//------------------------------// // Feelings bloom! So did you sleep well? // Story: Golden Love // by enigmaMystere //------------------------------// “...Jackie. Hey, Jackie.” The first thing the farmer feels upon waking up is the claw on her shoulder, gently shaking her into awareness. "Huh... wha?" She blinks blearily. “It’s almost sunrise.” She can slowly make out the familiar face of the golden griffon, smiling down warmly at her. A talon reaches behind her ear and gently scratches. “If I’d known you’d sleep this long, I might’ve refrained from that massage.” "To be fair... with this harvest, Ah think Ah needed it." She says slowly, lifting her head and surprising him with a smooch, eyes still half asleep. He immediately freezes in shock, his face slowly changing to match Big Mac’s hue. “...glad I... could help...” He quietly swallows, claw gripping the paper bag he’d been holding a bit tighter. “...can... again...?” She chuckles, rubbing his head. "Well... ah, what the hay." She gives him another. He leans into it, claw running through her mane as he savors this moment, his heart fluttering in his chest. The unbridled joy he’s feeling begs for him to keep it going as long as possible, even urging him to partially lean on the bed for a better angle. She gently but firmly breaks the kiss, laughing. "Wow, you were waitin' for that, huh?" He nods emphatically, unable to reign in his blush. “You have no idea... oh, and I got an apple cinnamon muffin for you.” He opens up the bag and pulls out the treat. "Is that what Ah smelled?" She sniffs. "Well now, if ya didn't earn it before, ya certainly did now." She nuzzles him. "Thanks, sugarcube." He belatedly realizes he has a goofy smile on his face, wings fluttering and tail swishing behind him. “My pleasure, Jackie.” She sits up, giving the treat another sniff before she takes a bite. The griffon waits there beside the bed, eyes darting from her face to her food and back. If she were to look, she’d see nervousness as clear as the beak on his mug. "Mmm... where'd you get this?" “The mailmare. My first choice was Sugarcube Corner, but they aren’t open... yet...” He trails off, eyes wide and beak hanging open. By this point, the sun is coming up behind him, the light landing on her face just right. His eyes light up as he reaches off to the side, a drawing pad and pencil making their way into his claws as he starts to sketch, never taking his eyes off her form. She blinks at him. "Flick?" He gently places a talon to her lips, now working with colored pencils to try and get just the right shade. Eventually he stops, turning the pad to show her the drawing. She blinks. "Wow... so this is how ya see me?" “Well, I did my best to capture your natural beauty...” He turns it back and lets himself frown a bit. “...but I feel like it fell short.” "Fell short? What kinda fella makes a picture like that and says it ain't great?" She scoffs a bit, shaking her head. He gives her a small, earnest smile, gently touching her thigh with a talon. “Because it’s still just a picture, and not the wonderful mare before me.” She blushes, leaning against him. "It's still nice." He chuckles and sets it on the stand in the room. “I could make you one of me, if you’d like. You could place it in your room so you can see me every day.” He taps his chin, humming in an obviously silly way. “Or you could throw darts at it. Some ponies would.” She playfully ruffles the feathers on the top of his head. He chuckles, climbing in bed beside her. He drops on his side, chest to chest with her and gently embracing her form. “So... I took care of a few acres last night... figured it’d be a way to make it up to you.” He rolls on his back so she’s laying on him. “I hope I didn’t step on any tails.” "Well, Ah was a little worried even with you getting better at distractin' me. Ah appreciate it." He sighs in relief, leaning up to nuzzle at her neck. “I’m glad to be of service.” She lays her head on him as she closes her eyes again, letting out a slow sigh. His claw idly rubs her back, wings moving to cover her in lieu of the sheets. "Didn't realize how tired Ah was..." "Oh?" He looks at her curiously, slowly turning into a cheeky smile as he squeezes her flanks. "I thought it was just my magic claws." She laughs. "Easy there... wait..." She turns her head to see both of his wings. He blinks, following her line of sight. He carefully moves one, then the other, the latter making him flinch in response. “...well, it’s better, at least.” "Just be careful. Don't wanna make it worse." “Right...” He nods, carefully folding it to his side. “...so... that was still painful, yesterday...” A smirk plays on his beak. “It seems your kisses are divine.” "And you still have that silver tongue." She counters. “Is it?” He tilts his head to the side. “I’m only telling you how I feel about you.” A claw curves around her rump to move up her back. "And the wandering claws?" She says with a small laugh. “Sight can only do so much when appreciating your beauty,” he replies, kissing her nose. "Alright... just make sure y'all ain't doing this in front of my family." “Deal.” He gives her rump another squeeze, then pulls her into another kiss, claw holding her close. “...you know I’m going to help you harvest directly, now that it’s better.” "Ah dunno, Ah might tell ya not to and just give me a massage after." “Hmm... how about your friends?” He smiles at her, his claws moving to subtly knead her muscles. “I’m sure they’d be willing to help.” "They're doing other things, Ah'm sure." She mutters quietly. He stops his motions, looking at her curiously. “...maybe, but I don’t want you getting overwhelmed. I may be a masseuse, but even my touch has limits.” "Better