This is what we do

by Foxgear

It's what we do

This is what we do Chapter 38 Epilogue 1
By Foxgear

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Cloudsdale Hospital, Maternal ward

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“Huff…huff…huff…” Adagio lay on her back, staring up at the white ceiling, her legs spread wide with several strangers in white coats surrounding her. This was it. She was giving birth! Now if her protective instincts would stay calm.

“You’re doing great honey! Keep pushing!” Mac said encouragingly holding her hand to keep her from ripping out the doctor’s throats. Nyx was among the staff and did her best to stay in the corner unless needed. She knew what could happen if Mac’s grip slipped.

She screamed another contraction hit her. “AGHAG! GREAT FUCKING CELESTIA!”

“You’re doing great Dagi!” Sonata cheered.

The doctor, his hand deep in her privates said, “We have surprise twins nurse! Keep breathing Mrs. Apple, the first one is almost out.”

“The what! Since when were there two!”

“Since now, sometimes one will hide behind the other, and you didn’t want ultra… never mind. Keep pushing!”

She squeezed Mac’s hand harder, magic sparking between their hands as she yelled, “God damn you, Mac! God damn you and your amazing fertile balls!”

“Mr. Apple… are those scales on your hand?” The doctor asked, peeking out from her hospital skirt.

“Don’t worry about it.” Mac drawled.

Adagio felt cheated as Mac tanked her hand crushing grip with gusto. “When these two are out, don’t expect any more for a while.” She half teased, trying to ignore the pain. (How big are these kids? Gods Mac’s their father, they’re probably going to be record-setting!)

Mac much to her charging chuckled. “What’s so funny?” She demanded.

“You’re going to jump me first, I bet.” He said, brushing her hair, it did soothe her a bit, so she couldn’t help but reply.

“Your probably right.”

“Alright, first one’s out! Nurse Nyx, if you’d please.”

As Nyx took the child in a white cloth Adagio turned to her, her iris redder than blood when she said. “Nyx if anything… ANYTHING happens to my baby I sending you through the wood chipper legs first.”

They bought a woodchipper, but not for wood. It worked really good for getting rid of monster bodies in the last six months.

Nyx smiled nervously and handed the baby to another nurse. “I should stay here…”

“Nyx…” Adagio glared threateningly.

“I’ll watch the brat!” Aria said from outside the room. “You focus on getting the other one out.”

Adagio pressed against her mattress, taking a long deep breath and exhaled. “Acceptable. Don’t’ let Granny name them!”
“I know, I know, this one is a boy by the way,” Aria informed the room escorting Nyx to where ever.

“Here comes the next one! I see the top of the head!”

Adagio screamed as she pushed and pushed and pushed for the next two hours. At eleven to midnight, she gave birth to her second child, a baby girl.

Once things settled down, the girl’s brother was returned, and Adagio was transferred to another room to rest. Her two babies wrapped in a pink and blue blanket respectively. The small hospital room got smaller when her sisters, Mac’s sisters, Granny Smith, Principle Celestia and Luna, Feri, Sunset Shimmer, Sixes, and the royal sisters all filed in.

Mac had his hand on her shoulder, smiling with her as they watched the two slumbering babies all tuckered out from being born. Adagio couldn’t help but smile as Mac’s eyes panned between their kids and her chest, which had gotten pretty big over her pregnancy.

REALLY big. Like two cup size up big. Adagio had been a C before and was now an E.

“No.” She said lightly slapping his forehead. “These two already have to share.”

“Right, right,” He chuckled, staring wistfully at the two children. “So… which names did you want to use?”

Adagio hummed, her eyes glancing at Granny Smith who was looking on intently. The elderly matriarch was insistent that the kids have apple names.

“Let’s see how about you name the girl, and I name the boy?”

“Sounds good.” Mac took the girl in his big hands, the child fitting in his palms, looking like an oversized pink potato. “Arizona Liberty Apple, after her Aunt Aria and Sonata.”

“Aww… did you hear that Ari? He named her after us! I mean, I don’t have Z in my name, but I’m still so happy!”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m right next to you, I heard.” Still, Aria was blushing.

Adagio rested her son against her breast, smiling fondly as she chewed her lip. “So many wonderful strong names for you my little man. There are lot of people I’d love honor, but I know they’d what you to be your own person, Andante Bailey Apple.” When Adagio looked up, she saw Granny Smith a mix of conflict and gratefulness. As she stroked Andante’s thinly haired scalp, she said, “I met you halfway. They maybe Apples, I may be an Apple, but I have my own way doing things.”

Granny wiped a rogue tear from her eye. “Aye, your right. You’re going to be great mother, Adagio.”

