Second chapter of my Sugar BelleXBig Mac story! Not much fetish content in this one, sadly, but it does serve to get the plot rolling. Let me know what you think!


Applejack grunted as she kicked another tree, prompting the tree to release its bounty of fresh apples into the waiting baskets below. Pausing to wipe a bead of sweat from her forehead, Applejack took a second to fan herself with her stetson. “Phew! Mighty hot out today, ain’t it?” Applejack asked, placing her hat back on her head. When she didn’t get a response, she glanced across the field where Big Mac was currently applebucking a nearby tree. Or rather trying to, as he gave a halfhearted kick to the trunk, barely causing a third of the apples to fall free.

Applejack frowned at the sight. She’d noticed earlier that he seemed sort of distracted, but hadn’t given it much thought until know. Walking up to her brother, she asked, “You alright, Mac?”

Big Mac didn’t respond, not even to acknowledge that he had even heard her as he stared at his hooves, his attention focused seemingly elsewhere. With a huff, Applejack breathed deeply and hollered, “Big MacIntosh!”

That seemed to work, as Big Mac jumped nearly a foot into the air out of fright, glancing fearfully around before his gaze finally settled on Applejack and he noticeably relaxed. “Oh, hey, AJ. Somethin’ ya needed?”

Applejack was silent for a moment, the look in her eyes making Big Mac fidget nervously. After a moment, she finally asked, “Are y’all alright? You’ve been kinda out of it lately, and I’m startin’ to worry…”

Big Mac opened his mouth, probably to lie and say he was just fine, only to realize who it was he was talking to. Sighing, Big Mac hung his head as he muttered, “Nope…”, plopping down on his haunches and leaning back against the trunk of the tree. “I miss Sugar Belle…” he said wishfully, looking up at the sky as the image of Sugar Belle’s smiling face filled his head.

“Ah, so that’s it,” Applejack replied. With cider season right around the corner, the Apple family had been hard at work making sure they were prepared for the inevitable rush, leading to an even bigger workload than usual. That had unfortunately meant that there was very little time for the family to relax, and while Applejack had the excuses of needing to teach classes or responding to calls from the Map, that had ultimately left Big Mac to pick up the slack, meaning it had been some time since he had gotten the chance to spend time with his special somepony.

“Why don’t you take a break and go see her? I’m sure she’d love to—“

“Nope,” Big Mac was quick to respond with a shake of his head. “Too much work to be done.” Getting back to his hooves, Big Mac kicked the tree behind him once more, this time causing the rest of the apples to come loose. Before Applejack could even attempt to change his mind, he was already galloping away towards another section of the orchard, likely to avoid Applejack following him as due to still needing to take care of this part of the orchard.

Growling, Applejack stamped her hooves in frustration, before reluctantly returning to her chores.

***

“He can be so stubborn sometimes!” Applejack vented to Rarity later that day, the two having made plans to enjoy a brief lunch together at a cafe in town before the pair needed to teach classes. “I hate seein’ him so dejected lookin’, but the darn pony won’t listen to a word I say! It’s just another ‘Nope!’ before he runs off again! I swear…”

Light snickering from her companion made Applejack pause for a moment as she glanced at Rarity, raising an eyebrow at the sight of Rarity with a hoof to her mouth in an attempt to hold back her laughter. “What? What’s so funny?”

“Forgive me, Applejack,” Rarity said after taking a moment to get her laughter under control. “It’s just that hearing you talk about how stubborn your brother can be reminds me of another pony who can be equally as stubborn. Correct me if I am oh so wrong, but I do believe that this is a perfect case of the ‘pot calling the kettle black’, is it not?”

Applejack opened her mouth to refute her, only to close it again just as fast. “Yeah, yeah, y’all don’t have to remind me… I learned my lesson about askin’ for help a long time ago. Still, I just wish there was somethin' I could do to help him…”

Rarity was silent for a moment, her face scrunched up in a look of deep thought as she tapped a hoof against her chin. “Perhaps I could be of assistance, then. I believe I might have the perfect idea in mind to help a certain pair of lovebirds earn some much needed alone time together.”

Applejack seemed skeptical, raising an eyebrow before saying, “Sorry to say it, Rares, but I don’t think yer idea of ‘alone time’ is the kinda thing Big Mac and Sugar Belle would enjoy.”

Rarity huffed, glaring at the earth pony from across the table. “Applejack! Must you always be so quick to assume the worst of my ideas? The least you could do is have the common decency to hear me out first before jumping to conclusions!”

Raising her hooves defensively in front of her, Applejack quickly replied, “Alright, alright, I’m sorry! Yer right, least I could do is listen to yer idea first before shootin’ it down. So spill, what’s this idea of yers, then?”

