Author's Note

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

Content Warning: This chapter contains imagery and scenarios that some may find disturbing. Reader discretion is advised.

Nightmares

I was surrounded on all sides by a brilliant white light so bright that I had to squint so as to not be blinded by its intensity. As the seconds ticked by, however, the light slowly faded, the empty void around me coalescing into more substantial surroundings. Above me, the white turned to a cheerful sky blue with a big, yellow sun hanging overhead. Below me, a ground of beautiful white sand gradually appeared, the soothing warmth of it seeping through my shoes to my feet. And between the two of them, a long strip of deep blue water stretching out from side to side as far as the eye could see. As I watched, it ebbed and flowed gently, sending wave after wave rolling up onto the sand. A gentle breeze carried the distinctive smell of salt water to my nose.

I blinked rapidly, both to help my eyes adjust to the change in light, and out of amazement at my sudden transport to probably the most pristine, picturesque beach I had ever seen. I had the sudden urge to run forward at top speed, throw myself into the waves, and feel the cool water on my warm skin. I managed to keep these feelings in check, however, as I remembered that I had not come there for playtime. Somewhere in that sandy paradise was someone I loved very much, someone who desperately needed my help. Despite this, I still struggled to understand how anyone could be suffering in such a wonderful place.

“Enjoying the scenery?” said a voice from behind me.

I whipped around and saw Princess Luna stepping out of the same brilliant doorway that I had passed through moments earlier. As she stepped onto the sand and approached me, the doorway faded away as if it had never been there.

“Uh...yeah,” I said. “Princess, is this...is this really a nightmare? This place looks way too pretty for that.”

“Looks can be deceiving,” said Princess Luna as she stood beside me and gazed out towards the sea.

“I guess so,” I said, looking out at the waves as well. “So, what now?”

“Now?” she said. “Now you will do what you came here to do: you will assist me in banishing with this nightmare. More specifically, you will confront the latent fears that have spawned this nightmare.”

“Okay,” I said, “but how do I do that?”

“First,” she said, “I will have you watch it unfold from start to finish, so that you may understand the situation. Conveniently, you appear in all three dreams already, so it will be a trivial matter for you to step in and observe things firsthand. Once you are finished, you may attempt to set things right. I shall stay by your side and protect you, but shall otherwise play no part in the chain of events. If she senses me attempting to intervene prematurely, she will close herself off again, and you will not be able to get through to her.”

“Alright,” I said, still not completely understanding. “But, who is ‘she’? Whose dream is this?”

“See for yourself,” she said, looking down the beach away from me.

Following her gaze, I saw what she was referring to. Just a little ways down the beach, so close that I was amazed I hadn’t noticed it before, was a large crowd of beachgoers. They were spread out all over the place, swimming and splashing in the water, playing volleyball, or just relaxing in the sun and working on their tans. A constant hum of laughter, conversation, and light music filled the air, creating an unusually friendly atmosphere for a supposed nightmare. Something else I noticed after a few moments was the young age of every person I could see. I wasn’t close enough to make a good estimation, but from what I could see, every person on the beach looked to be around the same age as myself, give or take a few years at most. While a strange coincidence to be sure, I didn’t think much of it, figuring that they were probably just some group of spring break students.

I had only a few moments to take all of this in before I noticed something far more significant. Apart from the rest of the crowd, casually jogging towards us, was a young woman. As she drew closer, I saw that the woman was just as young as the rest of the crowd, looking to be around my own age. She had a slender, girlish figure that reminded me of that of my little sister, complete with wide hips, a thin waist, and round, perky breasts contained within an orange bikini. What did not remind me of my sister, however, was the mass of orange curls sprouting from her head, bouncing slightly with every step she took.

“Hey!” the woman called out, smiling and waving as she continued her approach.

A strange feeling of familiarity came over me as I watched her. It almost felt as if I knew her, and yet I couldn’t for the life of me think of who she might be. I knew pretty much every young woman in my town, but I still couldn’t manage to put a name to her eerily familiar face. I slowly walked forward towards her, hoping that the answer would come to me when I saw her up close.

“Hey,” she said as she finally reached me and ground to a halt. “What’re you doin’ way out here? The party’s over there!” She smiled and inclined her head towards the crowd behind her.

“Oh, uh...I was just, uh...” I began, looking over my shoulder to see if Princess Luna could give me a hand. To my surprise, she was nowhere to be seen, the spot where she had previously been standing as empty as the rest of the beach in that direction. Confused, I turned back to face the mystery woman again.

She chuckled and shook her head before stepping towards me and lovingly taking hold of one of my arms. “C’mon, silly,” she said as she gently pulled me along. “Let’s head back.”

I stared at her dumbfounded as she led me along the beach at a leisurely stroll. I couldn’t help but notice her beautiful body as she moved, especially the subtle musculature hidden beneath her soft, feminine flesh. Her breasts and butt were respectably large, but not so large as to distract from the rest of her. I felt her silky-soft hands as they gripped me, each one looking as strong and youthful as the rest of her. Every little detail I saw only fueled the nagging feeling of recognition in my mind, but the woman’s identity continued to elude me.

“I’m sorry, uh...do I know you?” I asked, my curiosity finally overpowering me.

“Ha ha, very funny, Anon,” she said, looking up at me and flashing her big, blue-green eyes at me. “Like you don’t recognize your woman.”

That’s when it hit me; it hit me so hard that I was amazed I hadn’t realized it sooner. I knew those eyes and I knew that smile, a smile I had seen every day of my life. What had thrown me had been that body, a body I had only ever seen in a handful of old photographs from back before she had gotten pregnant with me and my sisters.

“Buttercup?” I asked, although I knew the answer before I had even opened my mouth.

“Who else?” she said, leaning in and giving me a kiss on the cheek.

“But...but you’re so young!” I said.

“I may be young...but I’m old enough to show my man a good time,” she said, giving me a look that let me know exactly what she meant by that. She broke into a giggle a moment later upon seeing the look on my face. “Later though. I wanna go play doubles with the Cakes. And after that, we can go take a dip to cool off.”

“But I don’t have a...” I began, looking down at myself. I stopped when I realized that I was no longer wearing my normal clothing. Somehow, without me even noticing it, my clothes had been stripped form my body and replaced solely with a pair of swim trunks of the same orange color as Buttercup’s bikini. “Er, nevermind.”

“Don’t you worry, sweetie,” she said. “You and I are gonna have a lotta fun today, and ain’t nobody gonna get in our way.” As soon as she finished saying this, Buttercup looked ahead once again, then froze in her tracks. I jerked to a stop as well, quickly looking up to see what was the matter.

Standing a short ways ahead of us were two young women whose faces I knew as well as I knew my own. One of them had a powerful-looking body with thick thighs, wide hips, a toned stomach, and large breasts. Her face was dusted with freckles and a length of straw-yellow hair flowed from underneath her wide-brimmed hat. The second woman had a slender, hourglass figure with impressive curves and respectable endowments. Her long, red hair was adorned with a reddish-pink bow, giving her a hint of girlishness to go with her mature appearance. Each woman stood tall and proud before us in an incredibly lewd sling bikini of the same color as their hair. Their poor excuses for swimwear left almost nothing to the imagination, although I needed little imagination to picture a pair of bodies I had explored countless times over.

“No,” I heard Buttercup whisper. “No, not them!”

Applejack and Apple Bloom advanced towards us like a pair of lionesses stalking their prey. The smiles on their faces were smug, confident, but not overtly malicious. Even with the admittedly enjoyable picture they presented, the two of them unnerved me as well, as I remembered the nature of the world around me.

“Hey, you two,” said Apple Bloom gleefully. “Where you been?”

“We were startin’ to get worried about you,” said Applejack.

“We’re...we’re fine,” said Buttercup. “We were just spendin’ some time alone together.”

My sisters looked at each other and smirked before looking back at us. “C’mon, Anon,” said Applejack as she stepped up to me. “Why don’t you come back with us?”

“Yeah,” said Apple Bloom, drawing closer as well. “We’ll show you a real good time.” I had come to recognize exactly what Apple Bloom meant whenever she batted those long eyelashes of hers.

“H-Hang on!” said Buttercup, clinging tightly to my arm. “What about me? Anon and I had plans!”

“Oh, it’s alright, Mama,” said Applejack. “We’ll take good care of him for you.” She took hold of my free arm and latched onto it with a surprisingly strong grip.

“Besides,” said Apple Bloom, “I think Anon would have a much better time with someone a bit...younger.” As she said this, she gently nudged Buttercup off of me and took her place on my arm, holding me just as tightly as Applejack was.

“But...but what about me?” said Buttercup, looking between the rest of us frantically.

“I don’t know if you could handle all this excitement,” said Applejack. “We don’t want you slowin’ us down.”

