The sleepover pt. 4: Insecurities before bed time
Hours had passed and it was now 11:38, both girls had changed into their pajamas, gotten ready for bed, and were currently making their way to Sunset's bed. “An apple onesie? Faust, does everything you wear have apples?”
“Says the girl who sleeps in pajamas with her Cutie Mark.”
“I got these years ago and there was no need to get rid of them, I actually usually just sleep in the buff.”
“Y-yah what?” Applejack stopped dead in her tracks. “Yer not gonna sleep-”
“Applejack!” Sunset interrupted, turning around. “Really? I’ve had like, what, three sleepovers with you? Have I ever slept naked while having a sleepover with you or the girls? I just sleep that way when I’m alone, it’s how I slept back home, it’s what I’m used to.” She turned away and began marching up the stairs. “You can be so weird sometimes.”
“Hey, Ah’m in yer house, Ah don’t know what crazy horse thing yer going to do.” Applejack said jokingly, hiding her visible relief.
“Should’ve been more concerned about Twi, I had to explain to her it was inappropriate to sleep naked when you’re with people.”
“Did she try?”
“Well, no. I was worried she may not have picked up on that particular social cue, and wanted to save us any… unpleasantness in case she did.” Sunset chuckle. “Can you imagine if she strutted into Pinkie's room without clothes? That’d have been hilarious!”
“Let’s go with mortifying.” Applejack laid down on Sunset's bed, snuggling into the blanket. She closed her eyes and turned away.
“Hey AJ?”
Applejack's eyes widened and she huffed in slightly annoyance, turning back. “Yeah?”
“Are you… insecure?”
“Am Ah what?”
“Insecure. I’m just wondering cause the first thing you did when you got here was be all insecure about your looks. It never really crossed my mind but... are you insecure about anything else?”
“Uh… Ah guess?” Applejack shrugged. “Like yah said, it’s normal for a teenage girl.”
“... What about?”
“Why are yah suddenly so interested?”
“Because you’re my friend.” Sunset turned over and propped herself on her elbows. “And I hate the idea that you’re suffering with insecurity all alone. I never gave it much thought because you always seem so sure of yourself and have your shit together, but now that I know, I want to help.”
Applejack was quiet for a moment. “Well, Ah guess Ah am dreading graduation.”
“I thought your grades were fine?”
“They are! They’re not straight A’s or anything, but Ah’ll graduate. Ah just worry about afterwards when y'all will leave me for college.”
“We will not leave you.”
“Ah’m not going to college Sunset, neither will Mac or Bloom. None of us can be away from the farm for so long, there aren’t enough of us for that.”
“That doesn’t mean anything, you can all just take turns going to-”
“Not a single member of my family has gone to college.” Applejack interrupted. “We can’t afford it and none of us can be away from the farm for years on end. If my ma and pa had more kids, then maybe one of us could go, but since they didn’t it’s all hands on deck. My life was decided from the moment Ah was born.”
“Ok, fine, maybe you can’t go to college. But that doesn’t mean we’re going to abandon you!”
“Yeah yah will.” Applejack said dejectedly. “Yer all gonna go to different colleges, get a degree, make better friends, leave Canterlot city, and go off to do God knows what while Ah’m stuck picking apples.”
“Where is this coming from?” Sunset sat up, looking at Applejack. “You seriously think we’re all just going to abandon you for better friends? What do you even mean by better friends, what friends can use magic? Why do you think we’d just forget all about you?”
“Yer all gonna be world famous fashion designers, famous athletes, and whatever the hell yer doing with yer life. Yah won’t have time for some boring country girl.”
“Fluttershy is going to be a veterinarian, settle down.” Sunset huffed. “You really feel that we won’t be your friend anymore when we go to college?”
“Y’all will find better people.”
“Who? Who will we find that’s better than you? And even if we did, we wouldn’t just forget about you, you’re our friend, who cares if you don’t go to college or will remain a farmer the rest of your life?” There was a long silence between them. “Did we ever make you feel that way?”
“No, but Ah just… yer all going to do so much more with yer life. Ah just can’t imagine y'all would be interested in continuing to be my friend anymore. Y'all will keep in touch for about six months, y'all will find better and more interesting people, then y'all will use the busy excuse because yer letting me down easy, and then Ah’ll peruse yer social media and find yer having the time of yer life while Ah’m stuck on the farm.”
