//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: Sun-Employed 
// by NightCoreMoon 
//------------------------------//

/x/x/x/

Most crashes make simple noises: a crunch, some rattling, the occasional shatter wiggling sharply through the air. In car collisions there may be one long honk or an unending parade of repeated beeps, fluid being pumped out of tiny and easily repairable to unfixably large holes, and two grown adults screaming at each other over what was an admittedly minor inconvenience that was probably just an accident equally the fault of both parties whose pride won't let them acknowledge it. If a computer bluescreens it also makes terrible noises but that isn't exactly the same type of crash.

This crash made many noises.

The heavy wobbling of a large plastic tub bouncing off the concrete floor punctuated the air, followed by a symphony of fracturing ceramic. A rain of metal tinkling followed it like the last remnants of a thunderstorm once the lightning passed. Several dozen repeating plops mounting in speed of polycarbonate bounced off the walls and the floor until finally giving way to gentle shakes, rattles, and rolling. Also there was one very loud, very enunciated, and very angry expletive near the end.

“ShimMERRR!” A voice from across the building shouted.

“Welp,” murmured the owner of the foul-mouthed voice as she pushed herself up from her prone position on the ground. “I’m dead.”

“I don't care how upset you are, you need to stop throwing th-” he fell silent upon turning the corner and beholding the mess before him. “WHAT THE FUCK!?”

“My bad-”

“My office.”

“But-”

“NOW.”

She couldn't help but groan as she pulled herself to her feet, dusting the ketchup, butter, and what she hoped was sour cream, off her fingers and into her apron.

“I don't need the attitude, Sunset.”

“I'm not-” she took a deep breath and let it out before taking a careful step over the mess. “Yes, Melon. Do you want me to clean this up first or-”

“If I wanted you to clean it up first I would have told you to clean it up first,” he sniped. “So don't sigh, don't argue, don't do anything other than what I expressly told you to do. Get to the office and get there five seconds ago!”

“Okay, okay, I’m going,” she placated, stepping around the mess. She continued on her way around the corner and down the hall, taking her soiled apron off as she walked. She sopped up as much as she could from her hands, which was difficult to do as it was already somewhat soaked in cola, and tossed it into the nearby canvas hamper. She grabbed a clean towel from the wire rack next to it, and continued to clean her hands before settling into the cramped office. She sat in the uncomfortable chair and waited, cringing at the sound of ceramic scraping on tile.

A few very boring minutes passed by as only the sound of water running through pipes in the walls and the distant chatter of customers remained. Sunset’s eyes wandered around the room. Dumb motivational posters of cats decorated the walls, captioned with drivel about being yourself and never giving up. Stacks and stacks of disorganized forms, files, and other bits of paper sat in some formation that maybe made sense if you squinted and also slammed your head into a brick a few times. A mug sat half-filled with cold coffee reading “employee tears”.

Eventually, the flustered man made his way into the office, slammed the door behind him, and plopped down in the office chair in front of the computer.

“Sunset, Sunset, Sunset,” he muttered, gently shaking his head in the most exaggeratedly disappointed fashion he could surely muster. “What am I going to do with you? How many times have we had this conversation?”

“What... conversation do you mean, Melon?” She asked.

“That's the sad part. That's a genuine question. You don't even know what it is I'm mad at you for. Is it the attitude problem? The authority issues? Your foul mouth around customers? Your blatant disregard for workplace property? Your anger issues, your complete inability to establish positive relationships with any of your coworkers, your refusal to take initiative or responsibility for any of your actions, your causing hundreds of dollars of damage to things I have to pay out of pocket for?”

“I don't...” Sunset pursed her lips, sensing that it might fare much better if she closed her mouth for the time being.

“Sunset, my establishment takes pride in having high standards. I took a gamble when I hired you. You don't have an ID, you don't have a driver’s license, you don't have a social security number, you don't have a birth certificate, you have an address and a phone and an email and a diploma from Canterlot High School and half a reference, and that's about it. Legally, you're a ghost, and I have no idea how the hell I’m gonna handle your taxes when it gets to be that time. As far as I know you could be an alien from outer space, an evil raging she-demon, a magical unicorn disguised as a human, whatever. But I didn't care. I saw a girl, no, a woman, who wanted a job and who promised to do her best. And now?” He sighed and turned to face the screen.

