It's been four years since me and Applejack got married, and it's been a whole month since our daughter, Toffee, was born, she's a perfectly healthy filly and I hope that she goes on to do big things when she's older. And now knowing that I have a daughter to look after has made me a very happy stallion. I haven't been this happy since I married my wife in Canterlot. But with all this happiness, there is an emotion that's digging deep inside of me, and it's a fierce and somewhat sharp emotion, that feels like it's pierced through my stomach and is twisting slowly into it. It's an emotion of fear, it's dread. So despite me being completely overjoyed at the birth of Toffee, I'm scared, I'm scared of the fact that I might not be a good father, I'm scared that I might end up like my dad, or worse, my mom.
So now here I am, I've moved away from Manehattan nine years ago, when I was eighteen and I've lived here in Sweet Apple Acres for five years with Applejack and the rest of the family, my big brother-in-law, Big MacIntosh, my little sister-in-law, Applebloom, my grandmother-in-law, Granny Smith and finally the newest addition to the family, l'il Toffee Apple.
6:00am, Saturday, I'm lying in bed with my wife, cuddled together with her, she is snug and asleep and has her face nuzzled into my neck in comfort and I'm awake, with my neck in comfort under AJ's soft cheeks. The birds were chirruping outside our bedroom window and Toffee is wrapped in blankets in her crib at the end of our bed, and since I've woken up this early, this must mean that the baby is going to start crying any second now, she always does when I wake up unusually early. And just like that, she starts crying, making me more alert and waking Applejack up,
"Oh my,Toffee's up again" She said as she lifted her head off my neck.
"I know, baby. You want me to go take her downstairs?" I asked.
"That'd be great, Sugarcube. Ah need ma rest anyways" She replied.
"Sure thing, Applejack" I told her.
"Thanks, Caramel" Applejack replied.
Before I got up, I gave my wife a small peck on the lips, then got up, and approached my daughter's crib and looked inside the crib, to see Toffee crying and her pacifier away from her, she must've accidentally let it out of her mouth, I picked up the pacifier and tried placing it in her mouth again, but she spat it out, still crying. After another attempt at trying to make her take her pacifier, I picked her up and cradled her in my left arm,
"Ah think she's hungry, hon" Applejack said.
"I'll give her a bottle of milk. They're still downstairs, right?" I asked.
"Mhm" AJ nodded.
"OK, you get some rest, babe" I said to her.
"Ah'll be up in about forty-five minutes, sugarcube" She replied.
"No problem" I said.
I left the bedroom with Toffee still in my left arm, she wasn't crying as much once we left the room, but was still crying, so I took her downstairs to the kitchen to give her a bottle of milk. I heated the milk up slightly, so it tastes better for her, I got the bottle and went into the living room with Toffee now moved onto my right arm. She was still crying,
"Ssh, Toffee, it's OK, Daddy's here" I whispered to her.
I pressed the bottle gently against Toffee's lips until she finally hesitated to drink it, and from that point on on, she was silent.
She was still wrapped and snug in her blankets, and after two minutes of suckling on the bottle, she went to sleep once again. No point of going back to bed now that I'm almost completely awake, and no point of putting Toffee in her crib upstairs because Applejack will be downstairs in just a short while. So I'm just sitting on the couch, with my daughter in my arms and left to my own thoughts. One of my thoughts is that I still dreading the fact I'm now a dad, but strangely enough I love the fact that I'm a dad as well. To be honest, when Applejack announced she was pregnant to all of us, I fainted, I collapsed on the floor and was out cold for ten goddamn minutes, Applebloom thought I had a stroke, but really, I just fainted of shock. AJ must've thought not to tell me or anypony else, because she wanted to surprise us, and she surprised the HELL out of me. I must've forgot to put a condom on whilst me and Applejack were having sex, because I really wasn't expecting her to be pregnant. During the months prior to Toffee's birth, I was scared shitless, yet excited. I knew that Applejack had experience in raising a child, since she's been helping Granny Smith and Mac raise Applebloom since she was born, but when I was growing up, my parents raised me horribly, since they're drug addled assholes, and also I was raised in the shit part of Manehattan. I'm just worried that being an asshole runs in my family, and that I'm going to raise Toffee like scum.
