Tomorrow ain't yesterday
Kindred
Applejack hoofed the mailbox closed, reaching around the side to flip the flag upright. She was an honest mare, but sometimes the truth was too painful to deliver in person. Too many times she'd seen the damage truth could cause in the faces of friends and family. She was still an honest mare, but a lifetime of honesty had taught her a few things. Honesty wasn't kind.
"Ah'm shootin' blanks, Sis. Ah'll work this here farm til the day Ah die, but Ah can't provide what it really needs. Ah'm so sorry..."
Trudging back up the road to the farm on sore hooves, Applejack glanced toward the dilapidated treehouse across the field. She let out a sigh, shaking her head. You couldn't ask some things. Sometimes you just had to look the truth in the face and accept it. Honesty was hardly generous.
"Ah just can't, Applejack. Ah ain't wired like that. Me and the girls... Maybe if we change our minds we might try ta figger somethin' out, but Ah wouldn't hold mah breath. Even just the thought is... Ah just can't. Ah love ya and Ah love our family, but..."
It might not be fair, but Applejack was honest enough to acknowledge that life hardly ever was. She'd learned that lesson as a child, and learned it well. Now she was older, if hardly old, but she wasn't getting any younger. Her clock was ticking, just like everypony elses. Another lesson life had taught her was the truth was rarely funny.
"They were pretty old when they had them, AJ. Sometimes that... Complicates things. Things might be difficult for the twins for a while. The doctors said, um, developmental issues, prone to psychological stuff. I just... All I can do is help put smiles on their faces, but there's nopony better for the job! Right? Right! Right..."
Trotting up the front steps, Applejack hopped gently up onto the porch swing and looked out on the farm like she had thousands of times. The morning chores were done, but they took more out of her lately than they ever had. Some things couldn't be helped. Sugar Belle was an amazing help, but she wasn't raised to the work. The rhythm had caught her up, but she was still learning the steps to the dance, so to speak. One thing was for sure, though. The Apple family recipes were in good hooves.
Granny was still kicking, but it was only a matter of time now. She swore she'd hold on long enough, and Applejack prayed she was right. The stubborn old mare'd had so much heartache in her long life, but even having something to live for couldn't hold back the clock forever. The truth was only loyal to itself.
"Listen up and listen good, AJ. I don't care if it's hard. This is important to you, and you're important to me. I'll go back on the reserves. Scootaloo can take over for me at the school. It was ridiculous that I was ever a teacher there in the first place, and Twilight always knew it was a temporary gig. She's already flank deep in medical journals. She'll have another doctorate by the time we're ready. They owe us this, AJ. Our friends, hay, Equestria itself is gonna have our backs on this."
The porch swing creaked alarmingly. Applejack smirked at the heavy mare that hauled herself up next to her, flopping onto her side and laying her head in Applejack's lap with a gusty sigh.
"I bucking hate you, AJ." Rainbow grumbled, letting out another sigh of contentment as Applejack ran a hoof gently over her mane.
"Ya'll keep sayin' that, Shug. Just remember this all was yer idea in the firs' place." Rainbow groaned into her lap, hooves weakly kicking at air in protest. She was a few months further along, and if Applejack had thought a few weeks in the hospital had been bad, neither of them had really been prepared for the indignities Rainbow's body was putting her through. Rainbow was toughing it out like a champ, but more than a few nights Applejack had let the mare cry herself to sleep in her hooves. She felt a little misty herself. Applejack was the only one Rainbow showed that side of herself to. She couldn't hold back the tide of warm affection that rolled over her as she leaned down and nuzzled the usually trim little mare in her lap.
"Y'all will never understand how much this means ta me, Dash. Ah love you so dang much it hurts." She watched Rainbow carefully roll onto her back, a hoof holding her belly as she looked up into Applejack's moistening eyes. Her free hoof reached up to cup Applejack's cheek. Applejack had to choke back a sob as she looked down on this wonderful mare, the softest smile gracing her face. Applejack's smile. Only hers.
"I dunno how many times I told you and the girls I'd do anything for you." Her smile crinkled up into a smirk as she stroked Applejack's jaw. "I totally lied, though. You're the only one I'd do this for, AJ. So, you know, a little appreciation wouldn't hurt..."
