Chapters by AppleCiderJack
In the wide cosmic yarnball that is the Multiverse, lies long worlds that differ from each other, one variable at a time. Starting out from a singular world known only as Equestria, inhabited by intelligent quadrupedal equines, it takes only a few steps to the left to find the same world again. Only that its inhabitants and world have taken on a slightly more anthropomorphic structure, walking on two hooved legs, but manipulating the world with fine dexterous hands and fingers. Not to mention other more humanoid anatomy, upon which this story focuses on...
It got annoying some mornings. Be in the middle of some relaxing dream, when gradually you start feeling as if your chest was a pair of water balloons about ready to pop.
Her eyes shot open. Gently, she shifted. The movement of weight in her bust was all she needed to know. She was full to the brim, yet again.
Just remember, AJ. This is gonna see th' farm well past Cider Season. is what she tried to tell herself. Instead it came out more of a "Hrrmmgfffgmble..."
At length, she stumbled out of bed. With all the grace of a zombie set out to thaw, she made her way to the restroom, to relieve herself in more ways than one.
Staring at her bedraggled image in the mirror, she could see the issue. Her pajamas were stretched tightly around her chest. Again. The buttons were straining, leaving gaps which revealed a deep line of freckled cleavage in full view. Again. And capping each of her mounds, was a dark and moist stain, tinted gold by leaked produce. Again.
She dragged out a couple pails from beneath the counter and sat herself on the toilet lid. With practiced movements now, she unbuttoned her top, allowing her breasts to fall free, each one easily bigger than her head. And then without further ceremony, she grasped each one in a hand, positioned them over the buckets, and squeezed .
Dark brown nipples reacted instantly, unloading sprays of sweet golden beverage from within them, the aroma of apples and spices rising sharply in the air. Pure apple cider poured from her breasts, cascading into the pails beneath, ready to contain and store for a promised day in the future, when she would finally have enough cider for everypony in town.
If ah'd known that well had a sense o' humor she mused to herself. Ah woulda bucked it clean int' last Tuesday.
Some months earlier...
Applejack had spent the evening strolling the orchard for some time now, alone with her thoughts. They were not happy ones, considering everything that had happened that morning.
Big Macintosh had slipped on a rotten apple the day before, and had thrown out his back in the process. The doctors had said it would take him weeks to recover. This morning, Applebloom had woken up complaining of being stiff and sore. A quick check had revealed her running a high fever, and she had been put back to bed with lots of juice. And Granny... She had almost scared AJ half to death when she hadn't gotten up that morning. It turned out she had stayed way up late the night before, but it was a sobering reminder that her grandmother was not getting any younger.
Cider Season's three months away. she reminded herself. An' ah'm th' only one left on th' farm really able t' do anythin... this ain't lookin' good, no matter how you look at it.
She glanced up at the trees. Even the leaves themselves seemed to be dry and brown, further coloring the shade of doubt in her mind. She could see the apples hanging in their branches, but she now doubted if it was even enough to see the farm through the winter.
... Twi and th' others always said they'd be willin' to come help, if ah really needed it. And it's lookin' like ah may need it too, this year... it wouldn't be a problem. So why am ah feelin' so reluctant?
They had been lucky the year before. The competition with the Flim Flam brothers had produced more barrels of cider than they had ever made before. That was the one year when they truly had enough cider for everypony in town. And it was a feat that she'd dearly love to pull off again...
She strolled out into a clearing in the middle of the orchard. From here, the rows of trees spread out like spokes of a wheel, surrounding and fencing in the area like something of an arena. She could tell Mac had been working here yesterday, there was a wheelbarrow in the middle of the clearing, along with a shovel and two bags of sod, all parked right next to an open-topped well.
"... has that well always been there?"
Curiosity piqued, she ambled over to it, resting a hand upon its rim. It was a rather simple well, its walls made out of stone and clay. She racked her brains, trying to remember if she'd seen it before and used it... for some reason, its presence was strange in her mind...
And then a memory floated to the surface.
Granny Smith standing on the porch, looking out at the orchard, talking to a much younger Applejack. "We got a well out here, y'know? Problem is, we went an' lost it, after ah decided t' make a wish in it."
"But that don't make sense!" the orange filly had exclaimed. "How can y' lose a well? It's dug in th' ground an' everythin'!"
"Ah don't know, sugarcube." her granny had replied. "One day it was there, and th' next, it weren't anymore. Ah reckon it felt it had other places t' be. But that's alright. We managed just fine without it, in th' end. And b'sides..." a glow overtook the elder mare's face. "Mah wish came true, after all... ah met yer grandpappy the very next day~..."
In the present, AJ's eyes widened. Was this it, then? The roaming wishing well that her grandmother had mentioned? If so, it had sure picked a heck of a time to return. She could see the reflection of water in its depths, so she knew it could be used for its intended purpose. Wait till Granny hears about this!
A breeze swept through the clearing, prompting her to stick her hands into her pockets. Doing so, she felt her fingers brush over something metallic in one. Withdrawing it, she saw that she had a single bit with her. And here she was, the farm down on its luck, with a small flame of pride still in her heart...
... y'know... why th' heck not.
She leaned over the well again, peering into its depths. Clamping her hands over the bit, she then made her wish.
"Ah wish that ah can make enough apple cider t' get our family through till Cider Season. Ah hope that never again, will ah run out of Cider, for mah friends and for all of Ponyville."
With that said, she set the bit upon her thumb, and flicked it into the well. It took a few seconds before she heard the telltale 'plink' of water being disturbed. She took a step back, and waited.
Nothing happened.
After standing there for half a minute, she started to feel a little bit silly. She had half-expected flashing lights and fireworks of some sort to start shooting around. Guess when y' live in a world with magic on every corner, yer expectations are a bit higher.
At length, she turned away, and started making her way back to the farmhouse. No wishes may have been granted, but that was okay. A returned well was more than enough help for a farm as beleaguered as hers.
That following morning, she had woken up with the strangest sensation. A soreness, in her breasts.
Half-awake, she sat up in bed, and unbuttoned her top, letting them fall out into her hands. She'd always considered them a decent size for a mare of her build, a steady D-cup for the past five years. Rounded, smooth, with a dusting of freckles along their tops that led down into her cleavage. More than once had Granny told her that it wouldn't hurt to leave a few buttons undone and advertise a little. The farm was her life though, and any pride she had in her bust was kept buttoned down and quiet.
Today, they felt tender. And swollen. Hefting them in her hands, she bit back a noise as an unfamiliar sensation rocked them. They were most definitely heavier than usual. And they filled out her hands more than they had the previous day.
Now ain't THIS a kick in th' pants. she thought to herself. Hope ah ain't comin' down with somethin'. Th' last thing ah need is fer these t' get in th' way.
After a period of adjustment, she finally washed up, dressed, and went downstairs. Granny had been up early it seemed, and was flipping flapjacks. Both Bloom and Mac were seated at the table, both of them wearing a mask of death warmed over.
"Mornin' y'all." she greeted, stifling a yawn, and making a beeline for Bloom to check her head. "How're you doin', t'day'?"
"Mrgble." was all the yellow filly had to say. Her forehead was still warm to the touch, which worried Applejack more. Mac didn't say anything, but then again he didn't have to, his expression and posture told enough.
"We're all hangin' in there, AJ." Granny replied, plating up the last pile of flapjacks, and carrying them over to the table. "Y'all were out late last night though. Anythin' happen out there?"
The well resurfaced in the orange mare's mind. "Ah think somethin' did. Mac, b'fore y' slipped, didja notice if y' put the wheelbarrow in th' spokecenter, next to a well?"
The stallion opened his mouth, before pausing and rubbing his chin. He wasn't sure. "... A well?"
"That's right, a well. Ah found everythin' sittin' next to it last night."
Granny 's eyes were wide. "Yer sayin' you found a well out there?"
"That's what ah'm sayin'." AJ replied, taking a seat and securing herself a couple of pancakes. "Ah cain't remember there bein' a well in th' Spoke before... but ah do remember you tellin' me y'all lost a well once."
Applebloom's face screwed in confusion. "How do y' lose a well?" she asked. "It's all dug int' th' ground an' everythin'."
"Not this well." the green elder replied, taking her own seat. "Ah told AJ 'bout it once, it up and vanished th' day after ah made a wish in it. If it's back, maybe it's ready t' grant another wish?"
AJ made a noncommittal noise. Bloom however, perked up. "M-may we can wish fer me t' get better... or... o-oh, ah know. Ah could get th' girls, an' then we could all wish fer our cutie-marks! " She bounced a little in her seat, more like her usual self.
"Or maybe we could wish fer somethin' a little more long-lastin', like ah did." Granny gave both AJ and Big Macintosh a Look. The kind of look that the both of them had long gotten used to.
The freckled mare ignored it, and placed a hand on Bloom's head. "Ah think wishin' you better's th' thing. Ah'll bring a bit with me t'day and make it fer you. In th' meantime, go ahead an' eat up. Y'need yer strength t' get better, y' know."
The filly nodded, and the family proceeded to dig into their pancakes. It wasn't until halfway through when Big Mac had coughed, and excused himself. Once he had left the table, Granny Smith nudged her granddaughter slightly.
"AJ, darlin'?"
"Yes Granny?"
"Yer button's 'bout t' pop."
She blinked, before looking down at herself.
Sure enough, the button-up shirt she was wearing under her overalls, was being taxed by her bust. Gaps between the buttons showed her line of cleavage. She wasn't certain, but it looked deeper than it had when she first woke up.
"Ah toldja, them spurts sneak up on ya when y' least expect 'em." Granny continued, as Bloom gave a snicker. Applejack could only blush as she acquiesced, unbuttoning the top couple buttons to give herself a little space, her cheeks flushed red as an apple.
Later that afternoon, in the middle of her chores, Applejack found herself having to pause for a few moments. It was getting hard to breathe .
The soreness in her breasts had not let up since that morning. She had shuffled it to the back of her mind, and had worked on through it, carrying out her normal farmyard chores, and Big Mac's as well, all the while ignoring the steadily increasing tightness in her chest.
And it was increasing. She looked down at her bosom once more to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. They seemed to have swollen up even more, the flesh attempting to pillow up between the straps of her overalls. This is too weird by half. What's wrong with me?
She adjusted the straps to give herself a little more room, which resulted in her bust sticking out farther in front of her than it ever had before. This is ridiculous. This is waaay too quick fer a simple 'spurt'. How'm ah supposed t' work with these girls gettin' into th' middle of everythin'?!
She wiped her brow of sweat, at least able to breathe easier now. "Ah've got three more trees t' do. Then, maybe it's time fer a break." she told herself, picking up a stack of bushel baskets and carrying them over to the next tree in line, trying her best to ignore how her breasts were resting upon the load she was toting.
A minute of arrangement underneath the tree, and then she was marching up to its trunk. Sweet Apple Acre's generations-long apple-harvesting techniques had not been lost to time. She flexed her well-toned legs, and then unleashed a kick upon the trunk, sending it shuddering, before a rain of apples fell and filled the carefully-arranged baskets.
The tree wasn't the only thing that shuddered. Her newly-swollen bust quivered and shook from the motion as well, causing her to freeze up and grit her teeth, waiting for the sensations to quiet down.
At length, she moved over to the other side of the trunk, and repeated the procedure. Again, strong legs struck out at the trunk. Again, a rain of apples fell. Again, her breasts were jostled from the force.
She looked up, and spied a small section of apples in the tree that hadn't been felled yet. Taking position beneath them, she sized up the bark, and then delivered a third kick to the tree's core
This time, something happened . As her breasts once more shook inside the confines of her clothing, she felt the pain suddenly throb around two specific points. Her nipples. And then, from out of nowhere, a brand new stinging sensation, like nothing she'd ever felt before, surrounded those tips. Freezing in place once more, she gradually became aware of her shirt feeling soaked, to a degree that couldn't be attributed to sweat alone.
"... what in th' name o' Celestia...?"
She was in the middle of her own property, surrounded by trees. She unhitched her overalls, and almost tore her shirt open, exposing her swollen jugs once more. And she had to bite back a gasp as she saw them. Jugs they had indeed become, twice as big as they had started out this morning. Cupping them, they overflowed her hands, the freckles stretched across their firm surfaces. And they were firm, only a bit of sag giving any hint to their weight. From the tips of her nipples, came a steady drip of fluid... the source of her shirt's sudden dampness.
"... I'm lactating ." was the shocked answer she gave herself, looking down at her swollen tits, grasping the shirt in another hand. "Of all th' things... Ah'm lactatin'! O-oh goddess... h-how?" she asked herself, tracing the curvature of her left breast gently with her fingers. Of all the things to have happened to everypony on the farm, it had seemed fate had given her the strangest one of all, mammaries heavy and leaking, like a needy cow ready for the pump...
"... wait a minute."
The memory of milking cows triggered alarm bells in her mind. If she was lactating... then shouldn't there be the smell of fresh milk?
She looked at the garment that she was holding in her hand, and proceeded to unfold it. Held up, she could easily see the two dark spots on its front that had been formed from her gushing nipples. She brought it up to her muzzle, and inhaled.
Nothing but the aroma of her own clean sweat, apples, and cider spices.
... cider spices...
Very slowly she put the shirt down, and looked at her breasts again. Very slowly did she bring a hand up to one of her swollen breasts to lift it. And very slowly did she heft it up, putting her own darkened nipple in her face, before letting her fingers dig in, giving herself a squeeze.
The stinging sensation returned. What flowed from the pores upon her nipple was not creamy white, but clear and golden, the pressure within meaning very little effort had to be given to make it spray all over her face, and upon her tongue.
Fresh apple cider.
She dropped it in shock, which only served to make it spray a little more, its twin suddenly reacting in kind. Dual showers of amber fell to the ground as she stared at them in shock, her mouth working in silence before...
"Jumpin' sweet Johnathan Jehoshaphats, mah tits are lactating apple cider!!"
Everything immediately after that was a blur to AJ. She probably fainted, if she was to be honest with herself. Things were not any better upon waking up though, her breasts still swollen, and her nipples still leaking drops of gold.
She usually considered herself a quick thinker in times of crisis, but as this was something that was affecting her physically, she was embarrassingly slow to gather herself. It took a good few minutes before she worked out what she needed to do.
Twilight. Twilight can fix this, ah'll bet. Maybe even tell me how it started. A-ah... Ah need t' get to Twi. Need t' go into town. She got herself on her knees, the heavy swaying of her breasts upsetting her balance. Like this? Ah'll never get back into mah shirt like this...
... ah need t' empty 'em first...
Haltingly, she placed her hands upon her breasts again. Having milked cows before, she knew what she needed to do. It was just that she'd never had to do it on herself . Cupping the underside of her left breast, she stroked it all the way down to the nipple, which granted her a whole new suite of sensations as the teat more or less erupted in a shower of gold, the contents of her breast quickly watering the ground. She was unable to hold back a groan from the assault upon her already-taxed mind.
Each time she stroked, she tried to divorce her task from the sensations overwhelming her, and each time, she was unprepared for the waves that she was receiving from her chest. It was a torture, she felt, that she had no idea how she was going to make through.
But make through she did. At length, the pressure lessened from her breasts, and she looked down upon them again to note, to her pleasure, that they were much reduced. Not quite her old size yet, but smaller than they had been. What'd that be, E-cup? Would need t' measure again.
It was small enough for her to slip her shirt back on again. The stain from earlier had not dried completely yet, but she was in no mood to wait. Clambering to her hooves, she left the baskets where they were, and took off through the Acres in the direction of the gate, firmly in her mind to make a beeline from the farm into town, and into Twilight's place.
Doing so took her into the clearing of the Spoke again. Passing through it, arms crossed over her chest, she glanced through it once before skidding to a stop and doing a double-take, her heart sinking at what she saw.
The well was gone.
The jog into town was longer than she'd remembered it being. Maybe it had to do with the fact that, as time wore on, her breasts were beginning to swell up slowly once again. She was becoming acutely aware of this due to the fact it was getting harder to breathe again. The pendulous swaying of her bosom from side to side as she ran wasn't helping things either.
It would be a fair bit of time later before she knocked on the door of the crystalline castle. To her relief, the purple unicorn herself answered the door. Eyes lighting up at seeing her friend, she opened her mouth in greeting, only for AJ to cut her off.
"Twi, ah've got a problem, an' ah need yer help, also, can ah use yer bathroom right quick?"
Twilight, stunned for a second, could only nod and step to the side, allowing the mare to sprint inside and make a beeline for the restroom. It wasn't until a minute later that she realized that AJ's bust had entered before the rest of her had.
"Okay, so... as of this morning, you've begun lactating." Twilight stated, jotting upon a noteboard. "And you've never done so before, correct?"
"Never dripped a drop in mah life." she replied, seated upon a stool in the middle of the crystal castle's library. She was blissfully empty again, but was glancing at her bust every now and again, watching for the telltale hint of swelling.
The alicorn nodded, and made another note. "And in addition to this, what you're making is not mare's milk, but is in fact... apple cider?"
"It ain't natural!" AJ exclaimed, wrapping her arms around her knees. "There's somethin' wrong with me, an' ah need it fixed, fast! Ah just dropped a load o' chores t' come here Twi, an th' farm needs as much o' me as it can get."
Twilight sighed and nodded again, before jotting more notes. "Okay Applejack... first things, first, I'm going to have to ask you some questions. Are you up to that?"
"Sure thing. Ah ain't Honesty fer nothin'."
"Okay... have you angered any unicorns lately?"
"Ah think ah annoyed Rarity last week, but she wouldn't do somethin' like this. Other than that, no."
"Mmmm... I agree, I don't think Rarity would go that far, even if she knew how to do what you're describing. What about hexed locations?"
"... the castle in th' Everfree don't count, does it?"
"No, I swept that place. Besides Princess Luna's little hallway pranks, there's nothing magical set up there. Hmmm... What about food? Haven't eaten any cursed apples, have you?"
"Ah try not t' have anythin' t' do with magic food. 'Sides, ah'm allergic t' spark sprinkles."
Twi paused for a second, before scribbling furiously, recording that tidbit. "Okay, so no magic food, no magic locations, no angry unicorns..."
"That's about it."
"... has Discord been to visit?"
"... nnnnnoooooo, not since th' thing with mah sister an' her friends. Then again... he wouldn't exactly have to be there, would he?"
"No, he wouldn't." The purple mare sat her noteboard down. "I know how to check though, if you're okay with it."
"Oh most certainly sugarcube."
She drew a breath, seemingly to settle herself. "In that case, I'm going to need to have access to them. Could you please strip?"
The tone had been composed, and though it gave AJ pause right at first, she nodded, and proceeded to undo her shirt and overalls again. At length, her breasts were exposed once again, rounded and freckled, with moist nipples, to her friend.
Twilight for her part, was completely professional as she leaned over and examined them. She did not touch, though her horn went aglow as she spoke again. "I'm going to take a kiimetic resonance scan of them. It may tingle a little, but there shouldn't be any problems. Do I have your permission?"
"Please Twi, go ahead. Ah know yer bein' doctorly, but really-"
A glow surrounded and lifted her breasts, causing her to gasp lightly. She was right, it DOES tingle . she thought to herself. Beside her, the alicorn materialized a flat plane graph upon which, a line wavered up and down. It was all Greek to the farm pony, but her friend's eyes watched it dance with an unreadable expression, silence reigning for a few minutes before she finally went "Huh."
"What, what is it?"
"There is a trace here." Twi announced, pressing a finger to one of the lines upon the display. "Judging by the degradation, it appears to have been applied at about 1:30 AM last night."
"... ah was in bed by then!" AJ exclaimed, indignant. "Are y'all tellin' me somepony invaded mah house an' put a hex on me while ah was sleepin'?!"
"I don't know. Even if we know the time, some other things aren't adding up." She then traced another line on the display. "This right here is way too soft. If this had been a spell cast by a unicorn, or even Discord, it would have been much sharper than this. Most ponies, when a spell is cast, they concentrate on keeping the waveform in as close a compact shape as possible. There's nothing like that here." She straightened back up and placed a hand on her hip, the other to her chin. "This really looks more like Nature Magic to me."
The orange mare tilted her head. "Nature... magic?"
"That's right. Sometimes objects in nature are capable of casting magic spells of their own... Poison Joke is one example, if you remember." Both of them made a face at the memory. "And the Tree of Harmony itself is another. The spells they cast, I learned later, follow the softer waveform, like this one here." She turned her head to the display's output again. "As a matter of fact, this pattern looks like it's... well... maybe if... hold on, lemme check something."
The glow around AJ's breasts vanished, and she had to take a moment to regain her balance as Twi summoned various books from the shelves surrounding them. Taking each one in hand, she flipped through their pages, looking up at the display and back, before moving onto another volume. It was the third book where she went "Aha! Here it is!"
Turning triumphantly to AJ, she stated her findings. "AJ... what this wave form best resembles... is wish magic."
They sat in silence. "Wish... magic...?" the farmmare echoed, a gnawing realization opening up a hole in the pit of her stomach.
Twilight nodded. "Applejack... have you made a wish, recently?"
It took a few seconds for her to muster a reply. And even then, it was in a small voice. "Last night... ah found a well on th' acres. Ah hadn't seen it b'fore, a-and Granny told me that when it was first built, she'd made a wish in it. An' then th' next day, it was gone."
"Well... you know th' Acres are in a tight spot right now. Mac's hung up t' heal, an' just yesterday, Applebloom got a fever. Ah was thinkin' about calling you girls in to help again..."
Twilight's face softened. "You know we're always glad to help."
"Ah know, sugarcube, ah know. But right then an' there, with that well there... ah found ah had a bit, an' so... ah made a wish."
"... what did you wish for? Can you remember the wording?"
"... I wished t' be able t' keep my family and th' farm goin' through th' cider season... and t' be able t' make enough cider for every pony in Ponyville." She laid her head in her hands, a guffaw coming out of her mouth. "And just a bit ago, when ah was comin' in t' talk to you, ah saw that th' well's gone an' vanished again... it's because it granted mah wish, didn't it?"
"All the evidence seems to suggest that fact."
"Shoulda wished fer somethin' else. Like fer Bloom t' get better."
"Considering what it did to grant your wish, it seems like it has a... unique sense of humor."
"... yer prob'ly right. Ah've no idea what it'd do t' Bloom. Ferget it."
"So..." the question trailed off into thin air, both mares at something of a loss. AJ glanced down at her breasts again, and spied the gentle rounding of their forms. They were starting to swell up again. Twilight, her composure breaking a bit to allow her to fidget, fished up a question. "What do you want done now?"
"Well... can y' fix me up? Like, undo whatever it was exactly that th' well did?"
She hummed in thought, brows furrowing at she looked at the display again. "... I think I can. You'd have to give me a bit though. Wish magic, being an offshoot of Nature magic, needs some gentle coaxing to be undone. It's why the antidote for Poison Joke is a herbal bath mixture. I could probably ask Zecora for some opinions-"
"No." Applejack interrupted, raising an arm to cover her nipples. "Ah don't want anypony else t' know 'bout this. Not Zecora, not even th' rest of th' girls."
This caused Twi to pinch the bridge of her nose. "Fine, I won't ask Zecora then. In either case, it's going to take me a bit to synthesize a counter-spell."
"Can y'give me an estimate?"
"Best estimate?... three to four days, probably."
AJ groaned, resting her face in her hands again. "Ah cain't wait that long, ah got chores t' do. And ah cain't do 'em if ah gotta stop every few hours t' empty mahself."
Another silence fell, the alicorn mentally rummaging in her brain for solutions, before reaching into her pocket for an empty vial. "There's one thing that you could do, I think, to help speed things up. I can get a much better sense of what we're dealing with here, if I can run produce tests."
The orange mare looked back up. "Produce tests?"
"That's right. But for that, I'm... gonna need a sample." She held the vial out to her. Although her face was once again set into an impassive mask, her cheeks gave way to the barest hint of a blush.
Her friend stared at the vial for a moment, before accepting it, uncrossing her arms to reveal her naked bosom again. Looking down, she cupped a breast in one hand, before lifting the vial up to her nipple. Like before, not much coaxing needed to be done before a steady stream of gold began dripping from her teat. The vial was filled quite easily.
Twilight accepted it back gingerly, her cheeks still flushed. "Thank you, AJ... I'll take this down to the lab downstairs, and run it through the most extensive tests I can. It'll take an hour or so though, so, make yourself at home. Especially the bathroom, if you need to... well, empty yourself again. I'll give you the news as soon as I can, so just hang in there, okay?" She tilted her head, and offered her a smile.
It felt good to see that, after everything that had happened. Applejack found herself smiling in turn. "Okay, Twi. Ah trust you. You'll figure it out."
She gave one more nod, before departing the library, vial in tow. It was only before walking out the door when she turned around, spying AJ putting her top back on. "By the way, Spike's in the kitchen, testing a brownie bites recipe that Pinkie gave him. If I were you, I'd wait till the smoke clears out before trying anything in there!"
And so, left to her own devices, AJ pondered. She was not a scientific pony like her friend. But she had her own knowledge about things. And now, armed with the knowledge of how and why her body was doing what it was doing, she felt the need to do a little testing of her own.
She looked at the clock. If she had the right of it, it'd have been 20 minutes since she'd emptied herself last. She could tell that her breasts were once again filling back up, her topmost button having refused to be connected.
Twi said she'd take a while... so, ah wonder...
Tossing caution to the wind, she ambled down the crystal castle's halls until she spied the door to the kitchen. True to her word, coils of smoke were escaping from its top.
Peering inside revealed to her a battlefield of flour, cocoa nibs, and butter, with a handful of crushed nuts. In the middle of it all, Spike, perched on a stool, was sticking a finger into a pan of brown treacle, testing for doneness. "Hmmm... maybe if I turned the oven up another fifty degrees... oh, hi Applejack!"
"Howdy, sugarcube." she greeted, looking about a bit warily. "Say, odd question, but have y'all got a funnel an' a empty cider jug 'bout?"
The dragon raised an eyebrow, but then hopped down off his stool and trotted over to a cabinet door. "We've got a funnel, yeah, but I don't know about cider jugs. You re-collecting them for Cider season soon?"
"Oh no no, was just wantin' t' test somethin'. Ah'll bring 'em back when ah'm done, honest." She wasn't sure, but she felt like her shirt was tightening up already. Then again, that may have just been the smoke making it hard to breathe.
Spike blissfully didn't inquire further, instead poking his nose into the lower cabinets, one by one. The funnel he found easily enough. At last he gave a shout, pulling out a one-gallon cider jug. "This what you looking for?"
"That's perfect. Thanks, Spike." she replied, accepting both items from him and patting his head, which earned her a tail-wag. "Again, ah'll bring these back, lickety-split."
"Take your time!" he replied, before perking up. "Oh hey, while you're here, couldja tell me if I got these done right?" He stuck the pan of unidentified substance up under her nose. It smelled like burnt jelly.
"Er... h-how much flour didja use?"
"Half a tablespoon. Why?"
"Ah'd... try a little more than that. Don't give up though, hon. You'll get there."
He shrugged, and returned to his baking, which allowed AJ to escape the kitchen and its dangers. With the funnel and cider jug in tow, she found a seat in full view of the clock, and sat down to wait. An issue of 'Bookworms Bimonthly' on the table next to her caught her attention, and with little else to do, she picked it up to glance through its pages.
Once it's been an hour...
And even as she sat in place, every time she glanced down at her bust, she'd see it swollen bigger than it was the last time she'd glanced. She could feel the pressure building, her breasts still producing cider at a steady rate. She undid another button, revealing yet more of her freckled cleavage.
She almost missed the mark, where a full hour had passed since she last emptied herself. Standing back up proved to be a challenge, as her breasts had each gained significant weight since sitting down, upsetting her balance. She persevered in the end, and made a beeline for the restroom, jug and funnel in tow.
Now, her own research could begin. Stripping off her top again, her heavy mounds fell free, droplets flying from their tips. B'fore, ah'd been buildin' up fer well over three hours. Ah can see ah'm big, but not as big as then. Now it's time t' see just how much ah've made, inside an hour.
She climbed into the bathtub, and sat the jug down with the funnel inserted in its spout. Sitting herself on the tub's rim, she then grabbed her left breast with both hands, maneuvered herself over the funnel, and once again, proceeded to milk herself. Like before, the sensation of release from her nipples threatened to overtake her, as streams of gold poured readily from those darkened tips, caught by the funnel and channeled down into the glass container.
