As usual, Applejack pushed on through the shift, trying to ignore the nagging twist in her gut that reminded her that her boss was just downstairs. She was a professional of course, and could drive on with business no matter what seemed to distract her. As the night dragged on, the patrons thinned out like always, and Applejack was well into her closing duties before the pub had actually closed down.

“Applejack, you have a minute or two?” Twilight's voice called out, and Applejack closed her eyes and scrunched up her face, already knowing what was coming, before she responded.

“Yea', what is it, Twi?” Applejack forced a smile as she turned to face the girl.

“Miss Jubilee wants to see you downstairs, when you get the time. I'll watch the bar.” Twilight had confirmed it, and Applejack's face fell a few degrees, though she fought to seem easygoing. The barmaid nodded a few times silently as she washed her hands. “It's probably just about inventory or something, as usual.”

“Yea', inventory,” Applejack repeated the familiar cover, and chose not to deny or debate it.

“Try not to take too long though,” Twilight asked as the barmaid shook her hands out, drying them on a paper towel before passing her superior. “I'm probably going to let Rainbow Dash clock out soon, it's slow enough we don't need a host.”

“Right, Ah'll keep that in mind,” Applejack muttered dully, walking out from behind the bar and starting down the two sets of stairs towards the basement.

Keeping up appearances, Applejack turned around and flashed Twilight a smile, seeming grateful that she would watch the bar for her. The expression was returned by her supervisor, who had no qualms about holding down the fort. Applejack grimaced, however, and she looked back down the dark stairwell that led to her meeting place. Each step felt farther than the last, leading her deep into a pit from which she could not escape. Finally though, her heel touched on the basement floor, and peering down the hall, she caught sight of the office door.

The simple doorway seemed ominous, an old, wooden plank held up by simple hinges, and kept shut by a lock used too often. Applejack's steps echoed even over the distant lulling jazz music of the pub, and she had to watch her feet to make sure they were moving the way she needed to go. She paused in front of her destination though, nervous about knocking on that familiar door. As she did, she suddenly wished she hadn't. The noise of the knocks bothered her to hear, and she cringed and darted her eyes into corners as the few seconds between knock and answer seemed far too short.

“Enter, Ah'm decent,” a voice called from what sounded like across the room, and Applejack's hand wrapped around the knob. “For now.”

Pressing her key into the crook and pushing the door open with her shoulder, as the age of it had made it somewhat heavy and difficult, Applejack leaned into the office inch by inch. There, sitting in her usual, tall and plush rolling chair, was her boss. One of the most commanding and impressive women she'd ever met. And yet, those very things are what she hated about her, what scared her. Applejack's eyes crept across the floor shyly, before her nervous gaze made its way to the confident expression of the woman who had summoned her.

“You... y'asked t' see me, Miss Jubilee?” Applejack stepped inside and closed the door behind her as her boss liked her to do, though it would fall into place and lock automatically as it was set to do.

“Come closer, darlin',” the owner extended a finger and curled it back, gesturing for the barmaid to clear the distance.

“Um, ma'am?” Applejack chewed on the inside of her cheek, blush appearing in them as she played with her fingers on the wood of the door at her back. “Do Ah have to?”

“Ah said, come over here,” Miss Jubilee's voice dropped in tone, which always meant that she was serious about something.

“Y-Yes.” Applejack pushed off the door obediently and stepped across the distance, her knees weakening with anxiety.

“Now...” Cherry Jubilee stood up from her luxurious chair in front of Applejack, and stepped herself so close the two were a mere tense few inches apart. “Y'know that ain't th' kinda lip Ah called you down here for, darlin'.”

“Ah ain't mean no offence, Miss Jubilee.” Applejack looked at the ground again, hoping she didn't hold the insolence against her.

“Please, how many times do Ah gotta tell you t' call me Cherry?” The older woman flashed her a charming smile, her hands running along the young barmaid's body whether she liked it or not.

