Ride Below the Crupper

Cradling a foal in each arm, peering down and watching them nurse from her engorged teats, Bloom couldn’t help but smile. Apple Butter and Apple Jam, her colt and foal respectively, were as fit and healthy as she could have ever dreamed - even if their little bellies seemed bottomless. As they suckled upon her, swallowing down mouthful after mouthful or rich milk, she lifted her head and looked to her left.

“Showoff,” Babs endearingly grunted, smirking over at her.

“Hey - Ah got two of these things for a reason,” she smugly countered, squeezing her little ones to each of her gargantuan bosoms. “It ain’t mah fault that I get to use ‘em at the same time.”

“Buncha hooey,” Granny Smith grumbled, looking over at her youngest grandchild. “Ain’t a dern thing natural about that chest ‘a yours.”

With an exasperated sigh, Applejack shook her head. “Granny, ain’t no need to be ornery.”

“I ain’t ornery,” the wizened mare practically pouted, turning her attention back to the quilt she was knitting. “Would’ve been nice to have a pair of udders like that when Ah was younger…”

As Bloom’s eyes steadily moved between her cousin, sister, and grandmother, she uncontrollably beamed. Not only had they all been remarkably accepting of her sudden maternity, but they’d practically bent over backwards to help her - still, she’d had no way of knowing things would turn out as well as they had. The day they’d returned home from their trip to Manehattan, less than a week after she’d given birth, was one of the most tense, stressful days of her relatively short life.

To say that AJ, Babs, and Granny had been surprised to find a pair of young foals waiting for them when they returned to the homestead would have been an understatement - to make matters worse, the news that the babies were the progeny of Big Mac and herself made for a very hectic afternoon. She’d had to recount the story of how she and her brother had fooled around no fewer than three times, clarify that she hadn’t intended to wind up pregnant, and explain that Zecora’s potion had expedited her gestation astronomically. By the time she’d addressed everyone’s questions and concerns, she’d barely had the energy to crawl into bed with her little ones.

Initially speaking, her family’s reaction had been a mixed bag. Babs seemed happy enough to have another new mother around, especially since their foals would be able to grow up together, and Granny Smith took the development in stride, but AJ’s reaction to her new niece and nephew was a bit strange. Be darned if she could put her finger on what had her sister bothered, but she didn’t have the time or energy to organize a Cutie Mark Crusaders investigation.

With the cat out of the bag, and her sister being more than tolerant of both her incestuous tryst and offspring, she’d forced herself to tackle a more pressing concern - school. Try as she might, and unwilling to have anyone else shoulder the responsibility, her newfound motherhood made trying to attend classes and studying for her exams an impossible task. She simply didn’t have the time to simultaneously get her diploma and raise her children - fortunately for her, Applejack managed to pull a few strings.

Heck if she knew how her big sister had done it, but AJ had convinced Cheerilee to let her take a significantly relaxed pace with her studies - albeit at the sacrifice of her summer break. While it was hard to organize a schedule for herself, keep care of her foals, and help with the construction of a nursery, ironically in Mac’s old bedroom, she somehow managed to forge a routine for herself; it sure as heck wasn’t easy, and she was left dead-tired at the end of each day, yet her perseverance inevitably paid off. Three months and many, many restless nights later, she got her high school diploma.

“Don’t overfeed ‘em,” Granny huffed, snapping Bloom from her reverie. “They’re gonna be bigger than Mac if’n you don’t stop.”

“Which Mac?” Babs snickered, gently jostling the titanic child in her arms. “Are you talking about my Mac or Big Mac?”

The eldery mare leered over at her grand-niece, fearlessly staring the hard-headed pony down. “Don’t you get wise with me.”

“Would y’all please pipe down,” AJ groaned, glowering at the bickering pair. “The last thing we need is to get the little ones all fussy.”

Turning her attention to her older cousin, Babs adjusted in her seat. “AJ, you mind if I ask you something?”

AJ shook her head, reclined in her chair, and crossed her arms over her chest. “Naw, I don’t mind.”

“So have you ever considered having kids of your own?” Babs inquired. “I mean, you’re an Element of Harmony, one of the most resourceful mares I’ve ever met, and you’re fit as a fiddle.”

“Ah…” AJ faltered, shot a fleeting glance over to her sister, and pushed herself up. “Ah reckon I might someday - anyhow, Ah’m gonna head into town for a bit. Do any of y’all need anything?” A series of polite noes followed suit, leading to her nodding and seeing herself out of the living room.

