The click and clack of dozens of hooves against tile. Shouting, voices blurring into a cacophony of noise. Doors open. Silhouettes of ponies moving about, everypony in a rush... Doors close. A voice, droning over a PA system. The incessant beeping of machines.

Applejack blinked the tears away as she followed a shrouded form through the Manehattan train station. The two of them moved swiftly and with purpose, deftly weaving through crowds of larger, adult ponies. Applejack pulled her shawl tight around herself, hoping nopony would recognize her.

Outside—away from the sounds that reminded her all-too-much of the fateful day they lost their parents—she finally was able to breathe freely again. Her brother's shrouded form beckoned for her to follow. Applejack raised a hoof to shield her eyes from the bright summer sun that shone overhead, stumbling after her brother as quickly as she could. Big Macintosh had been here before. She had to trust he knew where to go.

The buildings were so tall that Applejack couldn't even fathom how they would have been built. Every minute, the carts passing by her seemed to outnumber every cart in Ponyville. Ponies were everywhere.

Big Mac headed to the corner of a busy intersection and stopped. Applejack nearly ran into him, distracted by the sights around them. She huddled close to him, in nervous awe of the city.

He raised a hoof and waved frantically at a passing cart. It passed them by quickly. He tried again and again, until finally a yellow, checkered carriage pulled by two of the largest stallions Applejack had ever seen came to a stop in front of them. A unicorn mare at the front of the cart eyed them up and down.

"Where ya' headed?" she asked.

Big Mac hesitated for a moment before blurting out "We need to get to Orange Manor. Please, ma'am."

The mare's eyes narrowed. "Orange Manor? What would a couple of children—"

"Please!" Applejack blurted. The mare's eyes quickly shifted over to her. "Please... We have nowhere else to go."

"Two homeless foals going to beg the rich folk for money?"

"No!" Big Mac shouted. "They're... relatives."

"Oh, sure!" one of the stallions hitched to the cart laughed. "And Celestia is my mother!"

There was some shouting from behind the cart as the traffic began to pile up and the mare turned to move on. "I have money," Big Mac declared defiantly. "What do you care why we're going there? Isn't this your job?" He pulled out his bitpurse—every single bit he'd earned since that night in the barn.

The mare stopped and turned back to him, sizing up the bag briefly. She threw open the door to the carriage. "Get in then, but be quick with it."

Applejack and Big Macintosh clambered into the carriage. Inside was a ride fit for what Applejack could only assume was Celestia's comfort, with luxurious curtains that could be drawn closed to mask the outside world, and plushly furnished benches with a deep red color and golden trim.

The vehicle lurched forward, causing Applejack to stumble and fall against the rear bench. The mare leaned in through an open window at the front of the cart. "It'll be 1 bit for every 50 paces," she said.

Big Mac slowly assisted Applejack up onto the bench, and Applejack could feel the mare's gaze boring into her as she got herself situated on the bench again. "How far will this get us?" Big Macintosh asked, tossing the bag of bits at the driver.

The mare's horn lit up as she snatched the bag right out of the air. The bag upturned and she quickly counted out the bits with some counting technique that involved building stacks of coins and comparing them. It wasn't a method Applejack was familiar with, but it wasn't long before the mare frowned. "173 bits," she said. "That won't even get you half way..." The cart came to a stop.

"Please, ma'am," Big Macintosh begged. "We need to get there."

"You're relatives of the Oranges?" she challenged.

She looked Big Mac up and down impassively, then turned her gaze to Applejack. Applejack could feel the mare's eyes boring into her, and then lingering on her belly.

Wordlessly, the unicorn's magic scooped all of the bits back into the bag and it floated back to Big Macintosh. Applejack's heart sank. "But we need—"

"Don't fret. I'll take you to Orange Manor," she said, smiling warmly.

Applejack and Big Mac exchanged glances and then turned back to the mare. "Thank you," they both said together.

"How can we ever repay you?" Big Mac added.

"You just take good care of her," the mare replied, gesturing at Applejack. She turned forward again and the carriage resumed moving.

Granny Smith slowly rocked back and forth in her chair, the ancient wood creaking with each oscillation. Her eyes roamed over the wall, hung flush with photographs of her family.

"Auntie Smith?" Apple Fritter approached with a plate of apple pie. "It's time for lunch."