She and Mac smiled, “Thank you. All of you.”

---

It’s been a few days since the twins were born and the whole family was back home. Mac sat in his new lazy boy in his rebuilt living room watching the evening news, Adagio sat with her two enormous jugs out the two babies suckling greedily at her teats. Standing patiently behind her was Rarity with a measuring tape.

“Adagio… I would really like to get home.”

“They’re almost done.”

Rarity was helping Adagio get refitted for her wedding dress since her body has undergone some developments. Mainly in the bust area, but her hips were more fuller too.

Things have not been easy for the fashionista these past few months. To say things had been bad would be too weak to really describe the dramatic shift her life had undergone. Firstly, Rarity was still aged up, a barely eighteen-year-old looking like she was halfway through her twenties. The scars on her body while slightly faded were still there, not even the Equestrian healers with their magic could fix them.

All that was small beans compared to the real travesty in her life. Her parents had died during the battle with Envy. Now Envy wasn’t the cause of death, at least not directly, it was more bad luck that their flight home had been the same time black magic knocked out all the electronics. More then a dozen flights met a similar fate. The lava and new forest didn’t help the crash landings.

That left Rarity, no longer looking like she was supposed to in a complicated situation in regarding the custody of her underaged sister. Sweetie Belle had been endangered of being sent far away to live with some distant relatives when her Cousin ‘Rari’ stepped in to take care of her. Rari was Rarity’s new official name. It took some string-pulling on Feri’s end, but he managed to get a Rarity new identity by sneaking her into witness protection.

Rarity and Sweetie Belle were now both living upstairs in the boutique, their family home, and their parents' assets were sold off to pay for debts and funeral costs. Overall out of all the girls that were possessed she got of ok.

Andante and Arizona let go of Adagio’s teat, and she wrapped them in blankets and set them on the cushion beside her and raised her arms. “Do it quick, those two can’t go five minutes without me.” Rarity quickly went to work measuring Adagio’s bust, muttering that she may have gained another inch.

Adagio laughed, “How big are you going to make your mama’s titties? I’ll need a steel-reinforced bras soon.” She joked gently ruffling their thin hair.

“All done, I’ll be going now. The dress should be done by the end of the week.” Rarity said as she gathered her things.

As she walked to the front door, Mac said, “Do you want to hear the latest on the others?”

Rarity paused, her hand hovering over the doorknob. “No. I have my own life, I’m done with this magical girl non-sense, as I said before.” With those cold words she left and drove away.

Adagio snorted as she wrapped the kids up and put them in the crib beside the couch. As she did, she stole glances at the nightly news he was watching. “She’s living with her head in the sand.”

“She had it rough,” Mac replied, turning the volume up slight as Adagio moved the kids to the other room.

“This is Joy Golden Showers coming to you live outside of Canterlot city in the larger rural Canterlot area, behind me is the latest buzz, the Ever-Burning Forest, formerly the Rural Wildlife reserve. Nearly six months ago, a mysterious event transformed this place into a molten wasteland and then a lush forest with trees never before seen. Now these trees as you can see on your TV’s at home are extraordinary and scientists can still not understand them.”

The Wildlife zone Sixes destroyed, Fluttershy replanted, and he and Adagio purified had become for no better word, a magical forest. The trees there are all orangish color, their leaves looked like fire each one like a five-pointed flame. They weren’t hot nor did they burn and when they fell off the tree they went out once they hit the ground. It’s become quite the local tourist spot. The town, of course, charged for tours to help with the reconstruction and because the forest was dangerous.

Timbers plagued the Ever-Burning woods. Not just wolves, everything, cougars, deer, rabbits, every animal that you typically found in the forest was a Timber, but they acted like regular animals, where if you didn’t bother them, they usually left you alone. Most of the time. It was essential to stay on the paths. Currently, Aria and Sonata were acting in secret to keep the more dangerous timbers in check while also training the park rangers how to handle the Timbers.

“In other news Doctors are still baffled by the sudden outbreak of… Magical Girl syndrome…”

“The cats out of the bottle now,” Adagio said snuggling up against him.

“Yeah,” He drawled.

Magical Girl Syndrome was the classification for people, mostly young teenage girls, ponying up randomly across the Country and beyond. There were also some boys too. The strange thing it was more than just pony transformations.
In eastern Europe, a whole class of schoolgirls gained what looked griffon like features, in Hawaii mermaids were popping up, in Russia Yak girls were roaming the land and in central Germany, there were reports of dragon boys and girls.
“I think this is because of us…” Adagio trailed off.

