Author's Note

Disclaimer: Violence tag is primarily for this chapter for past reference and detailed depiction of assault with no injury afterwards. Racism, homophobia, discrimination against open relationships depicted primarily in this chapter.

Pairing: Zecora/Applejack
Also contains sneaky exhibitionism, blowjobs, doggy style, anal, shower sex, facefucking, followed by breaking news, complex family drama, generational trauma, grieving of deceased loved ones, paranoia, dysfunctional family members + accepting family members.

Last Night at Sweet Apple Acres

“Nnnngh, fuck, oh holy shit Zecora don’t fucking stop~”

Applejack’s green eyes rolled to the back of his head as he had his forehooves pressed against the trunk of one of the apple trees deep within Sweet Apple Acres. They had the discreetness to make sure that it wasn’t anywhere close to the barn itself, and Zecora kept a close eye for anypony that could’ve been walking towards them. But the normally insanely reserved dom earth pony couldn’t have fallen further from who he once was over the past two months. The normally muscular body he had consistently maintained from working nearly every day from sunup to sundown had loosened as his limbs went from jacked to moderately muscular, still stronger than the average earth pony. He had gained several pounds, a lot of that fat landing in his rear as he spent far less days working and more days going out on dates with the herd and/or getting absolutely railed by his lovely new Zebra Master.

However, while making out with the once hotheaded Rainbow Blitz and even blowing each other off many times, Applejack didn't so much as go beyond a kiss with Butterscotch after that night. The plushy yet dominant yellow pegasus kept to the comfort of fucking Rainbow Blitz and Elusive, while getting fucked by Zecora many times. They still witnessed each other getting fucked as they were part of the same orgies being in the same herd, but if Applejack had to guess, it was one thing to forgive somepony for hurting you and another entirely to be in a romantic and sexual relationship with them. Applejack wasn’t wounded by it, knowing that being with Butterscotch completely like he was with Zecora was something to be earned and not something that he was merely entitled to being in the herd. The orange farmpony wanted it to happen naturally, knowing that it’d be all the greater when it finally happened.

Applejack’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head as he tried not to bray into the sky with how good the dicking was, gritting his teeth as he blushed heavily and felt his untouched dick throb and drip with pre-cum. Zecora’s midnight black zebra meat was stuffing Applejack’s dark orange asshole to the brim with his fat zebra balls slapping against the farmpony’s pathetic little oranges, the big striped behemoth grunting and huffing as he fucked the orange stallion like a beast possessed. Applejack’s longer blonde mane, something he let grow out happily since becoming Zecora’s bitch, had his signature hat on top even though that wouldn’t last long. Zecora leaned forward, grabbing Applejack’s Stetson hat with his teeth as he tossed it to the side and into the grass where it remained. Applejack was very much used to this, finding it degrading whenever his past sexual partners tried to do the same gesture to be sexy. But when Zecora did it, it very much felt like his right to do so. His tail had also grown longer as well in addition to his mane.

Applejack glanced out of the corner of his eye between euphoric and mind-numbing thrusts to see the wheelbarrow full of apples, including the ones from the tree they were fucking against. It blew the orange farmpony’s mind that they somehow got all that apple-bucking done with the amount of “breaks” that they took. With Big Mae and her boy-toy off on the other side of Sweet Apple Acres and Apple Buck with their grandfather, Applejack got to truly savor the plowing that Zecora was delivering to him. Zecora snorted and enjoyed the pounding he was giving Applejack, knowing that he could be a bit rougher with the farmpony due to his earth pony body and his growing penchant for bondage and taking it rough. Knowing the different ways to properly fuck his polycule, from being flexible with Butterscotch, being very deviant with Rainbow Blitz, and fucking Elusive as his exotic Prince, Zecora’s zebradom was slightly tailored to fit what each of his subs wanted out of him. And Applejack’s deep-seated desire to be fully controlled in his life and give it all up to a generous Master? That was something Zecora was more than happy to give.

Though Zecora knew that with the sun setting, he would have to finish up and rip off the band-aid of what they planned on doing when returning to the barn. Pushing those thoughts to the side, Zecora sped up his thrusts and delighted in the whimpers of his more feminine earth pony, watching in real time as he was about to break.