Bloom waited a few minutes, merrily continuing to nurse Butter and Jam, before she cleared her throat and drew Granny’s attention. “Is everything alright with her? She’s been actin’ kinda funny since y’all got back.”

Rolling her eyes, the matriarch leveled a finger at the young girl. “You’d be actin’ funny too, if you came home after a month’s vacation and found your baby sister with a whoppin’ set of twins.”

“Yeah,” Babs interjected, peering down at the young colt and filly, “they might not be as big as Little Mac, but considering you’re smaller than I am and they’re combined weight is heavier than my kid’s, that’s pretty damn impressive.”

“Horse spit, it ain’t that impressive. Agnis gave birth to quartets about forty years ago…” Granny paused, scratching her chin and thoughtfully peering up at the ceiling. “Or maybe it was sixty years ago - in any case, Apples bein’ fertile is like water bein’ wet.”

Babs immediately broke into laughter, still unused to how down to earth her great aunt was, leading to Bloom doing the same. Undeterred, or possibly provoked by their amusement, the geriatric mare launched into a diatribe about past generations and their prodigious broods of offspring. The silly, unexpected moment was just the thing to break the tension, but it wasn’t long before the mood took another turn.

“Hey,” Babs quietly began, shuffling closer to her cousin’s side of the sofa, “so - uh - how’re things downstairs?”

“Downstairs?” Bloom parroted, quirking a brow in confusion. It was only when she noticed a blush creeping into her cousin’s face that she figured out what she’d just been asked. “Granny,” she announced, bringing an abrupt halt to the senior’s rambling diatribe, “Babs and I are gonna go get some fresh air.”

“Fine by me, Ah gotta get some supper started soon enough anyhow,” Granny muttered, shifting her focus back to the unfinished quilt.

The duo of mothers cautiously got to their feet, keeping their children held to their chests, and strolled through the living room and out onto the porch. They probably could have discussed more intimate matters around the newly minted great-grandmother, but talking in private felt a bit more respectable. As they eased themselves into a matching pair of rocking chairs, with the warm rays of setting sun washing over them, they made themselves comfortable.

“Sooooooo,” Babs mused, an impish tone to her voice, “I know Mac’s been sneaking off to your room. Before you say anything, no, I don’t mind a bit - hell, the big bastard’s libido is more than enough to keep me satisfied. What I’m wondering is how you do it…”

“Ya mean, after I had the twins?” Bloom asked.

“Yeah, exactly!” the slightly older mare chirped. “I don’t know about you, but I was sore as a bitch for a few weeks after I had Little Mac.”

Bloom’s cheeks darkened, she looked away, and she ground her thighs together. “W…well Ah always heard that havin’ a foal was pretty unpleasant, but that won’t the case with me. Ah must’a cum four - maybe five times when I was in labor.”

Babs stared at her cousin in disbelief, eyes wide and jaw hung slack. “Bullshit! There’s no way.”

“A…and,” Bloom hesitantly continued, feeling her marehood hungrily clench upon itself, “that night, after Ah delivered, I may’ve sweet-talked Mac into plowin’ me in the hospital…” Save for the soft sound of rustling leaves and a slight breeze, the air between them fell totally silent. “What?! Don’t look at me like that!”

The older mare’s surprise gradually gave way to a perverse, impish smirk, as she leaned forward and gently punched her cousin’s shoulder. “Bloom, you little slut! Now I know why the Apple family is as big as it is!”

Sheepishly nodding, realizing there may be some truth to her cousin’s words, Bloom did her best to ignore the subtle ache in her loins. “Y…yeah, I reckon that does make a bit of sense.”

It wasn’t like she was ashamed of fucking her brother, yet it didn’t quite feel right that she’d become an adulterous element in her cousin and sibling’s relationship. Though neither Mac nor Bloom seemed to mind her inclusion, it felt a little funny tangling herself in a taboo love-triangle. Telling herself that she shouldn’t be so bashful, given that their kids were going to be growing up together, she smiled and looked out to the horizon - at least she started to, before hearing Little Mac start to protest.

“I swear to Celestia, I’m gonna have to pick up some formula for him - that or get some of that potion you picked up from Zecora,” Babs groused, lifting and gently rocking her fussy, clearly unsatiated foal.

