You stepped back from Applejack and rubbed the back of your head with a hoof.
“So where do we go from here?” You asked her with a hopeful look on your face. Applejack started to laugh.
“Whadda ya mean where do we go from here? Isn’t it obvious?”
“Not really, I didn’t plan this far ahead. I wasn’t even sure you’d say yes.”
“Well Ah did, so what do ya want t’do?”
‘Kiss you again,’ you thought. “I guess we should start dating. And I guess we should tell the others about this.”
“Ya guess? What happened to all that confidence ya had a moment ago?” Applejack asked, playfully bumping against your side. This eased your nerves and you shot her a playful smirk.
“It kind of went bye-bye from that mind-blowing kiss.”
“If all it takes to break ya is a kiss then we’ve got a lot of work on our hooves here.”
“I can’t think of anypony I’d rather work with than you.”
“Well aren’t you a charmer?” Applejack said wrapping her fore-hooves around you again. This time though the kiss was much shorter, but just as passionate as the first. She pulled away from you and started walking toward the barn. “Ah still have t’finish mah chores. Ya can help me if ya promise not t’stare at mah flank.” She said with a wiggle of her hips.
“That’s going to be impossible.” You stated matter of factly.
“What am Ah gonna do with ya?” Applejack sighed and rolled her eyes.
“I’m sure you’ll think of something.” You and Applejack made it back to the barn and you helped her with the last of your chores. From time you’d look over at Applejack with a goofy grin on your face.
‘I can’t believe it. I told Applejack how I feel about her, and she actually feels the same way. I wonder where things will go from here. I still can’t believe this is happening. I guess I’ll just have to go with the flow and see how things progress on their own.’
Once you and Applejack were finished with the chores you walked side by side into the Apple family home. You both took a seat on the sofa and chatted until it was time for dinner. You thought the meal was progressing normally until Granny Smith spoke up.
“Somethin’ seems different between the two of ya.” She said pointing a hoof at you and Applejack. “Is there somethin’ yer not tellin’ us?” You and Applejack shared a look and silently made a decision.
“I guess you could say something’s different. Applejack and I are dating now.” You admitted.
“Is that so? Just be careful you two. Ah don’t want t’be called Great-Granny Smith just yet.”
You felt your face flush at the comment but all of a sudden a certain filly started bouncing up and down excitedly. “Ah can’t believe it! You’re Applejack’s special somepony. That means ya really are mah big brother now!”
“Whadda ya mean now?” You said scooping up Apple Bloom and tousling her mane. “Didn’t I tell you that I’d always be a big brother to you, Kiddo?”
“Ah know, but this makes it official!”
“I swear,” you said, putting Apple Bloom down, “there’s just no pleasing you.” You finished with an over-dramatic sigh.
“Ah think you’ve been takin’ lessons from Rarity on how t’be a drama-queen.” Applejack said placing a hoof on your shoulder.
“Y’know you love it.”
“Ah can safely say that Ah love a lot of things. We’ll have t’wait and see if yer one of ‘em.” She said with a smirk.
The rest of the meal progressed rather uneventfully all things considered. When you all were finished you offered to clean up and everyone cleared out of the room, everyone that is except Big Mac. The two of you stared at each other for a few moments. You were uncomfortable with the look he was giving you. There was a deep frown on his face and it looked like he was trying to bore a hole in your head with his eyes. After what felt like an eternity he finally decided to speak up.
“So, you and mah sister are datin’.” He stated more than asked.
“That’s right.” You answered, rubbing the back of your head nervously.
“Ah gotta admit, yer a good stallion.”
“Thanks Big Mac, that means a lot coming from you.”
“But,” he said walking right up to you, “if you do anything t’hurt Applejack Ah’ll make sure ya live just long enough t’regret it.”
“Big Mac you have my word, I’d rather die than do anything to hurt her.” You stated confidently.
