The Forsaken

Chapter 13 – A Simple Plan

Anon

Sweet Apple Acres was a short walk from Midnight’s estate, given that their lands practically bordered each other’s. Sunday ideally should be a day of rest, but a farm had chores that couldn’t wait… seven days a week. Anon walked briskly onto the farm and found Apple Jack loading the cart with what looked like 208 jars of moonshine.

“Hiya, Apple Jack. Are you delivering Midnight’s moonshine today?”

Apple Jack looked a little startled for a moment before she smiled. “You betcha. We worked all night to make another batch, but it seems like it was worth it. We have no unused apples that we have to throw away and it settles Granny’s debt with Midnight from the market yesterday. Ah wish he would let us make him a couple of beer barrels worth of Hard Apple Cider to settle the loan.”

Anon frowned. “I don’t know how much a beer barrel worth of Cider would sell for but that is something you could discuss with him. He seems more than willing to accept barter for the repayment of debts. Of course… your offer would have to be both reasonable and fair.”

Apple nodded seriously. “Of course… Ah would never offer anything less than something reasonable and fair. So what brings you here so early?”

Anon steeled herself for the most awkward conversation she had ever started. “You should be in estrus now for the summer mating season… I need you to let Midnight get you pregnant.”

Apple Jack’s eyes bulged out of her head. “Whoa, there. Slow down…”

Anon wasn’t moved. “I’m serious… let him impregnate you.”

Apple Jack took a few deep breaths to steady herself. “What is this all about?”

Anon trembled slightly. She didn’t exactly have this conversation planned out in her head. She decided to speak from the heart and be honest about the situation.

“Well… Midnight needs an heir. I fear that I will never be able to produce the heir that he needs. Amongst my people… some mares will act as surrogate mothers, carrying a foal to term in the case that the wife cannot. They are paid handsomely for their time and efforts. I will pay you 5,000 copper bits to let Midnight impregnate you so that me and him can raise the foal together.”

Apple Jack swallowed… That’s nearly a quarter of the loan… can I really afford to say no?

Apple Jack hedged around the offer. “Payment up front or upon delivery?”

Anon smiled timidly. “Upon delivery… a miscarriage wouldn’t count, of course. We need a living heir, naturally.”

Apple Jack needed to make sure of something. “Ya know that a pony carries for about 11 months, right? It’ll be a whole year before you get your foal. And there’s no promises that ah’ll get pregnant with a single rut. Are you sure you’ll be comfortable with me rutting your finance multiple times trying to get pregnant?”

Anon winced but nodded. “Humans don’t always get pregnant in a single rut when we ovulate either. Herding is kinda normal here from what I understand, and I don’t mind sharing him in a limited fashion. I’m okay with waiting 11 months… but Midnight needs to know that he has an heir coming. Something to give him hope… hope that I can’t provide…”

Apple Jack rubbed the back of her head nervously. “That sounds fair… how do I go about it?”

Anon smiled a little brighter. “I’ll do your hair and tail really quick, gussy you up some, and then you can deliver the moonshine and make the offer directly to Midnight. You will carry our child to term so that he and I can have a foal to raise. You’ll be an ‘Aunt’ to the foal, and possibly the Godmare as well, so you’ll still have some interaction with the child that you carried for us. We will keep it friendly, yet professional. I’ll pay you once you give birth. Everypony wins…”

Apple Jack blushed but agreed to the terms. Anon worked on her mane and tail, adding ribbons to her mane, and braiding her tail into a thin, tight strand. Once she was finished, Apple Jack’s tail barely covered her plot. It was like an all-naturelle thong.

Big Mac came trotting up. “Ah thought you’d be long gone heading towards Lord Midnight’s estate. What are you still doing here?”

Apple Jack blushed. “Ah was getting gussied up before Ah went to see him… do you like it?”

She turned around in a circle to show him her mane and tail and then turned back to see his expression.

Big Mac swallowed hard. “Ah’ll be… behind the barn, meditating, if anypony needs me.”

He trotted off without another word to the frown of Apple Jack.

Anon giggled. “Has he ever masturbated to the thought of you before?”

Apple Jack turned as deep a red as Big Mac himself. “If he has… he’s been real quiet-like about it. Though… Ah suppose that if Ah can turn my own brother on… Midnight doesn’t stand a chance against this plot.”

Anon sighed but replied honestly… “That’s exactly what I’m hoping for.”

Apple Jack met her eyes and could see the earnestness there. “Ah can’t promise that Ah can talk him into it, but Ah can promise to try.”

Anon nodded and swallowed. “I suppose that’s the best I could hope for. Just… be yourself.”

Apple Jack

Apple Jack hitched herself to the cart and nodded. “Ah’ll head over right now. You can stay here or go into town… Ah would suggest not interrupting us at the estate if you want this to happen.”

