First Harvest

“Now, y’all sure ya gonna be alright finishin’ up the harvest by yerselves?”

Applejack looked worriedly at Babs Seed and Apple Bloom, both younger mares crashing powerful iron hindhooves into the remaining rows of apple trees. Fall was beginning to fade into winter, the remaining fruit hiding in the branches demanding to be freed before the frost came and stole it all away.

Applejack and Big Macintosh normally completed the last day of the harvest season by themselves. Throughout the six years since Babs Seed had become a permanent fixture on the farm, she and Apple Bloom had pitched in whatever labor they could. Applejack had to stifle a laugh at the memory of Babs shaking the apples out of the trees instead of bucking them the first year.

Nevertheless, both foals had grown into beautiful, strong mares, capable of working in the same capacity as Applejack and Big Macintosh, though Babs Seed definitely had both height and weight—muscle, of course—on Apple Bloom. They were full-fledged Apples now, and Apples were expected to hold their own against the forces of the seasons and crop cycles.

Big Macintosh and Granny Smith waited impatiently at the farmhouse, cart loaded up with barrels of the yield to take into town. The remainders of the harvest would be sold to local vendors, the citizens of Ponyville eager to savor the finest apples in Equestria before the snows came.

And Applejack was in the main orchard, watching the two mares tear into the remaining trees, skeptical if such an endeavor should be left in young hooves.

Trotting up to her sister, Apple Bloom said, “We’ve got it, sis! Jus’ the rest o’ the south field after these here trees, right?”

Nodding, Applejack replied, “Eeyup, that’s right. Maybe ‘bout half o’ the south field is left. But are ya two absolutely sure? Big Mac ‘n’ Ah can stay back fer a bit if—“

On cue, Big Macintosh shouted from across the field, yoking himself into the apple-cart, “AJ! C’mon! Skies are startin’ ta get dark!”

“In a minute, Big Mac!” Applejack growled, watching as Babs Seed sent another branch-full of red fruit tumbling down into a basket.

“Heh, youze worry too much, Applejack.” Babs Seed chuckled as she walked over to them. “Me an’ Bloom, we gotcha covered, right, cuz?” she added, snaking a forehoof around Apple Bloom's shoulders.

Apple Bloom giggled and nuzzled Babs in reply. She then turned and urged her worrisome sibling, “Go ‘head, Applejack. Ya don’t have anythin’ ta worry ‘bout.”

Sighing, securing the Stetson on her head as her eyes met the ground, Applejack relented, “Fine. But we’ll only be gone fer maybe a few hours o’ so, so make it quick. Storm clouds rollin’ in.” She gestured to the skies above, which were beginning to be dotted by thick, gray clouds, void of all pegasi to banish them. The three looked on in silence for a moment, interrupted by another impatient call near the farmhouse.

“What she waitin’ fer?! We’ve got apples ta sell!” Granny Smith yelled, crossing her forehooves and tapping her hooves on the floor of the apple cart in frustration.

Sensing that her time was up, Applejack offered the two mares a final warning. “Hurry it up, y’all, befo' the lightin’ comes an’ strikes ya silly!"

“We will!”

“Don’t youze worry!”

Babs and Apple Bloom waved goodbye as their three elders began to fade into the horizon, bushels of apples bound together by long cords of rope in their journey into town. Within a few minutes, Big Macintosh had pulled the cart and its occupants so far into the distance that he became naught but a shadow in the hills.

The wind began to gust its warning. Apple Bloom turned and advised, “Well, let’s take Applejack’s advice befo' things start ta pick up an' git nasty…”

Babs Seed nodded her agreement. Both mares took to their hooves, Babs Seed in the south field and Apple Bloom collecting the last in the closest orchard.

Apple Bloom began to rue her own insistence, bucking her hindhooves into another wretched tree trunk, watching from the peripherals of her pupils as a few hesitant pieces of fruit collected into the basket below. Sighing, she examined the rest of the orchard. Her work was far from done, and at least half an hour had already passed.

The skies seemed even more foreboding.

“Horseapples,” she cursed, strolling over to another full tree. “This is much harder than Ah thought it would be. Maybe Applejack an' Big Mac shoulda stayed wit’ us…” Her mutterings trailed off into the distance, replaced by the repetition of reach-buck-check, reach-buck-check, tree to tree, apple to apple, as she renewed her labors.

Apple Bloom became so lost in her thoughts that she jumped at the sound of the other mare’s voice behind her.

“Er, um, Bloom, do youze need some help?”

There stood Babs Seed, her orange coat glistening with sweat. She otherwise appeared to be all manners of alert and energetic. Taking a few hoof-steps towards the startled mare, Babs offered kindly, “I can help youze finish the rest, youze know.”

“Don’t ya have the whole south field ta do?”

“I got it already. Now I can help youze,” Babs said, smiling, brushing up against her mare. “If youze like, dat is.”

“Ah… Ah suppose,” Apple Bloom said quietly, looking worriedly towards the gray blanket above, the atmosphere brimming and threatening rain and thunder. “We should hurry.”