“Why don’t you go hang out with Granny,” said Apple Bloom, inclining her head towards somewhere behind Buttercup. “We’ll being him back when we’re done with him.”

Buttercup and I both looked over to where Apple Bloom had indicated. To my surprise, I saw two old rocking chairs sitting on the beach a short distance away that I could have sworn had not been there a moment earlier. Sitting in one of the chairs, happily knitting away as I had seen her do countless times before, was Granny Smith. When she noticed us looking over at her, she stopped for a moment and looked over at us.

“Buttercup, dearie!” said Granny Smith, waving a hand. “Come on over here! I saved you a seat!” She smiled innocently and patted the rocking chair next to hers.

Buttercup stepped back away from her, shaking her head. “No!” she said. “No, no, I...” She whipped around, looking at us with dread in her eyes. “I wanna stay with you! Please!”

“Sorry, Mama,” said Apple Bloom. “This is just the way it has to be.” With that, both she and Applejack began pulling me along towards the crowd, away from Buttercup.

“Hey! Hey wait a minute!” I said, deciding that I had seen enough. I attempted to plant my feet and stay where I was, but my sisters’ were pulling me with a terrifying strength that I could not oppose in the slightest. I thrashed about, dragged my feet, and did everything I could think of, yet the two of them continued to drag me along as effortlessly as if I were a small child. I looked over my shoulder, looking back at where Buttercup stood. “Buttercup!”

“Anon!” cried Buttercup, looking to be on the verge of tears. She rushed forward, stretching out a hand towards me, but then stumbled and fell forward onto the sand. At first, I thought she had merely tripped, but then I looked down and saw that the ground itself seemed to have reached up and grabbed her, her feet and ankles swallowed up by a thick coating of sand. She struggled against it, clawing at the sand before her in a desperate attempt to crawl after us, but she remained where she was. “Anon, please! Don’t leave me!”

“Buttercup!” I called out, struggling against my sisters’ unyielding grip with everything I had. When I glanced back and laid eyes on Buttercup again, I froze, suddenly forgetting everything else.

Before my very eyes, I saw Buttercup begin to change. Her thick, poofy curls faded, gradually turning from a healthy orange to bone white. Her slim, toned body lost its definition, growing flabbier and losing its curves. Her taut, young skin slackened visibly, long, deep wrinkles spreading across every inch of her. Her hands, once soft and slender, became positively emaciated, so thin that I could see bones and veins within them. Her cute little bikini changed as well, stretching out all over her and growing darker in color until she was covered from the shoulders down in a drab dress that looked too old-fashioned even for my grandmother. In the span of seconds, the beautiful young woman had been transformed into what was probably the oldest-looking person I had ever laid eyes on.

Throughout this entire process, Buttercup continued to struggle against her sandy bindings. She cried out to me, calling my name as tears streamed down her face. Her increasingly shaky limbs struggled to support her as she jerked about, eventually giving out entirely and sending her crashing down onto the sand face-first. She lied there sobbing, not even bothering to push herself back up. Overhead, the sunny sky grew overcast as dark storm clouds appeared seemingly out of nowhere, belting out booms of thunder that rattled my bones. The gentle slapping of the waves on the beach grew intense as the sea grew wild and choppy. All the while, the joyful sounds of the nearby crowd continued uninterrupted, now sounding mockingly dismissive to my ears.

I was at my wits’ end. So incensed was I by the impossible situation I had found myself in that I was seriously considering gnawing my own arms off and running back to comfort Buttercup. Just before I could take the first bite, however, I was interrupted by the most deafening silence I had ever heard. It took me a moment to notice it, but when I did, I froze in shock and confusion, trying to make sense of what had happened. All around me, the world seemed to have frozen in place, every person, every breath of wind, and even the tiniest speck of sand locked in place. Everything lay silent and still, everything except the shuddering form of Buttercup, whose gentle sobs echoed through the quiet like the blaring of the loudest trumpets.

“I trust you understand now,” said a familiar voice.

I whipped my head to the side and looked upon the face of Princess Luna, who had suddenly appeared a few feet away. Before I could do anything, she extended a hand out towards me and flicked her wrist, accompanied by a brief flash of her horn. Suddenly, I felt the iron grips of my sisters’ arms vanish, my flesh phasing through theirs as if it were merely an illusion. I stumbled for a moment, but quickly regained my balance and moved away from them, instinctively heading to Princess Luna’s side.

“What...what’s goin’ on?” I said, my brain struggling to keep up with the strangeness.

“The nightmare has reached its conclusion,” she said. “I have stopped it here to give you an opportunity to act.”

“But...” I began, taking in the surreal scenario around me. “I don’t know where to begin. How in Equestria am I supposed to fix this?”

“Start with what you know,” she said. “Start with what you can see. What do you see?”

“I see...I see my mother,” I said, forcing myself to take deep, calming breaths.

“And how is your mother feeling at this moment?” she said.

“She’s...she’s scared,” I said. “She’s more scared than I can ever remember seein’ her.”

“And what is she scared of?” she said.

“She’s scared of...them,” I said, glancing at the frozen forms of my sisters. “She’s scared that...I’ll go off with them and...leave her.”

“And why does she fear that?” she said. “Why does she fear that you will choose your sisters over her?”

I looked upon the prone form of Buttercup once again, almost bursting into tears at the sight of the decrepit old woman. “Because she thinks she’s old,” I said. “She thinks that...I’d want to be with someone my own age.”

“Indeed,” she said.

“But why would she think that?” I said. “She knows she ain’t old!”

“Does she?” she said. The question caught me off guard, so I did not immediately reply. “Anon...what were things like for your family after your father died?”

The sudden change of subject confused me, but I eventually managed to get out an answer. “Well...things were...well, they weren’t good. All of us were hurtin’ pretty bad without him around. It felt like...like losin’ a limb almost; you never realize how much you need it until...you don’t have it no more. On top of that, things around the farm only got worse. With him gone...we all had to pitch in to help pick up the slack.”

“I would imagine your mother did so more than anyone else,” she said.

“Yeah,” I said. “Apple Bloom and I were still too young to do much and Granny was too old. Applejack stepped up and did as much as she could, but...Mama was the one carryin’ us on her back for a long time. I still can’t believe she managed to get us all through that when she was the one who cried the most over it. She never did it where we could see it, of course...but I could hear her late at night in her room. She was hurtin’ so much, but...she still managed to take care of all of us and run the farm almost single-handedly.”

“So your mother rose to the challenge, attempting to fill the void left by your father and provide for all of you,” she said. “I would imagine that she had to sacrifice much in order to accomplish that; her social life, for example.”

I sighed. “She used to love spendin’ time with her friends,” I said, “and she had so many of ‘em. Everyone in town loved her and...loved bein’ around her. She was so...happy and...carefree; they both were. But after it happened...she changed. She got so...so serious all of a sudden. She spent more and more time out in the orchard and less and less time with her friends. She always had a smile on her face, but...I could tell she wasn’t the same on the inside, even as a kid. For a long time, it felt like the only thing she cared about was our family and our farm.”

“And what of her romantic life?” she said.

“That too,” I said. “I never...I never thought about it much when I was a kid, but I suppose kids don’t often think about that stuff when it comes to their parents. It wasn’t until I got older that I stayed to realize...how much she’d really lost. I started to come to terms with the fact that...she might find someone else someday. It took us a while to get used to the idea, my sisters and I, but...we realized it would be for the best. We knew she needed it, even if we were too young to really get why.”

“But she never did,” she said.

“No,” I said. “The three of us were...waitin’ for the day she’d bring home someone, but...that day never came. We never understood why though. We knew how popular she was. We knew how many men saw her in that way. It wasn’t until...until recently that we learned why. For some reason...she thought she’d be a burden. She thought she didn’t deserve it. She thought she didn’t deserve to...be with someone else again.”

“I see,” she said. “I believe I understand now. You mother...suffered greatly. She suffered more, and endured more, than any woman should have to. She lost years of happiness, years which she will never recover. That soft of thing could destroy a lesser person, and yet your mother strove on. She buried her pain deep within her, hiding it away from others and herself. Rather than confront it, rather than come to terms with what life had handed her, she tried to convince herself that her suffering was deserved. She willfully consigned herself to the role of the widow, the matron, the mother. She told herself that her time to enjoy life had passed, and that she had a duty to live for others, to live for her family, not for herself. By doing so...she made her lot in life seem more fair to herself.” She paused a moment, looking over at me. “Do I misunderstand?”

“No,” I said softly. “No, that’s...that’s right on the mark.”

“Then I believe I know what your mother needs,” she said, “and I believe you know as well.”

“I think so,” I said. “I hope so.”

“Then go to her,” she said. “Speak to her...as only you can.”

