Fallen Eagle

by Captain Alaska

When a mysterious craft crashes near the Ponyville Lake, Princess Celestia, Luna and 5 of the Mane 6 investigate and find a human near the wreckage. They promptly bring him to the hospital where he awakens frightened & alone. To help him adjust to their world, Applejack volunteers to take 'Cougar' in at her farm. But what happens when the two strike up a very close friendship?

85. Chapter 84: As the Sun Goes Down

Fallen Eagle

Chapter 84: As the Sun Goes Down

Wow. SO much has happened since the last time I've uploaded a chapter. Guys, I really want to apologize that this took over half a year to come out since I uploaded in July. This was just one of those times where time itself and writer's block joined forces to keep me down unfortunately. However, I still persisted and worked on this whenever I had the chance, even going so far as scrapping about a quarter of the chapter when it wasn't flowing well.

Anyway, here we are. Friendship is Magic has come to a close, and it still feels surreal that the book has shut. Over five years I've been working on this story and over five years since I've joined the fandom. I still can't believe how much has changed since I found the show and binged the first four seasons on Netflix. I can say for certain, though, that I LOVED Season 9 and especially that finale. Looking back, I'm so thankful to have found a show that gave me half a decade of so much joy and meaning, helping me with my writing skills, analytical skills and meet new friends I didn't think I would ever meet. Regardless of what G5 gives us in 2021 and beyond, Friendship is Magic will always hold an incredibly special place in my heart and continue to hold some of my most treasured memories.

I also attended the final BronyCon in August! Let me tell you, getting to meet online friends that I've known for years for the first time is a truly magical one. Four days of hanging out, attending panels, buying fanmade stuff in the Vendor Hall and watching stupid movies in our hotel rooms are memories that will never leave me. Plus, getting to meet Rebecca Shoichet, Andrea Libman, Nicole Oliver, Britt McKillip and M.A. Larson again was such a blast!

headreviewer mk2: Thanks man. Luckily since then, I've found a new job that I couldn't be happier with! My stress about going to work has gone down tremendously and it's freed my mind up for thinking about my writing!

HaloloverA001: Ah, I see a fellow Toy Story fan is following my story! Yay! :)

caleb200888: Thank you very much, Caleb! The good luck wishes mean so much! And yeah, Daybreaker is sexy, don't be ashamed of it!

Monkeyboy0118: Nope! No matter how long it takes, I want to finish this story properly instead of just cancelling it.

SymphonicRequiem27: Oh man, the 1000 review milestone! I was so elated when I saw that this story finally surpassed that after so long. But thank you so much for liking it! The feeling of people enjoying my work this much is just indescribable!

GreenMage7: Wow, thank you very much! Glad you're enjoying it so far! And I hope this newer chapter is to your liking as well!

Well guys, enough blabbering. Please enjoy Chapter 84!

---

(The Orange's Apartment Building; Ivan's POV)

"So, that's it then, Sugarcube?" Applejack inquired, her southern twang feeling like a relaxing, gentle breeze on a scorching Summer afternoon as it placated my demeanor.

"Yeah," I nodded and pulled my hand out of my pocket, placing it on the back of her tied-up mane. My fingers gingerly ran through her golden blonde locks, relishing in how soft her hair still felt. "I wish there was more we could've learned, but we have to take what we can get. At least we have somewhat of a lead," I shrugged.

The meeting with Coco had only concluded a short while ago, yet with how we were squeezed into having but a single day in Manehattan before having to return to Ponyville, Applejack and I simply couldn't waste what precious time remained. We had to enact our plan of meeting with her Aunt and Uncle Orange lest we lose the opportunity forever.

Telling everyone what we were doing was a bit of a struggle, knowing how we'd asked them to keep Applejack's pregnancy a top priority secret because of possible backlash. Thankfully, however, they all understood our decision based on the upcoming Apple Family Reunion and wished the both of us luck, offering their words of encouragement for our first big step.

We had only just parted ways with our friends outside of AJ's Aunt and Uncle Orange's upscale apartment complex. Just as luck would have it, someone who lived here had already gotten into the elevator the moment we arrived in the lobby and was on their way up to the 24th floor. This left us waiting for the elevator to make that trip and return to the lobby, no matter how many times we pushed the call button.

"That's true Ivan," AJ softly whinnied from my touch and nuzzled the back of her head into my fingers. Her body shivered slightly as I continued petting her, though she kept her gaze glued to me out of the corner of her eye. "Something's better than nothin'," she sighed contentedly, "but do any o' ya really think that Suri could've had a hoof in Luna's abduction? Ah mean, Ah met her before. She's a slimy, selfish varmint, but she didn't seem like the kind o' mare who'd go along with committin' treason against the princesses, let alone willingly puttin' the lives o' one o' them on the line."

I hummed in response, contemplating my girlfriend's point. "Well, I've never met her before, AJ. All I've got to go off of is everyone else's word. And let's not forget, you girls didn't even know she was affiliated with the PPP before today; what you saw when you first met her and Coco could've just been the "nice" Suri," I remarked, making air-quotes with my free hand.

Applejack let out a snort as her right foreleg lightly pawed at the fancy carpeting below. "Ya got a point there, Ivan. It's just amazin' that just when ya think ya know somepony, sometimes they could just be coverin' up a completely different pony underneath." I could feel her head lower away from my hand in frustration, her emerald eyes lowering to her front legs. Having to resurface Suri's dishonesty was clearly getting underneath Applejack's fur, and I had to do something to steer her free of that path before we lost focus of what we came to this apartment complex for. There was also a sneaking suspicion nipping at the back of my mind that Coco's claim that she'd overheard Suri talking negatively about me being a human was rubbing Applejack the wrong way, but I wasn't about to bring that up. Not now.

"Though to get back to what you asked me," I reached down a bit further to touch her mane again, "I'm honestly a bit skeptical of her having any involvement in this at all." I admitted. My fingers graced her mane once more, but that didn't last long unfortunately. The mare's left ear twitched to life, snapping her out of the disdain she held for the shamed designer.

"Hmm?" Applejack craned her neck upwards, looking towards me with a raised eyebrow. "Ya don't think so either, Sugarcube?"

I shook my head and sighed, "Nah. I mean at this point, anything is possible with what little we have to work off of, but since this is just a hunch, all we can do is have Coco monitor Suri as close as she can without drawing too much attention on the off chance Suri could've played a part in this," I explained. "That and alert the others across Equestria we've asked for help to keep their ears peeled for any potential breaks involving the PPP. And even then, the PPP may not have any part in this whatsoever like Etherea said," I had to force back a gag in my throat at admitting Etherea could be telling the truth.

Applejack let out a frustrated sputter. "Ah know we can't just expect somethin' ta fall outta the sky 'n help us track down the varmints that worked with them overgrown lizards, but Ah'm just worried about what could happen ta either princess. Whoever did this knows how ta get into the castle unseen; who knows what they'll try next, especially with Luna 'n Checkered's foal on the way?"

I could feel my blood pressure spike in an instant. With Luna's due date rapidly approaching, that was a definite concern and reason for why we were desperate for any lead that came our way. Unfortunately, with time running out and only theories and hunches cropping up rather than solid evidence, there was little we could do to squash the real threat. "I know. I'm scared for them too hun," I moved my hand behind the mare's ear, scratching it right at the base. "Luckily, they can increase day and nighttime guards, and they're blessed with overly helpful big sister that'll jump to help quicker than Rainbow Dash. Not to mention, if anyone tries anything against their baby, they'll have both Celestia and Luna to deal with."

There was also the Lord of Chaos himself, the six Elements of Harmony, Starlight and even me to go through, but dealing with a pissed off Luna is something only a damn fool would attempt. And having seen the outcome of Celestia's rage in Draconia...yeah, Luna and Checkered's baby would have top-notch protection, though we couldn't let our guard down until we had the bastards behind this rotting in the dungeon.

"Y-yeah, yer right Ivan," Applejack let out her own sigh. She then softly opened her eyes and gazed downward to what I assumed was the carpet again. My guess was proven wrong, however, when a small smile appeared on her muzzle, and she moved her right foreleg to her belly, gently grazing her hoof against her orange fur. "Ah guess this little one's already kickin' mah motherly instincts into gear," she chuckled, keeping her voice down so any passers by would be none the wiser. The simple sight of Applejack rubbing her belly where our child was growing absolutely melted my heart, giving me a happy thought, beyond Luna's own child, to look forward to amidst this entire mess.

DING!

The bell above the elevator alerted us that it had finally arrived. The two of us jumped slightly, having momentarily forgotten that we were waiting for the elevator to take us up to the 25th floor where Aunt and Uncle Orange resided. Applejack immediately slapped her hoof back onto the floor as the doors opened, revealing a navy blue earth pony with a brown mane and tail, adorning a bell-hop uniform with a name tag that read Quick Lift, and had his hoof on a lever.

His eyes widened as he finally realized that it wasn't just a pony that was awaiting him on the other side. "Fl- oh!" He fumbled around with his words. "Hey, you're that creature that was just knighted by the princesses!" The stallion exclaimed.

"Yes, I am," I said with an uncomfortable chuckle.

"And the Element of Honesty herself?!" Quick Lift giddily said as he took his hoof off the lever and jammed it right in front of Applejack. AJ blinked, obviously not prepared for the sudden hoof in her face, but holding her composure, she gave the stallion her best grin and gave him a hoofshake like he wanted.

"Thank ya fer bein' so...welcomin'," AJ said, waving her own hoof about to get the feeling back in it as we entered the elevator with the overzealous fan.

"I may run the elevator for the Elite of Manehattan, but it's not every day I get to guide saviors of Equestria and Princess Luna to a floor!" The earth stallion grinned. Surprisingly, he did a quick inhale and exhale, gathering himself together before pushing the button that closed the doors. "Ahem," he cleared his throat, trying to regain his professionalism. "I take it you wish to go to the twenty-fifth floor to meet with your Aunt and Uncle, Ms. Applejack?"

"Please," is all Applejack replied as she smiled for the elevator operator. "And thank ya kindly," she tipped her Stetson, trying to appear as inconspicuous as she could. Quick Lift happily obliged, swiftly cranking the lever all the way up until it reached 25. The machine whirred back to life and before we knew it, we were silently making our way up to the highest floor in the building and to the first step in revealing our secret to Applejack's family. It pained me that AJ and I didn't have the privacy to hold each other close, but there was little we could do to change that.

At most, we could discreetly share with one another the same loving and supportive looks we did when we embraced one another, if only to just help keep us at ease. So, that's what we did. It didn't make the ride go any slower or faster, but knowing we'd be by each other's side to see this pregnancy through helped to keep my mind from wandering into unpleasant thoughts. I just hoped my efforts were doing the same in return for Applejack.

---

"Should be the furthest apartment on the right," Applejack remarked, having waited a few seconds to speak to me after the elevator doors came to a close. I took a quick glance in both directions of the hallway, just attempting to get a good bearing on the location we'd found ourselves in. It seemed like it wouldn't be too much of a walk; I could just barely make out the wall that marked the end of the hallway. Like most fancy, uptown apartment buildings I'd grown accustomed to seeing in TV shows and films on Earth, a small table adorned with a potted plant upon its surface decorated the aforementioned wall, probably so it wouldn't look so plain and empty.

