“Where is she?” you asked aloud.

Earlier today, you asked Blendy to tell Violet that she had left some of her things here last night and that you would give them to her before your shift started. Truth be told, Violet had left nothing behind and was supposed to be enjoying her day off today; but you needed to know.

What did she mean when she said I could take Applejack out on a date? Like, a date between friends or a date between…well… more?

This was the tenth time you’ve paced the girl’s locker-room. The stress of it all was getting to you and tying your stomach into knots as your thoughts shifted back to Violet.

What if she knows I’m interested in another mare? Will she be okay with it or at least not care or will she start calling me a filly fooler or-

Turning around, you find yourself face to face with Violet. Her sudden presence startles you, making you shout aloud and jump into the air out of fright.

“Are you okay?” she asks with a chuckle.

“Y-yeah! Yeah! Fine!” you say as you try to regain your composure “just startled, is all.”

“Okay then… Blendy said you had some of my stuff?”

“Umm… About that…” taking a deep breath, you do your best to calm yourself “I lied. I kinda wanted to talk to you real quick before I punched in. You know, about last night?”

Violet doesn’t look all that surprised by your confession. “I figured there was something else to this… Seeing as though my locker is empty right now,” she says as she nods to her open and quite barren locker.

Steeling yourself, you gather your wits and courage. “What did you mean when you said I could take Applejack on a date when we were walking last night?”

Violet’s smile slowly turns into a frown as you lean in and face her eye to eye. “I… Well…” she starts, obviously not prepared for this conversation.

“I…I…Oh I’m sorry! I saw you walking Applejack back to the hotel and I followed, because I wanted to talk to you about ditching work yesterday and then I saw her kiss you and…and…”

“And what?” you ask sharply.

“Umm… You sort of… Poomph’d.”

It takes a minute for you to register what she meant. In all of an instant, your eyes widen in horror as you realize what she was saying, making you blush heavily and burry your face in your hooves. “OH MY GOSH, I POPPED A WINGIE IN FRONT OF TWO FRIENDS NOW!” you cry aloud.

You feel a comforting hoof on your shoulder, making you glance up at Violet, who was giving you a comforting smile. “It’s okay. You’re just… sensitive, is all. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“R-Really?” you ask as you sniffle back tears.

“Yes, it’s-wait, two friends? Who’s the other?”

“A-Applejack… I got hit in the face with a volleyball and she was putting the bandage on and… and I don’t know what came over me…”

“What did she say?”

“I don’t think she knew what was going on… She just said for me to get my wings looked at, too. She might have thought I strained them, I don’t know… Why did you say I should take AJ on a date, anyway?”

Violet takes a few steps forward and puts a hoof on your shoulder. “Well, I wanted you to be happy. It’s a little weird to find out the friend who used to peep in the boy’s locker room with me when we were teenagers is now interested in mares, but it doesn’t bother me.”

You let out a sigh of relief. “Really? Oh my gosh, that’s a load off of my mind… I thought things were going to be weird between us now.”

“Of course not, you silly filly,” she says as she wraps her hooves around your neck “you’re my best friend and that will never change.”

Hugging her back, you can’t help but feel loved. “Thanks. I’ve been feeling so weird lately and freaking out over how to talk to AJ about this and what will everyone think and just… Thanks.”

Letting you go, Violet makes her way to the locker-room door. “Don’t mention it. Now get out there, your shift starts in like five minutes.”

“I will! Have a good one, Violet!”

With renewed vigor, you grab your lifeguard vest before bolting out the door past Violet, ready to start the day.

Unsurprisingly, the day was going by at a snail’s pace. Your shift had already come and gone and you just started in on Violet’s. Nothing interesting was happening, save for a kid scrapping his knee and needing a bandage, but that was about it. The only thing to do was to watch the fish swim around, without much real direction. Feeling your cloud perch drift idly through the air, you stir as it almost rocks you to sleep. You stretch yourself and let out a long yawn before rolling onto your stomach.

“Huh? Where did all the fish go?” you ask aloud. Just a minute ago, there had to have been hundreds of them swimming around. Now, you couldn’t find a single one.

“Did something spook them?”

Something was off; you begin scanning the bay, looking for something, anything to explain what was going on. That’s when you see it and you feel all the blood drain from your face.

You say it first under your breath, like you couldn’t believe it. Its body was long sleek, with a fin on its back just coming out of the water. “Shark…”

This time, you scream it. “SHARK! SHARK!”

Everypony on the beach looks up to you, bewildered. “SHARK! EVERYPONY OUT OF THE WATER! SHARK!”

They all seem to understand the situation they were now in. You watch on as everypony scrambles for shore, yelling and screaming to their friends and loved ones, trying to find out if they were safe. Flying down, you do your best to help the elderly and children out of the water. Just when you think everypony was out of the water, a high pitched scream sends a chill up your spine. Looking towards the open water, you look in horror as four kids, three fillies and one colt, were swimming for all their worth towards a stretch of beach opposite of you.