The chair groaned to a halt. Granny grunted non-committally as she accepted the pie from her grand-niece and placed it in her lap. Then, she resumed rocking.

Granny hadn't been doing well since the incident in the barn, and Apple Fritter had volunteered to take care of the old mare. She stayed next to Granny, to ensure that lunch would, indeed, be consumed.

There was no hurry on Granny's part, however, as she continued to stare at the family photos. She had been like this for over a week now, barely motivated to eat.

"Granny? You need to eat." Apple Fritter picked up her own slice of pie and took a bite, as if to demonstrate.

Granny Smith's eyes slowly turned to gaze upon Apple Fritter. "I am no Granny," she croaked out. "I have no one to call me Granny anymore. My family is gone."

"I'm family," Apple Fritter reminded her. "And they're out there somewhere. I'm sure of it."

Granny Smith turned back to the photos. "And will I ever see them again?" She sighed heavily. "If I could have just kept to myself and let them continue..."

"There's no changing the past," Apple Fritter said softly. "Even if..." she trailed off. "Well, there's no sense in dwelling on the past, unless we are going to use it to inform our future."

The creaking of Granny's chair was the only sound for several moments as she pondered Fritter's words. When she finally spoke again, her voice sounded distant and cold. "I... I was afraid."

Apple Fritter looked up from her pie as Granny continued. "I didn't want to lose my family again... I've lost them once before..." Tears welled up in the old mare's eyes. "I drove them away..."

"Oh, Auntie, that's a bunch of nonsense! They'll come back!"

The rocking chair continued into the late hours of the night. Granny Smith didn't reply.

It had been seven weeks since their arrival. By Ponyville standards, food and shelter alone were enough to satisfy most ponies; the room Applejack was given in the Orange Manor was far in excess—the fact that it was on the fourth floor spoke for itself, even ignoring the rest of the amenities. Big Mac had an identically furnished room just down the hall, too. It was like they were being completely spoiled. There was even a unicorn maidservant, Emerald Iris, who helped with the general upkeep of the mansion.

The Oranges were often busy and not home. They couldn't be sure if their Aunt and Uncle Orange knew the truth about their relationship, but they hadn't yet been sent away—and there was no evidence that they had informed Granny Smith of their wayward arrival, either. Still, the two horny teenagers made a point to never be intimate unless Emerald went out to shop for the household sundries. But when the adults were away...

Applejack gasped sharply as Big Mac's tongue lapped against her sex, her hooves curling against the meager sheets. "Big Mac..." she whispered. "Goddess, yes..."

Big Mac's tongue caressed her slit again as he rubbed a hoof over Applejack's slowly swelling teats. That light touch was like an amplifier for his tongue, raising the level of pleasure with each broad swipe of his tongue Applejack let out a slow hiss between clenched teeth.

She looked down at her belly. There was no denying that she was pregnant. She couldn't even see her teats over the swelling of her abdomen, nor could she see anything that Big Mac was doing. The top of his mane barely peeked over her the curve of her stomach as it bobbed up and down. His tongue brushed against her clit and she moaned involuntarily, eyes closing again.

"I want you," she whispered. "Please, before they get home..."

Big Mac nodded silently. Her body yearned for his touch to return as he pulled his head away from her sanctum. He reared up on his hind legs, and Applejack could see the tip of his erection peek over her as he stood tall and stepped forward just a little bit. His forehooves came down on either side of her head with a heavy thump, and Applejack was suddenly face-to-face with her lover.

Big Mac leaned down and she surrendered her lips to his, tongues dancing as their passion intermingled. He began to thrust slightly as they remained locked together at the lips, and Applejack could feel his stiff rod rubbing against her other lips. She forced her lips against his even harder, begging him wordlessly to continue.

There was no hesitation; only a gentle grunt of affirmation as his head slowly parted her folds. Applejack could feel every vein and ridge of his cock brushing across her clit. She gasped into his maw, hot breath bursting from between their lips.

Slowly, gently, he began to move within her depths. They both knew that they wished to rut harder, like the horny teenagers they were, throwing passion to the wind and just fucking. But... there was the little life inside that Applejack couldn't bear to put at risk. And it would make it far harder to hide their activities.