I gulped, taking deep breaths as I forced my legs to slowly carry me forward. My feet made no noise as they sunk into the soft sand, or if they did, I didn’t notice. The only thing I cared about in that moment, the sole thought occupying my mind, was her. Buttercup needed help, and as her son, as her friend, and as her man, it was my job to give it to her.

When I reached her, I fell to my knees beside her. I reached down, gently taking hold of her frail form and lifting her back up into a kneeling position. She continued to sob as I did so, turning the sand that clung to her face to mud. I slowly brushed away as much of it as I could, revealing the wrinkled skin that lay beneath it. I placed my hands on her shoulders and held her steady so that she would not fall over again.

“Buttercup,” I said softly.

Buttercup started, her eyes flying open and her sobs abruptly cutting off. Her eyes wandered about aimlessly, as if she were unsure what lay before her, but they eventually settled on me. “Anon?” she said, blinking in confusion. “Anon, is...is that you?”

“Yes,” I said, smiling at her. “It’s me.”

Buttercup’s sobs quickly returned and she lunged forward, wrapping her arms around my neck and hugging me tightly. I put my arms around her, holding her as she wept into my shoulder.

“I thought...I thought you left me,” said Buttercup through her tears.

“No,” I whispered. “No, no, I would never leave you. You have to believe that.”

“But why?” she said. “Why would you want to be with me when...you could be with one of them?”

“Because you deserve to be loved just as much as they do,” I said. Taking hold of her shoulders, I gently pushed her back, forcing her to look me in the eye. “Buttercup, you’ve been through so much. You’ve been through more than any of us have. You’ve spent so many years hurtin’. You’re never gonna get those years back, but...that don’t mean you have to waste the years you have left. You can still be happy; you can still be loved. You just have to stop tellin’ yourself you don’t deserve it.”

“But I had to!” she said. “I had to be strong for you, for all of you. I was your mama. That was my job; that was my responsibility.”

“It was your responsibility,” I said, “but that don’t mean don’t mean you deserved it. You got dealt a bad hand; we all did, but...you have to move past that. You can’t let that hurt rule your life.”

“What about your hurt?” she said. “Anon...I know what it’s like to...lose the one you love the most. When you choose to spend your life with someone, they become a part of you. And when they...they get taken away from you...it hurts more than anythin’ else in the world. I can’t put you through that; I don’t want to. I want you to be with someone you can spend your whole life with. I’m twice your age, sweetie. I can’t give you that.”

“Buttercup,” I said. “I won’t pretend to know what you feel...but I can imagine. I can imagine how I’ll feel when...I don’t have you around anymore. My heart’s gonna break, I know it. But I’d rather live through a hundred broken hearts than spend my life without you by my side. It’ll hurt, but...it’ll be worth it. You’ll be worth it. I’m not gonna let my hurt ruin me, just like you shouldn’t let yours ruin you. You’re an amazin’ woman, and I love you so much. I hate seein’ you like this. If you really care about makin’ me happy, then be happy yourself. Let go of all the hurt inside of you and be that happy woman I used to know. That’s what I want to see. That’s what I need to see.”

Buttercup stared at me with those blue-green eyes of hers, those eyes which still held the strength and passion I had seen in them for as long as I had lived. Her lips, while wrinkled and cracked, slowly stretched into a smile, a smile that had lived in my heart since the day I was born.

“Okay,” she whispered.

As soon as the words had left her lips, Buttercup began changing before my eyes. Her withered skin gradually stretched taut, becoming soft and youthful once more. Her almost skeletal frame grew fuller and plumper, her feminine curves becoming even more pronounced that before. Her curly hair regained its vibrant orange coloration, spreading from the roots to the tips. Her outmoded ensemble melted away, morphing and shifting until it had become a pure white nightgown, plain and modest. In less than a minute, she had been transformed back into the woman I knew and loved, the same woman I saw every day, and the woman I knew she would see every day in the mirror from then on.

Wordlessly, I reached out and took hold of her, pulling her into a loving embrace. She hugged me back as the two of us leaned in and pressed our lips together in a much-overdue kiss. As I held her, enjoying the feel of her newly re-plumpened body pressed against mine, the world around us began to fade away. The stormy sky overhead, the ocean, the beach, everything slowly melted away like a fog in harsh sunlight, leaving behind only a silent black void that stretched out in every direction. When I finally pulled my lips from hers, I saw her looking back at me, a weary smile on her lips. Her eyelids drooped, slowly drawing closed and staying closed. She slowly fell forward into my waiting arms, resting her head on my shoulder as she breathed peacefully.

Several feet before me, a simple bed suddenly faded into existence, lit by a gentle light that seemed to come from nowhere. Adjusting my hold on my now-sleeping mother, I pushed myself to my feet, lifting her up with me and carrying her princess-style. While she was a hefty woman in reality, at that moment, she felt as if she weighed nothing at all. I carefully carried her over to the waiting bed, lying her down upon it and covering her with the blanket. When she was settled, I leaned down and placed one last kiss on her forehead before stepping back. I watched her sleep for a few moments, her chest slowly rising and falling and a serene smile appearing on her face, before she and the bed slowly faded away as well.

“Well done, Anon,” said Princess Luna. I turned around and saw her standing behind me, the tiniest hint of a smile on her lips.

“Is she...is she gonna be alright?” I said.

“Only time will tell,” she said, “but for now, she is at peace...thanks to you.”

“And you,” I said. “Thank you, Princess.”

“Your gratitude is unnecessary,” she said. “I am merely fulfilling my responsibilities...as are you.”

“Yeah,” I said. “I guess I am.”

“I hope you are prepared,” she said, “for your sisters suffer no less greatly that your mother.”

My brief moment of satisfaction was shattered as I remembered that Applejack and Apple Bloom were still out there, no doubt locked in nightmarish worlds of their own. I forced myself to refocus, standing tall and taking a deep breath. “I’m ready,” I said.

Looking off to the side, Luna extended an arm and lit her horn once more, summoning the same glowing white doorway that had brought me to Buttercup’s dream in the first place. Knowing what to expect only went a little ways to calming my nerves, but at least I knew that the task ahead of me was not impossible. And knowing that my actions were in service of protecting two of the people I loved more than anyone else gave me all the motivation I needed to proceed. I slowly approached the doorway, fixing the images of my sisters in my mind as I stepped through it.

The first thing that hit me as the light around me faded was the smell, a smell that reminded me of Granny Smith’s “special” cider, as I had known it as a child. As I pondered this unusual detail, the light continued to fade, growing so dim that I almost thought it would fade straight to black. Thankfully, the light level stabilized when it had grown dim enough to feel moody and atmospheric, while still being bright enough to see my surroundings, which gradually faded into existence around me. I saw a ceiling high overhead and walls off to the sides, forming a large room around me. The room filled with small tables draped in tablecloths and lit by small candles in their centers. On the wall before me, jutting out into the middle of the room, was a runway-style stage.

The silence that had permeated the room up until that point was broken by the gentle hum of conversation. All around me, a large crowd of people materialized sitting at the numerous tables surrounding the stage. Both men and women made up the crowd, although the vast majority of them seemed to be men of around my age, or perhaps a bit older. Most of them seemed unfamiliar to me, although I did recognize a few people I knew from around town, such as Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Diamond Tiara. Everyone present, including myself, I soon realized, was dressed in classy evening wear, neat suits and fancy dresses as far as the eye could see. Those present were occupying their time by conversing with their neighbors and sipping expensive-looking drinks, yet all of them seemed to be keeping an eye on the stage, clear anticipation on their faces.

“What...what is this place?” I said to no one in particular.

“A nightclub,” said Princess Luna as she stepped up beside me. “I would imagine that you have never visited one.”

“No, I haven’t,” I said.

“Pity,” she said. “There are few other institutions in our society that truly appreciate the subtle pleasures the night can bring. Your sister has excellent tastes.”

“Which sister would that be?” I said.

“Can’t you guess?” she said.

“I...I think I can,” I said, realizing which of my sisters would be more likely to dream of herself in such a place.

“In any case, you should have a seat,” she said. “The show is about to begin.”

Before me sat an unoccupied table situated right at the end of the extended portion of the stage. I cautiously approached it and sat down in the chair, finding it surprisingly comfortable, all things considered.

“Do not fear,” she said, “but be on your guard. Remember why you are here.”

“I will,” I said resolutely, looking back up at her.

“Good,” she said, before I saw her slowly fade away into nothingness.

Consoling myself with the knowledge that she was still there, watching over me, I turned back to the stage and took a breath. Just a few moments later, the dim lights that bathed the room in their warm glow grew even dimmer, while the stage seemed to grow brighter. The conversation that filled the air was quickly snuffed out as the room was plunged into near-darkness. All in attendance, myself included, zeroed in on the stage, specifically, on the large curtain that, presumably, concealed our entertainment. I waited in silence, feeling my heart pumping in my chest, preparing myself for whatever would be coming next.

