Sunset emerged from the portal, stumbling. It didn’t matter how many times she traveled through the dimensional gateway, she never could seem to keep her footing. At least this time she hadn’t face-planted into the cement. The mirage spells would conceal her embarrassment, but they wouldn’t protect her wounded pride.

She stepped away from Canterlot High’s iconic horse statue, casting a look over her shoulder at it as the other protective spell barriers slid over her, buzzing with arcane power. Thanks to Princess Twilight, she’d been able to enshroud the portal in a ring of wards that kept other students and passerby from “accidentally” entering it. It was good to know that principals Celestia and Luna were also actively protecting it. Despite this, Sunset still worried the portal would be discovered.

Especially these days.

She looked up and down the street with an anxious bite of her lip, her eyes keen to pick out anything that seemed out of the ordinary. All she saw was a woman walking her dog down one way. An elderly man watering his lawn down the other.

Sunset allowed the breath she’d been holding to escape.

Grogar had been trying to discover the source of her gold for years now. In the last few months, his efforts had tripled, along with his demands. She’d taken great care to keep the various portal locations secret, and she never used the same portal twice in a row.

These days, she was constantly being followed. No matter how many tails she shook, there were always new people. It felt neverending. Sometimes Grogar’s men followed her even when she wasn’t on the job for him.

This latest errand had been taxing. It was true that Princess Twilight and Celestia supplied her with a steady supply of bits to fund her research and magic containment efforts, but she didn’t have the heart to explain to them that their money needed unsavory channels to be laundered into something she could actually use in this world.

She also didn’t have the heart to ask for more from them. It had been a trial just to get the stipend she received from them now. Asking for a raise would just mean jumping through more bureaucratic hoops. Princess Celestia had a great deal of say in the kingdom, but she was not an absolute ruler. There were checks and balances, especially when it came to money.

Sunset already felt like enough of a bother. It was her fault magic was in this world to begin with. Some things she really just needed to handle on her own. That meant getting odd jobs to satisfy Grogar’s greed.

In the beginning, the stipend had been sufficient. Sunset could afford an apartment, food, clothes, her motorcycle payments, and there was still enough to meet Grogar’s laundering fees. Now…?

Her apartment was gone. She hadn’t bought new clothes or shoes in over two years. Thankfully, her motorcycle was paid off, but she’d already had to suffer through an awful repair bill, and the frequent servicing fees were a strain. Not to mention the credit card debt she was still trying to pay off from her more irresponsible days.

Sunset Shimmer adjusted her messenger bag, which was clinking with bags of bits. She still cast furtive looks around her as she walked to her motorcycle, parked just two blocks away. She pulled out a phone from her pocket. It wasn’t her usual cell phone, the one she used for school and friends. It was her throwaway, a simple pay-as-you-go device with minimal features.

Sunset opened her text thread with Grogar.

>SSh: Got wat u want. B there in 15

‘There’ being Tambelon. She stared at the screen, waiting for a response. It came quick.

>G: Excellent. Bray will meet you.

Her lip curled. Bray was like a rash—ugly, irritating, and hard to get rid of. But at least this latest hurdle was over with. After this business was over, she’d even have the rest of the day to rest before school tomorrow.

Sunset slowed to a stop next to her motorcycle, her eyes tensing.

She pulled out her throwaway cell again and opened her contacts. Besides Grogar, there were six other names listed. She bit her lip. Who was she in the mood for?

Then as if one of them had read her mind, she received a text message.

>K: U free?

Sunset’s heart jumped a little. Kojote. It’d been months since she’d last heard from him, the longest since they’d first hooked up. She’d wondered if it was finally time to delete him from her list. Apparently, he wasn’t done with her.

She was equal parts relieved and dismayed.

She tapped out a curt reply.

>SSh: for what?

>K: u know what

She did, and she was up for it. So very, very up for it. Especially when faced with the prospect of staring at her textbooks for what was left of her Sunday, trying and failing to fend off thoughts of her troubles. She needed something to pound the stress out first. Something big, stiff, and hard. Preferably in several go arounds, and she knew Kojote could do it. Would do it.

But she still remembered how they’d parted ways last time, with him abandoning her at the theaters. Making him squirm on the hook felt necessary.

>SSh: gee i dunno. Might go see a MOVIE tonite

>K: ouch... I deserved that. but i kno ur stressed

>SSh: and how do u kno that?

>K: cuz u always r. c’mon lemme help u relax. i’ll make up for last time

She arched an eyebrow, but the corners of her lips were twitching up.

>SSh: buy me lunch, and maybe

>K: of course. Plz liebling, i need u

Sunset snorted at this last message, even as her heart rate picked up. He only ever used German when he was trying to wheedle her.

They weren’t in love. They weren’t even in a closed relationship. Besides Grogar, any of the other names on her throwaway’s contact list would do for some carnal distraction that afternoon.