The earth pony leads the four, with the colt right behind her. “SWIM FASTER!” she yells.

“Don’t worry kids, I’m coming!” you cry.

Before you can take off, you feel a hoof wrap around your shoulder and pull you. “Wha-”

You’re at a loss for words as you stare nose to nose at a grizzled old sailor, eye patch, peg leg, and all. “You don’t have much time. If you want to save those kids, you gotta show the shark whose boss. Buck it in the snout to establish superiority.”

“I-”

“DON’T QUESTION, JUST DO IT!” he cries.

Spurred by his words, you take off in a flash and barrel towards the shark, who was closing in fast on the four. The unicorn was doing her best to keep up with the others, but she wasn’t a strong swimmer; she was falling behind.

Gaining more altitude, you do your best to prepare yourself for the task at hoof.

Buck it in the snout… No problem.

Swallowing the last of your fears, you start dive-bombing towards the shark.

The pegasus grabs a hold of the unicorn, obviously scared for the safety of her friend. “COME ON SWEETIE, YOU CAN MAKE IT!”

The world whizzes by as the adrenaline rush kicks in. You point your forelegs down, aiming right for the beast below. Your hooves connect with something hard and you feel it thrash underneath you. The shark rears up and out of the water, snapping its jaws in vain; you were just out of reach. Jumping into the air, you bring all four of your hooves down on its head. Instead of trying to hit it again, you push off from it and using it like a springboard; catapulting yourself into the air. You prepare yourself for another round with the great white, but stop when it starts to slink off towards deeper waters, away from everypony.

“Hey, you kids al-”

Turning around, you find the four absent. There was no trace of them, except for their hoof prints in the sand, heading towards the tree line.

“Are you okay?!?” you yell, hoping they were just spooked by the whole thing. There was no answer.

You make your way towards the beach and look to the other ponies, who were staring at you wide-eyed as you touch down “Hey, do any of you know those kid’s parents? They-”

In all of a sudden, the crowd of ponies descends upon you and hoists you into the air, cheering your name.

“THAT WAS AMAZING!” you hear somepony yell.

“YOU KICKED THAT SHARK RIGHT IN THE FACE LIKE IT WAS NOTHING!”

“YOU’RE A HERO!”

“Wait, wait, WAIT!” you cry. Everypony stops and looks to you bewildered. “Lemme down!”

“What are ya talking about? The shark is gone, we need to celebrate!” a mare yelled aloud.

“But what about the kids? They ran into the forest! We gotta do something!”

The other ponies must have completely missed that last part, because they immediately set you down. “Oh my gosh, what do we do?”

“Did anyone get a good look at them?” you ask “I can’t really remember what they look like. I guess the adrenaline was really going when I…”

It suddenly hits you: You just kicked a shark. You were less than a foot away from a set of razor sharp teeth that could have torn you apart without a second thought. Your legs feel like they’re going to buckle out from underneath you. To avoid falling over, you slump down and sit on your bottom.

The crowd of ponies falls silent as they look to each other, hoping someone would speak up.

“O-Okay, no problem, no problem. I’ll put out an APB to keep an eye out for them. But for now, t-the beach is closed.”

“Awww, how come?” a stallion asked aloud.

You shoot him a tired look. “Do you wanna go back into the same water a shark was in not too long ago?”

“Oh… Uh, no. Sorry I asked.”

“Okay ponies, break it up and head on out. There’s more to Summerset Keys than the beach, so enjoy yourself. I promise the beach will be opened again as soon as possible.”

The crowd of ponies slowly departs and it isn’t until the last one is out of sight do you collapse into the sand, your heart beating out of your chest. “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh… I took on a freaking shark! I could have been hurt or…or worse…”

You lay there for longest time until you hear a set of hoof beats behind you. “Listen, I’m sorry, but the beach is closed for the time being...”

“Aw horsefeathers, how come?”

Your ears perk up at the familiar voice. “Applejack?” you ask as you turn around.

“The one an’ only.” she says with a smile. Her smile disappears when she sees how ragged and tired you look. “What happened to ya, sugarcube? Ya look like death run over twice. No offense.”

“Applejack… Could you please help me? I… I can’t get up.”

A flash of panic goes across Applejack’s face as she runs to your side. “What’s wrong? Ya hurt? Need a doctor?”

“No, no, no… Just sort of in shock…”

Applejack offers you a hoof and helps you to your feet. “Care ta tell me what’s happenin’?”

You uneasily get to your hooves and do your best to stay standing. “It’s a long story…” you say as you begin to shuffle towards the lifeguard station. Applejack starts walking by your side and offers a hoof whenever you begin to stumble.

“I always got time fer a friend. Lay it on me.”

You take a deep breath and do your best to remain calm. “Th-There was a shark coming into the beach and it was heading right for these kids… I went in and bucked it without even thinking about my own skin. I know I did the right thing and saved them, but I’m still freaked out about the whole thing.”

“You…You bucked a shark?”

You nod.

“Like, a little one? One of them Makos you can see at the aquarium not too far from here?”