“Ok, what about us? The rest of us? Will we also not be friends with each other in this absurd future you’ve created?”
“No, y'all will still be friends.”
“What? So, we’re just going to specifically cut you from the group?”
“Yeah, y'all have more in common with each other than me and are doing more with yer lives. Ah’m just... a boring bumpkin with no future.”
“AJ!” Sunset forced Applejack to sit up. “You’re our friend, you’re like everyone’s big sister! You’re reliable, mature, level headed, strong, and full of life. I don’t know if you know this but you’re our rock… you’re my rock.” A small silence. “We love you just the way you are.” Applejack said nothing, wiping away the tears welling in her eyes. “How long have you felt like this?”
“A-Ah dunno. Ah just… Ah dunno.”
“AJ… I’m sorry if we ever made you feel lesser or that we didn’t appreciate or care about you. That you were... expendable until we found someone better. We love you so, so much and I’m gonna prove that, we’re all going to prove that to you. We’re not going to leave and forget about you, ok?”
Applejack sniffled, but nodded with a small smile. “Ok.”
“There anything else?” Sunset asked with trepidation. “I didn’t know you felt this way, you always seemed so confident in who you are, and I always kind of envied that. But now I’m just… is there anything else you want to talk about?”
“Uh, well, Ah can’t help but feel like my parents would prefer yah over me.”
Sunset tilted her head. “What?”
“If my parents were still around, they’d have taken yah in as an honorary daughter. Think… Earth parents while yer away from yer family.” Applejack explained. “Ah know it’s dumb, but Ah feel like they’d prefer yah. Like Ah said before, yer smart, driven, have goals, pretty. Ah feel that if they were still alive, they’d constantly be comparing me to yah. Stuff like ‘oh, Sunset got an A++ on her test today, why did yah only get a C-?’ or ‘Sunset has a plan for life, what are yah going to do to improve the farm?’ And ‘Sunset works tirelessly at studying and yah don’t. Yah should be more like Sunset’.”
“Applejack!”
“Ah know it’s dumb but Ah can’t… yah’d make a great daughter.”
“You’re a great daughter, I’m a terrible daughter!” Sunset countered. “I just want to point out that I abandoned my family because I was a petty bitch that wanted to be a princess. I didn’t even say goodbye to them! And now I’m too much of a coward to just go home and give my mom and dad a damn hug!” Sunset got quiet, looking down in shame. “I hate myself.”
Applejack's eyes widened and she brought Sunset into a hug. “Oh, don’t Yah get all insecure on me now, that’s my job.”
“It’s true though! I just-I just left them for eight years! I didn’t… I can’t… they probably thought I was dead. I…” Sunset sniffled. “What daughter does that? I’m terrible-I…”
Neither of them said anything for a long while, holding onto each other. “Ah guess we’re both kinda insecure, huh?” Both girl’s shared a small giggle. “Sunset… when yah eventually do get the courage to go back home, Ah know yer parents are gonna be so proud of yah. Proud of how much yah’ve grown, how much yah’ve learned, how much yah’ve been able to do in such a short amount of time. Ah know this ‘cause-” Applejack put a hand to her chest. “-Ah’m proud of yah, and Ah’m sorry Ah never told yah before and that Ah screwed up with Anon.” Applejack cupped Sunsets face with her hand. “It doesn’t matter what yah did or who yah were, yer parents love yah more than yah could know, and they’re going to be so happy when they see yah again. Ah know yah want something to offer, but yer enough. Yah were always enough for them.”
Tears poured from Sunsets eyes, Sunset wiping them away and snuffling. “Fuck. Yah just had to one up me with comforting a friend huh?”
“Yah know me, Ah’m pretty competitive.” Applejack studied Sunset for a second. “Come here.” She said before pulling Sunset into a tight hug, Sunset happily returning it.
“Let’s tell each other if we’re feeling insecure from now on, ok?” Sunset added through the hug. “We’re friends, we shouldn’t keep our insecurities or doubts to ourselves.”
“Deal.” Applejack pulled away. “Now that yah sufficiently pulled out all my insecurities before bed and made me cry, lets get some shut eye.”
“Well, I’ve learned that crying yourself to sleep leads to a wonderful night’s rest.” Sunset flashed a smile to Applejack before breaking away and laying down, pulling her blanket over herself. “Night Jackie.”
“Night Sunny.” Applejack said, doing the same. Applejack looked at the alarm clock: 11:46.