“Firing that beam filled with Princess Celestia’s and others magic probably wasn’t the smartest idea.” He agreed. When the first reports happened a few months ago, they had played it off, too busy rebuilding the house and getting back ordinary life to take the rising magic seriously. But now it was public, and the world was taking notice.

Naturally peopled looked to government for answers and the government was doing it’s hardest to deny making genetically altered girls for war. Well also trying to recruit said, girls and boys. Russia was already having problems with the Yak people rising up for independence.

“At least there haven’t been any witch burnings… yet…” Adagio said, trying to lighten the mood.

“They almost burned the Vampire Brides.” Mac reminded her.

“Ah… yeah… that was messy.”

The girls Envy had transformed had it tough. Many of them were scarred from the battle, mostly the one's Sixes dealt with, and they all awakened the ability to use magic. Their transformations were all still Vampire Brides, but they could control them… now. Sixes had come over with some bat ponies to help teach them how to manage their magic. Opening a sort of school in their North orchard. It was more of a boot camp, but the same thing.

“This is so beyond me,” Mac sighed, turning off the TV. Adagio rubbed his shoulders and kissed him on the cheek.

“Well, luckily, you don’t have to deal with it.”

“I know, but it doesn’t feel fair making Sunset handle this.”

“She volunteered for it.”

“Maybe so… but still…”

Sunset Shimmer’s life has taken a dramatic change, and it had ripple effects that strained the tense relationships of her friends. What happened? Well to get the power she used in the final battle she had to do something, she had to accept her heritage, and that meant awakening her magic and other things.

Basically, in simple terms, Sunset Shimmer was now Princess Sunset Shimmer, soon to be the new Princess of the Sun.
Now he and Adagio didn’t get the Equestrian paper or really keep up with the politics of the goings-on of the otherworld through Adagio’s dressing mirror, but apparently, Princess Celestia was looking to retire, while Luna was stepping down as Princess of the Equestria to become Queen of the Everfree Territory, Sixes her King. The two of them got married about three months ago.

When they heard the news, they asked what a happened with Princess Twilight, and she was apparently running a school that involved a lot of nations, and there was also something about the populace respecting her, but were uneased by the idea of her ruling. Apparently, Princess Twilight was known to… freak out? Like stock price dropping level freakouts.

So, when Celestia’s long lost Granddaughter suddenly decided to come home… well, Sunset’s coronation was really lovely, glad they were invited. That being said Sunset was still a Princess in training, the whole retirement thing wasn’t for a while, but it was in the works. However, Celestia wasn’t just going to trot off into the sunset, she had plans, plans that she’s laying the groundwork for, projects that involve earth.

“Let the royals deal with the politics, you and I have only to worry about one thing… well, we have to worry about a bunch of things, but the big thing is our wedding next week.” Adagio cooed nuzzling him excitedly. “Though truth be told I was fine just going on as we have been. But if it makes Granny Smith happy to see us married in a church, I suppose I can indulge her. I did kind go against her wishes when naming the twins.”

He ran his hand down her back massaging her muscles while saying, “Respecting the Apple’s traditions is fine, I’m a stickler for them myself, but we gotta be more flexible. Especially that whole naming thing, we have four Apple Clobbers, Five Applejohns, and several other repeats, it’s getting confusing. That all in the two generations of each other.”

“I’m so glad you so open-minded. I mean you married me and I’m basically a fish horse.”

“Well you’re the smartest, prettiest one, I’ve ever met.”

“And fucked.”

“So much for being romantic.”

“Sometimes I want roses, other times I want to be bare naked in a pond pressed against a rock.”

Mac cocked an eyebrow at his wife, “It’s only been a week, and you want to get pregnant again?”

“I… um… ah…” She lightly swatted him on the head and turned away in a huff. “Fine don’t have sex with your hot huge tittie wife, see if I care! I’ll just go sit on the couch and read a book while being sexy as all hell!”

She did just that. Adagio got off his lap and plopped herself on the couch with whatever book she and her sisters were reading and did it with her shirt still unbuttoned. Mac waited for all of five minutes before she was fast asleep, book on the floor and sprawled out over the couch like a sunbathing dog.

With a chuckle, Mac picked her up and took her to their room. Pulling off her jeans before tucking her into bed and undressing before joining her. It didn’t take minute before Adagio was pressed against him, clinging to him in her sleep. He took a few steady breaths and closed his eyes ready for….

“WAAHGGHHH! WAHHGAGH!”

Adagio joisted awake, but he patted her head as he got up. “I’ll take care of them.” He mumbled sleepily.
“Milk is in the fridge if you need it…” She mumbled falling asleep.