She worked at them and worked at them, taking care to empty each one as much as possible. When she was certain that she had regained her former cup size, she stood up straight, removed the funnel, and lifted up the cider jug.
By virtue of its clear glass, she could see that she had almost filled the jug halfway. Half a gallon... ah made a clear half-gallon o' cider, inside of an hour...
Her thoughts were disturbed, as a rapping sounded on the bathroom door. "AJ, are you in there?" came Twilight's voice. "I have a result now, but I can wait if you're busy-"
"Nah, ah just finished Twi, s'allright. Gimme a sec." She buttoned her top back up, and with cider jug in tow, she stepped out to a somewhat fidgety alicorn. "Alright, so, what's th' verdict?"
"Well... I think you'd probably like to know..." Twi rocked back and forth on her heels. "After running all possible tests on the, erm, sample, there's one conclusion that's been reached."
"... and that is?"
"It's... well." She rubbed the back of her head. "It's real apple cider. Normally with something like this, you'd expect a sort of chemo-synthesis that looks, smells, and tastes like the real thing, but had qualities that don't match up with the original at all. But not your cider. Side-by-side with a different sample that I had poured up from my own fridge, there is essentially no difference in ingredients and spice flavonoids. No odd chemicals, no ambient hex particles, no fine tissue matter-"
"So what yer sayin'," AJ interrupted. "Is that... it's safe."
"... yes, it is. Anypony who drank it wouldn't be able to tell it from the real thing, because again, it really is the real thing."
The farmpony found herself smirking a little bit, having watched her friend's nervous movements after a bit. "An' how exactly is it that y' know it actually tastes like real cider?"
Twilight's cheeks flushed. "W-well.. w-well, I-I... a-ANYWAY!" she quickly turned to the side, signaling the change in subject. "Now that I've finished running the tests, I can give you my best estimate. It's just that..."
"Go ahead an' lay it on me, sugarcube. It's bad news, ain't it?"
"... yes, it is. Due to the complexity of changes that must have been made to your mammaries in order to produce such a compositionally correct product, making a counterspell to undo it needs to be just as complex. I think... I think , that I can do it. But it'll take me a long while. If all goes well... two weeks minimum."
The purple pony then braced herself, as if expecting her friend to explode. Instead, what she got was a sigh, and then a hand rested on her shoulder.
"Twi... alright. Don't stress yerself out 'bout it. Take as long as y' need. Ah can wait."
Needless to say, she was confused. "Wait... what? But I thought that you were-"
"Ah had time t' do some thinkin'." AJ explained, hefting the cider jug into view. "What's happened to me... ah really ain't got nopony t' blame fer it but mahself. Ah made that wish, and th' well granted it. True, it's got some humor doin' it." she glanced down at her chest again, before looking back up. "But it followed what ah'd said... and now, well..."
There was a pause, which Twilight shortly filled, asking. "What do you plan to do?"
"... ah'm gonna work with th' hand ah've been dealt. Ah wanted t' make enough cider fer all o' Ponyville... and now, ah really can. Take a look at this." She lifted the jug up, allowing her friend to see the amber sloshing inside. "Just spent th' last few minutes emptyin' mahself again. This is how much cider ah've been able t' make, inside an hour."
Purple eyes widened. "Half a gallon, in an hour? That's..."
"That's a lot, ain't it? And cider season's in three months." She sat the jug down again, before standing up straight, crossing her arms resolutely. "And y'all just told me that it's safe t' drink, too. So... since this is what ah wished for... ah don't see why ah shouldn't go ahead an' carry through with it. At th' very least, th' season'll see mah family well through into next year. And that by itself, would make it all worth it."
Twilight tilted her head, a hand rubbing at her cheek. "You sure about this, AJ? This all happened just inside of today, there may be other side-effects that we don't know of yet, further down the line."
"Maybe," AJ conceded, placing a hand on her hip. "If somethin' does happen, you'll be th' first t' know. Ah know ah gotta set up a buncha stuff back on th' farm anyways, if ah wanna take advantage of this." She looked at her bust once more. Already in the short time spent talking with her friend, she could feel the skin of her breasts stretching once more, as they began to replenish their load. "As fast as ah'm makin' now, though... it's still gonna be a hassle emptyin' them all th' time. I'm makin' faster than th' cows do! If they'd slow down a little bit, ah'd be more than fine wit' that!"
At this, the student of magic gave a smile. "THAT, is a simple lactation problem. And I think I actually have a book on nursing that I can use..."
It was with a much lighter mood that AJ returned to Sweet Apple Acres, even when moving under a sense of urgency. She returned herself back to the tree where she had left off, gathered the felled load there, and began hauling it back to the farmhouse. By then the sun had traveled through the better part of the sky, and it was quickly turning to evening. She swore to herself that she'd finish the chore load the next day... if she could get all she needed set up first.
Stepping into the house, she called out 'Ah'm home!" before making a beeline for the kitchen. There, she found both Granny and Bloom, sipping at drinks.
"Land sakes, Applejack." the elder spoke up, worry lines creased across her face. "Where've you been? Ah tried t' call you up fer lunch, but ah didn't hear hide nor hair o' you."
"Awful sorry, Granny" she replied, making her way to the sink and fetching herself a glass of ice. "Somethin' rather big came up, an' ah had t' run into town."
Bloom's ears perked, but before she could say anything, her big sister cut her off. "It weren't anythin' dangerous. Just... big." she finished lamely. "Ah'll tell y'all 'bout it later. Right now, ah need t' get th' evenin' chores all tallied t'gether, an' then maybe one or two more trees... dang, ah didn't realize just how much time ah got ate up t'day."
"Hmmm..." was all that Granny Smith had to say to that. "... ah don't suppose you'll be wantin' supper then?"
"Huh? Oh! No, y'all go on an' eat without me. Ah'll live. Ain't like we don't got plenty t' eat outside anyways."
She'd meant it as a joke, but both ponies were regarding her with looks of worry. Hands spread out, she reassured them. "Really, ah'll be alright. Ah'll get caught up t'morrow, and then we'll all have dinner t'gether that night. Whaddya say?"
There was a shared glance, but it was followed after by a pair of nods. "We trust ya AJ." Bloom spoke up, her voice having recovered a bit of its usual pep. "Oh, by th' way, didja make that wish fer me t' get better? Didja?"
Now AJ felt really guilty. "It's already gone."
You could have killed a pony with the crestfallen expression on the filly's face. "W-what?! B-But we never even got th' chance t' wish fer our cutie marks yet!"
"That's odd..." Granny herself replied. "It's only moved when somepony's made a wish at it... maybe somepony snuck in t' give it a try?"
Applejack did not deign to reply to that. Instead, she got to her feet again and stood next to her little sister, feeling her forehead. "Ah really was gonna wish yah better, sis... hmm. Though maybe y' don't need it after all. Fever's gone down."
Applebloom managed a smile at her. "Ah am feelin' a bit better. Maybe ah can start helpin' out with th' chores again, tomorrow."
"We'll have t' wait a' see." their grandmother replied. AJ found herself nodding along to her words, as the green mare rose to her hooves. "In th' meantime, ah gotta get back t' workin' on that darn quilt. Them Log Cabins ain't gonna stitch themselves!"
They watched Granny shuffle out of the kitchen, before turning to each other. "And you really oughta get back upstairs an' lay down." AJ told her sister, reaching into her hip sack and withdrawing a book. "Ah told Twi 'bout what's been happenin'. She said y'all can keep this if y' want."
When a filly is given the latest copy of Daring Do, even when sick, a grin is sure to assert itself. "W-wow! Tell Miss Twi ah said thanks!"
"Oh, ah will. She may be showin' up a while t' help out too, just so y' know." With that, the orange mare lowered her voice, leaning in to whisper in her little sister's ear.
"After supper tonight... if yer feelin' any better, come meet me out by th' barn. Don't let Granny or Mac see you. "
Bloom's eyes widened. In similar hushed tones, she asked "Just us sisters? "
"Just us sisters. "
Standing up again, she could feel it. The telltale sway of her filling bosom. But thanks to Twi, she now had plenty of time before she'd feel like she was going to pop. And it was her hope that before that point was reached, she'd have what she needed assembled at last.
It was dark out when Applebloom finally snuck out of the house, tiptoeing as quietly as possible. Dinner had gone without much comment, and she was certain she was feeling good enough to be moving around. Even then, she still took a box of tissues and a wet washcloth with her.
Peering about the premises, she saw only Winona standing watch at the barn's door. And when she approached, the canine wagged her tail happily, and accepted a few pets upon her head before letting the filly slip inside.
There were grunts and occasional banging going on in there. AJ was hard at work on something . She couldn't see anything from right up front, but she eventually found her sister crouched over a contraption at the far end of the barn, hidden behind a stall. Knocking on the wood gave her the jump, but she looked up, and lit up at seeing Bloom.
"Oh, there you are, sugarcube." she greeted, before standing up and steadying herself. "Sorry again 'bout skippin' out on dinner. Ah've just got some really heavy things t' deal with, an' ah could use yer help."
Bloom stared at her sister, noticing something off about her. At length, her eyes were drawn to her bust. She remembered that morning, when AJ had been stretching out her shirt. Here, right now, she was positively overflowing. All visible buttons were undone, and still freckled orange flesh was pillowing up and over her overalls, out front and from the sides. A glance at the contraption revealed that it was in fact, one of the retired cow milking machines.
"AJ..." she began worriedly. "What's goin' on? You're huge ."
Her big sister blushed hard, crossing an arm underneath her engorged bust. "... when ah ran into that well yesterday, ah went ahead an' made a wish of mah own... ah was thinkin' of you an' Mac an' Granny when ah made it, too. But nothin' happened when ah made it, so ah didn't say anythin' about it when ah mentioned it this mornin'... Bloom, ah'll tell you th' whole thing, but y' got ta promise me, not t' breathe a word o' this to Granny Smith or Macintosh, y' hear?"
Stunned for only a few seconds, the yellow filly then nodded resolutely. "Ah promise, Applejack! Cross mah heart, cupcakes, an' eyes!"
AJ nodded, before sitting herself on a barrel, and proceeding to undo her overalls. Bloom had seen her sister naked before, so that wasn't a surprise. What was a surprise was how big she'd become. The orange orbs were like watermelons, fighting for space upon the orange mare's ribcage. And... her nipples were dripping ...
"Y'see..." Applejack began "Here's what happened..."
"... an' now, you an' Twi are th' only ones who know ah can make Apple Cider like this now."
"Wow..." the filly drawled, eyes flicking back and forth from her sister's face, and her sister's bosom. "They... it's really real cider? Like... tastes th' same as what we make?"
"I thought it did. An' Twi thought it did, even though you'll never get 'er t' say it." AJ chuckled, her bust shimmying with the motion. "She says that she can fix it, but it'll take her a couple weeks t' even get somethin' workin'. So in th' meantime..." she glanced back towards the milking machine. " Ah intend on makin' th' best of it."
It wasn't a huge leap of logic. "Yer gonna pump yerself an' save th' cider you make fer cider season itself, ain'tcha?"
She nodded. "That's th' plan. We only really got this one pump though, that we took out cause th' lines kept gettin' clogged. Been tryin' t' clean it up, put it inta workin' order again. Ah only need two of them after all, not four."
Bloom peered at the contraption herself. "Well... if th' pump itself's still workin', clearin' out th' lines shouldn't be too hard. Just need t' test 'em one at a time an' see which ones t' use. Anythin' else that needs replacin', ah think we got th' parts for. Th' big thing's that tank. Need t' wash an' sterilize before we start fillin' it up again."
She an' Twi need t' hang out more. AJ thought to herself. Ah think ah caught most o' that, but she's gettin' smart. Out-loud, she said "In that case, guess ah oughta get t' work on th' tank. If you can check th' hoses, then ah reckon we can get this workin' b'fore bedtime tonight."
Her sister nodded, before glancing at her sister's breasts again. "An' not a moment too soon, looks like."
AJ looked down as well. The dripping of cider from her nipples had proceeded from being singular drops into almost-coherent pouring streams. Even released from her overalls, they were starting to feel tight again, skin smooth and taut. She blushed again, and stood up, minding the pools of cider she'd created on the floor. "Cain't exactly help it... Twi helped them t' slow down some, but they ain't exactly stoppin'. Think ah may empty mahself a little b'fore ah get started..."
The two of them worked into the night. Multiple times did AJ insist on a rest break for Bloom, but she plowed on through, insistent on helping out as much as possible. At length, the both of them stood before the machine, now much cleaner than it was before, with only a couple of hoses running into its side.
"Welp," Bloom drawled, wiping her brow. "Ah'd say that does it."
AJ nodded, before sneaking a feel of her sister's brow herself. "Y'all shoulda rested more though. Yer fever's not fully up an' gone yet."
"Eh, ah'll live." the younger filly waved AJ's hand off, before turning and facing her. "Ah'm helpin' mah sister save th' farm! If ah gotta be sick fer a few more days, then so be it! Now let's stop dallyin'-" She gave her sister a push onto the stool sat next to the machine. "-and getcha hooked up, y'all look like yer 'bout to explode!"
The orange mare hadn't said anything, but she was feeling tight again. She didn't protest too much as she was shoved onto her seat, nor did she refuse the pair of cylindrical nozzles that were then placed in her hands.
"Need t' get some proper pumpin' cups fer you too." Bloom mused. "Those ones might stretch you out, an' y' don't need nips longer than Mac is downstairs"
That right put Applejack's ears on fire. "Well after that, maybe ah won't pump an' just let mahself explode." she countered, crossing her arms under her leaking jugs, an indignant expression upon her face.
This caused her little sister to snicker, before assuming a contrite pose. "Ah'm sorry, that was mean o' me." she apologized. "But we do need t' find some new cups. Ah'll look around after ah'm better, an' see what we can find."
"Alright alright, ah gotcha. In th' meantime though, these ones are gonna haveta do." She lifted the nozzles, and placed the open ends over her nipples, pressing them in to seal. "Alright, Bloom... let'er rip. Slow an' steady."
There was a nod, the yellow pony reaching over into the machine and flipping a switch. The following vacuum and suction caught AJ completely off-guard, and she gave a gasp as the tubes fastened tight to her flesh. "AH SAID SLOW! SLOW!"
"AJ, it is on Slow."
"SLOWER! M-MAKE IT SLO-AH, AH, AH! "
The stinging sensation of her nipples releasing cider had begun to register smaller and smaller as time had gone on, even with her hand-induced drainings. Now it returned full-force to the front of her mind as cider was pulled mercilessly from her breasts, the suction giving no quarter to her already-tender flesh. In the clear jug in the machine, amber beverage poured and splashed into the bottom, the level quickly covered and rising as Applebloom watched in amazement.
"Wooaah... that really is a lot."
"A-APPLEBLOOM!?"
"Ah'm sorry sis, that's as slow as it goes! Ah cain't make it go any slower! Not 'less ah pop 'er open an mess with th' wires-"
"Y'ALL DO NO SUCH THING YOUNG FILLY, AH DRA-HA-HA-HAAA AW THE LINE AT ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT!"
"AJ, y'all can stop yellin' now, yer gonna wake up the others from here!"
She bit her tongue, and tried her best to not make any further noise, though the occasional grunt and pant still worked their way past her lips. For the better part of three minutes she sat there under the milking machine's assault, the jar filling with cider, her breasts slowly shrinking back down as they were emptied of their load.
At length, she steadied herself enough to speak again. "Ah had no idea how powerful these things were. We gotta tune'em down fer th' cows, ah cain't imagine bein' milked like this every day, in an' out."
"Y'know," Bloom piped up. "In yer case, it ain't really 'milkin', is it? Cause there's no milk." She tilted her head, a mischievous grin on her face. "It's really more like yer bein' 'juiced', or 'squeezed'. Or 'cidered', ah guess~"
She then had to duck to avoid a flying hat. "Hah, very funny." was all that AJ had to say to that. By now, she had once again shrunk down to her original cup size, and the stinging sensation had trailed off sharply, though the suction was beginning to turn into an ache. "Okay, ah think ah've finally hit bottom. Turn 'er off, willyah?"
She complied, and the machinery came to a rest, the cylinders popping off of AJ's teats, revealing them to be quite swollen and sore. Touching one even gently was enough to make her wince. "Okay, no wearin' anything for a while after that ... now, let's see what we got here... oh wow."
Both ponies stared at the jug. It was a six-gallon vessel, made to hold a single cow's produce over the course of a day. As it stood, the level of cider that stood within it was well over the one-gallon mark.
"Y'said Twi made you slow down... by how much?"
"Think she said it'd be by half... so quarter gallon every hour... that's six gallons a day, just like th' cows. But earlier, ah was makin' so much..." she paused to add it all up. "... ah reckon ah've made almost eight gallons of cider from t'day alone!"
Bloom let out a low whistle. "That's a lot ." she mused. "More than we've made from a day of ciderin' in th' past. Too bad we didn't catch it all."
"Well, there'll be plenty more where that came from." AJ replied, still gazing at the jar. "Heck, if ah ever get caught up on chores an' find th' time, maybe ah'll have Twi take it back off an' lemme speed up again. Till then... ah think we've got a head start on our cider season as it is."
There was a nod. "What do we do now, then? Store it?"
"Almost. Need t' pasteurize it if we're gonna keep it for long, ah reckon. Ageing'll do it some good though, if we still got some o' them kegs left over from last year... been a while since we did any cider that was aged. It's always been fresh stuff with us, hasn't it?"
"That's our thing, sis. Fresh apple cider at Sweet Apple Acres. Accept no substitute!" This was quickly followed by a yawn. "Whoosh... ah didn't think ah was that tired..."
"It's way late fer you. An' yer still sick too. You really shouldn't've pushed yerself so hard." The elder sister wrapped her sibling up in a hug, sweeping her off her feet. "But ah'm glad you came an' helped. You're a better hand at th' machinery than ah am."
Bloom allowed a smug expression to come over her face. "Anytime, Applejack... any.. time..." she began mumbling, sleep quickly catching up to her. AJ felt her forehead once more, confirming the fever's presence still, and silently berated herself as she carried her all the way back into the farmhouse.
After that... things went back to normal, with only a few alterations. The first one being that AJ would always wake up in the morning with an engorged bosom, sometimes manageable, sometimes not so much so. And her chores would occasionally be interrupted every so often, one or twice a day, by herself taking a break in the barn, emptying herself before continuing about her work.
Applebloom's fever did eventually clear up, a few days after the fact much to everyone's relief. Applejack would find herself surprised one day to find her with one of their milk heat-pasteurizers cleaned out and set up in the cellar, the yellow filly looking awfully smug standing next to it.
It was a couple weeks later. Big Macintosh was still being held back to rest, but both of the sisters had dug in their hooves and caught up on the chores. And all the while, the farm's supply of cider had slowly, and quietly, built up.
It was a nice day, truth be told. A breeze in the air bespoke of the oncoming fall, and AJ could see that the time was nigh. It was not Applebucking Day just yet, but it would be in a few more short weeks. And as she had learned before, it was not a one-pony job.
Which was why she gave a friendly wave as a pair of her friends entered through the Acre's white gates, Twilight Sparkle, and her athletic counterpart, Rainbow Dash. "Hay gals, glad y'all could make it!"
"Wouldn't miss helpin' out for anything!" Dash exclaimed, coming alight on the ground in front of AJ. Her toned and slim physique was poised in readiness, a tremble of excitement evident in her pose. She didn't have to guess why.
"Same here, Dash." Twi added as she caught up. "You wanted to get the south field harvested today, right AJ?"
"That's right. Even if we don't get it all done t'day, that's fewer trees that we'll have t' worry 'bout come Apple-Buckin' Day." She gave a grin as she watched the pegasus almost bounce on the spot. "And it seems some o' us are chompin' at th' bit t' get started, eh Rainbow?"
"You bet!" she replied. "I swear AJ, I'll do anything that's needed if it means we'll get to have plenty of cider for this year's season!"
"Ah don't doubt it." AJ smiled as she turned around, proceeding to lead the way. "Ah've got th' baskets lugged over there earlier, so all we need is t' just-"
Dash zoomed past her, taking the lead. "Last one there's a rotten apple!"
She and Twilight could not help but laugh at their friend's over-exuberance, the pair of them breaking into a brisk trot. The alicorn's eye was at length, drawn towards the sway of the orange mare's chest. The top buttons were undone, displaying her cleavage again, but it seemed by now that she wasn't bothered with it. They obviously weren't empty, judging from the heft of their sway, but at the same time, she knew they'd been bigger.
"... I can definitely see why you wouldn't want to tell Rainbow." she finally spoke up. "Cider season's all she seems to be able to talk about, last few days."
"She's a fiend fer it, ah know." AJ replied, staring ahead. "Comes from bein' last in line too many times. Celestia willin', we'll have more than enough for her an' everypony else this year."
Twilight nodded, knowing what she meant. "How're you hanging?"
"Well enough. Ah told Bloom 'bout it, an' she an' ah've set up stuff on th' farm. We've actually got five barrels so far, workin' on fillin' up a sixth."
"Five barrels... gosh, that is a lot."
"And if ah hadn't had you slow'em down, it'd be even more." The apple mare looked askance at her friend. "Speakin' of spells... it's been two weeks. How's it comin'?"
The purple pony looked down. "I've got the groundwork for it laid out. it's just that I'm having trouble finding a component that'll match the wish magic's waveform. Technically, it is functional, but I wouldn't want to cast it in its current state."
"Then let's not." AJ replied. "Like ah said, take however much time y' need. We still got sum time b'fore cider season, and ah'm makin' th' best of it. No need t' rush."
She got a subdued nod. "Alright AJ, if you say so... have there been any complications, or side-effects?"
The farm mare rubbed her shoulder. "Well... just one so far. It's nothin' dangerous, ah'm just gonna haveta see Rarity 'bout some adjustments..."
When Twi gave her a blank look in reply, she sighed and cupped her bust in both hands. "They're growing. Fer real. Started noticin' it last week, even after emptyin' them completely, they've been feelin' an' lookin' bigger than they were when this whole thing started."
"Oh!" The alicorn put a hand to her chin in thought. "I've heard of this, actually. Nursing mothers on average experience an increase of one to two cup sizes, between onset of lactation and weaning of their foal."
"So it's t' be expected then?"
"Yes, it's completely natural! Well, I mean, natural due to sustained lactation, not natural as a side-effect of making cider, you know-"
"Ah getcha Twi, dun worry about it." AJ patted her shoulder. "Ah'll live, ah think. There's worse things than havin' bigger tits, ah reckon."
"Are you slowpokes done gossiping?!" came a shout from down the path. "We're wastin' daylight! There's apples to be picked, and cider to be made!"
That afternoon saw a good deal of the trees in the south field denuded of their crop, and the three mares with a victorious assembly of baskets stuffed to the brim with ripe apples. Currently, the three were in the process of loading the haul into a cart, while chatting amongst themselves.
"I wonder how much cider you can get out of this load of apples here." Rainbow pondered, balancing a bushel precariously. "I mean, it didn't seem like a lot went into them when that competition happened last year."
AJ peered critically at their lot. "Hmmm... ah'd say we could prob'ly make three, four barrels outta this haul alone." She picked up another basket and settled it in. "But then again, we need these apples fer more than cider, an' you know that, Dash."
"Yeah yeah." the pegasus waved a hand dismissively. "Pies and tarts and dried chips, all that good stuff. But when are y'all gonna start on the-"
"Oh, Applejack?" Twilight interrupted, looking off to the side. "May I ask what those are about?"
She was pointing towards a couple of holes in the ground, where dirt had been disturbed and then grass grown over. In each one of them was stuck a wooden cross.
"Those mark th' standin' places o' poor Barkson an' Bellamarine." the orange mare replied solemnly, removing her hat as she did so. "They were trees what got uprooted when th' Flim Flam brothers stopped playin' fair an' started pulpin' anythin' they could get their hands on."
"O-oh, right." Dash responded, landing before the holes and looking contrite. "Yeah, that was a real bummer... b-but it worked out in the end, the cider they made was terrible. "
"With us pitching in, it really was almost a tie." the alicorn added, thoughtful. "The whole thing could have been avoided if the brothers hadn't been so... well... greedy."
"They're con artists. It's how they live an' breathe." Applejack huffed as she plopped her hat back on, returning to the task at hand. "Don't matter. If they try t' show their faces again this year, ah'm not even gonna let'em have a chance."
"Yeah, that's right!" Her blue friend took to her wings again and picked up another crate. "This year's cider season's gonna be the best if I have anything t' say about it!"
AJ quietly wished Dash would stop talking about cider already. As they had worked, her breasts had slowly filled fuller and fuller. She could feel Twi casting worried glances at her, at the exposed cleavage that was now threatening to billow up and out of her open neckline. It really was getting hard to breathe, and she swore that every time she heard the word 'cider', her chest felt heavier and heavier. "We get it Dash, we get it. Y'all're excited about cider season, just cool yer jets already."
"Aw c'mon, why can't I be excited?" She did a spin in the air. "It only comes about once a year! Sure I can buy bottled and refrigerated stuff whenever I want, but nothing beats the taste of it when it's freshly squeezed and made! Cider Cider Cider Cider Cider-...! "
All of a sudden, the farmmare froze, as that chanting reached her ears, her bosom suddenly felt very warm. Was it her imagination, or were they...
She looked down... and gasped.
Her breasts were swelling. Visibly . Right before her eyes, they inflated bigger, like a pair of balloons, filling out what little space remained in her shirt and then some. They stretched the fabric, and made the buttons of her overalls groan in protest, as excess flesh bulged outwards around the straps, the sudden onset of weight nearly pitching her forward. And around her nipples, she felt that familiar stinging sensation, followed by dampness.
Twilight, who AJ had her back to, noticed her friend's sudden stiffness. "... Applejack, are you okay?"
".... need t' find a tree." was all the explanation she got, before the mare took off into the orchard away from her friends, leaving a pair of very perplexed ponies.
"... she didn't go before we started?" Dash scratched her head. "That's weird."
"Maybe." The alicorn bit her lip as a suspicion came to mind. Picking up the last few bushels with her magic, she then turned to the pegasus. "Dash, go ahead and take the cart to the barn. I'll stay here and wait for AJ to return."
Rainbow's expression remained confused, but mercifully she didn't push the subject. She took the cart's handle, and with a few wingflaps, got the load rolling down the path towards the center of the farm. It was only when they were well out of sight, when Twilight darted into the woods to follow Applejack.
"Applejack? It's just me, where are you?"
She'd been looking for a few good minutes now. Her friend had apparently secured herself well, she couldn't find a single trace of her. Becoming really worried by now, she put her hands together to call out again. "Applejack! Where are you?"
"... nnngh... T-Twi, that you?"
"Yes, it's me, I had Dash take the harvest back to the barn. Are you okay? Where are you?"
"I-I'm over here... t-think ah could use a hand..."
She followed the sound of AJ's voice towards a particularly thick tree specimen, and went around to find the orange mare there leaning back against it, hands bracing her against the trunk. Twi was glad to see she was in one piece, but she froze once she saw the rest of her friend.
She had undone the shirt and overalls to allow her bust free access to space. And they were taking up plenty of it. They were enormous, the orange spheres almost as big and round as some beach balls she'd seen Pinkie use. They obviously were very heavy, and yet there was hardly any sag, the mounds sticking up and out of AJ's ribcage like a pair of ovoid missiles. Most concernedly, the darkened nipples that graced each breast was freely spraying cider, not from any mechanical stimulation, but purely from sheer pressure forcing the produce out.
"Oh my Celestia..." Twi breathed, staring unabashedly at those immense mammaries. "What happened!? "
"Ah... a-ah don't know..." Applejack breathed, her face strained with a multitude of efforts. "D-Dash... she s-started chanting... a-and then they just... j-just wouldn't stop..."
The alicorn crept a bit closer, lowering her head a little to study them. She had seen them empty and full, but she'd never seen them this big before. "That's not growth, is it? Is it all just... liquid weight?"
"S-so full..." was her reply. "Ah'd thought... ah'd let mahself get... t-too full sometimes but this ..." She gave a groan as the spray from her teats intensified briefly. "T-too tender... cain't touch'em yet. Lettin' em... d-drain on their own..."
