• Published 23rd Sep 2018
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Playing House - Krickis



When Sunset learns about problems in Fluttershy's home life, she invites her friend to live with her instead. For Fluttershy, it’s a shelter from the storm she lives in fear of. For Sunset, it’s the hope to be part of a family for the first time.

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29 – Coping Mechanisms

Chapter Twenty-Nine
Coping Mechanisms


Never stop. No matter what else she did, Sunset could never stop.

A job she hated? She’d throw herself in it. Don’t feel like being around friends? It didn’t matter, she’d be there anyway. Always do something, never stop.

She didn’t even like it. Sunset did like to give her all when she was interested in things, but not like this. It didn’t matter; if she stopped, then everything would come rushing back. All the bitterness, all the loneliness, everything.

And so, it was all she could do to keep going.

That started with working as much as possible. Work was one of the last things Sunset wanted to do, but she had to do something, and it was the thing that paid her. On top of her regular shifts, she was picking up everything they would give her. Last minute call out? Sunset was there. Someone needed a hand when she was already ten minutes past her scheduled time to leave? Well, it was something that kept her busy.

Even, regrettably, when the newest manager asked her to help.

“Sunset, could you give me a hand setting up this display?”

There were many things Sunset wanted to give to Sugar Breeze. A piece of her mind. A boot up her ass. A taste of her own medicine. She did not, however, want to give her a hand with anything.

But if she refused, she’d just go home and drink until she was numb. Which, to be fair, she was still going to do if she accepted. Still, she might as well put off that fate for a little bit.

“Yeah, I guess.”

The display they were working on was near the front of the store. It had been a Halloween decoration display, but it had been a week since the holiday and no one wanted to buy skeletons or spiders anymore, even on clearance.

The Halloween stuff was already cleared off and sitting on a cart to be brought to the stockroom later. To minimize her time with Sugar, Sunset decided to do that sooner instead. “I’ll start by getting this stuff out of here.”

“Good idea. Thank you, Sunset.”

“Uh huh.” Sunset didn’t ever try to hide her disdain for her new manager. She figured if she got fired for her attitude, that would just be one more thing to add to the pile of shit that was her life.

Sunset wheeled the cart away, bringing it to the back of the store where she could pack it away in their stock room for next year. Like putting up the new display, this would be easier to do with two people. The smart thing to do would be to both work together on the display, then both work together on putting the old stuff away.

It was just another testament to the fact that Sunset should have been the manager. She knew that because she had done this before, just like she’d done everything in the store before. She’d worked at this damn store for almost five years, she knew how to do everything in it. Better than Golden Lucre even, since her boss never worked on the sales floor anymore.

And much better than Sugar Breeze. Their newest manager had been at the store for three months, and she was still trying to learn things Sunset had long since mastered. It was ridiculous.

But there wasn’t anything Sunset could do about that anymore. All there was to do was keep moving, never stop, find ways to fill her time and keep at it.

She got back to the stock room and pulled out an empty box, which she set on the cart. If she cared, she would’ve packed everything in nice and neat. But, of course, she didn’t. It was just another reason to do stuff like this in pairs, both workers would make sure the other did the job right.

Not that it mattered. If she was still working at this godforsaken store by the time they pulled this box out, they wouldn’t remember who packed it. So instead, everything was tossed in haphazardly, and when it didn’t want to easily fit into one box, she pushed it down until it did anyway.

She taped up the box and took a black marker. After writing ‘Halloween’ on the side, she wheeled it over to a ladder. She sighed as she looked up, knowing this was the part that would be much easier with two employees.

But there was no way in hell Sunset was going back out to get Sugar’s help, so she would just have to make do. At least the leftover Halloween decorations weren’t too heavy; she couldn’t imagine doing this if the animatronic stuff hadn’t sold through.

Even so, it took a lot more effort than she really wanted to invest in her job to heft the box up each step. When she was halfway up she debated if she should leave it balanced on the ladder while she went to find someone who could help her. Not Sugar Breeze, of course, but someone.

But then, that just wasn’t Sunset’s style. She was more the type to push ahead with whatever she had and just make things work, for better or worse. So rung after rung, she forced the box up to the high shelf where everyone could forget about it for a year.

