Author's Note

Just like the last chapter, there's very little in the way of fetish content here. However, future chapters will focus much more on the fetish side of things from here on out. So, without further ado, on with the chapter!

Ch. 3

The sound of a train whistle cut through the air like a hot knife through butter as the train departed from Vanhoover station, leaving Big Mac and Sugar Belle alone on the platform with their luggage. Much of the train ride there had been spent in silence as the pair were content in simply being together again after a long period apart, with the occasional small talk passed between them to help pass the time. Now having reached their destination, the two ponies glanced at the station around them.

“Wow… I’ve never been to Vanhoover before,” Sugar Belle said, turning to her coltfriend and asking, “Have you?”

“Nope.”

“Say… didn’t Rarity say there would be a pony here to greet us?”

“Eyup.

“So where—“

“Hello there!”

Both ponies glanced across the platform, quickly spotting a grinning Earth pony running up to them. His coat was a light shade of brown while his mane, which was partially hidden behind the dark stetson he wore, was a leafy green with small hints of grey tugging at the edges of his mane indicating his age. As he got closer, they could just make out his cutie mark of an axe slicing straight through a block of wood.

Bounding up to them, his smile only seemed to grow wider as he approached. “Well now, I reckon you two are the ponies Rarity told me to keep an eye out for, am I right?”

Big Mac nodded his head. “Eyup.”

“Wonderful!” Turning to Big Mac, he extended his hoof out, which Big Mac was quick to shake. “I’m guessin’ a workhorse like you must be Big MacIntosh of the Apple family, and…” Looking to Sugar Belle, he reached down and took her hoof in his own. “… This sweet lass must be Sugar Belle,” he said as he lightly kissed her hoof, earning a giggle from Sugar Belle and a glower from Big Mac.

“Yes, that’s us,” Sugar Belle replied as she pulled her hoof back. “It’s very nice to meet you, Mr—“

“Name’s Wood Chipper, but please, feel free to call me Woods. Everypony else does, after all. I’m here to escort you two to your little getaway for the time being. My wagon’s parked right outside, so just gather up your bags and I’ll help ya load them up.”

Gathering up their things, which consisted of a few bags between them and a portable cooler with some supplies for the stay, they followed Wood Chipper out to where he had parked his wagon. As they loaded their things into the back, Sugar Belle asked, “So… how long have you known Rarity for, Mr. Woods?”

“Ah, since she was but a wee filly, that one,” Woods replied, still grinning ear to ear as if the expression was permanently plastered to his face. “Me and her daddy go way back, bunch of troublemakers the two of us were in our youth. While Hondo was lucky enough to find himself a one in a million mare to settle down with, I much prefer the single life myself. Give me some wood to chop, some fresh air, warm food in my belly, and a roof over my head and I’m a happy stallion.”

After loading everything into the wagon, Woods hooked himself up and began to lead the way, before long passing through the city gates into the forest south of the settlement.

“You know,” Woods remarked as they strolled down the path through the forest, “I’m really glad to know that the old girl’ll have guests again. It’s a real shame to see a nice place like her go without any visitors for so long. I’ve done my best to keep her in tip top shape, but it’s still not the same without anyone there to stay under her roof.”

“Well, we were kinda overdue for some time away, just the two of us,” Sugar Belle said, staring longingly up at Big Mac, who stared back with an equally longing expression as the two shared a quick kiss between them. “It’s been too long since we got the chance to just be with one another.”

“Ah, there be quite a bit of distance between you then, I imagine?” Woods said, earning a pair of nods in return. “Well, somepony once said ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’, so maybe there be some truth to their words if you two can weather being apart for so long.”

The trio made some more small talk between them as they walked further along the trees. After another twenty minutes or so of walking, Woods proudly declared, “We’re almost there! Right past this here bend lies your home for the next little while!”

Turning a corner, Woods was proven right as a modestly sized log cabin lay ahead of them. It wasn’t anything too lavish, but it looked remarkably well kept, no doubt owing to Woods’s vigilant care. “Well, there she is! Ain’t she a real beaut?” Walking up to the cabin, Woods swiftly unhitched himself from the wagon as he strolled up to the front gate. “Come on, I’ll give ya the grand tour!”

