“Plumbing weren’t around in those days,” Applejack had told him. “Not like today. Not in Ponyville.” Her lips pulled into a half smirk. “Used t’ be families would bathe together too, to conserve water. Things have changed since then, but I reckon it still works.”

Anon mulled over the farmpony’s words. He spared her a quick glance, nestled in the crook of his arm. She leaned against him, resting her head atop his chest. Her closed eyes and slow, methodical rising and sinking of her chest gave her a serene sort of quality.

An inexperienced eye would have a hard time linking the currently sleeping mare to the insatiably lustful beast that nearly rubbed and rode his dick to a small knob. He carefully shifted his hips and winced. For the second time in as many days he became well acquainted with the fabled stamina of the earth ponies.

He’d heard the three pony tribes likened to a competitive race. Pegasi favored lightning-fast sprints. Unicorns preferred friendly, evenly paced races. Earth ponies were in for a grueling days-long marathon across hostile terrain, unpredictable weather and steep inclines that would crush the unprepared.

He didn’t place much stock on these generalizations, at least not at first. Now he wasn’t so sure.

Once Applejack recovered from their second roll in the hay and he filled her in on the disparity in stamina between their two species, the otherwise cool and collected farmpony became like a mare possessed and took it upon herself to get a firsthand account of his supposedly superior stamina.

Anon gladly obliged and so Applejack indulged herself, riding him again and again until they lost track of how many times she climaxed atop him. Spent, sweaty, and out of breath, the two rutted themselves to exhaustion.

It was later on, when the two were able to stagger back to their feet (and hooves) that Anon found himself in a familiar predicament. He reeked of a mare. He couldn’t well make his way back to Ponyville in that state, at least not until he was able to grasp the full meaning of the consequences.

Luckily, Applejack came to the rescue. Cautiously, scouting ahead to make sure neither Big Mac nor Applebloom were around, Applejack unlocked the door to the cellar of her house and ushered him inside. He’d been down here on occasion. The family mainly used it for storage. Barrels took up half the spacious room, stacked up to the ceiling, a good number of them filled with aging cider.

After moving some items around, Applejack revealed a hidden door. Inside was, to Anon’s astonishment, an old-fashioned communal bath. Applejack fiddled with a release mechanism and a torrent of water rushed in from a hole in the wall. Years of unuse had left the bath—composed of smooth and polished stone—relatively dirty. Black water flowed down the exit hatch, carrying all the dirt and detritus until all that remained was pure, sparkling clean spring water.

Applejack returned with some soap and in the two went. The water was cool; a pleasant contrast to the otherwise warm, humid room and he scrubbed himself over and over until Applejack gave him a cursory sniff and declared him clean and smelling fresh.

By that point the sudsy water had warmed up considerably and the day’s activities took their toll on their bodies.
Which led Anon to his current position, fighting the exhaustion that threatened to overtake him so as to not disturb the sleeping mare.

She mumbled something and pressed her small, warm body further against him. With a surge of affection for the farm mare, he hugged her a bit closer.

What now?

He hadn’t given the matter much thought, having instead vague, half-formed ideas of further testing out his newfound interest in mares—more specifically with Rarity and Pinkie Pie. But now Applejack had come into the mix, leaving him again with the question of where to go from here. Friends with benefits, if everything he’d learned was anything to go by.

Not a completely unappealing prospect. All things considered, it’s probably the best outcome possible for his situation. After all, it’s not like he could see himself sharing a future with a lifelong partner. Not unless a human girl somehow magicked her way across time and space to Equestria. Then again and up till yesterday, he did more or less resign himself to never having sex again and look how that turned out. Maybe a potential partner wasn’t out of the realm of possibilities?

He shook his head. Here he was, getting ahead of himself. Ponies weren’t humans. They operated by different rules. Sex was one thing, but who’s to say they’d even consider him for a stable relationship? Would both parties be expected to casually hook up with other ponies regardless? Would they remain exclusive to each other? And what if the mare wanted foals? It’s not like he could give them any... unless they wanted to go the adoption route. But, would the state even be willing to allow a human to adopt? What if...

He shook his head again. Definitely getting ahead of himself.

Beside him, Applejack stirred. She pulled away from him, groaning softly. Her eyes lazily fluttered open.

“Hey, partner,” she said softly, a small smile upon her lips.

“Hey.”

She cracked her neck and sighed contentedly. “Thanks. For a good time,” she added.

“Anytime.”

