Author's Note

Chapter contains: Human/Humanized, Incest, Unrealistic Anatomy, Harem/Polygamy

Selflessness

Buttercup’s fingers caressed her soft, curly hair as she brushed it, but she did not feel it. Her loose, light orange nightgown rubbed against her skin with every little movement she made, but she did not feel it. Her calves and feet rested atop the thick wool covers of her bed, but she could not feel it. The soft whistling of the wind outside her bedroom window echoed into her ears, but she did not hear it. She detected none of these things, for her mind was elsewhere at that moment.

Some people did their best thinking while they showered. For others, their most serious thoughts came to them as they lied awake in bed late at night. Buttercup, however, had always found it easiest to clear her mind and focus when she was in the middle of brushing her long, orange curls. In the morning, as she prepared for the day ahead of her, and at night, as she prepared for rest, she would always spend some time brushing her hair, and not just for the straightforward reason. While she did this, she would typically think about what was going on in her life at the time and about what would be going on in the near future.

At that particular moment, Buttercup was thinking about the work that would need to get done around the farm the next day. In addition to the usual daily chores, the family would have to get started on their annual round of winter pruning yet again. They always took a break from it around Hearth’s Warming, but they would have to get started on it again soon in order to finish before spring. It was inevitably a lot of work for them, but luckily, she could rely on Applejack and Anon to...

Her hands fell still as she realized where her train of thought had led her. She saw the image of her son in her mind’s eye for a moment, smiling and laughing as if he hadn’t a care in the world. She grimaced, then quickly shook her head as if to physically shake the thought out of her mind. When the thought persisted, and even began to lead to other thoughts, she grumbled and set down her hairbrush on her bedside table. She lifted her legs down onto the floor and rose from the bed, standing on her own two feet. She cast her eyes about the room, resolving to perform one final check before retiring for the night.

The master bedroom was the largest bedroom in the house, although that wasn’t saying much. Much of the space was taken up by Buttercup’s bed, which was large enough to accommodate two people comfortably. While some might have enjoyed having such a large bed all to themselves, Buttercup often found herself glancing over at the empty half of the bed beside her, remembering times when it had been much more snug. She had had ample opportunity over the years to exchange it for something smaller, but she had never done so. As much as it pained her, she couldn’t bring herself to part with the bed she had shared with her husband for so many years.

Aside from the bed, the room also contained a large dresser, a plush chair in the corner, the aforementioned bedside table, and a large cedar chest sitting at the foot of the bed. A door on one side of the room led to a small, private bathroom not much different from the one the rest of the family used. On the other side of the room, another door opened up to a small closet mostly containing simple dresses and plain coats. Another door, of course, led out to the hallway and to the rest of the house. Across the room from the bed was a large window that looked out onto the orchard. The curtains were closed over it, but a paltry bit of pale moonlight snuck through the cracks.

Everything seemed to be in order, with one notable exception. A beautiful orange gown had been draped across Buttercup’s chair, a position wholly unbefitting of such a magnificent work of fashion. She had laid it there the day before, meaning to put it away properly before she had gone to bed, but she had had much more serious issues on her mind that night. Buttercup sighed, then slowly approached the chair. She carefully lifted the dress off of the chair, taking a moment to look over it. It really was a beautiful thing, she thought to herself. She wondered what it might look like on her.

After pondering it for a moment, she turned and walked over to her bathroom, stepping inside and turning on the light. She stood before the large bathroom mirror and held the dress up before her, flattening it against her body. Rarity had certainly outdone herself, Buttercup thought. In addition to being breathtakingly beautiful, the dress seemed as if it would fit her perfectly, its curves rising and falling with those of her body. She blushed as she took note of how snug it would surely be against her skin, and of the prominent cleavage window in the bust. She couldn’t remember wearing something so brazenly feminine in her life, even back when she had been a young woman. A giddy smile appeared on her lips as she imagined what her friends might say if they saw her in such a thing.

Her smile faded as her gaze moved above her neck and she looked upon her face. While the years had definitely been kind to her, her features made it plainly obvious that she was no spring chicken anymore. Small wrinkles in the corners of her eyes, while able to go unnoticed at a distance, stood out clearly upon close inspection. Her skin, once as smooth as flawless as her daughters’, now bore the wear of decades of exposure to wind and sun. She supposed she should feel lucky; many of her friends, especially those older than she was, had gotten it much worse than her, something they often reminded her of. Even so, seeing such things in her mirror every day had inevitably taken a toll on her psyche.

She was not a young woman any more, she thought to herself. It didn’t matter how beautiful the clothing she wore was, or how much makeup she put on, or anything else; she was old, and was only getting older by the day. Her time in the sun had come and gone, she reflected. She shouldn’t waste her time pointlessly trying to recapture something she had lost a long time ago. Instead, she thought, she should be grateful that the first few decades of her life had been so full of joy and happiness...for the most part.