She got it to the top and climbed onto the shelf herself, pushing it as far against the wall as she could. She sighed and took a seat. Sugar could wait for a minute.

She pulled out her phone to check the time and found she had a new text. It was from Applejack, asking if she wanted to hang out in a few hours. Applejack did that a lot lately, and there was no doubt why. She knew Sunset would be better off in the company of others, and that only she and Pinkie were still reaching out to her.

Sunset replied back to accept then put her phone back in her pocket. She leaned against the box and sighed again. What had her life become? Just filling her days and hours with as much crap as she could to try and keep from thinking of how much of a mess she was.

Two friends. That was it. That was all Sunset really had to keep going for. She’d been so close to having it all – friends, family, love… She’d been so close, but she’d lost it. Now she had an ex-girlfriend that she still loved with all her heart, and another ‘friend’ in Rainbow who wouldn’t even talk to her.

And to top it off, she was sitting around feeling sorry for herself in the store she hated, which she was only in by her own decision to stay late. Well, she may be staying late by choice, but she wasn’t gonna spend it feeling shitty in the stockroom.

She climbed back down the ladder and made her way back to the front of the store. Sugar Breeze was still setting up the display, which was being turned into a gift ideas display with the holidays coming up. Sunset’s gift ideas all involved shopping at other stores, but they had to try and sell their overpriced junk somehow, she supposed.

“Ah, good, you’re back. Could you help me get this shelf in place?”

Sunset suppressed a sigh, if only barely. “Here, just let me do it.”

There were various slots for the shelves to lock into place so that they could be whatever height was needed, but they were a pain to get in. There was a sort of trick to it, but it wasn’t something she could really show Sugar even if she wanted to. It was just the sort of thing that came from years of experience.

Without too much effort, Sunset got the shelf snapped into place. “Oh wow,” Sugar said. “I can never get them in that easily.”

“I’m good at everything in this store,” Sunset muttered.

“I’m surprised you haven’t gone out for management.”

Sunset’s eye twitched. “Yeah, imagine that…”

Sugar didn’t notice Sunset’s irritation, as she was too busy stocking the shelf. “So how much of this stuff do we usually sell?”

Sunset joined her in stocking the shelf. “Not as much as we order. Lucre dreams bigger than his store actually is, wants to rival the big chain stores so he buys too much stuff. He hasn’t figured out that just because they sell it doesn’t mean we have to.”

Surprisingly, Sugar nodded in agreement. “Giftables are an odd thing for a small grocery store to carry. Some of this stuff looks pretty old, too.”

“It is. It’s how Lucre justifies the costs, he just stores everything we don’t sell and figures next year will be the one we break through and start selling it.”

Sugar snickered and held up a wall clock. The design was about as generic as could be. “Just what everyone’s dying to get for Christmas, right?”

Sunset smirked. “Yeah, because people still use those these days.”

“I have a wall clock, but it’s modeled after my favorite movie. This looks like the kind we had back in New Horizons.”

Sunset frowned at the name. She didn’t want to talk about their shared history. “Yeah, or school.”

“Exactly.”

Whether it would sell or not – and Sunset was very much inclined to think that was ‘not’ – they placed the clocks up with everything else on the shelf before moving onto the next one.

There was nothing strange about the job itself, but Sunset felt uneasy. Sugar was being too nice. What was she playing at?

They moved steadily through the shelves, maintaining a joking conversation. If Sunset didn’t know any better, she would say despite being a manager, Sugar thought about as highly of the store as Sunset herself did. Coming from anyone else, that would be cool. Having a manager who wasn’t sucking up to Lucre at every turn would be great. But from Sugar Breeze…?

“Hey, Sunset…” Sugar said, her tone becoming more serious. “I gotta be honest, I had another reason to ask you to help me today.”

Oh, so that’s what was up. Sugar wanted something, so she was playing nice. This would probably lead up to Sunset pulling an extra shift or something. “And what’s that?”

“I just… wanted to know, what’s up with us?”

“What do you mean?”

“Back when we were kids, sometimes you treated me like a friend and other times it was like you hated me for some reason.”

‘Uh, that was because you were a brat?’ Sunset thought, but she held her tongue.

“And alright, we were kids, we did stupid stuff. But now we’re adults, can’t we just move on from that?”