That couldn't stop them from making love. He was more than just her brother; were it legal, she would make him her husband, and she his wife. And she knew that he felt the same. This was the closest they could ever be to living out that life: separated from their family, thousands of miles away, raising the fruit of their love together.

She could feel her body tensing, tightening up like a spring being bound to its breaking point, and her brother was providing the tension. Their lips, still locked together, were forced apart as Applejack threw her head back and gasped in ecstasy, gulping down air as she tried to stifle a shriek that would surely alert somepony as to their activity.

Their bodies moved together, rocking back and forth in time with slow, gentle thrusts. Applejack savored every moment—every electric touch of his balls slapping against the ring of her asshole—every stroke of his thick cock rubbing on her clit—every parting of her pussy lips as he moved in and out of her.

"Gods, I love you," Big Macintosh whispered. "I'm gonna..."

"Please," Applejack begged. "Go ahead! Cum in me!"

There was no further provocation needed. He hilted himself, and Applejack could feel his cockhead pressed against her cervix—the last barrier between her brother and her unborn child. "I'm cumming!" Big Mac cried out in a strained voice. There was a pulsing in her loins, like a heartbeat within her slickened chasm as his tool unloaded warm semen into her depths.

He collapsed onto the bed next to her, barely supporting himself and preventing her belly from being smooshed under his weight. Applejack rolled him to the side and pulled him tight. She could feel his emissions leaking out of her as she revelled in the afterglow, his member still lodged inside of her.

She hadn't gotten off, but that was okay. She was content just to be with her lover. His breathing, quickened due to exertion but slowly subsiding, was like a lullaby to her, and she drifted off to sleep with him in her hooves.

Applejack rested her hooves on the window sill of the window, gazing out toward the horizon—and Ponyville. She couldn't see Ponyville, of course: it was far too distant. But some days, it seemed like she might be able to if she just looked hard enough.

The foal in her belly was kicking. It was... unsettling. Applejack wasn't ready to be a mother, but she couldn't bear the thought of ridding herself of the miracle of life inside of her. Still, the realization that she would soon give birth to a tiny foal—a life that would be completely dependent on her for survival—was terrifying. The baby could come at any time.

She tried to ignore the pressure on her bladder as the foal shifted about. She tried to focus her thoughts on her future: a life here in Manehattan where nopony would know the truth of her child's parentage? Manehattan was not where Applejack dreamed of living out her life with her brother. And her dependence on Aunt and Uncle Orange—who knew about their sibling relationship—meant that there was no way she could marry him.

Suddenly, the sky lit up in a kaleidoscope of color; an expanding ring of prismatc light on the horizon. Applejack stared it at in wide-eyed amazement as the arcing bands of light approached Manehattan at rapid speed. As the wave washed over Manehattan, Applejack felt something inside of her change. Or was that outside?Had she just wet herself?

The desire to pee became overpowering; an experience she wasn't ignorant of after the foal chose to dance on her bladder. Applejack carefully shuffled over to her bathroom and sat down on the toilet, allowing herself to relax and let the flow happen.

... It did not stop, trickling out slowly and steadily. In fact, the pressure in her belly was increasing awkwardly. It didn't take long for her to realize that it wasn't urine.

"Big Mac!" she screamed.

"Her water broke!" Big Mac shouted, tripping his way down multiple flights of stairs. "Auntie Orange! Uncle Orange! What do I do?"

There was a clatter of dishes from the kitchen, punctuated by a plate shattering on the floor. Emerald charged out in a rush. "Where is she?"

"Up in her bathroom!" Big Mac shouted.

Emerald immediately started up the stairs, pausing to shout back, "the master is in his study!"

Nodding, Big Macintosh galloped toward his uncle's study, secluded at the far end of the hall. He was supposed to knock, but in his excitement, he barged into the room.

Uncle Orange looked up from his paperwork, clearly annoyed. "Can I help you?"

"The baby is coming!" Big Mac shouted.

Uncle Orange's eyes went wide. "... Work with Emerald to get her out front. I'll call for an ambulance."

The next several minutes were whirlwind of stress and chaos as Big Mac and Emerald carefully helped Applejack down three flights of stairs to the main entrance, just in time for a siren's wail to scream its way to the front of the manor.