than just running without it." She points out. He sighs, bringing up a claw to run through her golden locks. “At least promise me you’ll ask for help if it gets too much?” "Alright, alright..." She sighs. “Thank you.” He smiles and pulls her into one more kiss, but he freezes just before he can touch her lips. His head slowly turns to the balcony doors, wide open and revealing a certain purple unicorn, separated from them by two railings but still otherwise able to see inside. “...morning? You’re up early...” "And you... have company..." She says with a blush. He looks up at Applejack, still laying on top of him, then back to her. “Yes, I do... and since you’re part of our group, I believe you’re welcome to join... at the very least, you could come with us to the magic show today.” Her face is slowly going red. "The... show sounds nice..." “...you alright?” He sits up, pulling Applejack firmly against him as he focuses on the unicorn. “This sort of thing should be normal in a herd... you still want to be part of it, right?” She actually covers her eyes. "I didn't know we were at different stages!" This pushes him over to baffled. “...so you aren’t ready for cuddling and kissing?” She peeks up. "Wait... that's what you were doing?" “Well... yeah. Otherwise I’d be sweating and she’d be glowing,” he says, scratching behind the farmer’s ear to let her know he didn’t forget her. She seems to have dozed back off for the moment, a smile on her face. Flick can’t help but smile at this, gently kissing her forehead before looking to Twilight once more. “Did you want to join us, Twily?” "I'm... flattered, but I did have a couple things planned with Spike this morning." He shrugs a bit. “Okay, then. How about after the show? Or some time this evening?” "I'd be happy to go to the show with you" She smiles. “Great!” He grins. “And cuddling together would make for a great end to a date!” She clears her throat, but nods. “...oh, right... I should probably wake her...” He looks to Applejack, but makes no move to do so. "Well, I'll leave you to that." Twilight stands up, gives him a smile, and heads in. He watches her leave, then turns back to Applejack. “...I’m glad I have you girls.” He smiles and kisses her forehead. “Rest all you want, Jackie. I’ll be here when you wake up.” She lets out a small yawn, her eyes opening once more. "Sorry, guess Ah was still a little tired." He chuckles. “It’s fine. I took care of what you had for today yesterday... thanks to Granny Smith, of course.” He awkwardly grins. “I wouldn’t have known where to start without her.” "Yeah, Granny's still sharp when she wants ta be." She nods, eyes drifting to the snack once more. Seeing where her gaze was focused, he carefully turns her around on his lap, her back to his chest. He offers her the muffin, resting his chin on her head, an arm wrapped loosely around her waist. She smiles taking another bite. "Ah should head back to the fields for a bit after this, before the show starts." He hums as he thinks, talons tapping on her red apples. “Should I get you, then? I lose track of time, sometimes, but I don’t know if you do.” "Well... yeah, Ah can get kind of focused, too." She admits. “Then it’s settled. I’ll pick you up so we don’t have to worry about the time.” He nods, leaning down to kiss at her neck. She hums happily as she takes another bite. “...oh, right, I guess this means you got my first real kiss.” He chuckles, patting her on the head. “Congrats.” "Heh... hope ya dont mind." She has a proud smile. "Glad Ah got it before somepony else snuck it from under me." “...why do I feel like you have someone in mind when you say that?” His claws gently rub her belly, making sure to not go too far down. This golden griffon is clearly happy that he has someone he can do this with. "Because ah do. Rainbow and I like to keep each other on our hooves with challenges." He hums thoughtfully, tenderly scratching at the orange fur. “So if she got the first technical kiss, and you got the first mutual one... who wins?” She narrows her eyes. "Me. Did she sneak one?" He raises an eyebrow at her. “Yeah, back when I passed out, remember? Took on a couple acres in two minutes, and she reenergized me with a kiss?” "Oh right... that." “Yep... though I didn’t feel that one.” He taps his chin. “I did feel the one after she almost crashed into a mountain, though... her lips were slightly chapped.” "... Ah feel like she and Ah need to talk." “Well... maybe you two could talk after the magic show?” He offers, carefully reclining so they’re laying down once more. "Alright, alright... that'll let me think while Ah'm workin anyway." “Good.” He’s quiet for a moment. “...to be clear, the really intimate stuff is for after marriage, right? At least for ponies?” She blinks repeatedly. "Well, if we're being blunt, ya mean a good rutting?" He blushes bright red, but manages to nod enough for an answer. She laughs out loud at this, taking a moment to rub his head as she does so. Though he leans into her hoof, he makes a point to keep his questioning gaze on her. "Sugarcube, maybe some do that, but I think you'll find most mares are dissuaded by nature from taking that stance." “...and you?” His claws grip her thighs a little tighter. She rubs his head. "Marriage ain't part of my requirements fer the time being right." Still blushing profusely, he gives a small nod and kisses her once more. “...and here I was, told you were a traditional family...” "Oh, we definitely are, just our own traditions." She smiles. “...Rainbow said it was more of a scythe-point wedding type traditional,” he muses, rubbing his chin. Shrugging a bit, he goes back to rubbing Applejack’s fur. "We've done a few of those." She admits. His