Following behind him, the three stepped onto the porch as Woods retrieved a set of keys from within his hat and unlocked the front door. As the three of them filed inside, Big Mac and Sugar Belle took in the sight of their new home away from home. Much of the space was taken up by the living room, consisting of a large sofa, two plush chairs and a small table in the centre of the room, all of which bordered a large stone fireplace fixed to the back wall. Off to the side lay a decent sized kitchen, complete with overhead cabinets, a fridge, stove, oven and more than enough countertop space to prepare meals on. Nearby, a staircase led up to the second floor of the cabin.

“Wow…” Sugar Belle muttered.

“Eyup…”

“Like it? Yeah, it ain’t much, but it’s certainly a nice place for the two of ya to stay. As you can see, there’s the main room, complete with fireplace, over there’s the kitchen, and the bathroom and shower are right around the corner. Bedrooms are upstairs, enough for each of you to have your own room. Or, if you’re prefer to share a bed…” Woods laughed as the couple both broke out into a blush. “Ha! I’m just teasing ya! Anyway, I saw you brought yer own food with ya, but I took the liberty of supplying you with some food. There’s a shed and a chopping block out back if’n ya ever in the need of some firewood, and if there’s ever anything ya two need while yer here, feel free to let me know. I have my own little cabin a ways down the path, ya can’t miss it, but it’s far enough away from here that you two will have the place all to yourselves. Any questions?”

Big Mac and Sugar Belle shared a glance for a moment before glancing back at Woods. “Nope, I think we’re all good. Thanks for all yer help, Mr. Woods.”

“Ah, much obliged. I best be on my way then, so I’ll leave you two to set-up on yer own. Hope ya enjoy yourselves!” With a tilt of his hat, Woods walked past them out the door. The couple him carefully unload the few bags they had brought with them before hooking himself back up to his wagon and being on his way, soon little more than a speck in the distance.

It didn’t take the pair long to unpack their things, tossing their bags into separate rooms upstairs before working on emptying the cooler they had brought. True to his word, Woods had seen fit to supply them with a more than plentiful supply of fresh produce and other such foods, more than they could ever imagine consuming in a single weekend between the two of them.

However, as Big Mac worked on emptying the cooler, he noticed a bottle that hadn’t been there when he had packed the cooler that morning. Pulling it out, he found himself holding a bottle of Sweet Apple hard cider, but not just any bottle, but one he could tell right away was from the family’s personal stock. Taped to it was a note that read, “A little gift for the happy couple. Hope you enjoy it! - Applejack.”

Big Mac chuckled, making a mental note to thank his sister the next time he saw her. As he finished unpacking the cooler, he looked up to see Sugar Belle walk into the kitchen.

“You hungry?” She asked him, glancing out the window as the sun inched closer and closer to the horizon. “I could make us an early supper of vegetable soup, if you’d like.”

Smiling, Big Mac leaned over and nuzzled his marefriend. “That sounds lovely.” Stepping back, Big Mac cracked his shoulders as he too glanced briefly out the window. “Think I’ll go out and chop us some firewood.”

“Working already?” Sugar Belle said with a huff, glaring at the back of Big Mac’s head as he trotted over to the door. “But we just got here! Can’t you save that for tomorrow?”

’Sorry, Sweetie-Pie,” Big Mac said as he pushed the door open, “I reckon I might start going a bit stir crazy if’n I don’t get some work done soon. Once I’m done out back, though, I promise ya the rest our stay will be devoted to spending it with you, okay?”

Sugar Belle wanted nothing more than to grab the stallion by the ear and drag him back inside, but she did none of that as she watched the door close behind him. His devotion to his work was both something she loved and something that got on her nerves about the stallion, but she wouldn’t change him for anything in the world. Besides, he did promise and Sugar Belle was going to make absolutely sure he held to that promise, no matter what it took!

[Big Mac]

Just as Woods had said, there was a chopping block set up just a few feet away from the cabin, an axe already embedded slightly into the block. After retrieving a big enough pile of logs from the shed, Big Mac gripped the handle of the axe with his teeth and yanked it out of the block, holding it tightly as he placed the first log onto the block. With a jerk of his head, the axe came down on the log with a mighty “thunk!”, chopping straight through the piece of wood with a single stroke and leaving two perfect pieces of firewood to fall onto either side of the chopping block.

It didn’t take long for Big Mac to get into the rhythm of things, placing one log after another onto the block to be cut down by his axe and fall to the side. Again and again he repeated this action over and over.

Place, chop, fall. Place, chop, fall. Place, chop, fall.

