A Taste Like Apples - Chapter 5

>The next morning begins much like the last.
>Wake up in the loft above the barn, get dressed, and go down for a hearty meal with the Apples.
>Big Mac is his usual tired self in the mornings; Granny Smith is bright and chipper,
>bustling around and serving meals to the four of you.
>Applebloom’s acting a bit weird – she keeps looking from you to your coltfriend, a little furtively, you decide.
>Not that she doesn’t find your romance adorable, but she hasn’t been paying rapt attention to it for a few days now.
>Who knows what Applebloom’s ever thinking. Applejack’s still not come back,
>but that won’t be a problem labor-wise for another week or so; the harvest is in a bit of a lull.
>You glance with irritation over to your mate, who’s barely conscious enough to eat, let alone talk.
>You down a swig of your black morning stimulant.
>Much to your initial dismay, ponies don’t drink coffee at all –
>at first, you’d thought you’d have to get over your addiction,
>but the first time you visited Zecora’s shack, you knew you were in luck.
>Everfree coffee is rather musky and strong, but that’s how you like it -
>in more ways than one, you giggle, scanning Big McIntosh’s powerful features.
>He’s toying with his black beans-and-apple breakfast burrito,
>his eyes lidded from early-morning funk, and his tail slapping lazily against the ground every few seconds.
>Applebloom’s still looking at the two of you suspiciously.
>Something’s definitely up.
“Hey, Applebloom.”
>”Yes?” She even responded too quickly.
“You heard from your sister recently?”
>You stare deeply into the filly’s eyes. A bead of sweat runs down her forehead – what’s she hiding?
>”Uhh… s-she’s in Ponyville…”
>As if you didn’t know that.
>Still, you don’t want to torment the poor girl just for being a bad secret-keeper.
>Although, she was fine and dandy just yesterday morning.
>What’s going on?
>You let her off the hook and strike up a conversation with Granny Smith.
“So, Granny, you finding it easy to make tortillas?”
***
>”Is everything ready?” Applejack is standing on a table in the vibrantly-decorated dining room of Sugarcube Corner.
>”Yup yup yup! The party’s scheduled to start at noon, the bakery's closed, and everyone's got their invitation!”
>”Thanks, Pinkie Pie. Applejack, when did you tell Applebloom to give them the letter?”
>”Eleven. The walk’s at least half an hour, Twilight.”
>”And are you sure the little filly did not reveal her secrecy?”
>”Ah trust my sister, Rarity. ‘Sides, even if she blows it, they’ll find out regardless.”
>”Are you suuure you don’t want me to zip over there?” Rainbow Dash is spinning in circles in the air.
>“It’s already eleven-thirty…”
>”No! Let ‘em come when they do. Everyone, get to your hiding spots. They’ll be here any minute.”
>”Aye-aye, cap’n!”
>”Sheesh…”
***
>You practically had to force a confession out of the poor girl.
>’S-she asked the two ‘a you to come to S-Sugarcube Corner at noon… uh, fer important… business.’
>She wasn't fooling you or your partner.
>Still, why would they throw you and Big McIntosh a party?
>You weren't hot on the idea, but if AJ’d been gone this long to plan it, you couldn’t let her down.
>That’s how you’d argued your way into dragging Big Mac along, though he’s been moping the whole way there.
>It’s noon on a Monday, so at least the streets are empty. He really wasn’t hot on showing his face,
>and you kind of feel bad for him. Still, you have to humor Applejack if she’s gone this far for you,
>whatever her reasons may be.
>You’re at the bakery. The lights are all off and the ‘CLOSED’ sign is in the window.
>You roll your eyes at the obviousness of it all, but wipe your expression away as you approach the door,
>hand on Big Mac’s withers, and push in the handle.
>A light flips on and half a dozen voices yell “SURPRISE!” in unison –
>rainbow-colored confetti falls from the rafters, streamers hang between every hallway and portal,
>and directly in front of you, well, behind the grinning faces of four or five mares,
>is a giant banner that reads “HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!”. The place is made up fabulously.
>Big Mac nearly freezes, and you clutch his side as well –
>even if you had a hunch, this blows all your expectations out of the water.
>The door closes behind you and Applejack runs up to greet the two of you.
>”Heya guys! We all just wanted to throw you a little celebration in honor of your third month in Equestria.”
“What?”