“Here and there, I’ve had the occasional sense that I would prefer to have someone else doing your job, but I get that feeling about literally everyone here. The grill guys, the waitresses, the janitor. Even myself, especially when we’re busy, heh... But that feeling goes away with time, every time. We all have our off days. But as time has gone by, I've noticed that your off days aren't really days. You have off weeks, and the occasional good day. If you have a good week, it's an off month afterwards. It's not that you're inconsistent, it's that you are consistent, consistently terrible. That feeling isn't going away. And I deeply regret hiring you now.”

He turned back and crossed his arms. “Spare me the crocodile tears, Shimmer. You've messed up time and time again and every single time you've had an excuse. I was sick, I was in pain, I had a Vietneighm flashback, my cousin from across the ocean came to visit and she only comes once a year, the other girl started the fight, the customer groped my ass, blah blah blah. Bullshit after bullshit after bullshit. Are you doing drugs?”

“No!” Sunset cried, clenching her fists. “No, I don't do drugs! And I have PTSD, I can’t help that-”

“Oh, please,” he huffed, throwing his hands in the air. “If you have PTSD then I need a wheelchair. You are a twentysomething, former high school C student, and there is no way in hell you've been through anything traumatic enough to give you that. My grandfather’s best friend stepped on a landmine right next to him, and he actually has PTSD from it. So how dare you lie and use that as an excuse to cover for your attention-seeking bullshit!”

Sunset’s scream was cut off as her back slammed into the wall behind her, and she fell to the floor. She tried to pull herself back up to her hooves, but fell back down. She could only muster the energy to gaze fearfully up at her attacker, whose yellow eyes only glared in contempt back down at her.

“Pathetic,” she spit, levelling a hoof at Sunset. The metal contraption attached to it began to glow red, a low hum filling the air. Her two toned blue mane began to float as the air in the room was slowly sucked out, the gravity null field expanding, her cream coat bristling in the low pressure. “Blackfire will rise again. Celestia is dead. Luna will be soon. Cadenza is being watched. And your precious Twilight Sparkle is my next mark.”

“Please,” Sunset whimpered, holding a hoof out. “Abacus Cinch brainwashed you, Indigo. She’s just using you to take out everypony who knows the truth about Dawn and Project Dreadstone, who knows that they're the ones who killed Thunder Fang. They're the ones who killed your father, not Princess Celestia!”

“You lie!” Indigo snapped, flaring her wings. “Cinch raised me like her own daughter. She wouldn't do that. She loves me! You and that Wonderbolt, you're the ones who killed Dawn, you killed him to sell the lie. Frozen showed me so. He showed me the recordings. Cinch is the only one protecting Canterlot from the tyranny of monarchy, protecting the common pony from this dragon-bourne supremacy. Protecting us from you filthy unicorns! AND MY NAME IS ZAP!”

The blast missed Sunset by inches, blowing a hole through the wall right next to her head. Through the dust, Sunset opened her eyes and saw Spike biting Indigo’s ear, his claws digging into her neck. She launched herself into the ceiling, smashing through into the next floor. Spike fell back down landing next to Sunset, who reached out a hoof to touch him. With the last vestiges of energy she had left in her horn, she teleported the two away to safety.

“I'm not lying...” Sunset grunted, clenching her fists.

Sunset hobbled along the passageway, holding her broken foreleg up in her magic, as close to a splint as she could make. She kept casting paranoid glances behind her, down the long dark path of the crystal catacomb. Eventually she found herself in a clearing, a nice and convenient empty minecart sitting right in the center. Breathing a heavy sigh of relief, she began climbing into it, but noticed the ticking sound just a bit too late.

The resulting explosion launched her across the room. Dazed, ears ringing, and a sharp pain in her shoulder, she brought her attention to the lone dark figure landing in front of her, and the evil weapon it brandished aimed at her. Out the corner of her eye Sunset could see the crystal impaling her shoulder, rendering her other foreleg useless as well. She tried to shoot a magic missile, but it petered out almost immediately, the dying ember landing on the floor and fizzling out.

“Poor leetle insect,” the heavy accent taunted. “With your wings torn off. The pain must be unbearable.”

“Just get it over with,” Sunset breathed. “Please.”

He brought the hood of his cloak down, revealing his identity. His grin widened, his beak contorting beyond recognition. “Oh Sunset. I don't owe you mercy. Nor do you deserve it.”

“Grey...cuff?”

“This is going to hurt for a long... long... time.”

He shot her once in the stomach, putting stars in the unicorn’s vision. She was barely conscious anymore, and didn't even notice the bile that now spilled over her chin.

“Don't worry, you won't die. Not yet. Not until we have some fun.”