Seemingly placated, Rarity’s features softened as she took a sip of her tea. “Thank you, darling. As it were, you may be surprised to hear that my family owns a cozy little log cabin just south of Vanhoover. Every summer when I was a filly, we would pack up our things and head down for a quiet week at the cabin, just me, my parents and dear little Sweetie Belle.”

“And knowin’ you, I bet y’all must have hated ever minute of it, bein’ away from your dresses, sewin’ machines and all that.”

“It was… less than ideal, I will admit, but I still remember fondly the times I spent with my family there. Sadly, as the years have passed, we’ve found ourselves visiting that old cabin less and less. My parents still hold the deed of course, but it’s mostly taken care of these days by an old family friend who lives in the area. However…” Rarity smiled as she met Applejack’s eye, “Were I to inquire about using the cabin to my parents, I do not doubt they would need very little in the ways of convincing.”

“Really? You’d do that for me, Rares?”

“But of course, darling! Anything to help a friend and her family! Just imagine it, dear: a secluded cabin deep in the forest, miles away from even the closest city. Sounds like the perfect place for a nice couple to reconnect, wouldn’t you agree?”

Applejack smiled. “Well, when y’all put it that way, it does sound like just the thing!”

“I figured it might,” Rarity said, unable to keep a hint of pride out of her voice. “I’ll speak with my parents later today and let you know of the results post-haste. Now, if I’m not mistaken, we’d best be off if we’re going to make it on time. It won’t do if the teachers are tardy, now will it?” Raising a hoof, Rarity flagged down a passing waiter. “Oh, sir! Cheque please!”

***

Sugar Belle sighed for probably the hundredth time that day, resting her head in her hooves as she stood behind the counter of her store. Her thoughts drifted as she daydreamed, images of Big Mac filling her head. “I wonder what he’s doing right now?”

“What who’s doing?”

“Oh!” Snapping out of her daze, Sugar finally noticed Double Diamond and Night Glider staring at her strangely from across the counter. “Sorry! I was… distracted… Was there anything you two wanted?”

“Y-yeah…” Double Diamond said after a moment, sharing a concerned glance with Night Glider. “Could… could we get one blueberry frost muffin and one cinnamon apple fritter, please?”

“Coming right up!” Ducking behind the counter, Sugar Belle scooped up a blueberry frost muffin and deposited it in a brown paper bag. As she moved to do the same for an apple fritter, she paused as the scent of apples tickled her nose. Big Mac always makes the best apple fritters…

“Yo, Equestria to Sugar Belle!” Night Glider yelled, tapping a hoof against the glass display.

“Oh! Sorry!” Blushing, Sugar Belle snapped up an apple fritter and tossed into the bag, racing back to the counter to finish the order. “That-that’ll be three bits, please.”

As Double Diamond payed her, he looked up at her with concern in his eyes. “Are you alright, Belle? Some of us have noticed you seem to be out of it more and more as of late.”

Night Glider grinned devilishly as she nudged Double Diamond in the side. “Bet ya ten bits it has something to do with a certain hunk of a stallion, am I right?”

“Night Glider!” Sugar Belle replied, burying her face in her hooves to hide the deepening blush spreading across her face. “It’s not like that!”

Both ponies stared at her with a look that said they weren’t buying her story in the slightest. After a moment, Sugar Belle sighed again as she rested her head against the counter. “Ok, you’re right… I miss Big Mac… he’s been so busy with work at the farm that he hasn’t had the time to visit me lately…”

“So go and visit him then!” Night Glider suggested. “I’m sure he’d love it if you surprised him with a visit to the farm.”

“Oh no! I can’t do that, that would only distract him and I know how important the farm is to him and his family!”

“More important than his marefriend?” Night Glider countered.

Sugar Belle just looked away, hanging her head in dismay. “I… I… Once Cider Season is over, I’m sure he’ll have all the time in the world to come visit me. I just have to patient is all…” No matter how much I don’t like it…

A knock at the door caused the three of them to all glance over at the door. “It’s open!” Sugar Belle called out to let whoever it was know they could just come in.

Pushing the door open, a Pegasus stallion dressed in the uniform of the Equestrian Mail Service poked his head inside. “I have a letter here for a Miss Sugar Belle? Is a Miss Sugar Belle home?”

Sugar Belle’s face positively lit up as she cried, “I’m Miss Sugar Belle!”, racing around the counter to stop mere inches from the mailpony’s face, causing him to recoil back in surprise of the newly grinning mare. As he reached into his bag and retrieved the letter, she quickly snatched it out of his grip, dancing back and forth on her hooves as she giggled with excitement. Tilting his hat in her direction, the mailpony turned and took off, having plenty of deliveries left to carry out.