"Ready AJ?" I asked, failing to stifle the sigh that had been forming since we boarded the elevator. Though Applejack was still well aware of my apprehension, I still didn't like letting it slip out like that and having it put a damper on the confidence we held between us. Turning back and abandoning our plan was not going to happen, not after coming all this way. Especially not since Applejack's Aunt sounded happy that we'd come by for a visit when AJ buzzed her relatives to allow us into the building.

"Eeyup," she nodded, imitating her big brother as she took off in the direction of her aunt and uncle's home. However, Applejack herself didn't seem to be in too big of a hurry, taking on a more sluggish pace while inheriting the lead ahead of me.

I quickly followed, jogging briefly to catch up so I could still remain by her side. Even when I did, though, neither of us seemed too eager to rush through our journey to the end of the hall, the two of us keeping up a rather modest pace as we trudged along the upscale corridor. Unfortunately, with each apartment we passed, concern was beginning to balloon inside me. Applejack and I weren't saying much to each other.

Now it would have been foolish to think we could hold a full-fledged conversation during a time like this, but that wasn't what I was hoping to accomplish. I just didn't want there to be too much silence between us if we could help it, unlike with our elevator ride. Of course, silence could be a good thing to help someone compose themselves, gather their thoughts, or sometimes loosen up some stress they were carrying.

On the other side of the coin, listening to only your thoughts could backfire unintentionally and cause one to start overthinking. The latter was brewing at the back of my own mind. Then again, I would never force AJ to talk if she didn't feel like it, nor would she do the same to me. It's just that her one word answer that channeled Big Mac made me slightly uneasy.

I glanced down to my side, taking note of my girlfriend's body language. She was walking a bit stiff, her body tense with a stoic expression on her face. Applejack then gave out a hushed sigh, blinking until a more tired look replaced the flat expression.

"AJ?" I asked almost immediately, my instincts to comfort her taking over.

"Huh, yeah Ivan?" Her ponytail swished back and forth as she gave her head a little shake, breaking her away from her thoughts.

I opened my mouth, ready to ask the farm mare if something was eating at her or if she was okay. Thankfully I caught myself before repeating the same question that we've exchanged about a dozen times the past few weeks. When I still didn't answer, Applejack cocked her head to the side with an eyebrow raised, confused that I'd remained silent and waiting for me to spit out what I had summoned her attention for.

Swallowing, I finally asked, "Is there anything else you can think of that I should know about your aunt and uncle? You know, just so we have a better chance of pulling this off?"

AJ steadied her head and clicked her tongue. "Well, that's what Ah was thinkin' about Sugarcube," she admitted. She swayed her head back in the direction of her extended family's apartment door, "It's just that Ah ain't seen mah aunt n' uncle since Ah was about Apple Bloom's age. Ah try ta keep in touch with as many family members as possible, but the only contact Ah've had with them fer years is letters n' the occasional Hearth's Warmin' card," the mare concluded with a sigh.

"At least your aunt seemed pleased that you're stopping by for a visit," I said quickly, draping my arm over Applejack's torso in a half hug.

I could feel Applejack's muscles loosen up at my touch.

"Well yeah, there ain't bad blood between us, Ivan," she snorted. "They understood why Ah wanted ta go back ta Sweet Apple Acres after Ah lived with them, though they were a little disappointed."

"That's good," I replied in a low voice, moving my hand up to brush my thumb across AJ's freckled cheek as I assessed the new information my girlfriend had provided about her posh relatives. Putting that with what she's already told me about them, I was beginning to piece together what to expect and, hopefully, a game plan that would lead us into our big reveal.

'Okay, so they're somewhat understanding ponies,' I thought, making a mental note while my fingers kept dancing around AJ's freckles.

Applejack nuzzled her free cheek against my side, her Stetson becoming cockeyed atop her head. "Ah'm sorry Ah can't tell ya much more, hun," she apologized, letting out a hushed whinny.

My mind came to a screeching halt, obliterating my current train of thought as a twinge of fear washed over me due to Applejack's saddened tone.

"No, no!" I countered, fearing that I'd unintentionally made her feel bad. Her cheek rubbed up against my side as she looked up at me, puzzled by the sudden tonal shift in my voice. "Don't apologize Applejack, please. I was just thinking about everything you've told me," I explained, doing the best I could to assure her that she wasn't letting me down whatsoever. "I got a little carried away with it is all," I added, feeling my heart rate increase with each passing second.

Her face of confusion twisted into a mixture of relief that she hadn't disappointed me, and one of humor. The mare snorted, following it up with a light chuckle before taking in a deep breath. "Yer still cute when ya get flustered, Sugarcube," Applejack said and slipped her mouth into the palm of my hand, giving it a quick peck. "Don't ever change."

My heart rate returned to normal soon after. "Alright then," I exhaled. We were now about three-quarters of the way down the hall; Aunt and Uncle Orange's apartment door was now clearly in view. The numbers 2501 were adorned in a cursive, gold numbering upon a plaque right next to the apartment's doorframe. "So, is there any way in particular you wanted to do this, Applejack?" I asked, biting my lip out of habit.

"Well now," she pulled her head away from my hand, "we don't really have any control o' how it goes, Ivan," AJ started.

"Yeah," I winced. "I know."

"Hehe," she suddenly chuckled, "but that don't mean we can't at least try ta steer things in a more positive direction, Sugarcube," the mare shot me a wink before throwing her foreleg around my waist.

I couldn't help but let out a short chortle, following it up with a sigh. "That's all I can hope for, Applejack," I ran my fingers over her ear.

"Look hun, the only thing we can do is go in there 'n be ourselves," AJ advised, stopping as we had reached the end of the hallway. Something I hadn't noticed on any of the other doors, probably thanks to how distracted the two of us had been, was what I guessed their cutie marks were. A pair of oranges enclosed within a circle decorated the door to greet visitors. I suppose that made ponies easier to find if one were to forget which apartment number they were assigned. "You just be the sweet, understandin' 'n' resilient man Ah love. Let them get ta know ya; Ah'm sure they'll love ya as much as the rest o' mah family does," she then knocked on her aunt and uncle's door thrice.

I sucked in a breath, "And you just be the same honest, caring and hardheaded woman I was lucky to meet," I added quickly, releasing my hand from her ear as a mare's posh, upperclass accent spoke to us through the door.

"Applejack, is that you, my dear?" The door gently opened with a click before being swung wide open to reveal AJ's relatives on the other side. The stallion and mare that greeted us both sported large grins on their faces, eager to see their distant niece.

"Oh my!" The duo said in unison, their keen expressions quickly becoming looks of surprise. Aunt Orange nearly jumped as she laid her now pinprick-sized eyes upon my alien body, her hoof clutching the rather large golden necklace adorned with orange and emerald jewels. I noticed she had an orange mole on her left cheek like Cindy Crawford, making me wonder if she was a model of some sorts.

"H-Hello," Uncle Orange stammered and swallowed as his hoof lost its grip on the apartment door. The appendage slid down the wood and landed to the floor with a dense thud.

Acting quickly before an awkward silence fell between the four of us, AJ stepped forward, throwing her forelegs around her aunt and uncle. "Aunt Orange, Uncle Orange!" She happily exclaimed. "It's so good ta see y'all!" The loving gesture from their niece seemed to break them out of their stupor; the two shook their heads and smiled as they proceeded to pat Applejack's back.

I rubbed the back of my head nervously, not knowing exactly where to start after I accidentally gave the two Manehattanites a scare.

"Hehe, y'all," Aunt Orange giggled, "still just the living end you were as a filly, Applejack!" She released her hoof from AJ's back and stood at attention on all four legs, turning her attention back to me. The surprise of seeing me seemed to have worn off; her eyes had returned to their normal size. "Ahem, I apologize for being so startled Mister….." the cream-colored mare paused. She ran her hoof along the side of her coifed mane, "Oh dear, your name escapes me! I know I read it in the paper."

Uncle Orange also released his hoof from Applejack, cleared his throat and continued for his wife. "Cougar I believe?" He huffed, asking in a questioning tone, "Recently knighted by Celestia and Luna themselves as well, am I right?"

My eyes swiftly darted down at Applejack for a split-second, looking to her for what to do. She responded with a discrete yet encouraging smile and nodded towards her aunt and uncle. "That's right Mr. Orange," I said, realizing that Applejack had never revealed to me what their first names were. "On both accounts."

The dark yellow stallion studied me for a brief moment, eyeing me up and down before a polite but half-smile spread across his muzzle. "Well then, I-I suppose a hero of Equestria shouldn't waste away in a drafty hallway. Both of you, come in please." He and his wife took some trembling steps to the side, parting ways to allow myself and AJ into their apartment.

"Thank you," I exhaled a breath I didn't know I had been holding, feeling slightly better that their moment of shock was slowly melting away. At least, I hoped it was if their invitation inside was any indication.

"Uh yes, come in, come in!" Aunt Orange hurried the two of us into their home before her husband shut the door. The Orange's apartment, I had to admit, was a little more quaint than I'd imagined it. No doubt it looked extremely well-kept and was spacious due to their wealth, but it also wasn't as cluttered with easily breakable and expensive knickknacks as I had expected it to be. Their kitchen, which was the first area to enter, was extremely wide open with plenty of space for company to mingle about while waiting for a meal's preparation to be finished. The kitchen flowed directly into the dining area to allow an easy, smooth trek for dinner guests or caterers, if they had any, to the long and narrow table that I'm sure King Arthur would've ordered demolished. The dining table easily could've housed all of our friends, including Granny Smith, Big Mac and Apple Bloom while still having room for others.

On top of the dining table sat a fancy tablecloth that was the same color as Aunt Orange's coat. Orange colored hearts were embroidered on the edges of the cloth, continuing with the theme of love and friendship that Equestria spouted. As with their surname, a bowl of oranges was perched directly in the middle of the table, surrounded by two sets of plates, glasses and silverware.

"I apologize that we don't have very much furniture for sitting," Uncle Orange said as he grabbed one of the chairs from under the dining table and slid it across the checker patterned floor to the living area. He positioned the piece of furniture in between the two lounge chairs that sat on opposite sides of a small coffee table before climbing into the lounge chair closest to the stone fireplace.

"Yes, most of the company that we have over are here for our special monthly dinners," Aunt Orange added, sliding another one of the dining chairs next to its counterpart so that both AJ and I could sit comfortably. The older mare then sat in the only other available lounger, sighing pleasantly as Applejack and I each took a respective seat on the dining room chairs. I chose the seat next to her Uncle, and she took the one closest to her Aunt.

"Well," I cleared my throat, "you two certainly have a lovely apartment to host fancy dinner parties," I anxiously grinned, silently praying that I was starting off well with the two uptown ponies.

Both of AJ's kin briefly looked at each other, the two of them scrunching up their noses as if they were holding in laughter. That guess was quickly proven to be correct as a chorus of snooty chortling resonated throughout the living area from Aunt and Uncle Orange.

I sunk down in my chair, looking to Applejack for any guidance on what to do next. Only one of the first things I've said to her relatives, and they were laughing at it. Allowing laughter to get to me wasn't normally something that happened, but considering the high-stress situation, my skin wasn't its usual thick self. While her aunt and uncle's eyes were closed, AJ took the opportunity to pat my back and mouth, 'It'll be okay Sugarcube.'

