Author's Note

Contains discussions about sexuality and herds, planned dates, and group hugs. How degenerate...

Rest of the chapters will be clop!

Into the Herd

Zecora stared at Applejack, the orange stallion that he was used to hanging out with as a buddy outside of his busy and erotic herd, asking to enter it and become one of them. The strong zebra stallion couldn’t pretend that the idea didn’t put him off at first, because Applejack represented time away from his subs even though he loved them very dearly. On top of that, Applejack was a far cry from the lithe and slim femcolt figures that Zecora had grown to have more of a preference for, being a masculine and muscular earth pony even though he wasn’t as tall or strong as the zebra stallion. But then he thought about how reliable and trustworthy Applejack was, and that he wouldn’t have asked such a bold question unless he really felt deep in his heart that he wanted Zecora and…the zebra stallion looked abruptly to his sub of choice that had brought the farmpony over. While Applejack was blushing, staring up at Zecora expectedly awaiting a proper answer, Elusive was making goo-goo eyes at the orange stallion. With sudden jarring realization, Zecora took a deep breath and collected his thoughts together.

“Well I won’t pretend that the suggestion didn’t give me shock,” Zecora admitted, Elusive snapping out of his staring to look at his Master with a big smile of his full and undivided attention. “That somepony that I thought only saw me as a friend would want to join my flock. Though you seem to have a preference for somepony in the herd that isn’t me, and everypony’s feelings should be free. I’m no stranger to my subs being fond of each other, though above all else it is my fat zebra balls you must smother.”

“Does that mean-”

“I am not done, for my attraction that I currently have for you is close to none,” Zecora spoke bluntly, half-expecting Applejack to cringe or walk away from the rejection. Though from Applejack’s mostly neutral expression, it seemed as though the earth pony understood. Perhaps while he had more feelings, they still weren’t half as big as his love for Elusive. Zecora thought about it, how happy Elusive seemed to be in Applejack’s presence and how deeply the orange pony cared for the unicorn femcolt. Elusive had only been a sub underneath Zecora for three months, an absurdly short amount of time in comparison to the subservience of Rainbow Blitz and Butterscotch, but the zebra stud was exceptionally confident of Elusive’s devotion to him above all else. And that Applejack was too honest to genuinely try and pull a fast one, knowing he never would’ve made a proposition unless he had some kind of feelings developing for the zebra stallion.

With that, Zecora gave a small nod as he had made his decision.

“Very well, here is what I have to tell,” Zecora began, noticing a flicker in Applejack’s green eyes as he continued. “Let me bring Rainbow Blitz and Butterscotch out of our shared room, and see if they too would like this idea of yours to bloom. If all four of us are on the same page, then I am willing to set the stage. Give dating a shot, and see if the herd benefits from what you got. If not for Elusive standing here, and for our friendship which is held dear, I don’t think I could’ve said yes. But your idea I wish to bless.”

Zecora beckoned his forehoof to have Applejack come inside the hut with his permission, Elusive trotting alongside him. There was a table near the cauldron where Applejack waited in a chair with Elusive sitting next to him while Zecora entered the main room of the herd. The orange farmpony, normally composed and level-headed, was overcome with a sense of shock as right in the moment he was going to get expectedly rejected, Zecora suddenly had a change of heart to the point where he was even asking the permission of his pegasi subs. There was muffled speaking, and Elusive’s half-lidded gaze of sapphires staring right at Applejack was too passionate to completely ignore. Applejack found himself torn away from trying to overhear what they were talking about when he turned to look at Elusive fully with a surge of arousal hitting his loins. Year after year of working relentlessly for his family, of providing exceptional quality to Ponyville with his food, Applejack hadn’t gotten to receive a fraction of the pleasure in both his mind and heart from the way Elusive looked at him. He couldn’t even care less that his longtime interest had the stripes of another that had claimed him, Applejack’s heart wasn’t to be deterred and he would follow the unicorn femcolt to the ends of Equestria if it meant giving his best shot at being with him.

