finally let out a sigh, quickly accompanied by a pair of dark spots upon the crest of her bosom. And these weren't the wet white of milk, or even the clear gold of cider... these spots were a deep, fruity red, made insanely visible, almost beacon-like, by her white shirt. The aroma, as AJ suspected, was exactly as described. A scent of cherries and plums.

"Mmm..." the wine pony sighed, crossing her arms under her engorged bust and lifting it up. "I haven't been this full in a long while."

"Yer... y-your breasts..." she found herself stammering. "Y-you're... you're makin' merlot, from your breasts!"

There was a nod. "Yes... yes, I am... much like how you must be making cider from yours, aren't you?"

She was got. She glanced down at her own bust, chagrined to see that despite having emptied before coming out, the few utterances of the word 'cider' at their table had been enough to make her bust jut out a few cup sizes. Looking back up, she found herself tongue-tied once again, words fighting for their turn upon her lips. It would be a few seconds of sputtering before she was able to actually speak.

"W-Why didn't you say something!?"

"C'mon AJ, I'd just gotten on your nerves, and after seeing the condition you were in right there... a condition that I triggered, at that, which I really do apologize for..." the elder mare rested her elbows upon the table, her chin resting on her wrists. "If I had told you right then 'Oh no prob, I've got the same deal here, see, look', would you have really taken it well?"

"... p-prob'ly not... b-but y' didn't have t' trick me inta sayin' Merlot a buncha times, if it's your trigger!"

She waved a hand. "It's no big, honestly. I've had a lot of time to adjust." She looked down herself, seeing the dark stains having spread even wider. "S'why I wore this, there's actually a big ol' hole in the back. Will be tossing this once I get home."

"H-how many ponies know?"

"Ruby knows. Various stallions and mares early on who freaked out and thought I was bleeding. I think Pinkie Pie knows, but she hasn't said anything to me about it directly. And my marefriend. What about you?"

"E-er, well..." AJ glanced past her to see Twilight and Spike again, seeing that both now had dinner, and were eating, though the alicorn raised her head to look back at her again. "Mah sister knows... an' ah've let at least one friend in on it. B'sides that, ah've not told any other souls 'bout it."

Berry nodded. "It's not exactly natural, is it? You'd make danged sure that whoever knew, they'd be someone you trust, implicitly." She lifted the bottle, uncorked it, and proceeded to pour both herself and her guest a glass of the red wine. She held her own glass to eye level, watching the swirling inside as she quietly added "Doesn't make you feel any less lonely though..."

That got her attention. "... how long have you been making it?"

"Toldja, started not long after Ruby was born."

"... ain't Ruby 7?"

"Yup."

"You've been lactatin' Merlot for seven years?!"

The purple pony snickered at the outburst. "Keep it down filly, you're gonna draw some stares... yeah, I've been doing this for a long while now. It can get a little rough at times..." she looked up then, into AJ's emerald eyes. "Having found another mare at last, with the same set of problems as me... do you think it's a bit hasty of me to try and make friends with them?"

The orange mare was silenced. Inside, she felt slightly ashamed. "... ah'm sorry. When this started up, one of th' things ah was worried about, was that some crazy pony might... well, y'know..."

"Kidnap you? Hook you up and make you their personal cider factory?"

"... y-yeah."

"Well, I wouldn't put it past some ponies, if they ever found out. Kinda worried about that myself the first few years, so you're not alone." She sipped her wine. "When did yours start? How did it start?"

Applejack gave a sigh, proceeding to invest her trust. "... about a couple months ago now, give or take a week. You probably heard, Mac and Bloom were both out of sorts, an' ah was feelin' mighty down. Went fer a walk. Found a wishin' well."

Berry's ears perked. "Wishing well? What did you wish for?"

"Ah wished t' be able t' make enough cider t' keep th' farm afloat, and t' serve all of Ponyville."

"Mmm. And then suddenly your tits started leaking cider. Sounds familiar."

"Ah didn't actually see it till th' next day-... familiar?" She found herself leaning forward. "Yer not sayin'... that you made a wish too?"