The cream-colored mare sitting next to AJ then wiped a tear from her eye, catching her breath as her necklace jingled and jangled from her chortling. Her niece then yanked her hoof away from my back. "O-oh my! I suppose living in Ponyville with Applejack for so long would make you believe any dinner here is 'fancy,'" she curled her front hooves in the air as she's spoke.

Uncle Orange's suppressed laughter finally died down as well; the dark yellow stallion shifted in his lounger. "How quaint, Mr. Cougar. Our dinners are simply more pristine and well-organized than the ones you're used to in Ponyville."

I struggled to keep my eyes from rolling, opting instead to squeeze the hell out of my knees with my hands to remain steady. "Uh, hehe, right Mr. Orange," I said with an uncomfortable chuckle. The back of my mind was screeching about the several meals I've shared with Luna and Celestia in their castle, plus the dinner and breakfast Cadence and Shining Armor provided for me and my friends in the Crystal Empire. Yet, I wanted to do everything I could in my power to stay on their good side; mentioning how I not only had the honor of being knighted by the two sisters, but even got to join them for special meals could've sparked envy within Aunt and Uncle Orange. That was the last thing I wanted to happen.

"Oh my goodness!" Aunt Orange suddenly declared, nearly slapping her own hoof on her mouth before turning to her niece. "Applejack dear, you did remember to make your friend aware of our first names, did you not?" She asked.

AJ let out a surprised whinny from being put on the spot. Her emerald pupils shrank, and her ears twitched. "Uhhhh, no. A-Ah don't think so Aunty Orange," she stammered and rubbed the back of her neck. "Ah guess that just slipped mah mind," the mare began chewing on her lip.

"Ah, no matter then," Uncle Orange shrugged it off while turning his attention back to me. "I do appreciate that you have the manners to address myself and my wife by our titles, but since you are close friends with our niece, you may call me Heirloom," the stallion gave me a little bow from his seat. One of his hooves was held up against his chest as if it were some great honor that I was being told his own name.

I let out a little bit of a snort at how ostentatious AJ's uncle was being at something as simple as his name. Even Fancy Pants and Fleur had more humility when I was introduced to them. Nonetheless, I kept thinking about how important this was for Applejack, so I ignored the slight inkling of pretentiousness from Heirloom and at least attempted to respond in kind to the stallion. "Well-"

"And you may call me Julia," Heirloom's wife interrupted, nearly causing me to bite my tongue. She seemed just as eager as her husband to let me know what her first name was. I drummed my fingers on one of my knees, just waiting for a turn to address these two properly so I could stay on their good side. It honestly baffled me how ponies like this were related to AJ's family.

Speaking of whom, Applejack cleared her throat and moved to a more comfortable sitting position in her chair. "Eeyup! Uncle Heirloom, Aunt Julia," she began, sporting a big grin on her muzzle as the chagrin that her aunt made her feel about their names seemed to have worn off. "Ah'm so glad y'all get ta meet mah friend Ivan. You two are the first family members other than cousin Braeburn ta meet him outside o' Granny Smith 'n mah brother 'n sister," she happily pointed from me to her aunt and uncle with her hoof.

"Ivan?" Heirloom curiously repeated my name. His eyes were slowly squinting in confusion as he looked between AJ and myself, not knowing how to respond to his niece.

"I-Is that a nickname of sorts that Applejack gave you, dear?" Julia questioned with furrowed eyebrows. "Ivan," she said for herself, slowly enunciating my alien name to herself.

"Uh, yes and no," I shrugged.

Julia cleared her throat. "Ahem, why the two names if I may ask?" The mare further pressed.

'Well, they were at least interested in hearing more about me,' I thought and then proceeded to answer Julia's question for the sake of keeping things moving in a positive flow. That and I genuinely wanted to try and make friends with any and all members of AJ's family if possible.

"Oh, well you see, I was in the military back where I'm from," I leaned a bit closer to Heirloom, "and Cougar was the nickname given to me by my superior officer. Ivan happens to be my real name that really only AJ calls me," I looked back at my girlfriend and shot her a small grin. "I'm comfortable with either, but all my other friends still call me Cougar because that's all they knew me as for the first few months I was here," I explained.

The sophisticated couple continued to stare in my direction from their respective seats, studying me as if I were an art piece they couldn't quite understand.

'Come on, keep it going,' My inner voice urged. 'Don't let the silence intimidate you!' "Regardless," I finally spoke and stuck my hand out towards Applejack's uncle, "it's still a pleasure to meet you and your wife, sir," I politely remarked with a grin. My hand was left out in the open, hanging in mid-air like a tree branch as I waited for the yellowed pony to shake my hand with his hoof.

"Oh my!" Heirloom cried, recoiling back in his seat so fast that he almost became one with the fabric. His pupils had shrunk to the point they appeared as small as pinpricks, glued to my hand as if it were a dagger prepared to stab him. I myself was just as frozen as the stallion. Lost and unable to move due to the sudden curveball of his reaction for simply wanting to shake his hoof, I hadn't the faintest clue on what to do next, too afraid that another move, no matter how minor, could worsen the situation. With my heart rate beginning to climb, my eyes managed to slide over to the corner of my eye socket, searching for Applejack's help and guidance.

However, the pony that ended up saying something first was, surprisingly, not Applejack. "Loomy?" Julia called out, using what I could only theorize was a nickname she had bestowed upon her husband.

"Uncle Orange?" Applejack said, immediately following up her aunt's call to get her uncle's attention. My gaze darted from both mares back to the stallion in question, only to find him fidgeting about in his seat as he attempted to relax. His pupils, thankfully, had been restored to their proper, massive size. Though, the flattened ears on top of his head and a twitching smile on his muzzle told me his shock wasn't quite extinguished.

I swallowed again, anxiously curling my fingers and cracking my knuckles before retracting the hand away from Heirloom. 'Great,' I grumbled to myself. Despite my best efforts, I couldn't hide the disappointment on my face and began to gnaw on my bottom lip as I sat back in my chair.

"Ahem," came the clearing of Heirloom's throat. "I-I would like to apologize for my rude reaction," the stallion softly declared. My top jaw ceased chewing on my lip, and I looked over to Heirloom, giving him my full, undivided attention for what he had to say. The pony had copied my very movements from only a moment before. His own hoof was reaching out to me, waiting for a response with a trying smile on his own face.

I pushed myself up a bit, straightening out my posture while staring down at the patiently waiting foreleg. A sliver of hope briefly crossed my chest, giving me just enough encouragement to try this again. With slight apprehension, I leaned back towards Heirloom Orange, my slightly shaking hand extending out towards his hoof.

"A-Ah!" Applejack's uncle shivered at the feeling of my digits curling around his hoof. "So…that's what they feel like," he said to himself.

"Ya get used ta them, Uncle Orange," Applejack chimed in, her voice sounding a little more chipper after the near derailment of our plan only a few moments before. "Luckily though, our friend Spike sort o' got me used ta what Ivan calls fingers, even if his ain't nearly as sharp as Spike's."

"Your dragon friend, dearie?" Julia asked, to which Applejack nodded.

"Again, though," Heirloom said while my hand and his hoof parted ways, "I do apologize for my reaction to your, ahem, fingers," his eyes glanced at them before returning to my own gaze. "Even though we've seen your appearance in the newspaper before, seeing you in front of us in our abode just, well…." He trailed off, lost at how to explain himself.

"It was a bit of a shock, I'll admit," his wife interjected. "I do hope that you can forgive us, Mr. Cougar. It's just that when you arrived with our niece," Julia tapped her chin, "we didn't expect you to be the farmhand that had been living with my Aunt-In-Law."

"Yes," Heirloom agreed with a quick rub of his hoof under his chin, "when Applejack said she had brought a friend along with her, we were expecting one of her element friends such as Princess Twilight or the, uh, Wonderbolts one."

Applejack frowned at this. From my vantage, I noticed that her nostrils flared for a quick second, letting out a quiet snort before she was able to manage the irritation brought on by her uncle. "Rainbow Dash, Uncle Heirloom," she corrected as her voice fell flat.

"Ah, of course," he snootily chortled while resting his foreleg on the side of his chair. "A bit crass that one, but she is still a savior of Equestria all the same," Heirloom shot me another glance. I couldn't help but notice that he attempted to discreetly wipe his hoof on the side of his seat.

Pushing it aside, I leaned my elbows against my knees, intertwining my fingers and diverting my attention to the stallion's wife. "I completely understand your shock of my sudden appearance, both of you," I did my best to reassure the high class ponies. "And of course I forgive you; it's not like you meant to be so shocked," I grinned. Julia seemed to relax a little as I revealed that I wasn't upset at them for how we were first introduced. A sudden memory then crossed my mind, forcing a chuckle to escape past my lips. "Heh, I mean my reaction to Applejack and her friends, especially Celestia and Twilight, was a little more extreme than yours," I explained.

Beside me, Applejack let out her own chuckle, a little heartier than mine. The orange mare had to quickly cover her mouth with her hoof, nearly slapping her jaw as she tried to quiet her laughter. For a quick moment, she succeeded, just long enough to pull her hoof away and speak. "A-Ah recall ya just about had a heart attack, partner," she then put her hoof back over her mouth, her muffled chuckling emitted once more from behind the obstruction.

"Yes, I remember you detailing how high strung your friend here was when you wrote to us," Julia said with a quick pat to AJ's back. Applejack took in a deep breath, lowering her foreleg back down onto her chair next to her other foreleg. "It wasn't too long after he arrived in Ponyville, was it not?"

Applejack's rapid nod alerted her aunt that her guess was indeed correct. Although, I had to raise an eyebrow to my girlfriend. I was fully aware that she loved writing to various family members that lived far beyond Ponyville, yet I was curious about just how detailed she was about us meeting for the first time. A small blush crept onto my cheeks at how insane I remembered myself to be, ripping IVs out of my limbs and accusing my friends of being demons. Of course, with how far my relationship with my friends has come, it was honestly something more to laugh at than to be embarrassed of.

"Regardless," Julia's posh voice reached in and yanked me away from memory lane. I blinked, looking back in the mare's direction and praying that neither she nor Heirloom noticed that I had been lost in my thoughts. "It's still very nice to meet you after all of the things my niece has said about you in her letters, Mr. Cougar," Julia continued, casting a smile towards Applejack.

"Oh, thank you!" I exclaimed appreciatively. A feeling of confidence welled up within my chest from that one comment alone. Despite the slight hitch a moment ago, things were going about as smoothly as I'd hoped. However, I understood that I couldn't ride this wave forever; it was up to both myself and Applejack to push this conversation forward and only reveal the main reason of our visit when the timing was right. "Again, it's a pleasure to meet more members of AJ's family after how wonderfully she, her siblings and Granny Smith have treated me," I added.

"Of course," Heirloom snickered as if it were nothing, "however, we'd also like to personally thank you for how you risked your own neck for not only saving one of our beloved princesses," he began, "but for saving Applejack from those disgusting beasts at Winsome Falls."

'So, that's one of the things she's already told them,' I thought.