Peeking down at Butter and Jam, only then realizing they’d stopped nursing at some point between the living room and porch, Bloom pursed her lips. “Give ‘im here, Ah ain’t quite empty yet.”

Babs didn’t need to be told twice, pushing herself up and stepping over to the girl. “Alright,” she whispered, “one at a time.” Bloom did likewise carefully rocking forward and standing.

Playing hot potato with a trio of babies wasn’t as easy as it would appear, yet they managed the job handily enough. With Babs holding Butter and Jam, and Bloom hefting Little Mac in her hands, they sat back down to bask in the sun. Even if someone had known that the two were related, and that their foals were delightfully inbred, it was a heartwarming scene nonetheless.

“Come here, you,” Apple Bloom cooed, pressing the fussy bab’s muzzle to one mountainous tit. The second his lips met her leaking teat, he latched upon her and started ravenously feeding. As a contented, almost sexual maternal thrill coursed through her, doing nothing to help her moistening panties, she grinned from ear to ear. “Ah gotta say, if’n he keeps eating like this, we might need to rename him Big Big Mac.”

Bloom stared down at the large colt, wondering just how much he’d end up growing, then slowly looked over to her own foals. She was overjoyed to have one child of her own, much less two, yet knowing they’d have a half-brother to grow alongside. If there was one thing that life had taught her, it was that family meant more than any treasure in the whole wide world.

Big Mac and Applejack had been there for her entire life, looking after her and being two of her best friends, but the age difference between them had always made things feel a bit jilted. There’d been times when she wanted to be with them, helping or accompanying them on their adventures, but she’d only just gotten old enough to even remotely feel like their peer - a problem her twins wouldn’t have to deal with. Butter, Jam, and Little Mac were born only a few months apart, so they’d be able to tackle life’s trials and tribulations together.

“You think they’ll get along together?” she faintly inquired, smiling down at the large, nursing foal.

“They’ll fight and stuff, sure, but I know they’ll be close - after all, just look at you, Big Mac, and AJ. I’d bet my bottom bit that you three got into it more than a few times, yet you’re thick as thieves now,” Babs quietly chuckled, not wanting to disturb the pair of placid youths in her arms. “But you wanna know one thing I’m absolutely certain of?”

Turning her chair to face her cousin, the scarlet-maned girl cocked her head. “What’s that?”

“That you’re gonna be - no, you already are a damn good mom,” Babs proclaimed. “I haven’t heard these two cry once since we’ve been home.”

“Shucks, it ain’t nothing,” Bloom bashfully sighed, feeling her flush return. “If’n Ah’m being honest, Ah just follow my instincts with ‘em.”

“Well your instincts must be a good bit stronger than mine - shit, I was a nervous wreck when Little Mac came into my life,” the older mare laughed.

Hearing the remark, Bloom straightened up. “Speakin’ of, if you ever wanted me to look after Little Mac for ya, Ah’d be pleased as punch. Now that Ah’m done with school, Ah’ll have plenty of free time.”

Babs rocked back in her chair, staring over at the younger girl. “You mean it?”

“Of course Ah do! Ah figure you wouldn’t mind havin’ some time for yourself, and Ah really wouldn’t mind tendin’ to the little - well, not-so-little guy,” Bloom giggled.

“If that’s the case, I might take you up on it. When I was in town the other day, Filthy Rich told me that he’s looking for a cashier for his shop. Considering we got two more mouths to feed, it might not be a bad idea for me to start pulling my weight -” Babs muttered, peering at the orchard, “that or I could work here at the farm.”

“Well Ah’m sure AJ and Mac wouldn’t mind you lending a hand,” Bloom merrily noted. “As a matter of fact,” she continued. Spotting her sister appear from behind the nearby barn, she silently waved an arm to draw her sibling’s attention.

AJ paused and looked at them, only reluctantly turning to trot up towards the porch. Her pace was slow and measured, she kept her eyes on the ground, and her shoulders were slumped. Though it was clear to see that something was bothering the stalwart mare, it was an absolute mystery as to why she seemed so out of sorts.

Stopping a half-dozen paces from where the pair sat, she cocked her hip and adjusted her stetson. “What is it, Bloom?”

Apple Bloom had been mere moments from bringing up the subject of Bab’s possible employment, but seeing her sister in such an odd state derailed her thoughts. It had been a bit odd for AJ to excuse herself in the living room, but now she knew something was wrong. The smile fled from her lips, as she anxiously adjusted her nephew.