Sunset liked it better when she thought Sugar wanted her to work extra. “I don’t care about anything that happened when we were kids.”

“So then what gives? Because from the first day I started working here, you’ve been staring daggers at me.”

“I recall the feeling was mutual.”

Sugar stopped what she was doing to look at Sunset properly. She was frowning. “Is that it? Because I’m sorry, I was just… surprised to see you. I should’ve given you the benefit of the doubt from the beginning.”

Sunset smirked. “Nah, you were right. I’m still a bitch.”

Sugar looked around, probably checking to make sure no customers heard Sunset’s colorful language. “I don’t buy that. I’ve seen how you are with everyone else here. You get along with the rest of the team just fine, this is something with me.”

Okay, so maybe Sugar Breeze wasn’t a complete idiot. “If my attitude is a problem, go ahead and write me up for it. I really don’t care.”

“I don’t want this to be a thing between a manager and an employee. Whether it’s about when we were kids or not, we do have that history, and for that I just want this to be between me and you, woman to woman.”

Sunset laughed. “No, you don’t. You think you do, but you don’t want this to become personal.”

“I want this to be resolved, personal or not.” Sugar folded her arms. “So you want to step into the office and talk about this privately?”

“Yeah, ‘cause that’s not a manager-employee situation…”

“You’re evading the question.”

“No, okay. I don’t give a shit.” There were several people watching by this point, but Sunset didn’t care. “You really wanna know what my problem is? Fine. I did go out for management, and you got my job instead.”

“What? How could I –”

“No. Stop. Because you know, I know you didn’t even know I worked here, let alone that you were getting my job, but I don’t care! Because every time I see you, that’s all I can think about!”

Sugar frowned. “So that’s it? You’re just jealous that I got the job you wanted?”

“My life sucks, okay? And it was all supposed to turn around. I was going to get promoted, and we were going to be able to afford the life we deserve.”

“What are you talking about?”

Sunset ignored the question. She was rambling, but now that she started, she wasn’t stopping. “Then you got the job that I could do better, and that same fucking night I get into a car accident. Too distracted by my shitty life to pay attention. And now? My daughter died. She’s fucking dead, and then my girlfriend left me, and now all I have is this shitty job that I bust my ass at every fucking day just so I can try to not think about how much everything sucks!”

Sugar blinked. “Sunset, I’m sorry. I… I didn’t…”

“Yeah, you didn’t know. None of it is even your fault, but I don’t fucking care! Because every single time I look at you, that’s all I can think about! So you wanna know what my problem is? It’s me, okay? I’m the problem.”

Sunset didn’t wait for a response, not that Sugar seemed to be in a hurry to give one. She stared at Sunset, unable to say anything, and she kept on staring as Sunset walked out the door.

Saying it out loud made her feel like the world’s biggest bitch. She knew Sugar wasn’t the problem. If she wanted to be mad at someone for passing her over on the job, she should be mad at Lucre. If she wanted to be mad at someone for anything else, there was only one person to blame.

Sunset caught a glimpse of her reflection in one of the rearview mirrors of her motorcycle. She realized she’d left her helmet and jacket in the store, but she wasn’t going back in to get them now. She’d just get them tomorrow. And if she crashed before then, well, she wouldn’t have any more worries.

She started her engine, kicked up her kickstand, and drove out of the parking lot. The chill autumn wind whipped her hair back and cut through her work uniform, but she ignored the cold. It did little to quell the fire burning inside her, anyway.

She didn’t want to go back home, not after that. She didn’t really want to go anywhere, but if she wasn’t going home, there was only one place to go: Sweet Apple Acres.

Distantly, she was aware she should regret how things went. Sugar Breeze was her manager, and she’d just yelled at her in front of customers. If Sunset still had a job in the morning, she was sure to catch some hell for her behavior.

But right now, she just didn’t care. She’d deal with whatever happened when it happened, and until then, she had more than enough to worry about.

At least Sweet Apple Acres was a welcome sight, as it always was. There was something about the place that felt like home, often even more than her own house did. Applejack was of course the biggest part of that, but there was something more to it, she thought.

She pulled up in front of the farm house and noticed Applejack’s truck was gone. That was unfortunate, but Sunset knew the Apples well enough to hang out without her. Besides it was harvesting season, and they could always use an extra pair of hands for that.