“No… It was a great white. And it had to be like ten feet long.”

Applejack stops dead in her tracks and stares at you. “W-wow… That’s mighty brave of ya…”

You feel yourself blush at the praise. Knowing that it impressed Applejack did wonders for your nerves. “I was only trying to do the right thing,” you say with a bashful smile.

Your blush grows when you feel Applejack draw you in for a hug. “You’re one crazy filly, but yer heart’s in the right place. I’m proud of ya. Not just any pony woulda jumped into that water.”

You start to feel your wings twitch from Applejack’s embrace, making you panic. “Thanks AJ, I’m feeling a lot better.” You say you as break the hug, as nice as it was. “I gotta take care of some things. Write a report, send out some carrier pigeons, you know; work stuff?” Slowly, you inch yourself away, focusing on anything except for Applejack’s touch.

“Oh… alright-y then. I guess I’ll see ya later.” Applejack says, rather dejected.

Just as she begins to leave, you remember the concert and stop her. “Hey, there’s this concert tonight out by Sunset Beach. Do you want to come with me?”

“Concert?”

“Yeah, Sublime is playing.”

“Never heard of ‘em. What kinda music they play?”

“It’s hard for me to give them like a single genre. I mean, even the band themselves reject any labels someone tries to put on them. Not only that, but their music reminds me of home. It’s sad and it’s sweet and well… It’s awesome!” you say with enthusiasm.

“Sure, why not? I’m more a country kinda girl myself, but I’m all fer new things. When should we meet up?”

Checking your waterlogged watch, you figure the concert started at around sunset in three hours and your shift ended in two.

“How about 7:30? I’ll pick you up around then at the hotel.”

“Alright-y honey-bun, I’ll see ya then.”

“See you, too.”

You and Applejack part ways for now and you make your way to the lifeguard station, when it finally dawns on you as you take your seat at the desk.

Honey-bun? What happened to sugarcube?

Putting pet names aside, you manage to buckle down and get to work, putting out the necessary announcements and filling in the right reports. There was a set of protocols that you needed to follow when you closed down a beach.

While Summerset Keys was quite the paradise, it had its problems. Jellyfish, stingrays, and Celestia forbid, sharks have found their way into beach waters and have caused problems. Luckily, no pony has been hurt yet, but the mayor didn’t want to risk it. So, each beach was given the ability to close their door and forbid anyone from swimming the waters for twenty-four hours while special teams did sweeps for anymore signs of danger.

You finish filing your report about the day’s incidents, starting with the scraped knee and working your way into the shark.

“I hate this part of my job,” you grumble under your breath. Paperwork was your least favorite activity and always put you in a bad mood. The only thing stopping you from storming out and doing it another day was the fact that this was Violet’s shift and therefore, she was responsible for it. The last thing you wanted to do was put her in a tough spot because you didn’t like the idea of writing. With the last page written, you move onto the bulletin. Taking out a small strip of paper, you put the pencil to it, only to stop.

Was it dot dot dash or dash dot dash?

Morse code has always confused you and the last time you tried to guess your way through it, you put the whole beach into the panic with “DRAGON MIGRATION” instead of what was supposed to be “JELLYFISH MIGRATION”. To this day, you still don’t know how you managed that. You have yet to cause that sort of problem again, thanks to a copy of “The Idiot’s Guide to Morse Code” that Violet bought you shortly after.

With the message complete, you reach into one of the pigeon cages to complete the day’s work.

“Come here you little… I just need you tOW!” you yell, retracting your now sore hoof “OH SO THAT’S HOW YOU WANT TO PLAY? WELL I’M GONNA-”

Before you can finish your threat, the door to the lifeguard station opens and Violet walks in and past you, looking quite irritated.

“Is there a problem?” she asks curtly as she slips into her vest.

“Uhh… Just trying to get the pigeon to-”

Before you can finish your sentence, the unicorn picks up the bird and note with her magic, attaches the note to its leg and almost throws it out the window.

“See? Not that hard.”

“Uhh… Are you okay?” you ask as you take a step towards her.

“It’s that stupid Klein again!” she yells “This was supposed to be my day off, but I got a call from the boss saying that Klein called in sick and they need someone to cover my shift, but I’d bet my bottom dollar that he’s out there getting wasted with his buddy Calvin and trolling the bars for some unlucky mare.”

“Oh. Well, don’t worry about it. Beach is closed,” you say idly.

“I mean, it’s bad enough that-wait. The beach is closed? What happened? Jellyfish sting somepony?” she asks with a dry chuckle.

“A shark found its way into the beach.”

Violet’s smile disappears when she hears the word ‘shark’.

“Oh my gosh, what happened? Is everypony okay?”

“Oh yeah, they’re all fine. Well, some kids ran into the forest after I kicked it in the face.”

Her jaw drops this time. “You…You kicked a shark?”

“Well I wasn’t going to kick the kids” you say with a laugh as you file away the report.

“How are you so calm about this?”

“Well, I was freaked out about it at first. But then Applejack came around when things calmed down and helped me out. She said I was brave… and that she was proud of me.”