If he had to fuck an entire herd at the end of this to be with Elusive, Applejack wouldn’t just do it, he would do it eagerly.

“Are you excited by his answer, darling?” Elusive giggled, staring at Applejack’s doey-eyed expression as if they were colts all over again. “I don’t think I’ve seen you this happy since we were young.”

“Yah, ah can’t believe…” Applejack gulped as he felt his heart flickering with renewed life and want, smiling gently as he was captivated by Elusive’s eyes. “Ah can’t believe my greatest dream would ever happen to me…well, second to my family getting a better life.”

“Well, I can take a guess as to what you’re referring to~” Elusive smirked and gestured his head in the direction of the bedroom door. “Though even if you have a favorite of us in mind, do remember the zebra stud that made both of your dreams come true. He didn’t have to help you after his subs left or even to indulge you being a part of the herd.”

“Yeah…” Applejack’s mind turned with the realizations that Elusive had brought to his attention, seeing the truth in them as while Elusive was the apple of his eye, Zecora had far more positive impact on the farmpony’s life. If the orange farmpony was to move forward with honest intentions, he knew he had to genuinely develop a mutual spark with Zecora in order for his place in the herd to work. Anything less and he would have to accept the loss with dignity. Humbling himself, taking a deep breath and thinking more with focus towards the zebra stallion that he had spent so much time with, Applejack felt a particular fondness blossoming about Zecora.

Then, he heard the loud and distinct voice of his former rival.

“No way!”

That was when Applejack winced, fearing that the blue pegasus would stomp around and refuse to share his zebra Master with the stallion that he used to despise. Before he could think twice about it, Rainbow Blitz had kicked the door open and flew towards Applejack in a blue-blurred frenzy. Applejack braced himself as Blitz knocked him out of his chair with the orange farmpony’s eyes as wide as saucers as he landed on the floor with the lithe blue pegasus pinning him. He briefly took in Blitz’ figure in the brief time since he had quit the Wonderbolts, drinking in how he still maintained a healthy level of exercise, but also let go enough to have a fat blue ass and a little more pudge. Then, his eyes moved to Blitz’ wide pink eyes as Applejack had realized that he was grinning down at the muscular stallion.

“I can’t believe you want to be Zecora’s sub!” Blitz giggled. “I knew I wasn’t the only one of us who couldn’t resist~!”

Applejack clammed up, not knowing what to say at the shocking response he got from the blue pegasus. He looked out of the corner of his eye, seeing Butterscotch slowly walking up to stare at the both of them with his eyes wide and a slight blush on his cheeks. Their interactions one-on-one ever since Applejack patched up the tension with Butterscotch was pretty rare, though the orange farmpony felt a pang in his heart at the fact. The yellow pegasus had a mental breakdown over something very understandable, and Applejack failed to be the friend he needed at the time. He promised himself that when he spent more time with Butterscotch, whether it was in the context of a herd or not, Applejack would make sure that he opened up properly to the pegasus. Though despite all there was to still say, Butterscotch still smirked as he eyed Applejack up and down…

“Let me make sure you are aware, so the surprise doesn’t give you a scare,” Zecora walked up beside Butterscotch, placing a foreleg over the pegasus’ shoulders and pulling him close. “One compromise I’ve made for the herd is that Butters is a switch, he has just as much right to the subs as I do if that makes your dick twitch…”

Applejack’s eyes widened as the discovery of the demure and fat-assed yellow pegasus sunk in, realizing that he would likely take Butterscotch’s dick as well as Zecora’s. Even though Applejack was turned on by any stallion that could get him closer to Elusive, the orange farmpony felt the pressure of the situation start to kick in. He wasn’t normally the kind of stallion to just sleep with multiple partners, though neither were any of Zecora’s subs before they fell in love with him. So Applejack took a deep breath as he spoke despite Rainbow Blitz still standing on top of him.