Walking through the darkness of the house Mac found the crib with his two kids by the night light and picked up the crying baby, it was Arizona, but Andante probably wasn’t far behind if he didn’t settle his daughter down. He cooed and rocked in his big arms, letting her ear rest against his chest so she could hear his heartbeat. Her cries waned as she nestled against him, her little arms hugging his chest.

“There, there, daddy is here. He’s here, it’s alright.” He whispered, sitting down on the couch. This was their nightly routine since bringing the kids home.

“Enjoying parenthood?”

Mac bristled, his blood running cold as he stood up from his chair and looked out the bay window. Standing in the moonlight was the phantom image of his father, Nico Vega.

“You… you can’t be here. The magic in the orchard, it’s gone!” Mac said with some alarm but lowered his voice to not disturb Adagio or Andante. Maybe this was a dream?

“There is much more powerful magic at work in the earth now son, that being said, I am here.”
“What are you talking about?”

“Call it my one phone call from the afterlife,” The Phantom of Nico stepped closer laying his hand on Mac’s shoulder. “You’re doing fine, you don’t need me anymore. I just wanted you to know that.” A stray tear fell from his eye as Nico began to fade away. “Mom says hi too, and so does Bailey!”

With that, he was gone.

Mac lay Arizona next to Andante and wandered back to bed in a daze. Unsure what to make of his fathers’ sudden appearance from beyond. As he lay there, the love of his life next to him and their kids sleeping soundly in the next room.
He realized.

“I’m a father now…” Smiling up at the ceiling, Mac was overcome with great joy and fear all at once. “Fuck… I should start a college fund for them… they’ll probably have magic, no hundred percent they will… leave it all for tomorrow. I’ll go to the bank first.”

---

“Kukuku, did you miss your Auntie Sona? Did you Little Ari? Did you?” Sonata coed bouncing Arizona on her knee. “Come on Aria, he’s not going to bite you!”

“I’m more worried about him puking on me, there’s a reason Dagi is wearing thrift story Tee shirts all the time now.”
“And you're wearing silk now.”

Aria blushed, “Shut up. Nothing wrong with looking nice.”

“Or womanlier in your case, did your boobs finally get bigger too?”

“Shut up, Sonata!” Aria shrieked as Andante grabbed at her nose. “Dagi! Take your son, please! I’ve had enough playing at Auntie.”

“You’re such a lightweight Aria,” Adagio teased picking up Andante. “So, you’re going over to Equestria again today?”

“Yeah.”

“You staying long?”

“A few days.”

“What’s got your attention over there? Find a stallion?”

Aria crossed her arms over her silk sweater. “Maybe. What’s it to you?”

Adagio hummed as she carried Andante in one arm and scrambled eggs with the other. “Nothing. I’m happy you're doing your own thing. About time one of you finally moved out.”

Her words cut sharp as Sonata froze in place. “Do you really want us to leave Dagi?”

The eldest siren sighed as she set her son on the floor to crawl around as she delivered eggs to the table. “It’s not that I want you to leave, but I think it would be better for you if you did. It’s time you two get your own lives. Find mates, or don’t and travel, but embrace your freedom. You don’t have to stay here with Mac and me.”

“I guess so…” Sonata said, picking haphazardly at her eggs, while Adagio took Arizona from her. “What do you think Aria?”
Aria looked at her eggs and her two sisters, gulping loudly as her lips quivered. “I… I’m planning on joining Night Patrol in Equestria after the wedding…”

“WHAT!” Was Sonata’s reaction to the news. “Why?”

“I want to go home! See how things have changed, maybe find mate worth chasing after! I don’t know!”

“Dagi you can’t let her do that!”

Adagio sighed and patted her little blue sister on the head while placing her hand on Aria’s shoulder. “I’ve told you this before. I’m not mom. Sonata, Aria can make her own choices. Take some time and think about what you want to do. Now if you excuse me, my little ones need their breakfast.”

As Adagio took the twins into the other room, the two sisters were left to mellow in their own silence as they ate. Periodically Sonata would glance up from her plate at Aria, upon her third look she found Aria staring at her.

“What?”

Sonata poked at her eggs, “Are you really going to go to Equestria?”

“That’s the plan unless I decide to do something else. What of it?”

“Well… what am I supposed to do?” Sonata asked dejectedly, expecting a sharp tongue lashing from her pink sister.
“Whatever you want, stay here and be a dotting Aunt, go explore this world or…” Aria tapped her fingers against the table as she looked away. “Come with me. To Equestria I mean.”

“Can I really?”

“If you want to,” Aria said, cleaning up her plate and taking it over to the sink. “You don’t have to decide until after the wedding. Speaking off, we gotta go meet Applejack and Sunset for final dress fittings.”