Besides, she had other things going for her than her waning youth. She had a great many wonderful friends who loved her and whom she loved just as much. She was a respected member of her community, and had managed to run a successful business for many years with only her children and her elderly mother-in-law to help her. They were the most important thing of all, she realized: her family, specifically her children. It was for their sake that she strived onwards. Their happiness, their comfort, and their futures mattered infinitely more to her than her own. She had made a commitment, a promise even, to put her children before herself. Her children didn’t need some pretty young thing in a fancy dress; they needed a mature, responsible woman who would look after them and treat them right, treat them like a mother was supposed to treat her children.

And yet she couldn’t even manage to do that, she thought. Mothers weren’t supposed to rely on their children to comfort them. She was supposed to be their shoulder to cry on, not the other way around. She was supposed to be their rock, the one they could depend on when they had no one else to turn to. She was supposed to love them no matter what. She wasn’t supposed to be greedy. She wasn’t supposed to use her children to sate her own desires, especially not her long-unfulfilled desire for physical intimacy.

Buttercup grumbled and stormed out of the bathroom, feeling disgusted and ashamed of herself. She crossed over to her closet and quickly hung the dress on a hanger towards the back. She closed her closet once again, completely confident that she would never wear the beautiful gown in earnest. She paused for a moment, closing her eyes and letting her mind clear of her troubled thoughts. She sighed, opened her eyes, then walked back over to her bed.

She was just about to lie down and head off for dreamland when she suddenly heard a soft knock at her door. She froze, looking over at the door, her heartbeat quickening. “Who is it?” she said after a moment.

“It’s me,” said a soft voice that was unmistakably Applejack’s. “Me and Apple Bloom.”

Buttercup relaxed, silently admonishing herself for worrying over nothing. “Come on in, girls,” she said, sitting down on the edge of her bed.

Her bedroom door slowly opened, Applejack and Apple Bloom stepping inside and closing it behind them. Both girls were dressed in their pajamas as well, their shorts and t-shirts leaving their legs and arms bare. The two of them walked over and stood before Buttercup, nervous looks on their faces. “Mom,” said Apple Bloom, “can we talk to you for a little while?”

“Well, of course you can,” said Buttercup with a smile. “You know you can always talk to your mama.” She patted the bed while scooting back and leaning against her pillows. Applejack and Apple Bloom climbed onto the bed, sitting cross-legged before Buttercup. “So, what’s on your mind?”

Applejack and Apple Bloom exchanged sidelong glances, both of them visibly worried about something. Applejack sighed, then looked back at Buttercup. “Mom,” she said, “are you...feelin’ alright?”

Buttercup chuckled, having anticipated them asking such a thing. It only made sense for them to worry about her after her behavior the previous night. She had burst into the house, ran up to her bedroom and locked the door, refusing to come out or to see anyone for the rest of the night. She had been too distraught to face any of her family after what she had done, especially her son. She had attempted to explain away her actions by saying that she had been feeling ill. It was not the most ironclad excuse, but it seemed to have worked, as none of her family had confronted her about it.

By the time that morning had come, Buttercup had been feeling much better. She had emerged from her room and had gone about her day as normally as she could, not wanting to draw any further attention to herself. The only exception to this had been how she behaved around her son. She had kept all interactions with him to a minimum, only speaking to him when absolutely necessary and making an effort to stay away from him throughout the day. When she had spoken to him, she had been polite and courteous, but far from her normal, cheery self. She still couldn’t bear to look him in the eye, much less talk to him about what had happened. Thankfully, he seemed to have gotten the message, and had not attempted to speak to her about the incident.

“Girls...I’m alright,” said Buttercup. “Really, I am. I know I was feelin’ a little...out of sorts last night, but...I’m all better now. You don’t need to worry about me.”

There was a long pause before anyone spoke again. “Are you sure there’s...nothin’ else botherin’ you?” asked Apple Bloom.

A red flag went up in Buttercup’s mind, but she managed to maintain her cool. “I’m sure, sweetie,” she said. “I’m feelin’ as fine a varmint in a vegetable patch.”

Applejack took a deep breath and released it slowly. “Mom,” she said, softly but resolutely, “we know.”

The red flag in Buttercup’s mind was joined by blaring alarm bells and flashing lights, but still she tried to maintain her facade. “I...I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about,” she said.

“You’ve never been a very good liar, Mom,” said Apple Bloom matter-of-factly.

“We know what happened between you and Anon,” said Applejack. “He told us.”

Buttercup fought to keep her mind and body under control. She tried to keep her breathing steady and her heartbeat calm, despite both of them rapidly increasing in speed and intensity. She curled her hands into fists in an effort to keep them from seeing her sweaty palms. She tried to swallow, but suddenly found her throat to incredibly dry. Her lips trembled as she opened her mouth to speak.

“Girls,” she said, trying her damnedest to maintain a steady, parental tone, “I don’t know what he told you, but what happened up there was an accident, plain and simple. Neither of us meant for it to happen and it certainly isn’t gonna happen again. There’s no point wastin’ any time talkin’ about it.”

“With all due respect,” said Applejack, “what happened up there warn’t no accident. You don’t kiss someone full on the mouth like you did without meanin’ to. Just tell us what really happened, Mama. Please.”