It almost became second nature to him as his body moved in an almost mechanical fashion, repeating the same actions again and again with barely a thought. But as his body worked, his mind was deep in thought, going over the same things again and again. He had promised himself that he would finally let Sugar Belle in on his little secret, but the when and how he was going to go about doing that still alluded him. Every time he imagined bringing it up in casual conversation, his mouth would dry up faster than a pool in the badlands, and the none of the alternatives he had envisioned seemed any more likely to succeed.

After several minutes spent mindlessly chopping wood, Big Mac paused for a moment, panting for breath as he placed the axe at his hooves, sweat matted to his fur. As he stretched his neck to get all the kinks out, he realized he was overthinking things again. Sugar Belle had been right when she’d pointed out that they had just arrived, which meant there was plenty of time for his to come clean about his secret hobby. No need to rush in and make an utter fool of himself, eventually the right moment would present itself and when it did, he would act on it.

And if that moment never did decide to present itself? Well… then he was just going to have to improvise then.

With his mind a touch quieter now, Big Mac picked the axe back up with his mouth and returned to chopping more firewood.

[Sugar Belle]

Humming to herself, Sugar Belle worked to carefully cut up carrots and celery into neat slices before tossing them into the already prepared pot to simmer. Once that was done, she turned her attention to the burner beside it, checking to make sure the vegetable broth she had already prepared was coming along nicely. After a quick taste test, she added just a touch more spices to taste before placing the lid back on the pot.

There was something inherently soothing about cooking to Sugar Belle. While baking would always be her true calling (as if the cupcake displayed proudly on her flank wasn’t a dead enough giveaway), Sugar Belle still very much enjoyed working with other forms of food preparation, learning new things she could potentially also incorporate into her baking skills. It was almost like a form of meditation to the unicorn, allowing her destress from a day and focus her mind on other matters.

Other matters like the stallion currently outside chopping firewood, and just how she was going to break her secret to him. She couldn’t just come out and say, “Oh, by the way, I like wearing diapers and being treated like a foal, just thought you should know!” That would be far too awkward and could potentially result in scaring him away for good. No, if she wanted to do this right, then she needed to gently ease him into it before revealing it to him in full. Just how she was going to accomplish that, however, had yet to come to her.

Sighing, Sugar Belle worked to prepare supper for them, the matter of revealing her secret still stuck at the back of her mind. Calm down, Sugar Belle! You’re a smart mare, you’ll figure someway to tell him! Right?… Right?

***

The sun had dipped even closer towards the horizon by the time Sugar Belle hollered for Big Mac to come inside for supper, the stallion having cut himself enough firewood to likely last the rest of the year and then some. As expected, the soup that Sugar Belle had prepared was lovely, perfectly blending each vegetable with a mix of spices and seasoning into an almost heavenly dish.

However, very few words were spoken between the pair over the course of the meal. Occasionally, the two would glance over at the other at the same time, their eyes meeting for a brief moment before they hastily looked away to focus back onto their food.

After supper, the two quietly agreed to spend the rest of the evening inside, resting together on the couch by the fire. Only this time there would far more talking between the two, as Big Mac decided to pull out the bottle of apple cider Applejack has given him.

It wasn’t long before the pair were practically howling with laughter on the sofa, the bottle of cider sitting open on the table next to a pair of shot glasses they had found in the cupboards. While neither one was particularly drunk yet, they were just tipsy enough that their cheeks had begun to blush, words flowing much more freely as the pair exchanged tales between then.

“She did not! You’re making that part up!” Sugar Belle exclaimed, holding a hoof to her lips to keep her laughter in, despite a few giggles slipping out.

“It’s true!” Big Mac replied, confidently adding, “With Celestia as my witness, not a false word have I uttered this day!”

Sugar Belle replied by devolving into a fresh bout of laughter, holding onto Big Mac to keep herself from toppling off the couch. “Oh, I wish I could have been there!” She said once she had gotten her laughter under control. “That would have been a joy to watch!”

“Oh, it was, mark my words.” However, the smile on Big Mac’s lips slowly slid into a frown as he glanced at the fireplace. “I wish you could have been there too…” he muttered, though not quiet enough for Sugar Belle not to hear him and glance up at him.

“I sometimes wish I could spent more time with you, too…” she said, resting her head on Big Mac’s shoulder. “Being so far away from you is hard, but I wouldn’t give up what we have for all of Equestria.”

“Neither would I,” Big Mac replied, leaning over and nuzzling Sugar Belle’s cheek. “I love you, my adorable Sweetie-Pie.”

“And I love you, my big, strong stallion.”

