> Your Bitter Sweetheart on the Rock Farm > by Israel Yabuki > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Grouchy New Boss > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your Bitter Sweetheart on the Rock Farm Written by Israel Yabuki Edited and co-written by NineTailBeastBall Optimistic, that was the word that describes you better than any other. Growing up as the youngest son and having two older sisters is a pretty difficult life, especially when it’s just you, your sisters and your mom looking after you. Your father was a great man, but he sadly passed away a week after you were born. These days you were pretty much on your own, as your sisters treated you like a pest and wanted virtually nothing to do with you. Be that as it may, you still remained positive. Such behavior rewarded you with making some good friends at school. Your friends understood the situation you had with your sisters and thought they were just jealous they couldn’t match up to your kindness some others do. As for your mother, she took a liking to your optimism because of how it resembles her late husband. You saw that as another reason why your sisters didn’t want you around. Even though you had to say goodbye to your friends upon moving onto college, you managed to keep their numbers so you could stay in touch. At the same time, you had no problem making new relationships at the university. During your time there, you had decided to study to become a sculpture as you always had a fascination in artwork, especially when it came to crafting things out of clay. As you grew up, you developed the desire to create things from more complicated material. Some time after graduating, you continued to improve your craftsmanship moving on from clay to making things out rock. You managed to sell things like garden statues and bird baths. Your name was spreading pretty fast and soon, people outside your hometown wanted to purchase your work and with the extra money, you made that possible. Right now, you were going through your sketchbook trying to come up with a new idea for the next statue. You were debating between a statue depicting the birth of Venus or an angel reaching its arms out on each side as if using its powers to bless the property. You of course were going to make sketches of both ideas so you could decide between the two later. In addition to sculpting, it took many years of practice to learn to draw as well as you could today. You were forced to put such sketches on hold, for as of right now, you’ve got your work cut out for you. You just remembered the request you got from your mother to create a custom-made statue of you, her, your father and your two sisters. Even if your said sisters didn’t appreciate your work, at least your mother does. Folding a corner of the paper in order to bookmark it, you flipped to a new page in your sketchbook and started by drawing your father’s face. “Wish you were still around dad...” you said, temporarily getting depressed. You used the picture your mom sent you as a reference to help you memorize what your dad looked like when he was still alive. Though you didn’t need the picture that much, since you’ve grown to look so much like your father. You took breaks now and then, but after about an hour and a half, your family drawing was almost complete. All that was left was to put yourself into the drawing. Just as you were about to continue where you left off, your phone began ringing. Looking at the caller ID, you saw it was none other than your mother. You couldn’t possibly ignore her calls, no matter how busy you were and immediately answered the phone. “Hello, mom. What’s up?” you asked. “Honey, I’m sorry to bother you like this, but I need you right away... I feel like my time is running out,” she said over the phone. “What are you talking about? What’s wrong?” you asked, getting a little panicked. “I’ll explain everything to you once you get here,” she said over the phone. “I’ll see you later on, okay sweetie?” “Alright, just hold on a little longer, I’ll be there as quick as a flash,” you replied before hanging up your phone. You didn’t even mind that in your rush you accidentally stepped on your sketchpad. There were far more important things to worry about. Despite how scared you were about that phone call, you made sure to respect the speed limit as you drove to the hospital on your motorbike. Parking upon arrival, you rushed inside and asked the woman at the front desk where your mother’s room was. She told you exactly where she was resting and gave you directions on how to get there. Opening the door, you were horrified to see your mother laying in bed with an I.V hooked up to her and to no surprise, your sisters were there, too. “It’s about time you arrived,” one of your sisters growled, but you ignored them and rushed over to your mother. “Mom, what happened?” you asked, gently grabbing her hand and rubbing it tenderly. “Sweetheart... I wish I had told you sooner, but I didn’t want to interrupt your work. My liver seems to be failing and the doctors say there aren’t any liver donors with the right blood type to perform the operation...” she answered weakly. You looked at your sisters, who simply raised their eyebrows at you. “Hey, don’t look at us, you little imp!” your eldest sister, Sheena scowled. “Our livers might be the same blood type as mom’s, but there’s no way I’m giving up my liver just to make mom suffer the loss of one of her daughters,” Kerry added “It’s fine, girls, but I’ve told you a hundred times to stop downsizing your brother! Think of how your father would feel if he could see us right now. He’d be sad and brokenhearted to see our family fall apart...” she said as weakly as before. “Mom, stop bringing up daddy already! If he hadn’t made you give birth to this little trog, none of this would’ve happened!” Kerry argued. “Mom, changing the subject… what blood type are you?” you asked. “W-Well, last time I checked I... I have A-type blood, why?” she asked. In that moment, you put on a smile... of sadness. “Then I know the perfect donor,” you said before turning to the doctor. “Excuse me, may I talk with you for a minute?” “Uh, sure...” he replied, feeling a little hesitant. You walked with the doctor outside of the room and chatted with him. “If I understand correctly, my mom’s liver is failing and she needs an organ donor with the same blood type as hers. Well sir, I wanted to ask you something regarding this situation,” you said. “Yes?” he nods. There was a sudden pause between you two until “...I want you to give my mom my liver. It’s type-A blood and it’s healthy as an ox,” you said. “W-What? Are you sure you want to do this, I mean... “ “My mother has been my pillar of strength and for her to die like this just won’t do it for me. If I have to die to save my mother’s life, then that’s fine. Just grant me this one last request after she’s back on her feet: Put me on a life-support machine long enough for me to say goodbye,” you explained. Tears were coming to your eyes as the doctor got everything set up. Before you knew it, a lot of time had passed after requesting to donate your liver to your mother. You weren’t sure how long you were passed out, but man you felt numb and tired. Looking up at the wall, you notice the clock read 11:30 and outside, the city street lights were on. You were surprised to know that you were asleep for 8 hours. “Wha... ah man... I can’t move,” you groaned to yourself. “I see you’re finally awake, sir,” a male voice said. You look over to the foot of your bed and see a doctor with a smile on his face. “That was very noble of you to do that. And I’m happy to say that the operation was a success. Your mother is going to be okay,” he said reassuringly. “That’s a relief. Though, I guess I should expect that I won’t be around for too long though,” you said, chuckling weakly. “Afraid so, but-” “I know...” you interrupted with a sad smile. “But I have no regrets. So… can you please bring my mother and my sisters into the room if it’s possible?” you asked. Getting weaker by the moment, you knew you wouldn’t last much longer. “Sure, I’ll have a wheelchair ready for your mother,” the doctor said leaving to go get your family. You sighed and looked out the window to glimpse at the beautiful lights of the city, admiring how bright they shined. You suddenly thought your ears were playing tricks on you when you heard the sound of another male voice. “I’m so proud of you...” the voice said. You didn’t know whether or not your weak state was causing you to hallucinate, but what the unknown voice said kept you happy. Soon, you heard the doors open up and sure enough, there was your mom, feeling better and your two sisters, who now had looks of guilt, sadness and remorse. Kerry helped push your mother towards your bedside while Sheena ran over to the other side of the bed, sobbing wildly and hugging you. “I... I’m so sorry for making you do something so rash,” Kerry said, gently holding your hand. It wasn’t everyday that your sisters showed sympathy to you. “Honey, I’m happy to know you went through such lengths, but... why? Why did you have to give up your life to save me?” your mother asked in tears. “B-Because... I... I love you too much to leave my sisters all on their own. And they’ve made it clear about... building their futures...” “Y-You seriously...” Sheena was unable to finish her question and just said “Y-You... you had every right to snap at us for being a couple of bitches, but you went and did this! How are we supposed to live without you?!” she