Buttercup was trapped, and she knew it. She couldn’t talk her way out of her situation, not at that point. The truth was out, and she didn’t even have the right to be surprised. Of course Anon would have told the rest of the family what had happened; she hadn’t even told him not to. She had nowhere to run and nowhere to hide from the truth. As the possibilities of what might come next filled her mind, her veneer of calm finally broke and she burst into tears. She buried her face in her hands as she sobbed, her body trembling. Applejack and Apple Bloom quickly crawled forward and sat beside her, hugging her between them.

“I’m sorry!” said Buttercup in between sobs. “I’m so sorry. I...I don’t know what came over me. I was just so...so lonely. I was hurtin’ so bad, and then...then your brother came along and held me...held me like he used to. I just got...swept up in the moment and...oh, I’m so ashamed. I’m so ashamed of what I did. I’m a horrible mother.”

As she bawled, Applejack and Apple Bloom attempted to calm her, hugging her tightly and speaking comforting words to her. “Mama! Mama! It’s okay!” said Applejack. “It’s alright.”

“Please don’t cry, Mama,” said Apple Bloom. “We didn’t come here to make you feel bad, honest!”

“We just want to help you, Mama,” said Applejack. “We want to make you feel better.”

Buttercup’s tears vanished almost as quickly as they had appeared. She raised her head and looked at her daughters, wiping her wet cheeks with shaky hands. “Help me?” she said. “Wha...what are you talkin’ about?”

“Mama,” said Apple Bloom, taking Buttercup’s hand, “we know you’re hurtin’. We know you’re lonely.”

“And we know you try to hide it from us,” said Applejack, taking her other hand. “We know how you’ve tried to put on a happy face for all these years. You do so much for us...and for others...but you never let anyone do anythin’ for you. You don’t like people worryin’ about you, so you never let anyone know just how much you’re goin’ through.”

“You can’t keep doin’ this to yourself,” said Apple Bloom. “You can’t keep lyin’ about bein’ alright when you’re not. You gotta let people help you; you gotta let us help you.”

“Girls,” said Buttercup, sniffling, “you can’t help me; nobody can. There ain’t nobody out there that can fix what’s broken inside of me.”

Applejack sighed heavily. “Mama,” she said, “I won’t pretend to understand what you’re feelin’. He was our family too, but...he was lot more than that to you.”

“You had a man who loved you,” said Apple Bloom, “and you loved him back. And then...he got taken away from you. I can only imagine what that might feel like. I can only imagine how much that would hurt.”

“We miss him too,” said Applejack, “but I know you miss him even more than us. I know we can’t make the hurt go away altogether, but...we wanna try anyway. We wanna do whatever we can to make you happy, if only a little.”

Buttercup had ceased her crying entirely, but was still in poor spirits. “What can you possibly do?” she said.

“Mama,” said Apple Bloom, “no one can ever replace Dad; we know that. But you need someone to love you. You need someone to love you just as much as he did. You need a new man, Mama.”

Buttercup chuckled in spite of the serious tone of the conversation. “Sweetie,” she said, “it ain’t that simple. Your daddy may have been an Apple, but men like him don’t grow on trees. Besides, even if there were a man out there as special as him, he wouldn’t want anythin’ to do with a worn-out ol’ cow like me.”

“Mama! Don’t talk about yourself like that!” said Apple Bloom. “There’s plenty of men who’d love to be with you.”

“Now you’re the one lyin’,” said Buttercup.

“It ain’t a lie, Mama!” said Applejack. “We’ve never really told you, but...there’s lots of men in town who...see you as a woman. There’s lots of men who...think you’re beautiful.”

“Oh, really?” Buttercup scoffed. “Then where are they? How come none of these men ever come up and tell me what they think of me?”

“It might be because...you don’t want them to,” said Apple Bloom. “I’ve seen it happen before. I’ve seen men come up to you and...try to get on your good side. But every time they do, you always ignore ‘em. You alway shoot ‘em down. And the thing is...I think you’re doin’ it without even meanin’ to. You’re a smart woman, Mama, so I know you could tell when a man’s sweet talkin’ you if you wanted to, but you don’t. You always just brush ‘em off like nothin’ happened. I think eventually, folks started thinkin’ you...weren’t interested anymore.”

“Mama,” said Applejack, “you’ve done so much to help us over the years. You spend so much time thinkin’ about us, but you never think of yourself. It’s hard enough for us to get you to have fun with your friends. I think the reason you’ve never noticed folks who are interested in you is because...you don’t want to. You don’t wanna think that you could do those sorts of things again, ‘cause if you did...it would mean doin’ somethin’ for yourself for once...somethin’ big.”

“Well...yeah,” said Buttercup. “Even if you are right, even if there are men who are...interested...it’s not like I can do anythin’ about it. I’m not a young woman like you two anymore. I’m a mother now; I have responsibilities. I have to take care of y’all, and take care of the farm. I don’t have time for...that sort of thing.”

“Mom,” said Apple Bloom, “we ain’t kids anymore. We don’t need you do that much lookin’ out for us, not so much that you can’t spend some time on yourself. You’ve given us so much over the years, and we love you for that, but you’re givin’ us too much. Let us help you out for once. We want you to be happy, just like you’ve always made us happy. And...I think that’s what Dad would want too.”

