//------------------------------// // That Time You Discover That "Out of the mouths of foals" Isn't Just a Saying // Story: Awkward, But Worth It // by bahatumay //------------------------------// Applejack sat at the table, staring blankly at a little packet of paper that lay in front of her. She had read it and reread it, and still wasn't sure what to do about it. She flinched when the door burst open, and she quickly tried to hide the stack of papers under her body. She relaxed a bit when the entering pony came into view, but not much. Mac nodded in greeting, and turned to get himself a drink. “Mac, Ah think you should see this,” Applejack said. Mac paused, decided that his sister’s concern was of higher priority than his glass of water, and turned back towards the table. He cocked his head, wordlessly asking what she had. In response, she slid the paper over. Mac examined the disjointed writing and frowned. "Looks like one of Apple Bloom's school projects,” he said. “What's this have to do with..." His eyes widened as he read the title. "'Culture of Violence: A Treatise by Sweetie Belle (Rough Draft)'? What kind of assignment is this?" "Cheerilee sent it over. Just read it," Applejack said. Mac pulled it closer and began to read. Had he tried to read this a month ago, his reading level would have been right on target with this assignment, thanks to his having dropped out of school as a colt. Of course, with Cheerilee on his side, he was improving daily, and he read the paper quickly and efficiently. Unfortunately. We live in a peacefull society. Crime is low and we have had no lasting wars recently. But all is not write in Equestria. Ponies still live in fear. Violence abounds within our vary borders; even within Ponyville’s streets. Mac looked up and gave Applejack a strange look. She gave him a wry grin. “Oh, it’s just gettin’ started.” Some of these violence sources are from the least likely places, including our own family. Mac looked up, confusion splayed across his face. “She talkin’ about Rarity?” Rarity was many things, but 'violent' is not an adjective he would have used to describe her. “Keep readin’.” And family includes special someponies. One source who wishes to remain anonimus anonymus unnamed said that she has heard strange noises coming from her sister’s bedroom and they sounded painful. Big Mac looked over at Applejack and just smirked. Applejack looked back flatly. “Keep readin’, and it’ll wipe that grin right off your face.” We are worried that they have messed with thier minds. Our source said she talked to Miss Ch Ma her brother’s marefriend and when questioned on their relationship, she said she had never been happier. But the night before, our source indikates that she had been calling out from the ba in the middle of the night in pain, and her brother was ignoring her please to stop. Mac’s jaw dropped. He worked his mouth trying to say something, anything, but nothing came out. And now it was Applejack’s turn to smirk. Finally, he managed to speak. "Ah guess Ah'm glad Cheerilee brought this up," he said unsteadily. “Reckon at the least, it’ll teach us t’ be more careful.” She paused. “You weren’t... actually goin’ on after she asked you to stop, were you?” Mac thought back to the last time he and Cheerilee had... er... ‘taken a break from studying’ in the upper loft of the barn. * * * “No, Mac! No! NO! Don’t you dare! Don’t you even think about it! You finish inside, you hear me? Inside! Inside, or I’m giving you detent-aaiiiii! Ahhh... ohhhh... heh... ngh... Oh, thank you, Mac... I needed that. By Celestia, I needed that...” * * * “Nope.” “Ah didn’t think so.” She gestured to the paper. “But Ah’m not entirely sure how we can tell the Trio about that, if we even should.” “Nope.” Mac spoke firmly. He had absolutely no intention of letting his sister know what he and her teacher were getting up to. Much of it was good, clean, learning fun. Most, but not all. And Apple Bloom really was so innocent in this regard that Mac really didn’t want to corrupt her. Not that she was ignorant of sex, of course; but there’s a huge difference between knowing animals do it and knowing your brother is doing it with your teacher, both of which you see every day, sometimes in the very house you’re in and once on the couch you’re currently sitting on. He intended to let her stay innocent for as long as she could. Too bad he couldn’t say the same for Rainbow Dash. Just last week, Apple Bloom commented on what a good mood Cheerilee had been in all day; and Rainbow, who had seen them enter the barn as she moved the clouds early that morning, cough/laughed so hard that apple juice came out her nose and she had to excuse herself from the table. “But wait. It gets better.” “Ah don’t think Ah want to read anymore,” Mac said softly, taking a step back. He felt hurt that anyone could think that he could hurt Cheerilee, and certainly didn’t want his younger sister thinking he was a bully. But when correcting that came at the cost of corrupting his younger sister? He needed time to think about what to do. Applejack rolled her eyes, but slid the papers back together. “Fine, ya big baby. Ah guess the only question now is, what do we do?” “Ah’m thinkin’,” Mac said impatiently. Suddenly, the door opened. "Anypony home?" “Think fast, Mac, that’s Apple Bloom!” Applejack hissed, covering the papers with her body. Then, realizing that that looked suspicious, proceeded to shove them under her seat cushion. She looked up to see what Mac was doing, and found the kitchen completely empty. For such a big pony, Mac could really book it when he needed to. “Oh, horseapples,” Applejack swore silently. “Hey, AJ?” Apple Bloom poked her head in and smiled when she saw her sister at the table. “Ah’m glad you’re here. C’n Ah ask you a question?” Applejack hoped her smile looked convincing. “‘Course ya can, Apple Bloom! What’s troublin’ ya?” “Cheerilee laughed at me,” Apple Bloom said, walking up and resting her head on Applejack’s chest. “She did, did