The early morning sun broke through the darkness shining its bright light straight into my eyes. I jolted myself awake before I realized it was Saturday. It was winter, as I've said before, so I didn't have to work weekends: there just wasn't enough to do to, so Aunt Applejack gives me Saturday and Sunday off. Dad still had to show up, if only for a few hours, and he didn't have to get up early. I wanted to go back to sleep, but I had already jolted myself out of my sleep so I couldn't get back to sleep.
I rolled myself out of bed and trotted down the hall to the bathroom: I tried my daily ritual -failed of course- and proceeded to shower. After that, I dried off, combed my hair, and brushed my teeth. I gave myself a look over before I left the bathroom, I looked acceptable.
I slowly walked the short distance to the kitchen and started to make a pot of coffee. I leaned on the counter, almost asleep, to wait for the coffee to finish.
"G'morning." I was shaken out of my half-sleeping state by a slightly accented voice.
"Mornin.'" was my immediate response. "Ya are up early."
Usually only Dad and I got up this early, sometimes Mom would get up early; because Dad would wake her when he got out of bed, but usually Pipsqueak and Dinky were never up before ten o'clock. Dinky's job as mayor's assistant only required her to get up as early as the mayor did, which wasn't early, and Pipsqueak was a novelist...between you and me I don't think he's that good.
"I guess I am." He said. I stopped leaning on the counter and rose up to my full height.
"Rough night?" I asked. I really didn't care, but it was polite and I might as well get to know my future brother-in-law.
"You could say that." He chuckled. I clenched my eyes shut...don't think about it...don't think about it...I took a deep breath and tried to think of something to change the subject, but Pipsqueak spoke first. "That's not the only reason I'm up early..."
He stopped. That piqued my interest. He continued: "I wanted to put on some muscle for Dinky."
I couldn't help but laugh. I pounded my hoof into the counter as I belted out laughter. It was a funny image, after all, with how scrawny he was. "You?"
"What? I heard you lift weights on Saturdays and I want to tag along." He said. I felt a bit bad for laughing at him.
"Ya sure?" I asked. He nodded. "Ya know ya don't just build muscle in a day."
"I know that, but hey, might as well start now." He said. I chuckled; he was going to be in for a reality check.
After my coffee finished and I drank it down, I grabbed a duffle bag and we left the house. I went to the gym to work on muscles that working on the farm didn't. I was big like my dad but somehow he could work all his muscles without going to the gym; I think that being a pegasus I'm built to fly, not to put on muscle, so to keep fit I have to go push my limits every week.
We reached the gym in about ten minutes. I presented my pass to the front desk, but Pipsqueak had to pay out of pocket. I walked into the locker room to stow my duffle bag, then I returned to the weight room with Pipsqueak.
I decided to start out easy. I walked up to a rack that was empty. "Alright, we're gonna start out with a simple clean- and-jerk."
"Set ya core." I picked up the bar, it was forty-five pounds, and it felt like a feather on my hooves. I puffed out my chest, tightened my abs and the small of my back. I brought the bar into position leaned over a little then exploded into movement to where the bar was just under my chin.
"Now ya try." I suggested, but he shook his head no. So I continued with my workout, asking periodically if Pipsqueak wanted to try, he always said no. "No need to be intimidated: just give it a try."
"Yeah...no. I don't think this weight lifting stuff is for me." He finally admitted. I put the bar back on to rack and followed him as he tried to leave. I shrugged: I was kind of glad that he was gone.. not that I didn't like him, it was just that I liked to exercise on my own.
I weightlifted for about another hour, and then I decided that it was good enough. I walked back to the locker room to retrieve my bag. I walked over to my locker and put in the combination and slid the tumbler off its hinge. I retrieved the duffle bag from inside. I grabbed a towel from inside the bag and wiped my face clear of sweat. I returned the towel to the bag and slung it over my shoulder.
As I started to walk away, I noticed a magazine sitting on the floor, brushed against a wall in a corner. I thought about leaving it there, but my curiosity compelled me to pick it up.
The cover read: Playcolt magazine. The cover had a picture of a mare in an odd and uncomfortable looking position; legs spread out in a strange, yet oddly appealing manner. Next I read a caption that said: turn to page 6 to see what she wants to show you. I raised an eyebrow and flipped the page to page six. The page was a fold out, I didn't know what this fine lady wanted to show me, but it must have been good to take up a full three page fold out.