Twi nodded, standing back up and raising a hand to her chin, thoughtful. "... and you said this happened during while Dash was chanting?"
A nod. AJ's eyes were otherwise screwed shut, busy with trying to get a handle on herself.
"... hmmm... I remember reading in a maternity book once... sometimes, when a nursing mother hears the cry of a baby, even if it's not their own, their breasts will instantly undergo a letdown reflex, coupled with a brief surge in milk production...." she looked to her friend's engorged bust, a puzzled look upon her face. "The effects match up, but you're just making so much , all at once. And the trigger doesn't fit at all. Dash wasn't crying. It was just... the chanting... about cider."
The farmpony suddenly grunted, as the spray from her nipples intensified again. Dumbstruck, Twi stared, watching the spray weaken back down, before timidly repeating "Cider?" Again, she was rewarded with an increase in the release of amber liquid. Gathering her wits, she then tested one more time, with curiosity in her mind, chanting "Cider cider cider-"
"QUIT SAYIN' CIDEEEAAAAAHHHHH!!! "Applejack yelled, the cry turning into a scream at the end as her breasts, right before their eyes, swelled up even bigger . Rising up in defiance of gravity, she found her own freckled cleavage pressing up into her chin as her brown nipples positively erupted into fountains of gold, spraying forcefully like a pair of hoses.
"Ah cain't take it!" the mare yelled again, leaning up against the tree as her hands and arms finally came to bear, fingers barely sinking into the taut flesh as she squeezed at them, the spray from her teats intensifying with every press. "Too much! It's too much, ah cain't take it! Ah'm gonna pop! Oh Celestia please help ah'm gonna pop! "
That spurred the purple pony into action again. Her horn lit up, and a purple glow suffused the overburdened breasts, lifting them up a little more. Then, it too began to squeeze, in an undulating fashion, from AJ's collarbone down the length of each breast, all the way to the nipple. In doing so, each nub of flesh spouted with even more pressure, small streams of cider even bursting forth from pores upon her areola. It was enough to make the farmpony give a long shriek as it happened, her eyes open wide and unfocused.
The cider flowed for a good few minutes before it finally began to taper off. By then, both parties were breathing heavily, cheeks flushed, trying to recover from the event. Twilight in particular was looking rather contrite, her head bowed as AJ finally stood up straight, cradling her sore bosom in both arms, their size having shrunk back down to something much more reasonable, if watermelons were considered reasonable. It would be a minute more before either one of them spoke up.
"... sorry..." the alicorn whispered. "I-I... I wasn't sure, I... I-I mean, I didn't... I didn't think it would be-"
The other mare raised a hand to stop what was becoming a ramble. "Shhh... just... just gimme a moment, sugarcube... " She brought the hand back to her heavy chest, holding it and grimacing at the same time, before taking a few unsteady steps. "A-Ah!... good gravy, they hurt. Ah've no idea how ah'm gonna pump 'em tonight...ugh..." She then turned towards her friend, treating her to a good long view of her deepened cleavage, her teats still freely dribbling cider. She fixed her with a good long look, before heaving a sigh, closing her eyes. "... ah understand, Twi. Ah know y' didn't mean ta... Still stings like a motherbucker though."
Twilight gave a small grateful smile, before looking her over. "Mph... I think I can take the edge off the pain some... i-if you're okay with that, I-I mean..."
"Ah think so... let's get back to th' barn first though. Y'all can treat me right before ah try t' empty 'em. Dash is prob'ly worried 'bout us anyways."
"In your condition?" She gestured to the still-sizable mounds on the apple pony's chest. "There won't be any hiding those from her. And you can't button your shirt still like that, can you?"
"... yer right about that. Not just too big, it'll sting like hell too. Well... y' got any ideas then?"
"... just one. And it'll involve keeping Dash plenty distracted..."
Rainbow Dash was expecting Twilight and AJ back up the path any moment now. What she was not expecting was to see the purple pony flash in out of a teleport in front of the Apple's house, a couple of mugs in her hands. Curiosity piqued, she stood up from her perch upon the barn's roof, and glided down to her. "Hey Twi! What's going on, where's AJ?"
"Rainbow!" Twilight turned to face Dash, a smile upon her face. "Applejack got busy on something... particular, after she got back. You see..." she looked back and forth, almost theatrically. However, it was enough to get the pegasus to land and lean in to listen.
"You see... after the whole business with cider season last year, she's set up a small cidering mill, hidden within the orchard."
Rainbow's wings flared. "A-A secret cider mill?!"
She gave a nod. "She wouldn't even show me where it was. But she did leave again, and then disappeared... and came back, with these ." She held the mugs out. Each one was filled to the brim with warm, frothy cider.
The blue mare pierced the air with a squeal. "CIDER!" she shrieked, before accepting one of the mugs from Twi. She stared at it, stuck her nose into it to smell the aroma... and then tossed her head back, pouring the beverage down her gullet, draining half of the stein in one go. The alicorn could not help but stare... well, maybe stare and then glance for a split second behind her, to where a crawling bush had frozen in place the instant Dash had yelled.
"Oh Celestia!" she exclaimed, coming up for air and licking her lips. "This is almost better than last year's! How does AJ do it?! It's just the right blend of spicy and sweet that makes your taste buds dance! I could drink this stuff all day!" Again, the tankard went bottoms-up as she continued to drain it.
"Heee... I do admit, this cider is really, really good." Twilight agreed, bringing her own mug to her lips and sipping at it much more sedately, trying her best to put out of her mind that just moments ago, these mugs had been placed under her farmpony friend's nipples, and then swiftly filled to the brim with the amber produce that had flowed from them. It really did taste amazing...
She looked up again. The bush was laying on its side, next to the barn door. "I'm going to go see about storing the apples. Why don't you go look for AJ? She'd might give you another mug~..."
Dash laughed as she wiped her muzzle clean. "I can see her handin' out samples. But if she's just gonna give'em away before the season's even starting, she must be makin' a lot!" Mug in hand, she then flapped her wings and took off, climbing above tree-level and then gliding off in search.
The alicorn, for her part, did not move till she was out of sight again, before making a beeline for the barn. Inside, way in the back, she found Applejack sitting down, gritting her teeth as she tried to position the cups over her engorged nipples, wincing at every contact made. "Bloom said she'd get new cups fer these... kinda would like'em now more than later."
"Hold still." Twi chided, her horn lighting up again. Again, a glow surrounded AJ, not just her breasts, but her entire body. She obeyed, and soon felt a gentle tingle work its way over her skin, leaving behind a cool, relaxing sensation that made her nipples stiffen. When it finally faded away, she found herself feeling refreshed, a smile upon her face.
"That should do it." her friend stated, her horn's glow shutting off. "How're you feeling?"
"Mmmm... much better." she replied, flexing her shoulders, feeling the marked absence of any stiffness from their work earlier. Cupping her overfilled jugs gave her a much more sedate sensation, compared to the painful tightness she was experiencing before. "Thank you, sugarcube. Ah think y'all more than made up fer earlier with that."
Her friend gave a thankful smile as she watched her put on the pumping cups again, this time with more apparent ease. When the machine was switched on, she grimaced, but soon relaxed again, the tubes quickly filling up with gold fluid. At length, Twi's expression turned serious again. "But this new thing... your triggered production whenever you hear the chant... that's a side-effect that we didn't know about before. And if it gave you this heavy a reaction with just Dash and me saying it... what's going to happen during the season, when you have a line of customers all chanting it as well?"
The thought had obviously not occurred to AJ yet. Her face paled as she stared down at her bust again, lost for words. Twilight watched her for a bit, before speaking what was on both their minds. "I think I'm going to get back to work on finishing that counterspell. And fast. "
Bucked it right clean into last Tuesday.
At length she sat back up, bosom completely empty, the pails each half-full of cider. A swollen bust was a common thing to wake up to these days, and so she had adjusted by keeping buckets in the bathroom. Leaking in the bed was uncommon, but she had plenty of changes of fresh sheets, and so wasn't too fussed about that.
It was a Saturday Morning, which led to AJ returning to her bed and falling back into it. She felt she deserved a little extra rest, after all she'd been through the last couple months. On her back, arms crossed behind her head, she closed her eyes for a bit, before peering back down at herself.
She'd left her top unbuttoned, and so her freckled breasts each hung off to either side of her ribcage. They had indeed grown. Even empty, each one was about the size of a cantaloupe, much bigger than she had been before making her wish. What'd that make me, an E-cup? G? Rarity would know, probably. Give me fits about it too.
She stared at them, these mounds upon her chest, for a long silent minute. When she at last did something, it was a whisper, barely heard by her own self. "... cider."
She felt it. Saw it. A gentle warmth in each one, and a slight, subtle swelling in both of them, about half an inch.
"... Cider."
They swelled again. Their shapes became more rounded, more pert. Though her nipples were still moist, they had not begun leaking again yet.
"... Cider ."
She watched, mesmerized, as her breasts swelled once more, graduating into full honeydews. Their firmness was starting to increase, the masses lifting themselves up from either side of her body, meeting together right below her nose to re-form her cleavage.
She raised her hands to touch them. Really touch them. Her fingers roamed across their surfaces, explored their weight, their tautness, feeling the sensations coming from inside them, from handling herself like she was. Mmmm... that's not too bad. As long as ah can control it...
AJ rolled onto her side, watching and feeling her full bosom jostle as she did so. Positioning herself so her breasts laid out on the bed before her, she gave them another good stare... before once again, saying to them "Cider."
Like before, they expanded again. Easily bigger than they were when she had first woke up. Much more awake now, she found that being just as full now was not as... annoying as before. Curiosity got the better of her, as she now added a second repetition to her trigger. "... Cider, cider."
The effect was marked. Whereas before they had simply swelled, they now surged , spreading out onto the bed before her. The warmth, the sensation of her skin stretching to accommodate all of what she was making, of the undersides of her increasing bust spreading out onto the bed's surface...
"... Cider, cider!"
She had to bite her lip as they swelled even further , each breast now becoming bigger than those prize-winning watermelons she'd seen at the fairs. Her freckles were stretched out across their tops, and a telltale sensation from her nipples told her that she was now starting to leak. When they stopped, she had to give pause to stare at them. In front of her, they stretched and rose, a freckled, orange landscape of hills, attached to her ribcage. Tenderly, disbelievingly, she placed a hand on one, and stroked it, tracing the flesh from her nipple, all the way across the tight, firm skin of her breast, up to her collarbone, along her neck, before finally stopping to rest upon her cheek. They were real. They were all her .
A new warmth blossomed in her body, one quite unexpected, for it was nowhere near her breasts, and had nothing to do with cider.
She wrapped an arm underneath each one, and turned to lay on her back again. They had become quite heavy, and her breathing labored under them. Still, that didn't stop her from speaking 'Cider!' at them again, and then closing her eyes as the sensation of her breasts pressing against each other, against her arms and hands, overflowed her mind. Again, the leaking sensation raised its head, and she could feel the warm drops of fluid making their way down the skin of her globes.
She opened her eyes and gazed upon them again. She let them go, for they had become taut enough now that they supported their own weight. They towered over her head, her cleavage measurable in feet, great and mighty producers and holders of cider. And they were hers. They were immense. Incredible. Astounding...
Arousing.
Celestia damnit . she thought to herself, almost hypnotized by her own engorged bosom, that warmth becoming more and more palpable. This is turning me on. This is actually turning me on!
Driven by more than just whimsy now, Applejack grasped her breasts again. This time, she stroked their sides, let her fingers press into them, massaged and kneaded them as best as she could, hands grasping and tweaking her sensitive nipples. The sensation of fullness, now no longer a stranger, did not register as pain that moment either. In the back of her head, she wondered if Twilight's painkiller spell had remained in some form. Or maybe, now that she wasn't scared of what was happening, she could fully appreciate what her body was doing. In either case, it was not a sensation she was avoiding. In fact...
She squeezed them together, staring down into the canyon of flesh that began just inches from her chin. Her head dipped forward, as she nuzzled the freckles upon each globe, her muzzle giving her new sensations from within. At last, she plunged her face into her own cleavage, pressing her cheeks into her own softness, squeezing her own immense fullness around herself...
She didn't know how she knew. But she knew she could hold more. The chanting incident in the orchard had been almost a month ago. And she had grown more in the interim. She just knew that she could become even bigger still. That she could become fuller ...
The building heat was becoming too much. A hand left her right breast, and dove downstairs into her pajama bottoms, feeling herself having become rather soaking and flushed down there as well. Her fingers dove in and began stroking her heated petals, while upstairs the other hand continued to massage and squeeze her full mammaries, their masses swaying slightly from both motions.
It was coming. A haze of pleasure was building inside her head, one that she now admitted was being created by her own overproductive breasts. Judgment was clouding, senses were fleeting. Her mind lousy with lust, that was probably the reason why, her muzzle buried between those masses, she then chanted to them "Cider cider cider! "
Her breasts, her already-mighty breasts, began to swell once again. And this time, they did not seem to want to stop. Pressing against her face, she had to pull herself up for air, and found herself bearing witness to her own expanding bust, the peaks of her tits thrusting up higher and higher into the air. Grasping, scrabbling, her hand worked to grip her nipple, even as bit by bit the breast it was attached to pushed and pressed against her arm, before at last, it slipped away. Her nipples were now officially out of arm's reach.
She couldn't even guess at their size now. They were now much, much bigger than they had been out in the orchard a month ago. And still they jutted, swelled, expanded larger , a pair of zeppelin-like shapes rising off her ribcage, towering higher and higher into the air.
The tightness was building. Fuller, and fuller. Her busy hand picking up the pace. Any moment now, she could feel, a familiar ache in her teats...
She came, and she came hard, right as her dark nipples exploded into sprays of gold, streams hitting the ceiling and rapidly soaking the bed. Her eyes were screwed shut against the overwhelming pleasure, her release rocking her mind, her body, her overflowing tits themselves, a long moan of ecstasy escaping her lips. It had felt like three orgasms, all at once. One from between the thighs. And one each, from her erupting mountains of cider.
It lasted forever, or so it felt to AJ. It only really began to taper off as soon as she felt the spray from her nipples beginning to die down, signaling that she had, at last, stopped swelling. Panting, trying to catch her breath, she opened her eyes once more to see the immense masses attached to her. The biggest she had ever been.
And... was she enjoying it? Mental faculties were being slow to return. She wasn't purely certain, but all signs were pointing to yes. She had steadily become more and more aroused, the bigger, the fuller that she had gotten. Had become more and more enamored with her breasts, the larger they had swelled. Even now, as she stared up at them, she found herself leaning her head forward to kiss their tops, the one free hand still stroking the side of her left breast in slow, adoring circles.
... ah am. Ah love this. These huge cider factories... they're mine. They're halfway to th' ceilin', big enough ah cain't reach mah nips... They're me. It's all me. Ah, am sooooo biiiiig...
She laid there a while longer, reveling in her sheer size, finally fully welcoming the sensations of fullness and tightness. It wasn't going to be a thing she embraced openly, she decided. But in private moments, like here, and while pumping... she might let herself indulge, just a little bit...
It wasn't until nearly twelve when she realized, looking at her engorged self "... ahh horsefeathers. How'm ah gonna take care of this ?"
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~..."
-COMING SOON-
-TAPS, AN ALTERNATIVE BAR & LOUNGE EXPERIENCE-
-NOW HIRING TALENTED WAITSTAFF AND PERSONNEL-
-MARES WANTED, PAY AND BENEFITS NEGOTIABLE-
-MUST BE WILLING TO UNDERGO ALTERATION-
-INTERESTED PARTIES INQUIRE WITH VANILLA VODKA, 107 EXT 9-
This was what had been taped to the help-wanted board outside Ponyville's town hall. It was a rather large piece of paper for so few words, and had covered up a few of the other ads, prompting the mare who was reading it now to take it down and re-pin it off to the side.
Said mare, a short yellow pegasus with a curly cherry-red mane, was still considering the new ad. She was fairly skinny, as most active pegusai were. Her clothing was simple, as most Ponyville civilians wore. And she could use the money, as most of the country town felt...
"Hey Sweetie, whatcha lookin' at?"
She jumped a little, but settled back down on the ground as she recognized the unicorn that had snuck up behind her. "O-Oh, it's just you, Lemon. This ad here. Wasn't here yesterday. Somepony's building a new bar in town, looks like."
Lemon Hearts stepped up, curious. She wasn't as thin as her friend, but she was taller than most, easily reading over her head. "'Taps', huh? Sure sounds like a bar. You think it has anything to do with the construction crew at the old soda shop?"
Sweetie Sunrise turned her head. "The what now? I didn't know about that."
"They came driving past my house, out from Canterlot, early this morning."
"Huh. They must be moving fast, if this and that are the same thing."
"Wanna come check it out?"
"... Sure. I'd like to see if this Vanilla Vodka's there too." The pegasus stuck her hands into her pockets. "I could use the money."
"Couldn't we all." Lemon agreed, looking around the town square. "Even when life does give you lemons, it's never gonna be enough."
They were a block away when they ran into a friend whom they agreed, would be the most interested in the opening of new bars.
Berry Punch ambled over to the waving pair, her expression flushed, but not totally sloshed. "Heeeeeey gals, what's all the commotion?"
"Lemon and I are heading to where the old soda shop was." Sweetie explained. "Apparently, some city types are building a new bar there on top of it. Wanna come see?"
The wine pony did indeed want to come see. Together, the three of them happened upon the street corner where the once-abandoned shop stood. It had been barricaded off, and completely gutted, the majority of demolition having apparently been done earlier. Already, ponies were clambering over the structure, putting up new paneling, wiring, the works. There was even a small shoveler inside, conveying dirt to a pile behind the building.
"What's that for?" Lemon asked, gesturing at the shoveler.
"My guess is wine cellar." Berry replied, leaning upon one of the barricades. "Lotta places like 'em. Looks like it's gonna be a big one too. What'd you say they were calling themselves again?"
"Taps." the pegasus stated. "Said they were gonna be a bar and lounge. They posted an ad at the help board this morning... I'm thinking of giving it a shot."
The purple mare raised an eyebrow. "I thought you didn't like bars. Too many wandering eyes, wasn't it?"
"Y-yeah, but... well, my own little breakfast venture's not going anywhere till I can afford more room. I'm willing to take a chance."
"Hrmmm... gonna say this though, girls. Help wanted? On same day? That's not suspicious at all."
"You're right." said a new voice. "It's not suspicious. It's just the way things are done in the city."
All three mares turned to look. All three mares stared hard. The top-heavy form of a tall, silvery mare stood behind them, dressed incongruously in work clothes that hugged her like a second skin, orange safety vest and all, though it did nothing to cover that tremendous bust. The hardhat was small and canted off to the side, obviously more for decoration than for any real protection.
"O-oh, h-hello." Lemon stammered, momentarily cowed by the new mare's imposing stature. "A-are you... y'know, with... with them?"
The mare gave a matronly smile. "Yes, I am. My name is Vanilla Vodka, and I am one of the leading owners of the Taps franchise."
"Oh!" The pegasus flapped her wings. "You're the pony the ad said to get in contact with, aren't you?"
She nodded. "That's correct. Again, posting the ad same day as construction is simply more efficient. It ensures an establishment hits the ground running, once everything is in place." She looked over at the construction, a hint of pride in her voice. "If everything remains on schedule... and it no doubt will... we should be opening in a week's time."
Berry was giving her a critical eye. The pretentiousness was rubbing her the wrong way. "What're you ponies actually about? I heard 'bar and lounge', but what kind ?"
Vanilla glanced over at her, before taking a breath, a motion that made her bosom heave. "Taps, is a bar and lounge, and yet is also an adult entertainment establishment. Our core attraction is our alternative and exotic method of serving refreshments, which remains a secret to all but employees and customers. We've proven that there is merit to the concept, thanks to three successful franchise locations inside of Canterlot itself. Today, we think Ponyville is ready to experience the next big thing in the lounge scene, and so we've broken ground." She glanced about the street with a disapproving expression. "Frankly, it could use a little class, which we're hoping to bring."
Lemon opened her mouth, but was beaten to the punch by Punch. "How wide's your selection?"
"Every location has a different assortment of local specialties, but we do carry a sizable beverage list."
"How 'local' are the localities if they're all in Canterlot?"
"Every employee brings an individual 'touch' to the serving experience."
"So, you support local brewers? Or do you rope them in under your own brand?"
That got a reaction, the tall mare pivoting to swing her massive bust around, pointed straight at Berry. She stared down her cleavage at her, noting that the mare, for her apparent inebriated state, had not flinched, and was returning the gaze steadily. At length, she smiled. "You know a lot about the drinks industry, do you?"
"I have to." the purple mare replied. "I'm the town drunk."
"C'mon now Berry, play nice." Sweetie enthused, stepping up beside her. "You'll have to forgive her, she's got a vineyard and her own line. Me... I could use some capital." She stepped closer to Vanilla. "Miss Vodka, I'm Sweetie Sunrise. I'm... I'm interested in signing up for your bar, here."
The mare was all smiles. "Oh, how wonderful! Our first potential employee." She reached out and shook hands with her. "My schedule is rather full today, but I can pen in an interview for you tomorrow. Would that be okay?"
"Suits me fine, miss!"
"Excellent." She swept her deep blue gaze over the other two mares. "What about you two?"
"... oh all right, I might as well." the yellow unicorn conceded, stepping up. "Lemon Hearts. I own an orchard in town, so, if you need any lemonade Miss Vodka, I can be your mare."
"Oh, lemonade, hmmm~" Vanilla hummed, taking her hand to shake as well. "A nice addition to our roster. Please, call me Vanilla, or Miss Vanilla, if you'd like. I'll pen your interview right after Miss Sunrise's here." She took a few seconds, before turning her head back in the wine pony's direction. "And you, Miss..."
"... Berry Punch. I'll... think on it. You'll probably get me as a patron, if nothing else. These places are okay with 'gentlemares' as well as gentlecolts, I'm assuming?"
"Of course! It takes all sorts." the tall unicorn enthused, spreading her arms wide. "Still, should you ever reconsider, please don't hesitate to call. We at Taps are always on the lookout for mares with natural talents, you know."
That struck an odd chord in Berry's head. Before she could ask about it though, the street suddenly became busier, as more carts piled into the lane, stacked high with building materials.
"Oh good, the rest of everything." Vanilla crooned. "I apologize dear ladies, but I must be going. Can't have a body without a head to steer things after all. If you'll excuse me."
She departed, her bust leading the way in front of her, with only a slight sway to each of her long steps. Berry couldn't help but wonder how tight her top must have been, taking another quick look at how the pale blue flesh was billowing over the neckline.
However, her eyes were quickly distracted by the trailer they had just walked past. It was piled high with trimmings, red tile, an assortment of bar stools, shelves, poles, and a...
Applejack was in the middle of carrying a bushel of apples to the house when she heard her name being called out.
Stopping, looking down the road, she was more than surprised to see Berry jogging down it at breakneck speed, waving a hand. "Applejack! Applejaaaack! "
She stayed in place, waiting for the purple pony to catch up with her, and then waiting a few minutes longer as the mare bent double, trying to catch her breath. "Berry? What's goin' on? Yer lookin' like y' just ran th' Iron Pony marathon."
"I... I-I just ran... all the way from town..." she panted, gasping for breath, before looking up. "Applejack, we need to talk, now."
"It... it was the well."
"Are y' sure?"
"Pretty certain. Oh, it wasn't made out of stone, like the one you and I know, it looked like it was made out of some sort of cheap plaster. But it wasn't the proper sort that's in town either. It was made up to look like the well."
"Now that, is mighty strange." Applejack scratched her chin in contemplation as they both sat at the Apple family dining table. "What'd you say these ponies called themselves again?"
"They call themselves 'Taps'. They're apparently a 'alternative adult bar experience.' At least, that's how the Canterlot lady described it. You shoulda seen the mare. Tits out to here." Berry gestured a foot or so in front of herself. "She was full of it too. She didn't use her nose, she used her cleavage. If you inflated her ego any more, I swear it wouldn't go to her head, it'd go to her boobs instead."
The farmmare couldn't help but chuckle. "Ah take it y'all didn't hit it off too well."
"That's putting it mildly. 'Please, call me Vanilla. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a town I need to class up with my astounding dirigibles~'" She flapped her hands, causing her friend to laugh again. "Seriously. Would love to see a black eye on that smug face."
"Okay okay, ah get it. She's a first-class snob. But what makes y' think she an' these 'Taps' ponies know anythin' about th' well?"
"It was the way she laid on her pitch for Sweetie and Lemon." The lavender mare's brow furrowed. "She said that they were on the lookout for mares, with 'natural talents'. Given the mockup of the well, the fact that she was this close to being topless... I dunno. It's pretty damning, isn't it?"
"It's... it's somethin'." AJ bowed her head to think. "Mah big worry is th' timin', though. Y' say they plannin' on opening within the week?"
"That's right. Whether or not they're snobs, they have serious money. They tore the old soda shop down to bare bones just this morning. Building it back up even as we speak."
She narrowed her eyes. "This close to Cider Day... that feels too close t' be a coincidence."
"Well, what're we gonna do then?"
"Well... what time is it." A quick glance at the kitchen clock. "Almost seven, damn. Ah still got chores t' finish up... but come on by tomorrow afternoon, kay? We'll both go see just what this 'Vanilla Vodka's up to."
And from th' sound o' things, she thought to herself. If ah wanna stand up t' her... ah'm gonna haveta make a big splash...
True to her word, the next day, Berry stood outside the gate for Sweet Apple Acres, waiting on her. It didn't take too long for Applejack to spot her and join her. "Hey Ayjay. You all ready?"
"Ready as ah'll ever be." she replied, standing up straight, adjusting the stetson on her head. When no further reply came, she glanced at her friend, only to find the purple pony's gaze fixated on a certain part of her.
"Uhm... Applejack... are you sure you don't need to, uhm... empty first?"
Jutting out from inside her vest, two freckled melons stretched out the tube top that she had decided to wear underneath, her speckled cleavage fully on display. Looking down at them, a blush slightly tinged her cheeks as she replied.
"T' be honest... ah haven't touched them yet t'day. After everything you told me 'bout th' lady, ah thought it might not be a bad idea t' go in kinda... well, 'full', mahself. Make'er think twice, maybe."
"Yeah, maybe." Berry replied, still eyeing her friend's bust warily. "You gonna be okay though? No tightness or leakage or anything?"
"Nah, this here is nothin'. An' ah took yer advice on nursin' pads too. Ah'm ready, sugarcube, so let's go see this newfangled bar they're buildin' already."
They set off. Ponyville never took an awful long time to get to, and on top of that, finding the bar again was especially easy, since by now it had drawn a crowd.
Ponies lined the barricade, mares and stallions both, gossiping amongst each other about the establishment that was being constructed. "I just got back from Canterlot, went to one of these" one stallion was saying. A mare down the line whispered to her friend "I heard they accepted all sorts, mares, stallions, and those inbetween!" Even a pair of colts down at the end were plotting ."Bet we could sneak in when it's open. Nopony'd be the wiser!"
Beyond that, there was now a new trailer carriage set up across the street from it, with various ponies milling around it. At least one stallion clad in black stood by its door. Amongst the various mares and stallions gathered there around it, Berry saw a couple of familiar faces.
"Sweetie! Lemon!"
The aforementioned ponies perked their heads up, and then lit up as they saw who was joining them. "Hey, Berry!" the pegasus replied as she stood up. "And Applejack! What brings you to town?"
"This here Taps business." was AJ's reply, forking a thumb at the construction. "Y'all realize how close t' Cider Day this is? While ah'm all fer competition, this is lookin' a little too pat fer my likin'. An' ah wanna make sure we don't get another snafu like we did last year either."
A number of ponies overheard AJ, and started muttering amongst themselves in agreement. The memory of the Flim Flam Brothers was still in everyone's minds, and nopony was eager for a repeat.
The redheaded pegasus dipped her head down a little bit, as Lemon spoke up. "I remember, AJ. I don't think it's going to be like that though. There's no open challenge, and they're not trying to outdo you at it either."
"Hrm, y' may be right. Still, ah wouldn't mind talkin' to th' heads of this operation." The farmmare tilted her head to the carriage. "They in there?"
"They are." the pegasus answered. "They're holding interviews right now, Lemon and I are waiting our turn."
"Looks like a fair-sized turnout." Berry remarked, taking in the loitering crowd. "Everypony here looking for a job?"