"Oh my, yes!" Julia concurred, her head nodding fervently. The mare then reached over with her foreleg, attempting to smooth out Applejack's mane. "I cannot tell you how absolutely distraught we'd be if we lost one of our favorite nieces," she said before muttering something about AJ needing to let her mane breathe and to stop wearing her old Stetson.

Applejack let out an uncomfortable chuckle, politely moving her aunt's foreleg away from her mane and reverting it back to the way it was when she'd removed her cowgirl hat. "Yeah, Ah knew Ivan here was a special one before, but when he stepped up ta do everythin' ta save us from those Timberwolves, well, Ah knew he'd wind up bein' a good friend," she shot me a wink, completely ignoring Julia's comments about her mane.

A slight tingle in my cheeks soon made itself known. I knew exactly what was about to happen and fought hard to prevent a blush from fully appearing on my face. 'Just ignore it!' My inner thoughts seethed. 'Don't blow this!' The thoughts continued. To hide it, I raised my fist to my mouth, forcing a cough into it to pretend I was simply clearing my throat.

A small look of panic flashed onto Applejack's face; the orange hue of her fur had gone slightly pale as she immediately realized the adverse effect I was having due to her winking.

Beside AJ, Julia's head shifted side to side between the two of us, a puzzled look on her face. "M-May I get you a glass of water, Mr. Cougar?" She asked, unsure of what to say to our sudden changes in behavior.

"No, no!" I assured her, moving my arms back to my lap as if nothing had happened. "Just had a little frog in my throat is all," I lied. Thankfully, AJ's aunt and uncle didn't possess the element of honesty like their niece, but that didn't stop the sudden invasion of guilt taking over my chest. Even if it was for a good cause, I hated lying in general, yet doing it in the vicinity of Applejack only worsened that feeling of guilt. And that was despite the fact that, when I shifted my gaze from Julia to AJ, she didn't look disappointed nor angry for having to fib to her family.

Her aunt and uncle seemed to buy the lie, however. Both posh ponies gave each other a weird look before shrugging it off. "Alright then," Julia said, the strange look she had been giving us still remaining on her face as she looked back at her husband.

Like his wife, Heirloom too had been spectating our sudden odd behaviors. A raised eyebrow, pursed lips and squinted eyes were awaiting my attention as I faced the yellow stallion again. His expression, however, quickly softened back into his normal overconfident, upper class smirk. "Well, it either takes somepony special that is willing to face such nasty creatures as timberwolves," Heirloom began. "Or, it could take some creature that's simply out of their Celestia forsaken mind," he added a bit of a sneer to his voice as if he were all of a sudden criticizing my actions that night.

"Uh, for the record Heir-"

"Luckily for our niece and her friends, you seem to possess a little of both traits," he cut me off with a snooty chuckle.

For a moment, I was left perplexed by the stallion's words, staring back at him with my mouth still agape from being interrupted. It took me only a few seconds of silence to realize that Heirloom was simply toying with me in his own posh way.

I shut my mouth and sat back in my chair, cringing as I forced the fakest laugh in my life like a pathetic employee laughing at their boss' terrible joke. I was almost certain that both ponies could tell that my chuckling was not genuine, but I went along with it, adding a forced grin as well.

Applejack saw my predicament and reached over with her hoof, gently patting it on my back. "Now come on, Uncle Heirloom," she frowned, "Ah specifically said in mah letter that they caught us completely off guard. There ain't ever been a single recorded Timberwolf sightin' up at Winsome Falls before we went on our campin' trip," she reminded him. Her foreleg then slipped from my back, returning to her torso as she gave a tired and annoyed look toward her elder kin.

"Oh, lighten up, Applejack dear," Julia scoffed condescendingly. "You know how your uncle loves to yank ponies' tails to keep the mood fresh."

"Yeah, Ah remember, auntie," AJ replied flatly and let out an exasperated sigh, her eyes momentarily shutting closed. Her aunt gave off a rather judgmental glare to Applejack, almost like she was upset that her niece had spoken to Heirloom like that. The judgment on Julia's face was erased almost immediately when my girlfriend's eyes slowly opened back up, a more patient and restrained look reflecting off their emerald surface after taking a moment to calm down.

The lack of AJ's uncle having a say in this worried me. A turn of my head revealed that Heirloom seemed to not care that his wife had just scolded their niece for taking his jabbing at me so seriously. In fact, he appeared to be waiting for a good break in the conversation if the impatient look on his face was a tell. Once nopony had uttered another word, the stallion, "Hmphed," and turned back to me. A quizzical look was now etched on his face, hinting that he had a question boiling within his mind. "I'd just like to be clear with you, Mr. Cougar. You were a guard of sorts?" He asked, resting his hoof under his chin, "even before you were knighted by the princesses?" His eyebrow twitched with curiosity.

"Well, not exactly," I shook my head. The thought of trying to explain that I was a pilot and flew a contraption that both Heirloom and Julia had never heard of before started to overwhelm me. Under any other circumstance, I would have been more than happy to oblige them with a more detailed explanation on my role in the Air Force. Unfortunately, as my gaze slipped back to Applejack's barely distended belly, I knew we had to keep the course we originally chartered. "O-Of course," I continued and shifted my focus back to the older stallion, "protecting others was a huge part of the job, but I wasn't like the guards that protect Celestia, Luna, Cadence and Shining Armor."

"Oh?" Heirloom cocked his head.

"He was more of a soldier, Uncle Heirloom," AJ explained. Her voice retained the same monotone pitch as the annoyance she held towards her uncle was simmering down.

Heirloom's gaze bounced from myself to around me where AJ was sitting. The stallion smacked his lips, "Ah. Well, serving is serving I suppose," he shrugged. "Forgive my constant curiosity, but I just have to ask. How in the name of Celestia were you so prepared to take on timberwolves and dragons?" Heirloom set his hoof back down upon his seat, leaning slightly closer to me to eagerly await my answer. "Unless of course you were already trained to face off against those creatures where you're from as well?" He added.

"No, no," I had to stuff down a laugh. "Dragons are only the things of myths and legends where I'm from. Timberwolves exist, but they're actual animals, not magical, enchanted pieces of evil timber," I explained.

"Hmm, and I would surmise that you received that scar when rescuing Princess Luna from those scaly, beasts?" Julia inquired. My heart fell into the pit of my stomach as the memories of Garble dragging his white-hot claw down the side of my face came rushing back.

"Y-yeah," I stammered my words out. My gaze dropped from focusing on Heirloom and Julia to their carpeting down below. "I bit off a little more than I could chew when I decided to join Celestia and the Wonderbolts on their rescue mission," I said, my voice becoming hollow with the guilt of brushing off Applejack's worry rearing its ugly head.

The loving touch of a familiar hoof caressing its way across my back drowned out those negative thoughts. Lazily swinging my head over, I was unsurprised to see AJ sporting a comforting smile on her face whilst rubbing my back. She didn't say a single word to me, but the twinkle in her emerald eyes told me she was encouraging me to not worry about it. "Yer stubborn side might've taken over, Ivan, but ya still got Princess Luna home safe 'n sound," she assured me.

Applejack's comforting words and touch worked like magic; I soon felt a smile spreading itself across my face. I had to hold myself back from embracing her in a hug. We weren't there just yet with her aunt and uncle. "Thanks AJ," I opted for a friendly, inconspicuous thank you.

The mare closed her eyes and replied with a gentle nod, retracting her foreleg from my back.

"Which again, we are very thankful for!" Julia chirped, jerking both AJ and myself from our tender moment. I sat back upright with a neutral expression, silently praying that neither of the apartment's tenants were suspicious of how close Applejack and I had just been.

"Oh of course!" Heirloom nodded and agreed with his wife. "Being knighted as a reward for your heroic deeds hopefully makes up for receiving that hideous scar, Mr. Cougar," the stallion shuddered as he eyed the deformity on my face.

I sighed, but I didn't allow his momentary rudeness to get under my skin. "Well, I am grateful to have that honor gifted to me by Luna and Celestia, but the fact we were able to return Luna and ourselves to our friends back home is what made that whole ordeal worth it, Heirloom," I folded my arms across my chest.

That appeared to clue the yellow pony in about his faux pas. Heirloom's eyes opened wide, and he cleared his throat into his hoof. "Y-yes," he grinned, "that truly is a victory for all involved, including Equestria."

He didn't need to say another word about it; the fact that he realized what he'd said was good enough for me. Applejack on the other hand….I looked out of the corner of my eye to see that she was enjoying her uncle's chagrin, quietly snickering as he attempted to regain his posh composure.

The dark yellow stallion came close to mimicking the method of calming down that Cadance had taught Twilight. However, rather than pushing away his stress with his hoof like the aforementioned alicorns did, Heirloom simply shut his eyes and inhaled and exhaled deeply through his nose.

As he did this, Julia chimed in with another question, not wanting the conversation to grow stale thanks to the roadblock it had hit. "Speaking of Princess Luna again, that reminds me, how is her baby doing, Applejack?" She asked innocently enough. "I couldn't imagine the horror the poor dear went through, while pregnant no less!"

AJ gulped, her lips pursing tightly until they practically disappeared behind her muzzle at her aunt mentioning a baby. Not that I could blame her; my stomach was currently knotting up so much for the exact same reason that I momentarily thought I was getting an ulcer. I could even feel my knuckles cracking under the pressure of my fingers squeezing my knees so tightly.

Applejack's right foreleg twitched, nearly moving to her belly. "Oh uh, the colt's comin' along just fine, Auntie Orange," she finally managed to spit out. "Should be here in just a couple o' weeks."

"Y-yeah!" I jumped in, barely managing to get even just one word in as I tried to steer the heat away from Applejack. My quick thinking worked. Julia and Heirloom's attention was diverted to me, leaving their niece with a short window to soothe her nerves. I swallowed, "That's why Luna wasn't available to take part in the Summer Sun Celebration like usual. The castle doctors have her on a strict no magic plan so the stress of it doesn't physically harm her and Checkered's colt."

"I suppose that makes sense," Heirloom said, having properly recovered from his rude comment. "If I do recall, that's common practice for unicorns as well during their pregnancies," he rubbed his hoof under his chin. "Nonetheless, it is a joyous occasion that the princess is safe, and that we'll soon have a healthy new prince in the royal family."

"Yes," Julia nodded, "and it's even better that Princess Luna's son will be first in line for the throne over that dreadful Blueblood," her eyes rolled, to which Heirloom agreed.

Although my past with Blueblood was rocky to say the least, I still felt a twinge of frustration wash over me. Sure, most of his life, he was a pompous, stuck up prick that liked to hold his stature over everyone's head, but he was legitimately making progress to better himself. Even with the occasional rude remark, like his comment about all dragons being monsters, the work he was putting in to atone for his mistakes was something to credit to the stallion. Not to mention, he was also working with Luna and Celestia to truly learn how to be diplomatic and a fair ruler.

"Ta be fair Auntie," AJ cut in, "the princesses are workin' with him so he can be a better pony, an' they say he's comin' along good," she said in defense of Luna and Celestia's nephew.

Her rebuttal didn't impress Julia nor Heirloom. The former flared her nostrils, giving a loud, condescending snort while the latter shook his head.