One thing Manehattan had that Ponyville didn't was dedicated hospital carts—a fact that Big Mac found himself incredibly thankful for. Two medical ponies hopped quickly from the ambulance cart and helped load Applejack onto a stretcher.

Big Mac didn't know what to do, so he just climbed into the cart next to her, offering silent support as he stayed with her.

Aunt Orange climbed into the cart on Applejack's other side, trying her best to calm the young soon-to-be-mother, but lacking any experience bearing children of her own, her words largely fell on deaf ears.

Big Mac peered at Uncle Orange, who was standing outside the medical cart. "I'll catch up with you when I can," Uncle Orange promised, looking directly at his wife. He had an unusual look of determination on his face. "There's some business I cannot put off any longer."

Aunt Orange nodded. "I understand. See you soon."

"Big Mac," Applejack cried out. She was clearly in pain. Big Mac wasn't precisely certain how the birthing process was supposed to go, and he knew that it was supposed to be painful, but he couldn't be certain what level of pain was 'normal'. Her eyes were clenched shut and she was gasping for breath, grasping for his hoof and crushing it with her earth pony strength as he sat next to her in the cart. Her entire body was foaming with sweat as they rode down the cobblestone streets toward the nearest hospital.

Big Mac watched anxiously as the medical ponies poked and prodded at his sister in all sorts of intimately invasive ways, but he knew better than to interfere...

"Granny, you have to eat!" Apple Fritter chastised the old mare. Granny didn't reply, rocking back and forth in her rocker on the porch.

It was all Apple Fritter could do to not scream at her great aunt. The old mare was just... broken. Even her rocking chair—normally as reliable as a metronome—was dull and lifeless, frequently stopping and then barely moving when it did.

Some days, Granny Smith didn't even eat anymore. Apple Fritter was growing more and more certain that her great aunt was going to gallop off into the afterlife soon.

An approaching cacophony of wings distracted her from her charge as two broad-shouldered pegasi pulling a chariot touched down just outside the farm house.

"The Pegasus Express?" Apple Fritter exclaimed. A familiar stallion disembarked. "Uncle Orange?" she gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"Granny?" Uncle Orange barked, ignoring Apple Fritter's question.

Granny Smith's rocking chair stopped again as she slowly turned to her brother, eyes unfocused. "Eh...?"

"Applejack needs you. She..." Uncle Orange paused and took a deep breath. "The baby is here."

"The... ba... by...?" Granny slowly repeated, confused. After a moment to process his statement, a spark of life came to her eyes, much to Apple Fritter's relief. "The... baby..." she repeated. She tried to stand from her chair, and Apple Fritter rushed to her side to support her. "Applejack's... baby..."

Uncle Orange nodded. "Yes, Applejack's baby."

Apple Fritter and Uncle Orange worked together to help Granny Smith over to the chariot. Once Granny was secured, Apple Fritter handed an uneaten pastry that was her namesake over to Uncle Orange. "Make sure she eats, please?"

He smiled. "I will. Thanks, Little Fritter."

Apple Fritter flushed with embarrassment at the use of her childhood nickname, but smiled back anyway. "Take care."

The click and clack of dozens of hooves against tile. Shouting, voices blurring into a cacophony of noise. Doors open. Silhouettes of ponies moving about, everypony in a rush... Doors close. A voice, droning over a PA system. The incessant beeping of machines.

Applejack shuddered. It was all too familiar... just like that day... when—

"Stay with me, Applejack," a voice said. "We're going to get you through this!"

Applejack's entire world was nothing but painful contractions as she could no longer comprehend the end of one and the beginning of the next. She tried to focus on the voice as an unfamiliar face wearing a mask came into view, but her thoughts were swimming.

The gurney crashed through another set of doors as Applejack struggled to make sense of activity around her. She was... in the hospital? That was where she should be, wasn't it? Applejack was suddenly very afraid. Her previous experiences in hospitals had been less than pleasant, especially when doctors and nurses started raising voices and moving quickly. And the entire place was in chaos.

"We need to perform an emergency C-section!" Applejack heard somepony shout nearby. "Someone get me a damn anaesthetician!"

"I'm right here!" another voice shouted. Applejack heard clopping of hooves as a unicorn came into view. It was the owner of the voice. "Hello, Applejack," she said, smiling. "I know everything is busy right now, but I just need you to focus on my horn for a moment and everything will be just fine, okay?"