An ironic smile played out upon the wine mare's lips. "Well and all. My situation was a bit more immediate too, than Cider Season. Wanna hear the story?"

"Sure as shootin'."

"Then let's go ahead and order. I'm gettin' hungry."

What Berry did to disguise her stains was simple but effective, taking the wine bottle and splattering a few extra drops onto her white shirt. The waiter brought them a towel, before proceeding to take their order. It was only then when she finally began to tell her story.

"At the time, I was living in Canterlot still, living in low-rent housing, having to buy ingredients instead of growing my own. Ruby's... 'father', had long since skipped out of town, and I was just not feeling the grace of Celestia's holy city, no offense to Celestia herself. I'd decided to move to Ponyville, to 'start over', I guess, just me and my daughter. But first, I needed enough bits for a down payment."

"Enter the Canterlot Annual Wine and Spirits Exhibition Show. I still go up there to compete every year, y' know, but this was my first time. I'd perfected my Merlot recipe, and had gotten my own booth, all signed up to be judged. Giving out samples... I was a mess." She shook her head and laughed at herself. "You'd had to have been there. Me in my best little red dress, nursing pads stuck in it, a fussy little foal just under the table itself, and I was just sure I'd put my makeup on wrong. The only thing good I had going was that ponies really did like my merlot... liked it a little too much in fact. That show quickly became my own personal Ponyville."

AJ tilted her head. "Started running out?"

"You know it. I could only make so much in what little space I had, and let's be honest, I didn't really expect to place either. I'm down to my last two bottles, and I decide to close my booth for a short bit, take a walk for some fresh air. Did Ruby some good, she'd never liked stuffy spaces."

"So anyway, it's dark out, sun's just set. I'm walking around, feeling pretty hopeless. And then lo and behold, what do I find?"

She could see it a mile away. "... a well?"

"That's right. Rather simple-looking thing too, made from stone. Not like what you'd usually see in the city. I had a bit on me, so I went to it, and made a wish, that I could make it through the convention. 'Pleeease let me not run out of merlot before the con's done!' I think was what I said. Flipped my bit in, then turned around, and went back in."

"And then what?" the farmmare asked. She had begun leaning in, elbows on the table.

Berry rubbed her cheek, recalling the events from deep memory. "Well... I guess I was lucky I had started weaning Ruby when I did. I was still lactating good ol' fashioned milk, but at that point I was just pumping it into bottles, and letting her have those. I was still carrying around the pumping kit in my purse. Real lucky if you ask me."

"We'd gone back inside, and I'd gone ahead and served up the other two bottles, one at a time. Ponies still loved it, so that was good. They were raving about it, asking me to come next year... and yeah, the word 'Merlot' was being tossed around a lot. Wasn't too long before I started feeling full up top. Ignored it best I could for as long as I could, but I think you know, after a while it starts to hurt. So I closed down again, stepped out into the bathroom, and got ready to pump." She pinched her brow. "Was also lucky nopony heard the scream."

"You screamed?"

"My nursing pads were dark, dark red, and I could see the dripping from my nipples. Like everypony else who's seen it, I thought I was bleeding. It took me a bit to get my head screwed back on straight... enough so to realize it wasn't smelling bloody, but fruity."

"An' all this happened one right after th' other?"

"That's right. Again, it took me a bit, but once I finally got around to looking at it, to tasting it, that it was my own recipe... well, it wasn't too hard to put two and two together. And it was my chance. I got my pumping kit out, rinsed it out as much as possible, and then started emptying them. The first time around, I had to sneak-refill my empty wine bottles at my booth, with what I'd pumped. But it was enough to top off the both of them. And even later after that, I snuck out to my cart outside, got a handful of empty bottles I had out there, and filled those up in the bathroom to sell off at con's end."

Applejack sat back, smiling now. "You made enough t' survive th' show."

"I sure did. Even better, I placed second. Wasn't exactly the best, but I had got a payout, and a loyal customer base as well. And my down payment."

"What about th' well? Was it still there?"