Sonata smiled as she stood and laid her plate beside Aria’s, “Yeah, let’s get going.”

---

Mac stood nervously shifting his weight from side to side, the suit he wore was fitted to fit him, but still felt stuffy as he and many others waited for the bride. Yeah, it was his wedding, and despite knowing it was just a formality and there wasn’t even a one percent chance Adagio would say no, he was still nervous. That might just because he was standing up in front of his entire family and friends.

His grooms’ man were an odd bunch because he didn’t have many friends, he had to enlist Sixes, Fierce Fury, Feri, and Pony Mac to fill the ranks. Pony Mac had grown a beard and dyed his hair, so they didn’t have to explain why there were two them. Honestly, he wasn’t sure anyone was buying it, but he wanted his other self to be here. Which lead to a tail spring of other problems because Pony Jack was also here. At she just looked like an older version of Applejack, but he was worried people were going to start thinking Grandpa Washington (Granny’s husband) had an affair or something. Great Uncle Crab Apple (Granny’s Brother) was undoubtedly suspicious.

On the bride’s side was Aria, Sonata, Applejack, and Sunset Shimmer, all dressed in orange dresses with red bows and other fine details that looked nice but he had no idea what they were.

The bride’s music began to play, and Adagio appeared and was being escorted by Gator. One of Feri’s bar buddies. The old man was also Principle Luna’s neighbor. Honestly, it was apparent how anti-social he and the sirens have been considering half of the wedding party was from another world and over the age of forty. The fact the Sirens had no living relatives required some creative thinking.

“Here you go Sonny,” Gator snickered dropping Adagio off at the altar. “Your ball and chain.”

Mac could only grin as the old man took his seat in the crowd. Leaving him to hold Adagio’s hands as the pastor read his words and gave a speech that he honestly wasn’t paying attention to. His focus was all on Adagio, her face obscured by a thin white veil, her dress fit her well, though he questioned the modesty of it. It was a simple dress with no shoulders, no back, and the skirt wasn’t overly elaborate. She did have these long white silk gloves that ran all the way up her arms, but really…

Adagio suddenly pinched his hand, gave her head a little flick, he could remove her veil now. He did so, and even though he saw her face yesterday it took his breath away as she smiled coyly at him.

“You two may recite your vows.” The Pastor declared.

He gulped, his mouth dry, this was it. Time to put his love into words in front of everyone he knows. (I’m so fucked.) “Adagio… it wasn’t obvious the first time we met that I even thought we would be standing here today. Back in the early days, your teasing and flirting put me on edge, and I found myself tongue-tied and could only march off with a blushing face, but over time you rubbed off on me, you made me thicker skinned, bolder, more confident. You compliment me, strangely, but it’s one I can no longer live without. We jumped the gun and have two beautiful children, and I’m looking forward to having more with you and only you until the day I die. Which hopefully won’t be too soon.” There was awkward chuckle from everyone in the crowd. The bleak reality of his parents’ short lives still embedded in the family.

Adagio wrinkled her nose at the dark humor but smirked as if to challenge death. “Mac when you first found me and my sisters in that alley, cold and uncertain of our futures I wasn’t certain your kindness (Bean bag to the gut) was genuine. Never the less you gave us a home, a purpose, and you accepted everything we were with the good and the bad, mostly bad at that time, but being with you made us better. I’m truly utterly grateful I fell in love with you (Got to you before my sisters did.) and look forward to sharing the rest of our lives together preferably for as long as possible, but even cut short, you are the love of my life.”

“Rings.” The pastor nodded as they slipped rings onto each other’s hands and said the famous words, “I now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Apple. You may now kiss the bride.”

Mac did and smiled like a fool when they separated before Adagio could take it up a notch, she pouted with disappointment, but her smirk promised it would resume and more the first chance they got.

With a great cheer and applause, he and Adagio walked down the aisle together. Dinner was served, music was played, they had Octavia and Vinyl DJ, there was karaoke too. Sonata and Aria song and danced, Applejack played a song of her own and so did Sunset.

Throughout the night every so often, the guests would clink their glasses, and he and Adagio would stand and kiss for them. Friends and family would offer the congrats. Principle Luna was crying when she came to give her congrats, hugging them both tight and telling them not to die young like his parents did. She might have been drunk. Principle Celestia had to escort her out to settle down.

There was no father-daughter dance because Adagio’s father was dead and his parents were gone too, but the DJ did play the wedding knock out game. Couples of all ages were called to the dance floor and were eliminated by their years of marriage.

Naturally, he and Adagio were taken out right away, but there were some surprise couple in the mix. Platinum and Bulwark have been married for ten years. Gator and his wife won at sixty-five years.