>”Whaddaya mean, ‘Anniversary’? What is this, Applejack?” Big Mac’s voice holds a touch of anger.
>”Oh, that’s what the banner’s… oh… wait, that could also mean…”
>Everyone suddenly realizes that today is the two-week anniversary of your relationship with Big McIntosh.
“You could really take that a couple different ways, you know.”
>You glance over and see Big Mac blazing in embarrassment,
>staring dumbly at the sign mistakenly proclaiming his new identity to the world,
>the very one he’d hidden himself away over for weeks.
>Applejack looks from him, to you, to him again, and runs off to pull it down before guests arrive.
>You hold your lover’s face and kiss him, and wrap your arms around his neck in an embrace.
“She didn’t mean it like that…
>He breaks off and chuckles lightly. “Ah know she didn’t... and as long as she takes it down, it'll be fine.”
>Maybe. You feel bad for the shy stallion,
>and nuzzle against his neck right there in the doorway, before anyone shows up.
>Speaking  of which, you pull him along into the dining room to chat with the girls.
>Applejack and her five best friends are all there.
>Luckily none of them noticed AJ’s little spaghetti moment at the counter,
>and you and your lover soon forget it too, as you strike up conversations with the ponies here for your ‘anniversary’.
>Ugh, Applejack, what were you *thinking*.
>No matter.
>Guests stream in intermittently – Caramel, Dr. Whooves, Goldengrape,
>Aloe and Lotus together, Lyra, Bon Bon, and a handful of others.
>Mostly, though, you stick with Applejack and Twilight, your coltfriend never leaving your side,
>as you discuss the goings-on of Sweet Apple Acres, your new life,
>and, to Big Mac’s irritation, your unlikely relationship.
>After a short while talking with your good friends,
>you look over to the counter and see Pinkie Pie lugging down a barrel of…
>Oh boy. This just got a lot more interesting.
***
>Your partner is swaying on his hooves, his eyes cloudy and his speech slurred from inebriation,
>as the two of you chat with the pink-and-pale blue spa employees currently tittering like schoolchildren.
>”Heh, heh, heh… we-hell, he’s a good lil’ rascal.” Big McIntosh messes your hair,
>and you playfully nudge against him for his flirtatious display of dominance.
>So much for shyness or reticence. He’s got a hoof around your waist he hasn’t moved in an hour,
>and he nuzzles his cheek against your head possessively any chance he gets.
>Not that you don’t enjoy the attention, even if it is just the obvious consequence of drunkenness.
>Vinyl Scratch’s tunes reverberate through the building  -
>though the DJ herself was a bit too high profile for the event,
>her drum & bass loops do an admirable job getting everyone into the spirit of things.
>You look over and see a devilish grin on Caramel’s face, hoof on his chin,
>as he flirts with an adorably unaware Doctor on the other side of the room.
>Well-groomed, but a bit too… skinny for your taste.
>You turn back to the two mares at the table with you, their coats and manes inverses of one another’s.
“S-so ghirls, how did you two meet each other?”
>”What? We’re twins.” Wait…
“Wha?  But I thought you –“
>A silencing hoof is kicked against your calf, ending the discussion. That’s really weird.
>”Oh, don’t mind ‘im, he hasn’t been spendin’ much time in Ponyville lately…” Big Mac semi-lucidly ends the topic.
>Eh, whatever. He’s the one banging an ape, you think,
>you really couldn’t care less about what these girls’ deals are at right this moment.
>Still, they seem pleasant enough, at least for being mares, and spa workers at that. Not your deal.
>You see that Applejack has instigated a square dance in the cleared-out dining room,
>and half a dozen or so ponies are paired up and dancing on two legs;
>Lyra’s with Bon Bon, obviously, AJ snagged Goldengrape,
>and Pinkie Pie somehow dragged Rainbow Dash of all ponies onto the dance floor,
>the blue Pegasus being dragged around by the elbow as she wears an annoyed look.
>”How’s everyone doing?” A purple-shrouded mug of cider levitates onto the table as your empty one is whisked away,
>Twilight using her magic to bring a fresh round for the group.
>Aloe and Lotus share a look and excuse themselves – offering their seats to closer friends, most likely.
“We’re h-havin’ a great time, Twilight. It’s great.”
>”Eeeeeeeeeyup.” With Twilight is Rarity and Fluttershy, who’s been a bit more outgoing than you’d anticipated.