brow furrows as he thinks on this. “Wait, so if I get you pregnant, I’ll be forced to do something I already want to do?” She puts a hoof on his beak. "Jumped forward a few steps, didn't ya? That or y'all have been talkin' to granny." “...well, I mean... I really do like you...” He awkwardly coughs. “But yeah, maybe I should focus on the now.” "There ya go." She gives him a quick smooch. “Well... the now is telling me to keep you in bed for one more hour.” He winks, letting his arms drop from her back. “But I feel that I’ll test the boundaries of what I’m allowed if I do that.” She chuckles. "Maybe when it's not harvest time." “...so we can do that after we finish the harvest?” He smiles playfully at her, claws rubbing her flanks in circles, firmly enough to make her cutie marks shift a bit with his motions. She shivers. "Ah'm sure there'll be days where ah don't have much planned." He chuckles, gently nipping at her ear. “I look forward to them... for now, how about we get you ready? Your morning work should be split in half...” "Ahm worried 'we' getting me ready might take longer." She chuckles. “Which is why I took the time to do half your morning harvesting last night.” He nods, seeming proud of himself. "... ya picked, sorted, and stored?" She checks. “All but one.” He reaches over and brings out an apple, bright red and shaped like a heart. “I feel like it was telling me to give it to you.” "Daww... thanks, sugarcube." She nuzzles him. He smiles, and they return to cuddling, the apple heart resting on the farmer’s chest. Flick grumbles as he wipes the sweat off his forehead, annoyed at the sheer lack of clouds. What he wouldn’t do to get some shade right about now. He perks up as the trees of Sweet Apple Acres appears before him, and he opts to hop over the fence so he can make a beeline for the farmhouse. He can see the harvest has been going well, many trees bright but bare of fruit. He smiles at this, pausing for a moment to place a claw on a tree, trying to see if he can feel anything more than just bark. While the tree itself doesn't say anything, a flat spot of bark tells him a certain mare had already been by. Nodding to himself, he turns and starts making his way down the hill. He promptly slips on a loose apple and is sent rolling down the slope, unable to get a limb out to stop himself. He sees a flash of orange as he collides with something else and continues rolling down the hill. The griffon and his inanimate passenger soon land at the bottom of the hill, next to some overgrown bushes. He groans, rubbing his head. “...just how big was that thing?” "Well... that's one way to say hello." Says a familiar voice. He freezes, heart clenching with dread. “Oh Jackie... please tell me I didn’t hit you...” "Y'all know ah don't like to lie." He audibly whimpers, talons slowly reaching back to touch what he expects is orange fur. “Jackie... I’m sorry... I would never want to hurt you...” He heard a scraping sound, which causes a pause. “...that sounded like... wood?” He carefully opens an eye, nausea hitting him much like he hit whatever he is laying on. He doesn't see her, her voice coming from the other side. "Believe it or not, ya didn't actually hurt me, just gave me a scare and a tumble." He promptly collapses. “Oh thank goodness, I was so scared I’d hurt you...” Flick flops on his stomach, rolls until he’s touching fur, and cuddles the source gently. “The guilt would consume me.” "Ah know ya wouldn't do that." She pats his head. "But yer gonna hurt yerself again." “This time was an accident. I slipped on something.” He starts to nuzzle under her chin, humming softly. "So, is it time?" He receives a responding nuzzle. “Well, probably half a minute after when I said, by now.” He takes the moment to kiss her, a talon shifting her up his body slightly by her rump so it’s more comfortable for both of them. "Well, come on, can't sit here and do this all day if we wanna make the show." “...can we do it tonight, maybe?” He gives her a hopeful smile, looking up into her emerald eyes. "Well... alright." She laughs. He smiles, leaning up to kiss her once more. They both notice the red legs beside them once they break apart. Applejack looks up. Her brother looks down at her. “Nope.” He turns and heads to the cart, hitching it up to himself without another sound. “...I thought his ribs were still injured?” Flick questions, his voice heard by Applejack simply because their faces are inches apart. "He is... Big Mac, don't you dare do any work!" She calls after him. “Someone’s gotta put them up!” He responds. Flick sits up, pulling away from the farm mare. “I can do it. Easy.” “Yer just as injured as me,” he retorts. "Yeah, how about both ya hardheads let the mare do her job and put it away." She pushes past them both. The griffon blinks dumbly for a second. “...but my wing’s healed so much!” He blurts, rushing over to scoop her up and gripping the cart with his tail. “Besides, with it empty, I can pull it like this!” "Sugarcube, I'm putting my hoof down." She says this as she thumps to the ground as she slides off. "Ya already took a tumble, Ah ain't risking ya endin' up under the cart." He slumps a bit. “...oh. Okay, then.” He pulls her into a gentle hug. “...should I follow you, or...?” She nuzzles him. "Well sure, we're still going to that show." He brightens up, kissing her cheek. “Great! Then we can go pick up everyone else on the way!” She laughs. "There ya go, Ah knew you'd bounce back." He can only shrug, leaning up against her side as they head back to the barn. Big Mac watches them leave, then looks back at the pear trees behind him. Without another word, he leaves the overgrown bushes and the fruits that upset granny so much.