“Ah uh, think it's best to be honest and admit that mah heart is with Elusive in this,” Applejack gulped, watching Blitz’ smile morph into a look of unexpected shock while Butterscotch nodded with what seemed to be a lack of surprise on his end. Zecora nodded as well, and Elusive wasn’t in view for Applejack to analyze his reaction. “But ah won’t be a part of a herd that doesn’t feel like a natural fit for me, or vice versa. That wouldn’t be fair, so ah’d like to keep the dates one at a time and perhaps not get into…uh, orgy territory with y’all right away. Ah wasn’t exactly raised to be a herd-type a’ pony, mah parents raised us to settle down with one pony to bring as a member of the Apple family. And ah still don’t know how this will integrate with the rest of mah life, but ah won’t sacrifice taking care of mah family.”

“Nor should you, I’ll always make sure that my current help towards them stays true,” Zecora smiled with a nod. “Given the lack of feelings between you and me, taking everything slower makes perfect sense to me and probably the other three. Best to let everything occur naturally with a plan, so let me tell you where I stand. Obviously you and I will go on a one-on-one date first, then it’ll be Blitz and Butters for the second date since those two are more of a package deal…”

“And of course,” Elusive interrupted, already getting what his Master was putting down with a surprising lack of rhyme. Rainbow Blitz moved off Applejack finally, allowing the orange-furred powerhouse to sit up and stare at Elusive’s captivating and demanding eyes as he placed his own forehoof against his silky white and black chest. “We shall save your favorite for last, darling. I’ll make sure our date is one you’ll never forget~”

Applejack’s jaw dropped, skyrocketing desires clashing with one another as he fought to contain himself from further reacting. Elusive’s words were more confirmation that he was more than on board, very likely feeling the same way as Applejack. Even though that still raised more questions for the farmpony, Applejack was more than satisfied with that plan as he felt butterflies in his stomach with a slow nod.

“Take it that works perfect for you?” Zecora asked, offering a forehoof to help Applejack stand back up on all four hooves.

“Yah, it does,” Applejack barely spoke above a whisper, feeling mystified as he felt like his hooves were dancing on very thin clouds. Staring into Zecora’s gentle gaze, Applejack saw a certainty in them.

Don’t worry, Applejack. You’ll find you love zebra dick more than anything else~

Applejack gasped, feeling a ripple of shock and arousal surging through his body as his legs wobbled a little before the powerful zebra stud as he frowned.

“Is…everything alright, Applejack?” Zecora asked.

“Yes, yes! Definitely!” Applejack nodded, finding himself still truthful despite the surprising thought that reared its head. “Though, do you think you could come over tomorrow while mah family is out for our one-on-one date? That feels fitting more than anything else, and ah feel like ah already have some ideas forming around that…”

“Yes, I love it already,” Zecora smiled brightly, even blushing a little at the orange farmpony’s enthusiasm to impress him regardless of how the date would go. “Dates with the herd that are slow and steady. Group hug?”

Rainbow Blitz and Butterscotch rushed to each side of Applejack and opened their wings to rest on his broad shoulders, while Zecora walked up to him and wrapped a long and heavy foreleg around the orange farmpony’s neck. Elusive trotted up to Applejack’s butt and draped himself over the stallion’s cutie marks, hugging his back tight with his dainty forelegs as Blitz and Butterscotch also moved their wings against the unicorn’s silky shoulders and mane.

After the group hug, Applejack nodded and walked out the hut by himself this time as he trotted back to Sweet Apple Acres with his mind moving a mile a minute. Not something he intentionally hid, but while his family raised him to be a one-pony stallion, Applejack had only the occasional hookups to give some level of experience. Not only did Zecora not know that Applejack’s only experience was being a dom…

…but the bulking zebra stud didn’t know that Applejack’s series of dates were the first ones he’d ever have. That Applejack had never gone on an honest-to-goodness date before.

Oh Ma and Pa, what did ah get myself into?