>Pinkie DOES throw a lot of parties, though… perhaps it’s not surprising.
>The three girls sit down with their drinks, and Twilight pipes up first –
>”We’re really glad this went off without a hitch. We’ve been planning so hard –“
“Yeahhh… about that.”
>”What??” Her eyes are violet saucers of worry and concern. “Did something happen?”
“Oh, no, it’s nothing, it’s nothing. But ask Applejack about the front banner some time –“
>*Thwap*. Again with the kicking. The quiet Stallion’s obviously not comfortable thinking about this.
“Stop it, bully.”
>He complies, with a hiccup and an eye roll.
>Rarity chimes in to change the subject. ”This music, though… I suppose it’s appropriate, but…”
>You can sympathize. Never one for electronic yourself, Vinyl Scratch's arrangements do little for you either.
>Big McIntosh doesn't seem to notice it at all.
“N-not to your taste, Rarity?”
>”Well, not really. But this is your party, after all.”
>You lazily rub your woozy coltfriend’s side with a hand,
>everyone more comfortable with each other under the influence of cider.
>Pinkie Pie’s spinning on her head in the center of the makeshift dance floor,
>a ring of impressed onlookers obscuring your view.
>It's almost six by now, and there's no sign of the party stopping or slowing down.
>Someone brings another round for everybody. Just how much booze did AJ bring for this?
***
>Too much.
>Too much booze.
>If everyone weren’t going to forget this by tomorrow morning,
>you and all your friends would have good reason to never show your faces again.
>First, you’d thought it would be a good idea to climb onto Big McIntosh’s back.
>I mean, he always wears that giant yoke, even in bed, so why not?
>You definitely bruised your head when he threw you off of him,
>and you might have broken a table before Applejack calmed him down, you can’t tell.
>Fluttershy is inexplicably catatonic, clutching a worried Twilight as she gives a thousand stare into nothing,
>the two of them lying in a corner holding one another as the party gets very weird.
>Applejack’s speech, already accented,
>is so slurred that her enthusiastic attempts at joining conversations are earning uneasy looks.
>Rainbow Dash is coming on very strongly to an orange female Pegasus, very touchy-feely, even,
>though you can’t tell how the other mare is taking it.
>Rainbow isn’t being outright rebuffed, at any rate.
>Pinkie Pie is wearing a lampshade and wobbling aimlessly around,
>talking here and there and intermittently breaking out into a dance with whoever's around.
>The party's also definitely gotten bigger; there are a few faces here and there you don’t think you recognize, and the general noise level has ratcheted up noticeably.
>The only one who's appeared to have enough sense to pace herself is Rarity,
>and she’s now chatting with the also-lucid Aloe and Lotus near you.
>You, for your part, have been apologizing profusely to your lover for the past ten minutes,
>stroking his mane and holding him in a corner, but he doesn’t really say anything.
>You do deserve what you got. That really frightened him.
>He’s got his head in the crook of your neck, silently resting, too drunk and tired to think.
>The ceaseless music and din of conversation is boring into your skull.
***
>"Wake up, sleepyhead."
>You blink your bleary eyes to find Applejack standing over you;
>your head is spinning, and you get nauseous just looking around.
>Behind her, you see the sad and demolished ruin of Sugarcube Corner's dining room;
>the floor carpeted with crumbs and stains of unknown origin, glasses and plates strewn about like rubble.
>You actually did break that table when you tried to ride Big McIntosh. Speaking of which...
>"Big Mac, get up!" Applejack's shout goes unheard - the lout must be addicted to sleep.
>You playfully squish the skin of his face between your hands,
>but he just snoozes away, and so Applejack pulls you out of his cuddling with a hoof.
"So I guess we've gotta clean all this up?"
>"The Cakes only promised a day off work. We had to clean this place up by three hours ago."
>Your friends are doing the best they can –
>Rarity is sweeping the floors with a magically-held broom, and Rainbow Dash is clearing away serious debris.
>Such as the table your falling back snapped clean in half. When you tried to *ride* Big McIntosh.
>God, you hope no one remembered that.
"Where's everyone else?"
>"Pinkie's doin' dishes. Twilight took Fluttershy home late last night -"
>You make a naughty little face upon hearing that.
>Applejack slaps a hoof against her face - "No, no, to HER house. You saw how bad she was lookin'."
>You get to work wiping down the surviving tables, and Applejack grabs a mop,
>the five of you working your hardest to undo last night's catastrophe.