“Babs was wonderin’ if she could chip in around the farm,” she murmured.

“Ah don’t see why she couldn’t. City slicker or not, she’s got the muscle and build to do put some work in,” AJ disinterestedly replied. While she didn’t seem opposed to having their cousin contribute to the homestead, there was clearly something nagging at her - something she didn’t want to address.

Steeling her resolve, Bloom drew a deep breath, slowly exhaled, and looked her sister in the eyes. “What’s wrong, Applejack? You’ve been actin’ kinda funny since y’all got back from Manehattan.”

AJ immediately looked away, turning back towards the barn. “Ah don’t wanna talk about it. Just holler for me once dinner is -”

“Come on, Applejack, can’t you see that your sister’s worried about you?” Babs interjected, causing the mare to stop dead in her tracks. “Just be honest with us…”

Wheeling back around, AJ leered at her cousin. “Don’t you go usin’ that word with me, Missey!”

“Why?” Babs countered, steadily standing to face the Element of Harmony. “Your sister was honest enough to spill the beans about what she and Mac did! I was -”

“She ain’t mah sister!” AJ blurted.

A deathly silence fell over the trio, with a sudden panic settling over Bloom. “If…if Ah ain’t your sister, what’s that…” the words died in her throat, as she noticed tears forming in her sister’s eyes. “A…Applejack?”

“Bloom,” AJ uneasily began, her voice quavering ever so slightly, “you’re mah daughter.”

Turning her head and looking between the two, with her mouth agape, Bab’s eyes went wide. “How? Who’s the father?”

Bloom kept her lips sealed, processing what she’d just heard. While was far from a mathematical genius, typically scoring Bs and Cs in her arithmetic, she did some quick calculations. She’d always considered it odd that Pear and Bright had conceived Applejack and Big Mac over a decade before her, like something hadn’t added up, but now it made sense. She hadn’t lost her parents shortly after being born, they’d been there with her, looking over her the whole time.

“Why?” she whispered, the breath hitching in her throat. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

AJ’s expression was singular, a mixture of woe, regret, and anger, yet that didn’t stop her from acting. Trotting up and onto the porch, she marched over the deck, extended her arms, and hugged the shocked young mare. “We wanted to - lord knows, we wanted to, Bloom,” she sniffed, trying and failing to remain composed.

In one of the rarer moments in her life, Bloom wasn’t sure what to say. She certainly hadn’t expected to learn that her brother and sister were actually her father and mother respectively, but she inexplicably knew it had to be true. Taking care to secure Little Mac in one arm, she hugged her mother as best she could.

“Why didn’t you tell her?” Babs respectfully pressed. “I mean, isn’t it a thing for Apples to fool around with family?”

“Not when they were as young as AJ and Mac,” Granny halfheartedly grouched, tottering out the door and onto the wooden deck. “It’s one thing for two adults to have a roll in the woodshed and wind up with a youngin, but it ain’t that simple when the two ain’t hardly adults themselves.”

Bloom wiped her cheek on AJ’s shirt, drying a tear from her cheek. AJ and Mac must’ve been pretty young to conceive her and would’ve been in no state to raise her by themselves - nevertheless, something didn’t add up. To be sure, after spontaneously calling who she’d assumed to be her brother Daddy, he would have had some sort of reaction - that was if he was aware of their true relationship to one another.

“Does Big Mac know?” she asked, pulling away and staring up at her mother.

Breaking their embrace, AJ stepped back and awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck. “Well - uh - ya see-”

“Naw, he don’t know!” Granny testily asserted. A brief moment passed, holding everyone’s attention, until she rolled her eyes and threw her hands up. “We had to do something! After finding out he was gonna be a dad, the big lug was happy as all get-out and too darn hard headed for his own good.”

“Bloom,” AJ sighed, taking the girl by the shoulders, “you don’t understand; he would’ve told everyone that we’d knocked boots and had you. You know good and gosh-darn well that Ah ain’t one to stir the pot, so having all of Ponyville knowin’ that you were our foal would’ve raised too many questions and too many eyebrows.”

“But you’re totally fine with Bloom having two foals with her father,” Babs snorted, looking none too pleased with the revelation.

“Don’t you get sassy with me,” Granny quipped, wagging a finger at the rebellious mare. “For starters, this was before an Apple was an Element bearer and best friends with the Princess of Friendship - secondly, if’n we play our cards right, ain’t nobody gotta know where the foals came from. Folks might raise a few questions and wonder who the father is, sure, but they can wonder until the cows come home.”