She cut off the engine and put down the kickstand. It was nice to be done with the wind, and Applejack had her own helmet and jacket for the motorcycle that Sunset would be able to borrow. Although it would be untrue to say Sunset was already feeling better, she knew right away that Sweet Apple Acres had been the right call.

Even though she knew that everyone was probably out in the field still, Sunset still walked up to the door and knocked. There was no answer, but that was no surprise.

Sunset instead began walking around the house towards the orchard. She hoped she’d run into someone soon. As much as she loved Sweet Apple Acres, the whole point had been to avoid being alone. And even if there was always work that could occupy her time, she wasn’t comfortable enough at apple farming to start working without one of the others to guide her.

It didn’t take long before she found someone. Two someones, as it happened. Apple Bloom and Trail Blazer were off by the barn, and Sunset smiled as she saw them. She still didn’t know Trail Blazer too well, but he was a nice guy, and Apple Bloom was always fun to hang out with.

She walked up, but stopped in her tracks as she saw Trail Blazer take hold of Apple Bloom’s arm. She knew what that grab was. She knew what it meant when Apple Bloom grinned back at him. She knew exactly what she was seeing before she was even seeing it.

Trail Blazer pinned Apple Bloom against the barn, but Apple Bloom certainly didn’t seem to mind. She placed her hands on his shoulders, and he leaned down to kiss her. The kiss went on for too long to be one single kiss, and Sunset watched as Trail Blazer’s hand moved along Apple Bloom’s body.

She waited, though. She wanted to know exactly how much trouble they were in before she interrupted them, didn’t want to leave room for them to own up to a smaller offense.

Besides, they were far too preoccupied to notice Sunset watching them. Trail Blazer’s hand worked its way under Apple Bloom’s shirt, and they paused for a moment. Even from a distance, Sunset could see the way Apple Bloom hesitated.

He lingered around her stomach, waiting for her sign to continue. He got it when she started kissing him again, and Sunset could see his hand move the rest of the way up.

That was far enough, Sunset decided. She knew that hesitation as well, knew that this was as big of a step as she was going to take. And, if Sunset had anything to say about it, it was as big of a step as she was going to take any time soon.

She marched up to them without trying to hide her presence, and still she was right on them before they noticed. Trail Blazer turned around right before Sunset reached them, and there was a moment when she saw panic flash across both of their faces.

She grabbed Trail Blazer by the shoulder and pushed him against the barn. She may be as tall as he was, but there was no doubt he was stronger; it was only shock that allowed Sunset to throw him around like a ragdoll.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing!?” Sunset demanded.

“Sunset, stop!” Apple Bloom pleaded. She was holding her hands over her chest as if she was exposed, even though everything had been under her shirt.

“Miss Sunset, please, give me a chance to explain!” Trail Blazer said.

“Do not even try that ‘it’s not what it looks like’ crap,” Sunset demanded. She narrowed her eyes and Trail Blazer swallowed.

“No, I… I think it’s exactly what it looks like…” Trail Blazer admitted.

“Sunset…” Apple Bloom placed a hand on her arm.

Sunset looked at Apple Bloom, then back to Trail Blazer. She let go of him. “Get the fuck out of here.”

“Please don’t tell anyone,” Apple Bloom said.

“Miss Sunset, I love her,” Trail Blazer added. “I wouldn’t ever do anything to hurt her, I promise you that.”

Sunset glared at him. “I said get lost.”

Trail Blazer looked to Apple Bloom and hardened his expression. “It was my idea, really, don’t be too hard on –”

“Listen.” Sunset gave him a look that left him silent. “I’m not in the mood for bullshit today. So if you’re not gone in three seconds, I swear I’m going to call Applejack right fucking now.”

Apple Bloom turned from Sunset to Trail Blazer, then wound up looking at the ground. “Just… just go. I’ll be alright.”

Trail Blazer looked unsure, but then nodded. “Alright, I’ll go. But please… I only have good intentions with Apple Bloom.”

“Good intentions won’t keep her from getting knocked up, loverboy. Now I’m not going to tell you again. Go. Away!” Sunset pointed towards the road, and he reluctantly obliged.