“Oh fuck, yes please make this zebra mare cum without her clit being touched!” Applejack begged, raising his voice but making sure not to scream even in his neediest moments. He was starting to feel his orgasm rising to the surface, the absolute destruction on his p-spot demanding that he cum the only way he was allowed as his eyes rolled to the back of his head. The pleasure was maddening, he was no longer able to think, as his tongue lolled out of his mouth and he drooled into the grass. Applejack brayed, unable to contain himself as he nearly blacked out when he came. He cut off his bray as quickly as he could, cumming pathetic ropes of earth pony seed into the grass as he pressed his blushing cheek against the roughness of the tree bark while panting like a bitch. Zecora kept pounding him at the same pace, arguably having sped up a bit at having made his femcolt cum, while Applejack remained blissfully half-aware and just taking it as he should.

Applejack couldn’t get enough, feeling his fatter apple-marked ass ripple with the savage plaps Zecora gave like a carnal machine until Zecora huffed and snorted once more when he filled Applejack to the brim as he hilted his newest femcolt. Leaning forward and biting Applejack’s neck, the orange femcolt yelped and shuddered as his “clit” twitched hard from the sudden flash of pressure while feeling that hot superior zebra cum flooding his backdoor and marking him once more. There was no more dominant pony here, no suitor to claim Elusive anymore as he was simply a bitch alongside the same Master. Even the days when they were buddies were long in the past, their dynamic having drastically changed even if the general friendliness remained intact. Zecora sighed with warm content as he emptied his balls into Applejack again, having dedicated the entire day to helping and fucking and helping the Element of Honestly only. Butterscotch was busy teaching at the School of Friendship, and Rainbow Blitz and Elusive? Well, they were up to a whole different project entirely as of a few days ago, and the zebra stud couldn’t be more proud of their initiative.

With the hut being the size Zecora was content with as a single bachelor, that was no longer the case as he now had four ponies as his subs, lovers, and property. Simply put, the zebra stallion needed a much bigger place for him and his ponies to call home, and that’s where Rainbow Blitz and Elusive came in. With a love for design, and a love for getting stuff done fast, Rainbow Blitz and Elusive were a team to be reckoned with. The white unicorn made sure to hire a group of construction workers, and interior designers, while Rainbow Blitz managed them most of the time with maintaining the utmost efficiency. With a lot of the crew having upscale magic, a lot of the building work was already done and it was merely testing out different parts of the house to make sure it was stable and sound. And for the next couple of weeks, there were substitute teachers for some of Zecora’s subs except for Butterscotch who insisted on being there while the two subs were overseeing a new house and Applejack was overseeing dropping some serious news on his family. Though in a couple days, Applejack would return to his teaching duties.

“Fuck, your bray not getting us caught was quite some luck,” Zecora laughed as he wasted no time sliding his cock out of Applejack’s backdoor. Stray drops of his zebra seed fell from his flaccid cock and into the grass as Zecora glanced behind him for quick measure before turning back around and smacking Applejack’s ass. “Now let’s go and take a shower to appear well, so that your family isn’t able to tell~”

“Y-Yes, that sounds like a great idea,” Applejack shakily got off the tree, feeling his backdoor gaping in absence of the fat zebra cock that fucked him over and over again. He missed it, tempted to seduce Zecora into fucking him a second round. But he knew the big burly stud would need a few minutes to recover, so he trotted towards the wheelbarrow full of apples and hooked himself onto it before galloping down the hill. “Last stallion to reach the barn sucks the other’s dick!”

“Rich words from somepony carrying the weight of a wheelbarrow,” Zecora scoffed, his heart fluttering as the strong friendship that they had for many months was still very much intact. He loved Butterscotch, who subconsciously would always be his favorite, but Applejack came as a very close second considering how well they got along platonically before developing a proper relationship. He stood there not moving for several seconds as Applejack galloped fast towards the barn even with the wheelbarrow attached to him, humming a tune to himself, before Zecora laughed and galloped after him. Applejack was close to the barn, victory in his eyes as he imagined that against all odds, he would win as he’d touch the barn and Zecora would suck his cock for the first time.

Then, in lightning speed, Zecora flashed past him and pressed both forehooves against the red wall of the barn with a growing smirk.