The night waned, and the party settled down until it was just him, Adagio and her sisters left. Andante and Arizona were brought out of the brides waiting room and given to Adagio.

“Thanks for watching them Moon Dancer, Sci-Twi.”

“No problem, it was the least I could do.” Moon Dancer said with dark circled under eyes. “Just don’t count on me for regular babysitting.”

Looking haggard Twilight pulled out her cell phone, “I have to go apologie to my sister in law,” she said walking off while dialing a number.

Sonata made a sound catching their attention, “We can look after them for the night if you two want to go…” She trailed off awkwardly, clearly embarrassed by her own implication.

“The hell is this we business?” Aria snorted but quickly gave in. “I suppose since I’ll be gone after this I can help out.”

Adagio smiled, passing the slumbering children to her sisters and hugged them. “Thank you two, if you're ever in trouble you can always come to us.”

“Oh, Dagi!” Sonata cried while Aria comforted her.

With their kids in steady hands, Mac and Adagio went to consummate their union officially. Adagio had a rather bizarre choice for it. Standing on the shore of the pond just north of the west shack was the spot they had more than likely conceived the twins.

Adagio undressed in the moonlight, carefully laying her dress down on a blanket as she stood in her white stocking and underwear beckoning him towards the water. He slipped out of his suit and followed her, chasing after her in the water before pressing her against the same rock he took her last time.

“Told ya you’d jump me first.” He said, kissing her.

“I’m impatient.” She replied. “And a gambler if you catch my drift.”

“For finance reasons I hope you don’t pop out another set of twins right away.”

“We’ll see.” She giggled. “We’ll see.”

---

Two weeks after the wedding and everything was… routine and not the strange monster-fighting normal, but just normal. He and Adagio were living their lives raising their kids. It was quiet, and maybe a little boring at times, but that was ok.
The most significant change was Sonata and Aria moving to Equestria. It made the house very quiet. When the kids weren’t crying at least.

Mac was sitting on the porch when Applejack pulled up into the yard. “Hey, bro…” She said awkwardly as he bounced Andante on his knee.

“What’s up.”

“Well… I graduated…”

“Good for you, planning to go to school?”

Applejack sighed as she took a seat next to him. “About that, Granny’s insisting upon it, but Cherry Jubilee made me an offer.”

“She wants to hire you?”

Applejack shook her head, “No, kind of, but not exactly. She had a falling out with her niece that she was going to give her Cherry farm too and uh… she wants to give it to me. She’s selling it of course, but you get the picture.”

“You need a loan.”

“Yes… sorry I shouldn’t have asked.”

If Mac had been a smoker, this would be the part he’d take a long drag and exhale. “What are the conditions of the contract?”

“Everything that’s cherries remains cherries, but there are some spots that could be used to grow other crops. There might be a small clause about marrying a nephew she favors. He owns the production plant she sells too.”

“Lambert Cherry, I’ve met him, he’s a bit older than me, but only a year or two, which makes him about three or four years older than you. What’s this about marriage?”

Applejack folded her hands against her pant legs. “Well, it’s not a requirement for me to get Cherry’s farm, but she at least wants us to met and see how things go. Look I’m not exactly comfortable about it myself, but you’re raising your family, and I realize now there’s no place for me here. There’s no way you can split up the farm and still support your family and I as your sister can’t be so selfish as to put that burden on you. That said…”

“You still need me to back your loan.”

“Yes… Granny… Granny isn’t happy with me. Not going to school an all.”

“Here I thought she’d be more upset about you growing cherries.”

“She’s not that closed-minded! Though if it had been pears, she’d probably wring my neck.” She laughed.”

“True, very true.” Mac chuckled. “So how much?”

“Cherry’s land is valued at one and half million dollars. Her idea is I take over the operation and give her the payments installments. Basically, her retirement fund. That’s if I can make a profit. In reality, I only need a five hundred thousand dollar down payment. But even that’s…”

“I put it against the north orchard. That was valued at more than a million by itself, each of the orchards is worth roughly that.”

“Mac…”

He patted her on the head, “We’re still family to AJ. I know you want to farm, and I know your good at it. Besides I’m partnered with Cherry anyway, I can sell my shares for cash use it to help get you a better interest rate on loan. If things get terrible, I’ll call Sixes.”

Sixes offered to make a ton, a literal ton, of gold bricks as a wedding present. Mac said he’s kept that in mind for a rainy day. Sixes reply was to cash in before he died. He was talking about Mac, Sixes’s lifespan was projected at least a few hundred years.

Applejack hugged him. “Thank you, Big Brother, I won’t let you down.”