A voice pierced the air, a sultry, feminine voice whose musical tones fell upon my ears like the caress of silken skin. That beautiful voice, dripping with sexuality, sunk into my body all the way to my bones, filling my entire being with its sweet sound. I was immediately and hopelessly ensnared, even before the curtain cracked and a long, curvy, feminine leg slowly emerged from it. The tall stiletto heel that adorned it, the only thing covering its creamy flesh, slowly came to rest on the stage. As the voice continued to fill the air, another body part emerged from behind the curtain, one which I immediately recognized as a woman’s bust, and a substantial one at that. Even as I was reeling from this sensory overload, a musical accompaniment kicked in, the curtain parted, and the source of the melodious voice was revealed.

I don’t think I had ever gone from zero to sixty as fast as I did upon seeing that sexy redhead emerge out onto the stage. She stood at least as tall as I did, but it was not her vertical size that immediately pulled me and every other red-blooded male in the room into a hypnotic stupor. The sheer amount of curves that made up the body of the woman before us made her look as if she had waltzed straight out of the wet dreams of a twelve-year-old boy. Long legs with thighs as thick as any I had ever seen. Hips that would not have looked out of place on a mother of twelve. Breasts and a butt so huge, round, and jiggly that she could have made even my mother look girlish by comparison, separated by a thin, smooth waist that gave her the mother of all hourglass figures. All of this was squeezed into a sparkling reddish-pink dress that somehow managed to cling to her body while leaving both her shoulders and back bare. I had seen that particular color before, although it had not been on a dress, but on a very familiar hair bow.

Her matching pair of heels were visible beneath the hem of her dress as she slowly strut about the stage. Her slender hands, clad in long, purple gloves that ran up past her elbow, rested on her hips as they sensually swayed back and forth. Her long red hair cascaded down over her face, concealing one of her eyes before flowing behind her shoulders and down her back. Of those features I could see, I noticed a pair of pillowy lips smeared in thick, red lipstick, a half-lidded eye coated in eyeshadow, and long, dark eyelashes. Even from where I sat, I could see the fire burning in that beautiful orange eye, projecting power and confidence that she and everyone else in that room recognized that she deserved.

As she made her way back and forth across the stage, honey-sweet words flowed from those big, red lips of hers to accompany the slow blues music that filled the air. She was singing something about a man who didn’t do right, like some other men did, but I was a bit too distracted to pay attention to the lyrics. She strutted about, effortlessly forcing every pair of eyes in the audience to follow her every move. Her eyes, however, stayed locked on one person in particular: me. Despite dominating the hearts and minds of every man in that room, I seemed to be the only person present who was worth her attention.

I couldn’t help but focus on her as single-mindedly as she did on me, all my other concerns forgotten for as long as her absurdly voluptuous body continued to sway and jiggle before me. The hypnotic effect only intensified as she casually made her way down the runway between the tables, heading straight towards me. Every graceful footfall, every swing of her hips, every syllable formed by those lips made my blood pump a little bit faster, my breath come a little bit heavier, and made me throb a little bit harder. As she neared the end of the runway, it slowly warped inwards, morphing into a set of stairs leading down to the floor. She descended these stairs one step at a time, then made her way towards my table. When she had finally drawn close enough that I could have reached out and touched her, she slowly spun around and sat on my table, looking down at me where I sat.

The aura of pure feminine sexuality she exuded was overpowering. If I had not been so paralyzed, I don’t know whether I could have stopped myself from laying hands on her. So entranced was I that I didn’t notice that her lips had ceased moving and that the music had stopped until a thunderous round of applause, accompanied by a few whistles, filled the air. The abrupt noise shocked me out of my stupor, though it took me a moment to regain my faculties. As I blinked in confusion, she smiled down at me, the fire in her eyes burning even brighter than before.

“A-Apple Bloom?” I said.

“That’s my name,” she said, raising a hand to my face and lightly caressing my cheek. “Don’t wear it out —” She leaned down and brought her lips right up to my ear, whispering into it “— ‘cause I’m gonna make you moan it later.” I hadn’t thought it would be possible for my pants to get any tighter than they already were, but somehow they managed.

“Well,” said Apple Bloom, glancing down between my legs, “I’m glad to see someone enjoyed the show. All of that...that was for you.”

“Uh...th-thanks,” I managed to get out.

“Anytime,” she said, giving me a sultry grin. “In fact, how ‘bout you come back to my dressin’ room and I’ll give you a...private showin’?”

“Sure,” I said, grinning stupidly.

Apple Bloom slid her huge body off of the table as gracefully as a dancer, standing upon her feet once again. She reached down and took my hand, pulling me up onto my feet as well.

“Come on, Anon,” she said. “I wanna feel more than just your eyes all over me.”

While the raucous applause that had filled the air moments before had since fizzled out, there was a sudden surge in noise in the form of a slew of wolf-whistles and a chorus of bawdy male exclamations. Glancing about, I quickly realized that the attention of the audience was no longer focused on the woman before me, but upon the stage. Apple Bloom seemed to realize this as well, although her reaction was one of fear, not confusion. Her eyes shot open, her lips quivered, and the color drained from her rosy cheeks. She slowly turned and faced the stage, her confident demeanor vanishing instantly.

“No,” she whispered. “It can’t be.”

The great curtain that hung over the stage parted once again, revealing the source of all the commotion. Two women stepped out onto the stage, slowly and casually, as if they knew their audience would wait for them no matter how long they took. Each woman wore a gravity-defying dress of the same sensual style as Apple Bloom’s, the difference being that one of them was in light orange while the other was in straw-yellow. Completing their ensembles were tall high-heels, long silk gloves, and coatings of makeup just as thick as Apple Bloom’s. While their choices of apparel were not what I was used to seeing them in, I would have recognized those bodies, those faces, and those tresses of orange and yellow anywhere.

Apple Bloom and I watched in shock and horror, respectively, as Applejack and Buttercup made their way down the runway towards us. Despite the nature of the situation, I couldn’t help but notice the way their thick bodies swayed and jiggled with every step they took. Judging by the hooping and hollering I could hear, I imagined the rest of the audience was noticing the same thing. Despite clearly being aware of the attention they received, and clearly enjoying every second of it, the two women never turned their gazes from us. As they reached the end of the runway and descended the stairs, I saw the confident smiles on their lips and the hungry looks in their eyes, looks so intense that they gave me goosebumps.

“I should thank you,” said Buttercup in the most breathy, sensual tone I had ever heard come from her lips. “That was an excellent openin’ act.”

“I’ll say,” said Applejack in a similarly erotic tone. “You got ‘em all warmed up for us. More importantly, you got him all warmed up for us.”

“H-Hang on!” said Apple Bloom. “I didn’t do all this for you; I did it for him! I’m his woman!” She grasped my hand with an iron grip as she said this.

Applejack and Buttercup glanced at one another, chuckling to themselves. “Oh, sweetie,” said Buttercup, “it’s adorable that you think that, but you really gotta face the facts.”

“Anon’s a big, strong, handsome man,” said Applejack. “You really think he’d be satisfied with a little girl like you?”

“I ain’t little!” said Apple Bloom, stamping her foot on the ground. “And he loves me!”

“Well, of course he loves you,” said Applejack. “You are his little sister after all.” She punctuated the word “little” with a quick boop of Apple Bloom’s nose.

“Exactly,” said Buttercup. “Now, be a good little sprout and let the big girls handle this.”

Applejack and Buttercup simultaneously reached out and grabbed my shirt. Before I could react, they yanked me forward, pulling me out of Apple Bloom’s grip and into their waiting arms. I reflexively fought to free myself, but I once again found myself trapped in an impossibly strong hold. Applejack and Buttercup chuckled to themselves as they dragged me away from Apple Bloom and up the stairs.

“Wait!” said Apple Bloom, the fear on her face having graduated to terror. “Wait! You can’t do this! You can’t take him away from me!”

“Don’t worry, little sis,” said Applejack. “We might let you have him someday...when you’re older.”

“But I am older!” cried Apple Bloom as tears welled up in her eyes. “I ain’t a little girl; I’m a woman! You can’t do this to me!”

Apple Bloom lunged forward, attempting to run up the stairs and catch up with us. As she ascended, however, the precariously balanced woman lost her footing in those stilettos of hers and went toppling forward onto the runway. While her ample cushioning had left her unharmed, she had lost any shred of grace, dignity, or sensual appeal she had possessed. Her dress was disheveled, her hair was a mess, and her makeup was running as a stream of tears flowed down her cheeks. The strong, confident, gorgeous woman who had held the room in awe only a short time earlier had become a sad, pitiable sight, flailing and scrambling to right herself with all that weight she carried.