“I even gave you a generous headstart, though you knew I’d be the winner deep down in your heart~” Zecora laughed, removing his forehooves off the barn wall and trotting towards Applejack with a glint in his cyan eyes. Applejack stepped forward, his heart racing from more than just the gallop to the barn as he moved forward at the same time as Zecora. Their lips connected, Zecora’s heavy zebra musk overpowering Applejack’s nostrils as he eagerly submitted to the zebra’s tongue swirling around his own. With a sudden jolt of realization, Applejack pulled away with his eyes wide.

“We forgot mah hat!” Applejack gasped.

“Don’t you have a collection of them in your room? There’s no need for that sense of gloom,” Zecora reassured Applejack, who chuckled and nodded in agreement before he unhooked the wheelbarrow and began to bring the apples inside with one foreleg curled against his chest. Zecora helped, and watched as the rest of the apples in the wheelbarrow lit up with a magenta hue of magic. The big zebra stallion looked over his shoulder to see a certain svelte pink femcolt’s horn lit up with magic as he trotted down the hill.

“You two should really let me take care of these, I’m the one with the horn!” Sugar Beau giggled, eyeing Zecora up and down as he got closer. “And uh, probably shower before they spot you both, I can smell you from here!”

“Oh shit, thanks,” Zecora’s eyes widened as he even forgot to rhyme, tossing his apples back into the wheelbarrow for the pink femcolt to get later. He rushed inside and waited till Applejack placed the apples in the fridge to pull the orange stallion to his side as they rushed into the bathroom, thanking his lucky stars that Applejack’s family hadn’t started cooking yet. Closing the bathroom door and locking it, Zecora exhaled a huge breath of relief that he didn’t even know he was holding in.

“We should really stop chancing it like that, your whole family doesn’t need to know you’re a submissive brat,” Zecora groaned as he looked up at the ceiling and rolled his eyes with the brief headache that rolled and passed.

“Maybe you should stop pinning me against trees n’ dirt if ya feel so strongly about it,” Applejack smirked, turning around and flashing his ponut as he moved his long blonde tail to the side. Zecora bit his lip, feeling himself starting to get hard again as the orange stallion played at his carnal weaknesses. While powerful in his dominance, Zecora had a much harder time restraining himself as he had his pick of four submissives now. He felt invincible in his capabilities, having the better number of the Elements of Harmony under his sexual spell, though he felt unable to stop at this rate. Would Dusk Shine and Bubble Berry be next? Would they eventually succumb to his Zebrican charms? Zecora snorted hungrily as he couldn’t stop himself, smacking Applejack’s bubbly apple ass with a sharp thwack with little concern if anypony in the barn heard or not.

“You could just wait a few hours longer, and we can have all the fun we want without sneaking around like first loves,” Zecora’s frustration stopped him from rhyming for a brief pause, still getting hard by the moment as he rushed over to the shower stall and turning on the water to allow it to get hot. He stared intently at the water, taking a few deep breaths as he was becoming more and more welcome to the idea of giving Applejack what he wanted one more time before they broke the news. After all, it was no guarantee that Applejack’s entire family was going to take it well and Zecora wanted to relieve his sub’s stress as much as possible up until that point. Turning around and getting a faceful of Applejack’s fat ass, the orange stallion wiggled his cheeks as he smirked at Zecora.

“Yer sure that’s how ya want to go about it~?” Applejack asked with a wink, and Zecora took a deep breath as he pressed a forehoof against the orange stallion’s apple cutie mark. Zecora patted Applejack’s cutie mark a couple more times as he turned around and walked into the shower as he stared his orange femcolt up and down.

“Why don’t we start washing ourselves up at least a little,” Zecora muttered, barely hearing himself as his mind was getting locked in on his apple stallion’s enchanting charm running circles around his brain. Only a couple months in, Applejack was already doing stuff to him he didn’t see cumming. Zecora beckoned Applejack with a forehoof as he continued. “Clean up all the cum and spittle.”