Applejack tried to do as she was asked—her body went rigid with fear and pain as another contraction came, but then the horn began to glow brightly... and everything faded away.

The world came back to her slowly. The slow, steady rhythm of all-too-familiar beeping monitors was the first thing she was able to identify. A sound that had haunted her for most of her life. She began to stir.

"Applejack?" an old voice croaked out.

The bright light of the world around her made it hard to focus as she opened her eyes. A familiar green face was standing over her, looking down. One that Applejack never thought she would see again.

"...Granny?"

"Applejack!"

The old mare threw her legs around Applejack without a care for the younger mare's injured condition. Pain shot through her. "Ow, Granny! Ow, ow, ow!"

Granny immediately sat back. "Oh, sorry, Applejack, I just..." The old mare's voice faded as her lip trembled and tears came to her eyes. "I thought I'd lost you! After I'd already lost your..." she trailed off.

Applejack smiled softly, trying to ignore the pain. "It's okay, Granny." She reached out to touch Granny's cheek. "It's okay."

"It's not okay," Granny said, barely holding back her cries. "I was awful to you and your brother..."

Her brother...? Where... "Where is he?!" Applejack suddenly begged, concerned. Were she stronger, it might have been a shout that could wake the dead, but instead it came out raspy and weak.

Granny smiled wanly. "Settle down now," she replied, hugging Applejack. "You almost died. You need to conserve your strength." Then, she pulled away and gestured over to a chair in the corner. "He's resting."

Applejack followed Granny's hoof with her eyes—there, in the corner, was Big Macintosh, snoring softly. And in his hooves was a small bundle—a red tuft of fur sticking out of it. A realization hit Applejack like a ton of bricks. That was their baby.

"Mine...?" Applejack whispered in near-disbelief.

"Yes, Applejack," Granny replied, wiping tears from her eyes. "She's yours. And she's the most beautiful thing I've ever laid eyes on." Granny slowly moved to Big Mac and shook him softly. "Wake up, Mac," she rasped at him.

Big Macintosh stirred slightly, eyes opening as he blearily looked around. "Whu—?"

"She's awake," Granny prodded.

Big Mac peered down at the sleeping bundle in his lap and then up at Applejack, who was smiling weakly at them. Tears came to his own eyes. "AJ!" he shouted. And, gently, he carried the bundle over to her. "Applejack, you're okay!" he cried. "And she is, too!" he carefully held out the small bundle to her.

Applejack peered down at the new life in front of her. The filly's coat was just the same color as AJ's own mane—but her mane was undeniably the same red as her father's coat. It was truly the product of their love for one another.

"She's beautiful," Applejack whispered.

Applejack and Big Macintosh embraced as they gazed down upon the sleeping foal.

"Do you know her name, yet?" Granny wondered.

The two siblings shared a long look—the kind of look that said everything without a word spoken that only two soulmates could possibly share.

"Granny..." Applejack whispered. "We... We want you to name her. To apologize for everything we've put you through."

Granny stepped back, confused. "Me? Applejack, she's your filly. The result of your love. A love that I was too blind too see—too stubborn to recognize that love between Apple siblings could bloom."

"Then that's what she will be," Applejack replied softly.

"Wha—?"

"Apple Bloom," Applejack replied. "A love that bloomed between two Apples."

Big Macintosh nodded. "Eeyup, she sure is."

Granny frowned for a moment, and then her face broke into a huge smile. "Then Apple Bloom she shall be!" She hugged Big Macintosh and turned her smile toward Applejack. "You can come home now," Granny whispered. "No one in Ponyville knows the truth."

"I understand," Applejack said. "I love you, Granny." Pain be damned, Applejack leaned forward to embrace her Granny and her brother, careful not to hurt the tiny foal between them.

And at that moment, a brilliant light filled the room; a glowing magical power that seemed to emanate from Applejack's flank, as three small apples appeared. They separated from their embrace, each staring at Applejack's newly-discovered cutie mark.

"Three apples?" Big Macintosh wondered aloud.

"Three apples," Granny affirmed. "I wonder what it means..."

But Applejack didn't need to wonder. She knew immediately in her heart what it meant: not three apples, but Three Apples. Her family. The only family she would ever need.

Author's Note

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