Violet lets out a haggard sigh. “You’re lovesick alright. You need to be to take on a shark… Just promise me you won’t do anything stupid? I don’t want you to end up in the hospital with a broken leg… or heart…”

Your ears perk up at that last part. “What did you just say?”

“Nothing, nothing at all” she says as she walks towards the exit. You reach a hoof out and grab a hold of Violet before she can go any further.

“What do you mean?”

Violet looks to you as a parent would to a child. “Just… Don’t get your hopes up, okay? You’re putting your heart out there for her and she might not accept it… I just don’t want to see you get hurt, okay?”

You slowly let go of you as the realization kicks on. “I…I… I never even thought about that… W-Wh-What if she says she hates me?!?” you cry aloud. Tears started to well up in your eyes of losing Applejack entirely.

“W-What if she says she never wants to see me again?!? I love her! She’s funny and cute and strong and I don’t want to lose her!”

You were hyperventilating now.

“W-W-What if she says she’s g-got a b-b-boyfriend and doesn’t w-want to hang out with a f-filly fooler or-”

Before you can go any further, Violet shoves her hoof in your mouth. “CALM. DOWN. DEEP. BREATH.”

She retracts her hoof and waits for you to catch your breath

“I wasn’t trying to scare you. I have no idea what’s going to happen between you two. All I’m saying is that you should be careful, okay?”

You manage to clam yourself down and wipe away the tears. “O…Okay. Thanks Violet,” reaching out, you give her a tight hug “you’re a great friend.”

You continue to hold her while you sniffle back more tears until she finally speaks up. “Should you be getting ready for the concert?”

Your eyes widen in horror. “Oh horseapples you’re right! I gotta go! Thanks again Violet!”

Before she can even say anything, you’re flying off towards your house.

I am not going to lose AJ you think as the world whizzes by but I’m not giving up.

The radio blared as you slipped your special t-shirt on. The one with Sublime’s sun logo on it and the wing holes cut in the back.

You got your mane permed…

You got your red dress on,

Screamin’ that second dance was such a turn on…

You’ve only put on makeup for a few special occasions and this felt like one of those times.

“A little rouge…” and the fog formin’ on my window tells me that the morning’s here

“A little eyeliner…” and you’ll be gone before too long…

“A little lipstick and…” who taught you those new tricks? Damn, I shouldn’t start that talk…

“Perfect.”

You were quite the sight to behold. You would definitely be turning heads tonight. “Just gotta to go pick up AJ and-”

A knock at the door interrupts your thoughts. Letting out an irritated groan, you rush to the door. “Now who can that be?”

As you open the door, you find yourself face to face with Applejack, causing your heart to skip a beat. “W-what are you doing here?” you ask nervously.

And the answers always waiting at the liquor store, 40oz to freedom

“Well shoot, I was bored and started to wander around when I heard the music. I just followed it and… What are you wearing?”

“Oh, this?” you ask as you rear up and show her your shirt “it’s Sublime’s symbol. You see, they originally started in Coltifornia and started to show Equestria the other side to the happy and laid back city. See the genie offering temptation? And the devil, too? The maggot, the skeleton, the switchblade? Altogether, this stuff forms a sun over Colti that seems just as depressed as the populous. Just scratch the surface and all is not well.”

It seems like your explanation went over her head, because she’s looking at you quite confused.

“Well now, that’s quite somethin’… But I was referrin’ to your face.”

Luckily, your rouge hides your rising blush. “Oh! Uh… Well… Is there something wrong with it?”

“Oh no! No! Not at all. Looks nice on ya. I just didn’t know we had to get all dolled up for this concert.”

“You don’t have to, I just felt like it. I hope that’s okay.”

Applejack shakes her head from side to side. “Nah, no problem at all. Now let’s git. I’m itching to hear this band of yers now.”

“Sure, it’s right this way!” you yell excitedly as you grab a hold of her.

You did your best to hide your giddiness, but there was only one thought on your mind.

Tonight is going to be AWESOME!

“What do you mean we can’t get in?!?”

This was a nightmare. You and Applejack stood outside the Sunset Beach Concert Hall, only a few to go before the show starts and the only thing stopping you from having a wonderful night with the mare of your dreams was a single bouncer.

“Come on, there’s gotta be some way you could let us in!”

The bouncer shook his head. “No can do little lady. We did a headcount and we’re full to capacity.”

“But I bought tickets this morning! You gotta let us in, please!”

The bouncer gives you a pained look. “I’m really sorry. There aren’t any seats left.”

“So?” Applejack asked “Why not just let us stand in the back?”

The bouncer thinks this over for second. “I mean… Yeah, you could…”

“I’ll hoofwrestle ya for it.”

“Excuse me?” he asks with a chuckle “Did I just hear you right little lady? You wanna hoofwrestle me to get in?”

Applejack nods quickly. “Yeah. I win, we get in.”

“And if I win?”

Stepping in front of Applejack, you put on your best seductive smile. “I’ll go on a date with you.”