Applejack nodded. “I...I didn’t know him for as long as you did,” she said, “but I remember how much he hated seein’ you upset. I remember how hard he always tried to make you happy. He wouldn’t want you to be like this, Mama. I think...if he had a say in the matter...he’d want you to be happy again. What do you say? If you won’t do it for your own sake, do it for us. Do it for him.”

Buttercup closed her eyes and lowered her head. For several long moments, she was silent, her face betraying nothing of what was going on inside her head. Finally, she opened her mouth, and spoke a moment later. “Okay,” she said softly. “Okay. I’ll...I’ll do it.”

“You’ll let us help you?” asked Apple Bloom.

Buttercup looked up at her, smiling weakly. “Yes,” she said.

“You promise?” asked Applejack.

Buttercup looked over at her, smiling harder. “I promise,” she said. Applejack and Apple Bloom smiled, then leaned in and hugged Buttercup tightly. Buttercup reciprocated, putting an arm around each of them and holding them close.

When they parted, Buttercup spoke again. “Girls...you’re right,” she said. “I’ve spent a long time puttin’ y’all before myself. Maybe I didn’t need to be doin’ it...quite so much. Maybe I was...overestimatin’ how much you three needed me. It’s been hard for me to admit...how grown up my children are. It’s been hard for me to admit that you don’t need me as much anymore. And I don’t think it’s gonna get any easier anytime soon. I don’t know if I have it in me to...let loose enough. Spendin’ a night with my friends every once in a while is one thing, but...fallin’ in love again? I just don’t know.”

“I know that...findin’ someone to love ain’t easy,” said Apple Bloom. “I know it may be hard for you. I know it may take you a while. But I believe in you. You’re strong, you’re smart, you’re brave, and bein’ perfectly honest, you’re one foxy mama.”

Buttercup giggled. “Apple Bloom!” she said. “Honestly.”

“I wouldn’t put it quite that way, but...she’s right, Mom,” said Applejack. “I think any man with a lick of sense would love to be with you. I’m sure you’ll find someone in no time.”

Buttercup smiled and shook her head. “I’m glad you two have faith in me,” she said, “‘cause I sure as sugar don’t. Even if you two are right, even if there are men who are interested in me, that doesn’t mean I’d be interested in them. If I do decide to be with someone again, it has to be someone special. Someone who cares about me as much as your father did. Someone kind and gentle. Someone who knows how to treat a woman right. Findin’ someone like that...it might be too much to ask. I get the feelin’ I’ll be spendin’ quite a few more nights alone in this bed.”

Applejack and Apple Bloom looked at each other, a silent signal passing between them. Applejack looked back at Buttercup, then took a deep breath. “Mom,” she said. What if I told you...there was another way?”

“What do you mean?” said Buttercup.

“I mean...what if you didn’t have to wait so long to find a man?” said Applejack. “What if I told you...there was already a man out there who loves you? A man who loves you...and who you love too? A man you love more than almost anythin’ else in the world? A man you could be with...as soon as tonight?”

Buttercup stared quizzically at her as she spoke. A moment or two after she finished, her eyes slowly widened, realization dawning on her. “Applejack,” she said, “what...what are you sayin?”

“I think you know what I’m sayin’, Mama,” said Applejack flatly.

Buttercup’s expression only intensified. She looked over at Apple Bloom, perhaps hoping to see that she shared her shock at Applejack’s suggestion, but only saw Apple Bloom staring back at her as casually as Applejack did. She scooted back from her daughters a bit, blustering out words in an attempt to convey the myriad of emotions running through her. “Why I...I don’t...I don’t believe it!” she said. “I don’t...I can’t...I can’t believe it! Applejack, are you...are you seriously suggestin’ what I think you are? Are you sittin’ in front of your mama and tellin’ her to...tellin’ me to...with him? With...my son? That’s just...that’s crazy, that’s what that is!”

“Why?” said Applejack.

“Well, you know why!” said Buttercup. “He’s my son! And I’m his mother! We can’t...we can’t love each other like that. I can’t do those sorts of things with him, the things a...a man and a woman do together. I just can’t!”

“But you already have,” said Apple Bloom. “Tell us the truth. When you were up there with Anon...and he held you and...and you kissed him...how did you feel? How did he make you feel?”

Buttercup looked at Apple Bloom, preparing to lambast her for her audacious questions, but no words came from her mouth. Instead, she actually thought back to that day, to that very moment when she had held her son and kissed him as she had never kissed anyone but her husband. She remembered how safe she had felt in his arms; she remembered how good it had felt to be held by a man again. And when her lips had pressed against his, she had felt so alive. For the first time in a very long time, she had felt like a woman again. She had felt content, as if all of her troubles were inconsequential. She had felt happy.

“You...I...well, I...well, that’s beside the point, young lady!” said Buttercup.

“No, Mama!” said Applejack. “That’s exactly the point. If Anon can...make you feel happy...then that’s all that matters. And I think he can! He’s everythin’ you said and more! He is kind, he is gentle! And...and he knows how to treat a woman right!”