she?” Applejack asked, pulling her sister close and making a mental note to have Rainbow stash a few storm clouds nearby to interrupt Mac’s next little tryst in the barn. “Yeah. All Ah said was, ‘if’n Mac’s hurtin’ ya, ya need t’ tell somepony’. She told us the same thing! If somepony's hurtin' you, ya tell someone. So why did she laugh at me?” “Ah don’t know if she meant to, Apple Bloom; it’s just...” “But Ah heard her shoutin’ Mac’s name like she was in pain! What’s goin’ on? Is he hurting her? Ah don't want Cheerilee gettin' hurt!” Apple Bloom was nearly in tears. She loved Cheerilee, and this whole situation made no sense to her. Applejack took a deep breath and made another solemn vow for revenge against her brother. “Apple Bloom, well... ya know what sex is, right?” Apple Bloom sniffled a bit. “Yeah...?” “And ya know how it works?” “Yeah, boy covers girl, wait a bit, bam! Ya got a baby. So what’s that got t’ do with anythin’?” “Sex is... well...” Blushing furiously, Applejack decided to just come out and say it. “It’s fun. And so some ponies like to play around and not just... uh... cover, when they’re havin’ sex with their special somepony.” Apple Bloom nodded, pondering this. “Ya mean like playin’ games and such?” Applejack’s mind quickly returned to the last game she and Rainbow had played, with two players in a face-to-hips position and where the object was to make your partner finish first while refraining from climaxing yourself. But, as Apple Bloom really didn’t need to know that, she responded with a simpler, “Somethin’ like that.” “So like with toys and such?” Applejack was unsure how to respond. First of all, she personally preferred using what she had been born with, yes or yes. Secondly, she sincerely doubted that Apple Bloom meant it like Applejack thought she meant it. That doesn’t mean Applejack wasn’t thinking it, though. Feeling the blush on her cheeks intensify, she replied, “Sometimes.” “You mean like Rainbow’s collar that says ‘property of Applejack’ under your bed? Somethin’ like that?” This was the first Applejack had heard of this, and was slightly taken aback that Rainbow would have such an item in her posses- “What were you doin’ in mah room?” Applejack demanded. “And how do you know it’s hers?” “It has her name on it on top, and we were tryin’ to be Cutie Mark Crusaders Ant Farmers, but we kindof dropped the container and got ants everywhere and we were just tryin’ t’ find ‘em all.” Apple Bloom paused and took in the look on her sister’s face. Her ears drooped slightly. “That didn’t help, did it?” “Not at all,” Applejack said icily, mentally adding ‘wash bedsheets’ to her daily to-do list. Apple Bloom scuffed a hoof. “Well, afore you do anythin’, c’n you at least answer my question?” “About Cheerilee?” Applejack tried to regain some order and control. "She wasn’t in pain; she was likin’ it.” Apple Bloom cocked her head. “Then why didn’t it sound like it?” Applejack had had enough of this conversation to last her a lifetime. “I'll explain it to you later." "When later?" Apple Bloom demanded, curious to know when shouting in pain or wearing a collar intentionally (tools such as yokes notwithstanding) would ever be desirable. Applejack thought fast. "When you hit estrus later." Apple Bloom shuddered. Not estrus. That sounded like a nightmare. Nothing but wanting... gag... colts. They smelled bad. And they weren't very smart. So for as far as she was concerned, she'd be fine never knowing. “Eww,” she said, turning and trotting away. “I can wait forever then.” Applejack sighed, feeling as though she had just barely cleared the tracks before the train. She was fairly certain, though, that that train was going to come back and try to run her over again. Either way, she had words for a certain cyan pegasus. * * * That opportunity came later that night, as the two mares settled down in their usual post-dinner cuddle. Applejack lay on her back on her bed, with Rainbow laying next to her, resting her head on Applejack’s chest. Applejack stroked her mane and waited until Rainbow’s breathing was nice and relaxed before speaking. “So, Rainbow...” “Yeah?” “You always tell the truth, right?” “Yeah...?” “And you’d never lie to me, would you?” “Of course not.” Rainbow, now moderately suspicious, sat up to look Applejack in the eyes. “You know I wouldn’t. I may not be the Element of Honesty, but I’d always tell the truth, especially to you.” “Perfect,” Applejack smiled. “So what’s this Ah hear about you wearin’ a collar, then? One what’s got my name on it and everything?” Rainbow’s wings flared and she blushed about the shade of the apples on Applejack’s flank, but after that little intro, felt obligated to answer. “Well, sometimes I... it’s... you see...” She screwed up her eyes, buried her face in her hooves, and just spat it out quickly. “Sometimes it’s boring waiting for you to get home so I put it on and pretend you’re there and I kindof like the feeling of belonging to you, ok?” “Well, all right then.” Applejack grinned. “Put it on.” Rainbow looked up. “Now?” she squeaked. “Now.” Hesitantly, Rainbow reached underneath the bed, felt around for a bit, and soon found it. She sat up and pulled it on, making sure not to pinch her mane as she buckled it. The brass disk gleamed in the lantern light, and sure enough, Applejack could read the words engraved in the metal. Rainbow Dash, Pegasus Property of Applejack If found, please return to Sweet Apple Acres She couldn’t suppress a chuckle. “That’s a good look for you, Rainbow.” Rainbow Dash responded with an even deeper blush, and she hid her face again. “Stop that,” Applejack scolded, pulling her hooves down and leaning in to give her a kiss on the muzzle. “I like it. A lot.” “G- good,” Rainbow said, shakily lowering her hooves. “So, now that I’m yours, are you going to take care of me?” Applejack brought up a hoof and slowly began massaging underneath the base of her wings, prompting Rainbow to gasp lightly. “Ah’m sure Ah’ll think of somethin’,” she said playfully.