“Ah’m gonna hold ya to that.” He replied with a soft smile. He turned and started to leave, and just when he was standing in the doorway when he looked back at you and said, “Ah hope the two of you are happy together.”
The next day was your day off so you decided to spend it with Applejack. The two of you walked around Ponyville trying to find something to do together. You mostly wandered around shops and chatted. The day seemed to fly by as you spent time with your new mare-friend. Eventually, dinner rolled around and the two of you decided to invite your friends to tell them about your new relationship. All of them gathered at the restaurant and you all were seated fairly quickly. Once everyone’s drinks arrived you decided to tell everyone.
“Hey everypony, Applejack and I have something to say.” You started with a grin on your face. “We’ve actually started dating.”
“Finally,” Rainbow Dash said with a chuckle, “all of us were wondering when the two of you would get together.”
“Now Rainbow Dash, we shouldn’t tease these two.” Rarity scolded before turning her attention towards you and Applejack. “That’s wonderful news darling. So, how’d the two of you become an item?”
“Well, a few days ago, Applejack and I had a long conversation, and ever since then I’d noticed some weird “symptoms” so with a little help I figured out what they meant. After that, I led Applejack to a secluded spot of the orchard and used my magic to write a message in the sky telling her exactly how I feel.”
“That’s very sweet.” Twilight said.
“I have to agree, but what kind of conversation did the two of you have that made all this happen, that is if it’s okay with you?” Fluttershy asked.
“I… we talked about my past.” You said with a solemn tone.
“Would you mind sharing that with us, darling?” She asked carefully.
You felt the color drain from your face. You had hoped that you’d be dealing with this later rather than sooner. But before you could slip into a full-blown panic you felt someone take hold of one of your hooves. You looked over and saw Applejack with a warm smile on her face. She gave your hoof a comforting squeeze which let you gather your courage. You managed to tell the girls everything you had told Applejack. Like with her, you left out some of the more grisly details. By the end of your story there wasn’t a dry eye at the table. You let your head droop, ready for the pity that was about to come. It never did though. You cautiously looked up and saw slight smiles on your friends’ faces even as they wiped the tears out of their eyes.
“I can’t believe you’ve been through so much.” Fluttershy said softly.
“I can’t either,” Rarity interjected, “although, it does explain quite a bit.”
“How’d you manage to always smile around us, Starry?” Pinkie asked.
“With friends like you girls it’s hard not to smile.”
“Ugh… that was way too cheesy.” Rainbow Dash said, clearly messing with you.
The rest of the meal livened up from there and everypony had a great time all things considered. You were relieved how well your friends took the news about your past; even if it did end up overshadowing the news about you and Applejack. You didn’t let it upset you too much though. Your past was rather extreme. You asked Applejack if she wanted to watch the stars with you. She agreed and you took her to the hill where you first looked at the stars with her. You lied down first and Applejack slid right up to you with a look you could only describe as content.
“These last few days have been crazy.” You said.
“Is that a bad thing?” Applejack asked in a mocking tone.
“Yes, dating the most beautiful mare in all of Equestria is the worst thing to ever happen to me.”
“There ya go bein’ a charmer again.”
“With you it’s easy to be a charmer, just pick a feature and tell the truth about it.” You said with a goofy grin.
“Rainbow’s right, ya are way too cheesy.”
“I try to be nice and compliment my mare-friend and this is the thanks I…” All of a sudden Applejack turned your face towards her and captured your lips in a kiss. You returned the kiss wholeheartedly and rolled over to wrap your hooves around Applejack and deepen the kiss. This continued for a while until Applejack pulled away very slowly.
“Ya talk too much.”
“I guess I have to work on that.” You said before kissing Applejack again.