Julia scoffed. "It's a lost cause Applejack, even with the royal sisters giving it their best efforts to help the lout atone for his past. He's done nothing but put a black eye over Celestia and Luna's namesake, appearing in tabloids for waking up drunk with any Canterlot skank every other week!"

"Not to mention, abusing your poor seamstress friend just because she wouldn't dance with him!" Heirloom added. "I don't think it matters HOW much the griffon king straightened him out; he's done too much to make up for it."

"Ah know, Ah know," AJ replied, hooves massaging her temples. "He hasn't done a good job at all o' honorin' his family or his responsibility o' bein' a prince up ta when he pushed Rarity, but he's honestly tryin' ta fix that. An' if Celestia, Luna, Cadance, Twilight'n Ivan say he's makin' progress, then Ah'm willin' ta give him that chance ta make up fer what he's done!" She exclaimed.

"Same here," I concurred, folding my arms across my chest.

A pause hit our conversation. Both of AJ's family members stared at us, exhausted expressions quickly decorating their faces as if they'd been through this same conversation before with other ponies. Julia even let out a tired sigh and rolled her eyes.

"Everypony is entitled to their opinion I suppose," Julia flatly remarked, "including everycreature," she blinked, shifting her now flat gaze to me.

"Indeed," was all her husband said in agreement, his facial expression not moving an inch.

"Now look Mr. and Mrs. Orange," I said as I moved my arms down from my chest and spoke with a softer tone. This could be the derailment that AJ and I were dreading; I wanted to extinguish that possibility as fast as possible with few repercussions. "We don't mean to come off as stubborn about this. I've spent some time with Blueblood since his return, especially right before Luna's wedding. The two of us definitely didn't get off to a good start personally, but I can actually see him going through the struggles of shaking off his demons of the past. I was somehow given a second chance when I showed up in your world; it's only fair I return that same chance to somepony," I explained.

Neither Heirloom or Julia seemed convinced.

I gulped. "I mean, I can understand where you two are coming from. You two have actually witnessed more of his past despicable behavior than I ever will, and it can be hard to overlook those."

"All we're doin' is lettin' Blueblood show us the kind o' pony he can truly be," Applejack added. "Ah think the least anypony can do is let somepony live out their second chance before makin' any final judgments."

We waited patiently for a response. Patiently, yet anxiously I should say. Heirloom and Julia continued to study us for a moment or two before they exchanged glances, their expressions finally softening.

Julia pawed her hoof at the edge of her seat, eyes glued to the floor below. Her head then rose until she was looking between the two of us, letting out an exhale of defeat. "Just, don't give your hopes up, dear," she advised and gave her niece a small smile. "Your uncle and I have simply been burnt quite a lot when we thought we could trust somepony," her eyes darted over to her husband before tracking back to AJ.

"Indeed, though that is what awaits everypony in the business world," Heirloom said. "You always have to be on guard for snakes that disguise themselves as decent ponies," he scoffed.

AJ nodded. "Ah understand, Uncle Orange, but just remember that a little faith can go a long way," she shot a warm, loving look in my direction.

"Yeah," I agreed and cast a discreet smile back at the mare carrying our child. Our gazes became locked for a brief moment, eyes staring back at one another as time briefly slips away from us. Without a single word uttered between the two of us, a signal of comfort and encouragement was linked with each other. The only thing that severed that link and brought us back to the conversation with Julia and Heirloom was the stallion's tongue loudly clicking three times in succession. Our attention immediately diverted back to AJ's aunt and uncle.

"I'll try to remember that, Applejack, but don't be surprised if he falls back into his old ways," Heirloom warned, sounding unconvinced by his niece's words.

A weak whinny escaped AJ's mouth. "Well, if ya do give him a fair chance, that's all anypony can really ask for."

I shared Applejack's slight disappointment, but there was little to do if either or both of her kin refused to see Celestia and Luna's nephew attempting to rewrite his own future into a better one. If there was one thing I could say about Aunt and Uncle Orange since I've met them, it's that I can respect how steadily they stood by their own opinions.

"Ahem," Julia cleared her throat rather obnoxiously. "I do believe the subject of Prince Blueblood has run its course," she rolled her eyes with a wave of her hoof. "Applejack," she calls out and stares directly at her niece, "all of this talk regarding Princess Luna's rescue, as well as the safety of her and Checkered Flag's unborn colt, has given your uncle and myself something to ponder," a smirk crept across the older mare's face.

If Applejack merely went pale before from winking at me, her aunt's knowing look had nearly drained all of the orange color from her fur. Her pupils shrank; a breath became caught in her throat. Her body eventually froze, unable to move while a snooty chuckle from her aunt pierced the silence. The only signs of life coming from my girlfriend was the erratic movement and blinking of her eyes.

The hope that we held of ourselves steering the conversation to our secret had evaporated. We both knew precisely where her aunt and uncle were going with this, and there was no way we could change the subject without forcing Heirloom or Julia's suspicions to skyrocket.

I swallowed, feeling all the hairs on my arms and on the back of my neck standing on edge. My heart felt as if it were gradually sinking into the pit of my stomach.

"Oh, don't be so embarrassed, dear!" Julia playfully slapped her niece's shoulder. Applejack jumped from the contact and let out a yelp of surprise; her breathing coming in and out rapidly as she caught her breath and the color returned to her fur.

'Embarrassed?!' I thought. She assumed from Applejack's body language that she was simply embarrassed?! Time was short, however, to get irritated by Julia's ignorance, so I remained silent, waiting for Applejack to calm herself and give me the okay to start executing our plan.

"I can assure you that we're not doing this in a teasing manner, Applejack," Heirloom said after seeing AJ's reaction. The mare's eyes slowly shifted over to her uncle, having trouble staying focused on the stallion. "This is actually quite a serious manner," he continued. "But we don't mean to come off as pushy or nosy."

"Indeed," Julia picked up from her husband, foreleg wrapping gingerly around her niece's body, "it's just that you're in your mid-20s now, my dear," her smirk morphed into a grin.

"Y-yeah?" Applejack gulped, to which her aunt's grin fell flat.

Julia huffed, "Well, what with Princess Luna becoming married to her special somepony, have you found a special somepony of your own?" Her question came off as more of a demand for answers rather than a curious inquiry, almost like Julia was a cop interrogating a suspect.

I felt nearly the same way my girlfriend did just a moment ago. The confidence that had gradually been built up over the course of the conversation with AJ's aunt and uncle was now being challenged by the demons of my own apprehension. As strong as I wanted to be for Applejack, the unknown of how Julia and Heirloom would react was making my body tremble just slightly. Not enough for anypony in the room to notice, but enough that I could definitely feel it.

"Uh, I-uh," came the stammering from the country mare.

"Yes, you're at about the perfect age to start considering marriage, Applejack," Heirloom nodded before AJ could answer. "In fact, your aunt and I were betrothed and later bound by marriage at your age," he confirmed.

"And I'm positive your family would love some new additions running through the dirt around your orchard. Even though your uncle and I weren't too keen on having children of our own, that shouldn't stop you from thinking of starting a family of your own." Julia grinned, leaning over and patting Applejack's head through her Stetson.

Groaning uncomfortably, Applejack moved her head out from underneath her aunt's patronizing touch. She then readjusted her Stetson, a deep sigh escaping through her lips. Her head was hanging a bit low, but upon looking over to me, she sat up straight.

"So," her aunt continued, completely glossing over how uncomfortable she had just made Applejack. "Is there a lucky stallion in Ponyville or perhaps Canterlot that you're courting?" The posh mare smirked.

Applejack and I gulped. I finally looked away from Julia and at AJ, her green eyes looking to my blue orbs for comfort. Both Julia and Heirloom seemed to fade away as we became lost in the warmth of one another's gazes. Confusion, anxiety, fear and desperation met me as I stared into AJ's eyes; the same would greet her as she stared back at me. Even though this was not how we'd planned for it to go, there was nothing else we could do. Nothing else but come clean.

Then, in complete synchronization, the both of us nodded. "Ahem, Applejack?" Heirloom's snooty throat clearing and his voice shattered our illusion, the apartment came rushing back into view. "It's not polite to ignore a question from your aunt," he criticized. Impatience and frustration dripped from his voice.

"S-sorry, Uncle Heirloom," came AJ's nervous apology. "It's just that, well uh," she gulped yet again. My hand soon found itself on her back, fingers softly running down her fur. Although, I tried to keep it as platonic as possible before we really dropped the bombshell on her aunt and uncle.

Applejack then took in a deep breath and let out a mighty sigh. "Ah s'pose now's a good a time as any," she admitted.

"I-I'm sorry, dear?" Julia shook her head in confusion as Heirloom raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah," I agreed, pulling my hand from AJ's back.

"I don't understand. A-Are you saying you do have a coltfriend, Applejack?" Heirloom inquired.

Cautiously, Applejack tightly shut her eyes, holding them closed for a moment. "Aunt Orange, Uncle Orange? There's somethin' Ah gotta tell y'all," she opened her eyes as a bead of sweat trickled down the side of her face and over her freckled cheek. "Ivan 'n Ah didn't just stop by yer home outta the blue." Given how her uncle reacted to AJ not answering Julia's question only a few moments ago, I hadn't the faintest idea how he or even Julia would respond to her tiptoeing around Heirloom's follow-up question. That unknown didn't help my increasing heart rate.

"Oh?" The confusion grew between her aunt and uncle as the married pair leaned in closer, their curiosity piquing.

"See, we decided ta pay y'all a visit a few days ago when Princess Celestia invited us ta the Summer Sun Celebration because….well," Applejack's voice began to shake a little. Her pupils shrank down to about half their size as she darted her eyes to and fro. "A-Ah thought y'all would be good practice tellin' family members that Ah'm pregnant!" Applejack spat out, bracing herself for whatever reaction her aunt and uncle would have by sitting as still and firm as she could, a look of determination carved onto her face.

The silence that followed made me wince; I didn't know precisely what she was going to say. I was preparing for her to say that we were expecting a baby to just get it all out there at once. Evidently, Applejack had other ideas. She probably wanted to ease Heirloom and Julia into the fact that I was the father and not a regular stallion.

"Phew," I let out a little huff while attempting to keep up my nonchalant appearance, but that seemed to be in vein; it didn't appear that Heirloom nor Julia took notice. The duo sat still like they had been frozen in place, eyes wide, ears stiffening straight out as their jaws ever so slowly dropped inch by inch.

Seconds ticked by with nothing uttered between any of us four. I didn't feel like I could add anything myself until Applejack gave me the okay, so I remained quiet as well. Things got so quiet in fact that the faint, unintelligible shouting of street ponies twenty-five stories below pierced the air.

The brave look on my girlfriend's face began to fade away ever so slowly. Her sudden surge of boldness that caused her to shout that she was pregnant had been whittled away, now replaced with worry as her aunt and uncle sat in utter shock on either side of us. AJ squirmed around in her seat, biting her lip as she waited for Heirloom and Julia to at least say something.

"Wh-what did you say, dear?" Julia snapped out of her trance, hoof massaging her temple like mad. Meanwhile, Heirloom rubbed his eyes, trying to get them moist after holding them open for several moments.