1:34. It was now 1:34, and Applejack was sure Sunset had fallen asleep by now. She gingerly rolled over to check, finding Sunset's chest softly rising and falling. “Sunset, yah awake?” No response. “Sunset?” Nothing.
Applejack nodded to herself and quietly got out of bed, tip-toeing to Sunsets bag and quietly opening it, taking out her journal. She crept down the stairs, stealing a pen along the way, and made her way to the bathroom, closing it and turning on the light.
“Hey Twi, you awake?” Applejack waited with bated breath for the princess to respond.
“Applejack? How did you get Sunsets journal?”
She breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m at Sunsets house having a sleepover, I needed to talk to you.”
“You’re what?”
“I’m having a sleepover with Sunset.” Applejack looked confused. “Did she not tell you?”
“No! Why wouldn’t she tell me? This is huge!”
Applejack peaked at the last page. “Well, it seems you were a coward and ran. Thanks for that by the way, I was the one that had to deal with her wrath.”
“Oh, right. Sorry.” Applejack chuckled. “Now, what did you need to talk to me about?”
“First, can you hide this conversation or something?”
“No? Why do you ask?”
“I needed you for a favor but I don’t want Sunset to find out.”
“Can it wait till I’m back?”
“I guess, but I really want to do it now. Are you sure there isn’t a way to hide this conversation?”
A long silence followed. “Pull out this page.”
Applejack looked confused but complied, ripping out the page. “Why did you want me to do that?”
“I was testing something. I wanted to see if anything done to the journal over there would happen over here. Place the page in an enclosed area.”
Applejack looked around and placed the paper in the sink. “Done.” She watched as the piece of paper burst into flames, leaving no evidence it was there. “I’ll take it that was your doing?”
“Oh good it worked.” Twilight simply responded. “Alright, guess there is a way to hide this conversation, I’ll need to study this phenomenon later. Now, what was the favor you wanted from me?”
“Me and Sunset talked about her parents for a bit, she misses them and is ashamed she left her family. You think maybe you can, you know, find them and maybe get them talking to Sunset through the journal?” Another long silence. “Twi?”
“Yes, sorry, I just-“ small pause. “-I never thought of that. You sure she won’t mind?”
“I’m sure she’d appreciate it, she doesn’t need to talk to them if she doesn’t want to. If you’re worried she’d get mad at us then don’t, I think at worst she’d be annoyed.”
“Alright, if you’re sure. I’ll talk to Princess Celestia and get Sunsets parents over here.”
“Thanks Twi, I knew I could count on you.”
“And don’t you forget it.” Twilight wrote jokingly. “Now, rip out the page and throw it in an enclosed space.”
“Got it.”
“Oh and AJ?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for doing this, I’m sure Sunset will love it.” Applejack smiled. “Have fun at the sleepover!”
“Will do, bye Twi.” Applejack ripped out the page and threw it into the sink, making sure it burst into flames before she marched out the bathroom and turned the light off.
She crept back upstairs and put the journal and pen where she found them, crawling back into bed and giving a long sigh.
She’d be dead tired tomorrow but it, but it would be allllll worth it to see Sunset talk with her parents.
She smiled to herself and snuggled into the blanket, closing her eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Dang, two chapters only a day apart. I’ve actuslly had this one planned out months ago, though some things have changed along the way.
I’m like pretty sure Sunset would sleep in the buff, she was a unicorn who never wore clothes. I feel she’d want to get comfortable while sleeping.
Obviously that’d be weird to show in the few shots of her going to bed in the official stuff, so.
I also feel AJ would be the most insecure of her friends, being so different from them and (most likely) being the poorest of them and having a questionable future college career.
Pony AJ is an adult now and an Element of Harmony, she’d probably be over her insecure teenager phase.
I also think this might be the one time Sunset mentioned Flutters without getting angry.
Maybe there is hope for them after all?
Also, a lot of ‘y’alls’ in this chapter.
I also think I might’ve made myself a little emotional with this chapter, hopefully others feel the same. I love how close this friendship I’ve written is.
Honestly it’s one of the better parts of the show, just how good friends everyone is (shocking for a show titled ‘friendship is magic’ I know, but I think that really speaks to someone who doesn’t have a lot of friends)
And you can all see why this is such a long arc. I needed these two to get closer and work some things out. Still a ways to go because of Anon, but this seriously helped with their relationship.
Also, setting up Sunset talking to her parents in the future. Won’t that be interesting?