But for all his carelessness, Kojote was easily her favorite lover.

>SSh: give me 1 hour

She put her phone away and climbed onto her bike. It was noon. She had time to spare.

Precisely what she hated.

Applejack got Rainbow Dash’s invitation for the party. She ignored it, unwilling to even bother with a generic response.

Besides, she had her hands full.

“Apple Bloom, you’re staying and that’s that!” she shouted. Her hands were on her hips, a skillet of chicken and peppers sizzled on the stove next to her. Lunch for the day.

Her sister glared, her face matching her hair. “But why?”

“I already told ya why!” Applejack pointed out the kitchen window, towards the orchards. “This order’s gotta get done today! Ain’t no other way around it. Everything takes second place till this gets done, y’hear? You can hang out with your friends later!”

Apple Bloom slammed the edge of her fist against the wall, making the family photos rattle in their old picture frames. “This is unfair!” she shrieked.

Applejack sighed as she watched her sister storm out the front door. “Yeah? Well life ain’t fair,” she muttered. She sidled away from her cooking, checking the place where her sister had struck. No holes this time. Ever since Apple Bloom started getting into fights, it seemed she was more given to violent outbursts. Just another worry to go atop of all the other worries.

“She’ll get there, Applejack. You’ll see,” Granny Smith assured her from the living room. She looked small and frail in the big recliner. “In the meantime, all her buckin’ is normal. Shucks, you did the same to me when you was young!”

Applejack crossed her arms, her gaze darkening. “Granny, I ain’t middle-aged or nothin’!” Her lip pouted. “Shoot! I’m a teenager, too! Or did everyone forget?”

“Shhh! My soap’s back on!” Granny said with a frantic wave of her liver-spotted hand, her eyes already glued to the television.

The country girl clenched her teeth and returned to the stove. Her food was starting to burn.

“When was the last time I got to act my age, huh?” She said through a tight jaw. “For once I’d like to just do what I want and damn the consequences!”

She glared down into the skillet as the sliced peppers turned black at the edges.

Almost inaudibly, she breathed, “It’s not like playing by the rules made me any happier…”

Kojote was a tall, slim, well-cut fellow with sandy brown hair that fell into his perpetually hungry brown eyes. He thrust into her savagely, his fingers digging into her hips hard enough to leave marks. The way his cock filled her… it was like she turned into mewling prey beneath him with every lancing entry, his girth and length not just respectable, but worshipful.

This was where she came apart, aching and crazed.

Sunset Shimmer was elated to let go, if just for a few hours. She told herself she’d needed this. Believed it with every sweet collision of their glistening bodies in Kojote’s flat. He squeezed her tits, snarling, and she whimpered, loving the bite of his strong hands into her soft flesh. She let her eyes slip ravenously over his rippling chest, abs, and obliques, their definition stark where the glare of the sun fell over him through the skylight, casting him in a strange glow.

He was perfect. Too perfect.

Driven by sudden malice, she reached out and raked her nails over his sweaty abdomen, hard. He gasped. Grabbed her wrists and slammed them over her head, then pound into her so hard the entire bed slammed into the wall.

Sunset shouted in pleasure, her wet pussy squeezing over his cock as the man drove into her again and again.

Their first fuck that afternoon had been sloppy and starved, two lovers meeting together after too long apart. The second fuck was sleepy and searching, hands roaming, awakening their minds again to their purpose. The third fuck was heated, verging on competitive, as it always was. It was a fight to see who would come away with the last scraps of dignity, the victor being the one who kept their head in the end.

She usually lost. Didn’t mind losing. It was the struggle that satisfied her, not the outcome. This was a way to blow off steam and forget about things for a while.

Kojote, breathing raggedly, drew closer, his eyes staring deep into hers. Their noses nearly touched… but never did either of them close in for the kiss.

They had the same rule for all their lovers. No kissing allowed. It just muddled what they really wanted from each other.

Distraction.

When Sunset came, it was with teeth bared, her hips bucking defiantly into Kojote’s. The electrifying release felt good, but it burned. Several hard climaxes in a short span of time tended to do that.

Kojote came not long after, his eyes rolling shut and his body clenching. He sat back, his head lolling to the side and his chest heaving. Sunset raised herself up on her elbows as the fog of lust lifted from her head. She tried to find his eyes, but the man was already looking away as he pulled out. He rolled to the edge of the bed where he usually kept his glass of water and chugged it, his back to her.

Sunset gazed at him, quiet. She reached out a hand… stopped. Slowly slid it back. She rolled away, one arm tucked under her head. She heard him get up and walk away. Probably to go to the bathroom.

When it was clear there would be no after-sex conversation this time, she sat up and scooted to the edge of the king size bed. She grabbed her cellphone, and was surprised to see she’d missed a message from Rainbow Dash.