A stallion stood up next to her. "Lots of us are barely makin' ends meet. What you're seeing here are ponies who just want a little more cash to make themselves feel comfortable."
AJ rubbed her head. "Ah guess ah cain't begrudge a pony that. But jumpin' on franchises from Canterlot? That ain't th' Ponyville ah used t' know."
Lemon Hearts opened her mouth to speak, but found her eye drawn by something else. "... Applejack, did you fall in a bee hive recently? Cause you're lookin' pretty-"
The carriage door swung open, allowing a dazed Cherry Berry to leave its interior, arms wrapped around herself. From inside, a voice spoke. "What Ponyville smells, is opportunity. And when it comes, you mustn't dawdle to seize the moment."
Out stepped Vanilla Vodka, dressed this time in a black pinstripe business suit, skirt down to her knees, and undershirt unbuttoned to the nines. One could even see the beauty mark on her breast peering out just a bit from under the shirt hem. Looking at her, AJ couldn't help but bristle. Berry was right. Celestia almighty was she right.
The blue mare adjusted the pair of pince-nez glasses she was wearing, looking over the crowd of ponies. "Oh, hello again, Miss Punch. So glad you could join us. And..." her gaze met Applejack's own. "And you are...?"
"Applejack Apple. Head proprietor of Sweet Apple Acres." She placed her hands upon her hips. "Are you Vanilla Vodka?"
"Vanilla, please. Yes, I am the pony you seek." the top-heavy unicorn replied, stepping down from the door and taking steps forward, leading with her bust all the way. "Apple-jaaaack... yeees, I do believe I have heard of you! Proud and honest Applejack of Ponyville, blue-ribbon rodeo pony, and hero of many an escapade, am I right?"
"Ah ain't here t' be flattered." AJ replied, beginning to take small steps of her own. "Y'all're here on business, so am I. Whats yer angle here in town?"
"Angle? Oh Miss Apple, you ascribe too great an aspiration to me. I simply figured now was as good a time as any to bring some of the joys of the higher city, to your quaint little community here." Vanilla began to slow her steps, veering to the left, eyes not leaving the orange pony for a second.
It seemed to Berry that the space surrounding the two mares was quickly becoming an empty circle, ponies having shifted or gotten out of the way to give the two some room. They were circling each other now, and the tension had suddenly congealed in the air.
"Interestin' timin', that." The orange pony was saying. "If y'all were a month earlier or a month later, ah wouldn't have batted an eye. But yer here settin' up yer fancy establishment, right in th's few weeks leadin' up t' Cider Day."
"And so?" the blue mare crooned, brushing some of her blonde locks aside. "We're hardly looking to impinge upon your sales. Your specialty is cider, after all, and our view of the industry looks way beyond that. "
She's got me there. "That may be so," she replied, closing in a little on the unicorn. "But if that were really all there was to it, y'all coulda been out here months ago. Why now?"
"Simply put," came the reply, "We didn't know everything we needed to know, until... recently. But now that we have the information we needed, we decided that to move any later would be folly~"
AJ stopped, turning to face her. "What kinda information might that be, pray tell?"
"Demographics." Vanilla replied as if it was rehearsed, breaking free of the orbiting pattern, now simply taking short, slow steps towards the apple pony. "Ponyville is home to a hard working clientele that could use a little more excitement in their lives. And also, there are mares here whom, I am sure we'll find, will fit right in with the Taps way of life, even if they don't know it yet."
To her horror, the suited mare came to a full stop right in front of her. The reason why she'd stopped, being that she had pressed her bust right into AJ's own. The unicorn was bigger, and taller than she was. Still, Applejack did not retreat, nor budge, knowing that to do so would be to concede to the newcomer, weakening her position, especially in front of this crowd of nervously-watchful ponies. She stood her ground, bosom against bosom, trading unflinching stares through cleavage.
"Why the animosity anyway, Miss Apple?" the streaked blonde asked sweetly. "What we really should be doing to working together . Your farm's cider is known throughout all of Equestria after all, and more often than not, we get requests for it in our establishments. What do you say?"
"Ah say yer tryin' t' change the subject."
"Oh but it's a subject that would solve your apparent issue with us. Come now, Miss Apple, why not give us the benefit of the doubt? Sweet Apple Acre's cider, served not just at Taps in Ponyville, but in all three of our Canterlot locations too. Why just settle for making cider in this little dirt hole, when you can make cider for all of Equestria yourself? Besides... I think that I can tellll~..."
AJ's eyes widened, and then looked down quickly, as she realized too late exactly what Vanilla had done. Pressing their busts together had been, on the outside, purely for show. But with four repetitions of the word 'Cider', she was unable to do anything as, with each utterance of the phrase, her breasts had swollen even fuller, pressing against the unicorn's own bosom more and more. When she glanced back up, the look in Vanilla's eyes was gleaming, smug... and predatory.
"I do believe that you, Applejack, have got some... natural talent. How's this for a deal then? Leave that stuffy old farm, and come join our enterprise instead. I can already tell, you would be a natural on the floor of our newest establishment here. I could even put you ahead of the curve, make you the local franchise manager. You've got more opportunity here for you than anywhere else you'll ever be. What do you say, Miss Apple 'Cider' Jack?"
Metaphorically trapped between her own swelling bust, and the cat's-eye gaze of the unicorn, she had to consider her response carefully... or as carefully as she was able to, considering the businessmare had just dissed her farm.
"Sweet Apple Acres, is not stuffy." she began. "It is one of th' founding cornerstones o' Ponyville, an' Cider Season has been a long-standing tradition for our town since mah Granny was a wee mare. Moreover, it's mah life. Mah family. And yer gonna have a hard time tryin' t' get me t' budge for anything else."
There was a whooping somewhere in the distance, and a few ponies even applauded. She suspected Dash was nearby, cheering. Emboldened, she then allowed a grin to come over her own face. "Seein' as y'all were so generous t' offer though, ah'll definitely take yer suggestions under serious consideration~"
The look upon Vanilla's face had become carefully composed and neutral. "Very well then, Miss Apple. Then, if you've no further business with us, may I request that you leave us be, so we may continue our interviewing process?"
She nodded, and the pale pony disengaged from their docking, sauntering back over to the trailer carriage, bosom leading the entire time. She paused only to motion at Sweetie Sunrise to follow her, before disappearing inside.
"Oh MARE!" Berry suddenly exclaimed, tackling and embracing AJ from behind. "You SHOWED her! That was amazing! Aw man you were right to fill up like that, that gave you just what you needed to-"
The mare was frantically signaling her to stop, and so she did, dropping back to the ground, chagrined. Applejack for her part, found herself surrounded by a crowd of ponies still, some approving, some confused, and others looking downcast or ashamed.
"Look." she started, addressing them. "Ah know that was ugly. But it ain't up t' me to decide what yah should or shouldn't do. It just ain't fer me. If y'all need it, go for it. Just... be careful, alright?"
There were nods and words of acknowledgement, which she took as her cue to actually turn around and leave, weaving her way out of the crowd, with Berry close on her tail. When they were finally to themselves, she whispered to her friend. "She knows."
"W-wha? Vanilla? B-but-"
"That whole boob-squish thing, she planned it. She was testin' me. An' ah couldn't do a bloody thing." The freckled mare rubbed the side of her bust, which was now even fuller than it had been when they'd started. "She felt mah girls swellin' against hers every time she said th' word. And then she went an' said it, that ah had 'Natural' talent. Think yer hunch is right, Berry. She's got her eye on us."
"Got her eye on you, you mean. She doesn't suspect a thing of me." the purple pony corrected. "But still, that's crazy. She really tried to sell you on the idea, didn't she?"
"She did. An' that bit she tried t' feed me, 'bout demographics? A big fat fib, that's what. Ah could tell, ah'm not th' element o' Honesty fer nothin'. But what ah said there, was th' honest truth. Ain't no way ah'm gonna leave th' farm, specially not so close to th' day. And if that don't sit well with miss balloon-bra, then tough taters."
"Hah, you said it. Besides, what can she even do? Even with all that money, nothing could ever get you to bail ship now, right?"
Sweetie Sunrise exited the trailer with unfocused eyes, her hands resting upon her chest as she stumbled into the light as if in a dream. Behind her, the lull between interviews allowed a hushed conversation to take place.
"Hidden Deal?"
"Yes, Miss Vanilla?"
"Sweet Apple Acres, and the Apple Family. Are you familiar with them?"
"They do own the local apple market, ma'am."
"Get me some dirt on them. Dig deep. Anything you can find, I want it on my desk, and I want it yesterday. Especially anything you can find on Miss Applejack."
"Miss Applejack, ma'am?"
"She has come across it. She has that natural talent, and in spades. Her word is 'Cider'. I want her, Hidden Deal. I want her under my thumb, and in the employ of Taps. One way... or another."
A knock sounded on the still-open door, Lemon Hearts peering inside. "Uhm... hello? I think you said my interview would be right after Sweetie's..." she looked back out into the open. "What did you tell her? She's acting like she's high or something."
"Oh, it's a natural high, Miss Hearts. Miss Sunrise has been accepted and hired into Taps." Vanilla's smile was ingratiating. "Please, come on in, sit down. Let us begin. I'm sure you'd like to be hired alongside your friend, right?"
"That would be nice." the yellow unicorn replied timidly, closing the door behind her and taking her seat. "I hope she hasn't said anything bad about me."
"Oh on the contrary Miss Hearts, she gave nothing but a glowing recommendation of you and your skills."
"You'd might even say," the older stallion spoke up. "That she did almost half of your interview for you."
She puffed her cheeks. "Now I don't know if I should be thankful or annoyed."
There was a small laugh, as the pale mare regarded her, sizing her up. "Miss Lemon Hearts, you said you own an orchard in town, correct?"
"That's right."
"But from what I heard, lemons and lemon goods don't sell well year-round."
"Well... lemon season's in the summer, when it's most wanted. My lemonade recipe's always brought the ponies back wanting more... but, demand varies with the heat. The onset of fall has always meant a drop in the sales for me."
"But this year has hit you harder than most, hasn't it?"
"Yeah, it has. One of my trees got hit by a stray parasprite, and you know the kind of hell those cause. Managed to snag an accordion and drive them away, but by then, the damage was done. So... yeah, I'm looking for a little extra work, at least until I can recover."
"I see, I see..." Vanilla nodded thoughtfully. "Well, as we're looking for local mares, the odds of you being approved are high enough already. Just let us make sure of a few things... have you had any previous waiting experience?"
"Yes actually. Worked at an Inns and Oats Hayburger in my school years."
"Excellent. Any specialty schooling or education?"
"Yup!" Lemon cheered. "Graduated in animal sciences from Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns!"
The temperature in the trailer seemed to suddenly drop a few degrees. Was it her imagination, or was the boss pony glaring at her now? Whatever it was, it seemed to pass as soon as it had happened. "... Interesting. While a laudable field, it has little bearing on the position we're trying to fill. So, let's move on." she rustled a few papers, before continuing. "Bar service?"
"U-uhm, I own my own lemonade stall whenever the heatwaves hit."
"Ah yes, the lemonade... a specialty of yours. I wouldn't suppose you'd have some on hand for us to sample, would you?"
"... actually," the blue-maned mare replied, leaning down to retrieve her purse. A bit of digging revealed a thermos inside. She handed it over. "Always liked to keep some on-person, whenever I get parched."
The mare behind the desk accepted the thermos, unscrewed it, and took a whiff, a smile coming to her lips. Mr. Deal provided a paper cup for her, and she poured a small amount, before taking a sip. "Mmmm... classic, yet original in its own way. Your own recipe, correct?"
There was a nod. She then proceeded to light her horn, a dark blue aura enveloping the thermos. "You know, we could help you distribute your lemonade. Add it to our list of beverages. A hard-working stallion would still be most appreciative of it in the middle of the winter, if it's served with a summer's smile."
The pitch rang a bell. It was similar to the one that she had given to AJ, before abruptly changing track and trying to recruit her instead. "... w-well, if I like working here... theeen I don't see why not?"
The smile that graced Vanilla's face could have powered the sun. "Most excellent, that's what we like to hear. We've only one question left then..." she leaned forward, the expression suddenly turning serious. "Are you, or have you ever had in the past, lactating, nursing, or been a wet nurse?"
That one threw Lemon for a loop. "...nnnnooo I have not. I've never married, or ever had any children. Do you ask that of everypony?"
"We do." the top-heavy unicorn replied, raising her hand and snapping her fingers. The gangly stallion immediately placed a sheaf of papers into her grasp, and she sat back up straight, again beaming with a smile. "Well, Lemon Hearts, I have some good news for you. You, I believe, are prime Taps material."
"R-really?!"
"Yes, really! Now, we just need to make things official." She passed the pile over to the yellow mare, quietly delighting at her expression of confusion.
"That, is the company contract." Mr. Deal spoke again. "Upon signing it, you agree to all services, benefits, regulations, and alterations as listed inside. Though I'm sure a mare of your experience is already quite familiar with the documentation listed in such a contract."
The truth was, this entire document was a mess of dense text that she had no idea how she was going to read all in one sitting. "Alterations... You mean magical augmentation, right?"
"That's correct. It is an essential element to the services you'll be providing, should you accept." She didn't get any further elaboration.
She stared at it hard, trying to make sense of the text, before at length, shrugging her shoulders. It's probably the same sort of terms they had me agree to at the Inns and Oats Hayburger. she thought to herself, flipping to the end. "Do I sign here?"
"That's it."
She signed, and then handed it back, the mare accepting and then immediately filing the document away. "Congratulations, Miss Hearts. You are now officially part of Taps. There's just only one order of business left to straighten out. Your alterations."
"Right, alterations... what do you need me to do?"
"Take your shirt off."
"I-... excuse me?"
"There's no need for alarm." the stallion soothed. "Miss Vanilla will make the alteration herself. It's our company secret you see, the reason why Taps has seen the rampant successes that it has."
"Have you ever wondered..." Vanilla crooned, standing up behind her desk, her horn glowing brighter. "Why it is, that we call ourselves 'Taps'?"
"I-I..." she was finding herself being oddly drawn towards the light that the other mare's horn was emitting. She looked to the side to see that Mr. Deal had turned his back, and, feeling oddly safe in Vanilla's overflowing presence, she found herself complying, hands reaching and grabbing the hem of her sweatshirt, before pulling it up and over her head, her pert little C-cups now on display, enclosed in a pale green bra. "N-No... no, I hadn't. I thought it was cause... o-of some... special dispenser?"
"Oh Lemon, you are so, so close." The thermos from before hovered forward, and a drop of lemonade splashed out. It suddenly froze as it was caught in the buxom mare's magic field, before flashing and vaporizing in an instant. "Yes, the draw of Taps, is our method of dispensing drinks. But it's not anything mechanical. It's the fact that it's done with such personal service, along with a smile~"
"Wha-... Wh-what's the... dispenser then?"
"I thought that was obvious, Miss Heart." Vanilla Vodka replied, her horn upping one more shade of blue, intensifying, as Lemon began to feel a peculiar buzzing within her breasts. "You are."
It had been three days since that intense standoff between AJ and the mare from Canterlot. Word had gotten around, and the air was clouded with speculation that the two would clash once more in the very near future. That was what Berry had told Twilight anyways.
Twilight Sparkle, walking down the street with a basket of groceries, was deep in thought. Despite being the local princess, she was not exactly able to shove and impeach someone based purely by the gut feelings of a few close friends. No matter how much she trusted those friend's opinions.
"I'm sorry girls," she had told them. "But unless the two of you can get me some hard evidence of wrongdoing, I can't even lift a finger to stop this. On the surface, it's a legitimate business. And there's nothing wrong with that."
AJ had left, grumbling compliance, while Berry restated her intention to keep her ear to the ground. And that's how it had been ever since then, with Twilight having been left in her castle, with thoughts bouncing around in her mind.
The thought that had finally drifted to the surface was ... just because they seem to be a legit business... doesn't mean I can't look into them.
And so on this third day, she had Spike send a formal records inquiry into Canterlot's business registry office via dragonflame. While they waited for the reply, she had taken the advantage of the lull to break from her spell research, to do a little shopping in town.
It was in fact during this return trip back home when she got the biggest scare she'd had in a long while.
"Pssst. Twilight?"
The words had never reached her ears. Instead, she had registered them right at the base of her horn. The words had not been spoken , but instead transmitted, at a frequency which only a unicorn's horn could capture and perceive.
Instantly she was on guard, wings flaring as she looked about. "W-Who's there?! Show yourself!"
"Twi, Twi, please, calm down, it's me, Lemon. I think I'm being watched."
The alicorn straightened herself up, regaining a measure of calm, and then lit her horn, transmitting on the same frequency. "Lemon? What's wrong? Where are you, who do you think is watching you?"
"I'm over in the alley to your right. I'd... kinda like to join you in your castle. There's something I need to show you."
Twilight looked over. Sure enough, there was a pony in the shadows there, in a hoodie with the hood drawn up and over, only a yellow horn visible. The alicorn quickly waved her over, casting her eyes about for anything suspicious, senses now on high alert from her school friend's words.
They walked together, in silence. Though nothing made a move, the shadows cast by the cloudy day overhead kept the both of them on-edge. It wasn't until they had reached the crystal castle doors and rushed inside when Lemon put her hood down, and embraced her old friend in a hug. Relieved, Twi returned it... and then found herself quirking an eyebrow as she felt two sizable masses press into her chest.
"Okay Lemon," she spoke, letting her go. "We're safe in here. Tell me, what's going on? Who's watching you?"
"Ponies from Taps, I think." she replied, hands going down to pull her hoodie off. "You know I got hired by them, right?"
"I remember hearing about that, yeah."
"Did you know that all 'waitress employees' had to undergo magic augmentation too?" The hoodie was pulled... and then caught, around her bust. The purple princess had to do a double-take, she didn't remember Lemon Hearts having been that big before. A suspicion bubbled in the back of her mind.
"No, I didn't know... are those part of it?"
"You have no idea." The hoodie was dropped onto the floor, allowing Twi to see that she was wearing a green t-shirt underneath. And even that was tight, hugging around her bosom. What were once simple Cs had suddenly become near F-cups. The unicorn knew what was being stared at, and she gestured at them.
"These, are the secret of Taps. They don't want their employees talking about it, but there's no way that I can keep quiet about this. That's why I think I was bein' watched, and why I was trying to be sneaky."
"... w-well, then, what is it? I mean... obviously they made you bigger... way bigger than before, but...?"
"It's not just the size." Lemon enthused, now proceeding to lift the shirt itself up and over her bust, treating her friend to an unfettered view of her swollen breasts. And they looked swollen. Firm, jutting out of her ribcage, with no hint of sag. No need of a bra either. "They changed them. It's their gimmick. The 'Taps' in Taps, are us . It's these . My breasts, have become taps ."
And with that, she brought a hand up to stroke the side of one of her breasts. To Twilight's amazement, the darkened nipple on that breast began to leak profusely. Leaked a fluid that was a bright, sweet yellow, the aroma of lemon rising sharply in the air.
"Lemonade." the unicorn stated, before biting her lip as those yellow mounds swelled even bigger at the word. "My breasts are making lemonade ."
"So THAT's the big secret!"
"That's what it looks like." Twilight answered AJ's outburst, pacing back and forth between her, Berry, and Lemon, the latter of whom was now sitting topless in the castle library with a purple glow suffused around her breasts. "All employees of Taps have undergone a magic augmentation, that causes their breasts to begin producing a beverage of some sort, set during the casting process. The waitresses then serve their clientele directly 'from the tap', as it were."
"It's a glorified titty bar." Berry exclaimed, rubbing the side of her head. "Why have a drink in one hand and a tit in the other, when you can have both at the same time?"
"Alternative experience indeed." Applejack spat, taking her hat off. "They didn't warn you about this? Nothin' in that contract you signed?"
Lemon had shrunk in on herself as the tirade had gone back and forth. "The... th-the contract was... really big, and dense. I didn't exactly read it all the way through..."
Twi's eyes narrowed. "I know that trick. More than likely they made it that way on purpose, to overwhelm signees and intimidate them into signing anyway, without realizing what all exactly they're agreeing to."
"W-well..." the yellow unicorn appeared to be fighting to defend her decision. "Once it was done, I didn't exactly mind . I kinda... found it neat, to be honest." She rotated her shoulder, looking down at her bust. "I get to see what it's like to be top-heavy, and I get to make lemonade without the need to harvest and manually squeeze the lemons. And it is my personal recipe! When summer comes back around, I'll be able to make a killing with these-"
"If, Taps lets you." AJ reminded. "Yer gonna be servin' it workin' there anyways. They could slap a big ol' fine on you if y' try t' sell it anywhere else."
She found herself wordless after that. The alicorn took the lull to speak back up again, gesturing to the display she had conjured. "There's one other thing about the nature of this spell itself, that I think you two will find interesting."
She pointed at a jagged line that consisted of many sharp dips and rises. "This waveform, is obviously artificial, trimmed for efficiency. But when overlaid with the waveform of the Wish magic that's affected the both of you..." A more fuzzy wave appeared on the screen, and was then superimposed on top of the sharper one.
"... they match up." Berry replied, impressed. "So that mare is using the same kind of magic that the well uses?"
"Almost. What she's done is made a duplication, and then trimmed it down to make it more efficient. I can see wave grafts there and there that allow her to set the produce type too... though they're a little clumsy, if you ask me."
The apple mare laughed. "Clumsy, her?"
"She may be a sharp business mare. But she obviously never attended Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns." She allowed a hint of smugness to grace her smile. "I can see other grafts here and there that seem to have been experiments, but overall don't change anything, in the area that dictates production speed."
"Speed?" Lemon spoke up once more. "Just about all of the Taps employees make the same amount at the same pace."
"Hence the theory that I'm about to put forth." The alicorn turned to face all three of them. "Vanilla Vodka has, at some point in time, run into a mare who had been 'gifted' by the well. She copied the spell waveform, customized it to an extent, made it efficient... enough so to make it cast-able by a unicorn, namely, herself. She can set the produce type, and the trigger word, but she cannot set other factors, such as the production amount whenever the trigger is spoken, or the amount passively produced over a period of time. Things which I believe she could be able to do, had she taken the time."
"However, like I said, she was a businessmare first. She took her spell, and with it, began her alternative bar experience. She's not looked back since, but I believe that she may be still on the lookout, for other mares affected by the well."
Berry and AJ looked at each other. "Natural Talent." the wine mare replied.
"Exactly." Twi continued. "As Lemon just said, and this waveform corroborates, she and presumably all other Taps employees, produce at about the same rate. Berry, you yourself, produce on a slightly higher level than Lemon does. While Applejack, compared to the both of you, produces on orders of magnitude even higher."
Lemon Hearts found herself gaping as this was said, looking back and forth between the two mares. "S-so... so that means, you two... when Vanilla said you had natural talent, she meant that...?!"
Applejack put her hat back on, tilting it to cover her eyes, allowing Berry to do the talking. "That's right. We've been producing long before Miss Goldilocks ever showed her face in this town."
"The well is the key, it seems." Twilight spoke again. "Because of it's nature, using wish magic, it can set production rates willy-nilly. And even with this copied spell that she has, she's going to be seeking out those who can make more than her spell can. Every businesspony always drives towards higher output with less cost."
"So that's why then." AJ leaned back, a hand on her hip. "And she knows ah'm one. Ah thoughts things were off-kilter b'fore, but this here takes th' pie."
"The question being, should we be worried about her coming after us?" Berry replied, looking up. "Lemon, what do you think... Lemon?"
The unicorn was not responding. She was staring down at her breasts, eyes glazed over slightly, quietly whispering 'Lemonade' to herself, and then letting out a giggle every time her bust swelled and leaked. It took Twilight placing a hand on her shoulder to snap out of it. "Wh-what?! Oh... W-well, I don't know about going after you. But this isn't all that bad, I don't think... it opens in a couple days, anyway. You could always join in!"
The apple mare made a dismissive sound, as the alicorn released the yellow mare's bosom from her magic's hold, helping her onto her feet. "Why don't you go empty in the bathroom? I've gotta talk something over with these two anyway."
She nodded, gathered her clothes, and padded out of the library. It was only after she was out of earshot, when Twilight gestured to the display again. "Miss Vanilla also made one other alteration to the spell, that's not in the original one. Rather tacked on and messy... but effective."
That got their attention. "What is it?"
"An exaggerated endorphin release, coinciding with triggered production." She pointed to a few lines in the middle of the graph. "This, simply put, makes you feel really, really good whenever your production is triggered. Enough so that I feel it may become rather... habit-forming."
"... you mean like, addictive?" Berry exclaimed, incredulous. "Why's she need to add that? I can't speak for AJ, but I admit to getting a rise every now and then out of being triggered. Why would you need to enforce it?"
"Maybe it makes 'em easier t' handle." AJ replied, a scowl on her face. "They don't read th' contract. They get th' alteration put on 'em. They're shocked, but it starts feelin' good. Pretty soon, they're thinkin' 'Oh this ain't so bad after all'. And then they carry on none th' wiser."
The wine mare made a face. "Twilight, NOW can we bring this up with the folks upstairs? All this is looking pretty shady."
"You know it, and I know it." she replied. "... I'll start making a case. This classifies as willful employer negligence, easily. I had Spike send in an inquiry earlier anyway, so whatever turns up from that end, I think I can add to the list against them. There's only one problem with filing it as such..."
"And that is?"
The alicorn looked out the door where Lemon had left. "That it needs to be claimed by an employee, under Taps. And anypony under Vanilla's spell, is probably not going to be raising any complaints..."
There was an unspoken plan in those words. It would be a few seconds before anypony spoke up next. And when they did, it was Berry who beat AJ to the punch.
"... I wanna wait and see the place in full swing first. After that... count me in."
In the end, around 12 mares from around Ponyville itself signed up with Taps. And it was to great fanfare that they all posed, outside the shop, as Vanilla Vodka herself cut the big red ribbon. "Taps Ponyville, is now open for business!"
The building had taken on a gleaming white art-deco exterior, with red trim, invoking its earlier incarnation as a soda shop. Even the mares themselves, in full uniform, were wearing short-sleeved white blouses with colored piping that were reminiscent of soda jerks, paper hats and all. Their fronts were button-ups, said buttons few in number, with telling creases from shoulder to hem on how they were to be opened. In some mare's cases, the buttons were straining obviously, as if they couldn't wait to burst free. A simple pleated short skirt, same color as their piping, completed their ensembles.
Berry shifted just a little in line as they were slowly filtered inside. There were a pair of burly stallions in black at the door, performing the age-old tradition of ID checking, visual deterrent, and if need be, bouncer. When it came her turn, she gave one of them a flirtatious wink. That they did not even twitch told her the level of their experience. Or what side of the street they prefer.
Once allowed in, she took a moment to gain her bearings. The lighting inside was dimmed, tinted a pale shade of blue. A sign right in front of the door announced cheekily 'We won't blab if you won't!' Patrons were milling about, talking among themselves, though more often than not, they were grouped up around a couple of waitresses. Said waitresses were carrying around trays of glasses, filled with ice, and nothing else. They didn't need anything else.
And there was the well. The plaster one, that she had seen those few days ago. It was sitting in the middle of the floor, and she saw now that it was a raised platform, complete with a pole that extended all the way up to the ceiling. It was attached to a runway that disappeared behind a curtain embedded in the rear wall. No prizes guessing on what that's for.
From a distance, she watched as a trio of stallions waved a mare in orange piping over. She sauntered over, traded a few words with them, and then, slowly, unbuttoned her shirt, allowing pale yellow spheres to drop into the open. They took a couple of glasses from her tray, held them under her nipples, and, she could tell from here, they started chanting something. The mare tilted her head back with a smile as her mammaries swelled, before spraying into their glasses a fizzy, orange substance. When they were full, the stallions sipped their glasses warily. Eyes lit up, they traded glances among themselves and their host, and then raised their glasses to her, each one producing a handful of bits that disappeared into a hip-purse, if not down her shirt itself.
Berry watched the mare button her shirt back up. And then she tried to not goggle in surprise as the mare turned around to reveal herself to be Sweetie Sunrise.
"Sweetie!" she called out, making her way towards the pegasus.