Behind him Sunset could see Princess Celestia, looking majestic and regal as ever. It was then that she knew that death’s door was opened, and she was about to take a step inside. She closed her eyes and made peace, sending one last prayer that somehow Twilight would be okay.

“Can you hear me?” Celestia asked.

Sunset opened her eyes and saw that Celestia was standing before her. She blinked a few times but the illusion did not waver.

“Princess?”

“Yes, Sunny,” she cooed, inspecting her former pupil’s wounds. “Greycuff has been taken care of.”

“But... you were dead!” Sunset weekly protested. “I was at your funeral...”

“Sunset, I don't have time to explain right now, as I need to get you out of here. All you need to know is I’m here now. Okay, hold still, this will only hurt for a second.”

The crunching of crystal was all she heard or felt, followed immediately by black unconsciousness.

“I wouldn't lie about something like that,” Sunset growled, standing up and slamming her fist into the wall.

Sunset coughed as the fumes filled her lungs. She rolled her shoulders, still stiff, and trudged onward. Through the crystal vials she could see dozens of pony-dragon hybrids growing in their cocoon vats. Her eyes darted around at each of them, pulse pounding in her throat as the anxiety bubbled up.

“It's ok,” she whispered to herself. “Everything is fine. I'm gonna meet up with Twilight, we’re gonna end this tonight, and then I’m gonna go back and see the girls. Everything will be just fine.”

Up ahead was the engineering room. She could tell by the roaring of the generators, the steam, and the fact that she could see a navy blue tail with pink and purple stripes. She heaved a sigh of relief and stepped around the corner.

“Twilight?” She asked.

Twilight turned and leveled her horn, glowing green and poised for a spell of some sort. “Password.”

“Oh? Right, uh... Sunshine sunshine, ladybugs awake, clap your hooves and... um. What was it... Do a little... shake?”

Twilight’s eyes lit up, and the magic faded away. “Oh thank Celestia!” She cried, trotting in place. “I was so concerned you weren’t going to make it. But I’m so glad you did.”

“Yeah, so am I. It's so good to see you, Twilight,” she said, moving in for a hug. “It's been so scary. I had a fight with the other Twilight before I came back that spiraled so far out of control, and then I thought Celestia was dead, then that assassin was after me and Spike for so long, then Greycuff was after me, and... It's just been so bad for so long, but... it's good to finally feel safe for once.”

“I'm glad to hear that,” Twilight cooed, rubbing Sunset’s back with a hoof. “I heard you had such a rough time, so I’m more than happy to give you a moments’ respite. I love you, after all, right?”

“Yeah, I love you too. You're my first friend, and definitely one of the best after all. And hopefully if everything goes well today, we can all go back to how things were before. Hey, this is a really good illusion spell, I can’t even feel your wings. But why are you disguising yourself as a regular unicorn, and not a- hrrk...”

“Good question,” Twilight replied, grinning as her skin peeled away to reveal a black exoskeleton. Her eyes flashed back to their natural green, and as she pulled her head back to look Sunset in the eyes, she pulled the knife up Sunset’s belly. “It's because I’m not Twilight Sparkle, you gullible idiot.”

“Ah...” Sunset tried to speak, but couldn't through the blood pooling in her throat. “Chrys...gllk.”

“To think that the most powerful unicorn in Equestria behind Starlight Glimmer could be defeated so easily by the oldest trick in the book,” the Changeling Queen taunted, tearing the blade out and tossing it off to the side. “Honestly, you're pathetic. I really expected better. Twilight, the real one, she spoke so highly of you. She praised your intelligence, your skill in magic, and most of all your, eugh, your empathy. All that was good for was a snack. Although, you tasted... delectable.”

Sunset pressed her forelegs to her stomach, writhing around on the ground in a widening pool of tears and blood, gargling and coughing as she fought to take a breath.

“Oh, don't be such a foal,” Chrysalis taunted. “It doesn't hurt that bad. Or... ah, I see. You're crying because you feel betrayed. Ah, I genuinely forgot that trust existed. You see, if you never trusted in anyone, you can never get stabbed in the back. Or, in the case, the belly,” she giggled sadistically. “You're like a little worm. Wriggle more, little worm.”

She began laughing again, but was cut off by a large metal beam smashing her face into the wall.

“Wriggle me this, you psycho bitch!” a dingy and burnt Spitfire cried, tossing the weapon to the side before rushing to Sunset’s side.

“Sunset,” Spitfire murmured, inspecting the wound. “Oh Creator, that's bad. Hey, what are you-”

Sunset grabbed the knife in a hoof and held it towards Spitfire, while trying her damnedest to crawl away.