Together, the two completed their harvest, freeing every last edible apple from its prison in the branches above. Several times, Apple Bloom found herself distracted, in awe of her cousin’s strength. She wondered if, and when, Babs Seed would ever run out of steam. Shameful thoughts passed through her mind and announced themselves on her cheeks. Apple Bloom soon disregarded her labors, finding herself staring intently at her, watching as she brought the final bushel of apples tumbling down with a mighty kick.

“Summat wrong, Apple Bloom?” Babs Seed caught eyes with her partner, emeralds twinkling across the field to meet fiery rubies.

Blushing, Apple Bloom turned her focus to the enchanting, enthralling Earth beneath her hooves. She avoided Babs's gaze, brushing her fantasies back under the rug where they belonged. Across the way, Babs waited for an answer, eyebrow raised. Scrambling, Apple Bloom managed to stall, “Um, Ah was jus', Ah, ya know—“

BOOM!

In the blink of an eye, the storm clouds corralled themselves in the sky, spreading their colors, gray darkening to black. A bolt of lightning flashed in the distance. The wind began to howl its mournful song, cursing the heavens with its fury and thirst for vengeance.

Her trademark bow nearly lost to the angry gusts, Apple Bloom clamped her hooves to her mane, forgot her stuttering, and called over the hammer of the thunder, “Babs! Let’s git outta here!”

“Aw, jus' a lil’ thunder ‘n’ lightnin’, Apple Bloom. Youze know how I love a good storm!”

“Well, Ah don’t. Ah’d rather not get zapped!”

Chuckling, Babs Seed teased, “Youze is cute when youze is scared, ya know.”

“A-A-Ah’m not scared!” she insisted, though her countenance betrayed her.

Youze has always been a bad liar, Apple Bloom. Youze shoulda taken some lessons from me, Babs Seed thought to herself. She trotted over to her mare, nuzzling against her neck as the hammer above began to pound against the anvil. Over the roar and boom of the thunder, Babs suggested, “Alright, maybe we should go in the barn, huh?”

“Yea, jus’ maybe.” Apple Bloom groaned. They ran towards the red-and-white barn as the storm began to unleash its rage upon Ponyville, seeking to cleanse the town of its sin.

Slamming the barn doors shut behind them, Apple Bloom fumbled in the dim enclosure. Celestia hadn't fully relinquished her power—offering a few slivers of sunlight—but was easily overshadowed by the plans of the pegasi. Locating a lantern hanging on the barn door, she called through the darkness, “Can ya help me find some matches? “

Fumbling through a supply cabinet in one corner of the barn, Babs Seed found her treasure after some searching. Babs Seed strode to Apple Bloom side, a box of matches in her maw. “Heeya youze go,” she mumbled around the cardboard.

Giggling, Apple Bloom accepted the offering. With a strike and a flame, the lantern burned bright and steady, a candle in the dark of the barn’s four walls. “Much better,” Apple Bloom said, removing her bow and placing it on a shelf near the lantern, shaking out her long, wavy red mane. “Now we just have ta wait it out.”

In a teasing mood, Babs Seed was struck by an impish idea. She watching the other mare walk past her, examining the barn. The structure, normally housing a few pigs, sheep, cattle and goats, was empty for now. Economic necessity forced the few remaining livestock to greener pastures than Sweet Apple Acres. Times were tough in Ponyville lately. The Apple Family mourned their loss, but money talks and money walks away with some of our best intentions.

In the meantime, the barn had become a giant storage shed, housing bales of hay, assorted tools, cans and jars of dried goods, and, above all, a perfect opportunity for some... horseplay.

Feeling like a foal again, and more than eager to give the one she loved a little more grief, Babs Seed snuck up on the oblivious mare as she wandered, leaping upon her, a timberwolf stalking the flock and choosing a victim. Apple Bloom jumped from her hooves in surprise as Babs nearly tackled her, forgetting in her haze that she was not the only pony taking shelter here.

Babs Seed took Apple Bloom’s ear in her maw, nibbling gently as her prey began to giggle uncontrollably. “Babs! Stop it!” the victim gasped, the sensation of her attacker’s warm breath and nimble teeth sending shivers down her spine. Babs ignored her cries and continued in her onslaught. She grasped her victim’s torso with her forehooves and climbed on top of her, honoring the other ear with her teeth.

Shivers quickly became sighs. Adrenaline pulsated through Apple Bloom's veins, heartbeat rapidly accelerating at the feeling of her heart’s desire on top of her, even if her counterpart’s intentions were only innocent play. Apple Bloom blushed a deep crimson, shameful thoughts galloping through her mind, replacing her anxieties. Those thoughts plummeted into a bottomless pit like a free-falling foal, accepting gravity and plunging down, down, down into the deep recesses of her darkest secrets.

More than once, Apple Bloom had caught herself fantasizing about being in this exact position with her mare. Such reckless thinking held her hostage and drove her to literally soak her head on several occasions. There was nothing more sufficient than a cold bucket of water to sink oneself back to reality.