The aforementioned pony paused, her face lighting up as she recognized her friend, though her eyes had that same dazed look that she'd seen on Lemon a few days before. "Oooooh, hey Berry! Glad that yoooou could join us!" she greeted, her words coming out strangely slurred.
"Sweetie, hey, long time no see." She looked her over, barely noticing that she had a nametag on her uniform's left breast. "You okay, filly? You're not... erm, looking all that hot."
The mare waved a hand, tossing her red locks. "Oh I'm fiiiine. In fact, I don't think I've ever been better! This is like... wow. The stallions dig me, mare." Her smile broke into a grin as she took a glass of ice from her tray, offering it to Berry. "Hey... you thirsty? How about a nice tall glass of... Sunriiiiise Soda!" She then proceeded to giggle, as below her nose, her bust swelled up, cleavage showing between the buttons. "I know how you usually are, you naughty mare, you."
On the contrary, the wine mare was finding herself increasingly less thirsty the more of her friend's loopy attitude she observed. "That's... I-I'm fine, Sweetie. I'm just takin' a look around right now. New place and all that, you know."
"Suit yourself!" Sweetie replied, setting the glass back on the tray. "I know somepony's gonna wanna taste of me soon!"
"Sweetie... this is gonna sound weird, coming from me, but are you sure about all this? I mean... the money's one thing. But you, walking around, showing your tits off. Is this really you?"
"Berryyyyyy... I don't think I've ever been more me than I am right noooow." She bent over and pressed her arms together, treating the purple pony to a view of her cleavage, her beckoning expression marred by glazed eyes. "C'mooon filly. Dunno what you're worried about. This is the best thing that's ever happened to me~"
Berry didn't know how to respond to that. She was saved by another group of ponies waving at Sweetie. "Oop, 'scuuuuuse me Berry. Duty calls. I'll catch up to yooooou later!" And with that she sauntered off, in her own personal fog of bliss, leaving her friend in a doubtful state.
All around her, the waitresses beamed smiles, unbuttoned their shirts, and dispensed their produce. Some were brighter-eyed than others, but yet more were walking around with the same dazed expressions as Sweetie was wearing, non-the-wiser to what their work was doing to their brains. And here was Berry, a lone island in it all, for once in her life unsure as to what she should be doing...
She spied a lifeline in the form of an actual bar, aligned on the right wall of the establishment. She made a beeline for it, and took a stool for herself, investigating still. Despite the main attraction of mares that lactated beer, wine, and soda, the shelving behind the bar was surprisingly stocked with all manner of spirits and tonics, many of which were familiar to her. And even curiouser, there was a shelf that was dedicated to a long line of bottles. all with the same white labeling, all proudly announcing themselves as 'Taps'-brand refreshments, each bottle containing a different beverage...
"Hey again, Berry. Just can't beat the classics, huh?"
She looked up to see another familiar face, that of Lemon Hearts, manning the bar. Her uniform was in yellow piping, and her button was straining as well. A look revealed that she too had a nametag... a nametag that read simply 'Lemonade'.
"Yeah... was feelin' a little out of my element just standing out there." she joked, resting her elbows on the countertop. "If there was a rave, that'd be another story."
Lemon laughed. "There's supposed to be a show later tonight. Very triple-X, no-foals allowed. Y' might wanna stick around for that." She looked at her, and Berry found herself relieved to see that her eyes were not clouded at all. Even then, she found herself bracing a bit when she asked "So... can I getcha anything?"
She looked at the display shelf, back to the unicorn, back again, her brain working. At length, she decided to be polite, asking first. "I know it's the whole point of this place, but I just wanna make sure... I know, surprising, right? Is it really okay if I ordered something, from you ?"
The yellow mare shrugged. "It's cool with me, Berry. I know you and AJ got some doubts, but I can personally say, it is A-okay by me if you wanted some of what I've got, right here~" She gave her bust a little shimmy.
Berry nodded, before sighing and plunging on ahead. "Think you can mix me up a hard cherry lemonade then?"
Lemon smiled, eyes lidding as her bosom swelled up a few more cupsizes. Without wasting any time, she retrieved an iced cup, unbuttoned her shirt, and let her heavy jugs spill forth, taking one and draining it with some speed into the glass. A splash of spirits and grenadine later, and the punch pony soon found herself sipping away from the glass with relish.
"Mmmm... okay, now that, is tasty. My compliments to the mare."
"Heh, aww, thank you Berry." she replied, fastening her shirt up again with only a little effort. "In case you missed it, prices are fills by the cup. That means refills too, so, just so you know."
"Noted." her friend replied, turning in her seat and watching the hubbub. It was only after a minute or so of silence when she spoke again, in a hushed whisper. "Hey... Lemon?"
"Hmm?"
"I don't wanna scare you, or anything, but... have you noticed that most of the waitresses here seem to be... not-exactly firing on all cylinders?"
There was another long pause before she got a reply. "... yeah, I have. Especially Sweetie. Ever since we got hired, she's... not exactly been herself."
"Yeah, I met her earlier. She's about gone off the deep end." She turned to look at Lemon again. "Twi said there's something extra in your 'alterations', that might be the reason why."
That got her attention. "O-oh what? Really?"
"You noticed it feels really good whenever you get triggered to produce?"
"... y-yes. Yes, it does." she replied, looking down at her straining outfit. "It feels really good. Like... amazingly so. But I don't see-"
"Listen to me, filly. I know where you're coming from. Remember, we're in the same boat." she tossed her a wink. "But you can't let it get the better of you. Keep a clear head, is all I'm sayin'."
"... alright, Berry. Is... is something going on? I-I mean, I was there when Miss Vanilla and Applejack got in that fight, and they might have sneaked the contract past me... a-and I thought that they were spying on me, but since then I figured I was just being silly... I mean, they're not really doing anything bad... are they?"
She didn't reply for the longest time.
"C'mon Applebloom, slow down!"
"Sorry sis!" the red-headed filly called out, turning around and jogging in place. "But if we don't hurry, we're gonna be late! Miss Minuette makes the best potato pouches, and they're even better when they're fresh and hot!"
"An' what, pray tell, is wrong wit' mah apple pocket pies?" AJ asked in mock indignation. All she got for her trouble was a raspberry.
The pair were heading down the street towards Berry Punch's house, for a multitude of reasons. The first and most obvious had been a dinner invitation from the wine mare herself, claiming to be in need of a good home-cooked family dinner. The second reason was that Ruby and Bloom both had yet another shared school assignment, and were going to be studying after dinner. The third, and most important reason, was that they were going to be discussing their next step.
Such heavy thoughts were not for now however, as the two mounted up the steps to Berry's house. Bloom only had to ring the buzzer once, the door opening almost immediately to reveal a young unicorn filly. "Hey Bloom! Miss Applejack! Come on in!"
"Hey Ruby!" the yellow pony greeted, stepping in and taking her backpack off. "Are you ready for tonight? Ah remembered th' books this time, and th' compass."
"Sure thing! Just take 'em upstairs, leave'em in my room. Dinner's almost ready." Ruby Pinch replied, jerking a thumb to the staircase behind her. As the filly disappeared up them, she took the time to study Applejack for a second. "... Wow."
"Huh?"
"Mom was right. You're packin' some serious luggage up top." She shifted her weight to one foot, her expression changing from wide-eyed foal, to something more befitting a mature, confident mare. "If you need t' empty, Mom's got her pumping stuff set up down in the basement, next to the wine racks."
"I-I, what?" The farmmare was finding herself taken off-guard. "O-Oh, right, she did tell me you knew... she told you about me too, huh?"
"Actually it was Bloom. Seems Mom told her about herself, and then suddenly it was like we were cousins." She rolled her eyes. "Your sister's great, but for Celestia's sake she couldn't have picked a more awkward topic to cheer about."
"I seee... ah'm gonna have t' have a talk with her 'bout that."
"That's not all you're gonna have to talk with her about."
"Whaddya mean?"
"Didja know she almost tore her shirt in class today? All she did was just bend backwards."
"Oooooh ah am not havin' this conversation."
"Yeah, I'm barely even an A. She's the one you need to be conversing with. I think she's a B, almost a C-"
"Fer cryin' out loud, yer only 7."
"Hey, I'll be 8 next month. And when my tits kick in, just you wait-"
"Okay ah'm back!" Applebloom announced as she bounced down the stairs. "Is dinner ready yet?"
"It's smelling like it!" Ruby's expression flicked like a light switch back to innocent young filly again. "C'mon, let's go check and see!"
"C'mon Applejack!" her little sister enthused, grabbing her hand and dragging. "Dinner awaits!"
Dinner was a raucous affair, made more so by the addition of the two apple ponies. Berry was in top usual form, a rosy tint to her cheeks, only flushed enough for her to laugh and snort at just about any joke or tale. Ruby chatted mostly with Bloom, though every now and then she'd join in the conversation with one of the adult mares, with a smile and gaze beyond her years.
And then, there was Minuette. AJ had only heard about her off and on, a timekeeping unicorn who traveled to and from Ponyville, to Canterlot and other places beyond. She learned later from Twilight that she was also a school friend of hers alongside Lemon Hearts. And the last thing she found out later, was that she was Berry's Marefriend.
"Gonna say." she was saying around a mouthful of perogie. "I've no idea of whether to be jealous of you two or not."
"Izzat so?" Berry crooned, leaning her head upon the unicorn's shoulder. "You seem to enjoy a few benefits every now and again~"
"Oh please." she snickered and shoved her away. "Only because I can't resist an offer coming from a pretty mare like you."
Ruby again rolled her eyes. Bloom huddled in her seat, unsure if she should be fascinated or not. AJ of course, simply continued. "Y' sayin' that if y'all had th' chance, you'd wanna 'produce' somethin' too?"
"Maybe. Like, if I woke up one morning and found myself oozing toothpaste, I don't think I'd complain."
Various noises of disgust sounded around the table. "Toothpaste, Othermama?" the smaller unicorn stuck out her tongue. "Good luck getting anypony on with that ."
"Hey now." the wine mare hooked an arm around her lover's shoulders. "Even then, you could bet they'd come away with a clean smile!"
Yet more groans. The farmpony had to stifle a chuckle. "Ah don't think they'd let you serve that at Taps in any case."
"Ah-ah, she's not going." Berry waved a finger, squeezing the confused mare protectively. "I'm not letting Taps lay one finger on her. I'm the one who's marching into the lair of the beast, lest you forget."
"Oh Berry, please..." Minuette sat up straight, placing a hand of her own on the other's shoulder. "Do you really have to do this? I mean, I know Lemony's deep in it, but she's been getting her head stuck in things ever since we were fillies."
"Yes hon, I do." she replied. "It's not kosher. We've got evidence on it now too. And we're going to get more doing this. At very least, see if we can get miss balloon-bra's panties in a bunch."
"If anypony messes with her, Momma can kick their ass." Ruby announced confidently. "And if she gets her ass kicked, then Othermama'll completely screw them over. Either way, bad news for the bad guys."
"Your filly's a real firebrand, you know that, right?" AJ stated bluntly.
"Yup." Berry replied. "And I couldn't be more proud of her."
Applebloom was looking increasingly out of her field. "Uhm... A-Ah think ah'm full now. Cain't eat another bite. May ah be excused?"
There were nods, and as she stood, Ruby joined her. "Think I'm full too. We've got a long night of ancient history in store for us, anyways. Thanks Othermama, that was great, as usual~"
"Yes, that was delicious Miss Minuette! Thanks a bunch!"
The two fillies took their plates to the sink, and then headed past the table for the stairs. AJ found herself further amazed as the pink unicorn, for all her lackadaisicalness, stopped to hug both Berry and Minuette from behind, before catching up with Bloom. From there, she could just barely hear her sister ask 'What's 'Othermama?' , and for the other filly to reply 'Oh I'm just getting a head start. One of them's bound to pop the question any day now...'
"... So?" Berry suddenly asked, looking at her. "What do you think?"
"... what, of yer house?"
"Kinda. I-I mean, I know you're big on family, and... w-well..." She was looking unusually bashful. The blue unicorn scooted her chair up against her lover's, and gently rubbed her back, before looking at AJ with questioning eyes of her own.
"... Well, ah cain't say it's like my family..." she began, her honest thoughts tumbling out of her mouth. "But, it don't look like a bad family. Honest... y' don't really need mah approval. Yer still hanging' together an' lovin' each other. And that, is what counts."
Both of the mares smiled at her words. Quietly, Minuette told her "Thank you."
"Y'all must get a lot of opinions from ponies... Ah didn't even realize." The blonde mare looked down at her drink. "If th' two of you ever need any help, with anything, y'all don't hesitate t' call me, alright?"
"We won't." the punch pony replied, straightening back up, before stretching. "Mmmngh... let's move onto something else. Either of you want coffee? I like to think I make a mean cup."
Before either of them could reply, the doorbell chimed again. The time pony jumped in her seat. "A-Are we expecting anypony else?"
"That'll be Twi an' Spike." AJ replied, getting up from the table. "I'll go ahead an' let 'em in. You get that coffee going. Ah take two lumps."
As Berry bustled, the freckled mare disappeared, only to return with an alicorn and a dragon in tow. They traded greetings amongst each other, as the former pony called out, "Hey you two! Coffee?"
"I'll take one, dark." Twilight replied, taking a seat and sighing. "It's gonna be a long night."
"I'll just stick with a cup of water, if that's okay." Spike added in, rubbing his neck. "Throat's kinda raw."
AJ tilted her head. "Awh, why's that?"
"It's all the correspondence that we've been having with Canterlot." Twi explained, rubbing her eyes, before spreading her arms wide. "We've been stonewalled, every step of the way. I've been form-lettered, rejected, and in one case I think, threatened. 'Cement Shoes' is not a euphemism for something, am I right?"
There was a low whistle from the kitchen. "Miss Big-Britches must have more moolah than I thought."
"That don't bode well." the farmmare rested her chin on her first, thoughtful. "That's straight-up Manehatten mob talk. You think that's where this is going?"
"I hope not." the princess groaned. "At any rate, we've not gotten anything out of the official registry and records that we can solidly add to our case. We're going to have to rely more on insider evidence instead."
"Hey, that's what I'm for." Berry arrived at the table again, with four mugs of coffee and a glass of ice water. Drinks thus arranged, she stared at her mug and then found herself wondering out-loud. "I wonder if there's a coffee pony. And if it'd come out hot. Hope she wouldn't get any burns!"
Spike opened his mouth as if to ask, but Twilight shook her head at him. Thus quieted, she then began. "So, let's go over this one more time. Berry, you plan on going in to meet with Miss Vanilla, and then revealing to her your condition as a 'Natural Talent'."
She nodded. "With me being a slight cut above the rest, she won't have any reason to lay any spells on me. Leaving me able to think clearly for myself."
"What y'all gotta find," AJ continued "is some solid evidence o' foul play. Workin' conditions. Y'all said it yerself, some of those gals ain't actin' like themselves. See if you can catch th' break lounge. Keep an eye open fer anythin' at all."
Berry nodded again, as Twilight reached into her pocket, and withdrew a multifaced gem from it. "This sapphire's been enchanted with a camera and tracking spell. Keep it on your person at all times. When you wanna take a picture, face the flat end towards the subject, and hit the red-colored facet once. Bring it back to me when you think you've got something, I'll pull the pictures off and develop them."
Minuette stuck her head into the huddle. "Are you sure you all have to do this? You're talking as if Berry's going to wind up vanishing down some pit, and I won't lie, that makes me nervous."
"Relaaax, honeybun." The wine pony stroked her marefriend's mane. "All I'm doin' is hitchin' a ride with the titty bar, sneakin' a few pics, and makin' a little extra moolah off Madam Moneybags herself. I don't think I'm gonna be in any serious bodily-"
Spike choked on his water and lurched, the mares surrounding him freezing. And then suddenly he belched out a gout of flame that swirled in the air, before congealing itself... into a folder.
With practiced expertise, Twi snatched it out of the air. "A last-minute correspondence, huh?" she murmured to herself, opening the folder. "Let's see what what we've got he-... o-oh..."
Curious, AJ got to her hooves and walked around to read over Twilight's shoulder. She was joined by Berry and Minuette a few seconds later, with Spike trying to peer in from the side. "W-what is it?... oh wow."
The folder was full of newspaper clippings. Each clipping was a missing ponies case report, all of them mares. In particular, one that was pasted front and center read...
'-MISSING MARE MAKES MONDAY MYSTERY- At approximately 1:30 Monday Morning, Canterlot local Strawberry Fields vanished off the face of Equestria. Friends of the mare said that she never arrived home last night, even though multiple eyewitnesses claimed they saw her leaving her place of employment not long before midnight...'
There was a post-it note paperclipped to the inside corner of the folder. Gingerly, the alicorn pulled it out and read it. 'Boss doesn't know I sent this. Strawberry was my mare. Do something, please. N. I. Real.'
"Oh my Celestia..." AJ breathed out, her eyes having finished the center article, now flickering to scan the others. "How long has this been going on?"
"What is it?" the dragon enthused. "What's going on?"
"Each an' every one o' them... Twi... Every one of these mares used to work at Taps."
"Hmmm..." Vanilla Vodka tapped her clipboard, in her black business suit again today. "Sales have dropped off quicker than I expected they would, post-opening."
"We aren't in Canterlot, Miss Vanilla." Hidden Deal replied, looking out the window of the establishment's office. "Things are slow to catch on around here. I'm amazed that the Rich family hasn't already picked up and left for more civilized climes."
"Now now." the pale unicorn chided, setting her board down. "Every city must be a town first. Even Canterlot was once just a camp on a hill. Don't you worry. We'll bring Ponyville around to the modern age. Kicking and screaming, if we have to."
There was a polite knock upon the door. "Come in." the mare commanded, leaning back in her chair, lifting her tremendous bosom up in the process.
Lemon Hearts peered in, before fully entering. "M-Miss Vanilla? A friend of mine is here to see you about... 'opportunities'."
"Ooooh~?... well, let's not dawdle then, send her in!"
She nodded, and opened the door to peer back out, before opening it fully to allow Berry Punch to waltz into the office. Said mare turned about in a circle as she made her way to the desk. "Oh nice, real swanky stuff you have here. Love that white carpet. Is that a stuffed Jackalope? I'd never thought you the hunting type. Oh hey, that's a nice-looking couch too. Let me guess, real Ursa fur?"
Vanilla sat in silence for a few seconds before she spoke. "Thank you Lemon. You may go."
The yellow pony nodded, before excusing herself. Once they were alone, the buxom mare drew herself forward. "So... Berry Punch, if I remember correctly?"
"That's me."
"Tell me. After our initial recruitment round, which you sat out on, why should I be considering you as an addition to our franchise? What changed your mind?"
The purple pony shrugged. "I told you, I was going to think on it. And I have, and after having seen how you run things downstairs, I've made a decision. I can see which way the wind's blowing."
"Hmmmm... I see. Still you must understand, if you were to join our enterprise, there would be certain... challenges for you. You've yet to even tell me what you can offer us..."
"Ahh yes, what I can offer you..." Berry hummed thoughtfully, before tossing a smile. "How about this. What I can offer you... is Merlot that won second place in the Canterlot wine and spirits exhibition, seven years ago. A ribbon that I got, thanks to some... let's say... 'Na-tu-ral Talent'."
Vanilla shot to her feet. It was quite a sight to see that immense bust's delayed reaction and wobble. She was impressed it didn't smack her right on the face. "... the well."
"Bingo." she replied. "That was a nice little stunt there, putting an imitation of it in the middle of the floor. A tribute? Or just a little 'Hey this is where all the cool kids hang, come join us!"
"Prove it." the blue mare snapped, uncharacteristically short.
She stopped, weighed her options, and then nodded, taking her shirt off right then and there, revealing her E-cups. She was braless, as was her usual, but neither of the room's other occupants said anything of it. Vanilla snapped her fingers, which summoned the elderly stallion to Berry's side, giving her a pair of thin-necked flute glasses.
"Classy." she quipped, before accepting them and holding them under her nipples. "Just like what I do for my mare some nights, so don't think this means we're dating." she joked to them, before closing her eyes. Very slowly, she then began to chant to herself. "Merlot, merlot, merlot, merlot..."
Right in front of their eyes, her breasts began to swell, more and more, fuller and fuller. She kept the glasses under her nips even as they lifted further from her ribcage. And well that she did, for at length they began to drip profusely, a deep ruby red. She stopped chanting right as she felt them leak, and let them drain into the wineglasses till they stopped. It was a half-full glass of merlot that she walked up to and presented the businessmare, with a bit of a smug expression on her face.
Vanilla's own expression was neutral as she accepted the glass. Swirled it, raised it to her lips, and then sipped at it. "... Mm. Quite passable. Mr. Deal?"
"Ma'am. I would judge she produces approximately 1.5 times more per repetition than our augmentation spell's baseline."
"You mean I'm more productive than whatever spell you used on everypony downstairs." Berry replied, indulging herself with a sip from her own glass. "Somehow, I get the feeling that's exactly what you're looking for in 'natural talents', isn't it?"
"... you have me there, Miss Punch." the unicorn conceded, a smile surfacing upon her lips. "Yes, mares who have been blessed by that traveling well are what Taps thrives upon... nay, is inspired off of. A fair few ponies in Canterlot have been blessed with its gifts. It was only a matter of time before one would take these gifted mares, and unite them under a single enterprise."
"Alright. Well. You've got one more now, wanting on board with your jolly old crew. No spells needed, no messy contracts. Just gimme a piece of paper, and I'll mark an X on the spot. Whaddya say, cap'n?"
There was quiet for a few more seconds, before the pale mare turned her head to the side. "Mr. Deal, draw up a contract, if you would. And then, put Miss Punch here on evening detail. I have a feeling she'd be most comfortable manning the bar." She turned an eye back to the wine pony. "I'm assuming that you do have bar experience...?"
"Of course I do." was the reply, accompanied by a flashy grin. "I'm the town drunk."
The second the door clicked closed after Berry left, Vanilla started talking.
"I don't like her."
"Beggars can't be choosers, ma'am."
"She's got a smart mouth. And a smart brain to go with it." Her eyes narrowed. "She's going to be trouble, I can tell."
"Trouble, ma'am? You could have turned her away."
"No. Because she's right. We do need mares with higher production. But that doesn't mean we don't have ways of dealing with troublemakers. Alert the boys. Tell them to keep an eye on Miss Punch at all times. If she starts getting too nosy... give her the Standard Treatment."
"Understood, Miss Vanilla."
"That's one thing come out of this little trip, at the very least." she mused, chewing her thumb. "I really should get back to Canterlot... but there's still untapped potential hanging around in this dirthole. Deal, have you got me anything for Sweet Apple Acres?"
"I am afraid not, ma'am." the spindly old stallion bowed his head. "I have had to divert my resources to defend our interests instead."
"Really? How?"
"Are you aware that there is a princess in this town, Miss Vanilla?"
"Princess?" She blinked, the expression of one who carefully regulated what did and did not exist in her personal world. "Oh... yes, that's right. Princess Twibright Sparkle, was it?"
"Twilight Sparkle, ma'am. It appears that both her and Miss Applejack are very close friends."
Her eyes narrowed. "... what has she been doing?"
"Miss Vanilla, Twilight Sparkle has launched an investigation into Tap's public holding records and other data sets regarding customer feedback and employee fair-treatment reports. She has been quite thorough." A note of annoyance crept into his voice. "I have had to spend nearly one-fourth of our 'defense budget' to pay off our holding institutions to keep mum, or otherwise stymie her every attempt. I am fairly certain that she will eventually give up, but I feel it will not be until she has exhausted every option. And I intend to outpace her to the last."
She regarded him with a twisted smile. "Every stallion has his pride. Thank you, Hidden Deal. Your service will no doubt be rewarded soon~" She turned to look back ahead at the closed door. "The fact that this princess has taken such a sudden interest in us is worrying, indeed. If she really is a friend of Applejack's... I might have to start considering her an equal... then again." Her smile grew wider. "The odds are pretty high, I feel, that Applejack and our new employee, Miss Punch, know each other as well... and if that's the case, then all we have to do is sit... and wait."
The weaselly unicorn nodded, and turned to shuffle back towards the window... before pausing to stare down at the floor. "Oh, dear. It appears that Miss Punch has already decided to cause trouble."
"Hmm? What is it?"
"Call for the cleaning lady, Miss Vanilla. It appears Miss Punch has leaked her red wine all over our carpet."
In light of the missing ponies file, Twilight had decided that enough was enough. It was time to call in backup.
Backup was laughing. It was generous, it was loyal, and it was kind. Altogether, if she was to be honest, it made Applejack extremely uncomfortable.
"So, let me get this straight." Rarity was speaking, settled comfortably in her seat in the Circle of Friendship. "All of this has to do with the new mature entertainment establishment that just opened last week?"
"That's correct." Twilight replied, gesturing to the folder and all its clippings sitting in the center of the map table. "Every one of these mares, over the course of the last three years, have disappeared. And each mare was previously in the employ of the same franchise who just opened here in town, Taps."
"I don't like the sound of that." Rainbow Dash spoke, her expression grim. "Question is, what would a titty bar even want with a bunch of mares?"
"Well, their tits for one." Pinkie Pie answered blithely. "And they really need them too, the more tits the better. I went in there once, it was craaayyyyzeee."
"You actually went inside?!" The white unicorn was aghast. "Whyever for?"
"Well, uh, because it was new, duh." the party mare replied. "Besides, I'm a grown mare! I can hold my liquor, and my pants! Just ask Rainbow Dash."
"No comment."
"But yeah anyway, it was craaayyyyzee . They didn't call it Taps for nothin', everything there was on-tap! And when I say tap, I mean tits, cause their tits were the taps! Ain't that just tit for tap? O-or was that Tat for tip? Or maybe it was- wait, what I mean is, they were lactating beer and other stuff. "
The three mares not in the know alternatively fainted, went 'no way' disbelievingly, and squeaked. AJ found herself wanting to hide under the table.
"It's true." Twilight replied. "One of my old School friends, Lemon Hearts, was hired by them, and was augmented magically to give lemonade. The one responsible for casting this spell is the apparent titleholder and owner of Taps, one Vanilla Vodka."
"I-I've seen her around town." Fluttershy spoke up for the first time. "She's scary. She walks around with such... pride."
"I know, I've seen her too!" Pinkie exclaimed. "I think her tits are even bigger than yours , Shy!"
The buxom yellow pegasus blushed ferociously, sinking down in her chair to better hide her covered M-cups, as Rarity gave the pink one a glare. "Be that as it may... what is it that we are to do, Twilight? I mean, that the mares are missing is dreadful, but how are we to find them?"
"I was thinking of a systematic search. Right now, Applejack and I are in contact with a number of ponies here at the local franchise. But there are three more locations in Canterlot itself, where the disappearances have been. I think it imperative, that we start there."
"Rarity, Fluttershy, I want you two to take to the streets, and question the friends and relatives of the missing mares. Ask them if they had been doing anything strange, or were under some sort of duress, leading up to their disappearance."
"Rainbow, Pinkie, I want you both to visit each of these locations, and report back to me what you see. If the pattern holds up, we'll be seeing a lot of glassy eyes... you were in there lately, Pinkie. Do you remember if they were being weird?"
"You mean, weird beside the fact that they were lactating soda?"
"Yes, beside that."
"Yeah, totally! You remember Sweetie Sunrise? She's like a completely different mare now! I saw some of those stallions cop a feel, and she didn't even lift a finger. The old Sweetie I knew woulda knocked those guys outta the park!"
Twilight nodded. "Glassy eyes, placid dispositions... we have evidence that this is all due to mind tampering, thanks to the spell alterations that they use. We're trying to build a case that we can take to court. But any other evidence has been lacking. THIS however," she pointed at the folder again. "Is our best hope to be able to pin something on them. With luck, we'll be able to uncover something ."
All heads nodded at the table. "Fine," Dash groused, getting to her feet. "Saving missing ponies, totally worth doing. But we'd better be back in time for Cider Day."
"Goshdarnit Dash do y' ever think of anythin' else b'sides Cider?" AJ found herself growling, her arms resting on the table to hide her swelling bust as best as possible. Across the table from her, Pinkie's ears twitched, followed by her nose, causing her to stare laser-like at the apple mare.
"Hey, wow AJ, sorry." the pegasus apologized, pocketing her hands. "... yeah, this is pretty serious. Okay, so. Twi, are there any other ponies on the inside that we should know about?"