Anon’s face fell. “Yeah… maybe I’ll go for a massage at the spa. I’ve never used the services although I do get an employee discount…”

Anon headed into Ponyville while Apple Jack headed to the estate. Even with the cart, it didn’t take her long to get there. She unhitched herself from the cart and knocked on the door. Midnight answered the door with a glaze in his eyes that spoke of him just having awoken from a mid-afternoon nap. Apple Jack bit her lip but then smiled warmly.

“Howdy, Lord Midnight. Ah have your order of Apple Pie Moonshine.”

Midnight frowned. “While I do plan to be your farms largest customer of both Hard Cider and moonshine… I don’t recall having already ordered more?”

Apple Jack’s smile tightened a little. “Well, to tell ya the truth, sugarcube, when ya paid for your goods yesterday with 21 gold bits… it became something of a pride issue for Granny. She doesn’t want charity and she knew that you wouldn’t take the bits back… so Anon proposed selling the estate 208 jars of moonshine to balance the books. With the new equipment that we just got, we are set up to make 200 jars of moonshine at a time so there was no issue bucking the apples and making a fresh batch… just for ya. We threw in 8 jars that hasn’t sold yet from the original batch and so… here’s your order.”

Midnight looked her over. He could tell that she had worked all night… “Despite how pretty you are with all those ribbons, I can tell that you are quite exhausted. I’ll use my magic to put away the moonshine, so you don’t have to bear the burden of all this extra work.”

Apple Jack turned to open the cart so Midnight could work his magic and his eyes were glued to her flanks. Her tail… that beautifully braided tail… that covered almost nothing…

Midnight cleared his throat, her heat causing desire to color his voice. “Who braided your tail?”

Apple Jack turned her head towards him, still showing her flank. “Anon braided it this morning before going into town. She’ll be gone all day… so we have time for whatever you want to do after we get all this moonshine put away, sugarcube…”

Midnight swallowed hard. “Your offer is as tempting as it is obvious. I can smell that you’re in heat… why are you doing this to me, Apple Jack?”

She dropped all pretense and was honest with him. “Anon wants me to let ya get me pregnant and has offered to pay me to carry your foal. She wants to give ya an heir that the two of ya can raise together. Ah am willing to be a surrogate mother… just give me your seed and we can go about our business. It doesn’t have to be romantic… and Ah do consent. You can be as gentle or as rough as you want to be, sugarcube. Let’s just get this done…”

Midnight took a step back, unsure about what he had heard.

Pure… unfiltered honesty. Almost as if she could be the ‘Element of Honesty?’ Perhaps…

He took a hard line with her. “You’re willing to let me get you pregnant… for money? What would Granny say?

Apple Jack sighed. “Ah’m a grown mare and Ah don’t need Granny’s consent. The farm is still in bad shape no matter how badly Ah’d like to say otherwise. We had a lot of expenses to cover to put everything into place to do what you wanted us to do. It’s not like we’ve always had the ability to make 200 jars of moonshine in a day. Your bank isn’t the only creditor we owe. A lot of our older creditors were willing to invest more into the farm, since this was your idea, and they are being patient since we are starting to make a profit, but patience comes to an end sooner or later. Anon’s offer was too good to pass up… Ah don’t have a stallion of my own and Ah’m not sure Ah’ll ever have one. It would be nice to have a foal… even if Ah give it to you and Anon. She made a lot of promises that warmed my heart and endeared me to the process. This is best for everypony… just… take me… right here… please, sugarcube…”

It was hard for her to flag with her tail braided. Her tail seemed heavier somehow… but she did display her plot for Midnight in a way that was more personal and more sincere than the scene he had walked up on when Apple Jack had been arguing about the plow with Big Mac.

Midnight closed his eyes but spoke softly. “Is this really what you want, Apple Jack?”

Apple Jack was shaking in nervous anticipation. “More than anything…”

With a glow of his horn, all of the moonshine disappeared, most likely into his storage cellar. He walked up behind her. His presence seemed to fill the air even though she wasn’t looking at him. He seemed to just… wait. Her tail was in position, out of the way, and he seemed to be inching closer… but at a snail’s pace.

Apple Jack was panting. “What are ya waiting for? Buck me like a tree!”

Midnight lowered his muzzle to sniff the aroma wafting off her plot. “Shush. Enjoy the moment. Life is too short to rush the truly important moments… moments like these that can turn into the fondest of memories.”

Apple Jack sighed and tried to relax but the waiting was killing her.

Midnight

I took in her aroma. There was desire there, but it was twinged with fear or uncertainty. She kinda wanted it to happen but she wasn’t fully committed, and I knew it. I sighed. I did want an heir. A true heir that was truly mine. My heart danced with the knowledge that Anon had managed to hit the nail on the head so perfectly, yet this was a flawed process. Apple Jack owed me money so her participation felt a little forced, despite her claim that this was consensual. I knew it would break her heart a little to be turned down, but I couldn’t do this under these conditions. I opened my mouth to speak when I was cut off by a distant scream.