Apple Bloom knew that any physical exploration on the fillies’ part would not be tolerated under Applejack's roof. Applejack first gave her the "sex talk" six years ago (on that awful train ride back from the city of demons and angels known as Manehatten) and made that point quite clear. Nevertheless, Applejack and the rest of the family (for the most part) accepted the open secret of Apple Bloom and Babs Seed’s very close relationship.

Their acceptance came with a price: as long as they were living under the terms and conditions of Sweet Apple Acres, there would be no “fooling around” on the farm. Although both mares obeyed Applejack's rule without exception, it had an unintended consequence, creating a real problem of its own. This true problem, Apple Bloom reckoned (somewhat distractedly) was the overwhelming tide of need and desire that she’d kept hidden behind lock and key, towering cliff-faces guarding an ocean of lust.

She'd kept Applejack’s stern warning to heart, unwilling to succumb to the punishment outlined by her. She already wore herself into the ground with farm labor; the prospect of more work for herself and Babs (along with what would’ve been the most awkward conversation ever) kept her in the unspoiled lands of her virginity. However, there were times over these six long years that, without offering an explanation, Apple Bloom had forbidden Babs Seed to sleep in the same room as her.

The farmhouse contained only one bedroom each for its original four occupants, and with the reunion and welcoming of the fifth, the newcomer had taken up residence in Apple Bloom’s room. Most nights, the two kept to cuddling and kissing, sleeping well and without worry. In time, Nature and Love began to howl like timberwolves in the distance, calling for ultimate union and intimacy. Apple Bloom didn't always trust herself to deny their summons.

Those nights, the awkwardness of forcing Babs into the living room outweighed the torture of keeping herself chaste in her presence. Additionally, more than once, Applejack stripped Apple Bloom of her own autonomy and ordered Babs to sleep on the couch herself, sensing subtle shifts in the atmosphere between the two.

None of that mattered now. They were alone now, seeking refuge from the tempest that struck the Earth with its fury outside the red barn doors.

Outside, thunder bellowed its judgment and lightning punished all those who dared to defy its warning. Inside, Babs Seed was on top of Apple Bloom, nibbling hotly at her ears, neck, and chin. Babs nuzzled her between every motion, giggling. Apple Bloom shuddered as she felt Babs's powerful muscles rippling and flexing above her. It was all so much, so very much, every touch triggering reflexes in her mind that she struggled not to display, blushing furiously as she concealed them. She fought to keep her tongue in her mouth and her breathing steady.

Her heartbeat fluttered, skipping beats, and a thousand butterflies soared in her stomach with every second that passed. All of this madness—coupled with the knocking of her savior’s thighs against hers and that red-and-pink bobtail swishing dangerously close to her most special and hidden place—sent Apple Bloom careening over the edge.

She’d had enough.

Positioning herself so that her hindhooves were set against her mare’s, Apple Bloom pushed back against Babs Seed, wrapping her long tail around the short one that teased her, forcing Babs's stomach to make contact with her most precious area.

Babs Seed gasped at her victim’s sudden, bold gesture. The scent of her mare’s arousal reached her nostrils as it brushed against her fur, estrogen sweet as freshly-gathered honey and just as tantalizing.

Although Babs Seed had been better at hiding it, she, too, had fought against her own biological impulses over these six long years, attempting to exorcise the more prickly demons of her beastly nature. More than once, she had been grateful that Apple Bloom had banished her to the living room. Such serendipity had spared her of all need to make a hasty exit herself, muttering and blushing away all her desire.

Now, they were alone, so very alone. So alarmingly alone. Applejack, Big Mac, and Granny Smith would not be returning for hours even with the most blessed and fortunate of weather conditions. In the shadow of the storm, that time stretched and expanded, leaving the two young mares to their own devices for an unimaginable wait.

“A-A-Apple Bloom, what are youze doin’?” Babs released Apple Bloom’s ear from her mouth. A foal began to awaken and stomp its hooves in her heart, accelerating from a trot to a canter within minutes, mind reeling at the unmistakable waves of heat beginning to pulse through her veins.

Even within her thoughts, Babs could not find coherence. Aw, now youze gone and done it… Oh, please, Celestia, I…

Babs Seed trusted her partner to the ends of Equestria itself. Though she was generally suspicious of other ponies’ actions, when it came to Apple Bloom, Babs Seed cast away all her masks and fear. Questioning her loyalty would be as absurd as trying to lasso the moon.

Nevertheless, Babs would not delude herself into thinking that Apple Bloom knew what she was doing, that she had some magical sexual experience that would make the consequences of her suggestion any less terrifying. They were both virgins… bumbling, inexperienced virgins. Desire, however primal and pressing, did not outweigh Babs Seed's nervousness, and she discovered a strange shaking and tensing in her muscles.

Catching herself on the floorboards as her quarry escaped from her hooves, Babs Seed found herself muzzle-to-muzzle with Apple Bloom, fiery-orange irises meeting emeralds, shining. “Heh, heh, um, we should prolly, er, jus’ wait in heeya, a lil’ bit, um, until the storm dies down,” Babs said awkwardly, suddenly very interested in the hay spread across the floorboards below, her cheeks burning hot. Digging a forehoof into the ground, she took a step backwards, pondering an exit.