“Get away from me, bug!” She threatened, horn glowing. “I swear to Celestia you're not getting one over on me that easy!”

“Sunset... it's me! It's really me-”

“Bullshit, BULLSHIT! Where there's one changeling there's an entire swarm! Tell me something only the real Spitfire would know!”

“Sunset we don’t have time for this, you need a doctor right now!”

“A doctor, or a butcher? Every single pony I’ve seen these past few days has either screwed me over or abandoned me, and I’m not going to be taken advantage of again!” She poised the knife against her own throat. “So I'll die on my terms!”

“WE DIDN’T KILL DAWN!”

Sunset fell silent, and dropped the knife.

“S... Spitfire?”

“Yeah, that's right. It's the real me. I swear, I’m going to get you fixed up, okay? Come here?”

The floodgates broke as Sunset began to sob as she was cradled in the pegasus’ wings. She clung tightly to her savior as she was flown away.

She woke up rocking back and forth on the floor, head in her knees and sobbing profusely. She looked back up to see that, yes, she was indeed back in the human world after all. Not suffocating or on fire, not impaled or shot in the gut, not sliced open and bleeding out onto the ground and about to kill herself to escape the physical and emotional pain.

Safe in reality, in the present day.

She got her breathing under control, wiped off her eyes and slowly stood up, glancing around the room. Adrenaline still pumped through her veins, her heart still pounded hard enough to hurt, and her arms and legs were freezing cold, but she wasn't dying. Thank Celestia.

“Are you done, drama queen?”

“Go fuck yourself you megalomaniac piece of shit,” Sunset heard herself say.

“Excuse me?”

Sunset rounded the corner and let loose. “After everything I've been through and everything I've done and all the lives I've saved and changed for the better, I don't need to take this shit from some balding obese middle-aged forever single business major dropout running a podunk little dive bar in the middle of Canterlot getting singled out over all these dumb bitches I work with because I’m the only one who doesn't wanna suck your four inch dick.”

“You're fired.”

“Yeah, no shit, Sherclop. You hate people with invisible disabilities so you hire them so you can pat yourself on the back and tell your boss you did the bare minimum for mandatory diversity hires so you can get your Hearth’s Warming bonus this year, and then you treat them like dirt until they make one tiny mistake because you overloaded them with shit to do, then you belittle them in your office in private so you can feel better about your own miserable sack of skin so when you go home and jack off to underage girls on the internet you don't cry over your hot pockets because you know your life is completely meaningless.”

“Get. Out.”

“In addition to being a complete fuckup at life, your fashion sense is appalling, you have bad taste in office decorum, you have the organization skills of a brain damaged toddler, your managerial skills aren’t much better, and your grandfather should have been the one to step on that mine so I would have never had to meet such a narcissistic knuckle dragging mouth breathing degenerate pain in the ass like you. And I had a B minus class average you ignorant fucking clod. Take your perverted restaurant and shove it up your ass, right next to where you’re always keeping your fat head!”

“OUT!”

“I have to grab my jacket and get changed first, anyway, dill weed. I'm out of this shithole.”

Sunset turned and tromped down the hall into the back rooms without waiting for a response.

She burst through the door into the changing room shoulder first, causing two girls who were already inside to jump and scream.

“Calm down, it's just me.”

“You don't need to be so, like, aggressive,” one of them said.

“Uh, like, yeah,” the other said. “It's like. Really kinda bitchy?”

“Totally kinda bitchy.”

Sunset mimicked them without skipping a beat. “Uh, yah, it's like, totally the bitchiest kind of aggressive, maybe you should like, take a hashtag chill pill or something? Uha, yah. You should, like, totally, like, stop, like, spazzing, like, out, like, like, like, error error please insert flamin hot cheezy poofs.”

“Um. Wow. I was just joking. Who pissed in your Cheerios today?”

“Yeah, Sunset, you're like. Not usually mean. Are you, like... okay?”

Sunset opened her locker and pinched the bridge of her nose, breathing in and out for a few moments.

“I'm... I’m sorry girls. I'm not mad at you. I'm mad that I just got fired and I’m taking it out on you because you're standing there. That was wrong of me, and I apologize. You don't deserve that.”

“Wait. You got fired?”

“That’s, like. Dumb.”

Sunset pulled her clothes out and shut the locker. “Yeah. It's dumb.” She took the absurdly short crop top off, and tossed it on the floor. Melon’s, it said. “But, whatever. I'll just work somewhere else. It's fine. It's not like this is the only place in town that would hire me or anything...”