Months passed and your relationship with Applejack continued to intensify. You nearly passed out when she told you that she was pregnant. In all honesty it shouldn’t have surprised you given what you and Applejack had been doing. It took you a while but you embraced the idea of being a father with everything you had. As the pregnancy progressed you continued to dote on Applejack more and more. She didn’t like the idea at first, but you made her see your point. Eventually the day of the birth came and you were starting to freak out. You were outside the hospital room and pacing back and forth frantically. Your other friends and the other Apples were there too and wordlessly watched you, until Rainbow Dash decided to speak up.
“Dude can you calm down, my neck’s starting to hurt from watching you.”
“I’m sorry, I'm just nervous because my fiancé is giving birth in there and I can’t do anything about it. Not to mention, I have no idea how to be a good father. If I do something wrong it could screw up our foal.”
“You’re worrying too much darling.” Rarity said trying to reassure you. “Besides you should’ve thought of that before you and Applejack took your relationship to a more physical level.”
“I get it, hindsight is 20/20. You girls aren’t being very helpful right now.”
“Blackstar, you have nothing to worry about.” Twilight said, placing a hoof on your shoulder. “Between you and Applejack your foal won’t have anything to worry about. We all think you’ll be a great dad.” You closed your eyes and took a deep breath. Once you were finished you looked up at Twilight with a grateful smile.
“Thanks, I needed that.”
“That’s what friends are for.” Just then the doctor walked into the hallway with a grin on his face.
“I think all of you should go in there. There’s somepony that wants to meet you.” You struggled not to push past the doctor and scrambled into the room. The first sight to greet you was a tired but content looking Applejack holding something bundled up in a blanket. You hurried over to her side and held her and your foal in your hooves.
“So this is…”
“Eeyup, say hello to our new daughter,” Applejack said, turning over the bundle to give you a better look at the foal you had made together. She was an earth pony with a dark, reddish brown coat. She had your eyes and what little mane you could see was a shade of black that was just a tad lighter than the black in your own mane.
“She’s beautiful.” You stated, and you meant it. Even if you had started your life as a human, this was your daughter and she was gorgeous to you. “Hey little girl, I’m your daddy.” You said, tears trickling down your eyes.
“We sure do make ‘em good don’t we?” Applejack asked, her tired smile only growing wider as she laid her head onto your chest. “Ah can already tell that she’s gonna be just like ‘er pa. When Ah first got a look into those eyes it was like lookin’ at a tiny version of you.”
“Oh I really do hope for our sake that she takes after mother.” Applejack laughed at your lame attempt at humor and all the apprehension you had about being a father melted away. “This has made becoming a pony worth it.” Applejack’s eyes widened instantly and pushed you off of her. You weren’t expecting this and landed on your flank.
“What do ya mean becomin’ a pony?” Applejack growled.
“I used to be something called a human, didn’t I tell you this?” You replied, looking around the room hoping to find some support. Instead you were surrounded by glaring forms. You couldn’t believe this. No, you could. This is exactly what you were worried about since you had started to living in Ponyville. “I’m sorry I should’ve told you sooner. I was just scared what you’d think about me.”
“And why were ya so scared? Ah can’t believe this. You were some sorta monster, weren’t ya? Ya didn’t trust me this whole time!”
“No, that’s not it at all!” you screamed. “Please, you have to believe me.”
“No, Ah don’t, and Ah’m not about t’be the mother t’some monster’s baby.” And with that, Applejack took your daughter in her hooves, and with a sickening snap, broke the newborn’s neck. Then she tossed the corpse aside as if it were nothing. You couldn’t speak; you couldn’t even make a noise. You were too shocked to do anything but sit and stare at the lifeless corpse that had once been your child. Before you could take in what had just happened a voice caught your attention.
“So what is a human exactly?” Twilight asked, picking you up with her magic. “Ooh, I know, maybe if we cut you open we’ll be able to find out.” Twilight used her magic to take you to some sort of operating room. She carefully strapped you down so that your limbs were spread out in the shape of an X. Then, she placed something that pinched the base of your horn. “There, now you won’t be able to use your magic to try and escape. Now Pinkie, would you like to make the first incision?” Suddenly, Pinkie stepped out of the darkness dressed in a surgical mask and scrubs.