Applejack pursed her lips again, grunting as she noticed the familiar unease that came with the inappropriate touching. The woman's hands were on her hips, which felt particularly exposed due to the tight outfit that same boss had forced her to wear. Cherry Jubilee was always a very touchy kind of woman, she didn't have many issues with invading personal space as it seemed. But with Applejack, it always went too far, no matter how firm the protests. The barmaid ignored her attempt to make their conversation more friendly and familiar, shaking her head a bit before getting back to the subject.

“... Miss Jubilee,” Applejack denied the suggestion, clearing her throat before continuing. “Ah'm mighty thankful an' all for everything you done for ma farm, what with carryin' ma cider an' givin' me a job, but again, Ah just ain't comfortable with this.”

“You've told me all this b'fore, sug'.” Miss Jubilee didn't seem to care at all what the farm girl might have wanted, and proceeded to run her finger over the top hem of Applejack's outfit, the part that laced just over her breasts, much to the girl's discomfort. “But y'know that Cherry gets what Cherry wants.”

“Look, Ah can't just keep lettin' this—!” Applejack's voice raised sternly as she made to tell her boss off at last, but knocking at the door stopped them both still.

“Miss Jubilee? There's a call on line two for you,” it was Twilight's voice that breached the door, and her carefree tone felt so very distant to Applejack. “From the, uh, Flim Flam brothers?”

“Oh right, silly me, Ah did say I'd hear out their business proposal. Thank y'kindly, Twilight!” Miss Jubilee called back to the woman outside the door nonchalantly. Her daring and mischievous gaze settled back on Applejack, who she stepped away from to take the call. “They're cider salesmen too, y'see, an Ah thought Ah'd just weight ma options.”

“R-right.” Applejack tried to play it cool, but she felt indeed very threatened by the prospect. She could not afford to lose Jubilee's Joint as a customer, no matter what troubles she had to deal with regarding the boss.

“Hello?” Miss Jubilee picked up the phone easily and set it between her ear and shoulder, her voice swinging in a pleasant tune. “Oh, Flim, how are ya? Well tha's good t'hear. Ah ain't forgot, go right ahead, tell me why Ah should switch from ma current provider.”

Closing her eyes, Applejack tried to calm her nerves and focus on the end, not the means. It was her job to protect and provide for her family, no matter what she had to go through to do it. She had resolved herself of that already, even if it pained her. So then why was she fighting back more strongly suddenly, and jeopardizing her future? Applejack furrowed her brow pleadingly as her boss came back over to her, grabbing the corded phone off of the desk and dragging it seductively across the wooden surface with her. Applejack's rough hands pressed against the desk behind her, which was the same height as her rear, and she leaned right up against it as Miss Jubilee stood in front of her, holding her there with a dangerous gaze.

“Well, Ah suppose th' service Ah'm gettin' now could be a little better.” Miss Jubilee twirled the phone cord around her finger, her eyes falling onto the somewhat revealed chest of her barmaid. Applejack resisted the urge to cover herself, squeezing at the desk in her hands mercilessly.

“Miss—” Applejack began in a begging whisper, but her boss raised an eyebrow and cracked a smile, which changed her tune. “Ch-Cherry.”

“Mhmm?” Miss Jubilee hummed, though it was unclear if it was directed to the girl in front of her or the businessman on the phone.

“Please,” was Applejack's simple response, quiet and repressed. It could be taken as a plead to stop, an asking to stop the teasing, or permission to go further, and her boss made her choice.

Pouting her lips, Applejack stayed still patiently as Miss Jubilee began to peruse her body again, tracing the freckles of her chest with a finger or two. Her biceps flexed against the restraints of her frilled sleeves as she gripped harder at the desk behind her, leaning against the thing as if it could support or comfort her in this time of need. Cherry's smile grew ever larger, spreading and thinning her deviously crimson lips, so lustful and sinful it made the most monogamous of men sweat.

“Y'got any special offers? Premium benefits, perhaps?” Miss Jubilee's fingers found their way to the laces around Applejack's midsection, and she began tugging at them heedlessly. “How neatly, may Ah ask, is it packaged?”