“How would you know how he treats a woman?” said Buttercup, glaring at Applejack. “He’s never even had a girlfriend.”

“I know because...because...because I am his woman,” said Applejack, her cheeks turning red.

Silence fell over the bedroom. Other than the whistle of the wind outside the window and the gentle creaking of the old farmhouse, no noise reached the ears of the three.

After a pause that felt much longer than it was, Buttercup managed to find her voice. “You...you’re what?” she said, lost and confused as if Applejack had spoken to her in a foreign language.

“Mom,” said Applejack, forcing herself to look Buttercup in the eye, “I’m Anon’s woman...and he’s my man. He and I are...we’re in love.”

Buttercup stared at her eldest child as if she were seeing her for the very first time. It took another long moment before she spoke again. “You’re serious...aren’t you?” she asked.

Applejack clenched her fists and looked her mother square in the eye. “Yes,” she said firmly. “I am.”

Buttercup knew she should be mad. She knew she should be furious, even. And yet, as she sat there and listened to her daughter proclaim her love for her brother, she felt nothing. She felt numb, as if she were in a dream and could wake up at any second. Of course, she did not wake up, as she was not in any sort of dream. She was in the real world, but her already weary mind was struggling to accept the new reality she had just been presented with.

“He’s your brother,” said Buttercup flatly.

“Yes,” said Applejack.

“And you’re his sister,” said Buttercup.

“Yes,” said Applejack.

“And you say you’re...his woman,” said Buttercup. “I...I don’t understand. Why? How? How could this happen?”

Applejack took a deep breath, then released it slowly. “It’s a long story,” she said. “The short version is...he fell in love with me...then I fell in love with him. After that...we decided to be together. And we’ve been together ever since.”

Buttercup didn’t know what to do in response to the new information she had just learned. Should she scream? Should she run away? Should she smack her daughter across her beautiful, freckled face? Should she throw herself from her bedroom window and hope that the fall would wake her from the nightmare she had found herself in? Paralyzed by inaction, she did the only thing she could: follow the path she was on to its end.

“You say you’re...his woman,” said Buttercup, “not just his girlfriend. I take it that means...you two aren’t just playin’ around with this.”

“No, Mom,” said Applejack, “we’re not. He and I have...promised ourselves to each other. We’ve promised to be together...forever. He and I are as close as...as close as a man and woman can be.”

Buttercup tried to force away the mental images rapidly clouding her mind. “How long?” she said. “How long has this been goin’ on?”

“That depends...when you wanna start countin’,” said Applejack. “If you’re askin’...when he and I stared thinkin’ of each other as man and woman...then that’d be a few months ago. But...bein’ perfectly honest...we haven’t been just brother and sister for...over half a year.”

Half a year! Her children had been in each other’s arms for over half a year, Buttercup thought, and she hadn’t noticed? They lived under her own roof, and yet she had been as ignorant of their lives as if they lived in another country. The realization certainly did nothing to boost her self-esteem; it did nothing to reassure her that she had been doing her job as their mother.

Buttercup glanced up at Apple Bloom, who still looked as unsurprised by the situation as she had been before. “You knew about this...didn’t you?” said Buttercup.

Apple Bloom sighed. “Yeah, Mom,” she said. “I did. In fact...I didn’t just know about it...I’m a part of it.”

“What do you mean?” asked Buttercup, although she could already guess the answer.

“I mean...Anon ain’t just Applejack’s man...he’s my man too,” said Apple Bloom. “And I’m his woman. And we love each other just as much as he and AJ do.”

The shock she felt should have been twice as intense at hearing that, not one, but both of her daughters were involved with their brother, but instead, the new revelation barely had any effect on her at all. She was so overwhelmed, so numb by that point that she probably could have been told anything and it wouldn’t have made her any more upset than she already was.

“Let me get this straight,” said Buttercup. “You two...both of you...have been with your brother for...for months?”

“Yes, Mama,” said Applejack.

“And you say that you two are...his women?” said Buttercup. “You say you’ve been doin’...the sorta things men and women do together? Both of you?”

“Yes, Mama,” said Apple Bloom.

Buttercup closed her eyes and hung her head, balling her hands into fists. Applejack and Apple Bloom sat silently, watching her with anticipation to see what she would say next. “You’ve kept this from me,” said Buttercup eventually. “You’ve kept this from me for a very long time. Why? You’re good girls. You’ve never kept somethin’ this big from me before. Why’d you do it? Why’d you keep me in the dark for so long?”

“We’ve wanted to tell you,” said Applejack. “We really have. We’ve hated havin’ to keep it a secret from you, but...we felt like we had to. We thought that...if we told you...you might reject us. We thought that...you might hate us.”

“If you thought that...why tell me at all?” said Buttercup. “And why now?”

“We thought you deserved to know,” said Apple Bloom. “Like she said, we never wanted to hide it from you. We only did what we did because...we were scared. We were scared what you’d think of us. We were scared what you’d do to us. But we decided...to be honest with you. We decided to tell the truth...and let whatever happens happen.”