“Deal.” The bouncer says rather quickly.

Applejack grabs a hold of you and brings you close enough for her to whisper, her voice filled with worry. “Are ya sure about this, honey-bun? This guy looks… greasy.”

“What’s there to worry about? I know you’ll win,” you say aloud confidently.

Moved by your words of encouragement, Applejack smiles and walks over to one of the nearby tables and places her elbow on it. The bouncer trots over slowly and joins her; quite certain this was going to be an easy score.

“On the count of three,” he says as he grabs a hold of Applejack’s hoof “one…two…THREE-”

As soon as she heard it, Applejack threw all she had into her hoof and slams the bouncer’s down on the table, making him cry out in a mix of pain and surprise.

“Ow! Ow!” he yelled as he shook his bruised hoof “How in the world did you do that?”

Before she can answer, you jump onto her back and wrap your hooves around her neck. “Because she’s a power packed dynamo, that’s how! AJ, you’re so awesome!”

“Oh, it ain’t nothin’…” she says bashfully “Now, about our little arrangement?”

The bouncer lets out a haggard sigh and opens the door. “Just don’t tell anyone how you got in, okay?”

Jumping off of Applejack, you run for the open door “Oh, we won’t! Promise! Come on AJ!”

“Thanks again, partner!” she calls out the bouncer as you make your into the hall. The stage was set, the seats were packed, but the stage was strangely empty.

“Eh? Where’s the band?” Applejack asks aloud.

You were wondering the same exact thing. “I have no idea... Let’s go find a spot where we can chill.”

You look back to Applejack as you ascend the stairs leading to the upper balconies. “Maybe the band got lost or something, Summerset Keys is pretty bi-”

In an instant, you feel something tackle you to the ground and begin to lick your face.

“Hey! Get offa her!” you here Applejack yell at the mysterious attacker.

You try to open your eyes, but the relentless licking stops you from getting a good look at whatever was on top of you.

A high pitched whistle goes out, making the roar of the crowd die down and the licking stop.

“Louie! Get over here!” you hear a voice call out. Finally getting a chance to open your eyes, you find yourself staring at a large Dalmatian standing over you, its saliva still fresh on your face. The Dalmatian jumps off of you and runs towards the voice.

“Oh hey, I’m sorry about that. Lou-Dog’s cool and all, but he likes to run around and the ponies here were getting bitchy about it. You okay?”

Applejack helps you to your hooves and offers a handkerchief for the slobber. “Yeah, I’m-”

You didn’t recognize the voice at first, but now you were doing your best to control your inner fangirl once you got a look at the unicorn with the fish-skeleton cutie mark who owned the Dalmatian.

“Ohmygosh! Bradley Ponywell! Iamsuchahugefan!”

The unicorn chuckles at your outburst. “Well alright. Why don’t you two take your seats? The show can start now that we got Lou-Dog under control.”

“It would help if we had seats in the first place…” Applejack grumbled.

Bradley’s ears perk up. “No seats? What happened?”

“We got turned down because all the seats were filled, even though she bought tickets.”

Bradley laughs under his breath and puts a hoof around yours and Applejack’s shoulders. “How would you two lovely ladies like backstage passes? Free of charge?”

Your only response to this question was a high pitched fangirl squeal.

“I’ll take that as a yes. Come on, follow me.”

As you, Bradley, and Applejack descend the stairs with Lou-Dog in tow, you couldn’t help but notice the jealous stares from all the other ponies in the stands. Especially from Klein and Calvin, who happened to be sitting in the seats you purchased this morning.

You wave to both of them as you get onto the stage. “See you at the after party!”

“Ohmygosh, this is so awesome! They even got you a t-shirt! And they signed it!”

“Yeah, it is pretty nice.” Applejack says as she admires her new duds. Bradley brought you back stage to meet the rest of the band and some of the roadies. When Applejack brought up she was a tourist, they said she needed a souvenir for when she heads back home.

“Oooh! Oooh! They’re starting!”

One by one, the band members of Sublime take the stage, starting with Bradley Ponywell, Bud Gryphon, and Eric Flyson.

Bradley walks up to the mic and looks to his band mates. Bud was sitting at his drumset and Eric was getting his bass ready while Bardley counted wordlessly into the microphone.

1…

2…

3…

Slowly, Bud and Eric start up a steady bassline which soon had you bobbing your head and tapping your hoof. Being such a huge fan, you knew what song they were going to play. Licking his lips, Bradley takes a deep breath and coos into the microphone.

The crowd goes to clap, but immediately stops when they shift from their mellow, calm song into something stronger. Bradley’s horn lit up and a guitar from off stage floated into the air, just above his head. Taking a deep breath, he yells into microphone this time.

The music starts to break as Eric walks up to the mic and moves Bradley to the side. His words seem to echo with the mood of the music. “Punks are running wild in the streets and nobody anywhere seems to know what to do and there's no end to it. It’s like everything everywhere is going crazy so we don’t go out anymore, we sit in the house-”

Bud jumps off of his drumset as Eric backs off and seems to pick up and finish his sentence. “-and slowly the world we're living in is getting smaller and all we say is please and please leave us alone in our living rooms, just leave us alone. Well I’m not going to leave you alone."

