FADE IN:View OnlineFreeze FrameFADE IN:Author's Note This story is porn. It is written for the express purpose of sexual arousal and erotic entertainment. As such, the erotic merit of this story will be highly subjective. The author does not necessarily endorse any of the acts or behaviors presented in this story. Please refrain from ascribing allusions between the fictional narrative of this story and any personal beliefs, proclivities, or biases of the author. All characters present in this story are 18 or over and legally of age to engage in sexual activity. Content warnings for this story: Incest, 1st person POV, OC. FADE IN: My name is Freeze Frame. I'm a third year film student at Canterlot University. And I'm in love with my little sister. My sister, Juniper Montage, is a senior at Crystal Prep Academy. I know it's strange to have romantic feelings for a sibling, but I can't help it. I fell in love with Juniper when we were younger, and I've been in love with her ever since. It's a secret love, a painful secret I've borne all these years. It only became more painful as she grew and matured into a beautiful young woman. I won't pretend she's perfect. For a while, she had a bit of a spoiled, entitled streak, and could be pretty rude, underhanded, and self-absorbed, especially after our uncle banned her from his movie set for causing trouble. Something changed her recently, though. She's got new friends, and she seems happier and more outgoing. It's Friday night; Mom and Dad are at one of our aunts' place for the weekend because some cousin of ours I barely know just had a baby. I've been hitting the books pretty hard, and I'm ready for a break. I stand up, stretch, and leave my room, wandering around the house. It's quiet; I don't hear any sound from anywhere in the house. I'm pretty sure Juniper is home, so either she's listening to music with headphones or she's asleep. Or both. Her bedroom door's open a crack. I take a peek inside. She's lying on her bed, asleep, still wearing the same clothes she had on when she came home. There's a book lying next to her on the bed. She must've been reading and dozed off. I decide to walk into the room and just spend a minute watching her sleep. She's so beautiful and sweet. The short black skirt she's wearing has ridden up, and the way she's sprawled out on the bed, her thighs are apart. I can see her powder blue panties. I swallow heavily, my heart racing. I shouldn't be looking at something like that. And yet... To distract myself, I pick up the book she was reading. It's a Fantômas novel; Juniper has recently acquired an interest in books and especially movies with villain protagonists. I have to admit it does worry me a bit, because she has an honest-to-God supervillain costume in the back of her closet, a black bodysuit with a hooded black cape. I've never seen her wearing it, but if I'm honest with myself, I'd actually kind of like to. I bet she looks really cool in it, and it looks like it'd be pretty skintight... Her glasses are about to fall off. I take them off her and put them on the bedside table, along with the book, careful to mark her page. I grab her desk chair, which has her favorite purple blazer hanging over it, and wheel it over to the side of the bed so I can sit and watch her sleep. It always amazes me that Juniper has never had a boyfriend. She's a cute, funny, dorky geek girl. I should've spent the last few years beating them off her with a stick. At the same time, I'm glad she's never been on a single date. It's selfish and stupid, but as long as she's single, it's like she's secretly mine and mine alone... She shifts in her sleep and lets out a cute little sleepy groan. My heart skips a beat. I start to stand up and push the chair away; if she wakes up, I can pretend I was just coming in to see what she wanted me to order for dinner. Did she eat dinner yet? I know it's pretty late, but I had such a late lunch today I didn't even think about it until just now. She settles back down, still sound asleep. I relax, settling back into the chair. My gaze drifts back to her thighs, and that tiny flash of powder blue I can see just within the perimeter of her skirt. I wish she was barefoot, that she'd pulled off her tall socks when she slipped off her shoes. At the same time, I'm almost glad she's not. If she were completely barefoot, if I could see every inch of those creamy, beautiful legs, I'd have an out of control erection