>You are Anon. >You and Braeburn set down the huge barrel of cider you were carrying on the ground next to the snack table. "Alrighty then. That was the last one, right?" >"I think there was one more that Mac was gettin'." >You're about to turn back to help him, but he's already on his way over with it. >Those barrels are huge, and he's using his massive Hulk hands to carry it all by himself. >He sets it down with a grunt next to yours. "Last one?" >"Eeyup." "Thank God." >You wince as you stretch. >You feel your back pop I'm a few places. >Feels good, man. >You turn around to check out the backyard. >It looks kind of like a high school dance on the basketball court. >The heated pavement has melted away any of the snow that was present, and the lights surrounding the dance floor make it nice and warm. You feel totally fine. >You look back at the house to see more Apple family members inside. >"Looks like the rest of the family's here." >"Eeyup." >You look back at them as they start walking out the front gate. "Anything else we need?" >Mac looks back. >"Nnope. It's Applejack's shindig now." >Bitchin'. >You nod and turn around to head back inside. >Instead, you bump right into Applejack, literally knocking your heads together. >You fall back and grab your now throbbing head. "Ow! Dammit!" >"You okay Anon?! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it!" >You open an eye to see Applejack rubbing her head and looking at you with a worried expression. >You stifle a chuckle and stand up. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a knock on the head." >You extend a hand to her. >She looks at it a moment and back up to you before taking it. >She stands up slowly and grins at you. >"Th- Thanks, Sugarcube..." >She stuttered. >Her cheeks are red. >... >She must be embarrassed.   >You laugh and rub your head. "Don't worry, Applejack. Life wouldn't be life if we didn't get a bump on the head every so often." >She chuckles and sets her hands down to her sides. >"Yeah, I guess you're right." >She smiles and twists her leg around on her toes. "Well, I'm gonna, uh, go detox a bit. My back is killing me." >You turn back to the house. >"W- Wait! Anon!" >She grabs your hand, making you turn back to her. "Yeah?" >"Uh..." >She stands there for a moment like she's got something on her mind. >After a pause, she sighs and smiles. >"Jus' wanted to say thanks for helpin' get stuff ready. I really appreciate it. Really." >You grin and chuckle some more. "No problem, Applejack. That's what friends are for." >You wink at her and slide your hand out of hers. >You walk back to the house, groaning and popping your neck. >It makes a few good pops and you open the door to the kitchen. >The smell of turkey and various other foods hits you like a train. "Ho-lee crap. Granny Smith, you make 'em like no other. It smells fantastic in here." >Granny Smith turns to you and smiles. >"Well shucks, Anon! Ya know I didn't make it fer smellin'! I made it fer eatin'!" >You cock an eyebrow and move closer to the cut up turkey she's working on. "Well then in that case..." >You reach for the dark meat until she smacks your hand. >"Now don't y'all be gettin' a taste 'fore its been served, ya hear?!" >You playfully roll your eyes as you near the door. "Ugh, fiiiine. I'll just have to enjoy the SMELL of it..." >She laughs and smacks you in the back of the head. >You skip out of the kitchen, giggling like Ron Swanson. >Granny Smith is a silly old lady. >A bit strange and cooky, but it's nice to humor her antics every now and then. >She appreciates you having a little fun with her. >You take out your phone and text Rarity as you walk back to your room.   >You put it back in your pocket and enter your room. >You collapse on the bed and groan. >You roll over on your back and take a deep breath. >You sniff the air. "What's that smell?" >You sit up a bit and sniff some more. >You sniff the sheets and it dawns on you. "Oh right." >It's the smell of sex. >You giggle and your phone beeps. > >You chuckle. >Sunset must've told her all about this morning.   ---   "Thanks so much, Rarity! I had a great time!" >"Why of course, darling! That's what friends like myself are here for!" >You smile and give her a hug before waving goodbye and heading for the house. >You had a great time talking with Rarity. >It was great to get to know her and her friends a bit more. >As soon as the holidays were over, you'd have to hang out with them a lot more. >You step inside the house only to be greeted with the heavenly smell of all kinds of food. >You see Applejack sitting on the couch with her head lowered and her arms folded. >You immediately feel a little concerned for her. She looks sad. >You can only imagine what shes feeling right now. >You don't like her for it, but at the same time you feel bad for her. >You think it might be best to talk to Anon about this. >You step inside more and grin a little. "Uh, hi Applejack." >She doesn't move for a while. >"Hi Sunset..." >She didn't even look up at you. >Your grin fades and you slowly walk down the hall to you and Anon's room. >You rub your neck and open the door. >Anon is laying on the bed, looking exhausted. >He smiles up at you.  >"Hey there, Sunny. How was your chat with Rarity?" >You grin at him and shut the door. "It was fun, Nonny. How was... um, lifting stuff?" >He chuckles. >"It was a time and a half." >You smile and sit down next to him, giving him a kiss. "Anon? Can we talk for a bit?" >He sits up a little. >"Sure. What's up?"   >You rub your neck nervously and cross your legs. "Well, uh... You know Applejack?" >"I know of her." "Well, do you know of her feelings?" >He scrunched his eyes a bit. >"What?" >You sigh and shut your eyes. >Anon is so clueless. >Might as well come right out with it. "Applejack likes you." >He just blinks. >"...Say again?" >You clear your throat. "Applejack likes you. Like, she like-likes you." >You can see his mind working hard to try and process what you just said. >"She... Likes me?" >You nod. >"Like, as much as you like me?" >You grin. "Well of course not. No one likes you as much as I like you." >He breathes out a tiny chuckle. >Good job, Sunset. Break up the tension with a little laugh. >"Uh... Who... Who told you that?" "Rarity did. She said it was obvious from the way she behaves around you." >"Obvious..." >He breathes out and pauses for a long moment, visibly trying to think. >Then you see his eyes widen a bit.   ---   >Holy shit Anon, you're retarded. >How did you manage to get dressed by yourself all this time? >It was all so obvious. >The way she got all shy and awkward around you, they way her cheeks were always red when she looked at you, everything. >No one else acts like that.   "Damn." >You give another chuckle and shake your head. "I'm so stupid..." >Sunset sets her hand on your leg and rubs a little. >"Anon..." "No, I am. It was right there in front of me. It has been for years, and I still didn't see it." >You think back through the years of growing up with her. >All those times you'd been around her and called her 'friend'. >You thought of her as a sister. >You'd been friendzoning her for years. >And this morning? "Oh no..." >She heard you and Sunset canoodling. >You groan and put your head in your hands. >You feel terrible. "Oh, Applejack..." >You stay silent as you try to come to terms with what you just heard. >Sunset sets a hand on your shoulder. >"Anon?" >You slowly look at her. >She looks worried. >You reach up to touch her hand. "I'm fine, Sunset. It's just-" >You sigh and shut your eyes. "She's my best friend... And to realize that I was causing her this much sadness over the years... It's gut wrenching..." >She doesn't move her hand from your shoulder. >You think for a bit and look at her again. "Don't worry. I love you, and only you." >She visibly relaxes and smiles a little. >"Okay, good. I was scared." "Don't be."   >You smile at her. "Applejack is a friend. My bestest friend in the world. That's all I'll ever see her as." >You sigh again and lean over on her shoulder. "Which is why I have to fix this whole thing... Apparently, she's wanted to be more than a friend to me for a while... I kept on breaking her heart over and over again without knowing." >She softly rubs your head like a dog. >"You didn't mean to though." "I know... But I still did it..." >You both stay there together for a while, saying nothing to each other. >You have to talk to Applejack. >Just to get to where this whole thing started, and to figure out what to do. >She's way too important to you. >Her friendship, it's like... "Magic..." >Sunset stops rubbing your head. >"Hmm?" "Magic... My friendship with Applejack is like magic... I can't explain it any other way, but that's what it means to me... Her friendship is like magic to me." >Holy shit, that was lame. >There's a pause between you two before Sunset looks down at you. >"Go talk to her then." >You look back at her. "Now?" >She nods. >"Yes. Right now.... If you're being honest with me, then she shouldn't have to wait any longer for closure from you." >You stay silent. >"Friends like her don't come around too often. You can work through this with her together." "Yeah... You're right..." >She smiles. >"I've only seen a friendship like yours once before." >She looks away and mumbles under her breath. >"If only I'd paid more attention to her..." >You didn't catch that. "What?" >She shakes her head. >"Nevermind. Just go. Talk to her right now." >You nod and slowly sit up. "Okay... I will." >You hug Sunset tightly and smile. "Thank you, Sunset." >She hugs you back. >"You're welcome." >You release her and stand up. >You head out the door and make your way down the hall. "Here I come, Applejack..."