Apple Bloom waited until he was gone to say anything. “Are… you gonna tell Applejack?”

Sunset folded her arms. “Oh yeah. But what I tell Applejack remains to be seen. Come on, we’re going for a walk.”

Apple Bloom took one last desperate look towards the orchard. “But the harvest –”

“Wasn’t on your mind a few minutes ago. Come on.”

Sunset started walking and Apple Bloom followed. Since she wanted to be absolutely sure no one would see them, and because it was always one of her favorite places to go, Sunset led them into Everfree National Park.

They walked in silence for a while. Apple Bloom was probably too nervous to talk, which was exactly what Sunset wanted. She hoped the silence created an air of tension, and used it to try and figure out exactly what to say.

Apple Bloom had been a little hesitant. Hesitant, not nervous. If she was nervous, it could’ve just been that they were out in the open. Not to mention he had waited for her express permission; he lingered around her stomach until she showed him she was okay with it. All signs pointed to the likelihood that they weren’t too used to doing stuff like that yet, and probably hadn’t gone much further.

Then again, she had allowed him to continue without needing to say anything. She trusted him with that, and hadn’t been too bothered that they were out in the open. She’d thrown caution to the wind, which suggested this wasn’t the first time.

So this wasn’t the first time he’d copped a feel, but it wasn’t something they were used to doing with each other yet.

She’d need to talk it over with Apple Bloom to confirm her suspicions, but all in all, that was something Sunset could live with. Applejack would probably tear the boy to shreds, but Sunset could accept teenagers being teenagers.

They eventually came on an old treehouse, which Sunset decided was as good a place as any. She started climbing the ladder.

“We’re going in my old treehouse?” Apple Bloom asked.

“I like this treehouse,” Sunset said. “Besides, before it was yours, it was Applejack’s. I’ve been coming here since you were a baby”

“That ain’t true,” Apple Bloom said as she followed Sunset. “You met AJ in high school.”

“No, we met way before then. But that’s another story.” Sunset went inside the treehouse, and didn’t take much note of all the dirt and leaves it had accumulated over the years of infrequent use.

Sunset took a seat on the ground, Apple Bloom remained standing. “So,” Sunset said, “you have sex yet?”

“No!” Apple Bloom shot back, her face beat red.

It wasn’t that Sunset didn’t believe her, it was just that she knew Apple Bloom would say that either way. She sighed and patted the ground next to her. “Look, I’m not Applejack. I was having sex when I was your age, so you know, I’m not judging you.”

Apple Bloom took a seat beside Sunset, but she didn’t look at her. “We haven’t had sex.”

“Okay,” Sunset said. “I believe you.”

Apple Bloom finally looked at her. “You do?”

Sunset shrugged. “Sure. You’re a better kid than I was, I wouldn’t actually expect any less of you.”

“I ain’t a kid.”

Sunset smirked. “Clearly. So anyway, I believe you, but you’re not off the hook. I take it school’s taught you the basics of sex?”

Apple Bloom’s blush was back in full force. “Yes, so we’re not doing ‘the talk’.”

“Oh, you’re in no position to say what we are and aren’t doing.” Sunset couldn’t help but grin. Making Apple Bloom squirm wasn’t her intention, but it was kind of fun. “Anyway, a lot of it is bullshit scare tactics. Anyone who tries to teach you about sex by making it sound like you have to wait until you’re married is lying to you about something to keep you from it.”

Apple Bloom stared resolutely at the ground.

Sunset clapped her on the back. “We’re really not doing the whole sex talk. But after what I saw, and knowing how things go, there’s no way I can let you go without telling you some stuff!”

Apple Bloom still didn’t say anything.

Sunset sighed. “Look, you can do this with me, or you can do it with Applejack. Or Granny Smith.”

“Let’s just… get this over with.”

“So the most important thing you need to know is that if anything ever does happen, you’re coming to me about it. Not Applejack, not Big Mac, me.

Apple Bloom finally looked at her. “Why?”

“Because I know more and have more experience than either of your siblings. And because I probably won’t tell them about it as long as you promise to be honest with me.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Apple Bloom sighed. “Okay. I guess… I’ll tell you if anything happens.”

Sunset nodded. “Right. I’m also buying you condoms.”