Bradley grabs the microphone and smiles. "There's gotta be something different"

The band stops their playing and lets the audience applaud this time, their screams echoing through the concert hall. Bud holds up five talons and leaves the stage with the rest of the band.

“Wow…” Applejack says breathlessly “Is Coltifornia really that bad?”

“Yeah…” you say with remorse “I grew up in Colti, so I’ve seen it all. It’s not as bad as it was, but it’s not perfect. There are still gangs, drug dealers, and corrupt politicans like Mayor Julia Mane. There were times I was afraid to leave the house… Kinda why my parents and I moved away…”

“Oh, sorry for digging at old wounds honey-bun.” Applejack says as she puts a comforting hoof on your shoulder.

“No, don’t be sorry. I still miss my old friends from my neighborhood, but it was for the best.”

“Shit, girl… I’ve been there.”

The sudden presence of another voice startles both you and Applejack. The burly gryphon towered over both you, his eyes hidden by a pair of black sunglasses and a white baseball cap with a black rim sat on his head.

“Beg pardon?” Applejack asks as she eyes up Bud.

“I came to Coltifornia from the Gryphon Mountains, hoping to find something better to do than military shit. First day there, I was almost stabbed by an addict tweaking on something hard. I hated everyone in Coltifornia until Bradley offered me a place to stay and showed me not everyone’s bad.”

“Dang, Colti sounds like an unhappy place. Not like Ponyville at all.”

Bud cocks his head to the side. “Ponyville? Where’s that?”

“It’s a ways across the sea, past Manehattan. It’s a small place, but its home. I run Sweet Apple Acres with ma family and we manage to keep ourselves busy.”

“Nothing interesting ever happen?” he asks with a dry laugh.

“Well now, I didn’t say that…” she says with a sly smile “Parasprites, a dragon, an Ursa Minor… I’ve seen it all.”

Bud blinks a few times before bursting out laughing. “You two are alright! Hey, how would you like to come onto stage? You know, put on a show while we wrap up here?”

“Really? Are you serious?!?” you ask excitedly “Come on AJ, we have to do it!”

“Oh… Alright. What do we need to do?”

“Dance, maybe. Hold on-HEY BRADLEY!”

“WHAT?”

“CAN THESE TWO HEINAS COME ON STAGE WITH US?”

“YOU MEAN THOSE TWO LOUIE RAN TO?”

“YEAH!”

“WHY THE FUCK NOT?”

Bud turns back to you and gives you thumbs up. “Good to go. Just do what feels right, okay?”

You couldn’t say anything. You were too excited. You, Applejack, and the band step out onto stage and receive a combination of whispers and applause. You expected Bud to get back onto his drums, but instead grabs a microphone stand and sets up next to Bradley. Eric was on bass again and Bradley still had his guitar, so you couldn’t help but wonder what they were doing.

“Now, normally, I’m the only one on drums, but we got someone else tonight; a friend of a friend,” Bud said as he motioned towards the gray and white earth pony who was now on drums. “This way we can try out a new little number. Hit it!”

The earth pony starts hitting the drums frantically, surprising everyone, including Sublime before stopping abruptly and turning it into a strong, but steady beat.

Bradley is the first to start singing.

Yesterday I saw a whore looking out my door
While she makes my body aches but I walk in and I say:

Looking to Applejack, you find her sashaying to the music, enjoying yourself. You do the same, but add a little flair with a jump and midair flip. Bud moves in starts where Bradley stops.

I'm on the mic doin things you like

The name is ras B.G. and Imma treat you right

Cause all the ladies and me you see we both agree that I'm going down in world history

It continues like this, going back and forth between the two.

Oh she makes my body ache and you know I live for more
I won't flake or perpetrate
I won't front no funky whore

Don't get me wrong I'm just singing my song

I'm just like you I like to ball my freaks all night long

Not only do rhy-rhyme, I also cut so nice

And all the fightin, perpetratin DJ's want my slice

In all of a sudden, Bradley starts singing or rapping at an incredible speed, using what sounds like two different languages mashed together. The best you can make out is a word here and there, but it doesn’t diminish the quality of the song.

GO! GO! GO! GO! GO! GO! GO! GO! GO!

Bradley’s horn grows a little brighter as he begins an intense solo that seems to echo through your bones. Looking to Applejack, you couldn’t help smile with her as she finally gets into the music, but her good mood disappears when Bradley stops his guitar solo and shoves the microphone into her face.

“Come on, sing something!”

“I…I…I can’t…” the sudden spotlight seems to put Applejack edge, so you do your best to help her.

“Come on, you can do it!” you cheer on.

She takes a deep breath and speaks into the microphone.

My name is AJ and I’ve got nothing to say,
Cause I am not a flippin’ dee-jay
An’ if you wanna come talk to me,
Ya gotta talk to my gal, honey~!