Nothing more needed to be said as the two snuggled together on the couch, basking in the warmth of the fire. As the moments ticked by, Sugar Belle felt a feeling in the pit of her stomach, Maybe it was the alcohol talking, but right now Sugar Belle knew more than ever that now was the time to finally come clean. “Hey, Big Mac—“

“Sugar Belle, I—“

They both stopped, turning to look at one another at the realization that they had both spoken at the same time. “Sorry, you go first.” Big Mac offered.

“N-no, you should go first.”

“No, you go. Whatever you have to say is much more important than what I was about to say.”

Sugar Belled opened her mouth to refute him again, before closing it and giving a shake of her head. Glancing towards the fire, Sugar Belle finally said, “Big Mac, I… there’s… there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you for a while now, but I… I’ve been too scared to tell you. I have a… a secret I’ve been keeping from you.”

“A… secret?” Big Mac repeated, his voice sounding more confused than anything else.

Forcing herself not to look Big Mac in the eyes for fear of completely breaking down, Sugar Belle hung her head in shame as she continued. “I’ve… I’ve wanted to tell you for sometime, but… but… I was too afraid… afraid of how you would react. This secret of mine…” Sugar Belle felt like she was on the verge of tears now, “It’s… it’s not normal… so I was afraid that you would… would look at me like some kind of freak or weirdo, or—“

Sugar Belle stopped as she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her, holding her in a comforting embrace. Sniffling, Sugar Belle sunk into Big Mac’s embrace, the feeling of security wrapping around her like a warm blanket.

“I could never do that you,” Big Mac finally said, his voice calm and soothing as he did his best to reassure the unicorn. “I love you, and nothin’ will ever change that. No matter what this secret of yours is, I promise that it won’t change how much I love you.”

“Thank… you…” Sugar Belle squeaked out, feeling some of her anxiety melt away. “I needed to hear that…”

“If it makes you feel better, I…” Big Mac paused for a brief moment before continuing, shame written clear across his face, “… I also have a secret I’ve been keepin’ from you.”

Sugar Belle thought she must have heard him wrong, so she glanced up at him and said, “A secret? You?”

Big Mac nodded. “Not just from you, but from my family too. If they ever knew…” Big Mac shuddered slightly. “I don’t even want to think bout what would happen if they ever found out. Just like you, I was afraid that if you ever found out, you wouldn’t want to be together with me anymore… I… I…” Whatever Big Mac was going to say further, it all disappeared the moment he felt Sugar Belle’s lips press against his cheek, a sense of calm washing over him as she leaned over to whisper into his ear.

“I also meant every word when I said I loved you,” she said, placing another kiss against his cheek. “I know that keeping a secret from yer family couldn’t have been easy, but I just want you to know that no matter what it is, it’s not something that could make me stop loving you. Afterall…” she giggled as she thought back to before they started dating, “Any stallion I would choose to be together with even after making an utter fool of himself to earn my affection must be pretty special.”

Big Mac was giddy with excitement from both kisses, a feeling of relief passing over him. “Well, I’ll have you know that no matter how embarrassin’ or strange your secret is, its can’t possibly be any weirder than mine.”

“Oh, really?” Sugar Belle replied, smirking up at him. “Is that a challenge? Because I’ll tell you now that nothing could be stranger than what I’ve been keeping a secret.”

“Are you so sure of that?” Big Mac countered, grinning as well as he met Sugar Belle’s eye. “Well, now you’ll just have to tell me your little secret so I can prove to you that mine is weirder.”

“Oh no, I’m not letting you pull one over on me like that! How about you tell me your secret first and I’ll be the judge, hmm?”

Big Mac seemed to consider it for a moment before replying, “Alright, but only under two conditions.”

“Name them.”

“First, it would probably be easier if I showed you rather than told you.”

“That’s fair,” Sugar Belle admitted. Seeing was believing, afterall. Considering what her secret was, showing him would probably be much easier than trying to tell him. “What’s the second condition?”

“The second thing is…” Scootching closer, Big Mac tightened his grip on Sugar Belle and said, “That we would spend a little while longer together by the fire.”

Without a word, Sugar Belle relaxed herself into Big Mac’s arms, staring at the fire as she rested her head against his broad shoulder, feeling him relax moments later. For a few brief moments, the pair sat in total silence, content in just spending a few extra minutes snuggling with their special somepony. Deep in their hearts they both knew now more than ever that no matter what happened next, they would face it together.