"A-Ah said Ah'm pregnant, auntie," Applejack repeated with a slight uptick of relief gripping her voice. She finally sat still in her chair as her aunt and uncle were brought back to reality.

"You're pregnant?" Heirloom said, a look of shock still carved on his face.

"Uh, eeyup," AJ put on a nervous grin, sweat still trickling down the sides of her face. "F-found out a couple o' weeks ago at Princess Luna's baby shower," her hoof found itself tracing circles around her belly.

Julia's widened eyes followed her niece's hoof, watching as she rubbed the tiny pudge where the baby was growing. "Y-Y-Y-You're pregnant…" she repeated what her husband had said.

"Mhmm," I nodded, still keeping my lips sealed on saying anything else that could be incriminating.

Both Heirloom and Julia tore their gazes from Applejack, looking at one another in astonishment. Suddenly, like a switch had been flipped, the shock on their faces morphed into jubilation as huge grins spread across their muzzles.

"OH MY CELESTIA!" Julia screeched, surprising both myself and AJ as she leapt from her own seat and threw her forelegs around Applejack's body in a tight hug. AJ wheezed a bit from the complete surprise of her aunt, catching her breath while the older mare squeezed her. "I'm so happy for you, dear!" She exclaimed, pulling away with a grin, a small blush forming on her cheeks. "Oh uh, forgive me for being so uncouth."

"Hehe, thanks auntie," AJ let out a forced chuckle. Her nervous grin quickly reappeared.

Crawling leisurely from his seat, grin still etched onto his face, Heirloom strolled past me and sat in between my seat and Applejack's. He gently placed a hoof on Applejack's back, giving it a few pats. "I'm so proud of you, Applejack," he congratulated as the pregnant mare faced him. "I understand how difficult it was for you when you had to choose between living in Ponyville and here with me and your aunt." Heirloom slipped his foreleg completely around AJ's torso, hugging her much less enthusiastically than his wife did. "Even if we were a little disappointed that you had to leave us, at least you can succeed where your aunt and I failed."

The tense yet jubilant atmosphere of the room was now joined by a sweet and somber tone. Nearly all of the worry on Applejack's face washed away, leaving a touched and emotional look in its place, though I could still see the worry in her eyes. The orange mare's jaw dropped from her uncle's words before a slight smile appeared as she returned the stallion's hug.

"Th-thanks Uncle Heirloom," she stammered and nuzzled her cheek against Heirloom's, "that really means a lot."

"Of course," he smiled. He raised his hoof and gently stroked the back of AJ's hair, almost as if he were trying to ruffle her golden locks. I hated to admit it, but I couldn't fight off the slight jealousy I was feeling towards AJ's aunt and uncle. We hadn't yet gotten to the point of revealing that I was the father to their niece's child, so I had no choice but to hold back from comforting her the way I wanted to. I obviously felt happy that her aunt and uncle were so ecstatic about the news, but still, I wanted nothing more than to be as close as her relatives were right now.

"Oh, I'm sure your grandmare and siblings are just over the moon about this!" Julia exclaimed as she and her husband gave Applejack a little more breathing room. "You have told them already, correct?"

"Well, o' course they know, auntie," Applejack stretched, grunting as her body loosened up from Julia's bone crushing hug. "They weren't the first ones though," she motioned her head over to me, "in fact, Ivan here 'n all my friends were the first ones Ah told while we were at Princess Luna's baby shower."

Heirloom and Julia's heads swiveled in my direction, giving me a curious stare. "No offense, but why did you tell your friends first before your own family, dear?" Julia questioned, keeping her gaze on me for a few seconds more before turning back to her niece.

"Like Ah said, Ah only found out by accident while we were attendin' Princess Luna's baby shower," AJ explained.

"Yeah, and Granny Smith, Big Mac and Apple Bloom had to stay behind at the farm while we went," I added. "They didn't know until we got back to Sweet Apple Acres." Nothing incriminating was revealed, so I felt better about saying something at last about AJ's pregnancy instead of continuing to remain quiet. In fact, I felt I was being a little suspicious by not truly saying anything thus far, so contributing at least made me feel that everything was appearing normal so far.

"Ah, well that makes sense," Heirloom shrugged. I breathed a small sigh of relief. "And I trust the rest of your family is happy with this?" The yellow stallion continued.

Applejack nodded. "As happy as they can be," she gulped a little. "Though, Granny was surprised that Ah got pregnant before Big Mac 'n Cheerliee."

"Oh!" Julia's eyes lit up. All three other pairs of eyes in the room shifted to her excited form. "Have you told any other family members, Applejack? Or are we the first ones you've told outside of your brother, sister and grandmare?" She grinned excitedly. Truth be told, because of her more prim and proper demeanor that she radiated since I met her, this excited and cheery Julia was slightly off-putting. I had to lean back slightly in my seat.

"N-No, Ah haven't yet," AJ confirmed. "Y'all are the first two Ah've told…" she trailed off. Her eyes slowly sank down to the coffee table. I immediately knew what was plaguing her mind. We were getting closer and closer to that inevitable question.

"Then does that mean," Heirloom began, excitement growing on his face as he grinned over at his wife, "you were possibly hoping to ask us to be your child's godparents?" He asked with hope glimmering in his eyes.

That particular question blindsided me. I furrowed my eyebrows at the thought of our child being cared for by Heirloom and Julia. I mean, these two didn't seem like terrible ponies from what I've seen and heard from them. They tried to care for and help raise AJ when she believed being a Manehattan pony was good for her future at least. However, if we had to put thought into our child's godparents, something that hasn't crossed our minds at all, Big Mac and Cheerliee would have to be the obvious first candidates for that privilege.

"Uh, ta be perfectly honest Uncle Heirloom, Ah haven't really given that much thought," Applejack said uncomfortably. Apparently, she had the same thought I did if her strained tone of voice was any indication. "Ah'm a bit more preoccupied with figurin' out how ta run the farm when this little one keeps me from workin'," her hoof stroked her stomach.

Julia's face fell in total disappointment. "Oh," she said flatly, a little pout appearing on her lower lip. "Well, when you do start to give it some consideration, your uncle and I would love to be a choice."

"Ah'll uh, keep that in mind auntie," Applejack said, her tone of voice and stiff body language clearly spelling out that she was not confident with that idea at all.

The two of us exchanged glances and discreetly shook our heads, agreeing that that wouldn't be the best idea.

"I'll?" Julia repeated with confusion. "D-Don't you mean you and your coltfriend will keep it in mind, dear?"

'Uh-oh,' I thought, anxiety beginning to take its grip on me. I slowly glanced over past Heirloom and at Applejack; the same anxious look appearing on her face. Her eyes started dancing around the room, her brain working overtime to try and figure out what to say next so we could lay the groundwork to explain the truth to her family.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Heirloom exclaimed. "With all this excitement, I nearly forgot that you didn't' answer if you had a coltfriend or not, Applejack."

"Uhhhh," was the only thing AJ could say.

Julia gasped. "You're right! Who IS the father, Applejack?" She playfully nudged the younger mare. "In fact, where is he? Could he not make it to Manehattan with you and your friends today?" Three questions, one right after another, fired off from Julia, completely overwhelming her niece who was still struggling to answer the first one, let alone all three. Unfortunately, this flew over Julia's head as she still waited for a response of any kind from Applejack, failing to notice the stress that was present all over my girlfriend's face.

I couldn't take it anymore. Despite apprehension still flooding my senses, seeing AJ in such a state sent my desire to comfort and be there for her into overdrive. Before I knew it, my hand reached around her uncle and touched her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. My heart sank at the feeling of her body trembling.

Her head snapped down at the sudden touch, gaze trailing from my hand and up my arm until her eyes met mine. Mustering up the strength, I looked back at her and gave her the strongest smile I could.

"Is everything okay?" Heirloom asked, completely lost as he shuffled around on the floor.

Applejack took in a shuddering breath. "Ah-Ah think it's time, Ivan," she stuttered, fighting through her own apprehensions to comfort me with a smile of her own.

"Time for what?" All of the excitement that radiated from Julia's voice was now completely drained. Even the high-pitched tone of curiosity couldn't be found; a more blunt, interrogative tone had replaced it as she frowned. When neither of us answered, Julia groaned, rubbing her hoof across her eyes. "Oh, don't tell me, he ran off like a coward when he found out you were pregnant," she seethed, nostrils flaring.

'Like Hell I would,' I thought, yet kept my mouth shut.

"Applejack?" Heirloom too frowned, eyebrows furrowing. He shifted around in his spot until he was properly facing the both of us. "Do you have a coltfriend, or did he leave you the first chance he had?" The stallion inquired, patiently awaiting his niece's answer.

With the demand for a response from her aunt and uncle, AJ's smile faltered, her fear threatening to take control. Yet, her loving smile that filled me with hope and confidence remained on her muzzle. We both knew what was coming next. Prolonging this any further was out of the question. There was no chance of going back now that Heirloom and Julia had the knowledge of AJ's pregnancy. The time to come clean was upon us; all we had was each other for encouragement.

AJ closed her eyes and bowed her head, turning to give her waiting aunt and uncle her full attention. "Yeah, Ah do have a coltfriend Uncle Heirloom," she replied bluntly as she opened her eyes. "An' no, he didn't run off after he got the news. He ain't like that," she reassured them.

My grip on her shoulder loosened until my hand returned to my lap. I kept my eyes carefully glued to her aunt and uncle, watching them to see their responses and to wait for the right moment when the true revelation was dropped on them. "W-Well, then where is he?" Julia threw up her forelegs, growing tired of the cryptic nature in which Applejack was speaking to her.

"He's right here in Manehattan, auntie," AJ continued, ignoring her aunt's clear frustration.

Heirloom snorted, "So, he accompanied you to Manehattan, yet he couldn't be bothered to come with you to tell your aunt and uncle that you two will be parents?!" He nearly yelled, offended at what he assumed to be the truth.

I pulled back from the stallion's outburst and bit my lip. The growing frustration from Heirloom and Julia only caused my concern to grow and my confidence to begin waning. Negative thoughts started to invade my mind, accelerating the decrease of my confidence. What if they were too irritated and were now unable to take the news positively? Did we wait too long? As I continued to question myself, the gentle touch of a furry yet callous hoof curling up in my hand brought my attention away from the irritated couple back to my girlfriend. "Hmm? I hummed, half-turning as I was greeted by Applejack's gaze.

The cowgirl that was lovingly holding my hand in her hoof nodded, gesturing me towards her aunt and uncle.

I swallowed, knowing what she was asking me to do. It made sense really. Having me tell them that I was her coltfriend would show them how committed I am to their niece and, hopefully, quell their annoyance.

Squeezing her hoof for luck, I opened my mouth and announced, "I'm right here," as I faced Heirloom and Julia, shifting over in my seat so that my hand and her hoof was visible. Applejack and I braced ourselves. Whatever was to come next was now in Heirloom and Julia's hooves. Our cards had been played; now it was their turn to play the hand they were dealt.

As somewhat expected, neither pony reacted straight away. That terrified me the most unfortunately. The pair remained in their respective spots, Heirloom standing before us and Julia sitting to the right of Applejack, faces stuck with impatient expressions as if I had said nothing whatsoever. They looked like they were still waiting for an explanation from AJ as to the whereabouts of her child's father.