With a long exhale, the barmaid dropped her eyebrows and stared stoically at the actions of her employer. Her fingers jived and tangoed with her curves and twisted the lines and laces around her. Cherry's eyes dropped to Applejack's blouse as it was pulled down, exposing more and more of her youthful skin. The barmaid rubbed her lips together to bite her words back, and she squeezed her mouth shut so tightly it actually hurt.

“Beauty,” Cherry murmured in a whisper, taking in Applejack's form with her hands and her eyes, though it was not the first time.

Applejack cast her eyes to the roof, fighting back her tears tooth and nail. Her heart was caught up in her throat like she was about to puke it up, but she held it all in even if it gave her an ulcer. Quick breaths had her chest rising between the two of them, and it made her feel even worse about the interchange. As hands caressed the bareness of her chest, Applejack stared at the roof, begging silently for some salvation.

“My, that is a good deal,” her boss went on with her conversation over the phone, and Applejack wished she could overhear it to know something about her rival cider makers. “Ah'm not sure if my provider can compete with that.”

Miss Jubilee's fingers slipped down between the frills of her skirt at last, and Applejack knew well to dread such a move. Hissing a gasp, Applejack instinctively tensed up and pinned her legs together, but that never stopped the woman whose goal was clear. Miss Jubilee violently shoved her knee between Applejack's, spreading her legs effectively enough to give her access to the area. The barmaid slammed her eyes shut and bit her lip, turning her head to keep herself from witnessing the perversion that invaded her.

She could faintly hear some murmurs over the phone, but she could not hope to comprehend what they were saying. The desk rattled beneath her as she grasped at it for aid, though her body was wilfully held still in favour of things more important than physical degrading. Feeling Miss Jubilee lean down between her breasts and begin kissing made her twitch, a frown pulling at her jaw all the while.

The woman's lips were too plump for her liking, and the kissing did not feel right across her skin. Applejack silently wished it was someone else who was wrapped around her, but she did not have the luxury of choosing that sort of thing. No, she was not permitted to have desires of her own, it seemed, not with so many responsibilities on her shoulders. Miss Jubilee's fingers moved between Applejack's legs with profound accuracy and experience, but the barmaid could not enjoy an instant of it.

“Oh, tha's your speech, then?” Cherry replied to the phone as her luscious lips pressed against freckled flesh once more, leaving less defined prints of crimson in their wake. At last, Applejack heaved a relieved sigh as the pressure between her thighs was removed. “D'your competitors have a rebuttal, y'ask?”

Applejack's eyes nervously met her employer's, and she could tell she was waiting for something. Swallowing and trying to appear less desperate for a customer of Cherry Jubilee's status, Applejack attempted to force the worry from her eyes. She could feel the woman's hands playing with the now loose lacing of her outfit, tugging her closer. Applejack knew exactly what her employer wanted, and if she wanted to keep her family and their future safe, she had to comply.

Disconnecting herself from her body, Applejack lifted herself on the desk and lowered her lips over those of Miss Jubilee, meeting their ruby hue with her own, much less striking or made-up colour. Feeling the wrinkles forming on the bridge of her nose as she scrunched up her face a bit, Applejack could only hope that Cherry's eyes were closed too. Not that she had much to worry about, Miss Jubilee loved the protest just as much as the act.

A rough hand reached up and locked around behind her neck, holding Applejack in place. The kiss was forced and somewhat painful, as Miss Jubilee crushed her mouth back against Applejack's. It was nothing like the one she had shared with Rainbow Dash, and that realization made her feel horrible guilt. Miss Jubilee hummed during the kiss, possibly to remind whoever was on the phone that she was still there, and it made Applejack feel all the more objectified. She felt Cherry's leg slide deeper between her own, her fishnet stockings grinding between Applejack's thighs in a very uncomfortable way.

Jubilee pulled back of her own volition, always making herself the dominant party, leaving her lips slightly agape with a pleased smile playing along them. Her lipstick was smudged a bit, but for the moment she didn't seem to care. Once again, her lips trailed down, and Applejack's concerned expression was cast to the wall. Cherry's lips moved against Applejack's chest once more, and she could feel the phone against one of her breasts as her employer held it near her mouth.