“Anon!” she called out as she began to sob. “Anon, don’t leave me! Please!”

“Apple Bloom!” I called back to her. I knew on a conscious level that it was pointless, but still I struggled against my captors, unwilling to let the woman I loved suffer like that.

As Apple Bloom continued trying to crawl her way towards us, I saw a change come over her as drastic as the change I had seen Buttercup go through earlier. The acres of plump, feminine flesh that covered her body gradually melted away, her body becoming thin and petite. I felt as if I were watching party balloons being deflated, yet I felt none of the enjoyment that such an activity could elicit. Just as she shrank in width, so too did she shrink in height, losing inch after inch until she could not possibly have come up past my stomach. The makeup on her face faded away, and her clothing morphed and expanded, turning into a light yellow t-shirt, worn overalls, and a pair of dirty running shoes. Where moments before a woman had lied, now lied a crying little girl, a girl I had not seen in over a decade.

All around us, the room darkened as lightbulbs burned out and candles were snuffed by an unseen force. The audience members fell limp like puppets with their strings cut, collapsing down onto their chairs, the tables, or onto the floor. When the light had vanished entirely, the only thing still visible in the black void was the stage itself, lit by a dim, dingy light of unknown source. As I was dragged closer to the curtain, the stage seemed to stretch, the distance between me and Apple Bloom slowly increasing. Moments before I was dragged through the curtain, I saw her collapse down onto the stage, curling into a fetal position and crying into her knees.

“Luna!” I cried out in desperation. “Stop this!”

No sooner had the words left my lips than I felt the constant tug of the women beside me cease. I looked to either side, seeing that both of them stood as still as statues, their mocking smiles still frozen on their lips. When I looked ahead once again, I saw the welcome sight of Princess Luna standing before me as composed as ever. She extended a hand towards me, setting her long horn alight with magic. I fell backwards onto the stage as my arms phased through those of Applejack and Buttercup, the women’s illusory natures brought forth.

“I trust you see the problem?” said Princess Luna.

“Yeah,” I said as I caught my breath and pushed myself back up onto my feet. “She’s...she’s just like my mom.”

“Her fears are indeed similar,” she said, “yet they have a much different source. You recognize that, do you not?”

“Of course,” I said, approaching her. As I stood beside the princess, I looked upon the still-sobbing figure of Apple Bloom, the little girl crying for her big brother. “She thinks I’ll leave her...’cause she’s too young.”

“Indeed,” she said.

“She’s...told us before about this,” I said, “told us how...she used to feel. She used to feel so left out...so unappreciated. Everyone’s always loved her though; everyone’s always thought she was the best thing since sliced apples.”

“Everyone?” she said, giving me a sideways glance.

“Well...no,” I said, hanging my head in shame. “Not everyone.”

“It seems to me that there is one person in particular whose love and attention she desires...and has desired for quite some time,” she said.

“Yeah,” I said softly.

“And yet that person’s affection lay elsewhere,” she said.

I nodded. “I...I just don’t get why she kept that up for so long,” I said. “I know I wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed when I was a kid, but...if she’d have just told me...I would’ve changed.”

“Children often have difficulty expressing their feelings in helpful manner,” she said, “a trait that many carry with them into adulthood.”

“It’s not like I didn’t love her back then, but...she always acted like such a teenager,” I said. “She acted like she didn’t give a hoot what we thought about her. She even seemed like she loved gettin’ on our nerves.”

“You should not be too hard on her,” she said. “Sometimes...younger siblings feel the need to act out...do foolish things...when they feel they are not receiving the love they deserve, especially when that love is instead directed towards...an older sibling.” For the first time that night, I thought I detected a hint of weakness in Princess Luna. Her stern tone and perfect posture faltered for but a moment, reminding me that the godlike woman was still merely a woman, just as I was merely a man. The moment passed quickly, however, and she soon regained her composure.

“I understand,” I said. “Applejack’s always been such an amazin’ woman. Everyone’s always loved her; same with my mom. I guess...it just got to her eventually.”

“Your sister has lived with jealously and loneliness in her heart for many years,” she said, “but I believe she can still be saved. You and your family have already done much to that effect, but...it seems she requires a little bit more.”

“Right,” I said, taking a deep breath and squaring my shoulders. “And I’m gonna give it to her.”

I strode forward, closing the distance between me and Apple Bloom one step at a time. She didn’t seem to notice my approach, not even when I finally reached her and sat down beside her. It had been so long since I had seen her like that, and yet I still remembered what my father had used to do to calm her. I carefully reached out and took hold of her, pulling her close and settling her down in my lap. I put a hand on her head and gently brought her face to my chest, letting her nuzzle my shirt.

“Apple Bloom,” I said softly.

Apple Bloom stuttered, her sobs momentarily cut off by surprise and confusion. She opened her eyes and frantically looked around her, her gaze eventually falling on me. “Anon?” she said. “Is it...is it really you?”

“Yes,” I said, smiling down at her. “It’s really me.”

A fresh wave of tears flowed from Apple Bloom’s eyes as she wrapped her little arms around me and buried her face in my chest. Her words were muffled, but I could still make out utterances of my name amongst the tears.

“Hey,” I said, putting an arm around her and slowly petting her head. “Don’t cry. Don’t be scared. Your big brother’s here.”

“But I’m scared though!” she said, lifting her head to face me. “I don’t want you to leave me.”

“I’m never gonna leave you, Apple Bloom,” I said. “You gotta believe that.”

“But...Applejack...and Buttercup...you’re gonna go off with them,” she said. “And why shouldn’t you? They’re bigger than me and...more mature than me. Everyone loves them more than me. Why shouldn’t you?”

I sighed, holding her more tightly against myself. “Apple Bloom,” I said, “I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, but the one I regret most of all...is not givin’ you the love you deserved. I never meant to make you feel left out; I never meant to make you feel like I didn’t love you. I was a dumb kid, and I’m not that much smarter now. It took me a long time to realize what you really wanted from me, but now that I know, I’m not gonna make the same mistake again. I’m gonna love you for the rest of my life, because you deserve it just as much as they do. They may be...bigger than you...but you’re just as kind, just as lovin’, just as amazin’ as they are. And you’re just as much of a woman as they are too.”

“Liar,” she said. “I’m never gonna be like them, not now, not ever.”

A moment of silence passed. “No,” I said flatly. “No, you won’t. You know why?”

“Why?” she said.

“Because you’re not them,” I said. “You’re you...and you’ll always be you. That’s why I love you so much. I don’t love you because you’re like them; I love you because you’re like you. You’re my Apple Bloom. You’re strong, and smart, and passionate, and a million other things. There’s no one else in the whole world like you. That’s why you’ll always have a special place in my heart that no one else can fill. That’s why...that’s why I’m never gonna let you go. You believe me...don’t you?”

Apple Bloom fixed her beautiful orange eyes on me as I wiped the tears from her cheek. Her trembling lips slowly stretched into a smile as she let out a few final whimpering sobs. “I do,” she whispered. “I do.”

She buried her face in my chest once again and clung to me tightly, just as I held her tightly against me. So tightly was I holding her that I noticed immediately when the body of the little girl in my lap began to grow and stretch. Her legs lengthened, spilling out over my lap, and her arms hugged me tighter as they regained their adult strength. Her hips, bust, and butt filled out, returning to her the alluring figure that I was intimately familiar with. Her childish clothing slowly morphed into a plain white nightgown, expanding to cover the body of the young woman I held in my arms.

I released my embrace, pulling back so I could look her in the eye. She looked up at me and smiled, her familiar face now cleansed of tears. Wordlessly, we came together in a gentle kiss, taking much-needed comfort in each other’s touches. As we kissed, what remained of the nightmare world around us slowly faded, the stage disappearing from beneath us and leaving us in a calming black void. By the time we finally pulled back, Apple Bloom was already half-asleep, her eyes falling closed almost as soon as she had opened them. I held her steady as she went limp in my arms, her head coming to rest on my shoulder.

As before, a simple bed materialized out of the nothingness before us, lit by a soft light. I rose to my feet, carefully lifting Apple Bloom’s weightless body into the air. I carried her over to the bed, gently lowering her down onto the sheets and tucking her in. As her head settled on the pillow, I saw her lips stretch into a smile. I smiled back down at her, brushing the hair from her forehead and planting a soft kiss upon it. I stepped back from the bed, taking a few moments to observe her sleeping form before she and the bed faded away.

“Well done,” said Princess Luna from behind.

“You think she’ll get better?” I said, turning to face her.

“I do,” she said. “She has carried these feelings in her heart for a long time, but I have already seen the good that you have done for her, you and the rest of your family. She is not the woman she once was. She is not the girl she once was. It may take longer still for her to overcome her fears, but thankfully...she has her family to watch over her.” Princess Luna gave me a polite smile, for her, the equivalent of a wide grin.