"Well... for the locations in Canterlot, I would ask about Strawberry Fields. See if you can find anything on what happened to her, as she is... very much missed by her friends and loved ones." Twilight looked down, gathering the folder back up. "Beyond that, we know the majority of the mares working in Ponyville's Taps. Of them, the only ones we're in solid contact with, are Lemon Hearts, and Berry Punch."
"Oh PERFECT, I see!" Pinkie hopped up, slamming a fist into her palm. "Berry's the perfect pony to go undercover at Taps, cause she already makes her own Merlot! That way there's no crazy spells involved that might make her go loco in the coco!"
The room was deathly silent. They all stared at the party pone in quiet disbelief. It was Applejack who finally broke the silence. "...Pinkie, how didja know that?"
"She forgets her nursing pads sometimes after she gets really sloshed at some of my late-night laredoes. Makes a big mess of her shirts every time."
"I knew I wasn't imagining things!" Rarity exclaimed. "Every time she'd come in for a sizing, I swore I always smelled cherries and plums on her, even when she was dead sober."
And then, much to AJ's horror, the pink one turned to look right at her, her smile morphing into a grin. "What about yooooou Applejaaaack? Have you got a big secret?"
"Who, AJ? No way." Dash scoffed. "There'd be no way Applejack could keep a secret, she's the element of Honesty after all. Isn't that right, AJ?... AJ?"
All eyes turned to look at her. She found herself sweating. Her arms were fastened tight around her breasts.
"You know..." the dressmaker spoke again. "I have been noticing a distinct change in the way your wardrobe has been fitting you, Applejack dear. Aren't you due for a re-sizing soon?"
"You, uhm," Fluttershy timidly added "You are looking... a lot bigger than usual."
"Applejack." Twilight stood up at her end of the table. "I think it's probably time you told them anyways."
"I, er, uhm, I, ah, that, er,-" the farmmare found herself stammering, at a loss.
"C'moooon AJ!" Pinkie suddenly popped up behind her, resting her hands on her shoulders and shaking her. "Spill the beans! Oh wait, they're much bigger than beans, aren't they? Gotta use something more apropos. SPILL THE TITS!" This was accompanied by much more vigorous shaking, causing the apple pony's bust to leap out of her arms.
"W-wow, AJ." Dash suddenly found herself staring, unable to look away. Even contained within a shirt, those freckled mounds were still larger than her head. "That's... gosh, they're... w-wait, we were talking about Berry before. A-are you saying that you're-"
"Ah, ain't, gonna, say, anythin'." Applejack stated, standing up and brushing Pinkie off, even as the motion made her bust all the more prominent. "... Not here, not now. Look, if... if y'all really wanna know... come ask me 'bout it later after we're done here. Ah'll tell you everythin'. Promise."
There were various forms of nods and agreement. Pinkie had already moved onto the next subject, bouncing beside Twi's chair. "Oh, oh, Twilight, you said that there's a spell that does the lactate-different-stuff thing? Couldja use it on me? I wanna be able to make frosting ! Like decorator's frosting! In different colors too, yellow from my left and blue from my right!"
"Pinkie, please." the alicorn gently pushed her down. "There will be plenty of time for experiments later. As a matter of fact, what I've been working on, is a way to undo the effects of this spell." She looked back up at Applejack. "I'm happy to say that, after the additional scan sample I took from Lemon, the counterspell's success rate jumped dramatically. I'm now 97% certain it'll be able to undo the spell, whether it's been naturally, or artificially induced."
AJ found herself smiling with relief. When she felt the questioning eyes of her friends upon her though, she quickly cleared her throat. "W-well, that's great news Twi. We may be needin' it soon, for th' ponies under Tap's 'employ'."
Fluttershy looked over to Twilight. "B-because it's the spell that's making them act weird in the first place, right?"
"That's right. Whatever they're up to, we'll need to be able to handle the fallout, if, and when, we expose Taps for the fraud it is. Everypony know what they're supposed to do?"
There were nods from the entire group. "Excellent. Applejack and I will remain in Ponyville to keep an eye on the situation here. Rarity, Fluttershy, take Spike with you. Don't tell him this, but Celestia taught me the dragonfire spell some time ago. We can keep in touch that way. Make sure you send a report every day, okay?"
They all nodded again, standing up from their seats. Twilight held the folder out to Rarity, who took it in her hands. "Remember, these are real ponies, not just names on a list. They had lives before they disappeared. It's up to us to make sure we can get their lives back. Keep your eyes open, and most of all, stay safe ."
"Right!"
"Alright then girls. Let's move out!"
Within the hustle of ponies getting to their hooves, the moment of purpose was only slightly marred by Pinkie speaking up again. "Oh, I know, better than frosting! Cake batter! I'd be able to bake soooooo many of them all at once! In different flavors too, chocolate from my left, and angelfood from my right!"
Adjusting her skirt one last time, Berry stepped out into the bustling evening atmosphere of Taps. Her uniform featured red piping, and fastened to her left breast, was a tag that said 'Merlot'. Quietly, she wondered why there was never enough room on these tags for a proper name.
She strode through the crowd, hips swaying, a smile surfacing as her face as she felt the eyes upon her form. None approached her however, and she was just fine with that, as her purpose was not to circulate among the guests, but to take her place at the bar.
She tagged out the green tea mare manning it, climbed on inside, rolled up her sleeves, and, when she was certain nopony was looking, ditched the silly little paper hat. After that, it was smooth sailing for her. She knew how a bar worked, and she knew how to put on a show, even for those who requested a glass of her wine.
Out on the floor, the mares cycled. Again, she saw that some of them were still glassy-eyed, and that even a few of the more clear-headed mares from opening week had taken on hazy looks upon their faces.
Beyond that, she had been unable to find any solid evidence of foul play. The private lounge in the back doubled as a locker room, and it was comfortably furnished. There were sinks everywhere, and she had since learned that on and off the job, employees got to drink for free. There was even an undeveloped room behind the bar, which she had been told had been made in anticipation for a kitchen.
And still, she couldn't shake the feeling of something off with the whole setup. She watched the employees and clientele mingle, dozens of mares bearing their breasts, iced glasses held up before them, the slack faces...
She found herself turning away, there was nopony at the bar right that moment anyhow. Instead, she busied herself studying the full assortment of beverages that she had access to. Inventorying from top to bottom, she soon found herself pausing again as she came upon those white-labeled Taps-brand bottles, bending down to her knees to take a better look at them.
There were a majority of beverages, all of them flavors and types she knew the local employees weren't making. One with a vivid red liquid caught her eye, and she reached out to pick it up. Reading the label revealed it to be 'Strawberry Daiquiri'. There was a playful descriptor on the side of the drink's sweetness and taste, but Berry found herself thinking hard, a memory having come to mind. Strawberry Daiquiri... Strawberry Fields...?
"Hey!" a voice chirped behind her, causing her to almost drop the bottle. "Berry, y' got a minute?"
"Gah, Lemony, don't scare me like that." She quickly straightened up and turned back around. "What's up?"
"The evening show's about to start, for one. But I think you'd be much more interested in what's going on over there ~..." The yellow unicorn pointed over to a corner of the hall, where two ponies were sitting in a booth.
The wine mare recognized them both, a mare and a stallion, an employee, and a customer. Stripped away of these titles, these two ponies were Cherry Berry, and Cherry Fizz. From here she couldn't hear what they were talking about, but the way that the pink mare was sitting on the table, and the way the both of them were smiling at each other, she couldn't help but grin. "Those two are on again, are they? I thought they broke up for the fifth time last month."
Lemon shushed her, obviously watching the pair closely. The stallion had a handful of bits, but the mare took them, and simply sat them on the table behind her, before unbuttoning her shirt, allowing her pert pink mounds to bounce into view. The stallion, obviously new at this, held a pair of iced glasses up to them, and, she wasn't sure, but it seemed like the both of them were chanting together.
Cherry B's breasts swelled, her nipples at length erupting a fizzy bright-red soda into both glasses. Once they had been filled, Cherry F handed the mare one of the cups, and the both of them sipped their drinks... the stallion pausing after taking his.
And then, to Berry and Lemon's surprise, he sat the glass down, leaned forward, took her breasts into his hands, and dipped his muzzle in between them, nuzzling, kissing and suckling each fizzing nipple in turn, and then finally pressing his lips against her own in a kiss, one that she very happily returned.
"Awwww..." Lemon found herself cooing. "That's actually kinda sweet, don'tcha think?"
Berry had to snicker. "Fraternizing during work hours, dearie me. I wonder what Miss Coffeecreamer would have to say about that."
The unicorn was in the middle of giggling, when she suddenly stopped, having looked off to the side. "O-oh-oh, looks like we're about to find out."
The purple pony looked. And even she had to admit that she stared, as the tall curvaceous form of Vanilla Vodka graced the floor of Taps, dressed in full lounge singer attire, gloves and all. That immense bosom heaved with every step she took, leading the way, serving as an impressive bumper guard as she made her way to the faux-well platform. Stepping gracefully upon it, she dug into her cleavage for a split second, before producing a microphone.
"Good evening, Fillies and Gentlecolts." she crooned, voice reverberating over the hall. "It is my pleasure to welcome you all this evening, to tonight's Runway Show! Tonight, by popular demand, some of our most popular flavor-gals will be taking to the stage, and showing you their appreciation for joining us! So be sure to show them your appreciation too! Just remember your umbrellas, for these girls just love to shower you in affection... among other things~" she flashed a grin as she extended a hand towards the back curtain. "And now, without further ado... may I present to you your refreshments for the evening, a lovely group of gals known as, the Soda Sisters! "
From behind the curtain, three mares, one after another emerged, wearing a completely different set of uniforms in general. Their short skirts were outright minis, and their shirts looked as if they were made out of paper. They were button-front shirts, but Berry had the sneaking suspicion that the buttons were only held by a single stitch. They were meant to be busted off.
It didn't take them long. As Vanilla dismounted the platform, the mares took her place, gyrating and sauntering, displaying their curves and bodies. At one point, somepony in the crowd began chanting 'Lime spritz! Lime spritz!', causing one of the green mares to arch her back, letting out an exaggerated groan as her bosom expanded, buttons flying away to reveal her cleavage.
Berry watched the display idly. She had seen the show multiple times by now, and it seemed to never grow old with the clientele. The mares on stage changed every night, and she suspected that it might be her turn soon. Then again...
She looked up as a pony approached the bar, and then started making herself look busy, as that pony was Vanilla, accompanied now by Mr. Deal. The tall unicorn took a seat at the bar, leaning back, watching the show with a sharp eye. At length, she spoke. "Miss Punch... an Appletini, if you please."
There was no backtalk or snarkiness. Vodka, sour apple liqueur, and a green apple slice were quickly assembled, the resulting concoction handed off to the platinum blonde. She took a gentle sip, perching it between her fingers in silence, before speaking. "It's a pity that Miss Applejack is so adamant on refusing our offer. I really think that she would be a great addition to our enterprise."
"Applejack has her own enterprise to worry about." Berry replied. "And it's one that she'll put in front every time. I don't think you'd be able to make her budge, even if you hooked up ten minotaurs to her."
"Hmmm... time will tell." was all the businessmare had to say to that. She scanned the club, eyes passing over the covert make-outs in the corner, before she focused on the bartender herself. She considered her, before reaching into her cleavage, pulling out a spare paper hat, and placing it daintily on top of Berry's head. "A wise mare from Canterlot told me once, 'You can never have too much professionalism', Miss Punch. Remember that."
Berry said nothing, aiming a flat glare at Vanilla's back as she left the bar, having apparently better things to do. Like nurse her drink with a smile as she watched the mares on stage, by now all of them completely topless, each one grasping at the pole and thrusting their chests out, breasts like watermelons and nipples like faucets, each one spraying streams of soda out into the audience, who all had their glasses up and waiting. It was a couple of minutes before she noticed something off.
"Hidden Deal... are we missing somepony?"
"Miss Sweetie Sunrise, ma'am. She went into the locker lounge to prepare, but has not yet emerged."
"Curious... let us see what's become of her then, shall we?"
The pair of unicorns weaved through the crowd, into a far rear corner, marked for staff only. Once inside, the both of them strolled down a hall, one that dead-ended into a door. Opening up and stepping inside, Vanilla's eyes widened at what she saw. "O-oh, myyy..."
Sweetie Sunrise was sitting on one of the dressing benches, her eyes closed, her breathing labored, a flush over her cheeks. She was completely topless, not that there would have been any top that had a hope of containing all of her now. Her breasts had become immense, taut, even bigger than her boss's own, almost comically large upon her tiny frame. Her wings were fully extended, an indicator of just how aroused she had become. Her hands were busy exploring the stretched surfaces of her mammaries, her nipples spraying sweet tropical fizz. Even as full as she had become, the unicorn could see that she was very quietly whispering to herself 'Sunrise Soda' over and over again, her mounds pulsing with every utterance, a large puddle upon the floor spreading with every gush.
"Oh goodness... and just after the first week too~..." The pale mare looked over and traded wicked smiles with Hidden Deal, before advancing towards the yellow pegasus. She knelt down beside her, allowing her own bosom to lightly bump against hers. "Hello, Miss Sunrise. Are you enjoying yourself?"
The redhead slowly turned her head to look at her, opening her eyes. They were completely clouded over with bliss.
"It feels good, doesn't it? To make and hold so much within you, to become so big . To just be so productive . You like that feeling, don't you?"
"Mmmm... s-soda..." was all the reply that Sweetie could muster.
Vanilla's face adopted a warm, motherly expression as she reached over and cradled the pegasus's chin, looking deep into her eyes. "Miss Sunrise... would you like to make... even more ...?"
The yellow mare's lips spread into a wide smile at the thought. "... m-moooore~..."
To that, the blonde nodded, putting her hands on her shoulders and steadying her as they both stood up, the taller leading the shorter. "Come then, Miss Sweetie Sunrise. Let's get you... hooked up~ "
"Have you seen Sweetie?"
It was the next day, and Berry had been walking on her way to Taps to start her shift. It was during the commute that she had run into Lemon Hearts, who had suddenly sprung the question upon her.
"E-er, I saw her last night. Why?"
"You know how she usually is, early pegasus gets the apple, all that. But I haven't seen hide nor hair of her this morning."
Berry shrugged. "Maybe she went into work early."
"Yeah... yeah, that may be it. We'll probably find her there. Sorry, just... a little nervous." The unicorn rubbed her arm, before dashing ahead. "Well, I'm gonna go ahead and go find her then. See you there?"
"Yeah, sure. Just gonna take the scenic route. I'll see you, don't worry!" the wine mare called, waving.
It was only after Lemon was out of sight that Berry ducked down a back alley, changing course to a completely different part of town. It didn't take her long to emerge in Ponyville's bustling marketplace, the food and goods being hawked and called over in the crisp autumn air. It reminded her that there was a lot to Ponyville that her so-called 'boss' had yet to experience, or deigned to notice.
That can wait for later. Right now, I gotta find AJ.
She shouldered her way through the crowd, at length happening upon the Sweet Apple Acre's stand spot. To her luck, the cart was there, and they were selling today. On the other hand, Applejack wasn't there. It was currently being manned by the towering and well-built form of Big Macintosh. Which had the con of not being Applejack, but the pro of being Big Macintosh.
"O-oh, hellooo there sailor." Berry spoke, stepping up to the stand. "Takin' care of th' shop today?"
"Eeee-yup."
"Nice. Say, uhm, is your sister anywhere about?"
"Eeee-yup."
"Awesome! Can I speak with her?"
The piece of hay in his mouth shifted. "Soon. Takin' a break."
"O-oh, I see." she fidgeted in place a little bit, trying not to let her eyes roam over his arms and shoulders, completely failing in the process. "Got any idea when she'll be back? It's... kinda important."
He gave a mighty shrug. She felt her chest heaving with his shoulders. "Nnnnope."
"I-I see." she stammered. She then proceeded to look left and right, and then back up at his placid expression. Taking a breath, she then opened her mouth... only to have the words "Celestia damn I want you to grope me." tumble out before she could stop them.
He stared at her blankly. "Eeeeh... what?"
"Ah'm back!" Applejack suddenly announced from behind them, saving Berry from any further embarrassment. "Any business, Mac? Oh, hey Berry! Ah'm not interruptin' anythin', am I?"
Mac opened his mouth, but again the purple mare spoke up first. "AYJAY HI, we weren't doing anything, honest. Really." She cleared her throat. "Seriously. AJ. We need to talk. Sweetie's gone missing."
The farmmare bolted up straight, before leaning over the counter. "A-are y' sure?"
"Well, that's what Lemon just told me. I'm on my way into work right now, so we'll know for sure soon. I'm going to be really doing some poking-around today, see if I can find anything at all."
"Gotcha. Y'all be careful now, y' hear?"
"Oh I will. I'll meet you over in front of Sugarcube Corner this evening, with whatever goods I've got."
"Sounds good. Dang, fer this t' happen just a couple days away..."
"Cid- u-um, the big day's after tomorrow, isn't it?"
"It is." Applejack confided, looking over at Mac beside her. "Ah think we're more than ready fer it now, but this whole Taps business has thrown off our rhythm. If somethin' goes down th' day b'fore, ah'm likely not t' be able t' make it in time."
The stallion shook his head. "Nnnnope... but ah reckon if it does come t' that, ah could try an' take th' reigns. Just long enough fer you t' get back, ah imagine. Ah ain't a real salespony like you, Applejack, but ah figure if anypony can yell about sales and do long division in their head all in a single sitting, well... ah've got a fair chance o' pullin' it off. At least long enough fer you t' hand a Canterlot Industry its gluteus maximus."
Berry gaped in surprise. The orange mare just smiled, and hugged her brother from the side. "Ah dun have any doubts that you'd do just fine, big bro. Now, we still got some apples t' sell. Mind gettin' another bushel o' th' Pink Ladies an' settin' them out?"
He nodded, and stepped away to do just that, allowing her to turn back towards her friend. "Actually, if yer goin' steady wit' Minuette, what you want mah brother for?"
"We both agreed that he could lift each one of us easily in one hand."
"... thank you Berry, that is now a mental picture ah am fightin' not t' see."
The wine pony cackled, but her laughter was cut off as her eye was drawn by Applejack's chest. The shelf of flesh was projecting well over a foot out from her body, and even though she had her vest riding the sides of it, her buttons were undone up front, yet again displaying a long canyon of freckles. Quietly, she asked "Have you... uhm... emptied yet today? Or are you planning on joining me and having another faceoff against Miss Big-Britches?"
AJ looked down at her self, before looking away, a bit of a blush of her cheeks. "I... I-I actually... Ah just haven't had th' time t' empty, is all." she replied, not meeting her eyes.
"Uh-huh. Miss I-Need-to-Make-Enough-CIDER-for-all-of-Ponyville, forgot to pump."
The apple mare bit her lip as her bust swelled forward, filling her shirt out even more. "L-look... just because ah'm... ah'm doing this for an actual cause... It don't mean that it don't feel... w-well... that it don't... bah, ah don't know what it don't-"
She suddenly felt her hand being taken. Berry grasped it, looking at her with a small smile. "Applejack... you don't have to be so proud that you deny it. Not around me. I admitted before, if you remember... it feels good, doesn't it?"
AJ was slow to respond. In the quiet that followed, Big Macintosh arrived with the bushel, placed it, then moseyed towards the back again to rearrange more wares.
"... s-sometimes..." she whispered. "Sometimes... when ah'm by mahself. In mah room, out in th' barn, out in th' orchard... ah chant to mahself. Make mahself fill up." she crossed her arms under her bust, almost as if to cradle them. "Ah... ah make a lot, Berry. Ah really do. Before, ah was just tryin' t' keep it business... but now, well... ah've been startin' t' see... a little bit more t' this..."
There was a pause. Berry raised an eyebrow. "I'm sensing another 'But' in here. What happened?"
"Th' whole business with Taps. Findin' out about those missin' mares. About that spell that's s'possed t' make this addictive." She placed her hands on both sides of her bust. "How'm ah not supposed t' feel guilty, fillin' mahself to th' brim while those mares are out gone somewhere, maybe never t' be seen again? An' how am ah s'possed t' know that that well didn't put a little of that magic on me too? Ah mean... it j-just don't feel..."
The purple pony squeezed her hand. That caused her to pause again long enough for her friend to get a word in edgewise. "Ayjay... if that well had put any of that 'feelgood' magic on you, I don't think you'd be here, worrying about those mares now. You'd have been long gone off the deep end. What you're feeling is natural... and I can attest to it, because it happened to me too. I just treated it as a boost to my business at first... but you know, after a few years, one gets curious, and discovers just how much they can make and hold, and how good it feels to do it."
"As for the worrying... honey, I hate to say it, but just because you're one of those elemental heroes, it doesn't mean you're a goddess among ponies. You're still only equine. You gotta eat. You gotta sleep. You gotta get your rocks off. And you , you've gotta make that there cider, am I right?"
Again, the orange mare's bosom expanded outwards. But this time, Berry watched a smile cross her friend's lips at the sensation. Squeezing her hand once more, she wrapped up her little spiel. "We're all doing what we can. Those mares aren't going to be forgotten. We'll find them, you just wait and see."
"... you're right." Applejack slowly replied, gathering herself together. "You're right... me feelin' guilty ain't gonna help things... Thanks Berry. Ah'm glad ah got t' know you as a friend."
She grinned. "Listening to ponies pour their hearts out's a skill I've developed. You've always got my shoulder, hon."
"Ah know... and again, thank you, sugarcube... ahh dang, how long have we been talkin'?" She tilted her hat over her eyes as she gazed up at the sun, before taking said hat off and batting it at her friend. "You got a bar t' spy on, an' a pony t' find. Enough listenin' t' my tar an' potatoes, you g'wan now, git! "
The wine pony danced away, chuckling, before calling back. "Alright alight, I'm goin'! Just remember what I said, okay? I'll see you later, AyJay!"
"You too, Berry. Remember, stay safe! Don't want you vanishing on us too!"
Stepping into Taps in full uniform again, Berry could feel a shift in the atmosphere from the night before. Something's not right... I got a bad feeling about this...
The club was subdued, this early in the day. A fair number of the waitresses were looking all around themselves, as if spooked. As a result, what clientele there was, was being slow to engage and move forward. She could see that even some of the regular ponies were on the lookout, watching for someone.
"Berry! Oh Berry thank Celestia you're here." Lemon trotted up to her from the crowd, obviously beside herself. "Berry, Sweetie never showed up for work today. None of the other girls even saw her leave yesterday. Mountain Breezy told me she was supposed to have been with them on the stage last night, but she just up and vanished on them too!"
Vanished... just like the mares in Canterlot. She found herself taking a breath. "Okay... alright, Lemony. Let's do this slow and steady. If she didn't leave last night, logic follows she must still be here. Have you looked all over the club?"
"Yes!"
"Did you check the bathrooms and our spare kitchen room? Sometimes ponies wander off and pass out in the oddest places, I should know."
"Yes, we did. We even looked in the vents above the stalls."
"Okay... what about the-"
"Yes, we checked the lockers too."
"Dang. Okay, last one. Has anypony checked the boss's-"
"May I have your attention please, my little ponies." Vanilla's voice suddenly echoed through the club's intercom. The mare herself had just stepped out of her office, in her black business suit again, sauntering towards the center of the floor. "It's come to my attention that everyone is worried for our co-worker, Sweetie Sunrise. I want you all to know that last night, she came down with a terrible fever, and I let her rest in my office for the night. She's currently at home resting, and will likely be out of commission for the foreseeable future."
She let her gaze sweep across the crowd, seemingly singling out her employees as she continued to speak. "Let's keep Sweetie Sunrise in our thoughts, and wish her a speedy recovery. In the meantime, let's look alive, ponies! I don't think she'd want us to mope around, worrying about her now, would she?"
There were general murmurs of agreement in the throng, and the pale mare nodded to herself, swinging herself and her bosom about, making a beeline back to her office door, and disappearing behind it. Berry watched her the whole time, herself stepping towards the bar, leaning back against it, the yellow unicorn trailing close behind.
"... Berry?"
"Yes?"
"I checked Sweetie's house before I got you earlier. She... she wasn't there."
The lavender pony's eyes narrowed. "Just like in Canterlot."
"Wh-what?"
"Lemony," she began with a whisper. "There's something rotten in Denmaresk. I've been feeling it for a long while now. Taps and Miss Prefers-everyone-use-her-first-name aren't exactly on the up and up. I just need to find some dirt that'll blow it all open."
The mare was petrified. "What? Wh-... w-why would they want to? What are they up to?"
"I don't know exactly. Not yet. All we have for leads right now is that make-happy thing in the spell they use, and a bunch of newspaper clips of missing mares in Canterlot." She pinched her brow, closing her eyes in thought. "Work with me here, Lemony, okay? There's something wrong here, and you and I are the only ones who know it. Can I count on you to help me find out what's going on here, and find Sweetie?"
Lemon Hearts glanced back and forth, between Berry, and the mass of hazy-eyed mares working the floor. At length, her brow furrowed, her eyes becoming resolute. "... okay Berry, I'm in. What... what do we do first?"
"Well... going back to Sweetie missing, you and I know she's not at home, despite whatever the boss mare says. Therefore, she must still be here."
"What were you about to ask me, before Miss Vanilla interrupted?"
"Have you looked in her office? That's the last place I could think of."
"Cherry B did actually. Just stuck her head right in and gave Miss Vanilla a start. She said it was empty besides her and Mr. Deal."
"Damn. There must be someplace else that we're missing..." Berry rubbed her head. "You'd think digging up something would be easier than this-..."
There was even a small shoveler inside, conveying dirt to a pile behind the building.
"What's that for?" Lemon asked, gesturing at the shoveler.
"My guess is wine cellar." Berry replied, leaning upon one of the barricades. "Lotta places like 'em. Looks like it's gonna be a big one too."
"... has anypony checked the cellar?"
Lemon blinked. "The what now?"
"The cellar. The big-ass wine cellar they were digging out. Don't you remember? They had a shoveler in the middle of everything, piling up dirt outside."
It a took a bit for her to remember. "... you're right. You're absolutely right. Gosh, that seems so long ago... has it really been almost two weeks?"
"Hey, I can't exactly blame you. We've all done a little growing since then... some more than others." she playfully poked her friend's engorged bust, which earned her a squeak. "But yeah, they put a cellar in... did nopony think to check in there?"
"... I don't think we even know where the door to it is ."
"Celestia's sun. Well, let's start looking for it then. If nothing else, it'll give us a reason to look busy. Hopefully, Madame Moneybags won't notice a thing."
They searched as best as a pair of mares carrying trays of glasses and beverage-lactating breasts could. Which was to say, not all that well.
Both mares poked around the walls of the main floor, and then the floors of the hallway and locker lounge. They tested tiles in the bathrooms ((the stallion's room was a real trick,)) and they even probed the unfinished kitchen and janitor's closets. All to no avail.
"This is ridiculous." Lemon said later, as they rested and recovered at the bar. "We both know it's here, but there doesn't seem to be any stairs installed for it in this joint."
"I'll bet it's in her office." Berry groused, glaring at the air. "Didja check with Cherry if there were any doors in there?"
"I did. She said there weren't."
"Then maybe it's hidden under her desk or something." She lifted her head, glaring out at the office door. "She looks the type. Someone who likes to put things here and there that only make sense to her. Like a plaster well in the middle of the floor with a soda-store chic."
"You noticed that too, huh?" The unicorn turned her head to look at the aforementioned well. "I always thought that was a little weird. It just doesn't fit with everything else. What's the point of having it there?"
"Well, if you're in the know... and you sorta are, so I'll fill in some holes." Berry rested her chin in her hand. "Ponies with 'natural talents' seem to get their talents from a traveling wishing well that looks just like that. She knows about that. So, it's there in the middle of the floor in plain sight, as a sort of sign to those ponies with-..."
Lemon lifted her head at the pause. The wine mare had suddenly raised her head, eyes wide. "... she would, wouldn't she?" she whispered. "She does look the type..."
"What? Would she- what would she do?"
"Hide the stairs in plain sight."
There was a beat, before the both of them looked back at the well again. Then at each other. "You'll never get a chance to test until after closing hours." the yellow mare cautioned.
"Yeah. And I've got a meeting with AJ at the Sugarcube Corner after work, so I can't exactly wait that long... that means I need a distraction."