>R: Hey guys! Me, Flutters, Pinks, & Rares r at this shindig @ my VC’s house. She said u guys r welcome! We’re probz gonna b here a long while so come over if u can

Sunset bit her lip. That had been a while ago. Was there even a point in showing up so late?

The alternative was going to the dorm and doing some studying. Alone.

Her hearing perked to the sound of the shower starting. If she stayed much longer, Kojote would start hinting that he had other things to do.

Sunset looked back at her phone, thinking. Then she typed:

>SSh: I’m pretty tired, but I can stop by 4 a few. Dunno when I’ll get there. I’m sure u got questions

Now that she’d had a nice good fuck, Sunset felt more even tempered. Less anxious. If there was ever a time to field Rainbow’s no doubt thirsting curiosity, it was now. She wasn’t sure if she’d have the resolve to keep from snapping if she waited till later.

She stood and hurried to get dressed. She’d take a shower back at the dorm. It would’ve been nice to bathe here, but the truth was, she wasn’t welcome to.

Applejack stared at the last remaining apple crates sitting on the tractor’s wagon bed. These were to be loaded onto the shipping truck and taken to a third party processing center. The heavy wooden crates were large, coming up to her chest and as wide as four of her. They needed to make this order before nightfall, or else their shipment would have to wait until tomorrow. That meant the apples would get to their customer a day late. She couldn’t let that happen again.

This was why she told Rainbow Dash she couldn’t go to her party. She was working. She really, really was.

AJ looked around the loading yard, sweat beading on her skin. “Big Mac, is anyone else ‘round here?”

Her brother was climbing back out of the truck carriage, a clipboard with the order’s paperwork in his hand. He shrugged, his eyes turned down at the documents.

Applejack pursed her lips. “Well can ya look? Check the other side of the truck! I’ll check over here.”

Big Mac grumbled, shooting her a scowl, but he did as asked.

She shook his head at him before turning and walking briskly to the other end of the yard. Her green eyes scanned the neighboring treeline, trying to pick out movement. She saw no one.

When she returned to the crates, Big Mac was coming around the end of the truck bed. At her questioning look, he shook his head.

Good.

She clapped her hands and rubbed them together, her muscles flexing under her long-sleeved shirt. “Keep an eye out, would ya? I’ll have these crates loaded in a jiffy.” Her brother grunted in response.

Closing her eyes, Applejack turned her mind’s attention to the power inside of her. Each of their friends had a special way of activating their power. Hers relied on spoken word—particularly those truths not easily uttered.

“I wish Fluttershy was mine.”

She said this low, hoping her brother didn’t hear. Her eyes flickered to him anxiously as the magic erupted over her skin, flashing in brilliant white. Just before the light blinded her, she was relieved to see Big Mac had turned away from her, years of seeing Equestrian magic having dulled his interest.

When the light was gone, her hair had become longer, reaching to her knees. Her pony ears strained against the underside of her hat brim, and she pushed this up to give them more room.

Eyes glowing with arcane power, Applejack gripped the lip of an apple crate and slid it slowly off the wagon bed. When the crate had come out far enough that she could fit a whole hand underneath it, she stooped down and lifted it carefully, up and out, pulling the crate into a position where she could crouch beneath it and finally heft it up.

Physics said that, even with her prodigious strength, the mass of the crate in motion, plus the poor stability provided by her hands, should’ve meant that the apples toppled over onto the ground. Instead, the magic kept the crate steady on her flat palms, allowing her to carry the crate overhead like it were nothing. She carried the apples to the truck bed and set them down. The truck axles creaked as this sudden massive weight was laid upon it.

Just when Applejack turned to fetch another crate, her phone chimed. She ignored it and started to pick up another crate. Her phone chimed again. Growling, she returned the crate and pulled out her phone.

Text messages from Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle. Something had happened with Pinkie Pie at Rainbow’s party, and they wanted to have a sit down with all of their friends. Twilight’s text was almost formal in how it requested her appearance. But Sunset’s…?

>SSh: AJ plz come. Plz?

Applejack stared at the text like it was a decree of execution.

Her mouth went dry, but her palms turned sweaty. The magic faded from her, leaving her feeling weak and depleted.

To Sunset Shimmer, she texted:

>AJ: is it really that bad? Kinda busy

>SSh: i kno, i’m sorry, but we wouldn’t ask if we didn’t think it was important

Applejack’s lips thinned. Sunset’s idea of ‘important’ was seldom a waste of time.

>AJ: ok. I’ll be there as soon as i can

She slipped the phone into her pocket, and tried to turn her mind back to her magic. She still needed to finish loading these crates.

“I ain’t afraid to see ‘em together.”

Applejack stared at the crate, waiting for the magic transformation to happen.

It didn’t.