Bloom stepped back, holding Little Mac to her teat. To say she was surprised to find out that her parents weren’t dead would be an understatement of monumental proportions. A curious mix of emotions welled up within her, but one rose higher than the rest - regret. If she’d only realized that AJ and Mac were her parents, she would have cherished them even more than she already did - moreover, the fact that they’d done something to Mac didn’t sit well with her.

Staring daggers at her grandmother, a righteous indignation filled her. “What did y’all do to him?”

Granny’s shoulders slumped, as she shuffled forward. “We used a spell to wipe the memories out of that hard head of his. Can’t know something you don’t remember.”

Seconds from chastising her grandmother, the sound of a faint sniffle caught Bloom’s ear. Looking over, she only then noticed tears streaming down her mother’s face. Be it from the impassioned exchange, the cat being out of the bag, or some combination of the two, the normally even-tempered mare had lost her composure. Seeing the woman cry was yet another unforeseen and wholly unexpected development in the emotionally charged afternoon.

“We tried,” AJ tearfully professed, burying her face in her hands. “We really tried our best to raise you like one of your own, but it was for your own good. The thought of you gettin’ picked on in school, having to grow up knowing your parents were close kin, was something we couldn’t put you through. It was for your good - Ah swear it was.”

There were times in one’s life where words weren’t sufficient - for Bloom, this was one of those times. Walking over to Granny, she lifted and offered the then-sated Little Mac over to the wizened mare. She couldn’t care less if she was shirtless and out in the open, there was something she needed to do. Trotting around to Applejack, she wrapped her arms around her forlorn mother.

It took everything she had not to cry, but she needed to be strong - not just for herself, but for one of the ponies she held most dear. As she held Applejack in her embrace, drawing the older woman’s attention, she gave the broadest smile she could muster. The circumstances may have been odd, exposing her as the offspring of a pair of siblings, yet there was one thing that hadn’t changed - her love for her family.

In spite of grappling with the bizarre circumstances, she tightly hugged her mother. “Ah…Ah can’t really say I agree with what y’all did to Mac, but…but…” she gulped, giving voice to something she’d always wanted to say, “I love you, Mom.”

And just like that, with that one simple word, the dam broke. AJ’s composure was sundered outright, she pulled her daughter close, and she openly sobbed. Seeing her mother in such a state, after discovering her mother had been so close to her all along, Bloom swiftly followed suit. Holding one another, the pair didn’t suffer alone for long.

Babs leaned in and pressed herself against the duo, while keeping hold of Butter and Jam, with Granny Smith following suit moments later. While some families may have been undone by something so conventionally taboo, the Apple family would only grow stronger by such an event. The clan now had three new members - members who’d be loved, cherished, and cared for with all the heart that the household could muster.

Minutes dragged by, before Bloom finally released her mom and shied away. “So should we tell Mac that he’s…” she trailed off, letting the question hang.

“Ah suppose it ain’t gonna hurt anything, given the circumstances,” Granny sighed, giving a small shrug. “Ah figure it’s only a matter of time until someone spills the beans anyhow, so sitting him down and telling him that his newest youngins are his half-grandkids ain’t gonna hurt nothin’.”

“You sure?” AJ countered, wiping her face and straightening her shirt. “Seein’ as how he’s still ridin’ high with his three foals, it might not be the best time to break the news to him.”

The elderly mare leveled a finger at her grandchild and nodded. “That’s exactly why we should tell him now, if we tell him at all. Ah reckon you could tell him we’d built the farm on a volcano, and he wouldn’t be all that bothered.”

“I just wanna see how he takes the news,” Babs snickered.

“Well we ain’t gonna have to wait for too long,” Granny muttered, peering past the group and to the road. The trio of younger mares turned and looked to the well-beaten path, spying a large, unmistakable silhouette plodding closer. “Just a matter of who gets to tell him…”

Without saying a single word, Bloom leapt from the porch and took off at a full sprint. She loved Big Mac with all her heart, even more so now that they’d become lovers, and if there was anyone who’d earned the right to tell him he’d missed out on decades of being a father, it was her. Clad in nought but her skirt, with her breasts swaying and wobbling on her chest, she rushed to meet the stallion who’d won her heart.