Applejack chuckled. “Careful now, partner. Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” she said with a smile and wink. “’Sides, I wouldn’t hog ya all to myself.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know.” She waved a hoof. “Gotta share, gotta care—like Pinkie Pie liked to say.”

“Share... with the rest of the Elements of Harmony, you mean?”

Applejack nodded in approval. “See, now yer gettin’... uh...” Her mouth clamped shut and she scrunched up her muzzle. “Wut?”

He cupped her chin, bringing the two eye to eye.

“AJ... is there something you want to tell me?”

“Nuthin’ I can think of, really.”

“So you’re not hiding anything?”

The corners of her mouth twitched. Beads of sweat pooled on her forehead.

“Course I am,” she said with false bravado. “Everypony’s got a right to their secrets, don’t they?”

Anon shrugged. “Fair enough.” And he released her chin. “Just making sure you’re not up to anything shady.”

Applejack relaxed considerably.

“Just tell me this,” he said casually. “How long have the six of you been planning to sleep with me?”

“Not that long, really. It’s only been cooking for—” A hoof slammed to her mouth. She regarded Anon with wide eyes.

“Hmm.” He considered this for a moment. “So what brought this on? I know Pinkie invited me for some fun back then. Dashie too, but they both stopped a long while ago.”

Applejack gawped. “You... you’re not mad?”

“Confused, mostly. I mean, I like you ladies well enough, but none of you have shown any interest for some time. Seems sudden, is all I’m saying.”

Applejack bit her lip. “It’s heat season,” she muttered.

“Come again?”

“Heat season,” she said more clearly. “The girls and I... we were hoping you could give us a hoo-hand. Help us through the estrus cycle.” At his questioning look, she continued. “You know, on account you can’t, eh, fertilize a mare’s fields.”

“Oh.” His eyes widened in realization. “Ohh. Wait, is that how that works?”

“Kinda, yeah. I mean,” She studied him closely. “How much do you know? Estrus and all that?”

He shrugged. “Just the basics, really. It happens once a year during early summer, though some mares experience a second estrus cycle later in the year. They get very in the mood and are super fertile, so most mares lock themselves inside their homes. They can also use a cooler or take some special tea to calm down their urges.”

“Is that it? Nothing else?”

“Not off the top of my head. Why? What am I missing?”

“Well,” she began carefully. “There’s a surefire way to get rid of the worst of it—all those urges you were talkin’ about.”

“And that is?”

“Ya gotta finish. Inside the mare. It’s gotta be a livin’, breathin’ stallion that does it—well, a livin’, breathin’ male, I reckon. It’s the only way for a mare to get some proper relief. Coolers help with it some, but it’s hit or miss. Moonblossom tea’s always reliable but doesn’t do enough; just takes the worst off it.”

“So when you said you girls were hoping I’d help you...”

“Shucks, sugar, do I really need to say it? We want yer dick, a good hard plowing and a big ol’ creampie to take the edge off. Bein’ in heat is... well, it’s bad enough when you have a stallion friend to help you with it—and even then he can’t finish inside, lest yer wantin’ foals. Going without, with only a cooler and the traditional ways...” she grimaced. “Ya wouldn’t understand.”

Anon leaned back, going over the information.

“And all six of you were in on it?”

“Yeah.”

“I see.” He studied the farm mare closely. “So, sex. That’s all it comes down to?”

Applejack nodded.

“Are we friends then? You and me? The others? Or is sex all you’re after?”

She cocked her head. “Huh?”

“What is this, between you and me? Am I only a glorified cooler?”

“Course not, partner. We’re friends.”

“So you’re not using me?”

“Using you? How?”

“For sex. Relief.”

Applejack frowned. “That’s a cold way to put it.”

“As opposed to what?”

“Friends. Friends helpin’ each other. To scratch their itch. Everypony does it.”

Anon sighed deeply. The building retort died on his lips.

“You know, I’ve been living here for a while now. It’s not too bad, once you get past the no humans, cars, electricity... all the modern comforts. You ponies are cool, too. Most of you. You live life to the fullest; take things as they come. Life here’s good. Peaceful.”

“But?”

“Every once in a while, no matter how much I think I’ve gotten used to things, something will come out of nowhere and slap me in the face. A reminder, I guess, that no matter how similar our people may be, we’re entirely different species.”

“I’m... not sure I follow.”

He waved a hand. “Don’t worry about it. Just...” He sighed again, leaning back against the wall of the bath. “I have a lot to think about.”

Author's Note

Full disclosure? The second half of this chapter did not go the way I planned.