***
>By four o'clock, the place is as good as new, minus one dining table,
>and all signs of the party have been cleared away.
>Big McIntosh, having woken up very late indeed, didn't get to help out much,
>but at least he seems sober for his extended repose.
>Everyone else went straight home, except of course for Pinkie –
>the poor girl's probably getting chewed out this very second by her landlords.
>You and Big Mac decided to enjoy the rest of the evening in Ponyville, and the two of you find yourself at a pleasant little cafe,
>chewing on salads and mostly just looking into each others' eyes, as you are wont to do.
>He really had no trouble getting over last night's drinking, you notice - eyes clear, speech lucid, gallop stable.
>You wonder if ponies are more resilient to hangovers than humans,
>but then again your female friends were just as bad as you were.
>Big McIntosh is quite a big pony, after all.
>You think back on the night in a broader sense –
>maybe the party truly was what he needed to get over his shyness?
>Not that you think he was ever really all that shy, or even truly upset about his identity.
>He just needed a little prodding to get out of the farm, and frankly,
>you can understand why he didn't feel the need to –
>his three loves in life were all there for him to enjoy: his work, his apples, and you.
>Gosh, this salad is rather boring, you think to yourself.
>Dropping your payment on the table, you grab your coltfriend by the shoulder and leave,
>eager to return home after the last twenty-four hours.
>As you walk side-by-side through the streets of Ponyville, Celestia's sun setting behind the mountains,
>not a single pony takes a second look at the oddest couple around.
>Soon enough, you are in sight of Sweet Apple Acres, which visibly brightens Big McIntosh's expression.
>He turns to start walking for the house, but you lay a hand on his flank as he does so.
>"Huh? What is it?"
>He turns to you, puzzled, and you make a cute little gesture towards the barn –
>gently biting your lip, a coy smile from cheek to cheek.
>You aren't fooling anyone, you little devil.
***
>Big Mac pushes you down onto the bed, towering over your unclothed form,
and presses his dusky red  lips against your own -
>kissing you eagerly and passionately such that your head swims,
>and you can think of nothing but the happiness welling through your body.
>You gasp as he draws his mouth down to your neck, kissing and nibbling away at your skin.
"S... stop it, Big Mac..."
>He looks up, and gives you a slow, languid lick up the side of your neck.
>He's such a tease...
>You tickle underneath his forearms to get his attention, and he collapses on top of you in a giggling fit.
>Now it's your turn to kiss him; running your hands through his mane and down his back,
>you can tell your efforts are having an impact.
>His penis brushes against your thigh, and you gasp -
>you've been dreaming about this for weeks, you're nervous,
>expectant, but you've done all you can to prepare yourself; you trust him.
>You lie beneath the panting, crimson form of your stallion lover, and your eyes plead your desire.
>Without a word, and spreading your legs as far as they can, Big McIntosh presses against you,
>slowly, agonizingly penetrating your body with his throbbing cock.
>"You okay?"
"Fine... keep going."
>You flash him a smile to alleviate his worry. He's... very big, and both of you know it.
>Big McIntosh thrusts into you tentatively, his hooves wrapped around your back,
>and his eyes staring into you, judging your reactions for any sign of pain or discomfort.
"Big Mac, really, I'm fine. Go faster..."
>"Y-ya sure about that?"
"Yeah. Take me, a-as hard as you... aaaah~"
>He thrusts into you roughly, bottoming out against your ass,
>and settles his head against your neck as he proceeds to fuck the living daylights out of you.
>Quiet little squeaks escape your throat as this massive stallion thrusts into your deepest recesses time and again,
>the thick, veiny texture of his cock pressing against your prostate every second.
>You clutch his back and moan into his fur as this continues for nearly half a minute,
>before his endurance gives out and he climaxes inside your ass,
>reflexively thrusting into your abused hole as jets of hot, sticky seed flood your intestines.
>Several seconds of his sustained orgasm go by before he slips out,
>collapsing beside you on the bed while a light dribble of cum leaks from your butt.
"Oh, Big McIntosh..."
>It's your own fault you fell in love with such a short fuse.
>Pumping your prick with a hand, you quickly achieve release of your own;
>still, the cute, exhausted face he's making is absolutely worth it.
>Not bothering to clean yourself up or put on any clothes,
>you cuddle up against Big McIntosh, and fall into a deep, happy sleep.