“I said I’m not –”

“I know.” Sunset smirked. “But hey, you’re gonna someday, right? Just hide them somewhere for whenever that day comes. For my peace of mind, if nothing else.”

“Fine.”

There was a lot for them to talk about. A lot of things about sex that school wouldn’t teach, like why she shouldn’t be afraid of it as long as she was responsible, and most importantly, how to be responsible.

But first, she wanted to ask something else. “So… do you love him?”

Apple Bloom frowned, and at first Sunset thought she was going to deny it. But eventually, she turned towards Sunset with a desperate expression. “I do! So… please don’t tell Applejack, she’ll fire him and I’ll never see him again!”

Sunset smirked and mussed Apple Bloom’s hair. “Oh, I’m telling AJ. But I’ll leave out some stuff. As far as she needs to know, you two just kissed.”

“That won’t matter! She’ll say he’s too old for me, or that I’m too young to have a boyfriend!”

“He is older than you. How old is he, anyway?”

“Nineteen. We’re almost the same age!”

Sunset nodded. “Three years older. Not too bad.”

“Exactly!”

“To tell you the truth, I still think he’s too old for you. But I’ll convince Applejack otherwise.”

Apple Bloom sighed in relief.

“Of course, she might fire him for slacking off.”

“Don’t say that!”

That actually made Sunset frown. As much as she enjoyed teasing Apple Bloom about her boyfriend, this was something deathly serious to her. “Look, he was on the clock. I don’t give a shit if you two do decide to have sex, but he’s not fucking around while your family’s paying him.”

Apple Bloom folded her arms. “It was just a few minutes…”

“And from experience, I know a few minutes can easily stretch to last much longer. You do know your family is in debt, right?”

“What? No we’re not!”

God damn it, Applejack… It was so like her to hide the truth from her little sister. “Yeah, you are. Why do you think AJ’s been making so many decisions that Granny Smith doesn’t like? Why do you think she works so damn hard at everything she does with the farm? She’s basically managing the whole thing herself, on top of working there and being there for you and the rest of your family. She’s desperate to make some money, because otherwise, you could lose Sweet Apple Acres.”

Apple Bloom studied her for a moment. “You’re serious, ain’t ya?”

“Believe me, I really wish I wasn’t. You have no idea the pressure Applejack is under right now. So that means when he’s working, he’s gotta earn every cent he makes, got it?”

Apple Bloom sighed. “Yeah, okay. I’ll make sure he stays focused at work. If Applejack lets him keep working for us…”

Sunset shrugged. “I have no control over that. But hey, if he breaks up with you because he got himself fired, then he was no good for you anyway. I’ll keep Applejack from banning you from seeing him again, so one way or the other, you’ll keep your boyfriend.”

“But… Blazer really needs this job too…”

“Look, you’re getting off easy because I care about you. He’s gonna have to just deal with whatever comes.”

Apple Bloom was quiet, and Sunset felt just a little guilty. She sighed. “He can always find another job. He’s a capable guy, I’m sure he’ll be alright. But while I’ll keep AJ from acting rash in your personal life, how she runs the business is up to her.”

“I guess that’s fair…”

Sunset placed a hand on Apple Bloom’s shoulder. “Hey, it’s gonna be okay, AB. No matter what AJ decides, things will work out.”

Apple Bloom smiled. “Thanks, Sunset.”

“Don’t mention it.” Sunset grinned. “Now, onto that talk!”

Apple Bloom groaned, and Sunset couldn’t help but laugh.


As they often did, Sunset and Applejack found themselves in Applejack’s basement that night. They talked over beers, and Sunset let Applejack vent about her busy day before getting into what she saw.

“So what about you?” Applejack asked. “What was your day like?”

It was tempting to vent to her friend about Sugar Breeze, but she’d already stalled enough. “Saw something today. You won’t like it.”

“Oh yeah?” Applejack already sounded worried. She took a sip of her beer. “What’s that?”

Sunset had been debating all day what to tell Applejack. It was true that she was content to let Apple Bloom do what she wanted in her romantic life so long as she was safe, but Applejack was also her best friend. There was simply no way she could keep something like this from her, so it was best to just get it out there.

“Apple Bloom has a boyfriend.”