I smiled back at her, letting her words calm my worried heart. “Yes,” I said. “Yes, she does.” The moment passed quickly, however, and my mind soon returned to the task at hand. “But...we’re not yet, are we?”

“No,” she said, her iron visage returning. “And we should not tarry, either.”

“I wasn’t plannin’ on it,” I said, gathering my inner strength for one last confrontation.

As before, Princess Luna summoned the glowing white doorway that would lead me to my next destination. As before, I stepped up to it and passed right on through. And as before, I was fully prepared to do whatever it took to help the one I loved.

After the unusual locales I had just visited, I was momentarily confused by the setting that gradually faded into existence around me. A familiar wooden floor beneath my feet. Familiar walls covered with very familiar framed photographs. A familiar fireplace with familiar knick-knacks sitting on the mantel. Finally, a familiar couch, plush reading chair, and an old wooden rocker.

“Wait...this is...” I began, taking in my surroundings.

“Your home,” said Princess Luna as she stepped up beside me. “Don’t you recognize it?”

“Well, yeah,” I said. “I just...wasn’t expecting somethin’ so...normal.” Even my clothes had been transformed back into my regular attire.

“Not everyone’s dreams take them far away,” she said. “Sometimes people’s desires are much...closer to home.”

It was at that moment that I noticed two significant details of the dreamscape I had found myself in: the smell of cooking food wafting from the kitchen, and the soft, musical humming of a woman.

“Is that her?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said.

I took a deep breath, then slowly crossed the family room. My first thought upon peering into the kitchen was that nothing seemed to be out of ordinary. I saw the same floor, the same countertop, the same kitchen table I saw every day in real life. Even my pleasantly plump mother was there, standing at the counter with her back turned to me, cutting vegetables. It wasn’t until I realized that the beautiful locks flowing down her back were straight and yellow, as opposed to orange and curly, that I did a double-take.

“Applejack?” I said.

The woman before me perked her head up, the humming abruptly stopping. She set her knife down on the cutting board, then slowly turned around to face me.

“That you, sugarcube?” said Applejack.

For several moments, I could do nothing but stare in shock at the woman before me. While I immediately recognized everything above the neck, it was the stuff below that had me gawking. I had not been entirely unjustified in mistaking her for Buttercup from behind, as Applejack’s body was nearly identical to our mother’s. Big, plump legs, hips a mile wide, and a jaw-dropping pair of breasts hanging from her chest. I might have thought that her head had been magically transposed onto Buttercup’s body if it had not been for one notable discrepancy: a huge, round, gravid belly.

Applejack’s voluptuous form was squeezed inside of a pretty, yet modest dress of a deep orange color, something else that would not have looked out of place on my mother. An apron decorated with images of apples hung from her neck and was tied behind her back. Her feet were bare, allowing me to see that her toenails had been painted in the same orange as her dress. One of her hands, its nails painted in the same fashion, was resting on her belly, stroking it unconsciously. Her face, too, bore an atypical amount of makeup, her already-beautiful features covered in a modest amount of lipstick and mascara. Despite all of this, I still recognized those same little freckles, those same green eyes, and that same heartwarming smile I saw every day.

“AJ...you...you’re pregnant!” I said, my mind struggling to come to terms with what I was seeing.

She gave me a confused look, glancing down at her belly for a moment. “Well, yeah,” she chuckled. “Where you been the last nine months?”

“I, uh...” I began.

My train of thought was interrupted when I saw Applejack give a start and look down at her belly again. “I felt a kick!” she said, eagerly feeling out the spot. “Come here, quick!”

I tentatively stepped forward, crossing the kitchen to meet her. When I was near, she reached out and grabbed my hand, forcefully pulling me the rest of the way towards her. She quickly moved my hand to her belly, positioning it on a certain spot. For a few moments, I felt nothing but the warmth of her skin through the cloth. Suddenly, I felt a quick, soft pressure that could only have been the kick of a tiny foot. Even knowing what to expect, feeling it for myself all of a sudden made me gasp.

“It kicked!” I said, a smile appearing on my lips. “I-I felt it!”

Applejack chuckled at my reaction. “I’ve been feelin’ it more and more these days,” she said. “It won’t be much longer now. Not much longer until...until you’re a daddy.”

Of all the shocking things I had experienced that night, that was the thing that hit me harder than anything else. I looked back up at her, looking upon her smiling face as if for the first time.

“Me?” I said. “A...a daddy?”

“Yes, you,” she said, taking hold of my hand and squeezing it. “And I hope you and your friend downstairs are ready. This may only be our first, but...I’m gonna want a whole litter of ‘em.”

Despite the wholesomeness of the situation, I couldn’t help but get a bit excited at the prospect of putting a few buns in my sister’s oven. Overcome with emotion, both pure and otherwise, I put my arms around Applejack and pulled her into a hug. She was momentarily surprised, but quickly melted into my embrace, hugging me back and pressing her big baby belly against me. For a wonderful moment, I forgot everything else, losing myself in the unfamiliar, yet incredibly satisfying feeling of fatherhood. It wasn’t until I heard the sound of the front door opening that I snapped out of it, once again recognizing where I truly was and why I was there in the first place.

I heard Applejack gasp and felt her fingers dig into my back. “Oh no,” she whispered.

The sound of two sets of footsteps making their way towards the kitchen gave me a good idea of what she was so afraid of. I had been caught off guard the first two times, having to rely on Princess Luna to bail me out of trouble, but that time, I was determined that things would go differently. I pulled back from the embrace, taking a moment to observe Applejack’s wide-eyed expression. Taking a deep breath, I slowly turned around, unconsciously putting myself between Applejack and the two women who stood at the entrance to the kitchen.

I was not surprised to see the faces of Apple Bloom and Buttercup staring back at me, although their unusual apparel made me take pause. Each woman wore a gorgeous dress that clung tightly to their figures, highlighting every curve of their unabashedly feminine bodies. While not overly lewd or revealing, they certainly showed off a good bit of leg and cleavage, enough to draw attention while still retaining an air of modesty. Apple Bloom’s was red and Buttercup’s was a light, pastel orange, the colors matching those of their heeled sandals and their nails, both those on their toes and fingers. The two also wore a generous amount of makeup on their faces, including thick layers of lipstick, mascara, blush, the works.

“We’re back!” said Buttercup with a smile. “Did you miss us?”

“Sorry we took so long,” said Apple Bloom. “Aloe nearly put me to sleep with those magic fingers of hers. We probably woulda stayed there all day if they’d let us.”

“Those spa girls are good,” said Buttercup, “but I think I’d much rather have someone else’s fingers all over me instead.” She looked directly at me and gave me a wink as she said this.

“Sorry you couldn’t come with us, AJ,” said Apple Bloom, “but someone needed to stay behind and do the chores.”

“We’re lucky we have someone strong like you to do all that work,” said Buttercup. “I’d hate to break a nail.”

“I...I don’t mind it,” said Applejack, clearly trying to maintain a firm tone. “It just means I get to spend more time here...with my man.”

Apple Bloom and Buttercup both broke into a very ladylike chuckle. “Your man?” said Buttercup. “Oh, sweetie, that’s cute.”

“You really think he’d wanna spend time with you if we were around?” said Apple Bloom.

“Yes,” I said firmly. “Yes, I would.”

The two shifted their gaze back to me, a brief flash of confusion passing over them before their smug confidence returned. They began walking towards me, advancing on me with clearly predatory intent.

“Oh, don’t be silly, Anon,” said Buttercup. “We know what you really want, even if she doesn’t.”

“Yeah,” said Apple Bloom. “We know you want a woman who’s curvy, girly, and drop-dead gorgeous. Does that really sound like her to you?”

“It does,” I said. “Applejack’s an amazin’ woman...and I love her as much as a man can love a woman.” I felt Applejack grab onto my arm and hold it with a trembling grip.

“Oh, Anon,” said Apple Bloom. “I think you’ve been workin’ too hard.”

“I think so too,” said Buttercup. “How about you come take a little nap with us?”

When the two of them had reached me, they reached out and each grabbed a fistful of my shirt. I grabbed their wrists and attempted to pull them off of myself, but try as I might, I was unable to remove them. Their arms felt as if they were made of solid steel; I couldn’t budge them even a fraction of an inch.

“Let go of me!” I said.

“Not a chance, big guy,” said Apple Bloom. “Not until we milk you dry, of course.”

“Once you’re done puttin’ babies in our bellies,” said Buttercup, “then maybe you can spend some time with your big sister...assumin’ she’s not still workin’.”

As one, they turned and began dragging me back towards the family room. I planted my feet and fought them with everything I had, but their strength would not be denied. Desperately, I looked behind me, reaching out and grabbing Applejack’s hand.