“Sorry boys, but Ah think Ah'll take a pass on that offer. This cider Ah got here is sweet as sugar, sugar.” Miss Jubilee slowly licked along Applejack's chest, and the saliva residue made Applejack shudder to feel. “Thanks anyway.”

The phone was pulled from her ear, and she placed it back down on the receiver without even looking over at it. Applejack heaved a sigh of relief, her business safe for now. She leaned back against the counter, and looked gratefully at her employer. It was a complicated relationship indeed, Applejack never knew if she hated the woman or was indebted to her. Miss Jubilee smiled at this blurring of resolve and relation, brushing Applejack's hair over her shoulder.

“Ah'm off men anyway.” Miss Jubilee passively shrugged as she pulled a handkerchief from some pocket or something, running it below her lip to remove the smudge. “After ma third divorce left me dissatisfied, an' a certain young farmer girl showed up lookin' for work, Ah finally knew what Ah wanted.”

“Ah guess so,” Applejack didn't really know how to respond, but kept it brief. She flinched as the handkerchief dropped onto her chest and rubbed roughly over her soft skin, cleaning some lipstick off of her.

“As much as Ah'd like to, Ah s'pose Ah can't keep y'around too much longer, Ah need you t'keep bar upstairs, don't Ah?” Miss Jubilee's eyes darted up to Applejack's, and her expression was just as sharp and commanding as ever.

“Tha's my job, yea',” the barmaid agreed with a nod, wincing as the cloth abraded her tender flesh.

“Well, tha's how th' tax-man sees it,” Miss Jubilee remarked with another vicious smirk, which pointed up her cheek in a sharp arrow.

Miss Jubilee leaned back and looked Applejack up and down, her flirtatious eyes raping and squeezing at her body. The handkerchief landed like a fluttering feather onto her desk, smeared with some deep red spots here and there. Her antagonistic hands reached up under Applejack's breasts once more, lifting the top of her blouse back up her shoulders. An amused smile crept out though, and her fingers pinched a mark on the frills around the hem.

“Oops.” Miss Jubilee puffed out her lips as she noticed the red mark, lipstick which had stained the outfit on just a small corner.

Applejack grunted irritably as she saw it, and somehow she knew that it did not get there by accident. Grabbing the laces, Applejack began to tie the outfit back up under her breasts, since leaving it to Jubilee would not only take longer, but would permit the woman to wander over her body more. While trying to focus on doing up the laces right, she caught sight of Miss Jubilee bringing her thumb to her lips. She watched carefully as the woman opened her lips and pressed her tongue against the finger, applying saliva to it. As the woman's thumb reached out and pressed right under Applejack's lip, she flinched nervously. She could feel her lip being pushed to one side as the thumb ran underneath it, the moisture cleaning the skin.

“Y'had a bit o' lipstick, sugar.” The older woman smiled, showing her barmaid the red smudge on her thumb.

“Uh, thanks,” Applejack murmured less than gratefully, finishing doing her outfit back up and adjusting her breasts in it.

“Oh, any time.” Miss Jubilee winked before cleaning her thumb off with the handkerchief on the desk. “Now get along, darlin', y'don't want someone t'get suspicious, do ya?”

“No ma'am,” Applejack agreed as she sidestepped away from the interaction, her hands still trembling and cold.

She almost had trouble finding the doorknob, she was so anxious to get out. There was this terribly rueful twist in her chest, some humiliated weight sitting on her shoulders and a sickness in her stomach. Finally, she slipped out the door, only to stop on the other side and catch her breath. She closed her usually gorgeous green eyes, which now seemed dull with horror and compromised integrity, and pressed her shaking hand against her face as if concealing it from the world.

But the door was not enough distance or obstacle between them, and she violently shoved off of it and stormed down the hall. Making a quick stop in the public bathroom to check her neck and chest for any more evidence. She tugged on the bottom hem of her skimpy little dress, which she desperately wanted to just rip off if that wouldn't have made her look even more foolish, and nodded at her reflection. No, she was not doing these things for herself, there was something greater to think of.