A gentle forehoof lifted her chin, two pairs of eyes meeting, one surprised to see the other’s anxiety shining right back at her. “Ah… Ah’m sorry, Babs,” Apple Bloom whispered, voice shaking. “Ah jus'... Ah... Ah love ya so much, sometimes Ah jus’… get carried away, that’s all.”

“I love youze, too." Babs Seed retraced her steps and met her companion, pulling her into a tight embrace. “I… I’m sorry, too, Bloom. I’m jus'... I'm—”

"Do you… not want... me?” Apple Bloom squeaked in reply, voice breaking with the weight of her most taunting fear pressing against her throat.

Youze don’t know how far dat is from the truth.

“No, no, Bloom, I… I do,” Babs fumbled, pulling her tighter into her grasp, their hearts racing in time together through their thick coats. “I do. I do want ta…” Her words trailed off into the distance, her muzzle beginning to match Apple Bloom's wavy mane. Gulping, she finished, “Ta be wit' youze… like dat. I… I have fo’ a while now.”

Overwhelmed with joy, Apple Bloom grasped her mare by her neck and kissed her deeply, feeling Babs melt in her embrace like sugar over flame. Pulling away before the gesture could be returned, Apple Bloom lowered her gaze and sighed, her voice as smooth as silk and smoke. “Well, ya know, it’s jus' the two o’ us in here, now… Babsy.”

Oh, don’t… don’t use dat nickname. Youze know how it makes me, how it makes me… tremble.

Released from the embrace, Apple Bloom was the aggressor now, sauntering in slow circles around her mare, hips swishing, nuzzling against her fur, nipping at her coat with teasing teeth. “Jus'… the two o’ us…” she whispered, biting a little harder now on Babs's neck and shoulders, sighs and shudders sweet music to her ears.

Apple Bloom took Babs Seed’s intact right ear in her mouth, running her tongue over it from the base to the tip. Babs said nothing, only shivering at that slow, burning sea of warmth crawling out from somewhere deep inside her soul. She cried out as the same honor was given to her nicked ear. The wound long ago sealed up on both sides, leaving only the small triangle of space she’d sacrificed to save Apple Bloom.

On a dark night six years ago, she’d leapt in front of a jet-black blade and an insane red colt, prepared to suffer and die to save the one she’d loved. Both foals escaped with their lives, but not without a price; Babs Seed had been permanently disfigured in the attack, prompting stares and questions from others throughout the years. For the most part, she ignored their inquiries, finding that far easier than explaining a tangled mess of roots in the Manehatten ghetto.

Apple Bloom, however, loved that mark above all others on her mare, owing all she ever was and would be to that missing piece of flesh. She caressed it eagerly, lips, teeth, and tongue thanking it over and over for the ultimate act of bravery, courage, and love that it symbolized.

Babs Seed moaned, feeling her limbs weaken further, strength betraying her. She realized with sick anxiety that she, too, was becoming aroused. The barn filled with the scent of her pheromones joining those of the other mare, who was now turning her attention to her neck. She cried out in a mix in pleasure and pain as the bloom bit down on the seed, jaws sparing the force needed to draw blood but pressing hard enough to send her tumbling over the edge.

Panting, Babs Seed managed, “Please… Apple Bloom…”

“Do ya want me ta stop?” Apple Bloom asked, concerned. She looked up into her mare’s eyes as she retracted her hooves, embarrassed by the possibility that she disregarded consent in her own need.

Shaking her head, Babs stammered, “No... I... I—”

“You…?”

“I want… I want youze.”

Gently, feeling more than a touch of guilt at her relentless teasing—intentional, unlike her counterpart’s playful nature beforehoof—Apple Bloom asked, “Right now? Are ya sure?”

This time, Babs Seed was the one to be bold and brave, and roughly caressed Apple Bloom, embracing her tightly. She kissed her deeply, passionately. Her tongue sought permission at the entrance of the other’s lips, knocking with urgency. Access was granted enthusiastically, and soon their tongues tangled and danced, exploring each other’s mouths as they struggled for breath.

Slowly, guiding each hoof-step with care, Babs led her mare to a large pile of hay in the corner of the barn, climbing on top of her as they fell into the straw. Retracting at last, a wide smile on her muzzle, Babs Seed simply answered, “Yea.”

Apple Bloom returned the grin and peppered her mare with caresses, kissing her forehead first, then her cheeks, then her neck and throat, eliciting a shaky inhalation as a sweet spot was located. “Let’s go slow, alright, Babsy?” she said soothingly. Those loving eyes hid no lies within their pupils, patiently awaiting a response from the pony above them.

Nodding, Babs Seed said, “Okay, Apple Bloom.”

“I’ll stop if ya want me ta, anytime… jus’ say it, alright?”

No chance o' dat, Bloom, at dis point…

Another nod was the only signal flare she would require and accept, and at its firing, Apple Bloom continued her journey, exploring for the first time the body of the mare she loved. Mind buzzing in a haze of anticipation, arousal, and more fear than she was willing to admit, she yanked on her own reins, reeling back her haste. She slowed the descent of her lips, savoring each kiss she gave freely to her lover, first on the neck and throat, then on the chest, then down to the mare’s abdomen.