“Yes, Master~” Applejack turned around and trotted towards Zecora in the shower, blushing at how the zebra stallion’s normally big mohawk fell against the side of his head from the hot water cascading down his muscular figure. He grabbed the green apple-scented soap from the side of the shower stall before running it through his orange fur while Zecora worked on rubbing shampoo through his sub’s long blonde mane. The few minutes of quiet would’ve calmed Zecora down if it weren’t for the fact that his long zebra pillar was resting in the middle of Applejack’s orange ass cheeks. His footlong dick was completely hard at that point, Applejack’s sinful teasing playing on repeat in his head, and Zecora was almost completely certain that the orange stallion could feel his dom’s dick nestled in his ass.

“It’s going to be a lot to deal with later,” Applejack admitted, trying not to think of the anxiety-inducing possibilities that had wracked his mind over the past several days. “And ah would like to know if ya like to be serviced, Master, it’s okay if you don’t want to do that here.”

“It’s not like a sub like you could make me do anything I don’t want to,” Zecora smiled as he pulled his dick away from Applejack’s cheeks, watching as his sub turned around and looked up at him with his bright green eyes. “But relieving stress is something I want to do…”

Zecora didn’t really want to get Applejack braying in the barn where they’d almost definitely get caught, so this time, the big zebra stallion stood up on his hindlegs as quietly as possible. Placing his forehooves against the wall of the shower, Zecora brought his fully erect cock to press against Applejack’s lips as he felt the orange stallion start sucking on him right away. Zecora sighed and closed his eyes as Applejack took inch after inch of his black dick past his lips and down his throat, getting almost all of it inside before moving back until only the tip was in his mouth. He moved back into the same spot, and repeated, until the orange stallion was bobbing his muzzle up and down Zecora’s cock while the big zebra simply remained in place and relaxed. Eventually, as he’d get close, Zecora knew the session would end in him facefucking his sub. But for the moment, Zecora took deep breaths and felt his concerns for the future slipping away as he enjoyed the hot warm pleasure of a mouth around his bitchbreaker.

“Glk glk glk,” Applejack sloppily made sounds around Zecora’s dick, his eyes rolling to the back of his head as he worked his Master’s dick automatically while savoring his own dark orange cock getting hard from blatantly servicing his dom in the bathroom of the barn. Zecora felt this go on for a few moments longer before he decided to take control of the situation.

“Time for you to remain in place, as I bestow to you my Zebrican form of grace~” Zecora huffed, ready to ‘punish’ Applejack for his insolent teasing and seduction in such an inappropriate place and time. Applejack was more than ready, stopping his sucking on his Master’s cock as he remained still and breathed intently in and out from his nostrils. The morning before Zecora had showed up, Applejack took his daily potion to ensure his throat wouldn’t be destroyed and sore beyond belief by the zebra’s big fat cock. So just the breathing and remaining still was the only real pressure to the situation as Zecora slowly pulled out till only the tip of his dick was inside Applejack’s mouth, like the moment of silence before a battering ram attacked. Applejack was hyper-aware of each moment he had before Zecora would put him in his place and unleash an onslaught of thrusts that’d wreck his mind and most likely would make him cum without his dick being so much as touched.

Applejack’s long blonde tail wagged back and forth in anticipation, and Zecora snorted as he slammed his entire cock inside the orange stallion’s muzzle. His fat zebra balls slapped against Applejack’s chin like plapping thunder before he swiftly pulled back and slammed forward again, the loud sound of the shower water falling upon both of their furry bodies being their saving grace that kept anypony from hearing them. Applejack moaned as Zecora moved in a swift and ravenous blur, ready to claim the orange farmpony for the sixth time that day alone. What turned on the orange stallion even more was the fact that they’d fucked more in one day than Applejack had fucked any single one of his past partners. Zecora was truly a paragon of masculinity and carnal prowess, and Applejack couldn’t see it working out with anypony else no matter what happened in the future. He’d just be broken and sexually unsatisfied without Zecora to guide him into the light.

“This is so fucking hot, just letting yourself be facefucked like a little thot,” Zecora sneered. “Though you’ll need to stop moaning or else I’m going to have to stop, and give myself a quick clop.”