asked with tear-filled eyes. “Sheena... Kerry... mom... promise me that you’ll keep smiling. Cherish your lives the way I did. My life is a small price to pay for what awaits me now,” you replied weakly. Your eyes drift from Kerry to Sheena, seeing their troubled faces. “If... If you want to get something off your chests... go right ahead.” “It’s just… we’re so sorry. We should’ve been more kind with you, but all we did was let our pride and jealousy get the better of us. Dad always dreamed of having a son and a daughter and when mom gave birth to you on the third try, dad was overjoyed. I guess we thought he was playing favorites and we didn’t listen to reason,” Sheena explained. “We even went so far as to blame you for his death and even now I hated when I said that. I realize now that you aren’t what we made you out to be. Despite all the times we were mean, you never stopped smiling. And for that, we just want to say… we’re sorry. And I hope you can forgive us,” Kerry confessed. Your arms wobbled weakly as you wrapped both of them around your sisters. “How could I not forgive the two sisters I’ve loved all my life?” you whispered. “No matter how many times you shut me out... I could never bring myself to hate either of you...” And finally, your mom pushed herself over in her wheelchair and hugged you. “Thank you so much for saving my life. I wish you could stay with us,” she said, getting choked up. “T-Tell your father I... I said...” but she didn’t finish her sentence and bursted into tears. “G-Goodbye, mom... Sheena... Kerry... I love you all so much... I’ll... miss... y-you...” you whispered weakly until the last of your strength slipped away and a few tears of yours leaked out of your eyes and soon, their sobbing slowly faded away and what you saw next... was a white void. What started off as a calm, still sensation was shattered by a sudden great deal of pain. And if that wasn’t enough to make things unpleasant, someone was obnoxiously yelling in your ear. “WAKE UP ALREADY!” The yelling and another aching feeling on your forehead, brought you back to reality. “Ugh... what’s going on here...?” you asked with a groan. Since your vision was a little blurry, you brought your arm up to rub your eyes a couple of times. That decision seemed to do the trick, but you got a good surprise once you could see clearly again. Turns out the one who woke you up in the most unpleasant way you’ve ever endured was not human, but what appeared to be some kind of humanoid horse. She was the farthest thing from happy as well. “Oh, I’ll refresh your memory!” she snarked, pulling her fist back to hit you once again. You raised your arms to defend yourself, but you were about to find out there was no need to do so. “Limestone Pie! Stop thine madness right now! Can thou not see this man is in no shape to even raise his fists, let alone his own body!” shouted a male voice. Opening one eye, you saw two new ponies rush over to your aid. One was an dull orange coated stallion who you assumed was the one who had demanded the one called Limestone to stop. The other was a grey mare with her mane tied in a bun as well, as a pair of glasses hanging below her eyes. Seeing how Limestone quickly obeyed the stallion’s orders, you came to the conclusion that these two were her parents. “Our humblest apologies, young man. We do hope our daughter hast not frightened thou too bad,” the stallion said, helping you up. Your legs wobbled as you were being brought back to your feet. “I... I’m okay. But uh... I’m trying not to sound rude, but who might you be and how did I get here?” you asked. Looking around you already got a couple of your original questions answered, as the place you were on was obviously a rock farm. However, only a few things were clear to you and was still quite a bit that you still didn’t know. Among them being why this mare, Limestone Pie was so furious with you. Introductions were in order first. The stallion told you his name was Igneous Rock Pie while the mare beside him, introduced herself as his wife, Cloudy Quartz. After telling them you’re own name, they moved on to explain that you were no longer in your own world, but now lived in what is known as Equestria. More specifically, you were standing on their rock farm. “So... does this mean I’m not in heaven with my dad?” you asked. While Limestone continued glaring at you, her parents gave you looks of sympathy. “Our deepest apologies, but even if thou hast been reborn, Equestria is thine home now. If thou wants to, thou art most certainly welcome to stay in our humble home,” Igneous offered. “I can’t stay quiet anymore pa,” Limestone grumbled coming over to poke you in the chest. “Don’t think you’ll be laying around doing nothing, buster. I may not own the rock farm, but I do keep it running. Frankly, I don’t take too kindly to punks taking a nap against Holder’s Boulder,” she growled and you finally took notice of the huge boulder that you just so happened to be laying against. “I’ll only say this once so listen! If you’re going to stay here, then you’ll have to earn your keep! If you even think of crossing me-” “LIMESTONE!” Igneous and Cloudy Quartz yelled in unison, choosing now to finally interrupt their daughter. “No, no, it’s fine. I didn’t know the boulder was so important. I’m not sure how I can be of use to you, but I’ll help you out in any way I can,” you replied with a smile. You were looking at the positives once again, as even though you would have to work, at least you would be offered a place to live in return. Limestone squinted her eyes, probably confused as to why you were suddenly so happy. “We’ll see how long you’ll be smiling when you realize how difficult working on the farm can be,” she scoffed. You wondered if you should have told her you were a sculptor back in your world, but she had already began walking away. Once inside, Cloudy Quartz’s motherly instincts seemed to kick in, as she was tending to the wounds her daughter gave you. As she treated you, you couldn’t help noticing another mare was peeking from the doorway. She had a straight mane like Limestone, but it was a darker shade of gray and much longer as well. “Thou must forgive Limestone,” Cloudy said as she stopped dabbing your forehead with disinfectant and put a bandage on the injury. “Ever since she was just a filly, she’s never had the chance to make new friends. Other fillies would reject her just because... of the way she behaved like a colt. Dear me, look at this, she hast even given thou a black eye,” she said. “It’ll heal in due time,” you assured, keeping a nice smile despite the pain. Hearing what Cloudy said, you began to feel the need to befriend her daughter when you began work tomorrow. “By the way, who’s this?” you asked gesturing to the long haired mare, who was still looking at you from her place at the doorway. “Thou mustn’t be rude, Marble,” Cloudy scolded and with her ears folded back, the shy mare slowly made her way over to greet you. “This is our youngest daughter, Marble Pie,” Cloudy introduced in place of her timid daughter. “Mm-hmm...” Marble replied quietly. “Aww, she’s adorable. It’s so nice to meet you, Marble. So, Cloudy, if you don’t mind me asking, how does this whole rock farming thing work exactly? Could you maybe give me an example?” you asked. “That can wait until later, surely thou must be hungry after all the grief our daughter put thou through,” the gray mare said, putting away the bandages and disinfectant. Now that she mentioned it, your stomach was rumbling pretty loudly. “I guess I could have something to eat,” you admitted. “What’s on tonight’s menu?” you asked. Rather than answer, Cloudy Quartz lead you into the dining room, where the rest of the family was already sitting down. You raised an eyebrow that you haven’t received a bowl yet like everybody else. For that matter, you wondered why they were eating what looked like soup with rocks in it. “Igneous, right?” you addressed the stallion, getting his attention. “What exactly is this dish you and your family are eating?” “This would be our traditional rock soup. Would thou care for a bowl of this?” he asked. “Well, I don’t think it’d be a good idea. Humans can’t digest rocks properly,” you pointed out. “Not to worry, dear. For we’ve prepared a dish that’ll be much more easier for thou to digest. But thou must be careful, this dish is very hot,” Cloudy said, coming over with a bowl of what looked like some sort of stew. “I’ve prepared for thou a hot bowl of chili con carne.” “Hey, I’ve actually tried this dish once before when I took my mother out to dinner for her birthday. This sure looks good, thanks Cloudy,” you said. “Thou art welcome,” she replied before sitting down next to her husband. You took her warning seriously and blew on your first spoonful of the food before taking it into your mouth. Even after blowing it off a few times, the stew was still a little spicy, but it was still tasty nonetheless. “It’s delicious,” you said before taking your next bite. Of course, the only one who didn’t smile at your politeness was Limestone. However, no matter how harsh her glaring was, it wasn’t enough to stop you from smiling, especially since the stew was so tasty. “I don’t know how to thank you all for giving me a hand. I always believed in karma and I’d say it’s hit me hard in a good way.” Ignoring the harsh looks from Limestone, you spent the rest of dinnertime talking about what recently happened to you back on Earth. However, you had only mentioned how you ended up outside the rock farm after you