The bathroom door was ripped open as Applejack left, abandoning it to fall back into place with a gentle slam. There was light shining down from up the set of stairs that rounded from under the overhang of the lounge, and it seemed golden to her. Piano strikes seemed too pleasant to her ears, and the sultry voice of some blues singer called her back to the bar. Starting up those same shameful steps, Applejack stared down at her boots, wishing that honest work permitted her to keep them on to save her farm and her family.

“Hey!” Applejack nearly tripped up the stairs as she heard that loud, raspy voice shout from above her. She looked up incredulously to see a girl leaning over the railing of the lounge, her hair falling down around her great big grin. “Who do I have to screw to get a drink around here?!”

“R-Rainbow?” Applejack stuttered through the girl's name, but her knees weakened to see her.

“Duh! Who the hell else?” Her grin spread as she folded her arms over the railing and casually shifted her shoulders. “Get up here, Dolly.”

“Oh, hold yer horses, Ah'm comin', Ah'm comin'.” The barmaid chuckled as the nickname gave her a warming feeling in her tight chest.

Applejack pulled herself up the rest of the stairs with lighter steps, the tenseness of her body lifting the nearer she got to the bar. Upon stepping up into the lounge, she was nearly tacked by the newest hostess, who grabbed her around the waist and by the arm and dragged her behind the bar. Twilight was still back there, though she was busy on the phone and hardly paying attention. As Applejack passed the shift supervisor, she placed a hand on her shoulder to remind her that she had returned, and the bar no longer needed to be watched. Twilight peered at her from over the phone at her cheek, acknowledging her with her eyes.

“Al'right,” the barmaid said in a breath as she got back to her post, and her supervisor took the cordless phone elsewhere. “What can Ah do for you?”

“I'm off shift now, I can get a drink, right?” The hostess tilted her head and made puppy-dog eyes.

“O' course, what'll it be?” the barmaid inquired politely, leaning against the counter.

“Well, I think it should be obvious by now, babe,” Rainbow Dash's husky voice was accompanied by a quick and daring wink, before her eyes traced Applejack's body against the wall. “I want me a Dirty Blonde.”

“Oh keep dreamin'.” Applejack laughed lightly, but noticing Rainbow ordering nothing else, she began to mix her the drink.

“Every single night,” Rainbow murmured through her smirk. She tilted her head on her hand and eased into her casual conversation, “Tell me Dolly, just how dirty are you?”

“Wouldn't you like to know,” came the response, though it was quieter.

Applejack looked down at the vodka and vermouth in her hands as she placed them next to the other ingredients, and between them she could see the frills of her blouse sticking out. On one edge, she could clearly still see the spot of red lipstick, which seemed as incriminating as blood. Her eyelids dropped the same as her expression, and she glared at the mark like it was some burn of a cigarette eating into her skin. Her hands needed no instruction to measure and mix though, and they played on without pause.

“Okay, what's bothering you?” Rainbow Dash asked suddenly, and Applejack peered over her shoulder with a surprised expression. “I know you're the bartender and all, but you're not the only one who can tell when something is wrong with someone. Spill it.”

“Nothin', honey, don't you worry 'bout me.” Applejack forced a smile to the surface, adding in the pineapple juice and liqueur to the cocktail shaker.

“Don't give me that,” Rainbow retorted with a more serious expression. “I'm not the kind of girl you can brush off so easily.”

“Yea', Ah know,” Applejack replied gently, her smile becoming somewhat sad. Rainbow waited patiently for her to go on, her own eyes soft and comforting. “It ain't no big deal, I'm just tired, Ah guess. Workin' all the time, y'know. An' sometimes, Ah just wish there was a better way t' support ma family. Ah don't much like myself for what Ah hafta do, sometimes.”