Applejack’s eyes widened with realization that he was moaning in the first place, his heart nearly stopping with fear of getting caught as he stopped and desperately contained himself as he was moments away from cumming. He was dancing upon severe arousal and modesty for the last night he would need to, especially with the big decision he’d come to make up his mind on that would be life-changing. Zecora kept passionately ravaging his mouth and throat as he facefucked the stallion without remorse, Applejack feeling his jaw nearly stretched to its reasonable limit as he desperately fought his body to make sure that his teeth didn’t scrap against Zecora’s dick. This certainly wasn’t something he would’ve done for the stallions he had hooked up with before, though for Zecora, Applejack not only did it but did such a depraved act with insane euphoria lighting up his entire body. He felt more happier at the receiving end of his powerful and wise zebra than he ever had saving Equestria or spending time with the other Elements. Barely managing to keep himself from braying, Applejack whined a little as he came hot white seed to the bottom of the stall and down the drain.

“Good femcolt, that’s how you handle a sexual jolt,” Zecora snickered, proud of Applejack for managing to keep his voice down almost completely as he slapped his balls against the underside of the orange farmpony’s muzzle a few more times before he hilted his entire zebra cock inside the stallion’s mouth and throat as he sighed and began to unload his ropes of superior seed. Applejack moaned a little, feeling those ropes of zebra goodness land directly in his stomach and blessing his body for nearly a minute before his stretched jaw was finally given a break as Zecora pulled his cock out of the orange stallion’s muzzle. Applejack took large breaths in and out as he gasped for air, his blush starting to subside as Zecora smiled and moved around his sub as best he could in the shower stall. He grabbed the soap, vigorously washing Applejack’s rear to make him as presentable as possible.

After a while, Zecora and Applejack were not only washed, but dry and had their manes brushed and looking presentable for his family. Even if Grandpa Smith seemed irked very much by Zecora’s presence, something the big striped stud didn’t fully understand, he was still surprised to see just how seriously the Apple family took the title of Honorary Apple. He was always automatically invited by Applejack and the others to be part of family dinner, even Grandpa Smith was too grateful for Zecora’s help to be rude and turn him away.

They had stepped out, with Big Mae already almost done with the food, though Applejack and Zecora were quick to step to the big red mare’s aid and sort everything into plates for all six ponies. Grandpa Smith fixed his scowl to not be glaring at Zecora, the skinny green stallion sitting at the end of the table while Apple Buck was sitting at the other end. Big Mae took her seat beside her coltfriend on one side of the table, while Applejack and Zecora sat with their plates on the other side of the table across from them. To everypony in the table, it was abundantly obvious that they had started seeing each other. Applejack had made a loud announcement the day he went out on a date with Elusive, after all. But what Applejack planned on saying, nopony was expecting.

The six of them tucked into their food, making small talk here and there as Grandpa Smith mostly kept quiet as he did over the past two months. Applejack didn’t see that he was going to talk anytime soon, so he took a deep breath and decided his path of full honesty was the best one to take.

“Ah’m going to be moving to Zecora’s hut,” Applejack announced, getting wide eyes from everypony at the table except for Zecora. Still, the orange stallion continued. “Well, to the new big house that Rainbow Blitz and Elusive are overseeing close to Twilight’s castle and the School of Friendship. But obviously the hut until the new place is finished. Ah’m rambling, mah point is ah’m moving out of the barn. Most ponies move out from their family’s place anyhow, and Zecora’s potions have ensured that the barn practically runs itself! All it needs is one or two ponies to keep it going. And even if ah don’t show up every week, Zecora still will show up every week so long as y’all keep paying him a percentage of the profits. Same as normal. But yeah, ah’m moving out. So…”

“You don’t have to explain it,” Big Mae smiled generously at her smaller brother as she looked down at him. “We know all of this already, except the moving out part. We’re happy for you, you’ve done so much for the farm and Equestria. You deserve to sit back and enjoy a relationship for yourself.”

“Me and Big Mae will run everything, and Apple Buck will take on more responsibility as he gets older,” Sugar Beau reassured Applejack. “And our foals will carry on the farm too when we’re all gone. There’ll always be Apples running the farm, but not every single one is required to. That just wouldn’t be fair.”

“Ah don’t mind doing it whenever we’re not helping ponies get their cutie marks!” Apple Buck quipped. “Ah’m happy for you, Applejack! As long as ya still visit me every once in a while!”