After zoning out whilst thinking about parenthood and holding my daughter in my arms, I heard a sound that snapped me out of my daydream, a creak from the stairs. However the pony that entered the living wasn't my wife, she still has another fifteen minutes in bed. Instead, it was my sister-in-law, Applebloom,
"Morning 'Mel" She yawned.
"Morning Applebloom" I greeted back to her.
"Did Toffee get y'all up again?" Applebloom asked me.
"Yeah, but she's quieted down now" I told her.
"Where's Applejack?" She asked.
"She's still in bed, she'll be up in about 15 minutes though" I replied.
Applebloom then trotted over towards me and Toffee, she then looked over at her niece and said,
"They're adorable when they're sleepin'"
"They?" I asked.
"It's adorable when all babies are sleepin', in ma opinion anyways" Applebloom replied.
"Yeah, I think so too" I agreed.
"Well, I'm gonna make my breakfast" She told me.
"I'll make it for you, Applebloom. You can sit here and hold Toffee if you want to" I optioned.
"That'd be cool, thanks 'Mel" She replied.
Applebloom sat beside me and I passed Toffee over to her, I got up off the couch and went over and stood next to the kitchen door,
"What you wanting?" I asked.
"Can I have toast please, with peanut butter please?" She replied and asked.
"Coming right up" I said.
I resumed my way into the kitchen and went over to the fridge, I opened the fridge and found multiple foods and drinks, like two jars of zap apple jam, a carton of milk, a tub of butter, a cake, and that's just to name a few. I got the peanut butter beside the milk, it was in a jar labeled "Big Mac's P.B. Do not touch". I don't think Big MacIntosh will mind if I take some. I put the jar of peanut butter beside the toaster and got the bread out of the cupboard, I then closed the fridge and put two slices of bread in the toaster and the rest of it back in the cupboard.
After about two minutes, the toast was ready, I got the toast out and placed both slices on a plate, and then I got a knife out of the cutlery drawer, opened the jar of peanut butter and then felt a tap on my flank, I turned my head and saw that it was Applejack,
"Howdy, sweetie" She greeted me as she came to me and gave me a kiss on the cheek.
"Morning, babe. You still could've had an extra ten minutes in bed if you wanted to" I told her as I pointed to the clock above the fridge.
"Good thing ah didn't wanna" Applejack smiled.
"How's Toffee in there with Applebloom?" I asked.
"They're both fine. Ah noticed ya'll have got Big Mac's peanut butter out, 'Mel" She observed.
"Pfft, he isn't gonna notice. Besides, he won't get at me for making Applebloom's breakfast" I replied.
"Ya never know" My wife told me.
"Well, if he does get mad at me, I'll talk myself out of it. I always do" I said.
"Ah will admit, y'are a tight-lipped stallion" She complimented.
I got the butter knife and stab it into the almost completely solid peanut butter, since it was in the fridge, it took me a while to scoop out some peanut butter from the jar, but I finally did it,
"Ha, you're one to talk about lips, eh babe?" I asked.
"Shh, don't say that out loud, besides, ah thought me and you agreed never ta speak of that again" She said.
"Yeah, we did, sorry Applejack" I apologized as I spread the peanut butter on Applebloom's toast.
"It's OK, what date was that again anyways?" She asked me.
"I think....it was our seventh, I don't know, I can't remember, my mind's a little groggy" I told her.
"As always" Applejack replied.
"Sorry" I apologized once more.
"Oh, don't apologize, Caramel. Yer forgetfulness is one of the reasons why ah fell in love with ya" She told me.
"Thanks, hon" I said.
She then wrapped her arms around my neck and came close and gave me a kiss on the lips, she then leaned towards my left ear and whispered,
"Y'all thank me later"
She backed up, but still had her arms around me, she then gave me a seductive smile and wink, she unwrapped her arms from my neck and said,
"Y'all better get Applebloom her breakfast"
"I will" I replied.