I flipped opened the page, and my jaw dropped. I started to blush as my wings stood stiff straight out from my sides. The mare on that page...I couldn't stop looking at her. She was hot, it was kind of embarrassing to admit, but she was smoking hot. Not beautiful, she looked much too slutty to be anything but hot. I would have been like that for a while, jaw dropped, wings jutting off from my sides, but I heard somepony coming into the locker room. I stuffed the magazine hastily into my bag, and tried to make it look like I meant to have my wings out.
As soon as I could force my wings down, I left the gym. I walked quickly through the brisk cold. I didn't have much to do the rest of the day, so I was thinking of what I could do to keep myself busy. I worked out a rough day plan: I would visit the farm to see if Aunt Apple Bloom needed any help - she always did- and then I would spend time with my friends.
I opened the front door to my house and walked inside. I tossed my duffle bag to the side, as I saw my momma lying on the couch reading one of her Daring Doo stories. I remember when I used to read those, when I was like 8, but I guess my mom enjoyed it so I let her be.
"Mornin' momma." I greeted her. She looked away from her book and put on a warm smile.
"Good morning, Carson." Momma said. "How was your workout?"
"It was fine. Ah'm goin' to go out soon." I said as I made my way to the kitchen to get something to eat.
"Okay, sweetie. I'll just clean your towel." She said as I rummaged around in the cupboards. Wait...oh no. I rushed out of the kitchen to forcefully take the bag from my mother's hooves. She looked at me with a confused and slightly hurt look on her face.
"Sorry, momma, Ah'm just gonna take my bag with me." I said quickly, before I left the house. I hated that look that look momma gave me, but I knew if she saw what was in the bag she would give me a lot worse of a look. As I walked quickly to the farm, looking over my shoulder to make sure I wasn't being followed by Momma, I thought about throwing the magazine away, but something was stopping me... And it wasn't my head.
I walked the familiar route to the farm house; I waved to my dad and Aunt Applejack as I passed them, and pushed open the front door. The house seemed empty. Then I heard something and I strained to hear. I was surprised when I realized it was quiet sobbing. At first I thought it might have been Golden Delicious, but it wasn't near loud enough and it was obvious that whoever was making the sound was trying to hide it. I trotted to where I thought I source of the sobbing was.
I reared up when I found Aunt Apple Bloom curled up in a ball, holding Golden Delicious. She looked exhausted; she had deep bags under her eyes.
She saw me and looked up at me with a very sad expression on her face. "S-sorry Carson...Ah thought ya didn't have to work...Y-ya shouldn't see me like this..."
I stood in the doorway awkwardly; I tossed the bag into a corner, and took a nervous step towards her. "What's wrong?"
"Ah'm so freaking tired!" She shouted. The sudden change in volume caused me to back up. "Every time Ah try to go to sleep, she starts crying! I haven't slept in two days..."
She decayed into another sobbing fit. I tapped my hoof awkwardly. "Uhhh..."
"Why did he leave me with this foal? Ah never get child support from him..." I was tempted to go and get Aunt Applejack, because I had no idea what to do. "Ah can't even date to find her a proper father because Ah got this foal to take care of!"
"Ah'll go get Applejack." I started to back away.
"No!" I stopped. "Please no...she has enough to worry about."
I was starting to regret coming to see her, it was getting uncomfortable and I still had no idea how to help. So I decided to take a shot at it: "Ah could...possibly...at some point..." I couldn't believe I was going to do this. "Ah could watch Golden...maybe once a week..."
Her face lit up as she carefully put Golden Delicious aside then she tackled me in a hug. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"
"Ya are welcome..." I sighed; I decided I might as well start now. "Why don't ya take a nap, Ah'll watch her for a while."
Her hug got tighter to the point I almost couldn't breathe. "Thank ya. Don't ya worry Ah'll reward ya somehow."
"No need." I said; in fact I would very much like a reward, but it was the right thing to do. She read me like a book and I think she knew I would enjoy a reward because she gave a playful wink before she started to trot to her room.