Applejack and Zecora looked expectantly at Grandpa Smith, whose attempts at masking his own glare were long since abandoned as he glared at the big zebra stallion with full ire before looking to his granddaughter and her coltfriend.

“Alright, one of y’all better get Apple Buck out of here,” Grandpa Smith scoffed. “He shouldn’t be here for what ah gotta say, and ah’ll say it regardless of if he’s here or not so don’t test me.”

“Okay, sorry Apple Buck,” Sugar Beau shook his head as he got out of his chair and magically lifted the young colt out the door. The pink stallion femcolt glanced over, disappointed in Grandpa Smith, before both him and his marefriend’s brother were out of the barn and out of hearing range. Big Mae refused to move from her spot, glaring at Grandpa Smith as she had long since known just about what he was going to say. Zecora turned to look at his newest sub’s grandfather, his demeanor softening significantly as his shoulders dropped and his frown grew. He knew in Equestria that herds weren’t the norm, and Grandpa Smith had to be hurting with the growing idea that Applejack was used goods and wouldn’t be romanced or get a chance to be himself. And with Applejack abandoning a lot of his old traditions and sense of self, Zecora couldn’t blame Grandpa Smith for thinking this way!

Though, problems within the old stallion that were deep-rooted such as his outdated views on zebras had no real excuse.

“Grandpa Smith, you’ve seen how dedicated I’ve been to making sure your family is happy and fed, long before Applejack joined the herd I’ve so far led,” Zecora explained. “A player would not go to such painstaking lengths to get in between his flanks, sorry for being so frank.”

“Are ya sure about that?” Grandpa Smith scoffed. “Based on what ah’ve heard from the likes of y’all, Rainbow Blitz and Butterscotch’s relationship was on the brink of ending, and Elusive was overworked and dealing with crippling loneliness. Now you prey on a stallion that loved that fella for years after saving his family from financial ruin. If ya ask me, that seems carefully constructed and intentionally executed. Listen Zecora, ah’m old and that means ah see shit these young’uns don’t see. Ah’m not stupid.”
“Sir, they all came to me, not the other way around you see,” Zecora corrected the old green stallion as he shook his head.

“And you took advantage of their need for help?” Grandpa Smith snorted. “Shame on you, this is why we should’ve kept honest and hardworking earth ponies in the family.”

“Excuse me?” Big Mae’s eyes flashed wide, moving out of her chair and towering over her grandfather.

“You sit down, yer lucky ah even let that unicorn in this barn,” Grandpa Smith scoffed. “Thinkin’ he’s better than us with that magic of his, never able to understand the hard work we’ve committed to everyday without those shortcut spells to make everythin’ easier. At least he’s got a good heart and means well, and isn’t taking you away from the family farm, even if he’s an arrogant unicorn. But this zebra-”

Grandpa Smith glared at Zecora, who didn’t rise to the challenge like Big Mae did, but met his eyes as he sat there and listened.

“-has brought nothing but corruption that has made my grandson lose all the values he once held dear,” Grandpa Smith snapped, and Applejack finally felt the need to speak up.

“Don’t you think that after saving Equestria several times, ah’ve earned some type of enjoyment for mahself, or after Zecora has made our profits explode several times over?” Applejack protested, trying to understand how his grandfather couldn’t at least be grateful enough to Zecora for appearances. Grandpa Smith’s ears flattened as his muzzle scrunched up as he looked down at his half-eaten dinner.

“We wouldn’t have needed to resort to accepting the help of a zebra if your parents hadn’t died,” Grandpa Smith shook his head, his eyes watering as he took shuddering deep breaths. “Ah’ve tried mah damn best to keep us thriving but we’ve barely been able to stay afloat. Such a horrible tragedy, and it might as well have destroyed the entire family with such a devastating loss. If they were still here, they would’ve never allowed their daughter to bring home a unicorn, let alone their oldest son with a zebra that’ll just treat him like another piece of meat.”

Grandpa Smith let tears fall down his face as he glared at his grandson, challenging him to say something as the scrawny green stallion was grieving. Applejack felt his heart pounding in his chest, his mind feeling violated with the growing insults to Zecora and the assertion that Pear Butter and Bright Mac would’ve hated the stallion he had fallen in love with. He almost didn’t want to challenge his clear racist grandfather, seeing in his shattered gaze that he was suffering from the same loss he was. With a sudden jolt, Grandpa Smith’s eyes widened as he shook his head and glared at Zecora.