“Sunset, you're like. Super smart. And talented. And you're really nice... usually. And you’re good at, like. Words and stuff. I wish I was smart as you, because then maybe I could help my son with his homework. You don't even need this place. You are gonna kill it wherever you go next.”

“Yeah. Like. For real. Screw Melon’s. You know what, I should quit too.”

“No, don't quit, I’ll miss you!”

“Oh, you're right, I’ll miss you too!”

Sunset shrugged a real shirt on, then shouldered her jacket and pulled on a pair of leggings, pulling it over the booty shorts that matched the crop top. After a moments’ deliberation she picked up the top and shoved it in her jacket pocket. She took a quick glance around the room as she shouldered her purse, and sighed.

“Is it dumb if I say I’m kind of going to miss this place?” She asked.

“Uh... no?”

“Kinda. This place sucks major ass. No... actually it sucks lieutenant co-lon-el ass.”

Sunset chuckled despite herself. “Well, it’s not like being sentimental can hurt me any. It's just a bit of melancholy I guess... oh my god. Melon...choly. I have text Pinkie Pie that- oh... ah, damn it, I’m gonna have to tell everyone.”

She pulled her phone out and glanced at the time. It was barely seven in the evening.

“Well. It's been a pleasure.”

“Byeee~”

“Don't be a stranger!”

“Yeah, I’ll probably come eat here every once in a while. Maybe. If I’m allowed back as a customer. I should invite Rainbow and Pinkie. And Twilight... although... maybe that would be a little bit too much for her. Oh yeah, and Rarity now too. I doubt AJ would wanna come here, although I can probably convince her with wings, I heard they're good. Fluttershy might explode though. Whatever, I’ll be by with someone at some point probably.”

The three exchanged waves as Sunset walked out of the changing room through the hall and back into the restaurant proper, but she was stopped near the door.

“Hey.”

Sunset was taken aback. “Flash?”

Flash Sentry leaned against the wall, looking the other way. “I, uh... heard what happened.”

“How?”

“I was eating here with a couple friends. Wasn't my idea, but I came along anyway. I heard the wings were good. Anyway, I... heard that fat guy who runs the place yell Shimmer. And there's only one Shimmer in Canterlot I know who could make a man that angry. So I, uh. Okay, don't be mad but I kinda snuck around and eavesdropped on the manager’s office. I wanted to make sure that... well, look, this place has a seedy reputation, and I wanted to make sure he wasn't, you know. Taking advantage of you. But I heard him talking shit to you, so I was like, okay good so he's not hurting you, but then I heard you crying. You were arguing about PTSD. And then you started screaming a bunch of really weird stuff about dying on your own terms. I don't expect you to talk to me about... any personal stuff, you know, but. I know that when we dated, you weren't exactly into me. But I was into you. I really cared about you, and that’s why I was mad at you for so long about the whole being evil and trying to mind control everyone thing, and why I didn't believe you about the whole Anon-a-Miss thing. But then when I was your Token Guy Friend, the changing room lookout, I... remembered how much I cared about you. How much I still do. And if you're hurting, I want to help you not hurt anymore. So if you're going through stuff, and you need help or whatever... I can help out. If it's with doctor stuff, or job stuff, or friend stuff, or whatever... you have my phone number. Anyway, I gotta get back to the guys, I told ‘em the wing sauce went through me but that'll only take me so far. But give me a call, or even just a text, if you need my help. Okay?”

“Okay... thanks Flash.”

He smirked and flashed a thumbs up before turning and heading towards his table, leaving Sunset alone.

Before she had a chance to compose her thoughts, a man from the nearest table turned and whistled at her.

“Hey, sugartits!” He called, showing that he was missing several teeth. “I’m outta ketchup!”

Sunset grabbed a random bottle from another table, squirted it onto his face long enough to cover his eyes completely, and gently set it down next to his plate. He didn't react, the audacity freezing him in place.

“I got fired five minutes ago.” She said with a smile. “So I don't regret that at all. You disgusting pig. Enjoy your meal.”

She gently patted the top of his head before turning and heading to the front door, smile disappearing instantly. Around her she saw the scantily clad girls serving overpriced greasy food to the chauvinist pigs whose eyes lingered on their lips, tits, tummies, thighs, and asses. Some of these girls were as young as 17. Sunset rolled her eyes and pushed her way out the front door.