“We weren’t plannin’ on tellin’ you quite so soon, but...then yesterday happened,” said Applejack. “We realized...we had another problem we needed to fix. We needed to tell you the truth...but we also needed to help you with your hurt. We figured...we could kill two birds with one stone.”

In the crazy world of incestuous love Buttercup now found herself in, Applejack’s suggestion that she should throw herself into the arms of her son suddenly made sense. Of course, she was still desperately trying to cling to the world of normalcy she had lived in up until a short while before.

“Most women would never let their man be with another woman,” Buttercup remarked. “And yet, you two are sharin’ him with each other. And now you’re tryin’ to...share him with me too. Don’t you two care? Doesn’t it bother you two to do that?”

“Mom,” said Applejack, “I understand what you’re sayin’...and you’re not all wrong. I love Anon, and I can’t bear the thought of him bein’ with some other woman. I can’t bear the thought of him not bein’ with me. But at the same time...Apple Bloom’s not just some other woman, she’s my sister. She’s my sister...just like she’s Anon’s sister. We’re all family, so...it’s never really felt like we’re doin’ somethin' wrong by sharin’. Apple Bloom and I have shared so much over the years...and we’ve still managed to love each other through it all. I can only speak for myself but...I’ve never felt jealous when he and she are together.”

“Neither have I,” said Apple Bloom. “Anon and Applejack were the ones who let me be a part of what they had. All I wanted at the beginnin’ was for them to love me. I just wanted them to treat me as an equal...treat me like I was...their sister. They did so much more for me than that. I’m so grateful to them for what they did. I love each of them more than I can say. I’ve never tried to come between them, and they’ve always given me everythin’ I wanted...and everythin’ I needed. The three of us are a package deal. As long as it’s just her...I don’t mind. And I wouldn’t mind if...it were you either.”

“You’re our mom,” said Applejack. “We trust you more than any other woman in the world. We love you more than any other woman in the world. And on top of that...Anon’s your family too. You’ve shared so much of what you have with us over the years...now we wanna share with you too. What do you say?”

Buttercup was silent for another long while before speaking again. “I can’t help but notice...the subject of our conversation ain’t here with us,” said Buttercup. “You say the three of you are a package deal...and yet he can’t even be bothered to look me in the eye and tell me himself that he’s been foolin’ around with my daughters. Instead, he’s hidin’ behind you two like a coward!”

“No, Mama, no!” said Applejack. “That ain’t it at all!”

“He really wanted to be here to tell you himself, honest!” said Apple Bloom. “We had to force him not to come!”

“And why’d you do that?” said Buttercup.

“Because...because we thought you’d take it better if...you heard it from us,” said Applejack. “We thought that if we talked to you...woman to woman...you wouldn’t be as mad.”

Buttercup looked back and forth between her daughters, her face unreadable. “He knows you’re in here?” she asked.

“Yes,” said Applejack.

Buttercup turned her head and looked over at the wall, as if she expected to peer through the wood and see Anon sitting in his bedroom. “Bring him in here,” she said.

“But, Mama—” said Apple Bloom.

“I said bring him in here!” shouted Buttercup, glaring at her daughters. “I’m not sayin’ another word to y’all until you do.”

Applejack and Apple Bloom slowly looked over at each other, each shaken by Buttercup’s sudden outburst. An unspoken agreement passed between the two, and Applejack rose from the bed, moving as slowly and cautiously as if Buttercup were a wild animal poised to attack. She slowly walked over to the bedroom door, opened it, and stepped into the hallway beyond.

I followed closely behind Applejack as she crossed the threshold into our mother’s bedroom. My heart was already beating so furiously that I worried it would pop right out of my chest. My breaths came quickly and unsteadily, and my palms were damp with sweat. Applejack turned and closed the door behind us, our eyes meeting for a split second. I slowly walked into the room, feeling as if I had iron bricks attached to my feet. I kept my gaze lowered as I approached the foot of my mother’s bed and stood before it. Summoning every ounce of courage I had in me, I looked up.

When I had been a young boy, many years ago, my class had taken a field trip to Canterlot, to the castle of Princess Celestia herself. We had taken a tour of the grounds, including the magnificent gardens behind the castle. I had seen all manner of beautiful plants and exotic animals while I had been there, but the thing I had seen that had affected me the most had been the statues. Tall effigies carved from white stone scattered about the gardens, watching over it like silent guardians. I remembered looking upon their cold, lifeless faces, looking into their eyes which seemed to stare straight into my soul. Even many years later, the memory still unnerved me. But as frightening as I had found them, none of them had been even half as frightening to me as my mother was in that moment.

Buttercup sat back against the headboard of her bed, appearing as still and lifeless as any of those statues had been. She was looking up at me, her face devoid of even the slightest hint of emotion. Her blue-green eyes, which I had always thought looked so beautiful, now filled me with dread. They didn’t even look angry; if they had, I probably would have less afraid. To see my mother, one of the most cheery, friendly, and lively women I knew looking upon me in such a way made my skin crawl. Applejack and Apple Bloom sat before her on the bed, turned so they could look at both me and our mother. They looked how I felt.

“Sit,” said Buttercup, her voice as cold as the rest of her.