Her Orange had long ago become an Apple, yet she still tasted as citrus, fur sweet and tangy.

Babs Seed, lost for known words or rational comprehension, moaned as she felt lips descend down her coat, Apple Bloom's forehooves running first down her back, then her sides, then bracing against her flanks and cutiemarks. Her short tail instinctively leapt between her hindhooves, protecting the furnace that burned with need and desire there. She blushed as her mare’s muzzle trailed down below her stomach. Exhalations from Apple Bloom’s nostrils both chilled and fueled the fire that roared underneath her red-and-pink bobtail.

“Do ya want me ta stop?” Apple Bloom looked up from her position at her hindhooves, mind running wild with fantasy. Apple Bloom was so close, so close to the ultimate intimacy, to giving the one she loved true and final pleasure. After six long years, one would think she would be able to wait just a tad longer.

This may have been the case if they were not diving deep into the waters of love, nearly sunk to the bottom of the depths. Coming back up for air seemed impossible now, and she hoped against all hope that she would hear the sweet music of a negative and, soon enough, her mare’s cries of pleasure.

Babs Seed stuttered, “N-no, please, don’t s-stop." Her voice betrayed her usual bravado, reduced to a shivering foal in Apple Bloom’s hooves. “Although, can I be on ma b-back?”

With a few quick movements, Apple Bloom flipped their positions so that she was on top. Apple Bloom's fiery irises sparkled as she cooed, words smooth as silk, “Like this?”

Babs Seed nodded, and with some hesitation, retracted her short, bobbed tail, revealing her glistening marehood, wet with arousal, to her lover. Wasting no time, spurred by the sight and scent, Apple Bloom gently slid her hoof down, down, down between her partner’s flanks and touched, feeling the radiant heat and soft folds.

Babs gasped at the contact, words strangled and cast aside in her throat. She arched her back into the hay and spread her haunches wide, allowing easier access. Somehow, this felt more magical and wondrous and good than any time she had “taken care of” herself on those long, long nights spent alone. The heat emitted from her lover’s touch dissipated with an unimaginable quickness, setting her neurons on fire, brain accepting all stimuli with glee and begging for more.

“Oh… Apple Bloom…”

Sweat trickled down Babs's neck as her counterpart explored, gently stroking and touching every inch of her, spreading her lips and making her shiver with pleasure as she felt hot breath caress her folds. Apple Bloom’s forehoof found her pearl and stroked it gently, leading it to grow and swell, eliciting more gasps and shudders from her partner. Babs Seed was exposed, hindhooves spread wide for the one she loved the most to see all of her, but she felt no shame. Her heart raced in anticipation of the impending touch that was sure to come, and maybe, after then…

With a shrill, sharp moan, Babs Seed's lustful fantasies were interrupted by the tight grip of forehooves around her flanks and a hot, wet, pulsating tongue rising to meet her. Apple Bloom's tongue licked and danced all over her quivering marehood, leaving her breathless. Words failed her beyond measure now, all her thoughts jumbled together and shattered by the feeling of Apple Bloom's tongue penetrating her, thrusting inside, lapping at her inner walls as they began to tighten.

“Ahh… oh… don’t stop.” Babs Seed managed to groan, hips instinctively bucking against her lover’s mouth and snout. She grabbed the back of her assailant’s head with her forehooves and shoved her muzzle further towards her nethers. Cries of pure ecstasy escaped her vocal cords. Apple Bloom continued her siege upon her warm walls, plunging her tongue deeper inside, her cute button nose brushing against her lover's clitoris as she explored.

The flavor was a union of sweet and sour, the temperature a tango of fire and ice. In her savior’s folds, Apple Bloom found the sweetest, most irresistible fruit, a taste borne from the cross-breeding of an apple and an orange. She wanted nothing more but to savor that taste and feel her love, inside and out, in rapturous eternity.

Apple Bloom moaned in her own pleasure, feeling her loins begin to tremble with dripping need as Babs Seed’s inner walls pulsated, embracing her tongue in warm welcome. Covered in her mare’s thick, sweet juices—all over her muzzle and snout—she gripped Babs's cutiemarks even tighter, little purple shields holding her forehooves hostage. She longed to reach back and relieve her own need. She denied herself such a selfish act.

This was all about her hero, her savior, her best friend, her favorite cousin, her true love.

Lost in the thick haze, Babs rambled within her mind, Celestia, I…I think I’m gonna…

Convulsing against the hay, sending straws flying in her wake, Babs Seed began to twitch uncontrollably. Apple Bloom withdrew from inside of her. Her thick, hot mouth enveloped the epicenter of her pleasure, taking her clitoris into her mouth. As her lover sucked, speed and friction varying with torturous degree, Babs saw nothing but bright, twinkling stars, red-and-white walls of the barn disappearing and replaced by the violet blanket of night. She was soaring now, high above Ponyville, Earth pony still but needing no pegasus wings.

Reaching Heaven at last, Babs Seed threw back her head and bellowed as she came, “A-A-Apple Bloooooom!!”