It took what I could only guess was another half minute of silence before Applejack and I received any type of response from her aunt and uncle. Heirloom and Julia's bodies didn't move; their faces remained the same as they had since the announcement. Their eyes, however, slowly shifted over to me as if they were possessed. I gulped loudly, both pairs of eyeballs boring straight through me as their facial expressions continued to remain unchanged. "W-What did you say?" Heirloom asked, his voice nothing more than a hushed whisper.

It was a grueling change waiting for them to catch back up with the reality of what had been said. My heart began to pound harder, faster than even when I faced the unknown of telling AJ that I loved her. Second by second, the ponies before us went from demanding a response from their niece, irritated by her cryptic non-answers to ponies that looked as if they'd been told their vast wealth had disappeared in an instant.

Julia's mouth had gone agape, yet nary a sound emitted from the mare. Heirloom's eyes had gone wide, though he managed to keep his brow furrowed, glaring at me.

Squeezing Applejack's hoof even harder, I repeated, "I-I'm right here. I'm Applejack's boy- er, coltfriend," I fumbled over my words. I could feel Applejack's tail curling around my waist, doing whatever she could to keep my stress levels at a minimum, but nothing much was accomplished. Heirloom's glare was easily winning the war over my stress, keeping its levels near the boiling point.

The stallion let out a loud snort, shooting steam from his nostrils straight into my face. Out of instinct, I scooted a little closer to AJ, trying to get in between her and Heirloom to ensure she was protected. My hand squeezed her hoof even harder, waiting for the standoff that had sprung to either end or continue.

Without warning, the anger that was boiling on his face subsided, leaving a tired yet still confused expression on the stallion's face. He was having a very difficult time just trying to understand what to say and how to react to my announcement. Despite my wariness of what he would do or say, I still felt sympathy towards the stallion for his troubles.

Then, as if he had a migraine, Heirloom covered his eyes with a hoof, plopping down to the floor on his haunches, silently thinking over what to do.

I couldn't help but keep my eyes glued directly on Heirloom, watching him in case the worst happened and he lashed out. I didn't enjoy thinking of that possibility, but his quickly changing emotions forced my guard to stay alert as he continued to sit with his hoof over his eyes. Applejack looked up at me, taking note of how I was watching her uncle and then, with a clearing of her throat, said, "Now uncle Heirloom-"

"A-Applejack?" Julia croaked, interrupting AJ's attempts at calming down the former's husband.

"Uh, y-yeah auntie?"

The next thing I knew, I felt a painful stinging sensation in my right hand as Julia actually slapped it, making me release AJ's hoof from my grasp. I shook it, mentally cursing as the mare shoved me aside and, once again, tightly hugged her niece.

"You poor, poor thing!" She cried out.

'What the hell?' I mouthed to Applejack, still feeling rather pissed at her aunt's sudden change of attitude. I mean, I was prepared for almost anything, but this wasn't one of the scenarios I had envisioned. AJ could only shrug uncomfortably from the entrapment of her aunt's bear hug, barely able to move at all in her seat as she confusingly bit her lip.

"Him?" Heirloom managed to pull his hoof down from his eyes, the appendage falling to the floor with a lazy thud. As if our attention wasn't divided enough, Applejack and I turned back to her uncle. "W-What do you mean, he's your coltfriend, Applejack?" He asked in a pleading tone.

Applejack grunted, struggling within her aunt's grasp to answer her uncle. Before she could squirm her way to a more comfortable position to speak clearly, Julia interrupted, whipping her head around so fast that her coifed mane nearly knocked AJ's stetson from her head.

"Oh Heirloom!" She exclaimed, still hugging her beloved niece. "Can't you see she's distraught?!"

"Distraught?" I repeated, giving the mare a blank look. Applejack ceased her squirming, casting the exact same confused look upon her aunt that I was.

"Yes! However, don't blame yourself, Mr. Cougar," Julia reassured me. "It's clear that the deadbeat ruffian who impregnated my niece abandoned her once he discovered she was carrying a child. Thus, when he left, her distraught state led her to seek comfort with a close male friend to be a surrogate father figure to her unborn child. That male friend just so happened to be you. The one who rescued her, her little sister and her friends," she explained her reasoning as eloquently as possible.

Applejack and I were left completely dumbfounded. AJ's pupils had shrunken down until they were nothing more than pinpricks while my mouth fell open in disbelief at how badly Julia had attempted to play psychologist with her own niece.

"Though, of course she should get over this as soon as a nice male pony who has a sense of honor catches her eye. It's rather inappropriate she would seek out the comfort from a male of your species, but thank Celestia it at least wasn't her brother she sought out a surrogate replacement for," Julia breathed a sigh of relief.

My mouth snapped shut; a cold feeling of dread began to infect my body. 'Oh no…' I thought, knowing how Julia truly felt about the mere idea of Applejack projecting puppy love onto me. Just what would she say when the truth came out?

"Oh! Oh, thank goodness!" Heirloom practically shouted, wiping buckets of sweat from his forehead. He even let out a small chuckle, laughing at the idea that Applejack and I were truly a couple. "You're absolutely right, dear," the stallion trotted to his wife and gave her a peck on the cheek, "I can't believe I was worried over nothing." He looked at Applejack, still trapped by her aunt. "Hopefully a nice stallion does come along to fill that void in your heart and help you raise your baby, Applejack. Have you asked your friend Rainbow Dash if she could set you up with one of her Wonderbolt friends?" Heirloom asked nonchalantly like I was no longer there.

I frowned, feeling my blood starting to boil just a bit at how naïve and oblivious these two were! At that moment, I desperately wanted to grab Heirloom by the shoulders at yell as loud as my throat would allow that I'm Applejack's coltfriend and the father of her child. Even though the rational part of me was fighting back, warning that doing such a thing would surely result in losing what we'd tried to build today, the anger within me was putting up a good battle.

I more than likely would have gone that route if not for the guttural, primal-like growl that started to form in Applejack's throat. The three of us surrounding her stared, eyes widening as her face changed colors from orange to as red as the apples on her flank before us. Heirloom took half a step back, unsure if AJ really would lash out at him and his wife.

Julia attempted to pull back and give her niece some air to breathe, clearly understanding that Applejack was pissed off. However, before she could relinquish her hug on the younger pony, Applejack pushed herself away from her aunt, teeth bared as steam shot out of her nose.

"D-dear?" Julia stuttered with a mixture of fear and confusion on her face. "Did we say something wrong?" She tried reaching out to Applejack, yet she held her hoof back from touching her niece's still shaking body.

I too had a wave of fear washing over me from seeing the absolute vitriol of anger radiating from my girlfriend. However, it wasn't for the same reason as Julia. Not only was I fearing that a possible outburst would derail our visit, but the amount of anger and stress coursing through AJ's veins was NOT healthy for our child. Without thinking, I acted. I quickly placed my hand on her trembling shoulder, causing her head to snap up at me.

The pleading and concerned look to calm down seemed to work like a charm. It took only a few seconds of looking up at me for her angered expression to evaporate, the orange coloration of her fur eliminating the red-hot fury that had briefly taken over. Her breathing eventually returned to normal, followed by the disappearance of her teeth as she shut her mouth with a rough swallow.

"Consarn it," she exclaimed. Although her voice was extremely soft as she continued to calm down, a hint of annoyance still lingered while facing her concerned aunt and uncle.

"Something the matter?" Heirloom questioned, having not moved an inch since Applejack became angry.

"Yes, Uncle Heirloom," she tiredly sighed. "Ah ain't gettin' with no damned Wonderbolt because mah baby's daddy didn't abandon me!" She repeated. "Like Ivan said, he's mah coltfriend because he's the father of our child!" Applejack exclaimed as clearly as she could, throwing a foreleg around my midriff and squeezing me tight. She stared back sternly at the ponies across from us, showing the pair just how serious she was.

Once more, Julia and Heirloom didn't respond right away, though that was to be expected. Unfortunately, rather than taking a few moments to respond audibly like before, their immediate body language was more than enough to tell us just how the rest of this conversation would go.

Heirloom slowly began shaking his head, eyebrows furrowing and jaws clenching tightly. Directly next to him, Julia's breathing became ragged, going from deep breaths to short, shallow huffs until she began to hyperventilate. The mare grabbed the sides of her head as her pupils shrunk down to near invisibility, cheeks becoming a tinted green. "Wh-wha? H-How?" She began to babble, words failing to properly form.

"No…." Heirloom muttered lowly. "No! THAT. ISN'T. FUNNY. APPLEJACK!" He spat venomously, glaring daggers at AJ before turning his attention to me, eyes filled with rage and hatred. "You are NOT the father of MY niece's child!" He exclaimed, his nostrils shooting steam back into my face again.

He finally tore his glare away from me, stomping a hoof so loudly against the floor that it made Applejack and I jump from how high strung we'd become. Heirloom glared at us for several seconds, unable to say anything else before he gritted his teeth and turned his back to us. The emotional stallion then proceeded to pace around in a small circle, nostrils flaring open each time he took a breath through his nose.

Thanks to the multitude of emotions welling up between the two of us, I hadn't the faintest idea on what to do. With Heirloom going off the rails and Julia practically losing her mind, I was honestly afraid of what to say next. What if anything I said just made things worse, especially with how angry Heirloom seemed to be with me? It also didn't help at all that the memories of that nightmare with AJ's family came rushing back because of the stallion's outburst, yanking away my ability to respond for the time being.

That didn't stop Applejack, however. She snorted rather loudly, growling again at her uncle. "Y'all think Ah'm jokin'!?" She yelled, releasing me and getting up from her seat. "Ah'd never joke about somethin' like this, Uncle Heirloom! Ah know this is a lot ta take in, but Ah love Ivan n' wouldn't want any other creature ta father mah children!" She said, raising her voice even higher.

"He CAN'T be the father to your baby, Applejack!" Heirloom ceased his pacing, roaring right back at AJ while pointing at me like I was a criminal. "He just can't!"

"An' why can't he?!"

"Why?! Because he's not even a mule, let alone a pony!" Heirloom, once looking upon me with admiration and gratefulness for saving both his niece and one of his beloved rulers, now cast a disgusted gaze upon me like I was a parasite. "It's wrong," he seethed.

Applejack at this point was absolutely fuming. "Oh, it's wrong is it?! All just because he ain't from our world?!" She yelled, her entire body quivering with rage. Although I was still unable to speak due to Heirloom's own anger and sudden resentment of me, that didn't stop me from at least trying to quell AJ for the sake of her and the baby's own health. I placed my hand upon her back, petting it exactly as I always had in hopes that she would release her anger. "So, y'all just forget what he did fer mah friends 'n Princess Luna?" She said with her jaws clenched shut. "All that just goes away because he 'n Ah were blessed with a child?"

Having been called out for his earlier, much more pleasant treatment of me, Heirloom shut his mouth, pursing his lips together. He continued glowering, trying to formulate a retort. "Yes," he replied through a barely opened mouth. "Just the mere thought of something like him growing feelings for anypony is sickening," the stallion reaffirmed his stance, showing that he would NOT back down from his position on the matter.

'Something?' I frowned; a combination of disappointment and anger boiling up inside me. Applejack could only growl more at her uncle's condescension, though thankfully her body had stopped shaking from her rage.