With that, Berry ducked under the bar counter, her friend peering after her curiously. When she did come up, it was with a large clear glass jug. She then stared at her expectantly.
".... oh. Oh no, Twilight told you about that, did she? Look, I'll be a distraction, but I am not doing that again. Absolutely not. No way, no how-"
"I think there's a bit of peppermint oil in the bottom of it."
Five minutes later saw the doors of Taps burst open as Lemon Hearts ran outside, her head impossibly stuck inside a jug, over half of the waitresses and clientele running after her.
With the club having suddenly lost half its occupants, and the other half in a confused state, watching out the windows, Berry dashed over to the faux-stone well, looking it over. Tapping the metal platform that covered it, she heard the hollow tone, revealing there was something underneath. Enthused, she began pressing her palms over the stone facade that covered its sides. If I were going to make a trap-well, I would hide a stone in the side that would just need one little push...
Nearly at the join of the well to the runway platform, she felt one such stone shift, and click. The platform began to descend downwards, crawling along the pole that jutted up from its center. She leapt up onto it, and crouched down on the platform as it carried her out of sight.
The interior of the well dove for a good long while, drifting off into darkness. Only the circle of light from above gave any illumination, and it was scant. When it finally did stop, she had to paw around to make certain there was floor there to step on.
The small bit of light from above did illuminate a wall right behind the elevator platform. To her relief, she spied a green 'up' button, and next to that, a light switch. She hit it.
Low lights embedded in the ceiling flickered on. The first thing Berry noticed was that she was right, the cellar was big. And deep. The room was two stories tall in of itself.
The second thing that she noticed, was the equipment. Against the opposite wall from the lift, there were a number of huge storage tanks, similar to ones used to store oil and other fluids. Set up next to these, was what looked like a half-assembled bottling machine, and several stacks of electronic equipment.
The third thing she noticed was a scaffolding ladder, which led up to-
"SWEETIE!! "
Suspended a few feet from the ceiling, Sweetie Sunrise hung, bound in black straps, her body belly-down, but her head level. Her legs had been folded up behind her, and her arms stretched out in front of her, these limbs also being supported by more black ropes from above. She had been blindfolded, and a pair of headphones secured to her ears, the cables of which were connected to the electronic equipment below.
And hanging beneath her... Berry staggered. Swaying ever-so gently from the short pegasus's ribcage, were a pair of pale yellow globes big enough to contain a whole pony inside of each. Rounded, taut, they seemed to be rippling, fighting to keep from exploding, as below them huge suction cups drew tropical soda endlessly from her nipples, hoses draining away and through a pump... one of many... into one of the fluid tanks arranged at the cellar's end.
"Sweetie!... SWEETIE! Sweetie, can you hear me!?" she called up at her. The redheaded mare did not reply, except with a long slow moan of ecstasy.
Berry stared at the entire scene, all the machinery, and her swollen friend being milked like a cow... she then remembered that she didn't have all that much time before she was missed. Digging into her pocket, she fished out the gem-camera that Twilight had given her, and began pointing it around the cellar, at the equipment, at poor Sweetie having been trussed up like a turkey. At those impossibly large breasts. I need to get as much as I can. This is my only shot-
"And just what do you think you're doing?"
She whirled in place. Three of the black-trimmed bouncers from upstairs had landed behind her. They were between her and the platform.
She backed up, slipping the gem into her back pocket. "Sweetie hadn't gone missing at all. You creeps kidnapped her! What is this?! What're you doing to her!?"
"It's simple." the lead goon replied, the three of them spreading out and advancing on her. "She's being given the Standard Treatment."
"What's that mean? I don't speak corporate scumbag!"
"Your friend there, found herself falling in love with her job... so much so, that Miss Vanilla gave her a promotion. From floor-worker, to full life-time employee."
"You should also know." one of the other goons spoke. "That Miss Vanilla gave us very specific instructions, to keep an eye on you, in case you got too nosy for your own good."
"Oh did she now? Well... you've caught me red-handed. So what's next? Gonna give me cement shoes?"
"Oh nothing as crass as that." the ringleader spoke again, his sunglasses glinting menacingly. "What she told us, was to reward your perseverance... by giving you a promotion as well."
"... something's wrong... something's happened..."
Applejack paced back and forth in front of Sugarcube Corner, biting her thumb, her shirt tight against her bust. Each one was well over the size of her own head. She still hadn't had the chance to pump yet, had in-fact skipped out on emptying herself that evening to meet with Berry. But that had been a couple of hours ago.
"She's late... she's way late. Ah ain't likin' th' feel of this." she was grousing out-loud to herself, glancing back and forth between a street clock on the corner, and the disappearing sun. "What should ah do... should ah go t' Twi, go t' Berry's house t' see if she went home, or do ah go inside an' make a scene..." she looked up into the sky, searching. "Y'know, now would be a real good time t' show me a sign o' some sort..."
"Aaaappllllllejaaaaack!!" came a cry from up the street.
"Thank you." she quietly whispered to the air, before turning to intercept the calling pony.
It was Lemon Hearts, fresh out of breath, with a broken half of a glass jug in her hand. "Ayjay!... Berry!... Well!... Gone!"
"Woah woah, slow down sugarcube." She grasped the unicorn by the shoulders, steadying her. "Pull yourself together filly. Tell me what happened. Where's Berry?"
"Ah... ah... I don't know. She's vanished too, Applejack. First it was Sweetie, and now her. And all after she had me distract everyone too..."
"Distract?"
"Yeah... Applejack, there's a cellar underneath Taps. We saw it being dug out when they first tore the old shop down. But we couldn't find any stairs leading down into it. Then... Berry had an idea, that the fake well in the floor, might be the entrance instead."
"Ah remember Berry tellin' me 'bout it when she first saw it... it's in th' floor? In th' middle of everything?"
"That's right. So... she had me run a distraction. Played a rotten trick too." She held up the half of jug that she was still gripping by the handle. "There's no peppermint oil anywhere in this."
"O-okay, so, you distracted everypony, while she checked th' well out. Then what?"
"When I got back, she was gone. I couldn't see any sign of her, and before I could go looking for her, Miss Vanilla told everyone to go home. We've closed early tonight." She looked down the street, and then back to AJ. "Berry said she was going to be meeting with you. I-I thought you'd know what to do."
The farm mare stood up straight, adjusting her stetson. "... okay. Lemon, sugarcube. Go get Twilight. Tell her everything you told me, and then you tell her that ah've gone in after'em, cause that's exactly what ah'm gonna do."
Lemon fidgeted with the glass handle in her hands. "A-are you sure you don't need any other help? I-I mean, I could-"
"Ah'll be fine, hon. Th' only thing ah think ah'll need are th' keys. Other than that, you stick tight to Twi, y'hear? Back her up when she comes chargin' in, cause ah've got a feelin' ah might need it."
She looked as if she wanted to argue the point further, but at length bowed her head, and nodded. Surrendering her keys to the store, she then took off down the street, shouting a 'Be careful!' behind her.
Applejack nodded, and then set off jogging in the opposite direction. The fire of determination and anger was only tempered a little by the heavy bouncing of her bust with each step, the thought in her head being Ah really shoulda pumped first.
She knew where it was, and she knew how it looked outside. Getting inside through the staff entrance was easy. However, she had truthfully, never stepped inside of Taps before now.
Applejack found herself goggling like a yokel at the decor, the polished tile and plush furnishings. And yet, just as Lemon had said, there was the mock-up of the well, in the center of the floor. It stood out like an orange in a bushel of green apples.
This is where Berry was last. she thought to herself, squinting through the dim club lighting at the facade. Getting down onto one knee, she felt along the stones, tapping at each one. It would take her a couple of minutes before she found the same loose one that her friend had.
She jumped when it wiggled under her finger. Gingerly touching it, finding that it was lose, she finally came to the correct conclusion, and pushed it in with a 'click'. Under the well's covered platform, machinery began to hum, as it descended. She stared at it, before briefly going 'Oh', then leaping onto the pole and sliding down to catch up.
It was dark down there. But even without light, she could hear heavy breathing going on. Still descending, she then called out. "Hey! Is anypony down here?"
"... Ayjay? " came Berry's voice. It sounded strained, and a fair distance away. "AyJay, is that you? "
"Yes Berry, it's me!" she replied. "Where are you, I can't see!"
"Yer gonna haveta speak up AyJay, they've got these turned all the way up. I can barely hear you. "
"AH SAID AH CAIN'T SEE A BLASTED THING!"
"There's a light switch behind the lift. Don't gawk too much, okay? "
She didn't know what her friend was referring to, but eventually the lift neared the bottom, and she found the switch, flicking it on. A quick survey of the newly-lit surroundings then told her exactly what she was referring to.
"Oh mah Celestia!"
Sweetie Sunrise was in still the same position and size that she had been found in earlier. But AJ got a double-whammy, as she spied Berry also bound tight in black braces, suspended in much the same pose as the pegasus had been. She too, had been blindfolded, and earphoned.
And, dangling below her body, gargantuan lavender breasts hung, having swollen to tremendous sizes equal to Sweetie's own. They too had pumping cups hooked to the nipples, draining gallon after gallon of merlot from within. And from the lack of shrinkage, AJ assumed that those immense mounds must have been producing at the same rate they were being drained.
"Remember back a month or so ago, we talked about crazy ponies kidnapping us and using us as personal drink factories?" she asked, short of breath, but apparently well enough to joke a little. "Turns out, that's exactly Tap's modus operandi. How bad is it? They've got me hooked up to their supertanker over there, it's keeping the pressure steady, but damn ," she bit her lip. "I've never felt so full before. Care to get me down?"
"... O-Oh, right! Heavens t' Betsy, hold on!" The farmmare leapt from the platform, and dashed towards one of the many scaffolding-staircases they had against the wall. Pulling it out, she near-carried the metal assembly over beside Berry, shimmying up the steps as fast as possible. "Ah'm comin' sugarcube, hang on. Oh Celestia, your mare is going to have mah flank fer this!"
"Your flank? Whaddya think she's gonna do to me? " The overburdened wine mare laughed as she was reached. "Get this blindfold off, I wanna see what state I'm in. And then try to get the earphones. They're chanting our trigger words on loop, but it gets old, fast."
Applejack acquiesced, hands fumbling a little before the cloth fell away. Berry blinked, squinted, and then looked down to see a landscape hanging from her chest. "Ooooooh myyyyy Celestee-ah. Is all that me? No wonder they're so sore. Sun and moon both. Y' think they'd have remembered to add a vibe to all this equipment, I could use it right now."
"Sooo not goin' there, sugarcube." was the reply. "How do ah get these new-fangled things off? Looks like they're locked on."
"Then pull the cord if you can-... uhoh." Berry tilted her head, nodding off to the side. "AJ, company."
A door embedded in a corner of the room near the lift had opened up. The three goons from before poured out of it, arranging themselves in a triangle formation. And then, sauntering out behind them, with full pale-blue cleavage and beauty mark on display, came Vanilla Vodka, once more in full evening wear.
"Miss Applejack!" she called out, faux surprise dripping from her voice. "How delightful to see you drop by!"
"Vanilla Vodka." AJ spat, standing up straight and glaring down at her from atop the scaffold. "Kidnapping ponies an' forcing them t' lactate against their will? Just exactly what kind of scam are you trying to pull!?"
"My 'scam', as you've so brashly called it." the pale unicorn cooed. "Is simply business, pure and simple. Oh, I may have had to lace my spell with a little extra employee loyalty insurance, and I may have had to usurp a mare's budding drinks franchise here and there, and I may have had to make a few mares, annoying or not, go away. Changed into something more beneficial, giving me yet another steady influx of bits... but, as they say. 'Success is not Easy'."
"Y'all ain't got a single bone o' shame in that body o' yours, do yah?"
"If I did, Miss Applejack, I would have had it removed long ago." Cold blue eyes met fierce emerald ones. "Your opinions of how I run my business do not concern me. The only thing I desire, is profit. And you, Miss Applejack... things would have been so much easier, if we had been able to come to an agreement the civilized way... But, you refused my offer, and so, I am afraid that I am going to have to fall back on more uncouth methods."
"Y'all're actually gonna try an' catch me?"
"Indeed, Miss Applejack. You are a Natural Talent, and as such, are an asset that I cannot let escape. You are mine, Applejack, and I will not be denied. Seize her!"
The goons launched into action, surrounding the scaffolding AJ was balancing on. The mare, no stranger to heights, simply leapt off the top step and over the trio, landing behind them with a slam that shook the foundation. Not waiting for them to regain their balance, she struck a leg out in a sweep, sending Goon #2 flying head over hooves.
The other two rounded about, and closed on her. Goon #1 sent a punch flying, but she dodged and weaved under it, before slamming a knee in his gut. #3 attempted a tackle, but she was ready, spinning and kicking out, a mighty applebucking leg connecting and sending the stallion flying. Even then, #2 came around again, charging towards her, to which she responded with an uppercut to his chin.
Berry could barely believe her eyes. Applejack was successfully holding them off, repeatedly. Though they kept tossing themselves at her again and again, she ducked, weaved, kicked, and danced her way through their charges.
It was during one such charge from #1 when the orange mare vaulted over him, and landed on his back. "Let's see how you city slickers handle a real rodeo!" she shouted, giving him a solid kick in the flank. He yelped, and then took off, galloping across the floor as she drove him by his collar, free hand waving her hat in the air. "YEEEEEEE-HAAAAA!!"
The last two stallions were caught off guard as their ringleader was driven right into them. Vanilla winced as the sound of crashing bowling pins echoed through the cellar. "What are you buffoons doing!? How can a country hick be giving you so much-"
She had to stop, as AJ had suddenly come flying out of the dust in her direction. Glancing about quick, her horn lit up, and a locker of equipment became enveloped in blue, torn from its fastenings and brought over just in time to block a kick aimed at her face.
As the goons staggered back to their feet, the two mares sparred, the unicorn hovering the locker in weighty sweeps and strikes. While the stouter pony could easily dodge these, she was having a hard time landing a hit of any kind against the slender socialite. Both of them wore equally determined expressions upon their muzzles.
At last, the farmpony landed a sweep that tore the battered locker from Vanilla's telekinetic grip. Before she could move, a goon leapt on her back, followed by a second, followed by a third, trying to weigh her down. All three were more than surprised when she stood up under them, and then tossed them off, scattering them all around her.
Applejack focused on the pale mare one more time. The latter's expression was livid... but then, her lips turned into a wicked grin.
Too late, AJ felt the tingling of magic gripping the underside of her bust. A bust that up to then, despite their watermelon size, had stayed put and out of the way during the entire fight, only staining her shirt through some of the more intensive spins.
The last thing she saw was her own cleavage rushing up to smack her in the face, Vanilla having tossed them up and against her with her magic. Not for the first time, the thought came across her mind. Ah really, really should have pumped first.
"... that's it, good and tight... no, leave the blindfold off, I want her to see what we're going to turn her into-... oh! She awakes~"
Applejack groaned, her face stinging, with a corresponding soreness in the top of her breasts. It took her a few seconds of haziness before she felt a jostling at her legs. She attempted to turn over to look, but found that she couldn't. With that realization, she woke up in a hurry.
One of the goons was putting the finishing touches to the bindings on her legs. She too, had become bound and suspended from the ceiling, the third in a row next to Berry and Sweetie. Her shirt and vest had been stripped away, and as she looked down, she saw that a pair of pumping cups had already been secured over her nipples. Looking this way and that, struggling, she could feel a weight on her head. Earphones, though for the moment, they remained quiet.
"Ah-ah-ah, it's no use, Miss Applejack." Vanilla chided from below. "Those straps would have bound even mighty Cerberus. Not exactly cheap, but a worthwhile investment for the returns I'm going to make from you."
"Ngh... m-make from me?" AJ replied, still trying to flex her legs. "A-Ah still don't know what yer game is..."
"It's their real gig." Berry spoke again, looking over at her as best as she could from beside her. "The bars and boobs and stuff are all well and good, but they're not the real moneymakers, are they, Miss Bumpertits? It's mares like me and AJ, and poor fillies like Sweetie, who drive your profits. Why spend millions on building a soda factory, when you can seduce and induce and then bottle their produce, with zero investment and a one hundred percent profit margin? Who cares if fillies with names like Strawberry Fields go missing, as long as Strawberry Daiquiri is sold in every Taps location and liquor store in Equestria?"
The blue unicorn narrowed her eyes at the wine mare, who glared back, even in her precarious position. "I would like to know how you came across that name." she hissed, before giving a shrug. "But no matter. You are correct of course. When calculated in the eyes of business, one must always struggle to find the most optimal solution, given the resources available. Sometimes, these resources give of themselves willingly, only wanting to enjoy what they're able to do." She gestured at Sweetie, who remained in blissful ignorance, lost in the sensation of overproduction.
"Sometimes, other resources are simply ponies who have gotten too nosy for their own good, having been repurposed to benefit the enterprise instead." she made a pointed glare again at Berry, before turning once again to the apple mare. "But sometimes, a resource appears that you must simply take no matter the cost, for their contribution is compounded beyond all reckoning. You, Miss Applejack, are that kind of resource. Not only are you a Natural Talent, not only is your production on a scale beyond the spell I am able to wield, but your produce is nothing less than Sweet Apple Acre's very own famous Apple Cider, is it not?"
Applejack did not deign to answer that, her face a mask of anger, even as her bust swelled a bit more from the utterance. "Y'all made a rum deal decidin' t' build in Ponyville. This ain't th' big city, where you can handwave a disappearance away. Ponies are gonna come lookin' fer us, y' know. Me, Berry, Sweetie, we've all got friends, an' they're not gonna stop, ah can guarantee you that!"
Vanilla waved a dismissive hand in the air, only half-listening. "Hidden Deal and I will handle it, if it comes to that. We've always managed in the past. I don't see any reason why we won't now. Is she secure?"
"Yes Miss Vanilla ma'am." the goon next to AJ saluted, bounding down from the scaffolding ladder and pulling it away, leaving the mare hanging by herself. As the goons all arranged themselves behind the electrical equipment beside their boss, both blondes shared another glare, the unicorn leaning back to do so, her bust lifted equal to her chin as she gave one last gloat.
"Miss Applejack... I hope you know, I'll be certain to take good care of your land. When ponies discover that Famous Sweet Apple Acre's Cider has joined up under the brand of Taps, that'll be a hefty shift in the landscape of the local economy. When the Acre's land value dips down to pocket change, I'll be certain to buy up the whole shebang. And then? Hmmm... I have been considering the supermarket business. The only issue is that all those trees will be in the way of all the parking space I'll need~"
"You MONSTER!" Applejack cried out, straining against her restraints, causing herself to rock slightly. "You really don't have a single ounce o' shame in yah!"
"As well that I don't. How else would I enjoy putting virtuous 'family' mares in their place? Gentlecolts... begin!"
The three nodded, and began flicking switches. The farmmare winced, as the pumping cups sealed themselves against her breasts. In her ears, the headphones let off a 'ting', and then were quiet, before a steady slew of words began to fade in, the sound of a crowd of thirsty ponies, all chanting a single word. "Cider cider cider Cider Cider CIDER CIDER CIDER-!!"
The warmth built. She screwed her eyes shut. And then, her freckled breasts began to swell, at a rapid pace. The darkened nipples began spilling into the cups, and cider quickly began flowing down the hoses, into their own tank. Vanilla stood by and watched smugly, as those orange orbs continued to expand, their shapes rounded and taut, surpassing the size of beach balls and into beanbag territory, swiftly approaching equal size to Berry and Sweetie's own immense tanks.
And then, suddenly, a gurgling sound emitted from the pump. One of the shaded stallions quickly ran over to check on it, before looking up. "She's... she's overwhelming the pump, Ma'am, it can't keep up on default."
"Well then, what are you waiting for? Increase the strength!"
He turned a dial on the machine, and the smooth hum resumed. Still, even with the increased power, Applejack's tits continued to grow larger, reaching equal footing with the two other connected mares... and then, proceeding to swell beyond that. The mare attached to them was breathing hard, her face flushed against the clamor in her ears, and the ever-mounting tightness within her increasing bosom. "Ahhh... oh goddess... oh goddess oh goddess oh goddess..."
The pump began to gurgle again. "Turn it up higher!" Vanilla called out, her eyes riveted on the other mare's still-swelling form. "That's impossible... she can't be making that much, that fast, surely...?"
Heedless of the unicorn's words, Applejack's breasts did continue to produce at an exorbitant rate, the spheres now beginning to stretch out sideways as much as downwards. At length, Berry's eyes widened, as her friend's bust began pressing into the side of her own engorged tits. The tenderness of her taxed bosom prompted a moan to emerge from her lips at the contact, the apple mare following up with one of her own.
More gurgling sounded through the cellar. "Damnit... she's still outpacing the pump!"
"Then open it up! Turn it all the way!"
"Miss Vanilla, maybe we ought to cut out the chant feed?"
She didn't respond. She was mesmerized by the impossible sight of those breasts still swelling ever-larger right in front of her. "A-amazing..."
Applejack was breathing heavily, her tongue lolling in a pant, her eyes still screwed shut. She didn't need to see in order to tell just how large she was becoming. "Oh Celestia... oh my guh... oh Celestia... t-too... t-too much..."
Below her, still hanging from her ribcage, the immense cider tanks that were her breasts had become bigger than the pony they were attached to, way bigger than rolled bales of hay. Bigger even than the fluid tank that they were being drained into. Despite a story's worth of height, they continued to inch, down, down, towards the floor.
Vanilla Vodka boggled, stepping back as those mountains of freckled flesh finally made contact with the ground, the apple mare herself giving a long groan from the sensation of her heated, gargantuan breasts against the cold cement floor. "A-Aaaahhhhh... oh g-goddess! T-too much! E-enough already, ah'm gonna... a-ah'm gonna-!"
The cups were flooded with liquid gold. And the pump, turned all the way up on high, gave yet another gurgle, this one longer and uglier-sounding than the last. The goon next to it peered down, his jaw going slack.
"What is it?" one of the other stallions asked. "Did she outpace it again!? "
"... not just that..." he looked up at the storage tank the pump was connected to. Streams of amber were leaking from its seams. "... the tank ... is full."
A beat followed, as the unicorn whispered to herself. "... magnificent. "
And then, Applejack screamed, as the cups exploded from her nipples, every pore upon those dark teats and areola opening up and erupting into great geysers of cider, fountaining like bottomless hydrants of gold, the streams traveling high into the air from the forces at work inside those titanic tits. Berry let out a gasp at her own mounds were splattered with it, the sheer overwhelming spray reaching far and wide across the cellar. At the rate they gushed, the freestanding occupants hardly had time to blink before they found themselves standing in a steadily rising pool of cider.
"W-we got this!" Goon #1 stammered, fiddling at the equipment before him. "A-all we gotta do is just turn the-"
The panel before him sparked, causing him to jump back, cider pooling around him. Looking about himself, he saw the reason why. Cider and electronics didn't mix.
All the pumps crackled and churned. One of the other cases of equipment sparked, and caught on fire. Suddenly, for all three bound mares, the cacophony of voices fizzed and wavered, before cutting off altogether. None of them now were being drained, but none of them were being triggered to produce continuously either.
"We can't stay here!" Goon #2 called out, as more equipment went up in sparks. "We're going to get electrocuted at this rate! Everyone out!"
All three stallions hoofed it over to the door they had initially poured out of, leaving their boss behind. Vanilla gazed about herself, and at Applejack and her impossibly bountiful breasts, as if in a dream, before taking a step, unsteady, disbelieving. Turning to join her cronies, she hiked her evening dress up, trying not to dirty it in the rising tide...
"... Hey, HEY. VODKA! Where do you think you're going, Vanilla VODKA?" Berry suddenly yelled out, watching the unicorn mare suddenly pause. "Yeah, I'm talking to you, VODKA! Things didn't work out, did they, VODKA? Gonna just turn tail and run, aren't you, VODKA? You and your martinis, your VODKA! VODKA VODKA VODKA!!"
The pale blue mare swayed upon the spot, as Applejack slowly came around again, trying to focus on her. Was she imagining things?... no, she wasn't. With every repetition of the word 'Vodka', Vanilla's already-tremendous bust... those mammaries already straining the fabric of her gown in the first place... began to swell larger , the creamy pale flesh and cleavage billowing up and over the gaping hem, beauty mark and all.
"Yeah, that's what I thought!" Berry crowed. "You prefer ponies use your first name, cause your last name is your trigger! Yet you don't have any Taps-brand VODKA, do you, VODKA? Especially not any Vanilla Vodka! Let's see how you like having yourself being weighed down, VODKA VODKA VODKA!"
"Vodka!" the farmmare started to pitch in. "You're not going anywhere if we can help it, Vodka! Vodka VODKA VODKA!"
Rooted in place, the businessmare placed her hands over her ears, unable to block out the chanting as her breasts swelled larger, and larger... at length, she gave a cry, as her dress finally gave way, a *shhhrrriip * sounding out, her dark blue nipples revealed for the first time. And they sprayed, a colorless clear fluid that cut through the aroma of cider in the room, leaving the scent of vanilla in their wake.
"Oh hey," AJ took a moment to observe. "It is Vanilla. VODKA VODKA VODKA!"
"SHUT UP!" Vanilla screamed furiously, trying to gather as much of them in her arms as she could. But the mares did not let up, and even though she was spraying, she was not emptying fast enough. She only managed a few more steps towards the door, before her knees buckled, and gave way under her, sending her and her tits splashing in cider, each one now a beanbag in of themselves. Her horn lit in a futile attempt to lift them with her magic, but the weight, the production, and the spraying were proving to be distracting, unwilling to let her concentrate.
With a final surge, the blonde-maned unicorn's mammaries fully slipped out of her grasp, their weight pinning her to the ground. Immobile, she screamed again in rage at the two chanting mares, who only responded with more of the same.
"VODKA VODKA VODKA VODKA-! "
Hidden Deal was pacing nervously across the floor in front of the faux well. Vanilla was taking too long. He had seen the henchstallions clamber up out of the office, in an apparent hurry to jump ship, and he had noted in his small book to dock their pay. He wasn't budging until his business partner showed her face.
So it came as an extreme surprise to him when floodlights bathed the entrance of Taps, and then further shock as a magenta glow enveloped the door, before being ripped off its hinges by a none-too-happy-looking alicorn.
"Where are they?" demanded Twilight Sparkle.
"What do you think you're doing?!" the weaselly stallion demanded. "This is private property!"
"Princess Twilight Sparkle, royalty representative of Ponyville. Mr. Deal, I have a search warrant for the premises of Taps for two missing mares, possibly three. In addition, I have against your company, employee charges of criminal obsufication, non-consensual mind-altering spell usage, and, pending on what we find, criminal abduction and exploitation."
"You have no ground." he replied to her, stern. "These charges are unfounded, especially since they can only be submitted by an employee! And no employee of Taps has-"
"You're wrong, Mr. Deal." came another voice, Lemon Hearts stepping out from behind Twilight. "I'm making the charges. You pushed us to sign on the line, then gave me and my friends spells that messed with our heads, and now Sweetie and Berry are missing! How could I not file them!?"
"Young lady, when we are done, you are fired." was the only response Deal gave her, before refocusing on Twilight. "I refute these charges. Especially the one on abductions. On what grounds do you make those ridiculous assumptions?"
"No less than 27 missing pony cases made in the past three years all claim a common link that the mares involved were all Taps employees." She narrowed her eyes at him. "An anonymous tipper led us to believe a cover-up of massive proportions has been undertaken to hide these facts."
"Canterlot is a big city. Ponies go missing all the time. You can't seriously claim that one factoid to be the uniting factor!"
"That's what we're here to find out." Blue-jacketed police stallions filtered through the door behind Twilight, arranging themselves to either side of her. "Stand aside, sir."
"I will not! I refuse!" he snarled, even in the face of all the law enforcement behind her. "I did not spend fifteen million bits just to have our franchise undone by one sentimental foal! I forbid you, Twilight Sparkle, and your company, from carrying out your search, and I will take your charges straight to court myself!"
"Mr. Deal, with all due respect, what can you hope to do here? This building is on Ponyville land, and as such, land of Equestria and of the Diarchs, whose power I have been invested with."