“Applejack!” I said.

“Anon!” she said, grabbing hold of me and hanging on for dear life.

Even with both of us pulling against my assailants, I was still moving forward at a steady pace. Applejack was visibly straining, pulling on my arm so forcefully that I felt it would pop out of its socket. Suddenly, her concentration broke and she jerked to a stop where she was. Both of us looked about in a panic, trying to figure out what had happened, until we looked behind her back. The ties of Applejack’s apron had somehow reached out and become caught in a drawer in the counter, keeping her tied down like a leash.

Applejack fought against it with all her might, throwing her weight away from it again and again, and yet neither the apron nor the drawer gave way. She looked back at me, her face the picture of terror as she fought to maintain her hold on me.

“Anon, please!” she shouted. “Please don’t go!”

“Applejack!” I shouted back, grabbing hold of her with both hands and squeezing tight.

Try as we might, however, our efforts proved to be in vain. Slowly but surely, our hands slipped from each other’s grips, until we held each other by only the tips of our fingers. With one final pull, even that connection was severed, both of us falling to the floor as we lost our balance. Apple Bloom and Buttercup did not even seem to notice, the two of them dragging me along like a sack of apples. Applejack was absolutely distraught, alternating between clawing at the floorboards and desperately tugging on the trapped ties of her apron.

“Anon!” she screamed as the tears began to flow. “Don’t leave me! Please don’t leave me!”

I was similarly incensed, having resorted to trying to tear the clothes from my body in order to free myself, yet I was not having any more success than she was.

“I won’t!” I shouted. “I won’t leave you!” Given my current predicament, we both knew that my promise was an empty one.

As her despair at my departure finally sunk in, I was forced to watch on in horror as the woman I loved was warped and twisted by her fears. Her long, blonde ponytail lost inch after inch of length as it shrunk back into her head, not stopping until it all that was left was a short crew cut. Her plump, motherly body seemed to wither up before my very eyes as her thighs, butt, and breasts shrank away to near-nothingness. Applejack watched in horror as her swollen belly gradually disappeared, her stomach becoming as flat and thin as I had ever seen it. Her hips grew thinner and her shoulders grew broader just as her lost body mass slowly returned in the form of prominent muscle. Every inch of her from the neck down grew tougher, firmer, and toned as her muscles grew, giving her a body that could rival those of the most impressive bodybuilders. To top it all off, her makeup vanished and her clothing transformed into a pair of plain, worn shorts and a dirty tank top.

So focused was I on this sight that I hardly noticed the room changing around me. The wood of the floorboards and furniture rotted before my very eyes, growing so weak that I was surprised nothing collapsed. The tacky wallpaper that had decorated the room since before I was born peeled away in long, thin, curling strips reminiscent of pencil shavings. The sunlight that had been streaming in through the windows faded away, leaving the room dark and dingy to look at. Once the charming little kitchen of my lifelong home, the room now resembled that of an old, abandoned shack that had not seen life or love for years.

I looked on helplessly as Applejack lowered her head into her hands, sobbing heavily and choking out my name. I had seen enough. I had gone there to alleviate my sister’s suffering, and I would not stand by one second longer and let it continue to torture her.

“Luna, stop this!” I shouted. “Stop it right now!”

The world around me froze, leaving me and Applejack in deathly silence. A moment later, Princess Luna materialized in the kitchen next to me, and within seconds, I was free of the two harpies that held me, those horrible caricatures of the women I loved. I scrambled to my feet, my heart feeling as if it were about to burst from my chest. I stood there fuming, staring down at the pathetic, crying form of my sister.

“A valiant effort,” said Princess Luna, “but in vain. Your role in this dream was written before you even arrived. Now that it has ended, however, you may attempt to help her.”

In my fury at my own impotence, I turned and sent a mighty kick through the nearest wall, knocking a hole through it. I grunted and wrestled it free again, oblivious to the searing pain in my foot.

“How can this be?” I said. “How can she be hurtin’ this much? Her of all people?”

“Calm yourself,” she said. “You cannot hope to help her if you are consumed by your own pain.”

I forced myself to close my eyes and take deep breaths, my boiling blood eventually returning to an acceptable temperature. “Why?” I said. “Why does she feel this way? I’ve never seen her like this...not even at her lowest.”

“Perhaps that was her intent,” she said.

“You mean...she’s been hidin’ this from me?” I said. “From all of us? Doesn’t she trust us?”

“I do not believe it is a matter of trust,” she said. “As I said before, people sometimes hide their true feelings from the ones closest to them. This is not always done for selfish reasons. Sometimes it is done...to spare those we love from worry. Does that not sound like her?”

I looked over at where Applejack knelt on the floor, recognizing the pang of sadness and anger in my heart. “You’re right,” I sighed. “She always has to be the strong one. She always has to be rock. She’s always been like that.”

“I would imagine so,” said Princess Luna. “Your sister is one of the most stubborn women I have ever met. If she decided to hide her deepest fears from you, I doubt she would have easily changed her mind. I have seen the effect that your...relationship has had on her, but old habits die hard. She has never been the sort to share her feelings openly, has she?”

“No,” I said. “Not really.”

“I am not surprised,” she said. “A woman in her position...a girl in her position...probably would have learned to keep her feelings to herself a long time ago.”

“What do you mean?” I said.

“You said that, when your father passed, your sister was forced to help support your family,” she said.

“Well, yeah,” I said. “My mom couldn’t do it all on her own, as much as she tried to. For a long time, she was the one pickin’ up all the slack around the farm. Apple Bloom and I started helpin’ out when we were old enough, but...she’s always tried to take on as much as possible.”

“With a family to look after, and a mother struggling with her own pain, I imagine she felt she had no choice,” she said. “She was forced to put her own feelings aside and take on the role of a provider, a protector...a very paternal role.”

Memories flooded my mind of the many parental lectures and admonishments I had received over the years from my big sister. “Yeah,” I said.

“While her peers were busy enjoying their girlish youth, she was at home, working to put food on the table for you and your family,” she said. “A teenage girl who never had the chance to embrace her burgeoning femininity. A girl who shouldered a burden she should never have had to. A girl who felt that...it was her place...her responsibility.” She gazed across the room towards Applejack, her sympathy visible in her eyes. “Am I mistaken?”

“No,” I said softly. “Not one bit.”

“I’m sure you can imagine how that would have weighed on her,” she said, “how that would have warped her perspectives. You have already seen the same thing tonight.”

“I have,” I said. “She’s...she’s just like my mom. She lost somethin’ she’ll never get back...and she tried to make herself feel better about it. She told herself she didn’t deserve to just...have fun with her friends...to wear dresses and makeup and...be a girl...to be a woman.”

“In other words...to relax...to let others worry and struggle on her behalf...to be the one cared for...instead of the one doing the caring,” she said.

I fought to hold back tears as we pieced together the tragic story of Applejack’s life. I didn’t allow myself to succumb to my sadness, however, not while there was someone in that room who needed me to be strong. Instead, I used my sympathy and pity as fuel for the fire in my heart that grew stronger by the second. “I know what to do,” I said. “I know how to help her.”

“Then go to her,” said Princess Luna. “Give her what she wants.”

I strode across the creaky floorboards, quickly reaching Applejack’s side and kneeling before her. She made no sign that she noticed me, not even as I put my arms around her and pulled her into a hug, clinging to her tightly. “Applejack,” I whispered.

Applejack’s sobs gradually diminished as she opened her eyes and raised her head, confusedly taking in her surroundings. “Anon?” she said as her eyes finally focused in on me.

“Yes, Applejack,” I said softly. “It’s me.”

Applejack threw her arms around me, clinging to me desperately and burying her face in my neck. “Anon,” she whimpered. “I was so scared. I thought...I thought you were gonna leave me.”

“Never,” I said. “I’m never gonna leave you. I promised to take care of you, didn’t I?”

“I have to take care of you too,” she said. “I’m your big sister.”

“AJ,” I sighed, “you’ve been takin’ care of me my whole life. I love you for that, I really do. But you know what else I love?”

“What?” she said.

“I love takin’ care of you,” I said. “I love bein’ your shoulder to cry on. I love bein’ your rock. I wish you’d let me do it more often.”

“I...I can’t,” she said. “I can’t let my guard down. I have to be strong. I have to protect you. I can’t let anythin’ happen to you. I can’t lose you...not you too.”

“I don’t want to lose you either,” I said. “I don’t want to see anythin’ happen to you either...but I can’t keep the world from gettin’ to you, just like you can’t keep the world from gettin’ to me. Bad things happen, AJ; that’s just the way things are. It don’t matter how strong you are. Some things...you just can’t stop.”

“Then what am I supposed to do?” she said.