You feel yourself smile bashfully and laugh with the rest of the band who look like they enjoyed the impromptu verse.

Uh-uh elected, my rhymes will be perfected.

The mighty MC's will be dissected and rejected

I am the most impressive- aspective and progressive-

Motivating, innovating, chillin and digested

It's obvious as ever it will be specialized

If you’re trying to proclaim-uh- can't be compromised

I am a fresh MC

As you can plainly see

You won't regret a DJ fresh I’m sure you'll soon agree

So take a seat n' feel the beat of course it is OK, Uh-Uh

Bradley once again busts out into another rhyme, but if the last one was fast, this one was ridiculous, making you stop dancing and stare on and only snap out of it when he starts to bid the crowd farewell.

“Five thousand G, we outta here. Peace, love, unity.”

Once the band disperses, you and Applejack hop off the stage, laughing.

“WOO-WEE! Now that was fun!”

“TOTALLY!” you yell as you did an excited flip into the air “Hey! We should go see if Bradley will sign my shirt, too!” you suggest giddily.

“Ya think he’d mind?”

“He let us in backstage and on the stage. He won’t mind one little autograph before we leave.”

Climbing back onto the stage, you and Applejack wander backstage and towards the dressing room. Without even thinking, you swing the door open.

“Hey Bradley I-”

The unicorn let out a startled scream as you barge in and drops a glass container on the ground he had been levitating in the air. He watches in horror as the clear liquid seeps into the carpet.

“Oh… Uh… Sorry… I didn’t…”

“You dumb BITCH!”

His words cut through you like a knife, making you shrink back in fright.

“That was my last of my poppy juice! That was my fucking muse!”

You felt yourself start to crumble as your idol tore into. “I-I-I’m sorry I-”

“Sorry? Sorry ain’t going to cut it! I spent-”

“NOW WAIT JUST A COTTON PICKIN’ MINUTE!” Applejack yelled.

You sniffle back tears as Applejack comes in-between you and Bradley. “Now lookee here, you were sayin’ somethin’ about peace n’ love at the end of yer show and what I’m seeing is NOT peace n’ love.”

You couldn’t believe it. Not only was Applejack tearing into the unicorn, she was winning.

“But-”

“Don’t ya ‘but’ me! Look at her! You’re so mad you didn’t even see how sorry she was! Ask yerself this: is breaking the heart of somepony who looks up to ya worth what’s in that stupid vial?!?”

Bradley’s stares at you, as if he just noticed your running mascara and wild eyed terror.

“Oh shit…”

He takes his eyes off of you and looks to the shattered remains of the glass container.

“Oh shit…Y-You’re right. This shit’s getting to me… I gotta stop this… Same shit happened to Bud…”

Bradley starts to walk towards the exit in a daze, but stops as he passes you.

“If it means anything, I’m sorry. I… I gotta go.”

You watch as Bradley wanders off into the night as if he had the entire world on his shoulders.

“Why…Why did you do that?” you ask as you wipe off your ruined makeup.

“Cause I don’t like to see ya cry,” she says as she wipes off a bit of mascara you missed “Now come on… Let’s get outta here.”

“Actually… Do you want to go for a swim? I mean, I know it’s almost midnight, but Sunset Beach is always open.”

“Sure. I wanted to go for a swim earlier today, but because of the whole shark thing.”

“Great,” you say shakily “a dive will really help calm my nerves…”

“Uh, honey-bun? I’m starting ta have second thoughts.”

“Oh come on! You said the water was cold and I said the quickest way to get used to it was to dive right in!”

“Yeah… But do we have to do it from so high?”

Holding Applejack with your front hooves, you and her flew over the water, at least ten feet up.

“Oh come on, this is nothing. I do like one-hundred times this on a normal day. It only hurts if you let it.”

“B-But how do I stop it from hurtin’?”

“Just point your back legs down, fold your front legs over your chest and hold your breath.”

Applejack shakes her head. “I don’t think-”

“Don’t think, just do it!”

Before she can say anymore, you let go of Applejack and let her fall into the water. Just flails momentarily before taking your advice and entering the dive position. As soon as she touches down, you dive in after her. Once bellow the water, you let yourself sink into the dark depths, hoping the water would wash away your troubles. After a minute, you resurface and find Applejack paddling around, calling your name.

She doesn’t seem to notice you, so you take this opportunity to sneak up behind her.

“Come on, honey-bun! This ain’t funny no more!”

“But I’m right here!” you yell as you grab a hold of her sides.

Applejack shrieks and stops paddling for a moment, almost causing her to almost sink below the water, if it wasn’t for you.

“GEEZE! YA SCARED THE LIVIN’ DAYLIGHTS OUTTA ME!”

“Well excuse me for having a little fun.” you say teasingly.

“Ya, well excuse me too, then.” Applejack says with a sly grin.

“For wh-”

Quick as a flash, Applejack grabs a hold of your head and dunks you underneath the water, something you didn’t expect. Instead of panicking, you simply stay below the water and wait there for a minute..