Sugar Belle was practically bubbling over with excitement. While her and Big Mac hadn’t had the chance to see each other lately, they had still taken the time to exchange letters between then, which had quickly become the highlight of Sugar Belle’s day. However, as she read the envelope, her smile slipped from her face to be replaced instead with a confused look. “That’s strange…”

“What is it?” Night Glider inquired. “You look like somepony just told you Santa Hooves wasn’t real.”

“It’s just… the address says it’s from Sweet Apple Acres, but this isn’t Big Mac’s writing. I wonder who it could be…” She gasped as a dark thought came to her. “You don’t think something bad has happened to Big Mac, do you!?”

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Night Glider exclaimed. “Open it already!”

Practically shredding the envelope to bits, Sugar Belle quickly extracted the letter from inside, her eyes feverishly swimming across it as she read. Slowly, her fear changed to relief as she progressed through the letter, but the look of confusion in her eyes still remained.

“Well?” Night Glider asked after several moments of silence. “What does it say? Don’t keep us in suspense, girl!”

Finally, Sugar Belle looked up from the letter towards the waiting Night Glider and Double Diamond. “It’s from Applejack. She says Big Mac is fine, but was wondering if I wouldn’t mind coming to visit sometime soon.”

“Ha! See? I told ya they wouldn’t mind if you popped in for a visit!” Night Glider said, grinning at the knowledge that she had been right the whole time.

“Wait, there’s more…” Sugar Belle muttered as she read the letter further. “She says… she says that a friend of her owns a cabin just outside of Vanhoover, and asked if I would like to spend the weekend there with Big Mac a… alone… just the two of us… together…” Sugar Belle’s eyes were as wide as dinner plates as the letter slipped from her grip and fluttered to the floor.

“Sounds like just the thing you need!” Double Diamond said. “We’ll hold down the fort while your gone, so you won’t have to worry about a thing!”

Sugar Belle only barely heard Double Diamond, lost in a daze as she envisioned herself alone with Big Mac, with no pony else around to disturb them… A dopey smile plastered itself across her face at the mental picture. “I’ll reply back right away!”

After bidding her a fond farewell, Double Diamond and Night Glider quickly left the store, allowing Sugar Belle to switch the “Open” sign on the door to “Closed”. Giggling with excitement, Sugar Belle bounded up the stairs towards her bedroom, scrambling to find some stationary in order to write a reply. Finally finding some, she wasted little time in putting pen to paper as she hastily wrote back.

Dear Applejack, I would love to—

Sugar Belle paused mid-sentence, her previously boundless excitement demising slightly as she glanced over at her closet door, seemingly looking through it at the items that lay hidden within. Sugar Belle was not ashamed of her little hobby, but what she was ashamed up was keeping it a secret from Big Mac. She knew how much the Apple Family valued honesty, so just knowing that she was hiding something this big from the stallion she loved caused a knot of shame to twist around in her stomach.

What if… what if he takes it the wrong way? What if he’s disgusted by it? What if he— Sugar Belle gave a strong shake of her head, dispelling the cloud of “what ifs” that threatened to consume her. If there was one thing Sugar Belle was sure of, it was that Big Mac was strong, compassionate and, most of all, understanding. If there was any pony in Equestria who would be able to understand her feelings, it was him.

Steeling her resolve, Sugar Belle returned to writing her response.

— I would love to come visit…

***

Groaning, Big Mac dragged himself across the orchard towards home, another hard day of work having finally come to an end. Right now, Big Mac wanted nothing more than to grab a quick dinner before climbing into bed for the night. However, as he stepped through the door to the family home, he quickly realized that wasn’t about to happen when he heard a voice from the living room.

“Big Mac? Could y’all come in here, please? There’s somethin’ I be needin’ to talk with ya bout…”

Sighing, Big Mac turned and made a beeline for the living room, finding Applejack already sitting on the couch waiting for him. “What is it, sis?” He asked, his tone making it very clear that he would rather not be doing this until later.

“Have a seat,” Applejack replied, gesturing to the nearby comfy chair. “Y’all must be exhausted after today.”

Hopping onto the chair, Big Mac glanced at his sister as he tried to piece together what this was about. Is this about needin’ to race off across Equestria on another mission? But why would she need to talk to me about that? Did Apple Bloom get in trouble at school again? If so, why wait till now to tell me?

His heart seemed to skip a beat as a thought came to him. Could… could she have found the box in his closet? The one with all his “special things” inside? Why would she even look in there!? Is she—

“I’d like to talk to ya able Sugar Belle.”

Big Mac breathed a quick sigh of relief at that, though a hint of worry mixed with a dash of anger dropped into his gut as he regarded Applejack. “What about her?” Big Mac replied, glaring at his sister. “I love Sugar Belle, so I hope to Celestia that y’all didn’t drag me in here to tell me ya want me to break up with—“

“No, no! Nothin’ like that!” Applejack was quick to respond. “Sugar Belle’s a fine mare, and I’m glad you found someone like her to be with. No, what I wanted to talk bout was somethin’ else regardin’ her. Tell me, Mac, how long has it been since you and her started datin’?”