Applejack didn't need any further prompting, leaning down to capture the hard mare's lips in a gentle kiss. Everything was a competition with the mare in her lap, but eventually they'd found something where neither of them had to lose. Her hoof settled over Rainbow's on the supine mare's stomach. Maybe it was the old earth pony magic, but Applejack swore she could feel the new life within bursting to be free. It wouldn't be very long now. A few months later their sibling would come along. With a lot less fanfare and complaining if Applejack had her way. Maybe a bit of waterworks.
Life really might not be fair. Honesty might not be funny, kind, generous, or loyal. That didn't mean it didn't have it's own special kind of magic.
I wasn't sure if I should add the Romance and Rainbow Dash tag, so I left them off. I'll add them later, or asap if anyone feels strongly that I should sooner than later.
Toodles
PS
I wrote this in about 2 hours and skipped the whole editing thing because if I'd gone over it I would never have posted it, so if there are any egregious grammar/spelling errors please dip me in the tar and start revving your pillows 
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Aw, this is so sweet! And kind of sad; the weight of the family burden is heavy, it seems. Still, they found a way. Best of luck in the contest, fellow competitor!
11617361
Not really in it to compete, just shaking the years of rust off
Glad you liked it though, and good luck to you too
Its sweet, sad, funny. Surprisingly wholesome.
Gotta say, the idea of Mac just bluntly telling AJ "I'm shooting blanks" is fucking hilarious
11617621
With only so many words to work with I had to kill quite a few darlings, but I wasn't losing that bit. To be honest, I was a bit surprised how many notes I managed to hit.
I'm surprisingly happy with how it turned out, and glad you enjoyed it
I really, really hate to look like an idiot on this website. The story is nice, it's well written, and the emotional aspect is top notch. Very good short story. But I have to ask...
What is the story about? I reread it like 3 times but I don't understand. Could someone actually explain it to me because it's a good story, I'm just a dumbass.
11617739
It's understandable, since almost everything in the story is infered. In a nutshell, Applejack finds out neither of her siblings are able or likely to have kids, and Rainbow (who's implied to be in a relationship with her) convinces her to put everything aside before childbearing becomes a risky affair and, well, get pregnant with her through nebulous means, because she understands how supremely important the Apple family legacy is to her.
It's not the first time I've written something where the lines I expect people to read between are a little too close together
11617756
Thank you for not judging me too harshly, and now that I understand, it speaks a lot more loudly. I almost feel silly not seeing it. Still, my opinion hasn’t changed. Still well written, still emotional, and seeing the depth in only a thousand words makes it all the more special. 10/10 then!
11617759
If a reader doesn't understand a story, it's in my opinion far more likely a failure on the author's part than theirs.
Still, glad you enjoyed the prose
It's a good story, but it is clear only if you're well-acquainted with Apple family and related characters. Personally I am not, so gears in my head needed to be turned a few times before it worked for me
11618149
I was afraid of that. Not much I can do to fix it either with the word limit. Ah well, thanks for the thoughts.
oof, the Cake Twins? it makes sense for the Cakes to have been middle-aged at that time but damn, way to really set the timer
i literally wrote Scootaloo taking over for Rainbow Dash and wondering how she was a teacher in the first place, but oof, it’s another thing to see her talk about herself this way
hehe yeah, if pony pregnancies are analogous to human ones they are a hell of a lot to go through from everything i’ve heard
augh so true. this is really good eatin’ for AppleDashers
oh that is so very Rainbow in this moment
beautiful paragraph
just a lovely piece of AppleDash, and exactly how i imagine the relationship to go. excellent work, thank you for writing!
11697848
Honestly this is my favorite piece out of my entries. Even if it's apparently a bit difficult to puzzle out, it's the best prose in my opinion of the lot. Which is amusing to me since I'm generally allergic to writing Applejack in a romantic capacity
This is a tight-knit little story. I like the pattern of comparing Honesty to each other Element and all the steps that to the situation. Storytelling through implication is important for something this short; you need the subtext to carry its weight when you have so little text to work with. You pulled that off quite well here. Thank you for it.
11699177
I like how it turned out. From the singular perspective of my own satisfaction with it, I'm content. It was a fun little exercise in subtlety, even if I might have pushed the envelope a bit too far for some readers.