“Well...” Rainbow cleared her throat, the heavy subject feeling odd hanging over her head. “Some people only wish they had someone in their family who would do so much to take care of them. I think it's pretty admirable, what you're doing, having two jobs and all.”

“Right,” Applejack whispered to herself with a frown, not able to think of anything she was doing as admirable. She shook the cocktail shaker near herself so the noise would block out her awfully true thoughts. No, there was no honour in selling one's soul and body.

“And if it's any consolation,” Rainbow Dash continued as she leaned back a bit in her seat and puckered her lips, drawing circles with her index finger on the counter. “I like you just fine.”

“You're jus' sayin' that 'cause Ah make you your drinks.” Applejack glanced back with a cheeky smirk.

“You may be the best bartender in town, but baby you're so much more.” Rainbow shifted back over the counter eagerly as Applejack poured the shaken mix into the cocktail glass. “I feel fortunate to know you at all.”

“Quit kissin' ass, here's your drink already,” Applejack's voice was wrought with cheer by then, as there always seemed to be something about the crazy girl that got her in higher spirits. She placed the glass down in front of Rainbow Dash, the pale, blonde liquid shifting ever so slightly.

Rainbow Dash's fingers came around the thinnest run of the glass, and she picked it up. She raised it to the barmaid with a reverent nod before it touched her lips. The sweet, fruity taste slid down her throat and warmed her stomach, though she was more fond of harder drinks. She hummed pleasantly with the drifting blues bumping from the speakers, which lulled and playfully flirted through her ears.

Her half-lidded eyes looked right at the barmaid, and even with such a lack of expression, Applejack could almost feel the lust in the air. Applejack gripped hard at the counter again, a now inherent response to such heavy sexuality. But this did not make her feel uneasy or afraid, in fact, it excited her. And in that excitement, there was greater terror. The girl before her sipped at the Dirty Blonde, and her expression turned to something of questioning.

“So, since when was your name Applejack?” Rainbow Dash asked bluntly, and Applejack nearly choked on her guffaw.

“Ah reckon since ever,” Applejack replied certainly, shaking her head a bit and looking down at her uniform, which sported her identity. “Been wearing the name-tag since we met, honey.”

“You'd think I would have noticed,” a grin crept between Rainbow's words. “What with staring at your chest all the time.”

“Oh, an' Ah'm the dirty one?” The barmaid raised her eyebrow and smirked.

“So you admit it?” Rainbow reflected the expression, and the two of them broke out laughing at once. As they wound back down, the girls found each other's eyes once more. “Man, I love talking to you, Dolly.”

“Yea', Ah hear ya.” Applejack nodded slowly, leaning onto the counter with both arms folded, intentionally positioning her breasts on the appendages so they pressed up and revealed more of their plump rounds.

“Maybe sometime, we could do more?” Rainbow Dash noticed this at once, and licked her lips, tasting the Dirty Blonde once more the way she seemed to want to taste the blonde before her.

Applejack let out a slow breath, pressing hard against the counter. She actually wished that the girl across from her would sit up, crawl over the distance, and kiss her once again. In fact, she left herself entirely open for just such a move. However, Rainbow Dash did nothing but watch, swirling the drink around in her fingers like she could ever pretend to be dainty or feminine. Somehow, the rainbow-haired girl could sense something was not right with her barmaid, so she held her ground in favour of a sweeter moment.

“Maybe,” Applejack murmured through puffed out lips, and her eyes dropped to Rainbow's drink, which slowly disappeared from her hand like magic.

“For now,” Rainbow groaned lightly as she moved in her seat to a more comfortable position, and raised her glass up between them. “Cheers, babe. To dirty blondes.”

“Shut it, you.” Applejack chuckled again, shaking her head as the girl across from her brought the drink to her lips and swallowed half of it at once.

Letting out a calm and peaceful sigh, for once, Applejack merely relaxed against the counter and shot the breeze with the girl across from her. That is, until she remembered all her closing duties.

Author's Notes:

Somehow, I always saw Jubilee kind of like Mad Moxxi from Borderlands. Is that bad? Except, clearly I made her a little more... something...