I grabbed her by her shoulders and gently pushed her back, looking her in the eye. “You’re supposed to be happy,” I said. “You’re supposed to enjoy the things you have...enjoy the people you love...while you still can. You haven’t always gotten to do that. You’ve given up so much for me...for all of us...but you don’t have to anymore. You’ve always been the hard one, the strong one...but you don’t have to be. It’s okay to be soft sometimes. It’s okay to let others take care of you too.”

“But...” she began.

“Tell me the truth,” I said. “Is this really what you want? Do you want to spend your whole life bein’ afraid? Do you want to spend your whole life worried about not bein’ strong enough?”

Applejack looked at me for a moment, then lowered her head and closed her eyes. “No,” she whispered.

I reached up and put a hand under her chin, gently raising her head back up again. “I know you,” I said. “I know what you love. You love the smell of fresh air and the feel of sun on your skin. You love to dance, you love to wrestle, and you love to eat those yummy pies Mom makes for us. You love your friends, you love your family...and you love me. And as much as you try and hide it...I think you love bein’ a woman too. You got so many things in your life you could be happy about, you just have to stop worryin’ about losin’ ‘em and enjoy ‘em while you can. After everythin’ you’ve done, all the good you’ve done for others, you deserve to love your life and be happy. Don’t you want that?”

Fresh tears flowed down Applejack’s cheeks as she nodded her head jerkily. “Yes,” she whimpered. “I...I want that. I wanna be happy and...have fun. I wanna...be a woman...like Buttercup and Apple Bloom. But I could never be like them. I could never be as...girly as those two. They’re what you deserve. You deserve a woman who knows how to be a woman. Not like me.”

“AJ,” I said, wiping the tears from her cheeks. “I don’t love them ‘cause they like wearin’ dresses and makeup. I love them because...they make me happy. They make me happy...and I love makin’ them happy. I love they way they think; I love the way they feel. I love how they’re always there for me...and how they always manage to brighten my day. I love them...for all the same reasons I love you. You don’t have to change who you are for me to love you, ‘cause I already do. All you have to do is be honest with yourself and be honest with me. Be the person we both know you are, deep down. You do that, and I swear to you I’ll love you just as much as I love them. I’ll love you with everythin’ I have in me and then some. Can you do that for me? Please?”

For several long moments, Applejack merely stared at me, whimpering and huffing, until at long last, her trembling lips stretched into a smile. “Okay,” she said. “I...I will. I will.”

Smiling back at her, I pulled her back into a hug, which she quickly returned. We held each other tightly as tears, now the product of happiness, flowed down both of our faces. As we embraced, I was able to feel her beefy body slowly deflate. Her bones reformed, her muscles shrank, and she filled out in all the right places. Within moments, she had regained that perfect blend of hard and soft flesh that I had come to love so much. Even her long, flowing hair returned to her, caressing my face as it fell down her back. Her rough clothing grew longer and softer, transforming into the now-familiar white nightgown.

When we finally pulled back, I looked into her beautiful, freckled face, finding it as pristine as ever. Applejack leaned in and pressed her soft lips against mine, channeling the slew of emotions running through her into a gentle, passionate kiss. I kissed her back, paying no mind as the kitchen slowly faded around us. By the time the last peck had been given and we gazed into each other’s eyes once again, we were alone in a peaceful black void. Applejack gave me one last, sleepy smile before her eyes fluttered closed and she fell forward into my waiting arms.

I had already pulled the hefty woman into my arms, lifting her as easily as a feather, by the time the bed appeared before me. I rose to my feet and carried the sleeping Applejack over to it, lying her down and tucking her in, just as I had done with the others. The hard woman unconsciously snuggled into the soft embrace of the bed, smiling a serene smile. I gently stroked her head, then leaned down and planted a kiss on her forehead. As I rose and stepped back, she and the bed faded away, departing to wherever her soothed psyche would take her next.

I breathed a contented sigh, then turned around to face the woman I knew I would find there. Princess Luna was indeed standing there behind me, but with an uncharacteristically loving smile on her face.

“So...did I do alright?” I said.

Princess Luna chuckled a very polite, refined chuckle. “You did splendidly...just as before,” she said. “I have no doubt that she will be changed by this experience...changed for the better.”

“I sure hope so,” I said. “But will they...remember? Will they remember what I said?”

“I cannot say,” she said. “Their dreams shall be as any other, forgotten quickly if not held onto. I doubt they will even know it was the real you that spoke to them.”

“Oh,” I said, somewhat disheartened by her response.

“However,” she said, “while they might not remember your words, they will remember their feelings. The love and happiness you gave them will stay in their hearts forever, even if they forget what caused them.”

“I guess that’s...for the best,” I said. “I don’t know if they’d believe me if I told them you did so much to help us.”

“Anon,” she said, “I know that most believe me to be a...cold woman...but that is not so. I care deeply about all of my subjects, your older sister especially so. She and her friends once helped me confront my own...inner demons. For that reason, it pleases me greatly that I was able to return the favor, both for her and her family, even if I was not able to do it on my own.”

“Princess,” I said, “if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have even had a chance to do this. I don’t know long it would have taken me to realize what they needed. I can’t thank you enough.”

“Your gratitude is unnecessary...but deeply appreciated,” she said. “Besides...I feel that you needed this. You needed a chance to know them on the most intimate level...if you four are to be together.”

“I wouldn’t have...thought that you cared about that,” I said, averting my gaze.

“An understandable assumption,” she said. “Those I deal with...tend to assume that I have very antiquated views of the world. What they fail to realize, however, is that what is old to them is often new to me. I have been gone from this world for many years, and in that time, things that were once held as strange and radical have become accepted and commonplace. The reverse is true as well. As such, I am often more accepting than others of things that are considered...taboo.”

“Oh,” I said.

“Anon,” she said, drawing close and placing her hands on my shoulders, “you were right when you said that happiness is fleeting. One never knows when...they may be parted from the things they love...from the people they love. Letting petty fears and jealousies drive a wedge between you and your loved ones...is not something that anyone should do. It has taken me a long time to learn that. But, I am happy to see that one so young has already taken that lesson to heart. I am happy that you have chosen to put your love for those closest to you above all else. I sincerely hope that nothing should ever drive you all apart. If it were up to me...there would be nothing to stand in the way of you four being together.”

“Princess Luna,” I said, smiling up at her, “thank you. That...that means a lot.” I sighed, lowering my gaze. “If only Princess Celestia thought the same way.”

Princess Luna’s kind smile vanished. “My sister?” she said, raising an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Well...we were under the impression that she might not be okay with us...all of us, I mean,” I said.

“And what would lead you to believe that,” she said, “believe that she personally disapproved of you all?”

“Well,” I said, “it’s just that...in her message she said that—”

“Message?” she said. “What message?”

“The one she sent us today,” I said.

“What was this message?” she said, her tone growing more agitated by the second. “What did she say to you?”

“She said that...” I began, trying to recall the exact wording of Princess Celestia’s scroll. I concentrated, reaching into my memories to conjure up the image of the parchment I had seen mere hours before. I had never had a photographic memory, but for some reason, the words came to me as easily as if they were hanging in front of my face. It took me a moment to realize that the words were literally hanging in front of my face, complete with the parchment they had been written on.

“Woah!” I said, giving a start at the sudden appearance of the scroll in front of me. “What...how did...”

“We are in the dream world,” said Princess Luna. “The barrier between thoughts and reality is very thin here. Thoughts...and memories.” She glanced down at the scroll floating between us. “May I?”

I looked back up at her and silently nodded. She released my shoulders and grabbed the scroll, stepping back from me as she read it. As her eyes traveled back and forth across the page, I saw frustration, annoyance, and perhaps even anger disturb her reserved features. “Sister,” she grumbled under her breath, “what have you done?” When she finally finished reading and lowered the scroll again, she was forced to take a deep breath to calm herself once more.

“Your family...have carried their fears with them for many years,” she said. “While I have always seen them in their dreams, I have also seen that those same fears have been diminishing, especially over the past several months. For this reason, I was very much confused as to why all three of them were experiencing such severe relapses, and on the same night as well. Why these sudden thoughts of competition and of you choosing one of them over the other? It seems I have my answer.

“Anon, as guardian of the dream world, I am made privy to the secrets of many over the course of my work. I take my duties very seriously, and as such, do not reveal those secrets in the waking world. However, in this case, I find myself unable to simply stand by and watch when those I care for are suffering. If you grant me your permission, I shall attempt to address this matter personally and right the wrong that has been done to you and your family.”

“Well...sure, but...what are you gonna do?” I said.

“You need not worry about the particulars,” she said. “Suffice it to say, I shall be having a conversation with my sister concerning you all. I shall notify you of the results, which shall come quickly if I have my way. Until then, there is but one last thing I will ask of you. One last thing you must do for me.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Wake up,” she said.