"Ah'm gonna make coffee for you and me" She told me.
"Can I get cream with that, please?" I asked.
"Sure thing" Applejack replied.
I then went back into the living room with the plate of toast balanced on my head, I saw Applebloom still holding Toffee, now looking as if tired of holding the baby. So I went over to the couch and slid the plate off my head and onto the arm of the couch, and took Toffee off of Applebloom's hooves,
"Sorry about the short delay, me and AJ were just chatting" I told my sister-in-law.
"It's OK, and thanks for the toast" She smiled.
"Don't mention it" I replied, "Toffee hasn't been any bother to you, has she?"
Applebloom shook her head, "Nope, she's been fine, ah did get a lil' tired when holdin' her"
"OK, but I've taken her off your hooves now. You got any plans for today?" I asked.
"Yeah, me, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo are just going to be hanging out today. You got any plans today, 'Mel?" She replied and asked.
"Nothing, really. I'm probably just going to chill out today with Toffee and AJ, none of us really have any plans" I told her.
"Cool" Applebloom replied.
At this point, Toffee woke up, her eyes widened, she has the green eyes of her mom, she looked around the room, observing everything, looking puzzled like most babies do,
"Hey Toffee, how was your sleep?" I asked, though, I wasn't expecting any answer, except from a few gurgles and grumbles.
I took Toffee over into the kitchen and put her onto her high chair beside the kitchen table, Applejack had finished sorting out our two cups of coffee and then came over to Toffee,
"Hey, Sugarcube. How's ma l'il filly doin'?" She asked Toffee.
"She just woke" I told Applejack.
"Aww, did ya have a good sleepy, Toffee?" Applejack asked her.
Whilst Applejack was trying to make our daughter laugh by making funny faces and gestures, I went over to the two mugs of coffee beside the kettle, one mug had cream in it, it was obviously mine, and AJ's mug had black coffee in it, she doesn't like milk in her coffee, I took my coffee over to the kitchen table and still saw Applejack making funny faces to Toffee,
"I thought I was meant to be the funny one?" I asked and smiled.
"You are, Ah'm the tough one" She happily replied.
"Oh, come on. I'm manly and tough" I proclaimed.
"Says the one who has yer ass saved by his wife on more than one occasion" Applejack told me.
So I decided to say, "I've saved you thousands..."
Applejack looked at me with a smirk and a raised eyebrow,
"Hundreds...." I continued.
She still had the face on,
"Sometimes" I finished.
She nodded in agreement, she then backed away to get her coffee then sat beside me at the table,
"Sorry, I'm a coward" I sighed.
Applejack placed one of her hooves on one of mine and smiled at me,
"Don't be sorry, sugarcube. Yer ma coward"
"Thanks, Applejack" I smiled back at her.
"Listen, baby. Ya may be forgetful, and ya may be a coward. But ah still love ya for who y'are. And y'are ma husband, the stallion ah fell in love with, and no matter how many flaws ya have, I'm not gonna stop lovin' ya" She told me.
"Yeah, but that's the thing, I have flaws, you don't" I said.
"Caramel, that's foolish. Nopony is without his or her flaws. Fer example, Rainbow Dash can have her head so far up 'er ass that she can't see what's right in front of her" She explained, "Even ah have ma own flaws, when ah get so caught up in ma work on the farm, ma pride seems to get in the way of me wanting help from ma family and friends"
"Huh, yeah" I chuckled.
"So don't think that ah'm flawless" Applejack told me.
"You're flawless to me, babe" I replied.
Applejack smiled, "Thanks Caramel"
"No problem" I replied.
She then leaned over to give a kiss on the lips, Toffee just sat in her high chair and was sucking on her hoof, and wasn't quite sure what me and her mom were doing,
Applejack suddenly stopped smooching, "Can ya do me a favor please, hon?"
"Sure, babe. What is it?" I asked.
"Can you take Winona out for a walk please?" She asked.
"Sure thing, Applejack" I replied.
"Thanks, hon. Ya're the best. Do it after ya finish yer coffee though" She told me.
"I'll do just that" I replied.