Me and Apple Jack focused on the scream, and we exclaimed together… “Apple Bloom!”

We both took off towards the scream. Apple Jack could have been faster than me with her Earth Pony stamina fueled by fear, but my longer legs allowed me a long stride that let me keep pace.

It wasn’t long before we were past the orchards and in the Everfree Forest. I grimaced as my armor clicked itself into place onto my frame with magic, pulled out of my magical storage portal. I readied my weapons, but I wasn’t sure what I would be facing so I couldn’t fully prepare.

I’ve been spending so much time with Anon that I forgot to cull the forest. Buck me on a stick.

I yelled towards Apple Jack. “What the buck is she doing in here!”

Apple Jack shook her head while continuing to run. “No idea! But if she survives this, I’m going to kill her!”

We rounded a corner and we saw Apple Bloom pinned to the ground by a Timberwolf. It looked like it was just about to go for the kill… A bolt of magic leaped from my horn as I exploded a tree right behind the Timberwolf. The Timberwolf jumped back, caught off guard, releasing Apple Bloom out from under its paw.

I yelled at Apple Jack. “Get her out of here! I’ll distract it!”

The Timberwolf was definitely an Alpha. It may as well have been the biggest Timberwolf Apple Jack has ever seen. She grabbed Apple Bloom and threw her on her back, running as fast as her legs could carry her. The Timberwolf was focused solely on the only threat, me. I ran towards it so it wouldn’t chase it’s fleeing prey. Its mouth came down and I jumped up. With one giant gulp, it swallowed me whole…

Apple Jack

Apple Jack had looked back just in time to see Midnight get swallowed. A gasp escaped her as a tear rolled down her face.

What am I supposed to tell Anon?

The Timberwolf wasn’t chasing them, and it seemed to be struggling with what it had just swallowed, so Apple Jack stopped and turned to look. Out of nowhere, the Timberwolf exploded from the inside out. Flaming timber flew everywhere as Midnight seemed to walk out of the remains of the permanently destroyed Timberwolf, a little shaken but apparently unhurt. Apple Jack put Apple Bloom down and ran back to Midnight.

“Are you okay, sugarcube?”

Midnight nodded. “Just a few bumps and bruises. I need a bath and some moonshine… and maybe another nap. I’m too old for this dragon shit.”

Apple Jack seemed to digest that statement. “Do you need help washing up, sugarcube?”

Midnight met her eyes and could still see a trace of lingering hope. He sighed. “I’m not really in the mood for anything after being swallowed whole by an Alpha Timberwolf. How about we talk about ways to pay off your debt without getting you pregnant?”

Apple Jack rubbed the back of her head. “That sounds okay. What did you have in mind?”

Midnight shrugged. “I was never expecting to have over 200 jars of moonshine but it’s just taking up the space that would normally go for wines and other hard liquors. The beer and ale portion of the cellar can hold up to ten beer barrels worth of Hard Cider and I only have one barrel right now. How fast could you make me nine beer barrels worth of cider and how much will it cost?”

She considered it. “Well… since ya would be taking the barrel itself, Ah’d have to charge ya for the cost of making the barrel. Ah suppose going forward, if ya bring an empty barrel back to be refilled it’ll be cheaper… but the first nine are going to cost you 1500 copper bits each.”

Midnight nodded. “And how much profit does that give you?”

Apple Jack furrowed her brows. “About 500 bits per barrel. We get the apples for free, from our own trees, but the other ingredients cost a pretty copper. And the barrels themselves aren’t cheap to make. Nine barrels will give us a solid 4500 in profit, but it’ll take about two weeks for us to make it if we still want to have time to make moonshine and cider for Granny’s other customers plus the other normal chores.”

Midnight smiled. “Does that cover what your losing from the other deal falling through?”

Apple Jack winced. “Almost… Anon offered 5,000 copper bits to carry a foal to term… plus the chance to be the foal’s Godmare and an unofficial Aunt so Ah could still be a part of the foal’s life. It’s a good deal for me… a good chuck of bits that Ah could throw back at the loan plus all the joys of being a mother without the responsibility. She’ll be disappointed that this didn’t happen.”

Midnight frowned but nodded. “I guess we’ll have to talk about it more, later. You should get Apple Bloom home. She probably needs a bath and a nap after the scare she took.”

Apple Jack sighed in agreement. “Your right, of course. Ah’ll see you later, sugarcube.”

Midnight bowed his head. “Of course, Apple Jack. Take care of yourself.”

With that, he headed home, leaving Apple Jack feeling happy that she made a deal for the cider even if she was sad about everything else. But… she did still have chores to do… chores that wasn’t going to do themselves.