Applejack frowned. “She does? And she didn’t tell me? That’s what bothers me, that I’m hearing this from you and not her. I don’t mind if she wants to date someone, long as he treats her well.”

“Keep that in mind when I tell you who it is.”

“I’m scared already…”

“Trail Blazer.”

Applejack’s head shot straight up. “Trail Blazer!? Tell me you’re joking!”

“I’m not. Saw them kissing out by the barn.”

“No way, no how! This is unacceptable! When I get a hold of that boy, I’ll –”

“AJ, calm down.”

“Don’t tell me to be calm!” Applejack stood up. “I know where he lives too, I’m gonna go teach him a thing about messing around with my little sister!”

Sunset sighed. “Talk this over with me first, and if you still want to kick his ass, we’ll go do it together.”

Applejack folded her arms. “I’m waiting.”

Sunset nodded. She knew she had to choose her words carefully if she wanted to calm Applejack down. “I know you think of AB as your little sister first and foremost, and of Trail Blazer as your employee, but they’re actually pretty close in age.”

“Nope. He’s way too old for her.”

“Three years.”

“Too. Old.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “You know I’m thirty-one, right? I actually am too old for Fluttershy, and you never said shit about that.”

“That’s different. You’re a special case.”

“Fluttershy isn’t your sister is why it’s different.”

“Okay, sure! He’s messing around with my sister, course I’m angry!”

At least she admitted what this was about. “Look, fire him if you want. But come on, you know he’s a good guy. You just said it was okay for Apple Bloom to have a boyfriend, and Trail Blazer seems to be doing right by her.”

“Except not tellin’ her family!”

“You think that was his idea? No way, Apple Bloom was the one to put him up to that, and it was to avoid this reaction right here.”

“Hmph.” Applejack folded her arms and sat back down. She was clearly still angry, but she sat down. That was a good sign.

“I also gave AB the sex talk.”

Applejack looked at her sharply. “You don’t think she…?”

“No. No, I really don’t.”

Applejack looked down and slowly nodded. “Right. She’s a good girl, she wouldn’t…”

Sunset rolled her eyes, not bothering to point out that Sunset had been younger than Apple Bloom when she started sleeping with Flash. “For what it’s worth, I think the two of them are okay. He’ll be a good boyfriend, and if anything does happen, I made her promise to tell you.”

As if. The last thing Sunset wanted was for Apple Bloom to go to her sister for anything to do with sex, but it would make Applejack feel better.

“You really think he’s good for her?” Applejack asked after a few moments of silence.

“Yeah, I do. He wouldn’t even leave her alone with me until I threatened to call you. Even then, AB had to convince him. He really cares about her, AJ.”

Applejack sighed. “You know I trust your judgement of character… But I’m gonna have to sleep on this.”

“That’s fair. And if you still wanna kick his ass, like I said, I’m there with you.”

Applejack didn’t quite smile – not even a smirk – but she did frown a little less. “Even though you think he’s alright?”

“Yeah. I mean, Trail Blazer’s alright and all, but you know I’ve always got your back. Even when I think you’re wrong.”

Applejack did smile at that, at least a little. “I know.” She sighed. “I don’t know what I’m gonna tell the others though.”

“I gotta be honest with you, I only thought as far as telling you. No idea how to break it to Big Mac or Granny Smith.”

“Guess I better just get it over with. I need to figure out what to do ‘bout this before seein’ him tomorrow, after all.”

“I can stick around to help. Maybe they’ll go easier on her if someone who isn’t family is around.”

Applejack looked around. “Maybe, but I don’t see anyone but family here.”

Sunset nudged her. “Come on, let’s go get this over with.”

“Yeah, alright. This will be a fun dinner conversation…”

“Trust me, I’m not looking forward to it either. And if I had to guess, neither is Apple Bloom.”

Applejack led the way up the stairs, and Sunset couldn’t help but think she’d lied again, or at least came close to it. It was hard to say she was looking forward to the dinner conversation, but at least it kept her preoccupied.

This whole ordeal had chased thoughts of Fluttershy from her mind, no matter how awkward it was. And for that, she’d face conversations like this again and again if need be.

At least it gave her something to do. And after all, what else was family for?

Author's Note:

I’m a simple bun, the idea of Sunset giving AB the sex talk was too funny to me to resist :rainbowlaugh:

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