willingly gave up your life by doing a liver transplant. It was a tough decision to make, but it was worth it to save the life of your beloved mother. Igneous and Cloudy were a little concerned that you arrived in Equestria after perform an operation like that. What’s more is that they plan on taking you to the hospital to see if it’s still gone... or if it’s miraculously back inside your body. You were allowed to stay in another of Limestone’s sisters, Pinkie Pie’s old room. Apparently Pinkie moved away to the nearby town of Ponyville to become a baker years ago, so staying here wouldn’t be much of a problem. Limestone made sure you knew that it would be best for you to get as much rest as you could, as she wouldn’t be going easy on you tomorrow. Fortunately for you, it’s been a long day, so falling asleep wasn’t really a problem. Though, you couldn’t say that you woke up the next morning in a very pleasant way. Taking pride in her role in keeping the rock farm in business, Limestone woke you up, pounding at your door very loudly. “Get out of bed, slacker! You don’t have long to eat, so hurry up so you can follow me outside!” she yelled, opening the door to throw a pair of clothes to you. You smiled at Cloudy Quartz’s work, as she said that she wouldn’t be satisfied giving you some of her husband’s old clothes and spent nearly all night sewing you your own pair. After getting dressed and coming downstairs for breakfast, you greeted Igneous and Cloudy Quartz, who both smiled seeing that the clothes were a perfect fit. Limestone’s patience was nearly at an end by the time you finished eating. And quite frankly, she obviously couldn’t understand how you could be so happy. The grouchy mare indeed intended to make you work on the rock farm, as she shoved a pickaxe into your hand. As you moved over to your very first rock, you made sure to stay away from Holder’s Boulder and started picking away. You didn’t see that much of a difference from your previous work as a sculptor and therefore you got some joy out of this job. You even began whistling a catchy tune as you tore the rock apart. “Less whistling, more farming!” Limestone growled. “I refuse,” you retorted with a smile. “I find that whistling while working makes the job a lot more fun and a little bit easier.” Although, you would soon find out that Limestone doesn’t take too kindly to others talking back to her, especially if they were smiling at the same time. “GET OVER HERE!!!” she shouted, turning you around and pulling you closer to her by your shirt collar. “Now you listen here, bub! No one, and I will only say this once, NO ONE TALKS BACK TO ME LIKE THAT!!! And wipe that stupid look off your face! Whenever I tell you to do something, you don’t give me lip! YOU GOT THAT?!” For the cherry on top, she delivers a hard punch to your gut and lets go of you, causing you to drop to your knees, gripping your stomach. “Now stop slacking off and GET TO WORK!” “I’m going to keep whistling...” you groaned, remaining defiant. This time, Limestone gripped your hair and forced you to look at her angry expression. “You are treading on very... thin... ice... buster!” she growled, but of course, you naturally met her threatening look with your trademark grin. > Relaxing Dip in the Hot Spring > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- You’ve lost count of of how many beatings you got from Limestone Pie during your first 3 weeks you've lived here on the Pie family rock farm. The mare had the temper of a bull in a bullfight when it sees red in every single direction. Or possibly Yosemite Sam when Bugs Bunny is constantly trolling him. You would know this, as you were always quite fond of the Looney Tunes when you were little. Anyway, no matter how hard Limestone’s temper made things for you, you had no intention of leaving the farm. When comparing your relationships, you did respect Igneous as the owner, but the family member who you got along best with was Cloudy Quartz. She was always the one who healed the injuries inflicted onto you by her daughter and you thought of the Pie matriarch like a second mother. Cloudy in return, adored having you around and treated you like the son she never had and always wanted. During the 3 weeks you’ve been with the Pie family, you also found out about how there were not 3... but 4 Pie sisters! Four beautiful daughters that Cloudy gave birth to. And out of the four, only Pinkie Pie was married. Though not married, Maud Pie, the second oldest as well as the sister you recently learned about, was dating a stallion named Mudbriar, whose very appearance could tell one that he and Maud were made for each other. Since they both lacked emotion, Maud’s relationship with Mudbriar didn’t interest you nearly as much as Pinkie’s love life. This was because it was upon learning about her husband that you found out you weren’t the only human to come to Equestria. For an extra surprise, when they visited the rock farm last week, they brought their twin children, Pecan and Lemon Pie, which told you it was possible for ponies and humans to breed. Even without you bringing it up, Limestone unconvincingly blurted out a few times that she’s not jealous of her younger sisters’ relationships. You ended up earning a good bruise on your arm when you expressed your doubt over her claims. As cute as it was for Limestone to deny her jealousy, it was becoming very hazardous to your health. Speaking of which, during your early days on Equestria, Cloudy and Igneous took you to the hospital to give you a check up. After hours of examination, the doctors were just as shocked as you when you discovered that your liver was back inside your body. You were lift pondering about how this was even possible, but the confusion was no match for the endless joy you got out of this miracle. Today, you had begun your latest project that would benefit the Pie family and yourself. Even if you were here for 3 weeks, they’ve been working at this farm nonstop for years and haven’t had a decent day of relaxation. That’s why with your skills, you were creating something that they would least expect: a luxurious hot spring. To you, this one of the many ways of saying thank you to them for taking you in. You were whistling another of your favorite tunes as you worked on digging the hole necessary for the hot spring. However, neither your whistling nor the sound of you digging, could keep you from hearing the hoofsteps approaching your hole. “Still as happy as always?” you heard Limestone ask in her usual gruff voice. “You betcha, and for a good reason. I’ve noticed how you and your family are constantly working and haven’t had a day to relax, so what I have planned for you all is something that’ll change your lives for the better,” you replied with your voice full of cheer. “And just what are you planning?” Limestone asked, quirking an eyebrow in suspicion. “Sorry, but that, my good lady, is a surprise. You’ll find out in the end once it’s completely finished,” you shook your head in response, but winked up at her afterwards. Limestone twitched her eye and blushed at what you just called her. “D-Did you just... wha... I d-did... y-you-” Limestone couldn’t put two words in, let alone put together a proper sentence. Chuckling a bit at how much she was stuttering, you went back to work. You had made a habit of teasing Limestone with compliments and kind gestures ever since Cloudy told you how Limestone was secretly starting to grow more attached to you. Even though she didn’t really show it, it was evident one night when Cloudy heard Limestone crying in her room, asking herself why she was so hostile towards you. You felt the urge to say something to her, but by the time you looked up from your hole, the gray mare was already out of sight. You had reasons to believe she had a lot on her mind. Perhaps once you introduce her to the hot springs, you’ll give her something special to show that you care for her as well. You worked day and sometimes at night on the new hot spring, making sure the hole was a good space in both its width and its height and also that the rocky surface was nicely polished. Lately as you continued working, you would notice how each day Limestone became slightly less hostile towards you. It’s taken a good week to come this close to finishing the hot spring. Since there was no technology in Equestria, you decided you would have to add hot rocks and wait until the water cools to a safe temperature. However, first and more importantly, you needed to find a natural water source, considering how water evaporates and the spring would get shallow over time. After going to Igneous for suggestions, he pointed out that there was a nearby riverstream out on the outskirts of the farm. Taking advantage of this knowledge, you decided to dig a narrow path from the edge of the spring to the river in order for the river to keep flowing freely without any risks of it straying from its natural path. Now that the hot spring was finished, most of the Pie family was admiring your work by taking a day off from rock farming and instead spending the day relaxing in the water. Again, most of the Pie family was taking a dip, Limestone on the other hand wanted nothing to do with it. “If thou doth not mind, wouldst thou go and get Limestone? It just doesn’t feel special without all of us here,” Cloudy Quartz asked politely, leaning on the edge of the spring. You nodded and got out of the water and wrapped a towel around your neck. Quite convenient for you, you knew exactly where Limestone was. Going back inside