Mac sighed, readjusting the sack of oats on his shoulder for the umpteenth time. It hadn’t been a particularly trying day physically, but he felt exhausted. Having to explain how he’d managed to sire a set of twins, with his sister noless, to Granny, Babs, and AJ had been one of the most nerve wracking moments of his life, but everything had gone smoother than he’d anticipated - that being said, his troubles were far from over. Having a trio of foals to look after, alongside the rest of his family, would be a prolonged and taxing ordeal.

Lifting his head and looking to the farmhouse, he spotted a hastily approaching figure; he could tell at a glance that it was Applebloom, but something wasn’t right. It was all well and good for her to be happy to see him, but seeing her running so frantically set off alarm bells. Glowing, praying nothing was wrong, he eased the sack down and broke into a jog.

As he made his way to meet her, slowing once he was a few dozen yards away, he slowed, however Bloom wasn’t nearly as restrained. Before he could react, crossing the gap between them with staggering speed, she bounded into the air and tackled him to the ground. Small though she was, her additional heft and momentum left him on his back in a heartbeat. As he reflexively held her back with one arm, she peppered his neck with kisses.

Reaching his chin, she pushed herself up and stared down at him. “Sorry about that, Ah’m just excited to see ya!” she bashfully giggled, leaning in and kissing the end of his nose. His nonplussed expression must have done the trick, telling her that her explanation didn’t quite cut the mustard, prompting her to clear her throat. “Ya know how you’re happy to be a father?”

He nodded slowly, giving a mute, silent answer to the peculiar question. “Eeeeyup.”

“Ain’t no easy way to say this, so Ah’m just gonna put it out there. Turns out you’ve been a father for longer than you thought,” she continued, only exacerbating his confusion. “Ah’m your daughter!”

Grabbing her shoulders and pushing her up, he steadily got to his feet. He’d heard all sorts of outlandish stuff in his time, but this may’ve taken the cake. There was no possible way he’d forget having a kid, let alone one as wonderful as Apple Bloom, so the notion was absurd. Shaking his head, dismissing the idea outright, he turned and plodded back to the oats he’d abandoned - that was until his sister grabbed his wrist.

“It’s true, gosh darn it! Granny Smith and Applejack told me they brainwashed you into forgetting everything!” she insisted, pulling him closer.

“Yeah,” Applejack somewhat reluctantly admitted, having trotted up to greet him, “it’s a long story, but it’s the truth.”

“Sure is,” Granny added, handing the oversized foal over to AJ. “We can go over the details inside, but these youngins don’t need to be out here in this cool weather for too long; Ah thought y’all would’ve known better than that.”

“Yes, Granny,” Babs and AJ replied in unison, smiling to one another and turning back to the house. The wizened mare followed along behind them, leaving Bloom and Mac to themselves.

The pair locked eyes, as a slight breeze cut through the orchard. Though neither said anything, they both understood that their lives had taken another strange turn. Initially siblings, then lovers, and ultimately a father and daughter, their relationship had been one heck of a roller coaster, yet they cherished one another all the same. Shifting her hand lower, Bloom laced her fingers with his.

Trotting alongside the massive stud, Bloom craned her head to look up at him. “Mac, can Ah ask you somethin’?”

Still grappling with everything that had transpired, it took Mac a moment to reply. “Eeeyup.”

He wasn’t sure if Discord was somehow involved, but he’d managed to involve himself in the most incestuous love family that Equestria had ever seen. He’d sired a foal with his cousin, apparently had conceived a kid with his sister, then knocked up his daughter - if ever there was a wild tale of love, passion, and debauchery, he’d never heard of it. Still very curious to hear the specifics as to why he didn’t recall becoming intimate with Applejack, yet willing to wait until he could get the full story, he grinned over at Bloom.

As he smiled upon her, she drew to a halt and turned to face him. “Is…is it alright if Ah still call you Daddy? Not in a lewd way or nothin’, but genuine like.”

Out of all the things she could have possibly asked, she said quite possibly the only thing to pluck at his heartstrings. He’d always wanted to raise a child, yet he’d unwittingly done so and tended to her since she’d been brought into the world. In one swift, careful move, he leaned over, scooped her up, and brought her into a Princess carry. He couldn’t care less how she was related to him - the only thing that mattered was that she cherished him as much as he cherished her.

“Ah love you, Daddy,” she hummed, pressing her cheek against his chest.

Feeling as though he was walking on clouds, he beamed. “Ah love you too…”