Apple Bloom held her mare's haunches tight, utilizing all of her strength to prevent herself from being kicked. Babs Seed bucked involuntary in the throes of climax, hips shaking and yearning for another ascent towards the summit. Once Babs had calmed, Apple Bloom gently released her partner’s nub, planting a final kiss on her flushed lips as she retracted. She licked her mare clean, lapping up all of her juices, quenching the fires that burned between her savior’s flanks.

Moving her forehooves from Babs Seed’s hips to her chest, Apple Bloom slowly made her way back up her lover’s body, leaving a trail of sweet kisses from her stomach up to her chin.

Muzzle dripping with delicious, sweet honey, scent of two waves of pheromones driving her mad, Apple Bloom whispered as fiery rubies met emeralds, “Sugarcube, ya taste… amazin’.”

Um… thanks? “Heh… heh… um… uh… thank youze,” Babs managed to choke, blushing, thunder of her own heart only exceeded by the BOOM! and CRACK! of the storm outside. Lighting flashed through the atmosphere, illuminating the tempest that enchanted them so, that brought them here into this uncharted territory.

High on the thermals above the clouds, Babs Seed was about to breathe back a similarly strange compliment—“Youze feel amazin’”—when a pair of lips met hers. She groaned, nearly experiencing a second orgasm at her own taste. Apple Bloom pulled her forward into their original position, both mares closing their eyes and jousting their tongues.

Emboldened by her mare’s bravery, though she doubted her own skill, Babs Seed gently broke the kiss. Hovering over her partner, she whispered warmly into an erect ear, “Now… it’s ma turn.”

Offering silent prayers to the Most High for guidance, Babs Seed began to mimic the path that had been blazed over her own body, kissing every inch of yellow fur that tempted her. Apple Bloom sighed, holding her lover in her forehooves as she traveled down, down, down, first her neck, then her shoulders, then her chest honored by her hero’s kiss.

Feeling a rush of courage strike suddenly and inspire her, Babs Seed incorporated her teasing teeth—those same teeth that had led to this most wondrous of experiences—nipping here and there, leaving tiny marks on her lover’s flesh. Apple Bloom moaned in pleasure at one particular bite that left its imprint on her chest, near her rapidly beating heart.

“Youze like dat?” Babs whispered coyly.

“Yes. More," Apple Bloom begged. She brushed her thick, red tail against her mare’s hindhooves, swishing tauntingly close to the most beautiful of lands she had conquered. She'd made Babs Seed her mare, and felt the foal in her chest gallop into the mountains with rising elevation as Babs sought to seal her in return.

Confidence building, Babs Seed needed no more encouragement and continued in her exploration, marveling at the scent and taste of her love, committing it to memory. Yellow fur tasting like cinnamon and apples—only the finest of both—drove her wild, and the wafting scent of her lover’s furnace between her hindhooves made her even more insane.

Fearing she would lose her mind, or perhaps her control, Babs continued in her siege. Each spot that she kissed, from chest down to abdomen, she let her teeth honor as well, and Apple Bloom would tense and gasp in pleasure.

A tail brushing against the underside of her flanks threatened to trap Babs Seed in the throes of her own need, and she felt one of her limbs begin to creep downwards towards her own slick folds. No, youze stop it. Iffa she could wait, so could youze, she mentally scolded, withdrawing the offending forehoof. An idea graced her enchanted, deeply distracted brain, and she smiled, stashing it away for the moment. There would be plenty of time for that once she had made Apple Bloom hers at last.

Six years of love, with all of its interruptions, complications, summits and valleys, came to a hilt as Babs Seed finally reached below Apple Bloom’s stomach. Smiling in a dreamlike trance, Apple Bloom opened her hips to her mare, revealing her pulsating, throbbing need, loins crying out in desperation for relief.

It was the most beautiful and wondrous sight Babs Seed had ever seen.

“Youze… are so beautiful,” she heard herself say, and blushed at the implications of her own words. Did I really jus’ say dat ta her—

“Not as beautiful as you,” her lover whispered, softly stroking her mane.

Their eyes met, two souls brought together by the hooves of Fate, united by a love they could neither explain nor deny. Nature, in her mysterious ways, commands us to seek and find the other half of our soul, each and every creature borne into this world with an incomplete heart.

What Nature, Fate, Destiny and Love have joined together, let nopony separate.

These six long, agonizing years had not been saccharine smooth sailing for Babs Seed. There had been fights, confessions, and considerations, along with her unique anxieties and insecurities. Somehow, by the power of the Most High and the love that connected them, Babs Seed and Apple Bloom remained. Here they were, in each other’s hooves, intimate in the ultimate manner. All doubt that held on by its threads was shed and shredded in their gaze, and one Apple reached up and kissed another.

“I love youze,” Babs Seed whispered, embracing her mare tightly.

“Ah love ya, too.”

Silence, stillness.

And then…

“Bloom, I’m… I’m scared.”

“Why are ya scared?”

“… What iffa I hurt youze?”

“Ya won’t. Ah promise.”