the house, you walked up to the surly mare’s room only to discover her door was both closed and locked. Still, it would take more than that to make you give up and you decided to start the persuasion by naturally knocking on the door. “Get lost!” Limestone snarled, knowing that you were the one on the other side. “Limestone, your mother told me to come get you. She says she wants you to join in on the fun and that it’s not as special without you,” you called out from behind the door. “Frankly, she’s not the only one who thinks so.” “Do you have wax in your ears or something? I said get lost!” she tried again, but you remained as persistent as you were kind. “You know, you don’t have to keep hiding it from me or your family. If there’s something that’s slightly or majorly bothering you, you can always tell us what the problem is,” you said, trying not to let her know about how her feelings towards you. “Jeez... why are you so stubborn?” she groaned, but the tone let you know she was calming down a little. One might have said Limestone was being a hypocrite, but you knew such a rebuttal would only make things worse. “Simple, because I’m trying to be your friend,” you answered cheerfully. Your words couldn’t be any more sincere, as you’ve always tolerated the beatings and insults she gave you hoping one day your efforts to befriend her would prove fruitful. “You know, if there’s one thing that really pisses me off, it’s false modesty. It’s just another way for ponies to bail on you just when you think you’re getting to know them...” she said in an uncharacteristically soft manner. “I’ll keep that in mind. In fact, if you allow me, I’ll prove to you that my feelings for you are genuine and I would never do anything to betray you,” you assured. You stood by the door for several minutes not getting an answer, but you could still hear other sounds coming from the other side. You really started smiling when you heard the door unlock and stepped back a few feet as Limestone finally opened up, revealing herself in a dark gray bikini. Those large breasts of hers looked like they were going to pop out of that tight bikini any second now. “Don’t say a word about my outfit and I won’t hurt you again, got it?” she asked with a blush of both annoyance and embarrassment. You kept that smile, but nodded. You didn’t care that she was still being aggressive, all that mattered was that she was going to finally come out and join the others. Soon, you and Limestone exited out of the house and went over to the new hot spring, where her family was still waiting. You kept your word and didn’t make any witty remarks about her bikini, no matter how much her breasts were bouncing in the attire. Without a word, the two of you stepped into the water, which still had yet to turn cold. While you’ve already gotten used to it, Limestone had to take it slowly and not risk boiling herself. “Seems thou was able to convince our daughter to come outside after all,” Igneous commended, as he had his arm wrapped around his wife. Limestone grew embarrassed and looked away from her parents. “Yeah, but it wasn’t easy. Though, there’s something that’s been... lingering in my mind for quite a while now and I was wondering if you and I can clarify things... man to stallion, perhaps? It’s nothing too serious, but Limestone seems to have a c-” Your little conversation was interrupted when you felt a hoof stomping on your foot. “YAAAHOO-HOO-HOO!!!” you shouted. Both Igneous and Cloudy glared at the obvious culprit. “Dost thou not have any self-respect?!” Cloudy scolded Limestone. “I... I didn’t want him to embarrass me!” the young mare argued as you reached underwater to grasp your aching foot. “That does not justify thine actions, young lady!” Igneous argued back. “Everyone, please, there’s no need to cause unnecessary tension between us. We’re all here to have a good time and relax. We’ve all had a rough, busy day and the reason I built this hot spring in the first place, was to get together and have a good time relaxing,” you intervened. “It’d be shameful to see you all bickering on the day of its completion.” Hearing this, the family started to settle down and soon went back to soaking in the warm water in peace. Today’s weather was fairly normal. Even though there were a few clouds up in the sky, there was no chance of it raining it all today. Your eyes kept gazing at the Pie family with looks of relief and joy on their faces. Igneous and Cloudy Quartz were huddled up together with his arm around his wife, Marble Pie had her whole body, except for her head buried in the water and had the cutest smile on her face. Lastly, Limestone sat away from everyone with her arms resting on the edge of the spring and her bikini-covered jugs just bouncing slowly up and down in the water. You were well aware of the risks of staying in hot water for too long, which is why you set a timer for about 15 minutes. However, after about 9 minutes have passed, you felt something pressing against you and opened an eye to see what was happening. It was quite a sight, Limestone had apparently got caught in the moment of relaxing and was now snuggling against you. You just sat there quietly, pretending you haven’t even noticed. Sadly, after another 2 minutes, the flustered mare realized what she was doing and moved away from you before anyone saw her. Still keeping an eye open without letting her know, you watched as Limestone moved back to her original position. She was just in time too, for not long after pulling away, the timer went off, causing everyone to open their eyes. Like you, the Pie family knew they would start to get dizzy if they chose to spend more time in the hot spring. “Well, that was a wonderful soak,” you sighed as you covered the hot spring with a pool liner. “I hope you guys had a good time in there, for it wasn’t easy to put this thing together,” you said before grabbing your towel. “We certainly did and we thank thou for giving us such a wonderful gift. We have not felt so relieved for years. I believe it is time to prepare a feast for blessing us with thy hot spring,” Cloudy said. “It’s not just my hot spring, it’s our hot spring,” you corrected. You looked over at Limestone who had began to head back in the house before anyone else. You weren’t planning to comment on her cuddling with you, but even if you were she wasn’t giving you the chance to say anything. You still couldn’t decide if she knew you were aware of the whole ordeal. When Cloudy Quartz said she would prepare a feast, she wasn’t kidding. After drying off and changing into fresh clothes, she was already back downstairs preparing the food. You seriously doubted anyone would be having rock soup today. While she was preparing dinner, you decided to pay a certain mare a visit. After you dried off and changed into a fresh pair clothes, you walked up to Limestone’s bedroom door and knocked on it. “What do you want now?” she asked, sourly. You could see right through her grouchy facade and knew she hasn’t gotten over how she ended up cuddling with you. “I just want to talk, can you please unlock the door?” you asked politely. “Y-You’d better not be trying to pull a fast one of me or humiliate me or I swear you’ll regret it, y-you got that?” she warned. “I promise I’m not going to embarrass you. I just want to have a friendly one-on-one chat. Nothing more, nothing less,” you reassured. Right after that, you heard her hoofsteps coming towards the door and heard the door unlocking. She opened the door and granted you entrance. You stepped inside her room, then sat on the edge of her bed. She closed the door and sat down next to you. “This better be good,” she said, not making eye contact. You paused for a moment to let out a sigh and look at Limestone. “Limestone, do you know why I always stay positive?” you asked. “Don’t know, don’t care,” she replied, still giving you the cold shoulder. Nonetheless, you still gave her your answer. “It’s because back where I once lived, my family was going through some dark times a week after I was born. My father passed away and it gave my older sisters the impression that I was his favorite child. They resented the fact that I was their only brother, but my mother was a different story. She was my pillar of strength and she told me how my positive attitude was the same as my father’s when she fell in love with him,” you began explaining. “W-Wait, what? You mean you-” she asked, though was unable to finish the question as you continued talking. “I’ve dealt with a similar kind of treatment you’ve given me over these past few weeks. Though, back home, my sisters didn’t really have it in them to hit their own brother and I could never hate them even after everything I went through. I didn’t realize it at the time, but somewhere along the line, my mom had a liver infection that was spreading everywhere and she didn’t tell me. And when I did find out... her liver was completely infected. So... I made the ultimate sacrifice,” you explained. “You... gave up your whole liver!?” Limestone asked, turning her gaze directly towards you. “It was a sacrifice I was willing to make,” you said still smiling. You’ve no longer had the ability to cry over the incident, as you’ve accepted that your mother was alive and well because of your selfless act. “Best part is that both my sisters no longer resented me. I felt their warm embrace and their tears of sadness, remorse and guilt before my life slipped away and I ended up here,” you finished. “Why are you telling me this?” she asked. “Because if I’ve