"That's a thing. When we finally left, I went to where it had been to thank it, but it was just... gone. A patch of grass where it was before."

"That's what happened t' me." AJ tilted her hat back. "Here t'day, gone t'morrow. Maybe they were th' same well?"

"I wouldn't doubt it."

"Dadgumn thing's sense o' humor... well, what happened after that? Y' moved here, right?"

"Sure did. Got enough room to start growing my own crops for other wines. Started taking orders, and wouldn't you know, it was my Merlot that was the highest in demand. Something I could always supply. Made enough to even open a small storefront, as you know."

"Yes, my production, like you, is triggered by saying 'Merlot'. But unlike Cider, it's not exactly something that ponies line up outside my door and chant over. I've never been a fast producer otherwise, and even when I am triggered, it's not a super-huge spurt. All that adds up to me being able to stay below the weirdness radar all these years."

The farmpony looked down at herself again, seeing that by now, her bust was resting on the table. "So, am ah... weird, then? Ah mean, ah make an awful lot, really fast. That's not normal, is it?"

"Hon, up to now, I've been the only one I've known to make drinks the way we do. I couldn't tell you if you're 'normal' or not. I don't think either of us are, really. Even the rumors of the milkmare over in Trottingham says that she at least makes regular milk."

She rubbed her head. "Alright. Still, you've been at this longer than ah am, obviously. Ah don't suppose y'all got any tips fer me, have yah?"

"Probably not anything you haven't been doing already. Got a pump, and a place to store it all, right?"

"That's right. Been stockin' up fer cider season itself. Bloom's been helpin' me keep everything hidden from Mac an' Granny-"

They were interrupted by their food arriving, a garden salad for Berry, and a thick grilled portobello cap for AJ. The talk paused long enough for the both of them to dig in, the blonde mare at last picking up her wineglass and giving it a swirl.

She directed a glance at her dining companion, questioning. She only got a grin back in return, which she supposed was all the answer she needed. Taking a sip, she let it glide over her tongue, breathing as any beverage enthusiast would. At length, she spoke. "... not bad at all. Goes well with th' mushroom."

"Doesn't it? I mean, I know I was playing hard-to-get earlier, but a lot of what I said about it is true. It's really hard to go wrong with it... and that's one of the reasons I've put up with my body doing what it does. You can't blame me having a little pride."

"Nah... no, ah suppose ah cain't. Or fer you bein' all mysterious-like. Really put me on mah guard."

"I have to be unpredictable." She nibbled a leaf from her salad, eyes cast down into it. "I'm the town drunk."

Applejack glanced at her again, remembering what she had said earlier. Seven years, doing something that helps you, but makes you afraid to share with anypony else, feeling like you're th' only one in th' world...

Out-loud, she found herself saying "... wouldn't you rather be a friend?"

The lavender mare looked up at her. "... would you have me?"

"... sure." She found herself smiling. "We've both got a few things in common... an' ah think ah can keep a secret, if you can too."

Berry grinned back. "Been keeping it for seven years. Think I can hold a little extra."

AJ held out a hand, which her newfound friend did not hesitate in taking and shaking. It was only after that when she added, peering over her shoulder, "Ah know at least one of mah other friends is gonna wanna give you a very thorough checkup."

Never before in her 20+ years of life, did Berry Punch ever suspect that one day, she would be sitting in the crystal castle, topless, undergoing a magic breast exam conducted by the Princess of Friendship herself.

"There's no doubt about it." Twilight announced, scribbling furiously on her noteboard. "This was wish magic too. The pattern set collaborates with what you've told us, Berry, seven years old. Way too long for any etheric residue to have remained by now. I'm willing to bet though that if I ran a reverse metamorphic tissue scan, it'd give me an even more complete idea of the shape of its kiimetic waveform!"

The poor punch pony blinked, held in place by a glow surrounding her bosom. She turned to the side towards AJ, and asked blankly. "What did she say?"

"It's all Greek t' me too."