“It’s even worse than ah thought,” the green stallion stood up and stomped towards the zebra stallion. “You just needed to claim a stallion that didn’t have a fatherly role model in his life, didn’t you? Saw that none of his coltfriends were doing it for him, and you had to swoop him up because he had no parents to teach him right from wrong?! You don’t need to rub it in that his grandfather couldn’t protect him, because ah’ll do it right here and now!”

“Grandpa, enough!” Applejack shouted, though Zecora got out of his chair and braced himself for the old stallion’s blows to the zebra’s chest and forelegs. Being significantly taller than the green stallion, Zecora lifted his head high to dodge the blows the old stallion was trying to deliver to his face. He swung and hit as hard as he could, only for his feeble blows to bounce off Zecora’s body like steel.

“Hit me back you disgusting striped beast, you’ve already stolen mah family from me!” Grandpa Smith bellowed.

“I will not,” Zecora planted his hooves as firmly into the wooden floor as possible, continuing to brace himself for each blow until Big Mae rushed forward and hooked her muscular forelegs around her grandfather and pulled him off the zebra stallion with ease. Grandpa Smith stopped struggling almost instantly, not willing to accidentally hurt his granddaughter even at his worst. Even if his grandson was another story. Big Mae glared down at the green stallion that had been disgusted with the stallion that she loved most, though she felt torn with the fact that this was her family. Somepony held dear. Applejack got up from the chair and rushed to Zecora’s side as he leaned against the tall zebra stallion.

“Zecora, ah-”

“It’s okay, I wouldn’t ever ask you to ‘protect’ me from your family,” Zecora flicked Applejack’s tail gently with his own as he nodded at Grandpa Smith. “I do apologize that this conversation didn’t go better, maybe next time I’ll bring a really nice sweater.”

“And Grandpa?” Applejack waited till the green stallion turned to look at his grandson. “For the record, Zecora saved us from financial ruin because Butterbat was the one who caused it and he was making up for what he did. And Zecora didn’t even know ah liked Elusive till long after they started dating, these events all just happened the way they did and that’s not his fault.”

“And what about yer parents?” Grandpa Smith scoffed.

“That’s just an outdated stereotype about gay guys, that they all don’t have father figures,” Applejack rolled his eyes, slapping his forehead with his hoof and shaking his head before placing his forehoof back on the wooden floor. “Ah’d still keep trying to win ya over on this, but after assaulting mah partner, yer kind of lucky he’d even still come over to the barn with the potions!”

“Since that has come up today, I would like to say I’m going to hire a mail-pony to come here in my place for several months after my current stay,” Zecora narrowed his eyes the tiniest fraction, anger slipping not because of Grandpa Smith’s assault, but because of the trauma that he had inflicted on his own family. He knew that while Applejack wouldn’t cry in front of his family, Zecora was well aware that the orange stallion was hurting far more than he’d let on. Nudging Applejack towards the door gently, Zecora exhaled sharply as he was finding it harder to mask his explosive anger. Applejack refused to look at his grandfather, feeling a waterfall of grief held in as he refused to show the old stallion how horribly he scarred him.

Then, Grandpa Smith shouted after Applejack as he walked out the door with Zecora walking beside him.

“Ah see him holding back his anger, don’t come crying to me when he leaves you with a black eye!”

Zecora gritted his teeth, and restrained himself from slamming the door closed with his back leg to prove Grandpa Smith’s point. Though apparently that wouldn’t be necessary as Applejack’s green eyes shot wide open as he whirled around and galloped back into the barn, shouting at his grandfather.

“Don’t worry, Grandpa Smith, he isn’t anything like you.”

Zecora’s anger melted away in an instant, turning around and looking at Applejack in a mixture of shock and amazement at the orange stallion’s bravery. Applejack didn’t even bother to slam the door like last time, his head held high as he used his blonde tail to close the door normally as the couple trotted through the hills with neither Big Mae or Grandpa Smith following them. Zecora gulped as he knew that Applejack wasn’t going to be in good spirits for a while, let alone in the mood. Though that was the least of his concerns as he glanced down at Applejack.