learned one thing, it’s that everyone has their reasons for acting the way they do, but don’t tell anyone about it, thinking it’d be too much of a burden. I can tell that there’s a reason why you’re always so hostile towards me. Would you care to tell me what it is? I promise not to tell anyone,” you said. Limestone looked left and right, as if ponies were all around you. “Ever since I was a little filly, I’ve always felt... different from other fillies. Most of the fillies I knew back in school were all smiles and had thoughts of becoming these promising artists or doctors... except for me. I told everyone how I wanted to help my family out with the rock farm and become a proud owner one day. Everypony laughed at me and I never had any friends growing up. One day, I couldn’t take the bullying anymore so... I took my anger out on the fillies who made fun of me,” she explained. “Oh wow...” you said, genuinely impressed. “Naturally, my reputation spreaded really fast and now everypony’s too afraid to make fun of me or even make friends with me. It was even tough for me to find a colt I liked. As I got older, I thought my luck had changed when I trying to make friends with this group of fillies I thought were cool, but... they stabbed me in the back by pinning the blame on me for something I didn’t do and I ended up getting back at ‘em. The only ponies I could trust were my parents and my younger sisters,” Limestone finished. “I see now. I understand,” you said, patting her on her shoulder gently, but Limestone shrugged your hand away. “Yeah, now you know the truth. So what’s next, you gonna laugh at me?” she asked. “Why would I do such a thing?” you asked, giving her yet another nice smile. “Your devotion to helping your parents run the farm is an admirable trait to have. I actually talked to your parents about how you chose this career on your own and do you know what they said?” “What?” she asked. “They said... what you choose to do with your life is up to you. No matter what you choose to do in life, they will support you all the way because they will always be proud of you and love you so very much,” you replied. Limestone was left speechless the moment you finished talking. Due to your promise not to embarrass her, you decided not to let her know you were awake when she snuggled against you back in the hot spring. If the normally grouchy mare had anything to tell you, it would have to be put on hold since you both heard Cloudy Quartz calling you down for dinner. But before you could get up, Limestone grabbed your wrist tightly and pulled you in for a big, warm hug and whispered in your ear, “Thank you.” > Best Birthday Gift > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- You brought your pickaxe down on your first rock of the day, curious of whether or not you would actually find something valuable very inside. It’s been 3 months since the Pie family took you in and lately, you haven’t suffered injuries from Limestone Pie any worse than from the first few weeks on the farm. This is because you not only succeeded in becoming her friend, but she began seeing you as so much more than just that. You’ve noticed signs of Limestone having a crush on you even before she admitted it. That time where she accidentally started snuggling with you during your first soak in the hot spring was just one of the many incidents. It was only a few days after that when you two were in the hot spring alone when she wanted to talk to you in private. She openly admitted that she loved you and was feeling tense because of her fear of getting rejected. You comforted her greatly when you ended up returning her feelings by holding her in a warm embrace and giving her a big kiss on the lips. It came as a surprise to her parents when they saw that Limestone had calmed down a little bit whenever she was around you. Overjoyed, Cloudy Quartz decided it would be appropriate to stop with the teasing now that you and Limestone were officially a couple. Igneous too was proud to see his daughter has come out of her shell a bit and that the family would surely be expanding very soon. Speaking of family, word seems get out fast as last month, Pinkie Pie came over for another visit not only to express her joy about you dating her sister, but to enjoy the hot spring as well. During the visit, Pinkie mentioned how business at Sugarcube Corner has become more successful due to Mr. and Mrs. Cake taking in another assistant. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to accompany the excitable pink mare and her family to the rock farm since they had work to do. Returning to reality, you gave another hard pound against the rock, causing it to actually crack open this time. You smiled, as inside the rock was a beautiful display of crystals that were the same color as Limestone’s eyes. You blinked in surprise to see such beautiful gems and immediately came up with an idea for what to give your marefriend. Her birthday was tomorrow and thanks to this, you know exactly how to surprise her. You put the gems away in your pocket before Limestone caught you with them, as such misfortune would ruin the surprise. You picked the right time to put the treasures away, for it wasn’t long afterwards that you heard the mare calling out for you. “Hey Artifex,” she greeted as she came up to you. It was only when Pinkie came over for the hot spring that she suggested for Limestone to give you a nickname. At first Limestone thought it was silly, but her sister’s hyperactive attitude made her persistent and so Limestone settled on Artifex since it was Latin for “artist”. The nickname was definitely to your liking, but Limestone warned you not to even think about inventing any witty nicknames for her in return. There was one time you couldn’t resist teasing her by calling her “Limey” and your carelessness got you in a real pickle where she pinned you to the ground and pulled your legs back. You could swear, she would have snapped one or both of them out of place if her parents didn’t come to your aid. “There shouldn’t be much work today since we’re all making preparations for your birthday, Limey,” you said, taking risks yet again. Your punishment wasn’t as severe as it would have been at least 2 months ago, as all she gave you was a light punch to the arm. “I’d really wish you’d stop calling me that,” she said rolling her eyes. “I only give you your nickname cause you like it, so I’d wish you’d respect my wishes as well.” You shrugged with a mischievous smile. “Can I help it if you’re so cute?” you asked before kissing her on the cheek. Limestone blushed at your affection, but she also couldn’t help smiling at the same time. Despite being this close to her, Limestone fortunately hasn’t noticed the gems that you put in your pocket. “So... what do you have for me?” she asked, hoping being in a relationship would mean you would spoil a surprise for her. Too bad her attempts would end  up being in vain. “You and I both know that if I told you, it would spoil the surprise. You’ll just have to be patient until I give it to you,” you retorted with a tiny boop to her nose. She grumbled like a child, which you found made her even cuter than before. “Can’t you make an exception, I’m your marefriend right?” “Well...” you began, pretending to be conflicted with the thought of dating her. “Dude...” she warned. “Just kidding,” you chuckled and held up both hands. With Limestone spending some time with her family, you took this time to put your plan into action and hid yourself in your room, sculpting the gems you found, which you later found out were actually called peridots, into a lovely necklace. It was a good thing you learned how to craft necklaces before. Back when you took up an art class in college, you were given an assignment where you would have to craft the following: a bracelet, a necklace, two earrings and a ring out of any gem of your choice. After you graduated, you practiced crafting them day after day and now that all that training paid off, creating a ring and a necklace takes no less than half an hour or even an hour. And as you were working on your latest project, you made sure to keep the door locked so the surprise wouldn’t be ruined if Limestone decided to come back upstairs. Good things come to those who have patience, and in your case, your patience and diligence were rewarded with the necklace being halfway complete. So far, the front part of the gem had a huge peridot chunk in the shape of a hexagon that was about an inch bigger than the other peridot gems, which you had crafted into small octagons. ‘The signs of a future masterpiece if I do say so myself,’ you thought as you wiped your forehead from the hard work you were putting into your marefriend’s present. Your face started to hurt a little bit because of how much you were smiling, but you were able to ignore it as compared to the beatings Limestone gave you, this was nothing. Once you had finished the necklace, you put it in a box and wrapped it up nicely before carefully going downstairs. Since Limestone and her family were still occupied you took the chance to put your gift in a place you knew for a fact your lover would never think to look. You chose the hiding spot to be none other than Cloudy Quartz’s teapots since they are so fragile and knowing how Limestone handles things, her mother doesn’t like it when she’s anywhere near them and risks breaking them. Ordinarily, you would’ve respected Cloudy’s wishes to stay away from her teapots, but this was an important exception. Cautiously lifting the lid, you