"H-How?" Next to us, Julia apparently had regained control of her speech. "How could this have happened?" She asked, the green colorization still present on her cheeks as one of her hooves clutched her stomach. "Why?!" She added.

My eyes briefly lit up. Even with Heirloom's attitude taking a massive 180 degree turn, I felt a tiny glimmer of hope radiate through my chest due to Julia's question. If we could explain just how this was even possible, maybe we could at least have her on our side and she could in turn convince Heirloom that, while completely new and unorthodox to him, our relationship was perfectly healthy.

Gulping, I turned to Julia and calmly said, "W-Well you see, after we returned from rescuing Luna-"

"IT WAS RHETORICAL YOU SICK BASTARD!" Heirloom bellowed, his face twisted with absolute hatred and rage. Oh, how foolish I was to allow my optimism to give me hope that this situation could be quelled so soon.

I leaned back in my seat from the stallion's outburst, quickly shutting up as I understood nothing I said was going to help at all.

"HEY!" AJ shouted, her volume matching that of her uncle's. She leaped in between us, ears pinned to her head as if she were protecting me from her uncle's wrath. I didn't believe he would attempt to strike me or anything; Heirloom came off as the type of pony that was all bark and no bite, but I wasn't about to question or criticize AJ's actions. "Don't y'all dare speak ta him like that! Not after all he's done fer Equestria, fer mah friends 'n fer mah family!" She concluded with a stomp of her foreleg against the floor.

Applejack stood her ground, huffing and puffing at her uncle, not moving an inch from in between us. "A-Applejack?" Julia said, her voice becoming a high-pitched whine, "Y-You're not only having relations and a baby with a farmhand, but an alien?!" She completely ignored Applejack's criticism of how they were addressing me, gagging as her cheeks turned a darker shade of green at the thought of us expressing our love.

"Oh," AJ snapped her head around to her aunt, "so if he was a pony but a farmhand, y'all would still have issues with him?!"

A deep and exasperated sigh from Heirloom drew us both to the stallion. He only appeared to have calmed down from the red face of fury to a look of complete and utter disappointment as he shook his head. "Applejack, please understand. You are our niece, and we do love you dearly."

Applejack snorted at the notion but remained quiet.

"However, this…..this is something that we simply cannot support. Your aunt and I will give you a chance to PROMISE us that you will cease being romantically involved with him," he spat, "and find a PONY to marry and help you raise your child," Heirloom firmly stated his demands, to which Julia simply nodded in agreement.

I knew deep down that Applejack wouldn't for a nanosecond entertain the thought of us splitting up for any reason, but that still couldn't stop my heart from breaking a little at her being TOLD to stop our relationship and raise her baby with somepony else.

Applejack scoffed in shock and disbelief, her pinned ears falling loosely to the sides of her head. "Y-Y'all can't be serious! Ah told ya before, Ah don't WANT anypony else or any creature helpin' me raise mah baby except fer Ivan! Can't y'all understand that Ah love him 'n he loves me? We're gonna have this baby 'n raise it whether ya like it or not!" She retorted, not budging whatsoever to the immense pressure her aunt and uncle were putting on her. I moved my hand to her back, gently laying it on her to let her know that I was still sticking loyally by her side, no matter what her aunt and uncle threatened.

Upon seeing that coupled with Applejack's counterargument, however, Heirloom and Julia sighed concurrently like their hooves were tied. The duo looked at each other, a wave of disappointment washing over their faces.

"Then...until you come to your senses," Julia began sadly, "I'm afraid you're no niece of ours, Ms. Apple," she said. I could hear AJ's heart breaking as she let out a shuddering gasp. Unfortunately, it only got worse. Julia's saddened expression morphed into one of what appeared to be betrayal. "I should've known you'd eventually let us down even more than when you abandoned us after your parents died. And after all we did for you," she condescendingly scoffed.

"Wh-what?!" Applejack whirled around to her aunt. My shock and anxiety towards the whole situation suddenly extinguished itself after Julia brought up AJ's parents using a guilt trip of all things. I wasn't about to let these ponies, no matter their relationship to AJ, use her parents against her to lecture her morally. I could only see red now as I furrowed my eyebrows, staring Julia down.

"Oh, thank Celestia that Applebob and Sundown aren't alive to bear witness to this," Heirloom shook his head.

'Don't you go there you son of a bitch' I thought, squeezing my hands so tight that my knuckles cracked.

I could hear AJ shudder again, though this time, there was a sniffle that accompanied it. My attention was immediately drawn to the mare, only to see her body shaking as her gasping and shuddering increased.

"Your parents would be so disappointed and disgusted with how you turned out, Applejack," Heirloom lectured, completely disregarding his niece's sudden change in attitude.

Applejack let out the loudest gasp I'd ever heard her give. Now her entire body was shaking like a leaf on a windy day. She huffed, puffed and sniffled, her emotions running wild. "H-H-HOW DARE YA TALK ABOUT MAH MA 'N PA LIKE THAT!" She bellowed, fighting back tears.

That was it. I sprang from my seat, hand on the back of her neck as Julia and Heirloom looked at me in surprise. I growled myself, looking between the two ponies that had reduced my girlfriend to near tears. I no longer gave a single iota of a fuck if they approved or not; they weren't worth our time anymore.

I applied gentle pressure to Applejack's neck, trying to help her move forward. She didn't resist whatsoever. AJ immediately began walking with me, away from her hateful aunt and uncle towards the apartment's front door, neither of us saying anything.

"What, where are you going?!" Heirloom demanded, trotting over as I escorted AJ to the door, swinging it open violently. The knob hit the wall so hard that it penetrated the plaster, leaving what would be a good sized hole that they'd have to fix.

Applejack winced from the bang, but she continued marching forward into the hallway, desperate to get away. Once she was out of the apartment, and what would no doubt be out of her aunt and uncle's lives forever, I grabbed the other side of the door, pulling it out of the hole and glared daggers at both Heirloom and Julia in the apartment.

The amount of words I wanted to say to them, some of the most vile things known to man, ran through my mind. Of course with how quick to anger I could be, I wanted nothing more than to lay into them to make them feel even worse than how they made their own niece feel. However, I figured they didn't deserve the time and effort of that; not that they would listen anyway.

So, with as much ferocious rage as I could gather, I took one last look at the pompous, overly privileged ponies inside and snarled, "Goodbye," slamming the door shut once I was in the hallway with a deafening crack. Part of the hallway's door frame splintered from how hard I had shut the door.

'Fuck them,' I blew it off and turned to Applejack who had gone rigid, trying to cope with the fact that not only did her aunt and uncle despise our relationship, but that they completely disowned her.

My rage vanished, sadness and concern quickly taking over as I knelt beside my beloved cowgirl, wrapping my arms around her as I rubbed my cheek against hers. "I'm so sorry," I whispered, feeling my own tears brimming in my eyes as I hugged her tightly.

AJ nuzzled me back, only able to sniffle in response as she embraced me in return. "Come on," I said softly with a pat to her back, "let's get back to our friends," I encouraged her, pushing myself up from the floor.

The mare nodded and leaned against me for support as we began our trek back down the hallway and to the elevator. Not a single word was uttered between the two of us on our short journey. What could really be said? What started out as a day full of optimism and fun with attending the Summer Sun Celebration was now easily one of the worst days of both my time here in Equestria and of AJ's whole life.

I feared the worst going forward. With the Apple Family Reunion looming on the horizon, how would the rest of her family react to our relationship and future child? I absolutely did NOT want to think the worst of any of her other family members, but after today….I just didn't know. It's not like we could hide it forever anyway. Even if we were able to avoid bringing attention to her pregnancy at the reunion, the rest of her family would find out eventually. And then what? Would they be even more enraged that we kept it from them?

Countless questions bombarded my mind; the only thing that blocked them was the familiar ding of the elevator. I was a little surprised to find that Quick Lift was missing. A lone note was left in his place. I peeled it off the wood paneling as AJ and I entered.

"W-What's it say, Sugarcube?" AJ said weakly, wiping her eyes with her hoof.

I scanned the small note and said, "Apparently he's on his lunch break, but we can still operate this thing ourselves," I said giving a small smile as I searched for the button to shut the doors.

It honestly wasn't hard; it operated just like a regular elevator I was accustomed to, just with a lever instead of a wall of buttons. Quickly, I pushed the close doors button and swung the lever down to Floor Number 1. The mechanisms whirred to life, and the elevator lurched down a bit hard before moving downward.

"Gah!" Applejack exclaimed, her hat falling off her head from the elevator's lurch. Huffing, the mare picked up the stetson, holding it in her hoof as she prepared to put it back on. Strangely, AJ just held it in mid-air, halfway from reaching her head.

"Applejack?" I asked with caution. She began to shake yet again, only this time, I could see it was much more violent than before. AJ breathed in and out through her nostrils as her body shaking increased before letting out a snarl that would've scared away an entire pack of timberwolves. And then, she snapped.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

I was shocked to see Applejack beginning to punch the wall of the elevator with her hat, face turning beet red as tears streamed down her face.

"AH HATE YOU! AH HATE YOU! AH HATE YOU!" She screamed with each punch. "YOU. HATEFUL. BUCKING. MONSTERS!"

I dove over, wrapping my arms around her torso to keep her from widening and deepening the hole that was now in the elevator. "Applejack, stop, please!" I begged as fear washed over me. The mare fought me for a second, the rage within her still in control.

"AH HATE THEM!" She reiterated, still attempting to punch the wall.

As she squirmed, trying to get her rage out, I said the only thing I knew would get her to stop. "Applejack! Think of the baby!" I pleaded. "I understand how upset you are, but it's not healthy for the baby!"

She froze almost immediately in my grasp. In and out, she took several deep breaths while her stetson fell from her hoof and crumpled to the floor, crushed from the forces of her punches. The same hoof moved to her stomach, rubbing it lovingly as she let out a whine.

Thanks to her bellowing, AJ's voice had become a bit strained. Beneath her gasps, however, I could faintly hear her solemnly whisper, "Ah'm so sorry."

I loosened my grip on her, knowing that her moment of rage was over. She didn't want me to let go, however. Applejack turned around and buried her face into my stomach, sniffling loudly as the elevator dinged with each floor we passed.

"It's okay, Applejack," I cooed, fighting back tears of my own. "Shhhh. We're gonna be okay," I did my best to reassure her. "Just let it out hun; I'm here for you."

Although muffled, I could disntinctly hear Applejack reply into my shirt, "Ah love ya, Ivan."

Smiling through my tears, I ran my hand over the back of her mane, saying, "I love you, Applejack," knowing that we'd always have each other and the love of our friends, no matter what.

End Chapter 84

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Phew, how about that emotional rollercoaster of a chapter? Again, I can't express in words how sorry I am it took over half a year to get this chapter out. Time, YouTube videos and writers block just teamed up against me, but I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and the portrayal of Heirloom and Julia. Despite how long it took for this chapter to be written, I honestly did have a TON of fun writing those two characters after only getting an inkling of what they're like from Season 1!

Next time however, how's about a mini-chapter to make up for how long this chapter took? :) Until then, I'm Captain Alaska; have a good one my friends!