Big Mac blinked, surprised by the odd question. “Bout… six months, I suppose?”

“And when was the last time you two got to spent any time together, just you and her?”

Getting an idea where this conversation, Big Mac breathed deeply through his nose. “Applejack…”

“Now don’t you go ‘Applejack’ me! I’ve seen how down you’ve been while workin’ out in the field lately, and I’m plum sick of it! Even if it wasn’t affectin’ yer work, which it is, I still don’t like seein’ a family member so down in the dirt like you have! Which is why me and Rarity decided it was bout time you and her went away together, to get just away from everythin’ for a few days and just enjoy each other’s company. What do you say?”

Big Mac didn’t even so much as hesitate. “Nope. Too much—”

“I know, I know… ‘Too much work’ ya say, which is why I decided it was finally time to call in some help. They’ll be here tomorrow to help clear out the orchard in yer place.”

Big Mac’s eyes widened in disbelief. “But… but Applejack! We can’t afford to—“

“Actually, turns out we can,” Applejack interjected with a beaming smile. “Thanks to Twilight helpin’ us balance the books last season, turns out we’ve got more than a few bits left over just in case. Now, y’all can sit there and keep comin’ up with excuses as to why I’m wrong until the rooster crows, but I just have one thing left to say to ya…” Reaching behind her back, Applejack produced an already opened letter. “Y’all don’t want to disappoint Sugar Belle, now do ya?”

Big Mac found himself at a lost for words, barely able to ask, “W…what?”

“See, this here’s a letter that just arrived today from Sugar Belle herself. I knew you would refuse until the cows came home, so I decided to let your marefriend in on the idea first. Seems she thinks it’s a wonderful idea, and is really looking forward to gettin’ the chance to come visit ya after so long. Would be a right shame if I had to turn her away disappointed after all that, wouldn’t ya say?”

No matter how he looked at it, Big Mac was trapped. Applejack had come at him fully prepared to shoot down any excuse he could muster, getting Sugar Belle’s okay was simply the final nail in the coffin. With a defeated sigh, Big Mac hung his head and muttered, “… Fine, y’all win…”

With a delighted smirk, Applejack hopped off the couch and walked up to Big Mac, rubbing her hoof down his back. “Glad you finally agreed. Sorry I had to gang up on ya like that, but I know y’all’ll appreciate this after gettin’ to be with Sugar Belle for a few days. I just wanted to make sure my big brother is happy, okay?”

As much as he wanted to deny it, he understood where Applejack was coming from. Family looked out for one another, even if that meant needing to force the issue once in a while. “Eyup…”

“Good. Now, ya should go off to bed. Sugar Belle’ll be here by lunch time, so ya better be ready and packed by then and it won’t due to be half asleep when she arrives, now will it?”

Nodding his head, Big Mac set off for bed. Truthfully, he was looking forward to being able to spend time with Sugar Belle, no matter how much he had need to be shoved towards it. And yet, he couldn’t help it as his mind focused to a much deeper concern, something that he had been trying to ignore for sometime by busying himself with farm work.

As he stepped into his room, his eyes briefly glanced at his closet, knowing exactly what he kept hidden inside. The simple thought of telling Sugar Belle about his secret hobby scared him more than the idea of going up against a rampaging hydra with three legs tied behind his back. And yet, the knowledge that he was keeping something this big from her. It would be a disaster if she every found out that he had been lying to her all this time.

And find out she would, of that much Big Mac was sure. Sugar Belle was a smart mare, he knew it was only a matter of time until she noticed something was off and started digging. The fact that he had even kept it a secret from his family for so long was a complete miracle, but Big Mac knew his luck couldn’t hold out forever. One way or another, she was going to learn about it eventually, better she hear it from him rather than find it out on her own. Even knowing that fact didn’t make Big Mac feel better at the prospect of telling her, fearing what her reaction would be...

Would she laugh? Would she be disgusted? Would she tell everypony she knew about his secret? Would he then become the laughing stock of all of Ponyville? Would she—

Bonking himself in the head with his hoof, Big Mac pushed the imaginary fears as far down as he could, lest they consume him. Sugar Belle would never do that, that wasn’t the kind of mare she was at all, and he knew that better than anyone! Sugar Belle was kind, sweet and understanding. He knew, deep down, that no matter what happened, Sugar Belle was not the mare who would maliciously abandon and embarrass him over something like this. Like it or not, this weekend away was the perfect time for him to finally come clean to her, and that no matter what became of it, he would face it head on.

With renewed determination, Big Mac began to make plans for the upcoming weekend. No matter what the outcome, Big Mac would make sure he was prepared to face whatever came at him, no matter what!