I gulped, then slowly walked forward, climbing onto the bed. I sat down between my sisters, keeping my distance from Buttercup. I forced myself to look at her, staring into her eyes for what felt like an eternity before she finally spoke again.

“Well? Do you have anythin’ to say for yourself?” said Buttercup.

Did I? Was there anything I could possibly say to make things better than they were? Applejack had told me that she and Apple Bloom had already said pretty much everything we had planned on saying, and yet things did not seem to have gone well. I had spent countless hours planning what I would say to my mother when the time finally came, and yet I suddenly found my words failing me. I could not come up with a single scrap of eloquent speech that I could use to plea for mercy. Therefore, I did what I had always done in such circumstances: I told the truth.

“Mom,” I said, “I love Applejack, and I love Apple Bloom. I love them more than anything else in the world...and I’m not sorry for that. I know...how you’re probably feelin’ right now...and I get it. I can’t blame you for feelin’ that way. If what we’ve done has hurt you...then I’m sorry. I won’t ask you to forgive me...but I will ask you to forgive them. If you’re gonna get mad at someone...if you’re gonna punish someone...do it to me, not them.”

“Anon—” began Apple Bloom, before Buttercup’s hand shot out as quick as lightning and grasped her shoulder.

Buttercup shifted her intense gaze over to her. “Let him finish,” she growled. Apple Bloom clearly wanted to say something, but managed to hold her tongue for the time being. When she was satisfied, Buttercup removed her hand and looked back at me.

I took a deep breath and began again. “I want them to be happy,” I said. “More than anythin’, I want them to be happy. And...I want you to be happy too, Mom; we all do. We love you...and we want you to love us too. The last thing we want is for this to drive us apart. If you don’t wanna be a part of what we have...if you don’t want us to...love you like we love each other...then that’s fine. But don’t make us stop lovin’ you as a mother, ‘cause we won’t do it. You’re our family, and we’ll always think of you as our family...no matter what.”

I waited to see what Buttercup would say, see what she would do. Several tense moments later, she tore her gaze away from me and looked back and forth between Applejack and Apple Bloom. “Do you two have anythin’ else to say?” she said.

“Yes,” said Apple Bloom, a determined look in her eye. She quickly scooted over and sat next to me, grabbing my arm and holding it tightly. “I love him. I love him and there ain’t nothin’ you can do about it. I don’t care what you do to us; I’m gonna stay by his side no matter what. I spent too long wantin’ him back in my life for you to come along and take him away again. You do whatever you want, but whatever you do to him, you do it to me too.”

“Mom,” said Applejack, moving to my side and grasping my other arm, “I want what’s best for us...for all of us. I want us to keep bein’ a family, and I want us to keep lovin’ each other...just like we always have. We’re givin’ you the choice to accept us...to love us for who we are. I really want you to...but if you can’t find it in your heart to do it...then I’m still gonna stand by his side. I’m gonna stand with the man I love...and the man who loves me too.”

When she had finished, Buttercup lowered her head and closed her eyes, sitting silently for several moments. Suddenly, she did something peculiar, something I would not have expected her to do in a thousand years: she started to chuckle. It started out small, her staggered breaths and shuddering body the only sign of her laughter. As the seconds ticked by, her laughter intensified, until she was chuckling loudly enough for us to hear her as clear as day. She had a wide grin on her face, and she slowly shook her head back and forth.

“Y’know,” said Buttercup, stifling her laughter and catching her breath, “life’s a funny thing, ain’t it?” My sisters and I were so dumbfounded by her reaction that none of us could respond. “I still remember that night. I still remember the feel of the wind blowin’ through the orchard. I remember how pretty your father made the place look. I remember standin’ next to him...lookin’ into his eyes with the mayor by our side. I remember how...how happy I felt.”

Buttercup’s grin faded. “I remember the look on my father’s face,” she continued. “I remember how...how angry he was when he found out we were together. When we stood in front of him...and he...” She sniffled and quickly raised a hand and wiped her eye. “Standin’ up to him was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do...until now. I spent years wonderin’...wonderin’ what could drive a person to do what he did...what could possibly have been goin’ through his head. Now I know.”

Buttercup raised her head and looked at us, her eyes moist with tears. “I know what it’s like...hidin’ your feelin’s for the one you love. I know that fear. And I know how hard it is...to stand by your feelin’s. I didn’t have a choice to come clean...but you did. You three are puttin’ everythin’ on the line for each other...and I didn’t even have to force you into it. In my book...that already makes you braver folks than me.

“My father was a sour old man...but he was right about one thing. That night...he told me...that I had to stick with my family. That’s what I did that night...as well as I could. That’s what I’ve been doin’ for over twenty years...and I don’t plan on stoppin’ anytime soon. I know how much it hurts to lose your family. That’s not a pain I would wish on anyone...least of all my children. You say you want us to stay together through this...I do to. I’d rather face my father a thousand times over...than lose even one of you.”

“Mom,” said Applejack softly, “does that mean...?”