He smiled and waved her off as she got in her pick up to most likely to talk to Cherry. “God, I hope Applebloom doesn’t show up and as for a loan too in a few years here.” He had a lot of valuable land, but not that much money when compared to the value of said land.

“Was that Applejack?” Adagio asked, poking her head out of the screen door with Arizona sucking on her teat.

“Yep.”

“Hmm she could have stopped in for a chat, but whatever, you ready to meet Feri?”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

Walking out to his new white four-door pickup Mac helped Adagio get the kids settled into their car seats and then got behind the wheel.

“Ah… so much room.” Adagio sighed. “I remember when all four of us would have to jam into your old regular cab. Thanks for finally giving in honey.”

“Well, it was quite the deal.”

“True, I was a little worried when you came home with a pickup that said Bulldog on it. Is this some new company?”

“Yeah, they make more barebone vehicles, fewer electronics, no touch screen, and simpler engine design.”

“You couldn’t have sprung for electric windows at least?”

“That would have put more cost on, I did get the backup camera.”

“Right, I want a car.”

“We’ll talk about that this winter.” He assured her pulling out of the driveway and onto the road. For the duration of the trip, he and Adagio discussed the little things. Such as bills, upgrading cars, finances. She brought up she might want to try getting a job when the kids were a bit older. He argued running the stand was a job, and she got a little pouty about that.

“I don’t mind, but what do you have in mind?”

Adagio crossed her arms and huffed. “I’m not sure, really. My options are kind of limited, background checks are so thorough nowadays, I’m a little worried someone might find out my documentation is all forged. And that I might not even exist in any records.”

“Saying you immigrated from a land of talking ponies sounds like a solid plan.”

“I was exiled for one and for two they’d throw me in the looney bin if I said that. Best bet would be to say I was orphaned and the orphanage burned down.”

Mac hummed as he made a turn. “Maybe. You might have to go through Feri, he has the connections.”

“Yeah, can’t say I’m excited about joining his new division. It would be exposing myself to the greater public.”

It wasn’t anything official yet, but Feri mentioned that Attorney General Chrysalis and Governor Touch were conspiring to put together a Magic Taskforce in the police to deal with the outburst of Magical girl syndrome and the rising monster population. He made an offer to both of them, but Mac turned him down. He’d still hunt monsters, but it would be around his home, he was done galloping out into the night to who knows where.

For the final ten minutes of the drive, they sat in silence, intertwining their hands on the center armrest until they reached their destination. A tall wart iron gate that read Canterlot Cemetery loomed before them. Standing at the entrance was Feri and Luna. They got up, unbuckling the kids and met the two, who were also holding hands and sporting a new pair of rings.

“So, he finally did it?” Adagio teased Luna.

“He said he didn’t want to overshadow your wedding, but yes, we’ll be getting hitched next year.” Luna smiled as she helped Feri walk into the cemetery. The red detective was still limping even after six months, the doctors whispered it might be permeant.

“Let’s get this done,” Feri said haggardly. He looked tired, understandable since the Governor was leaning on him to build a whole new police division.

As they walked, Mac asked how things were going for the fledgling magic police program. “Got any candidates yet? The news today reported another surge of new magic folk.”

Feri rubbed his eyes, pulling his hand down the length of his face. “I have a few. Most of them are the heavily scarred Vampire Brides, they’re full of bitterness and looking for a something to channel their anger into. They’re probably hoping that some guys that don’t mind rougher looking girls join up. I got the Vice-chief making some calls to see if he can throw them a bone. So, I have a bunch of Vampires and a certain pink Bomber.”

“Pinkie wants to join?” Adagio yelped with surprise.

Feri nodded, “Those wood limbs don’t really mesh well with her bakery job or catering, or really bringing a smile to anyone’s face. I checked in on her one day, and a bunch of kids ran away from her when she tried to do her usual gimmicks. Her hair’s doing this weird half flat, half puffy thing too. The top of her head is flat and her ponytail if puffy, I don’t know what the means, but she told me if she had to keep blowing up rocks in the quarry, she’d go crazy again.”

“Is it really a good idea to make her a cop?”

“The Magic division is less law enforcement and more of a monster strike team. Like SWAT. I don’t know if it will help her mentally, but if she can pass the test, I won’t turn her away.”

“Well…” Mac trailed off, trying to think of words to say. “At least Pinkie is progressing. How are the others?”

Feri and Luna look beside themselves. A pit of guilt formed in Mac’s stomach, they left the broken girls in Feri’s hands, because well, he didn’t have the means to help them. What could he do?

“Rarity is doing fine,” Feri answered. “She’s running her store, taking care of her sister, and just living life. She refuses to see the others. She said she’s done with magic. That seemed a little hallow when I caught her using hers to make dresses, but I’m sure she meant monster hunting and all that other nonsense.”