"I," he drew himself up. "lay claim that the grounds of this building are separate from Equestria, and that we are independent of the Equestrian government." He reached into his jacket and withdrew a scroll, unfurling it before the princess. "Based on the letter of the law, we have legally identified ourselves as 'Tapstrotia', and have signed off on our own constitution and governmental order. This has been in the works for a long time you see, but with these papers, I proclaim that you, and the Princesses, have no power, and no jurisdiction here. I ask you all to leave, at once!"
Lemon boggled at the stallion's audacity. However, to her further surprise, Twilight did not budge. "If that's the case, then I invoke the Ponyville Directorial Mandate of Retroactive Independence, clause B-19, to be used only when lives are in danger. Ponyville, and all farms and lands within its postal code are now considered to be independent of the Princessess's lands of Equestria, and can now operate on its own, read, MY authority, automatically installing me as chief of state. My first act as Princess of Ponyville is to declare war on you, Tapstrotia, and to search your grounds for any evidence of the before-stated charges, which I am now treating as war crimes committed against our nation."
Hidden Deal gaped. "Y-... Y-You can't do that!! That's- I've never even heard of the Directorial Mandate of Ponyville! Y-you made that up!"
"Yesterday morning." Twilight agreed, levitating her own scroll and unfurling it, its edge reaching the floor. "Signed off and approved by the Mayor and the Princesses themselves."
"Just give it up laddie." one of the bobbiestallions spoke. "She's th' bleedin' Princess. Yer naught gonna get a hoof up on 'er."
The spindly unicorn looked at the stallion, then at the scroll, and then at Twilight again... before suddenly leaping at her as if to tear the document from her hands. He didn't get very far though, as the purple pony proceeded to slam her knee directly into his groin.
He crumpled to the ground, motionless, as she tossed her mane. "Rarity taught me that one. Mr. Deal, you are under arrest for the obstruction of an investigation. Okay boys. Let's find our friends!"
The colts fanned out, proceeding to shake down the establishment. Lemon took her hand, and started tugging. "Miss Vanilla's office is this way, maybe we can find something there!"
Accompanied by a couple of deputies, they opened the door of the office to find, to their surprise, a stairwell in the middle of the floor. It was located inside the sliding rails of a desk right behind it, the trapdoor left hanging open.
"Well..." Lemon started. "That's anticlimactic."
"Either they were that sure of themselves..." Twilight mused. "... or else, something's gone wrong. C'mon, let's go."
The group of ponies descended down the stairs, the steps winding around in some spots. Eventually, they saw a light at the end of the tunnel... and with it, the sounds of chanting, yelling, and arguing. They quickened their pace, dashing out through the door at the end... their hooves suddenly splashing into a foot's depth of cider.
Twilight and Lemon stared, and stared hard, while the stallions who had accompanied them suddenly tried to avert their gazes. Three mares bound and suspended from the ceiling were having a shouting match with a fourth mare on the floor. The fact that all these mares possessed breasts bigger than a full-grown pony did not help matters in the least.
"VODKA VODKA VODKA -... Twilight!" Applejack exclaimed, her face lighting up in joy. "See, ah told y'all they'd find us!"
"You took your sweet time, Twi!" Berry added, before nodding her head at the other mare in the floor. "That's her, Princess. The mastermind behind Taps! I've even got photos to prove it!"
The pale blue unicorn was a sorry sight, her streaked blonde mane and tail in a frazzled state, her eyes wide and bloodshot. She was on her knees, being held in place by a pair of enormous globes, a beauty mark upon the right one. Pure vodka sprayed from her nipples, the tips out of the reach of her hands. She had obviously been trying to corral them for a while now. The remains of her dress and gloves were completely soaked through.
The alicorn stepped forward, hands on her hips. She took another look around the room and its contents, the burning equipment, the silenced pumps, and the storage tanks in the back. Finally she looked the mare in the eyes. "Vanilla Vodka?"
She simply stared in reply, face like a deer stuck in headlights. The spray from her nipples intensified for a second. At length, she gave a single, sullen nod.
"Vanilla Vodka, I am Twilight Sparkle. By the power invested in me by the Diarchs of Equestria, I hereby place you under arrest."
An hour later, the police were finding their hands full, cataloging evidence, confiscating records, and in one case, unclogging drains. Twilight had recruited a couple of the mares in blue in helping her fully empty the tied ponies, and then bringing them down. She was busy doing that with Sweetie Sunrise first, who had finally become conscious, and was mightily confused about what had been happening.
"Good greif." Twilight seemed to be saying to herself over and over again. "Of all the rescues... this one takes the cake. And when this is all done, I have a Mayor to give her town back to as well..."
Berry and Applejack overheard her, but wisely decided to keep their voices quiet. They had a bit of time left anyways. This was the reason why, as they waited their turn, the wine mare looked over to the side with a grin. "So... how was it?"
"... what? H-how was what?"
"Don't play coy with me Ayjay. In case you haven't noticed, you're taking up a fair bit of the room. I should know." She rocked herself slightly, causing her still-engorged bust to sway, still pressed firmly against the flesh of AJ's own. When it passed, she flashed her smile again. "It's gotta feel good, bein' almost as big as a house~"
"Oh Berry, please." The apple mare's cheeks flushed red, even as she looked down at the massive freckled tanks that were resting on the floor. Tanks that were attached to her chest. Her own cleavage yawned before her, deep enough to actually hide a pony inside...
"You're thinkin' about it even now, aren't you?"
"... m-maybe... oh hush don't give me that."
"Give you what? Hey mare, nothin' t' be ashamed of. Just like I said earlier. They shoulda stuck vibes in our pants before they strung us up."
"Oh my goddess Berry, please shut up."
Things moved quickly after that. When the sun dawned the next day, there were a line of ponies lined up outside the crystal castle, all of them previous employees of Taps. There were even loads of passengers disembarking from trains from Canterlot, all making a pilgrimage to the small palace.
The word had got out. Taps was no more. Roughly the same time that Twilight had led the local police onto the establishment, the locations in Canterlot had all come under siege as well, one led by Rainbow Dash, another by Pinkie Pie, and the third by both Rarity and Fluttershy.
Each raid had revealed basements under each club, filled with mares being restrained and pumped for their produce, many of them having been under for years. Now freed, many of them had gone and rejoined their families again, while others yet worried that they were broken for the rest of their lives...
And then, Twilight had reached out to them, revealing that she had on her person, a way to undo the Taps augments. Hence the reason why ponies were lining up outside her door now.
Applejack, stiff, sore, and freshly drained, sat outside across the street from the castle, a towel over her shoulders, and a warm coffee in her hands. On either side of her, Berry and Lemon Hearts sat, each one leaning back and nursing drinks of their own.
"Guh... what a night." the yellow unicorn stated, rubbing her eyes.
"You're one to talk." the purple pony replied. "You didn't spend hours tied up with a pair of wine barrels hanging from your chest." A hand went up to massage the side of her much-reduced, but still-sore bust. "I think I gained a cup or two from that little adventure. Emptied but good, but I'm still feeling weighty. Might just be sensitive. What about you, Applejack?"
She declined to comment, instead lifting to take another sip from her mug. "... look at all those mares. Ah had no idea..."
"Heh... Toldja they'd be found, Ayjay. Pretty sure some of those in that group are floor-ponies too, wanting the last of that witch's magic gone... Hey, what happened to Miss vodka-tits anyway?"
"Far as ah know," AJ drawled, "Both she an' her cronies are all shipped back t' Canterlot, to await trial. Twi was tellin' me earlier, they found a buncha incriminating things. Like... y'all noticed that she didn't even try t' teleport?"
"... you're right, she didn't." Lemon remarked. "Like... besides basic levitation, and the spells she put us under... I don't think I ever saw her doing much of anything else."
"As Twi put it... she's a washout." She looked deep into her coffee. "Tried out fer th' same school she an' you went to... and never got in. She just was never good at magic. That's when Twi thinks it all began..."
In a dusty alley in Canterlot many years ago, a rail-thin pale blue mare staggered, eyes bleary and bloodshot, an empty bottle in her hands. She shook the bottle, willing the last drop of alcohol to fall out onto her tongue, but it was completely dry.
At the end of the ally, sandwiched between the back ends of stores and restaurants, among the dumpsters and trash cans, she weaved her way. At length, she fell to her knees, leaning upon a great pile of stones in a clearing in the alley... a pile that on second glance, revealed itself to be a well.
Drunk, frustrated, angry at the world and at her failures, she fished in her pocket for a bit. Finding one, she grasped it as she stared down into its depths. "Listen here you pile of dragon droppings... I want vodka. I want enough vodka to be able to drink away the rest of my stupid, miserable days. Enough to make me forget about that stupid magic school, forever."
The coin was thrown rather than tossed. She stared down at the well hard, in an accusatory fashion... and then shrieked, as her previously-flat chest suddenly began to balloon upwards and outwards. She stared in disbelief, watching her suddenly swelling gift of cleavage, accompanied by a single beauty mark on the left side. At length, she would squeal again, when she finally felt her nipples spurting, the air suddenly becoming rich with the aroma of vanilla...
"...she thinks that from there, she must have studied herself, and copied down what it was the well did to her. After a while, once she'd learned enough, she decided to take what she had, and rolled with it. And that was with th' first establishment of Taps."
"A vulture, is what she is." Berry opinioned. "Taking advantage of any opportunity she saw, no matter how small or wrong it might be. For their sake," she motioned towards the line of mares still shuffling inside. "I hope she gets what's coming to her."
The other two made noises of agreement, though they all lapsed into another silence, watching the ponies milling about. Out of the corner of her eye, AJ thought she saw something. A pink mare, with a strawberry red mane, clinging tight to a stallion as if he wasn't real. He was holding her tightly in turn, the two taking comfort in each other's presence...
"... ah think, that's what ah wanted t' see."
"Hmmm?"
"Nothin'. Just thinkin' out loud... so." She looked at the both of them. "Twilight can undo the spell now. both those made by Vanilla, and those cast by th' well.... what do you say, Berry? Ah noticed yer not standin' in line."
The wine mare shook her head. "You'd think I'd be traumatized by now... but the truth is, I've been doing this for seven years." She looked down at herself, regarding her bust with a fond smile. "If I suddenly stopped now, I don't think I'd know where to put my head. I think, just this once, I'm going to have to turn down the offer."
A wry grin spread across AJ's face. "Somehow, ah think ah saw that comin'. Well... what about you, Lemony?"
The unicorn dipped her head. "I've got the version that was cast by Miss Vodka. I've managed to keep a clear head still. But... I really do like it. Though I don't know if that's the spell talking or not..." she gave a sigh, resting her head back. "I guess I won't be able to tell unless I get it removed, will I?"
She got nods of agreement. Another beat followed, as Berry looked up at the farmmare. "... what about you, AJ?"
She didn't answer right away. Instead, she stood up, took a long drink from her coffee, and then simply stated. "I've got a long day ahead of me... tomorrow, is Cider Day."
And with that, she ambled away, the two mares watching as she proceeded to join up into the line.
A supersonic shriek blurred across the skies. It sailed over and across a sleeping tent city that had sprung up outside the white fences of Sweet Apple Acres. It whistled, then slowed, and then at last, glided to a stop.
Landing on her feet, Rainbow Dash rubbed her eyes as she looked out over the camping line that had formed. "Same as last year." she groused to herself. "Well... at least I made it back in time before Pinkie did."
"Yeah, I'm glad that you did too."
"Heh, glad you agree... WHOAWAITWHAT "
"I saaaaiiid" Pinkie Pie started again, as Dash whirled in place to face her. "That I'm glad you got here before I did!"
"B-but I-... when DID you get here?"
"Just now!"
"B-but I just got here!"
"I know!"
"How'd you get here so fast?"
"Well, I walked, silly!"
"B-b-but that's not possi-"
"Ssshhhhh Dashie, you silly-filly~" the party mare suddenly scooted up and cradled the pegasus's head, looking into her eyes with a half-lidded stare. "Since when did I need to explain anything~?"
And with that, she proceeded to skip away with a song on her tongue, leaving a very confused pony following in her wake.
The hours passed. Ponies emerged, packed up tents, and began to queue up. In front of the Acres, a familiar stall and sign had been erected. Applebloom was pulling out box after box of steins, stuffing them under the booth, and it wasn't long before Big Macintosh appeared, a barrel in each arm. A cheer was raised amongst the crowd... and the cheer redoubled when Applejack herself appeared right behind him, barrels of her own perched upon each shoulder.
The stallion sat a barrel upon the stand. The yellow filly installed the tap spout, and gave a test pour. And then finally, the mare stepped up behind the stall, tall and proud. "Good morning Ponyville! It is mah pleasure to announce, that Cider Season is officially OPEN! "
The crowd roared... and then, it began to chant. "Cider! Cider! Cider! Cider! Cider!-..."
AJ remained however, a smile upon her face. "Ah hear yah, ah hear yah. Step right on up! We've plenty to go around this year. Ah promise."
There was never a dull moment. Like years in the past, the line of ponies stretched far into the hillsides, winding down the path that led from Ponyville to the acres. Even with the turnover rate, the line never seemed to shorten.
Bloom, operating the tap, eventually found it in her to ask. "So... y' got yerself all fixed up?"
"Eeeyup" Applejack replied, handing off another mug. "Twi got me fixed up good an' proper. Took long enough, but t'was just in time."
Her sister glanced up at her, grinning just a little. "Yer still lookin' a bit 'full' t' me sis."
"She does, doesn't she?" said the next pony in line. Both fillies jumped a little, then regained their heads when they saw that it was Rarity standing before them, purse at the ready. "Two mugs please, Applejack, my dear."
While they were being poured up, the orange mare glanced a bit from side to side. "You, er, ain't never asked, y'know..."
"It doesn't take a genius to connect the dots AJ." the white mare replied, tossing her mane behind her, before fixing her friend's outfit with a critical eye. "Now is not the time for such talk, though I do extend an invitation to you to join me for some adjustments. A hardworking mare like you deserves some comfort after all, especially after what you've been through!"
AJ smiled a little, and looked down at herself. Whereas she had begun as a simple D-cup, a pair of outright honeydews now pushed her shirt out in front of her. They never swelled, never leaked, the effects of the well's wish magic now completely flushed from her system. But they were much larger than they had been before, she knew.
"Eh, ah'll get used to it." was her reply. "But ah'll drop by when ah have th' time, Rares, promise. Here's yer cider."
She cooed as she accepted both mugs, lifting one to her lips and taking a sip, a thin mustache of foam marring her otherwise-perfect muzzle. "Mmmm... astounding as always, Applejack." she breathed, before casting one more critical glance, staring, muttering. "J-cups, have to be. I'll see you later, my dear!"
They waved her off, though Applejack found herself blushing at the unicorn's words.
Business boomed. They managed to continue selling long past the previous cutoff point of cider in years past. Rainbow Dash finally got her turn, as did Pinkie right behind her.
"YES!" the pegasus crowed, taking her stein and floating away, quaffing the drink as she did so. "Finally! Oh man, I'm definitely coming back tomorrow!"
They had a laugh at that, as Pinkie stepped up with her usual bag of bits, signifying a large order. As Bloom poured up, the pink mare gave AJ her own critical glance, before her ears drooped. "Awwwww, you got rid of it."
"Ah still don't know how you know. What was it, some sort o' Pinkie Sense?"
"In a way~" she replied. "It just made sense. I'm still totally jelly though. Twilight wouldn't cast anything on me, even after I offered her a lifetime supply of double-chocolate cakes. And you know how she loves her double-chocolate cakes."
AJ gave a wry grin, as she passed her friend mug after mug of amber beverage, waving her off at the end. A pony or two down the line however, she found an unexpected surprise.
"Oh! Sweetie Sunrise! Howdy, how you doin'?"
"I-I'm... I'm fine." the short mare stammered, arms folded around herself. It was hard to see, but she could tell she had gained significant increases of her own. "I-I... I wanted to thank you. F-for helping break me out, I mean. I... I-I just..."
There was a gentle smile. "Ah ain't th' one y'all should be thankin' sugarcube. It's Berry an' Lemony what deserve all th' credit. Ah just went chargin' in like a right fool without any backup."
"And you kicked ass doing it, too!" said the mare in line behind Sweetie, who turned out to be none other than Berry. "She's been apologizing and thanking up a storm to me and the other girls ever since we queued up. Looks like you're real popular this year. Word gets around." she looked behind herself. "A lot of ponies wanna say their thanks too."
The apple mare stretched her neck to see. The mares in line were in fact the waitresses from the now-defunct Taps. They waved at her, and she saw that yet more mares behind them waved as well, ponies she didn't even recognize from Ponyville. The mares from Canterlot.
"A-ah..." she suddenly found herself feeling bashful, tilting her hat low over her eyes. "A-ah don't even know what t' say..."
"Well, you don't have to say anything if you don't want. What you do have to do, is serve that cider! Now c'mon Sweetie, order something, the rest of us are thirsty too!" Berry gave the pegasus a playful shove.
Sweetie laughed a little and nodded. From there, the pace continued, many of the mares stopping to shake her hand and thank her in various ways. Throughout it all, Applejack blushed, nodded, and served... and, as time went on, in the back of her mind, an indefinable sense began to echo, rattling about her head...
When evening rolled around, they finally closed for the night. Supper was had, baths were taken, and beds were slept. It had been a long and tiring, yet rewarding day. There was money in the safe. From that day alone, the farm made enough to stay safe over the winter. And there would be more tomorrow.
And yet, despite the ache in her bones, AJ found herself unable to sleep. She shifted in bed, rolling back and forth, at length sitting up and staring out into the darkness. She didn't feel right. Which was odd, as she was more normal now than she had been in the past three months.
She found her hands moving on their own. Unbuttoning her pajama top. Letting her heavy breasts fall out into the air. Staring at them at length, before gathering them up in her arms and burying her face into her own cleavage. She began to kiss their freckled surfaces, hands groping and massaging at the firm mounds, making love to them. Her lips even found a nipple, and she latched on, trying to suckle from herself. Nothing came out against her tongue.
She didn't know how she managed it exactly. She didn't fully remember getting up and walking. But the next thing she knew, she was out in the barn, staring at the pumping machine. It hadn't been disassembled yet, even though she knew she didn't need it anymore.
Almost as if on autopilot, she walked towards it, sat down next to it, and pressed the cups against her breasts. She flicked the device onto its lowest settling, and then let out a sigh as she felt the suction take hold. It didn't matter how long she sat there however. Nothing came out of those darkened nubs, no matter how much she wished something would.
... ah'm missin' it. Ah don't believe it. She slapped her own forehead at the realization, leaning back as she looked down at herself, at the cups sucking nothing but air. Ah'm damaged. Ah've been makin' cider fer so long... it's just like Berry said, ah don't... ah don't know... Ah ain't makin' it no more... but ah want to. Badly...
... Ah want mah cider back.
... welp... if that's th' case... what do ah do now?
It would be a week later, when the doors of the crystal castle rang again. Spike ran up and took a look outside, before opening it up fully. "Oh hey Applejack! What brings you here today?"
"Spike..." AJ started uneasily. "Is Twi anywhere abouts?"
"Yeah, she's in the library, working on somethin'. Won't tell me what it is though."
"Mmm, thanks sugarcube. Ah just need t' ask a favor, then ah'll be outta her hair."
The dragon nodded, and stepped aside to let her in. Hooves sounded softly through the halls as she made her way to the library, peering through the door, and then walking towards the center.
As advertised, Twilight Sparkle was standing there, magic displays on either side of her, the reading table piled high with books and pages. The alicorn herself was scribbling furiously upon a clipboard, obviously in the zone. She hated to interrupt, but at length, she knocked on a nearby bookshelf, causing her friend to look up.
"Oh! Hello Applejack!"
"Hey sugarcube. Listen, ah have a-"
"I heard that cider season was very successful~" the alicorn grinned, stepping up to her. "Despite all setbacks, you managed to pull it off again. Enough cider for all of Ponyville, and then some!"
The farm mare blushed. "Th-thank you, Twi. L-Listen, ah know that ah was all riled up when ah first came t' you with my condition-"
"I know. But then you turned it around, and made something of it. And it couldn't have been better timing too, all things considered. I heard back from the trial earlier today."
"O-oh? Vanilla Vodka's trial?"
"That's right. Turns out, the reason she expanded Taps into Ponyville, was because she was following the well itself. She had a spell she'd cobbled together, just to track it, but she never bothered to learn a basic thing like teleporting." Twi gave a laugh. "Priorities, right? She knew that wherever the well went, it was bound to leave behind ponies like you, endowed by wish magic. Wherever the well appeared next, she was going to set up another Taps branch, to capitalize off the results of its wake."
AJ grimaced. "Natural talents indeed. She wanted to find as many of us as she could, and hook us up t' drain, making herself gobs of money from selling the produce. Whether we liked it or not."
"That's about the size of it. Needless to say, she has a lot to answer for. All those mares she tricked and manipulated..." She tilted her head, looking back at the displays she'd left up. "And even then... you know, it's kinda funny."
"Hmm? What is?"
"The majority of ponies who came here last week, mostly needed to have Vanilla's spell removed from them. Some of them needed it more than others. And yet... well, you probably know. Berry's a natural talent, and she said she didn't want it removed from her. The other natural talents that I met, from Canterlot... most of them just wanted a checkup!"
The apple mare found herself gaping. "Yer kiddin', right?"
"No! I'm being completely serious, they just wanted me to make sure they were healthy. Apparently, since I now have a spell that can undo the effects of breast-directed wish magic, I am now Equestria's leading expert in alternative lactation." The mare shook her head. "I've prepared for a lot of things, but I wasn't quite expecting to be held in that role. Some of them even asked me to change their produce!"
"Goddess... ah cain't even... Y-you couldn't, right?"
"Well, I had my hands full with more important matters. They understood though, thankfully. Besides..." the purple pony lifted her clipboard, jotting on it again. "I told them that I'd get in touch with them later..."
Now that got Applejack's attention. "Later?... why?"
Twilight favored her with a smile, and led her over to one of the displays. Upon one was the soft, fuzzy edges of the wish magic's wave form, again overlaid with the sharp, jagged angles of the copied and altered spell. On the second display however, was a new waveform. One that followed the same basic shapes of the other two, but was composed of graceful curves and loops instead.
"It's not perfect yet." she confided. "But I figured, after having worked on the counterspell for three months, rebuilding and smoothing out the original spell itself would be a piece of cake. I can set produce, passive production, trigger phrase, and triggered surge amount. I'm also working on variations that have no passive productions, or trigger phrases. Just one, or the other." she turned to her friend again, beaming. "I think those mares who asked will be happy to see this. There is, admittedly, a lot of potential to be had..." she paused to rub the back of her neck. "I hope the well doesn't come calling to sue, at anyrate!"
The farm pony was boggled. "... Twi, yer not plannin' on somethin', are you?"
"What? No, of course not. Even if I was, I wouldn't go about it the way Miss Vodka did. This is just me, experimenting. I don't even think I'm going to be publishing most of this." A slight blush tinted her cheeks. "It wouldn't be the most flattering book in the world... and yet, I can't help but wonder. This is all kind of a hobby for me now, you know... maybe I could make it a hobby book? 'Sparkle's Spells for Making the Most of your Mammaries'. I dunno, I think I'd have to-"
She was interrupted by a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Applejack with a shy look upon her face, a blush on her cheeks, her body tensed, nervous. She glanced at her, then to the new and improved spell diagram, and then back again. "Twi... sugarcube... c-can ah ask... a favor?"
The alicorn blinked, looked to the diagram as well, and then back... before at length, a small smile came to her lips. "Somehow... I'm not in the least bit surprised."
"CHEERS!~"
The four ponies clanged their mugs together, before gulping them down in the cool evening air. The cafe was bustling, and these four mares had a table all to themselves, for their own private little celebration.
"To Applejack, and all the barrels she single-handedly filled." Berry Punch proposed, cheeks a merry red flush as she waved her beer about. "And for all the butts she kicked for the rights of all drinkmares! *hic* "
Lemon Hearts made a face. "That's what you're calling us? Drinkmares?"
"Hey, when you think of something better, I'm all ears." she replied, sitting back down. "And here's to the Princess Twilight Sparkle, who sorted out the entire mess, and in the end, granted a few small ponies' own small wishes!"
"Hear-hear!" Sweetie Sunrise joined in, raising her own glass. She took a sip, exhaled, and then asked the mares surrounding her. "Are we completely insane, or what?"
"Ah don't think any o' us are super-big on sanity t' begin with." Applejack answered, setting her mug on the table. "Least of all me. But... here we are. Lemon, Sweetie... are y'all sure 'bout this?"
"As sure as I think I can be." the unicorn replied, looking down again at her full, engorged bosom. She didn't even seem perturbed at the small damp spots that had appeared. "I spent a few days off without it to clear my head, then I went back to Twi, and asked her for it back. She didn't even bat an eye... think I have you to thank for that, AJ."
The orange mare rubbed her cheek, bashful. "Do anything different? She said she'd been experimentin' a little."
"Well, it doesn't make my brain go hazy, for one. Just to be sure, I asked her to take out the 'trigger'. Now you can shout lemonade at me all you want, and I won't start spurting like a firehose from it."
"Awww, well there goes some of that fun." Berry pouted playfully, before turning to the pegasus seated next to her. "What about you, Sweetie?"
The redhead looked down into her drink. "I'm... probably the most damaged of all us here... You all found me hooked up and everything, I've got the most to be traumatized about. But, I won't lie. I loved it. Maybe not the bondage so much, but definitely being full and productive. Though, that was the augment spell that made it... addictive, right?"
They all nodded. That seemed to give her courage to continue. "I went with Lemon to ask Princess Twilight as well. I was kinda afraid that she wouldn't agree to my request... but she did. She explained everything first, and this time, I did my best to listen!"
AJ regarded her, noticing again that the pegasus could now be fully considered a shortstack. Despite her small stature, her bosom was like a pair of cantaloupes, stretching out the fabric. "So, you're makin' that soda again?"
"Actually... I-I kinda decided on something else." Sweetie blushed, as she sat her drink down. "I thought I'd go for something a little more... grown-up. At least, I think Berry would approve. I had it changed from tropical soda, to Sangria-..." She had to pause, due her breasts suddenly swelling fuller within her shirt, a couple of spots of vibrant orange blossoming upon their peaks. Eyes lidded, she let out a hum. "Mmm... that still feels good."
Berry laughed, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Just don't let it go to your head, hon. *hic* Otherwise, I think you'll be fine." At last, she turned to Applejack herself, leveling a gaze at her. "And as for you, Ayjay?..."
The farmmare took another drink from her mug, forestalling her answer for a bit. At length, she spoke. "... Th' season's done fer this year. Ah did what ah set out t' do. But sure as shootin', next year, ah'm gonna haveta do it again... so..."
"... sooooo~?"
"... so... you were right, Berry. That's all ah'm gonna say. And that ah had them 'tuned down' a little too. Fer th' winter, y' know."
"Of course." was the punch pony's reply to that, a grin on her face. "Nothing like curling up in front of a fireplace with a nice warm mug of cider , am I right?"
Applejack didn't reply. Her eyes were shut, as below her, her own bust had begun swelling up once more, freckled flesh pillowing over the neckline of her shirt. Yet she did not fidget, or bite her lip against the sensation, instead smiling wide in blissful contentment. The expression remained even when the expansion stopped, and it wasn't until a few second's silence had passed that she opened her eyes, to see all three mares staring at her with curious gazes.
"Wow." Lemon finally said. "You really are into it, aren't you?"
"O-oh hush." she grumped, pulling her hat low, blush heavy on her cheeks.
Berry just broke out into a raucous laugh, lifting her mug into the air again. "Hah! To us merry band of drinkmares! Hey, you know what girls? We should go bar-hopping! Watch the looks on their faces as we out-serve them!"
"Berry, neither of the bars in town would even let us try."
"Then let's open our own! Taps isn't using theirs anyways. Damn pretentious art-deco and shit, let's rebuild the place, make it a real bar, do things right !"
"Berry, go home, you've gone gotten yerself sloshed."
"I have to be! I'm the town drunk!" She stood up and gathered all the mares together in a single hug, giddy grin stretching from ear to ear. It was an infectious one too, the three finding themselves grinning along in good humor as she continued. "Work with me girls, I've got a good feeling about this! And anyways, it's not like we're ever gonna run out!"
"After all, drinks are on us! "
FIN