"Basically," the alicorn began. "I can tell the manner of a spell that's been cast, by using a number of methods. With AJ, she'd come to me the morning after the change had been made on her, so the etheric residue was still fresh on her. But I can take a look at how your tissue has been changed itself, to infer some of the things that the spell was made up out of. E-er, that is, with your permission."

She was slow to respond. "Is this going to involve needles?"

"... what? No! No, no needles. It'll just be an X-ray of sorts. It'll just tingle a little."

"It's tingling now."

"Oh you know what I mean."

"But why would you need t' know that?" Applejack asked. "If y' already know it was wish magic, what would diggin' deeper get you?"

"Finishing the counterspell." was the reply. "Even the tiniest differences in what fragmented data I get would go a long way towards finalizing it."

"Wait wait wait, hold up." Berry waved her hands. "A counterspell? You mean, something that could...?"

"It would undo the effects of the wish magic, and turn you back to normal." Twi stated. "As it stands right now, I think I could cast it in its present state, and the chances of it working as intended would be quite high, at least 75 percent. That said, the remaining 25 percent could still do something completely unexpected. So..."

"Ah getcha." the farmmare replied, leaning against a bookcase. "Well... ah'm not in dire straights just yet. Th' real deadline ah think, is gonna be th' day b'fore Cider Day itself. Whatever state th' spell is in by then, ah'll take mah chances with it, y' hear?"

Her friend nodded. "Right. I'll keep working on it then. Still, a scan from you, Berry, would help speed things along even more. And hey, if the waveforms are as close as I suspect, it could undo your changes too!"

The wine mare found herself surprisingly speechless. She looked back and forth between both ponies, and then back down at her bust. It took a few seconds before she looked back up, something having occurred to her. "W-wait, why the day before Cider day?"

AJ's eyes had closed, her bust just then having swollen out a few more inches from her utterance of the trigger word. "Ngf... it's b'cause of that. Every time ah hear it, mah tits go inta overdrive. When th' day comes, ponies'll be sayin' it everywhere all th' time. If ah still got these girls churnin', ah'll hardly be able t' function. Ah'd have t' wear earmuffs, an' that just ain't gonna work."

"Alright... alright, yeah, that's a problem. I remember..." She was quiet for a few seconds more, before apparently making up her mind, placing both hands on her seat, steeling herself. "Alright Miss Sparkle, go ahead. Do your thing. It can't be any worse than getting a mammogram."

Bloom was relieved when she heard the front door open, and AJ's voice echo her arrival through the house. When she ran in however, she was not expecting a second pony to have accompanied her.

"Are y'all sure y' won't stay fer a bit?" her big sister was asking the purple pony beside her. "We're gonna be havin' dinner in a bit. Ah need t' pay y'all back fer lunch anyways."

"Oh no, I really couldn't. I need to be getting back home anyways, my mare'll start getting worried if I'm out too long." Berry waved a hand, looking apologetic, before her usual wolfish grin appeared again. "If you really wanna pay me back though, you could always spot me a few mugs of cider come-... oh, hello!"

"Howdy, Missus Punch." Bloom greeted, clambering onto a chair as she did so. "Welcome back, sis. Ah'm guessin' y'all didn't get into trouble 'r nothin'?"

"Nope. As a matter o' fact," Applejack gestured to their guest. "All it was, was that Berry just wanted t' tell me that she got a 'secret' of her own~"

The filly stared, before she looked at the wine mare, eyes wide. "Yer... makin' like mah sister?"

"Merlot." she replied, crossing her arms under her bust. It had become quite full as the day had gone by, each orb almost as big as her head. "I just wanted to show your sis that she wasn't alone. I'm hoping we can become friends really. I totally understand though, if you don't think-"

"Nah, that's cool." Applebloom piped, resting her arms on the chair's back. "Ah'd been thinkin' bout invitin' Ruby over t' work on homework, actually. We both got a history assignment this week, an' it'd be nice t' visit too."

"Well, sure, ah dun see a problem with that." AJ gave a smile. "Do you, Berry?"

She returned the smile. "Not at all. I'm sure Ruby would love it." she replied, before glancing over at a wall clock and giving a low whistle. "Yeah, I gotta hoof it. Hope to see you some more, AyJay. Don't be a stranger, you hear?"