“You…you never told me about that,” Zecora muttered, blushing a little as he took in Applejack’s downcast expression. “Does he, has he ever-”

“He doesn’t believe in hitting foals or mares,” Applejack shook his head as he answered Zecora’s question. “He never laid a hoof on me until ah was an adult, and that was after…after ah came out as gay.”

Zecora glanced over his shoulder at the barn, and Applejack gently bumped into the zebra’s shoulder as he smiled at his Zebrican Master.

“Don’t, there’s no point in hashing out since it was before the two of us even met,” Applejack sighed. “That uh, doesn’t mean it’s right or nothin. But that…was a lot, acting like ah’ve been ruined because mah parents aren’t around to ‘stop’ anything.”

“I’m sure they were too sweet to think such awful thoughts,” Zecora reassured Applejack, and the orange stallion nodded slowly as they’d left Sweet Apple Acres. The feeling of his hooves leaving the soil, not to return on a daily basis anymore, didn’t feel as hard as it would before. If anything, Applejack felt a weight lifted off of him. He didn’t have to carry a family legacy on his back anymore. He didn’t have to pretend to be this perfect Element of Harmony.

He could be honest.

And the emotions of everything that had happened hit him like a sack of bricks as tears poured down his face, Zecora’s eyes flashing wide as he leaned against Applejack as they entered the Everfree Forest.

“Hey, it’s alright,” Zecora reassured Applejack as best he could, even if the big zebra stud felt his heart twisting at Applejack’s loud heaving the moment they had left the farm. “We can still visit them every so often-”

“No, it’s not that ah miss the farm,” Applejack shook his head as he gulped at the realization, the words of stinging honesty something that might’ve defied his family far more than dating a polyamorous zebra did. “It’s that ah was never happy there.”

“Oh,” Zecora left it at that, not wanting to sway his dearest friend’s opinion as he waited for Applejack to continue.

“Ah loved mah family, at least my siblings and Sugar Beau,” Applejack explained with a shuddery breath. “But the constant work, even after saving Equestria several times over, was tearing me apart. Ah had no love life, barely even had time to hang out with friends. Had to deal with months of Grandpa Smith going from blatantly homophobic to pretending like he accepted me the whole fucking time. Only for him to jump and backtrack the moment ah decide yer what ah want. Ah don’t know what mah cutie mark is any good for if ah don’t want to buck apples anymore.”

Zecora thought back to how Rainbow Blitz abandoned the Wonderbolts completely, somehow still finding meaning in his cutie mark in having flashy colorful outfits thanks to Elusive. He knew that Applejack certainly didn’t want to work anymore, not the vigorous and brutal way he did before from sunup to sundown. But he and the herd had to figure out how to give him meaning again, and that was easier said than done. All Zecora could do now was be the pillar of emotional stability he had steeled himself to be over the past year and a half since he began this herd.

Zecora gently nibbled and kissed Applejack’s blonde hair and orange-furred ears as they had reached the hut, surprisingly empty considering Butterscotch passing out at his own cottage and the other subs working on the new house. Considering Applejack was red-eyed and had nostrils filled with blubbery snot, Zecora determined that to be for the best as he opened the door for his sub and allowed Applejack inside. The orange stallion passed Zecora’s cauldron and made a beeline for the bed that was made by one of the subs, something the zebra stallion made sure was done by one of them every morning. Applejack walked past it to the bathroom, washing his face for a couple of minutes before shaking off the droplets from his fur and jumping on the bed.

Zecora was glancing over his potion shelf when he heard Applejack whine.

“Is everything alright, shall I hold you for the rest of the night?” Zecora asked.

“Yes please,” Applejack groaned. “Ah forgot mah hat again.”

Zecora giggled quietly to himself, guessing that Applejack would likely not desire wearing it anymore now that he was a new pony. Though, for tonight, Zecora understood as he walked to the bedroom with different intent than normal. Instead of pounding his newest sub, Zecora closed the door behind him and got into bed with the orange stallion, draped over him and whispering sweet nothings as the painful energy of the day temporarily faded into the wind and into a dark and welcoming sleep.