looked around to make sure that the coast was still clear. Once you were certain no one was around, you put your gift inside and just as carefully, put the lid back on. Now that you didn’t have to worry about your gift anymore, you went outside to mingle with everyone else. Marble Pie and Pinkie were at the food table talking about having cupcakes. The twins, Pecan Pie and Lemon Pie were playing tag with their father, Frosty. Igneous and Cloudy Quartz were chatting with their 2nd oldest daughter, Maud Pie, asking how life’s been treating her. Though she still didn’t express much emotion, she said that she and Mudbriar were still maintaining a strong relationship. However, they haven’t any serious commitments yet because they don’t feel ready just yet. Attention was drawn to you the moment you stepped outside. “Hi everybody! Sorry to keep you all waiting, but there were a few... finishing touches I had to add to the you-know-what,” you hinted with a wink. “Ooh! Did you finish Limestone’s birthday present?” Pinkie asked, grinning and quirking an eyebrow, instantly figuring it out. “Great, come on over and grab a plate, the food is really good,” Frosty said. “Alright, cool!” you accepted, heading over to the food table and grabbing a plate full of food and sat next to Limestone. “Did I keep you waiting, birthday mare?” you asked as playfully as ever. “Trust me, I would’ve made you very miserable if you kept me waiting for too long, babe,” Limestone answered, before poking you in the chest. That comment kind of gave you chills, but you hid it by smiling. The plan was that everyone would go back inside the house to give Limestone their presents at the very end. For now you were all just focusing on getting some nice food to eat. You silently thanked Equestria’s co-ruler, Princess Celestia for passing the law saying humans were allowed to eat meat, for on your plate was a fish filet sandwich and a garden salad. For a snack, you picked up one of the delicious cinnamon rolls that Pinkie and Frosty made and brought from Sugarcube Corner. “So you’re still not going to tell me what you got for me?” Limestone asked. “You won’t have to wait much longer, just be patient,” you assured, taking your first bite of your fish fillet sandwich. Pinkie took notice at how eager Limestone was for her gift and sat down across from you with a smirk. “Ah, typical Limestone. Rough around the edges and always acting like a giddy little fanmare when there’s a good surprise waiting for you. You’re so funny when you’re like that,” she said with a giggle. Limestone grumbled because of her sister’s immaturity and looked away as a blush began to form on her cheeks. “Aww, and I see my big sister has a cute side.” Pinkie just couldn’t resist egging it on. The pink mare was so much luckier than you were when it came to teasing Limestone, for no matter how much she annoyed her, the grumpy gray mare could never bring herself to hurt her precious little sister. You bet even if Pinkie called Limestone “Limey”, she would still be safe from her sister’s wrath. Though that doesn’t mean Limestone would keep herself from yelling at Pinkie Pie. “M-Mind your own business, Pinkie!” she snapped, before turning her head away again. You and Pinkie couldn’t control yourselves from laughing at how adorable her sister’s embarrassed expression was. “Besides, it ain’t my fault that Artifex brought it out the moment we started going out.” “Going out? Well...” you said in the same manner as you did earlier. “Is there something you want to tell me?!” Limestone snapped, unamused that you were acting like this again. You quickly dropped the act and put a hand on her shoulder. “I’m joking, you know I love you,” you chuckled. Sometimes, she just made teasing her too easy. Once the main meal was out of the way, you and the family went back inside where Pinkie had prepared a delicious cake for the birthday mare. Truth be told, years ago the Pie family used to be dull and it wasn’t until Pinkie got her cutie mark in partying that the family started having these kinds of celebrations. Even as the family came back inside, you still knew Limestone wouldn’t think of looking for her gift in her mother’s teapot. Besides, her focus was primarily on her cake and getting ready to blow out the candles on top of it. As the family got around to sing happy birthday, you wondered if Limestone would have protested against their singing before you came into her life. “Happy birthday to you!” we all finished and with a smile, Limestone stood up to blow the candles out, earning some cheers in return. Naturally, since it was her birthday, Limestone was allowed to have the first piece of cake. Even a grumpy pony couldn’t help smiling at how delicious the cake was and soon, the others got their slices as well. It didn’t surprise you that Pinkie’s cake was so good, as she wanted the best for her big sister. Limestone sure was lucky. You could imagine that Mr. and Mrs. Cake taught her well over the many years that she’s worked for them. It was only after everyone got a piece of cake that you decided it was finally time to open the presents. Igneous and Cloudy Quartz went first, giving Limestone back her personal pickaxe after having it autographed by Rockhoof of the Equestrian pillars. Apparently, Limestone has become a fan of his. Moving on, Frosty and Pinkie respectively gave her a custom-made rock candy bracelet. And the rock candy was all chocolate-flavored, which was her favorite. Marble picked up some sewing lessons from her mother and made Limestone a new sweater with her cutie mark on it. Maud gave Limestone a picture frame that displayed everyone that was at the family reunion, including the Apple family. Limestone couldn’t stop herself from putting on a sad smile. And who could blame her, considering that the Apple family was short of one particular mare who went by the name of Granny Smith, who passed away some time ago from natural causes. With some difficulty, she managed to cheer up when your gift was next. With everyone looking at you, you knew you’d have to think of a new hiding spot next year. Regardless, you walked over to Cloudy Quartz’s teapot where your gift remained untouched and pulled it out. “I hope you don’t mind if I used your teapot for a hiding place, Cloudy,” you said, walking back to the others. “Here you go, Limestone. I hope you like it.” You handed your marefriend her present and watched her open it up. Looking inside, she was starstruck from the craftsmanship you put into the peridot necklace you made. “Artifex, d-did you-?” she asked. “Those art classes in college really paid off. It wasn’t easy, but it was well worth the effort,” you said, shrugging it off. Limestone didn’t even care if her family was watching, as she stood up and gave you a big hug. You hugged her back, ignoring the many “awws” you got from everyone in the room. The party was nowhere near finished just because the the gifts had been unwrapped. After your lover shook off the embarrassment of openly being so affectionate with you, Pinkie said she had a way to continue the party for old time’s sake. Before anyone could ask, you all ended up being dragged out of the house and into the rock farm’s silo. However, it was much more than that as it happened to be where Pinkie threw her very first party and got the family to smile. You don’t know when she did it, but somehow, the random mare decorated the inside of the silo, filling it with different shaped balloons, a record player, streamers and a banner with Limestone’s face in the middle. “Doesn’t it bring back memories, sis?” Pinkie asked with a big smile. “Yep, this is exactly like the time you got your cutie mark,” Limestone pointed out. “Even a grouch like me, couldn’t help feeling so proud of you.” You were a bit surprised, since this was the first time Limestone referred to herself as a grouch. That just goes to show you that despite her rugged personality, she’s still got a lot of heart. Pinkie made no comment to her sister for insulting herself and then raced over to turn on the record player. The music started playing and Pinkie shouted. “LET’S BOOGIE!!!” By the time Princess Celestia had begun to lower the sun, the party was already settling down. You went to the train station to see off Maud and Mudbriar, who sadly couldn’t stay overnight. Before they boarded, you made sure they knew how grateful you were that they came. Once you came back to the farm, even Pinkie Pie was tired. “That was a pretty awesome party, Pinkie. I don’t think I’ve ever danced that much all my life,” you said before taking a sip from the cup of cider that was in your hand. “I’m so happy you got to enjoy the party. And remember to play nice with your new lover, do you understand, Limey-Wimey?” Pinkie teased, elbowing her sister. By now, Limestone has just about lost the ability to care about this nickname and all she did was roll her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I hear ya, sis. Just don’t go crazy on the desserts or those empty calories’ll really stick to you,” Limestone retorted. Sticking her tongue out, Pinkie hopped her way upstairs with Frosty in tow. Since she and her husband would be spending the night in her old room, you had to move your stuff into where Limestone sleeps. Honestly, now that Pinkie’s gone to bed, you and your marefriend were the only ones in the house who were still awake. Finishing the rest of your cider, you threw the glass away and went on to catch up with Limestone, who had already began to head upstairs. ‘Still an impatient one I see,’ you thought once you both made it to the second floor. If one wanted more proof, your lover wouldn’t even wait to let you open the door for her like a gentleman. “Before I became attached to you, I wouldn’t even think of sharing my room with you. If you betray my trust with just one wrong move, you’ll be sleeping on the floor,” she warned, getting into bed. “I promise I wouldn’t even consider double crossing you. Man, as fun as that party was, I don’t think I can stay awake after all that dancing...” you said before yawning. A chuckle escaped your marefriend’s lips, as she pulled the covers over the two of you. “That is if you can even call it dancing. I thought you were having a seizure with those moves. You’re just about as awkward a dancer as Pinkie’s friend, Twilight,” Limestone snorted. You gave a silly grin, having lost count of hearing this kind of criticism. Putting so much effort into honing your crafting skills over the years didn’t really leave time for dance lessons. “Solid burn, Limey, but it’ll take much harsher comments than that to break my spirit,” you said, ruffling her mane. She hasn’t pushed you onto the floor yet, so you assumed you haven’t crossed the line yet. You didn’t see the point of Limestone changing her messy, feathered-out mane back to its original straight style. After all, there’s a good chance she’d wake up the next morning with probably the worst pillow head she’s had in a while. Even while thinking this, you allowed her to do with her hair as she pleased, mainly because you were getting too tired for an argument. Once the lights were turned off, you laid on your side of the bed almost completely still. That was until Limestone’s hands began to search for you in the darkness and the mare pulled herself closer once she knew where you were. You were planning to just stay quiet the moment the lights went out, but Limestone’s snuggling was bringing back memories. “You know Limey...” you whispered and felt her shift her position in response. “...I was actually awake when you decided to cuddle me the day I completed the hot spring.” Time seemed to stop after you got this off of your chest. “I didn’t want to say anything and risk embarrassing you. I’ve always known you had a thing for me, but I chose to stay quiet because I had faith that you would bring yourself to confess eventually. Are you mad at me?” “It’s funny, even if I wanted to hit you where it hurts, I somehow just can’t bring myself to do it. Seems there’s just no sense in raising my fists to you after such an honest confession. I guess I was wrong to doubt you,” she said softly, but then her tone changed back to the dangerous kind you were used to. “But, if you try something funny while I’m trying to sleep, you’ll be sleeping in the quarry with nothing to keep you warm but the clothes on your back!” “Understood, Limestone. I’ll make sure you sleep peacefully with no worries,” you chuckled and ruffled her hair again. You got a growl in return, but at least she didn’t go through with her threat. The next day, after everyone got a good breakfast it was Pinkie’s family’s turn to take the train back home. There was no way that fun loving mare could resist having some of the leftover birthday cake as part of her breakfast. By the time she was done, there was hardly any left. On the bright side, at least none of it went to waste. Anyway, your task for today was a little different than what you were used to, as instead of the field, you’d be working in the Pie’s mine. A great variety of gems rested in the mine, waiting to be picked. No doubt you would’ve come here to get the jewels for Limestone’s necklace if you hadn’t found them in that rock. “Impressive isn’t it?” Limestone asked, holding up her pickaxe to show she was very much ready to get to work. Seeing how attached she was to the tool, you wondered if receiving Rockhoof’s autograph would lead to her becoming obsessed with it. Entranced by all the crystals, you didn’t answer her or even look away from the gems. Limestone obviously felt insulted that you were ignoring her and she wasn’t going to allow that to go unpunished, not by a longshot. While you were still gazing at the crystals, Limestone seemed to pick up Pinkie’s habit of pranking and pulled your pants down. Your eyes went wide with embarrassment as your boxers were now exposed. “GAAH!!!” you shrieked and hastily reached down to pull your pants up. As your marefriend started snickering at her devious work, you decided to finally give her your attention before she did something worse. “Consider that a lesson, babe. Now that we’re a couple, you should know better than to shut me out when I’m speaking to you,” she said and kissed your blushing cheek. She had a point there. As impressive as this mine is, you were ignoring your lover to gaze at jewels, which you see practically every day. “I’m sorry, sweetheart,” you replied. With a deep breath, you managed to get over the humiliation and actually began to find some humor in the prank. Once you were done chuckling, you picked up the pickaxe which you dropped when Limestone did the same to your pants and got to work. Some time passed and you and Limestone had gotten a whole lot of work done, mining three minecarts full of crystals. It was an impressive feat, but due to you getting caught up in your work, you failed to notice Limestone wrapping her arms around your body until the last minute. This time you didn’t ignore her. “Is... there something I can help you with, Limestone?” you asked, turning your head around to look at your marefriend. The moment you did so, she took advantage and pressed her lips against yours. You can feel her tongue assaulting your mouth in a very hungry manner. You felt yourself melting into the sensation and kissed her right back. Satisfied that you were giving in to her advances, Limestone turned your whole body around and hugged you tightly while making out with you. However, things didn’t go completely the way she planned, as you pulled away because of the sudden need of an explanation. “Nothing personal, Limey...” you gasped, trying to catch your breath after getting done kissing her for a good while. “It’s just... what’s this all about?” “When you first learned about my sisters, I wasn’t very convincing when I told you I wasn’t jealous of them... to be honest, at first I was both happy, but envious that they got somepony and I didn’t. But now I can let go of that jealousy... because I’ve finally gotten my colt- I mean man,” Limestone said. “You know, your youngest sister, Marble Pie, still hasn’t found someone. Maybe one day she’ll find her sweetheart and be more social with everyone else,” you pointed out. You then brought your hand up so you could massage Limestone’s shoulders. Even with your hands being so close to those magnificent breasts of hers, you thought it was still a little too soon to be going for such things. “Why are you being so gentle...? If you really want to pleasure me, then stop with the tender touch and get rough with me!” she demanded, tightly grabbing the hand that was rubbing her shoulder and put it on her breast. Even though her shirt was still on, the felt remarkably soft. “Don’t try to deny that you’ve been staring at my chest the whole time, I know you wanted to touch ‘em.” “Uhh... well they’re uh... a nice size...” you said, probably failing at your attempt not to say something stupid. Though you weren’t wrong as your lover’s bust had to be an outstanding G-cup size. Limestone laughed a little bit. “I’m glad you noticed. You see, the mares in the Pie family are known to have big breasts. And yeah, the same goes for my mom after she had me. So, you gonna play with my tits, or are you just gonna stare at ‘em like a loser?” ‘Wow, she’s mean even when she’s trying to seduce me,’ you thought. Be that as it may, you did bring your other hand off of her shoulder so you could grab the remaining breast. Just as she wanted, you handled her enormous jugs roughly. In fact you were being so rough with her, Limestone used a combo of moans and growls, putting on the sexiest grin while biting her lower lip. “You’re such a cutie,” you laughed. “Is that all you’ve got? I can take more than that,” she scoffed. “And do you find anything cute about... this?!” She pulled her hand back trying to slap you, but you caught it before it could reach your face. “What are you doing?” she asked, actually sounding a little afraid. “You said you could take more, so I’m putting your charming theory to the test...” you whispered and brought her hand closer so you could start biting on it. Limestone shuddered and moaned even louder while twisting her body left and right from the immense pleasure as you started off by lightly nibbled her fingers. However in due time, your biting got harsher, almost to the point of drawing blood. “Yeah... T-That’s what I’m talking about...!” she growled as you moved up to start biting her arm instead of her fingers. This was definitely the behavior of a masochist, as she was not only getting pleasure from your biting, but she enjoyed the aggressive way you toyed with her breasts as well. You squeezed them by pushing them back into her chest and swirling them around in circles. “I meant what I said,” you chuckled letting go of her arm upon speaking. “You can throw all the insults you want at me, you’ll always remain cute in my eyes.” Not giving her the chance to respond, you brought her onto her back so this time, before tearing her shirt off. You did go back to biting, only this time, your target was her breasts. She twitched