"Ah won't, Berry, ah won't."

"And relax, this is totally not an exceedingly convoluted scheme for me to get in your big brother's bed."

Bloom laughed as AJ gave the mare a shove out the door. "Talk it over with Granny, but leave me out of it! Go home, y' crazy mare. Be safe."

She grinned again, trotting off their porch, before turning around briefly to blow a kiss. The farmpony didn't know if it was meant for her or not, but didn't budge as she watched her gallop down the path. "Amazin, that mare. To th' last."

"She didn't try any funny business on you, did she?"

"She didn't. She just likes bein' weird. Too much like Pinkie Pie, ah think."

"Ah dunno, ah like Pinkie Pie. Ah think ah could get t' like Missus Punch too."

"Yeah... she's not a bad pony. B'sides... ah think we both needed a friend..."

Bloom picked up the tone in her sister's voice. Getting down, she padded softly to her sister's side, taking her hand. "... AJ? Y'all okay?"

"... mm what? Oh, yeah, ah'm fine Bloom. Just thinkin'." She idly caressed the side of her own bust, feeling her own fullness for a second. "... ah'm gettin' full, but ah can hang on t' drain in a bit. C'mon Bloom, let's you an' me start dinner, whaddya say?"

"Sure thing sis! We got a buncha mushroom caps that Granny got from market th' other day, ah was thinkin' o' grillin' 'em up! It'll be all fancy, an' ah think Mac 'll love it!"

AJ grinned, and nodded as she followed behind her sister to the kitchen, unable to find it in her heart to tell her that she'd already had mushroom steak that day.

Weeks passed. Cider season built. More and more barrels were stocked. And Berry and AJ slowly, surely, got to know each other better.

And so it was a full two weeks before Cider Day itself, when an unsuspecting Ponyville gained a visitor.

It was a long, black carriage with tinted windows, slung low to the ground, not the sort of thing you'd find in a country town. One of the towing stallions unharnessed, trotted to the door, and opened it wide, allowing its occupants to disembark.

The pair of ponies who emerged... both of them were unicorns, one a gangly, withered old horse whose toupee was perched precariously on his head. It slid down as he moved, prompting him to re-seat it.

The other unicorn... the few ponies on the street who saw her had to stop and stare. She was not your usual Ponyville mare. She looked astoundingly out of place, as if she'd just stepped off a stage in a jazz bar. She looked, for all in the world, like a lounge singer.

Tall, more than half a head taller than the average mare. A build that would make any beach model jealous, her limbs long, yet soft. Her attire marked her a Canterlot native, long gloves, a sash around her hips, that curvaceous form all contained within a one-piece purple shoulderless cocktail dress... a dress that, some witnesses swore, was fighting a losing battle with the mare's unbelievable bust.

They were huge. Easily twice the size of her head, the tops completely exposed, allowing anyone to take at good look at her displayed cleavage. The pelt covering them was a creamy off-white, almost a blue shade, flawless... save for a single beauty mark along the top of her left breast. She did not simply use them to catch the eye. She led with them, jutting them out purposefully with every step she took.

"Is this the place?" she asked the weaselly stallion following her.

"Your guess is as good as mine." he replied. "You're the one with the sense."

She nodded, her dark blue eyes taking another survey of the locale, before her horn lit up in a matching dark blue aura. After a few seconds, she stopped. "It is here. Or it was here, recently." A smile slowly played across her lips. "That means less work for us... is the location we discussed tenable?"

"Miss Vanilla, the establishment has been abandoned for years. We can secure payment and begin demolition by noon tea today."

"Good work, Hidden Deal." she replied, the smile turning into a small grin, as she lifted a martini glass to her lips. "The word is given. Today, 'Taps' will build its first franchise location outside of Canterlot. Spread the word, let the poor mares here know some new opportunities are coming to town."

"And also..." Vanilla Vodka whispered more to herself, brushing long silver-streaked, platinum-blonde locks aside. "Keep an eye open... for local mares, with... natural talents~..."