right now. As it is, the sleeping beast is stirring fitfully. I'm not ashamed of the fact that my sister turns me on. After all, I'm deeply in love with her, and arousal goes hand in hand with that. I'd just rather not get caught popping a boner around her without telling her how I feel first. But that's something I can never do... It's not like I've never seen more of her bare skin than this or anything. We've been to the beach together, I've seen her in a swimsuit. I have so many photos of her from that trip saved on my phone. But somehow, this unguarded moment, when she's unknowingly, unintentionally vulnerable, feels so intimate... "Mmmnnnnmmm...Freeze Frame?" Juniper's cute voice snaps me out of my reverie, and I look to her face. Her sapphire eyes squint adorably as her brow scrunches in confusion. She reaches up to pat her face, then flails around with her right hand, searching for her glasses. I reach over and take them off the nightstand, then hand them to her. She puts them on and sits up, blinking. "Were...were you watching me sleep?" she asks. Crap! "I was just waiting for you to wake up," I say. "I wasn't sure if you'd had dinner or not yet so I wanted to wait to order, but you looked so peaceful I didn't want to wake you." "Oh," Juniper says. "Sorry about that, I just kinda dozed off reading. No, I haven't eaten yet." She starts to swing her legs off the bed, then notices the state of her skirt. She blushes furiously and gives me a cross look. "You didn't--" "I'm your brother, Juniper," I say as calmly as I can. "Why would I?" Juniper frowns, but stands up, straightening her skirt. "But you saw, right?" "Blue suits you," I say before I can stop myself. Juniper's face and ears are burning red. She punches me in the arm. "Just for that, I want sushi," she says. Crap...there goes my gaming budget for the month.
INT. KITCHEN - EVENINGView OnlineFreeze FrameINT. KITCHEN - EVENINGJuniper deftly dips a bite of tuna roll in soy sauce with her chopsticks, then pops it into her mouth. I watch her daintily chew and remember a time when she wouldn't eat anything sour and hated fish. I'm not that much older than her, but I can't help but have these nostalgic memories from growing up together with my precious sister. Now she's got all these grown-up, sophisticated tastes, but at the same time she can still be such a little kid. "Not hungry?" she asks me. "Huh? Oh, sorry, lost in thought," I say, turning to my own sushi. I'm not really a fan of sushi, I can take it or leave it. I ordered inari because the tofu is more palatable to me. I smile as I pick through my food with my own chopsticks. "I was just remembering a time when you threw a fit because Mom packed a tuna salad sandwich in your lunch, and now look at you." Juniper pulls a face. "What the—I was eight!" she splutters. "You're so weird sometimes! Jeez..." "I just think it's funny, that's all," I say as I take a bite of inari. "Gimme a bite of that," Juniper says, snatching up a bite from my tray with her chopsticks. "Careful!" I warn. "I asked for—" Juniper's eyes bug out as she chews the inari. She starts coughing, her eyes watering as she drops her chopsticks. "—wasabi in mine," I finish lamely. Juniper pounds the table with her fist for a minute, then grabs her water bottle, fumbles with the cap for a second, and gulps down half the bottle in one long chug. "How can you stand that stuff?!" she wheezes as she caps her water and fans her mouth. I shrug as I take another bite of inari. "You know I've always liked spicy things," I say. She stares at me. "You just...no reaction," she says dully, eyes wide. "So how's school going?" I ask, changing the subject. "Eh, it's boring," Juniper says, going back to her own meal. "I kinda wish I was going to CHS instead of Crystal Prep because my new friends all go there, but it's not that long until graduation, it'd be really dumb to transfer now." She paused, then added, "Besides, there's a few girls at my school who are friends with the same girls. I guess I could...maybe try to make friends with them?" I smile. "I'm glad you're making friends," I say. "It always worried me that you were alone all the time." A dark cloud passes over her sapphire eyes and she averts her gaze. "Yeah," she said hoarsely. Oh no...I upset her... "So you're reading Fantômas now?" I ask, hoping the change in topic will brighten her mood. "Hm? Oh, yeah," she says. "I was interested because he's the inspiration