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'." Braeburn replies.
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.
"Was that the last one?" You ask.
"Eeyup." He nods.
"Thank God." You wince as you stretch and your back pops in a few places.
You turn around to check out the backyard. It kind of reminds you of a high school dance on an outdoor 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 out here. You feel totally fine. All you really think you'd need is a jacket.
At one end was a stage that was set up with a few musical instruments, all ready to go. A couple guitars and a drum kit. Lots of members of the Apple family are musicians, and they're planning to play some music for everyone. Along the perimeter of the pavement was a row of tables. The only thing that was missing was the food at this point, but judging by the smell in the air, it wasn't too far behind.
You look back at the house to see more Apple family members inside. You don't recognize any of them.
"Looks like the rest of the family's starting to arrive." Braeburn says.
"Eeyup." Big Mac nods.
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, but instead, you bump right into Applejack, literally knocking your heads together.
You fall back and grab your now throbbing head. "Ow!"
Applejack grunts as well. "Ah! 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. It knocked her hat off.
You smile and chuckle a little as you stand up. "Yeah, I'm fine... Just a knock on the head. You okay?"
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. "I-I'm fine. Thanks, Sugarcube..."
She stuttered. Her cheeks are red.
...
She must be embarrassed about what just happened.
You laugh and rub your head. "Glad to hear it, Applejack. What's life without a little bump on the head every now and then, huh?"
She chuckles and sets her hands down to her sides. "Y-Yeah, I guess you're right."
She smiles and twists her leg around on her toes.
You clear your throat. "Well, I'm gonna go detox for 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. "I just... I wanted to say thanks... for helpin' get stuff ready... I really appreciate it. Really... It's so good to have you back home with me... With us! All of us."
You smile at her again. "No problem, Applejack. That's what friends are for. It's good to be back here too." 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 as you open the door to the kitchen. Granny Smith is adding a few touch ups on the food in the kitchen with a couple other Apple family members. The smell of turkey and various other foods hits you like a freight train.
"My goodness. Granny Smith, you make 'em like no other. It smells fantastic in here." You say.
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 chuckles and smacks you in the back of the head again. "Go on, now! Git!"
You skip out of the kitchen, giggling like a little girl. Granny Smith is so silly. You love her. She's a bit strange and cooky at times, 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 guys having fun?<
You put it back in your pocket and enter your room. You collapse onto the bed and groan.
A few seconds later, your phone vibrates. It's a message from Rarity.
>Yes we did!! :D She'll be back in a few minutes so just wait a bit loverboy ;3 hehe
You chuckle. Sunset must've told her all about the magic you two made this morning with each other.
---
You approach the Apple home with Rarity and turn back to her. "Thanks so much, Rarity! I had a great time talking with you!"
"Why of course, darling! I enjoyed it as well! We simply must do it again, and soon! We'll be great friends, I can already tell!" She replies.
You giggle and nod. "I think so too!"
She smiles and gives you a hug. "Now, tell your boyfriend I said hello, and you two have a happy Thanksgiving, alright?"
"Will do."
You smile and release the hug with her before waving goodbye and heading inside the house.
Rarity is such a nice girl. 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 more often. This could be the start of a great friendship.
You step inside the house only to be greeted with the heavenly smell of all kinds of food. It makes you give a happy sigh.
However, on your left, in the living room, you see Applejack sitting on the couch with her head lowered and her arms folded. It immediately makes you feel a little concerned for her. Maybe even a little sorry. She looks so sad. You can only imagine what she's feeling right now. You don't like her for it, sure, but at the same time you don't blame her for liking Anon either. He is a great guy.
You step inside more and clear your throat. "Uh... Hi, Applejack."
She doesn't move for a while. She takes a deep breath and exhales. "Hi Sunset..."
She didn't even look at you.
Your grin fades and you slowly walk down the hall to your and Anon's room, leaving her alone on the couch. You aren't sure why, but you do feel really bad for her. Seeing her like that made you feel... sad. Not guilty, by any means, but you feel like you should do something. She's hardly competition against you for Anon's love, but she is his best friend.
In Equestria, you imagine that you would have felt superior, or even happy at a situation like this. You win and someone else loses. That would please you. But, seeing Applejack like this now? You don't feel good at all.
It might be a good idea to talk to Anon about this. He needs to be made aware of this whole situation.
You rub your neck and open the door to your room. 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 great. Heavy lifting is always rewarding."
You smile and sit down next to him, giving him a quick kiss. "Anon? Can we talk for a little bit?"
He sits up a little. "Sure. What's up?"