“Don’t mind if I do.” You couldn’t see her mouth, but her voice and eyes told you that she had a sick smile on her face.
Pinkie carefully picked up a scalpel and placed it just at the beginnings of your chest. You could feel the blade dig into your skin and couldn’t help but cry out and struggle against your bindings. This did nothing to stop Pinkie from continuing until she had finished cutting your chest. She giggled as she placed the knife on each of your limbs and made cuts along those as well. When that was done she took her hooves, placed them on the incision on your chest, and started to dig into it. She stretched the cut until your skin started to split and the muscle underneath was revealed. She switched off with Twilight and both of them repeated this process until your ribcage and organs were exposed to them. You didn’t know how you were still alive for this; you didn’t even know how you were still conscious for this. You just knew that you wanted it to stop, one way or another. Just when you thought all hope was lost, help seemed to come from two unlikely sources. Blackstar’s parents.
“Thank God you two are here. Please, you have to help me.” You wheezed, barely able to speak.
“Sorry, but we can’t do that.” Blackstar’s father said.
“That’s right, not when we’re about to get our precious son back.” Blackstar’s mother continued, her smile putting you on edge.
“What are you talking about?”
“They’re talking about me.” Someone said in all too familiar voice.
Stepping out of the darkness was Blackstar in your old body, with a smirk on his face. “Thanks for keeping my body warm for me, but I want it back.” And just like that Blackstar started to force his way into the incisions along your body. The pain was unimaginable. Just when you thought you couldn’t take anymore your survival instincts started to kick in. You flailed wildly and did your damndest to use a spell, any spell you could think of. Some part of your mind noted a faint voice, but you paid no attention to it. The voice continued to get louder and eventually you were able to make out what it was saying.
“Blackstar!” the voice said just as you fired a bolt of magical energy at it. Your mind dimly noted that you were no longer in pain and opened your eyes to see who had called out to you. Picking herself up off of the floor was Luna, who shook her head as she turned to face you.
“Blackstar, are you okay?”
“I...I… what’s going on?” You asked confused.
“You were having a nightmare,” Luna replied, wrapping her hooves around you in an attempt to comfort you, “a terrible one at that. What brought all this on?”
“Wait, if this is a dream, then how are you here?”
“I have the ability to enter the dreams of anypony in Equestria, and it is only recently that I have been able to master it.” Luna answered breaking the hug and looked at you with an oddly serious expression.
“How is that possible?”
“I have some theories about that but as of now they are nothing more than that. Now, back to you, this was a rather extreme nightmare, don’t you think?”
“Not really,” you replied. “I’ve been having nightmares since I was a kid. Something like this is nothing new.” Luna visibly relaxed a little as you said this but still looked concerned for you.
“Given your past I guess you are well acquainted with night terrors. Still, what do you think brought on this particular nightmare?”
“I told Applejack about my past, although, I did leave out the part about being a human and dying.”
“And now you’re worried about what she and the others will think of you when you tell them.”
“I guess, I mean even with the proof in my bag my story does sound unbelievable, or even scary I guess.”
“Your fears are understandable, but maybe I can help you. In a few months I will be coming to Ponyville to celebrate Nightmare Night. We could gather your friends and tell them the truth about you together.”
“I think I’d like that. Thank you Luna, for everything.”
“You don’t have to thank me, I’d do anything for my precious student, and for what it’s worth I’m proud of you for being able to tell somepony about your past in any way.”
“That means a lot Luna. I think I wanna wake up now.”
“Of course, but before I go I’ll take away the memory of this foul nightmare so it won’t plague your thoughts.” The tip of Luna’s horn lit up and she touched the side of your head with it. When she did the world around you started to fade away until you woke up in your bed at the Apple family home.