Then two.

By the three minute mark, your lungs feel strained and you force your way up and take a deep breath of fresh air. “How’d I do?” you ask as you push your mane out of your eyes. Applejack stared at you, completely bewildered.

“Now how in the world did ya do that?!?”

“Do what?” you asked as you rolled onto your back.

“Hold yer breath for that long. I mean, I took my hooves offa yer head and yer still floatin’ down there.”

“If I was ready, I could have gone longer. I’m just really good at holding my breath. But enough worrying about me! I’m going to show you how to do the breast stroke.”

“Uh… The ‘what’ stroke?” Applejack asks uncertainly.

“The breast stroke. Watch.”

You start swimming around Applejack, kicking your hind legs and pointing your forelegs forward before swinging them around to your side, swimming with quite some speed; much faster than the horsey paddle.

“Do you understand?”

“Oh, uh yeah. I just thought it meant somethin’ different.”

“What did you think it means?” you ask curiously.

“Uh... Nevermind… So, it’s just using ma front and back legs, but fer different things instead a just kicking?”

“Yeah. Give it a shot.”

Applejack is quite the fast learner as she starts to copy what she just saw and begins swimming back and forth. At first, her strokes were slow and paced as she made sure that she was doing it right before breaking into a much faster pace.

“See, ya got it!”

She continues to swim like this for a few minutes before heading to shore, out of breath. “Well that was fun and all, but I really think we should get going here. The waters mighty cold and I think I’m startin’ to cramp.”

“Oh, alright then, I’ll-”

You stop yourself as a wicked, but adventurous idea starts to form.

“How about a deep body massage?”

Applejack looks at you with a cocked eyebrow. “Like the stuff they do at spa?”

You nod. “Yeah! Athletes do it so they don’t cramp up after too much exercise. It really helps, trust me. Just lie down in the sand.”

Your heart raced as Applejack plopped herself down on her stomach and looked back to you. “Well alright. Go ahead.”

You walk up to Applejack and kneel down by her side. Your heart was beating in your ears now. “I’m going to start on your back.”

First one hoof and then the other, you knead and massage her back in circles, making sure to put enough pressure down to really loosen the muscles. A heat rose into your face as you felt her strong, dense muscles that felt like rocks underneath your hooves.

It’s no wonder how she put Klein through a wall or whooped that bouncer… She’s so…

“You don’t mind going a little lower, do ya?”

You face went bright red at the question. “L-Lower?”

“Yeah, like ma flanks and back legs. They’re pretty sore.”

Your throat dried out and you only managed to squeak out two words: “No problem.”

Slowly, your hooves moved down her back and stop at her flanks. Grabbing a hold of them, you rub in circles, eliciting a sigh of relief from her. Your breathing went shallow as your hooves meandered away from her cutie mark.

Oh my gosh, I’m almost touching it…

You snap yourself out of your daze and move away from her flanks to her lower legs. They were so large and powerful, that you needed to grab one leg with both hooves to massage it properly. You couldn’t help but enjoy her little squeaks and sighs as you really worked the muscle.

You let out a content sigh. Oh my gosh, she feels so nice…

“Hey, are you okay?”

Applejack’s sudden question snaps you out of your trance. “Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m fine.”

“Are ya sure? Your wings don’t hurt being at all like that?”

Your heart feels like it was about to jump out of your throat as you slowly looked behind you. Your wings were so flared that you only just now notice that it was actually painful.

“Lemme return the favor.”

With one quick spin, Applejack jumps on top of you and sits on your back. “N-No! It’s fine, really!”

“Non-sense! Fair is fair. You do me, I do you.”

You try to squeak out some sort of protest, but it falls on deaf ears. As soon as Applejack grabs a hold of your wing, a surge of pleasure travels up your spine. The only thing that was stopping you from screaming out in pleasure was the fact that you were now biting on your tongue.

“How’s that?” Applejack asks idly as she kneads your wing, sending your whole body into shivers.

“Good,” you say through clenched teeth.

“And how about this?”

Applejack grabs a hold of both of your wings and pushes them down before rubbing them vigorously. With this act, you finally succumb to your body and let your mind cloud over from the assault. Applejack continues rubbing your wings like this for minutes until she finally lets go and steps off from your back.

“So, how was-”

You don’t know what came over you. In a state of primal lust, you fling yourself at Applejack and plant your lips on hers and begin kissing her roughly and greedily. Just as you try to push your tongue into her mouth, you feel two hooves plant themselves on your chest and push you back. It was all you needed to snap you back into clear thinking. Applejack stared at you in a mix of shock and confusion as you sat there panting.

You bring your hooves up to your mouth as you realize what just happened.

“AJ, I-”

Applejack got to her hooves quickly and began walking away. “I-I gotta go.”

“AJ, wait!”

She simply shakes her head and now starts to run. “I GOTTA GO!”

As Applejack disappeared into the night, you felt your heart go with her in a few more pieces than it originally came in. You curl into a ball and cry under the moonlit night saying one word again and again.

“Wait…”