Babs Seed said nothing, releasing Apple Bloom from her embrace. She laid flush against her, feeling heat from both of their loins begin to spread and warm the atmosphere, mere aching inches above each other. Her pulse cried out on her ankles, neck, and forehooves. Her heart raced, filling her blood with vital oxygen, giving her muscles life and strength. Her body was prepared to take the next step; her mind, however, was not as certain, fearing her own power, reeling from a thousand mental scenarios of failure.

Babs Seed was rough on herself, both mentally and physically, pushing herself to the edge of the edge. She’d kept her tail and mane short to remind her of all she’d overcome—of how strong she really was. She'd been a strong foal then, and she was a strong mare now. She could handle more than a little pain.

When it came to the one she loved above all others—lighter in weight, smaller in stature—Babs couldn't contemplate causing her harm. The mere thought of that possibility made her sick to her stomach. Babs Seed’s greatest fear was not Apple Bloom leaving her. It was hurting the mare she loved so dearly, and viewing her most delicate parts brought that worry back up to the surface.

Apple Bloom brought Babs Seed’s muzzle to hers, stealing Babs from the sticky hooves of her anxieties. “It’ll be okay, Ah promise. Do ya want me ta help ya a lil’?”

Babs Seed nodded and asked, “Please?”

Taking a trembling orange forehoof in between two of her yellow ones, Apple Bloom guided her lover to the furnace between her flanks, pressing gently against her own marehood. Her breathing quickened as she directed Babs, showing her the places she most enjoyed being touched.

Babs Seed shuddered at the soft, velvety folds beneath their hooves. She marveled at how they glistened and glimmered in the glow of the lantern and flash of the lightning that reigned from on high outside the barn. Her nostrils caught and savored the intoxicating scent of Apple Bloom’s pheromones. Babs Seed willed herself to relax, chanting mental mantras within her buzzing brain to avoid crashing into the mare. She’s so soft, so warm, so lovely. An'… she’s… mine.

“Ya okay now, Babsy?” Apple Bloom asked, releasing the forehoof caught in her grasp and wrapping her own limbs around her partner’s neck as she sank down into the hay.

“Yea.” Babs exhaled, her hot breath teasing her lover's marehood. Apple Bloom shuddered. Babs Seed raised her fear to its full stature in her soul and struck it down, powerful iron hindhooves bucking it bloody, as she crossed the greatest distance ever and touched Apple Bloom.

Fire under her forehooves, Babs explored her lover, spreading her folds, stroking her lips, seeking and finding her erect nub, rewarded each enchanting second by sharp inhalations and moans of pleasure. Amazed that such a strong mare—surpassing her by miles of emotional fortitude, her comforter on more dark nights of the soul then she could count—could be so, so soft, Babs Seed let her primal nature trump her nervousness, and she stuck her head between her lover’s flanks.

And tasted her.

“Oh… Babs…”

A mix of sweet and sour, cinnamon, sugar, and tart apples filled her tongue as she lapped eagerly, determined to taste all of her, all of her love. Six years of suppressing her animal instincts, her biological urges, and the teasing of wretched Cupid were worth the wait as she thrusted deeper and deeper into Apple Bloom. Babs swirled her tongue around inside, leaving no inch without the honor of her caress.

Babs Seed wrapped her forehooves around Apple Bloom's shaking haunches, hanging onto her cutiemarks for dear life. The two cutiemarks—each a shining red apple with a hammer and nails—began to drain of color as she gripped tighter, to Apple Bloom's delight at the sensation.

Moaning, her cries conducting a crescendo, Apple Bloom stroked Babs Seed’s soft, short mane as she was kissed from the inside, tongue of fire setting her loins ablaze. Babs withdrew her muzzle briefly before violently plunging forward once more. She assaulted her mare's folds, stroking and exploring every inch of her slit and clitoris with a hot, wet tongue before thrusting back inside.

Lost for all rational or reasonable thought, Babs Seed knew nothing but the rapid increasing of Apple Bloom’s breathing, the shuddering of the mare’s hips against her onslaught, the feeling of forehooves in her mane—pulling every now and then when she located a particularly sensitive spot—and her own muffled cries of pleasure as she grew hot and wet herself.

Sweeter than any apple that could ever grow, even here in the most beautiful place that Babs Seed had ever seen, Apple Bloom began to moan with increasing volume and frequency as she approached her zenith. Her unrelenting tongue continued its journey, spelling out their names inside her lover, warm muzzle brushing against the other mare's clitoris with agonizing pressure.

Finally, Apple Bloom could take no more, her entire body quaking from the force of her orgasm as Babs Seed took her at long last. She was her mare forevermore.

“Baaaaaaaabs Seeeeeeeeeed!”

The inner walls of her partner’s marehood contracted around her thick, wet tongue, thanking Babs Seed for every kiss, stroke, thrust, and lick that had led to this summit. Babs Seed gasped, breathing deep, rapid breaths as she withdrew. Her muzzle and snout were matted with her mare’s thick juices, but she made no motion to clean herself. Instead, she drank up Apple Bloom's remaining nectar, the saccharine taste a new and powerful addiction.