You rub your neck nervously and cross your legs. "Well, uh... You know Applejack?"
"My best friend? Of course I do." He replies.
You lick your lips nervously. "Well, do you know about her feelings?"
He scrunched his eyes a bit. "Her feelings?"
You sigh and shut your eyes. Anon is so clueless. Might as well come right out with it.
"Applejack likes you." You say.
He just blinks. "...Say again?"
You clear your throat. "Applejack likes you... Like, she like-likes you. A lot."
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?" He asks.
You grin. "Well, of course not. No one likes you as much as I like you."
He breathes out a tiny chuckle at that. Good job, Sunset. Break up the tension with a little laugh.
"Uh..." He shuts his eyes. "Who... Who told you that Applejack like-likes me?"
"Rarity did." You reply. "She said it was obvious from the way she behaves around you. I can see it too... She is head-over-heels crazy for you. In fact, she's out on the couch right now, and she looks like she's about to cry."
"Obvious..." He breathes out and pauses for a long moment, visibly trying to think.
Then, his eyes start to widen a bit.
---
Holy shit Anon, you're so stupid.
How did you manage to get dressed by yourself all this time? It was all so obvious.
The way she gets all shy and awkward around you, they way her cheeks were always red when she looked at you, how she always went out of her way for you, everything. No one else acts like that around you. How did you not see this before?
"Damn." You barely huff out a chuckle and shake your head. "I'm so stupid..."
Sunset sets her hand on your leg and rubs a little. "Anon..."
"No, I am." You say, staring off into space. "It was right there in front of me. It has been for years, and I just- 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 spent time together. All those times you hung out and talked and everything.
You thought of her as a sister. You'd been friendzoning her for years. It must have been killing her.
And this morning?
"Oh no..." You gasp.
She heard you and Sunset having sex. You can't imagine how she must have felt.
You groan and put your head in your hands. You feel terrible.
"Oh, Applejack..." You whisper.
You stay silent as you try to come to terms with what Sunset just told you. The emotional toll you must have been putting on poor Applejack after all this time.
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. Honestly, I was a little scared."
"Don't be... Applejack is a friend. My greatest friend in the world, but still just a friend. That's all I'll ever see her as." You sigh again and lean over on her shoulder. "I just don't know what to do now that I know about this... Apparently, she's wanted to be more than a friend to me for a while... I see that now. Thinking back on my whole life with her, it is so incredibly obvious... I hate to think that I've been breaking her heart over and over again without knowing all this time."
Sunset softly rubs your hair like a dog as you lean on her. "You didn't mean to, though."
"I know... But I still did it..." You reply.
You both stay there together for a while, saying nothing to each other.
You know that have to talk to Applejack about this, but you're so afraid that you'll make her cry. You can't stand seeing her cry. Especially if she's out on the couch right now all sad. It's Thanksgiving! She deserves to be happy today. She's way too important to you to make her sad.
Being friends with her, it's like...
"Magic..." You whisper.
Sunset stops rubbing your head. "Hmm?"
The song "Do You Believe in Magic?" is playing through your head right now. It's one of your favorites. The one you and Sunset danced to. It's your feelgood song.
"My friendship with Applejack is like magic... We worked so well together growing up. There was nothing we couldn't do. Magic, that's... that's the only thing that comes to mind. The only way I can describe it." You say.
Holy shit, that was lame.
"Friendship... is magic..." Sunset repeats softly.
You nod slowly and stay leaning up against her for a long moment.
There's a pause between you two before Sunset looks down at you. "Go talk to her."
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. Even if it hurts right now, she'll keep hurting even more if you say nothing."
You stay silent as you look at her.
"Friends like her don't come around too often, Anon. You can work through this with her together, you just need to be honest with each other. Give her the chance to be open with you. All those feelings she's had have probably been eating away at her for a long time, and they've probably been killing her. She needs closure."
You nod slowly. "Yeah... You're right..."
She smiles. "I've only seen a friendship like one you have with her once before, in my life..." She looks away and mumbles under her breath. "Maybe that's what she was trying to teach me..."
You didn't catch that.
"What?" You say.
She shakes her head and looks back at you. "Never mind. Just go. Talk to her, Anon. She's your friend. Be there for her."
You nod and slowly sit up. "Okay... Okay, I will." You hug Sunset tightly and smile. "Thank you so much, Sunset."
She hugs you back. "You're welcome."
You release her a moment later and stand up. You head out the door and make your way down the hall, your heart thumping hard in nervousness.
"Hang on, Applejack..."
This won't be easy.