for the bad guy on a show that's really popular right now." I know the one she means. A lot of my classmates at Canterlot U are obsessed with it. Especially the girls on campus. "You mean Hawk Moth from Miraculous Ladybug, right?" "Yeah, that's—you watch that?" Juniper asks, blinking in surprise. "I've seen an episode or two," I say offhandedly. "It's popular on campus, it's hard not to have at least heard of it." With a sudden impish smirk, I add, "Actually, come to think of it, you'd make a pretty cute Ladybug for Halloween." Juniper blushes. "Hey!" she says. She pauses, then fingers her own hair. "W-well...I mean, I do wear my hair a little like hers..." She frowns. "I'm not so sure how good I'd look in red, though. It's a bit...I dunno...not my color?" "I don't know about that," I muse. "I know you prefer black, but..." I smirk. "Maybe Cat Noir then? You could put on cute little kitty ears." "Gah! No way!" Juniper says, sticking her tongue out. "Why not? Besides, you've already got a black bodysuit." She stares at me, her glasses slipping. "Have you—have you been snooping around in my closet?!" "I was putting some stuff away for Mom," I lie blithely. "I saw that crazy supervillain costume you have in there. What's the story with that?" Juniper averts her gaze. "That's...from when I got kicked off Uncle Canter's movie set," she says quietly. "Oh." Ouch. I killed the mood again. I cough, take a bite of inari, then try again. "Well, whatever bad things you did, I'm sure you looked really cute doing them." Juniper wrinkles her nose at me. "Don't tease me," she says sourly. "I'm not!" I insist. "Actually, I've kind of been wanting to see you wearing that. I can't help it, it's just such a random thing to find in your closet I can't help but be curious." Juniper purses her lips, toying with her chopsticks. "Maybe one of these days," she says. She finishes eating, then wipes her mouth, stands, and cleans up her side of the table. "I'm going to take a bath," she announces. I watch her leave the room, admiring the sway of her hips, the swish of her skirt, the flounce of her long bottle-green pigtails. God, she's so adorable... I don't have anything else to do except more homework and I'm sick of that, so I clean up the rest of the kitchen and settle in for some idle gaming in the living room.
INT. LIVING ROOM - EVENINGView OnlineFreeze FrameINT. LIVING ROOM - EVENINGI'm lost in an intense session of Tirek's Revenge when I hear doors opening and closing down the hall. I nearly bite it in-game as I catch a glimpse of Juniper, wrapped in a fluffy white towel, pad from the bathroom to her room. A little bit later, she emerges from her room in an oversized pale lavender T-shirt that hangs down to mid-thigh. She pads barefoot to the kitchen, rummages around a bit, then flops down next to me on the sofa with a handful of fig cookies wrapped in a paper towel. She kicks her heels up on the coffee table, legs crossed, and nibbles on a cookie. "I wanna play too," she says. "Sure." I take the second controller off the charger at the end of the couch and pass it to her. It takes her a minute to get set up and jump into the game, then one of the computer-controlled characters switches over to her control. As soon as Juniper starts playing, I become far more interested in watching her than I am in the game. She leans forward, tip of her tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth as she furiously presses buttons, shifting her body this way and that as she tilts her controller and leans into whatever her character on-screen is doing. As she tilts and leans her body, her modest breasts roll and sway gently inside her T-shirt. As she concentrates more and more on the game, she takes her oh-so-sexy bare feet off the table and leans forward, planting her feet on the floor and almost—almost—spreading her thighs apart. "What are you doing!?" she cries suddenly. I stiffen up; did she catch me staring at her? "You've gotta block! Block! Look out, that one behind you just—!" On the screen, my character dies. Juniper groans in exasperation. "What the hell, Freeze Frame?!" she cries. "It's like you're not even trying!" *Idiot!