I also saw the ‘whatever happens to the journal in one world happens to the other’ in another Anon fic. I thought it was kinda cool so I incorporated it.
On a side note, I was going to have this be somewhat more... political so to speak. I was going to make a side story and have Sunset and AJ talk about earth politics to vent my frustrations with the current political system (mostly both sides have let me down) and show that Sunset was a monarchist. It would’ve been politically neutral, but also would’ve made vague mentions to real world political figures, and I realized that was a terrible idea and I was just playing with fire.
I had promised there wouldn’t be any politics in this story, and even if it was a side story and was politically neutral, it still would’ve been political and no one wants to see that.
Further, the last time I even had a mere mention of real world political parties someone got so offended they straight up abandoned the story and said I was writing a manifesto, and it may be petty, but I want to prove them wrong.
Anyway, thanks for reading my fic!
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I honestly do love the idea that their friendship is as developed as it is, plus the whole screen time we're getting with it really endears it for me personally idk if anyone else feels that way but that's how I felt honestly. I cannot wait to see the future of this story, the games themselves when we get to them and if anything else comes in the future after that like the Everfree (forget this if its set after these events). Though the only real issue I'm having is only a tiny one and its how we haven't seen a ton of pinky/dash/rarity and that may be a choice on your end I just thought it was weird they aren't as involved but that may be something for later of course.
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They do have a lot more screen time then I had originally planned for, not that I had much planning to begin with.
I’m planning on having the games be in a sequal, but next chapter should set some of it up.
Don’t have any plans at the moment for Everfree, but we’ll see what happens.
It isn’t, Everfree is set after the games which is set after this.
Just isn’t a need to with Pinkie An day Rarity, they weren’t lucky enough for Sunset to work things out with first and don’t have as many problems with Sunset so aren’t necessary to focus on, nor do they have any plans for the Fling like Lyra and Bonny.
As for Dash, well, just hard to find a spot for her to fit in
You’re in luck, they should show up a bit in a chapter or two.
Huh, well that was fairly wholesome, though AJ did touch on something I always considered if a Graduation movie had ever been made.
Better friends, unlikely. Different friends, most likely. That's something I feel the series probably should've tackled. In Equestria staying in contact and friends is easy since ponies can fly and teleport to locations in seconds, plus ponies value relationships a bit more seriously than humans do. However, in the case of the girls going their separate ways to pursue their careers is sadly an inevitability. While Fluttershy and probably Pinkie to an extent don't have massively grand ambitions, Rarity, Sci-Twi and Rainbow obviously do which would require them to leave Canterlot City and likely put a hell of a lot of distance between them,
While I don't forsee them not being friends anymore, I do see them likely losing contact as that's simply what happens as you get older. You stop talking to people you knew in high school and make new relationships while looking back at old ones with a bit of nostalgia. It's sad but a fact of how life works out.
That said AJ worrying about being left behind is something I hadn't considered but is sadly a likely possibility. Like she said she can't just leave the farm since without her or her brother it'd go under. They don't have the money to hire help or go to college, which must suck to know even if you have dreams you can't fullfill them. Add on her worrying about being seen as a country hick, her feeling so upset is understanable.
Nice work.
What's this? Sunset invoking Fluttershy's name without hatred/anger/venom?
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https://youtu.be/MyycIC-tpw8
Man, you sure know how you hit the feels!
AJ's worries about her future was understandable, as well as Sunset thinking she was a terrible daughter. It was wholesome to see them comforting each other and became more closer than ever before!
While it was sweet that AJ is secretly helping Sunset by getting her folks to talk to her, let's hope that this doesn't blow up in her face.
Excellent chapter as always!
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What do you mean by "weren’t lucky enough for Sunset to work things out with first"? And does Rarity and Pinkie also trying to patch things up with Sunset after Anon?
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Well, it was thanks to a certain someone that the two were forced together and Sunset and AJ ended up on speaking terms. It would’ve been a lot longer if Bloom didn’t do that.
The would like to, but they’re giving Sunset space and letting her come to them before trying.
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Oh, right. That makes sense!
Fair enough.
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Imo it’s one of the things that shows Sunset to be a good person at heart, comforting a friend comes above all, even her dislike of some people. If she had even sounded upset about Fluttershy then would have likely messed up her attempt to help AppleJack..
That was wonderful. Sunset and AJ brought me to tears. Well done!