Without warning, Babs Seed pulled Apple Bloom to her hooves, leading them both out of the hay and trotting her mare a few steps forward onto the barn floor. “Babs, what are ya... oh...”

Babs Seed mounted Apple Bloom, lifting her partner’s tail with one of her forehooves and grasping it tightly. She set her thighs against the other mare’s and positioned herself carefully, heart racing in her anticipation and need. They had serviced each other, both leading their partner out of the lands of their virginities to uncharted territory. Now, she wanted to climb the stairway to heaven together with her true love, her best friend, her favorite cousin.

Setting her hindhooves at an angle and bracing herself, laying her forehooves and upper body on top of Apple Bloom, Babs Seed spread her rear legs and pressed her wet, throbbing marehood to her lover’s. Finding her just as slick and full of desire, Babs Seed leaned over and took the mare’s ear into her maw, coming full circle to the gesture that had started all of this.

Instinctively, Babs Seed thrust her hips into Apple Bloom’s.

Thunder boomed and the Heavens roared as Apple Bloom rubbed her haunches back against her partner, brushing their folds together as hard as she could. They continued to meet, over and over, finding a rhythm that left them shuddering with pleasure and urgency.

The sensation of their marehoods meeting and caressing, faster and harder, coupled with the hot, warm mouth on her ear and muscular mare on top of her made Apple Bloom weak in her hooves. Unable to resist, she buckled down and sprawled her forehooves on the floorboards. She steadied her hindhooves, leaning back further into Babs's hips. Apple Bloom whimpered, a soft, pitiful noise borne of rising, burning necessity, the sensation of thighs slapping against hers and the weight of her lover stripping her of all cognition.

Apple Bloom felt her tail pulled completely taut and hostage, strands struggling tightly against their roots, and cried out at the sweetly painful sensation, yearning for her partner to learn instantaneous telepathy. She wanted more. She needed more.

Sharp teeth suddenly bore down on her ear, nearly drawing blood. Apple Bloom questioned her own sanity as Babs Seed answered her silent plea. Babs growled, low and primitive, her inhibition receding into animalistic instincts as they continued in their lovemaking. There were no words in all of Equestria to describe the ecstasy Apple Bloom felt at the mix of pleasure and pain.

Babs Seed thrust harder and harder, fueled by the fire between her flanks, a mix of both of their liquids dripping down her thighs. Driven onward by her mare trembling beneath her, speed and pressure producing the sweet music of Apple Bloom’s cries, Babs mustered all of her strength with each motion. It took every minute morsel of self-control Babs Seed would ever possess to refrain from falling to her own hooves in rapture.

She moved from Apple Bloom's ear to her neck, a gentle nibble escalating into deep, loving bites. Apple Bloom shrieked in pleasure, marked and marred by her lover. This only served as a catalyst, spurring her onwards. Babs bucked and grinded and thrusted her hips with every ounce of remaining steam.

The walls around Babs Seed began to dissolve, low growls and moans escaping her throat. They found their harmony and chased it to the end of the end, bucking with all their might. Two furnaces and fires leapt into each other, building, becoming a tempest.

A column of flame burned past the thunderheads, shining in the lightning, and the two mares ascended the summit to the Most High, together touching the face of the Divine.

Both spoke no comprehensible language as they climaxed, coming to the highest high, minds wiped blank, souls cleaving on to each other in their union of love and lust. Passion echoed throughout the barn, two voices resounding—one high, one low—shattering the storm and all of their lost time.

Apple Bloom collapsed onto the barn floor, and Babs Seed tumbled down with her, exhausted.

Panting, Babs Seed let go of her lover’s tail and neck, shifting her position and rolling off the other pony. Taking Apple Bloom into her hooves, Babs Seed curled up against her partner, seeking and finding her breath somewhere far away, in the land of Earth pony magic.

They laid there, silent, on the hay-strewn floorboards, basking in the afterglow. The scent of estrogen drew them closer, but oxytocin spreading through their veins bound them together, forever. They had been one in heart, and now had become one in body and soul.

They were lovers in the truest sense of the term.

At last, after a silence that rivaled the six years of their anticipation, Apple Bloom gently rolled over to face Babs Seed and declared as confidently as she would say the sky was blue, “Ah love ya, Babs.”

“I love youze, too, Bloom,” Babs Seed said, nuzzling her mare’s cheek with her own.

Giggling, Apple Bloom returned the gesture to her heart’s desire, and said, “Ah never thought Ah’d be so happy there was a storm.”

“Me neitha."

“There should be mo' o’ ‘em.”

“Mmhmm.”

Grinning, Apple Bloom suggested, “Wanna go get cleaned up befo' everypony else gets back?”

Blushing, realizing that her fur and mane must have been a telltale mess, Babs Seed replied, “Yea, I think dat is a good idea.”

Together, the bloom and the seed trotted carefully out of the barn, finding that the skies had decreed their ceasefire at long last. Above, Celestia gave way to Luna in an act of surrender, shining sun dipping below the horizon in the west and the glowing moon beginning to climb in the east.

As they reached the farmhouse, Apple Bloom intertwined her tail with Babs Seed’s, and they trotted inside, two having become one.