Buttercup took a deep breath, then looked straight at me. “Anon,” she said, “you’ve been foolin’ around with my daughters. If you were any other man, I’d whup your ass so hard it’d make our Red Delicious look pale. But you’re not any other man...you’re my son. I am so gosh-darn angry at you...but I have to forgive you. I have to keep lovin’ you...because that’s what families do. That’s what mothers do for their children.

“You said you love them...and I believe you. But there’s a whole lot more to bein’ a man than just lovin’ your woman. You gotta look after her too. You gotta protect her. You gotta put her before yourself...always. And you can’t hurt her...you can’t take advantage of her. If you want my blessin’...if you wanna be with my girls...then you gotta earn it. You gotta show me that you know how to take care of them. If you can do that...I won’t stand in your way.”

“But, Mom! He already knows all that!” said Apple Bloom.

“I know you probably think that...and I’m not sayin’ you’re wrong...but I don’t know that,” said Buttercup. “You may be right. Maybe he is the best man for you...for both of you...but I know more about this sorta thing than any of you. Your father and I were together for a very long time...and we were always happy together. I just wanna make sure that you three will...always be happy together too. Can you understand that?”

I reached out and grabbed my sisters’ hands. “You’re right,” I said. I looked back and forth between Applejack and Apple Bloom, looking into their eyes as I spoke. “She’s right. The three of us...we sorta stumbled into this. We’ve always been makin’ it up as we go along. I’ve always tried to be good to you two...but the truth is...I don’t know the first thing about bein’ a man...not the sorta man she’s talkin’ about. I don’t know what it’s like to take care of someone for...years and years...she does. She knows better than me what I need to be for you two.”

I looked up at Buttercup. “Mom,” I said, “I wanna be the best man to them that I can be. I want us to be happy together...just like you Dad were. If you want me to prove that I can be that man, that I can give them a good life...I’ll do it. And if I can’t...if you still don’t think I’m good enough for them...then I’ll do whatever it takes to change your mind. If I can be a better man...then help me become a better man. Just give me a chance. Please.”

Buttercup gave me a smile, that same sweet, comforting smile that I had seen on her face countless times before. “It takes a strong man to admit that he might not be good enough,” she said. “It takes a strong man to admit that he needs help. I don’t think you’re a bad man, Anon...I just want you to be the best man you can be...for your sake, and for theirs. If you want my help...then I’ll give it to you. And that goes for all of you too.”

“Mom,” said Applejack, “if you wanna help us...then we’ll take it. I’ll admit, I...I don’t know much about bein’ a good woman either. We could really use some help...but so could you. You promised to let us help you, remember? If you want us to accept your help...then you gotta accept our help too. It’s only fair.”

Buttercup looked over at her and sighed. “You’re right,” she said. “I did promise to let you help me. I promised to let you help me find a new man...but I didn’t make any promises about which man in particular. I suppose, to you, it...makes sense for me to be with him...but I’m still gettin’ over all this. I can’t change the way I look at my son...overnight. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to change that. I’ll promise you that...I’ll keep an open mind about all this...but I can’t promise you anything else.”

“Mama,” said Apple Bloom, scooting forward and taking Buttercup’s hand, “we aren’t tryin’ to make you uncomfortable...that’s the last thing we want. We just want you to be happy, and if we can make you happy...then we want you to let us.”

Applejack scooted forward and took Buttercup’s other hand. “We just want you to be honest with us,” she said. “We want you to be honest with your feelin’s. If bein’ with Anon will make you happy...if bein’ with us will make you happy...then we’ll be fine with that. But if it won’t...if you wanna be with somebody else...then we’ll be fine with that too. If you can look us in the eye and tell us what you want...we’ll accept it...no matter what.”

“Alright,” said Buttercup, smiling at them. “If you three were able to be honest with me about somethin’ as big as this...then I can be honest with you. That, I can promise you.” She looked over at me, giving me a smile as well. “Come here, sweetie. Give your mama a hug.”

I smiled back at her, then scooted forward until I was sitting directly in front of her. The two of us reached out our arms and came together in a warm, loving hug. Applejack and Apple Bloom followed suit, throwing their arms around us and hugging us tightly. A tremendous weight lifted off of my shoulders as I felt their soft, warm bodies press against mine, one I hadn’t even realized had been there. I buried my face into Buttercup’s soft curls, taking comfort in their familiar feel on my face.

“I love you,” Buttercup whispered. “I love all three of you...and I always will.”

“We love you too, Mama,” I said. “Always.”

When we finally pulled back from the hug, Buttercup leaned in and gave each of us a kiss on our cheeks.

“So...what happens now?” asked Apple Bloom.

“Now...I need some time alone,” said Buttercup. “I love you three, but...this has been a heck of a lot to take in all at once. No more tonight. Why don’t you three...come back here tomorrow night? Then we can get started on...takin’ care of each other. Alright?”

“Alright, Mama,” said Applejack with a smile. “Tomorrow night.”

“And one more thing,” said Buttercup. “For the time bein’...let’s not tell anyone else about this. Until we figure out what’s what...until we figure out where things are goin’...we’ll just keep this between us.”

“Agreed,” I said, my sisters nodding their agreement.

“Now, off to bed, you three,” said Buttercup. “We’ve got quite a day ahead of us tomorrow.”