The evening sun painted the sky an array of colors. Sunset couldn't really find it in herself to appreciate it. Instead she walked to her bike, put on her helmet, and set off on the road. The journey was relatively uneventful, save for a few reckless drivers who didn't know how to use their turn signal. Eventually Sunset pulled up in front of her apartment complex, set the kickstand down, and stepped off. She wasted no time going inside and up to her own little slice of this old broken down building she called home.

“Oi, Shimmer, where’s ma fawkin rent!?”

“You got half last week, you'll get the other half next week.”

“Oh yeah. Sorry ‘bout that, force a habit. Right. Okay... You're home early.”

“Didn't get any tables, no sense staying. See you tomorrow.”

Sunset walked past reception and to the first door on the right. Her keys jangled briefly and she walked in, the smell of incense and the sounds of steel drums and staccato guitar chords coming over her. She quickly shut the door behind her.

“Fluttershy?” She asked.

No response.

Sunset shrugged and kicked off her boots, slung her jacket over the coat rack, and tossed her purse onto the counter. She continued over to the journal, picked up her waiting pen, and began to write on the open page.

“Hey Twilight. No Dear Princess today. I got fired from my job at Melon’s. I made a mistake and got chewed out, had some trauma flashbacks, then cussed out the manager because he said I was faking. It's whatever. I'm not mad. I'll find a new job soon. It's just a minor inconvenience, really. Either way, I hope things are going well for you on your end. I'd say more but I gotta let the girls know what happened. I'm sure they'll try to suffocate me with validation like always. Anyway I think roomie is blazed out right now. I’ll keep you updated. -SS”

Satisfied with her message, Sunset went back to her purse and pulled out her phone, ignoring the text from her now former boss reprimanding her for not properly clocking out. She rolled her eyes and blocked the number before heading over to the stairs to her loft.

The smoke grew thicker as she climbed, the music  slowly fading out. As she reached the top where the cloud was thickest, and a slow psychedelic bass riff started playing, she couldn't help but smile at the sight that awaited her. A mess of long pink hair gently settled around a large glass tube, no doubt the source of all the smoke. A girl laid back against the wall, eyes completely unfocused.

“Is this what you do while I’m at work?” Sunset asked, somewhat rhetorically.

“Sun...set?” she asked in response, slowly turning her head. “Oh. Hi. Um. Yes? I'm. Uh.” several long moments passed before she continued. “Tree Hugger made a new blend. Electric Sanctum. I'm trying it out for her. I guess it hits hard. I meant to be done before you came home. I'm sorry.”

“It's fine, Fluttershy, I’m not upset with you,” Sunset appeased, sitting down on the bed. She stretched her legs out and leaned her head back onto the pillow. “I'm home earlier than normal anyway. Plus it's not like I have to worry about secondhand anymore. I got fired.”

“Oh no...” Fluttershy murmured, voice absent of any inflection. “What happened?”

“Ah, well...” Sunset flapped a dismissive hand. “I dropped a bus tub, broke some plates. Boss yelled at me and it triggered my flashbacks, he was a dick about it, I ripped into him. My fault. But man was it worth it. So uh. You mind if I test that?”

Fluttershy silently handed the pipe over, before pulling herself up and kicking off the blanket. She wore a grey halter top and a long skirt to match. “Him? Shakey Steak got a new manager?”

Sunset froze as she reached for the lighter on the bedside table.

“N...not exactly,” she muttered, pulling the lighter over and setting to get the process working. “So, well, my first confession is that I wasn't working at Shakey Steak. I lied about that, sorry.”

“Why did you lie?”

“Second confession. It was Melon’s.”

“Melon’s.” She replied. “Isn't that the place with the chicken wings that's supposed to be really good?”

“The very same.”

“The place with the waitresses who dress like they're selling something other than food?”

“Yup.” Sunset took a really long hit before continuing. “I'm sure you can figure out why I didn't tell you.”

“You’ve worked at Melon’s... for six months?”

Sunset attempted to hand both items back, but Fluttershy made no move to take them back, so she just held on. “Yeah,” she said, settling into a more comfortable position. “It paid well. I didn't mind. Turns out you can get way bigger tips from desperate losers who ogle your tits and ass than you can from wholesome working class families and flat broke teenagers. Who knew?”

Fluttershy reached out a hand, hesitated, then retracted it.

“Did he... hurt you?”

“Shy, he didn't lay a finger on me. I'm okay. I know the place has a bad reputation but he didn't do anything to me. If he did, I’d have kicked his ass. All he did was blow some hot air.”

“How did he trigger you?”