“What about Rainbow and Fluttershy?” Inquired Adagio.

Feri looked even more haggard like five years were suddenly added to his face. “Those two… well, Rainbow is being taken care of by her mother, she seems to have mentally recovered, but physically… well nothing against Sonata, but she should have had an actual surgeon take out the gem. She left some huge scars and holes in Rainbow’s lungs and heart. She managed to heal them, but the new organic material is fragile and is healing slowly. Rainbow can’t get too excited.”

“She can’t exercise?”

“She can’t watch a scary movie. The doctor thinks if her heart rate goes over one sixty it will rip the regenerated material apart, leaving her with a golf ball-sized hole in her heart. Given some time the wounds might heal enough for her to live a normal life again. She coping, though. Apparently, she’s helping her mother write her next book.”

That made both him and Adagio blink, “Rainbow’s writing a book?”

“I guess so.”

They shuffled along in silence through the graveyard for a few minutes before breaching the touchiest subject, Fluttershy.

“How is Fluttershy doing?”

Feri sighed deeply, looking like he wished they hadn’t asked. “Same as before, comatose, and looking like a sixty-year-old woman. Moon Dancer is observing her in Maddie’s old Lab.”

“I see.” Was all Mac had to say, his emotions towards Fluttershy who had been Envy were mixed at best. He was having a hard time separating the two in his mind.

“We’re here,” Luna announced awkwardly as they stood before the Apple Family plot.

Mac took Andante, and Adagio Arizona and they sat down in front of the gravestones of his parents. “Hi Mom, hi dad, I brought your grandkids to visit you. Sorry, we didn’t come sooner, we’ve been busy. This is my son Andante and my daughter Arizona. Say hi to your grandparents you two.” Mac waved his son's arms for him, he realized how silly this was, his kids couldn’t even speak, but it felt like something he had to do. He pointed to next gravestone.

“That’s your Great, Great, Grandpa Bailey, he was a kind man, he would have loved to meet you two.” Mac wiped a tear from his eye. “If he could have… I’m sure he’d have given you some caramel apple suckers when you were older.”

More tears fell, and he could not stem them. Adagio rubbed his back while leaning against him. She pointed to the next stone. “That one there is a very good friend, her name was Maddie, it’s thanks to her your daddy is here today.”

On the night of the battle when Maddie Hoof was thrown against that lamp post, she died. Nobody knew when. There hadn’t been time to check. They didn’t know if she died instantly or laid there, unable to move, waiting for help that didn’t come in time. She could have been there for hours, alone, no one around to see her off or offer her peace. That last thing she did was try and save Mac’s life, she succeeded in that. That’s why on her tombstone they carved: Friend of the Apples.

Her funeral had been a small affair, with only them, Moon Dancer, and dozen more. Sixes had attended and helped carry her casket out of the church. It was never evident if he ever forgave her, but in the end it didn’t matter. He was there, and that spoke louder than words.

“Thank you, Maddie, you were a real friend in the end,” Mac said to the stone. They all sat there for long time until the sun began to set and they finally said their final goodbyes to the ones already gone. Feri and Mac shook hands and said their farewells.

“What do you think happened to Maddie? When she died, I mean?” Adagio wondered aloud as they began the drive home. “I’m not well versed on the afterlife of this world, or Equestria but she was born to an Equestrian so does that mess things up? What will happen to me? To our kids when we die?”

“Good question, maybe you can start a religion about it.”

“Come on, I’m asking seriously!”

“I really don’t know Adagio; I’ve been seeing my father’s ghost off and on. Maybe Maddie will haunt us now too.”

“You still see your dad?”

Mac came to an abrupt stop, in the middle of the road ahead of them chewing a piece of roadkill was a Timber. It’s body pulsing with magic as it absorbed the lifeforce of its prey. Adagio put her hand on his shoulder as he put the pickup in park.

“Be careful.”

He smiled, “Aren’t I always?”

Mac got out of the truck, shut the door and slowly began approaching the Timber, the monster took notice of him, growling as it crouched into a defensive stance. Fist clenched he made his way forward, scales growing on top his knuckles as he bared his teeth. The Timber whimpered, but quickly righted itself and stepped forward. It suddenly began to sprint, Mac cocked back his arm as the beast leap to attack, his fist bulldozed through the wooden creature turning it to splinters on the road, and he calmly returned to his pickup like nothing happened.

This was just life now.

“Mac…” Adagio said after they traveled a little way. “I thought you were done monster hunting.”

He smiled, shaking his head, “It’s what we do.”