in pleasure and wrapped her arms tightly around you. Without mercy, you held her nipple between your teeth and pulled at it while you simultaneously started to suck on it. “Gnnngh!!! Yes...! Y-You’re an animal, Artifex!” Limestone screamed and encouraged your behavior by grasping your hair. You decided it was time to turn up the heat and latched your teeth onto her vulnerable neck and sucked on it hard. It was quite ironic, despite all that hard work Limestone puts in her job on the farm, her fur was still nice and soft. Suddenly when it seemed you had total control, Limestone unwrapped her hands from their spot on your neck and pushed you away. Landing on the hard ground, it was your turn to be nervous as your lover stared at you with angry eyes. Or perhaps instead of angry, a better description would be full of lust. “You got cocky for a moment you little bastard... now I’m gonna show you how rough I can be!” Limestone said through gritted teeth. You only had enough time to flash a nervous smile before the gray mare yanked your pants off for the second time, followed by your underpants, causing your cock to spring out and boop her nose. Maybe some girls would’ve taken a few seconds to admire a manhood of your size, but not Limestone. Spitting on her hand, she got straight to work in giving you a handjob. You gasped a little bit as your marefriend had a tight grip as she stroked you, but that was just the beginning. Letting go of your shaft, she leaned down so she could take it into her mouth. She quickly began to deep throat your cock and you can feel it going all the way down her throat, nearly gagging her. You were pretty much even at this point, since she too had her ways of tormenting you. On occasion, her teeth would graze the base of your cock and one of her hands would unexpectedly squeeze your ballsack. Her violent sucking only made things harder for you and she even lightly bit your member a few times. You were beginning to think of this as a competition for dominance and if Limestone thought so too, you weren’t going to be generous as to sit still like this. You demonstrated more of your dominance by grabbing both sides of her face and thrusted your dick deeper into her mouth. She looked at you both shocked and impressed at how quickly you took back control and assaulted her mouth with such force. If Limestone didn’t think of this as a competition before, she definitely did now. Originally you were standing on your knees as you picked up the speed of thrusting into her mouth, but the tables were turned again when she pushed you back and after taking her shorts off, got into a new position where she was shoving her rear against your face. Licking your lips as you stared at her dripping marehood, you helped yourself to her juices as you started licking her slit. She gave out these prolonged moans, shooting vibrations throughout your entire body. Since that nice booty of hers was right in front of you, you weren’t satisfied with just licking her and decided to give her a hard slap. Judging from the squeals you got from her, her face was probably as red as a tomato. The same could practically be said for her rear as you kept on spanking it. Eventually, Limestone had enough and she pulled her rear away from your face in preparation to put it somewhere else. Still lying on the ground, your eyes widened when you saw that she was ready for you to enter her. “When I slam down on your cock, you’d better pin me to the ground and pound my pussy good,” she demanded with a cocky smirk. “Then what are you waiting for, my sexy mare?” you asked. Limestone gave you what you had expected and slammed her pussy down on your cock. You and her grunted from the feeling of her hymen breaking and your cock being constricted by her tight inner walls. “Nnnnngh!!! OH YEAH!!!” she screamed. This was your chance and you took it. You sat up and pinned Limestone down onto the ground and viciously pounded her insides. Such a delicious sight it was, unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Limestone stared directly at you with her beautiful, sexy grin with her face all flushed. Her breasts bounced wildly with every hard thrust you gave her. “T-To think that instead of w-working like we’re supposed to... we’re passing the time fucking each other...!” you grunted before giving Limestone another spank. “Gah! N-No kidding... G-Give... Give it to me good! Don’t you even dare stop until you’ve filled me up so much I’ll look pregnant!” she demanded in the heat of the moment. You couldn’t help but keep giving her what she wanted. Even if you didn’t want to, it wouldn’t matter, your lust was in complete control over you and all that filled your ears was your marefriend’s moaning and her pussy making wet slaps. You decided to be even more aggressive than before, since that’s what Limestone wanted and pulling out for a moment, you got her into a scissor position, keeping her left leg hanging over your shoulder and then reinserting your cock inside her pussy. You felt the tip of your cock reach the entrance to her womb over and over. “Oh fuck...! W-Why didn’t we do this in my bedroom last night, this feels so good!” she moaned. “W-We couldn’t risk waking anyone up, cutie... And besides we-” “EEP!” The moment of passion was interrupted when you and Limestone turned to see Marble had caught you in the middle of the act. Seeing her sister like this, the younger mare blushed fiercely and had her mouth covered from the sight she was beholding. “MARBLE, DON’T LOOK! GO SOMEWHERE ELSE AND DON’T TELL MA AND PA!!!” Limestone yelled. Always so submissive to her intimidating older sister, Marble didn’t dare go against Limestone’s demands and raced out of the mine. “Now... where were we?” “As if you need to ask,” you said with a smirk and gave her another hard thrust. In no time at all, you were back to plowing Limestone’s pussy both quickly and powerfully. Right away, her screaming and moaning had resumed and she was had turned into a complete slutty mess... or so you thought. “G-Get off me! It’s about time I got control again!” she growled and kicked you away from her. Lying on the ground, you were back to the way you started with her taking a seat on top of your shaft before bouncing up and down. “Ah yes! Now you’re at my mercy, you sexy stud!” “B-Better enjoy it while it lasts...” you growled back with a smirk. “Sooner or later, I’ll have the last laugh when I blow my load all over your insides!” Even though Limestone took the lead, you were able to at least amuse yourself by reaching up to grope her G-cup melons while she bounced on your shaft. Limestone’s grunting and moaning was music to your ears. And the feeling of her bouncing roughly on your shaft was a plus for you. A guy like you couldn’t be more happier to be banging this sexy, one-of-a-kind mare. However as you felt your climax getting harder to hold in, you decided you wanted to be the one in control by the time this whole thing was finished. Since her eyes were closed, you quickly pulled her out and forced her onto her back. “Hey! Did you not hear me before?! I said-” you silenced her as you went in for a kiss while at the same time, putting your manhood back into her so you could get ready to pound her in the missionary position. You put every ounce of strength and speed into your thrusts. Her insides grew wetter and wetter by the second and her moaning was muffled by the deep kiss you laid on her. Though she tried to push you off, the pleasure overwhelmed her and soon she gave in and locked you in place with her arms and legs. You could feel your skin pressing against her fur and those lovely soft melons of hers. But the thing that really pushed you over the edge, was the tongue battle you both had. That neat trick was all it took for you to groan as your cock shot large ropes of seed into Limestone’s fertile womb. Following your release, Limestone soon shot out her love honey all over your crotch and the ground and went limp as you kept pumping and pumping each of your thick ropes of semen inside her. Every pump you shot inside made her twitch and her belly seemed to bloat steadily until she looked like she was 5 months pregnant. You really enjoy kissing Limestone, so only after 3 minutes of tongue battling passed did you finally pull out of her stuffed marehood. With your legs getting tired, you collapsed beside your equally tired marefriend and kissed her cheek. “You know... even if Marble doesn’t sell us out... we’ll have to make some excuse to your father... why we didn’t work so hard today...” you panted and soon you couldn’t resist giving her breast another good squeeze. “Mmm... just leave it to me, Artifex... Even if pa does find out surely he won’t be that angry. After all... he was pretty excited at the thought of the Pie family expanding even further...” She paused and rubbed her stuffed belly. “And with the amount of seed you blew inside of me, I might even have triplets, or even quadruplets.” “Well you’ll probably need me at your side to teach them not to be so hot-headed like you...” you chuckled and got punched in the arm. Even though she was tired, Limestone still managed to hit you pretty hard. “Too soon, you little bastard.” she chuckled right back. Limestone hugs you afterwards and whispers into your ear, basking in the quiet calmness. “I love you, Artifex.” You hugged her right back and whispered to her, “I love you too, Limestone,” and to finish it off on a good note, you laid on her a tender kiss on the lips. This time, it was out of passion and love and not dominance.