Sunset sighed and set both pieces on the bedside table before turning back around to face her friend. “He said that all my excuses about flashbacks were bullshit, I told him I have PTSD and can't help it, he told me I was an asshole for lying for attention because his grandpa had PTSD and I had no reason to be traumatized. That sent me back, and I... lost control.”

“What even happened in Equestria that was so bad?” Fluttershy asked, eyes misting over. “All Twilight will say is that there was a coup by a cult. All that you've said to me about it is that you and Spitfire had sex. It's hurting you, Sunset, and you... I know you don't want to talk about it, but it's now getting in the way of your daily life. You won't get therapy-”

“I don't. Need. Therapy.”

“Sunset.”

She turned to the ceiling and huffed. “Well first I went to Celestia’s funeral. That was fun. Then I got framed for the murder and the Wonderbolts were hunting me. That was also fun. Then a cyberpony with a gun arm tried to kill me, luckily Tempest saved me. Then a griffin with an actual gun tried to kill me, luckily Celestia saved me. Then the bug queen pretending to be Twilight sliced me open, luckily Spitfire saved me. Then the cult tortured me and the real Twilight, and were just about to kill us, luckily S.M.I.L.E. saved us. I got the shit kicked out of me, broke over half the bones in my body, and I would have died a dozen times if not for being lucky enough to be rescued. I can't talk about this with a therapist, Fluttershy, they'd have me committed. Talking nonsense about magic and unicorns and crystals and dragons and shit. Either I’d end up in a padded cell because they didn't believe me, or dissected because they did. I can't go to therapy. It won't work. And I don't need it, I’m fine, I just need to learn to control it. That's it. It's fine. I'm fine. I'm okay, I'm not fucking broken, and I'm not a fucking liar! Everything is perfectly okay, all right?”

Silence punctuated by a long and quite repetitive guitar solo rang in the air for a complete minute before Sunset dared glance back over.

“Fluttershy. I know you want what's best for me. I am not mad at you. I respect and appreciate that you're here to help, but...” she reached over and linked their hands. “What happened in Equestria was too horrible to burden anypony else with. I only even told you because not knowing would have been worse for you. Trust me when I say that if it was something normal, something grounded and realistic and accessible by most people, then I would absolutely get therapy for it. Depression like Pinkie, anxiety like you, schizophrenia like Twilight, the fucked up abuse that Rarity and Sweetie Belle went through, Rainbow’s ADHD if it ever gets bad again, Scootaloo’s complicated grief, if the apples had, I don't know, brain diabetes or something, stuff like that? That's what I’d get therapy for. But I can't for this. And even if I wanted to I couldn't, I don’t have health insurance. Not anymore.”

“I understand now...” Fluttershy moved in to hug Sunset, crawling next to her in the bed. “I never thought it would be so terrible. I'm so sorry that all of that happened to you. And I’m sorry for being so pushy-”

“Hey hey hey, no apologizing. What did we talk about?”

“Don't apologize, express sympathy. Right... okay. Sunset. I feel bad that these things happened to you, and... I will be here to support you through it.”

“All right. See? It's not your fault, and I’m not mad at you, and nothing that has happened to me has you to blame.”

“Okay, but...” Fluttershy moved in closer, resting her head on Sunset’s chest. “I understand why what happened happened, and that's out of the way now. But now what I want to know is why did you work at Melon’s?”

“I already told you, I made more money there than most anywhere else.”

“Yes, but, why weren't you working at Shakey Steak? They have hourly positions there, way more stable than tips, and you had Pinkie as a reference.”

“Heh. No social security number really screws you out of a lot of opportunities after you graduate high school. Diploma doesn't mean much if they can't milk you for taxes. Look, I didn't really want to work there, but nowhere else would hire me unless I had a bachelors in something, anything. It's just a class gate at this point. Back in Equestria, at least in Canterlot, as long as you performed a service for the greater public, you were guaranteed food and housing at the very least. A year as a guard for the princess or a maid for the castle would net you a decade of room and board. The poor lived well, they maybe didn't live extravagant lives, but they lived okay. There were of course the slums, the dark alleys, the underground crime syndicate, but you'd have to actively go out of your way to stay there. And that percentage of the population was subdecimal. It was nothing like it is here. It's so different. It's so... corporate, so dystopian, so... soulless.”

“They really wouldn’t hire you without an SS?”