"Diapers are under the counter, and foal food is in fridge." She said before I lost sight of her. I looked down at my little cousin, who looked up at me. I thought that it wouldn't be so bad. I should have knocked on wood, because I smelled that she had made a mess in her diaper. I groaned as I picked her up and put her on the changing table. I had never actually changed her diaper before, but how hard could it be? I undid the little straps and the diaper fell open, and I gagged. My little foal cousin must have taken pleasure in my pain because she giggled when I gagged again.
After I changed her diaper, I placed her in her playpen. I started to walk away, but when I looked back her lip was quivering like she was going to cry. I sighed and walked back. I took her out of her playpen, and grabbed some of her stuffed animals. I gave a fluffy stuffed elephant to her and I took a stuffed puppy. The little green filly giggled as she hugged the elephant, I held back an 'awwwwww'' for the sake of my masculinity, but it was truly adorable. We played around for a while, but I heard a little rumble.
"Sounds like somepony is hungry." I said as I lifted the little filly of the floor, and she carried the fluffy elephant with her. I walked through the house to the kitchen. I set her in the high chair, before I went to the fridge and picked out a mush made out of carrots. I twisted the lid open: the mush looked truly gross, but I guess foals eat that kind of stuff. I rummaged around the drawers for a while before finding a spoon. I scooped up a bit of the mush. I made some flying noises and I used the spoon in a spiral motion on approach to her mouth. "Here it comes."
She opened her mouth wide; I guess this wasn't her first time being fed like this. I kept on feeding her until the whole small jar was gone. Golden gave a small satisfied burp, and her eyes drooped. I pulled her out of her high chair. I thought to myself: hey, this isn't so bad. Then she burped again, then she spit up on me. Or maybe it is.
After about four hours of keeping my little filly cousin busy, Aunt Apple Bloom walked slowly into the nursery where I was playing with Golden Delicious. She still looked tired, but not exhausted. She had a bit more color in her face.
"Thanks, Carson, Ah needed that." Aunt Apple Bloom wrapped her legs around me in an affectionate hug. Golden Delicious held her legs out for her mother to pick her up. "And don't worry, Ah'll find some way to repay ya."
I wasn't going to object to her offer. "Thank ya. Ya have any other time ya want me to watch her?"
"Don't worry 'bout that now, ya just run along." She said as she picked up her daughter. I nodded and grabbed my duffle bag from the corner. I left the farm house as the sun was just at the middle of its downward decent. I was going to meet my friends near the Everfree forest.
It didn't take me long to trudge through the snow to the forest. The Everfree forest didn't have snow in it, it was an unnatural place where the weather came on its own and the animals took care of themselves; it was unnerving, but it was somehow warm in the forest so it was a nice place to meet.
My friends, Chocolate Cookie, an earth pony who had a knack for- what else- making cookies, and Photo Shop, a unicorn who could make a picture look like anything he wanted… not the kind of pony you would want to mess with.
"Hey guys." I greeted.
"'Sup Carson." Cookie responded.
"What's up?" Photo Shop said.
"Not much. Ah found this today." I unzipped my duffle bag and pulled out the magazine and tossed it on the ground. They looked at it for a moment before they realized what it was. Cookie picked it up and started flipping through it until he got to page six, when the fold out fell out.
"Dude...where did you get this?" Photo asked as he pushed Cookie to get a better view.
"Ah found it in the locker room at the gym." I said, but at that point they weren't paying any attention to me. I saw a shadow fly overhead. I looked up...oh no.
"Hey sweetie." My momma called. She was coming into a landing. I quickly grabbed the magazine from Cookie's hooves, but it was too late. "Hey boys, whatcha got there?"
"Oh hi Mrs. Apple, sorry but we gotta run...I left my hat outside..." Cookie stuttered before he ran off.
"Yeah...I think I hear my house on fire." Photo Shop said nervously, before backing away slowly.
"That was weird." Momma said with a very confused look in her face. "Anyway, what you got there son?"
"Uhhh...nothing..." I put the magazine behind my back. She raised her eyebrow.
"Give it here." Momma demanded. I shook my head no, but I accidently lost my grip on the magazine...and it kind of fell to the ground right in front of my mom.
"Carson Apple!"
Thank you for reading, please review. Thanks to my beta reader.