“Nope. Told me I was basically a ghost. Could've been an alien. Taxing me would have been too much work on their end. I wouldn't be worth the trouble. But there were plenty of other places I could apply for instead, making pure cash... yeah. Sure. Places I could take my top off for. At least Melon doesn't demand you strip. Fully. Least he has a standard in his body. An ounce of integrity because I didn't have to show him my tits or suck his dick. Ultimately that sliver of decency is what made me decide it was better than nothing. The pay increase afterwards was just my justification.”

“I'm glad you didn't have to do any of that.”

“I mean I wouldn't have minded that much. It just would've been kinda gross, but whatever, nothing a cold shower can't take care of.”

“Well, wait, what will you do next then?”

Sunset pondered this for a moment.

“Well I think that...” in an instant she felt something creep through her body. Something warm.

“I think that. You're. Really really nice.”

“Well,” Fluttershy giggled, snuggling in closer. “I think the electric sanctum just hit.”

“You're super nice. And you're warm. You smell like weed. But in a good way. Unless that's the weed. What do you smell like?” Sniff. “You smell like sandalwood and jasmine.” Sniff sniff. “And you smell like what things that try to smell like berries and cream smell like. Did you use berries and cream shampoo?”

“Close, I used berries and cream conditioner.”

“That's so good. That smells really really good. You smell good. What do I smell like?”

“Do you want me to be polite or honest?”

“Polite.”

“You smell... fine.”

“Okay now be honest.”

“You smell like grease and sweat. And... ketchup, butter, and what I hope is sour cream. And... a little bit of cola?”

“Ow. Ow...ch. Ouch. Ouch. Is that even a word? Ouch. Ch ch ch ouuuuuuch.”

“You took barely a quarter hit, you are not this high.”

“I am. Not going to take these. Lies and slander. I'm as high as a skyscraper. Taller than a mere mortal. I am a goddess among mares. And I am better than a pile of smoke. It can't tell me what to do or how to feel or where to go or who to be. Oh no. Fluttershy help I think I might have done too much. I can feel my lungs. I can feel the air go in and out of my throat. I can feel a giant fist inside my face and it's got blood tentacles going all over everywhere in me. It's in my brain. And it's in my chest. And my fingers.”

“I guess it's been a while since you last smoked anything... and that is a pretty wide pipe.”

“I'm hot. I'm too hot. I'm way way way too hot. I am taking my pants off!”

“Wait, Sunset-”

She is cut off by frantic kicking.

“Fluttershyyyyyyy it's not coming oooooooofff~”

“Well you have to use your hands to-”

“NO, I want my magic back. I don't need dumb hands. Although I like holding your hands. They're all soft. Not like hooves. Hooves are hard and hairy and they don't hold anything good, you have to attune your intrinsic magic to hold things but that's hard so that's why we use our mouths to hold things. Or our horny magic... heeheehee I said horny.”

“Sunset I think you need to- eep!”

Sunset flung herself off the bed and into the floor, where she stood still for a little while. She turned slowly back and stared for another little while before speaking.

“I'm going to take my pants off.”

“O...Kay?”

Sunset shimmied down her leggings and stepped out, kicking them far enough across the floor they fell off the loft, down half a story to the floor’s floor. She followed it up with her shirt before sitting back down on the bed.

“I'm gonna clean that up tomorrow.” She turned around, bracing all of her weight on one arm. “What am I gonna tell everyone else?”

“I think you should tell them the truth,” Fluttershy answered, slipping back under the covers and adjusting her body down the bed. She laid her head on the pillow, turning to the side. “It would be better for everyone that way.”

“I don't wanna do that...” Sunset slumped over and crawled to her own pillow. “Why can't we just lie and say that it's because I don't eat cow burgers. One of my friends back in Canterlot was a cow. They'd believe that.”

“Did you have friends in Equestria?”

Sunset groaned. “Noooo... you guys are my first friends,” she mumbled, burying most of her face in fabric. “Nopony was there for me in Equestria when I went back in. If I had anyone maybe I'd be in a better place now. I'd still have a job if all that dumb shit didn't happen to me.”

“Well, maybe you can get unemployment for a little while?”

“Maybe...” Sunset murmured, rubbing her face on the bedding. “This is super soft.”

“Now that I’m starting to kind of sober up I can tell this was good stuff. For both of us. I'll tell Tree it's a good one and buy her next batch.”

“Coooool...” Sunset said, not even knowing what it was she said that in response to. She said a few other things that weren’t legible, barely audible, and after a few minutes she started to softly snore.

Fluttershy pulled the blanket over her stoned pony friend and settled into bed, letting the slow sweet melodies of her playlist bring herself into the realm of sleep as well.

/x/x/x/