* I snarl to myself. "S-sorry," I stammer. "I, uhh...got lost in thought." Juniper snorts. "I swear, you can be so weird sometimes," she says. My character respawns, and I do my best to focus. It isn't easy, especially when Juniper leans left into my peripheral vision, or when she puts her feet back up on the table... It's not like this is the first time I've ever seen Juniper like this. It's kind of a warm, muggy night—not uncomfortably so, but enough that pajamas aren't the most ideal sleepwear. Still, the sight of my beautiful, sexy sister in nothing but a T-shirt and (I assume) panties is as distracting as it is amazing. After the brief glimpse of her panties earlier this evening, the sight of her barefoot and showing off all the leg...well, it's hard for me to focus on anything except the near-painful bulge in my pants. A bulge which absolutely nothing is concealing. We make it to a miniboss, but get so badly creamed we have to use an escape item. Juniper sighs and leans back. "Seriously, you need to get your head in the game," she says grumpily. "You're supposed to be the one leading here—" She glances in my direction to rebuke me. "What's got you so distrac...ted..." Her eyes drop to my lap, and her mouth purses into a tiny, confused 'o'. She blinks twice. "Umm." I hastily grab a random magazine and drop it in my lap. Smooth. Juniper's brow creases as she looks at me with narrowed eyes. "Oooooh...kay," she drawls slowly. "Do I even want to know what's got you, umm..." Her cheeks color faintly. "Worked up?" I fish around lamely for an excuse. Any excuse. She stares at me, scrutinizing, a thin, suspicious frown on her face. I sigh. "Actually? It's you," I admit in a resigned tone. She blinks. "Me?" She points at herself with a finger, the most adorably confused expression on her face. "W-well, it's just..." I squirm a bit in my seat, then cough. "You have really sexy legs," I say sheepishly. "A-and...bare feet are kind of one of my big turn-ons." Juniper colors brilliantly. "R-really?" she stammers, shifting self-consciously, drawing her legs inward a bit defensively. "I mean, you're my brother—" "That doesn't mean I can't appreciate how cute and sexy my baby sister is," I say, hoping my voice isn't hitching too much as I grin at her in what I hope is a teasing way. Juniper ducks her gaze, her face flaming. "Umm...thank you?" she says hesitantly. She squirms a bit in her seat. "I, uhh...I think I'm gonna go read for a little while." She stands up, tugging down on the hem of her shirt, and quickly retreats to her room. I groan and smack myself in the forehead repeatedly with that magazine. Now I've done it. I've weirded her out and put her on the alert. She thinks I'm some kind of creep for sure... I shut down everything in the living room, head back to my room, and jerk off for a while, thinking about Juniper's amazingly sexy legs.
INT. HOME - EARLY MORNING (CONT.)View OnlineFreeze FrameINT. HOME - EARLY MORNING (CONT.)After a night of interesting and arousing dreams about Juniper, I woke up with a horrible case of morning wood. I lie in bed for half an hour, watching the sun filter through the blinds as I deal with my 'predicament', then drag myself out of bed with a grunt and head for the bathroom to take a shower. After my shower, I wrap a towel around my waist to head back to my room and get dressed for the day. I open the bathroom door...and almost run smack into Juniper, still dressed like she was last night. She steps back in surprise. "Oh!" she says. "S-sorry, I..." Her eyes flick down to my towel, then up to my face, then off to the side. "It's okay," I say. "Bathroom's all yours." She steps out of my way; I head back to my room and get dressed. Once I'm ready to face the day, I head for the kitchen to make breakfast. By the time I have scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast for two plated and on the kitchen table, Juniper shuffles into the kitchen, wearing faded jeans, purple socks, and a royal purple T-shirt. She sits down and picks up her fork, folding eggs and bacon onto her toast as I pour her a glass of orange juice. "Thanks," she mumbles before eating in awkward silence. I sit down across from her and study her face. Her eyes won't quite meet mine. I sigh and pick at my breakfast. After several minutes, I decide to try to talk to her. "Look, Juniper..." She shakes her head and waves her fork around. "I'm just...trying to process," she says. "I mean..." She pushes some of her eggs around into a little pile with some bacon crumbs. "You're my big brother," she says. "My whole life, you've always just been...there. Just...my brother Freeze Frame, the kind of annoying, kind of cool dork I looked up to and sometimes kinda maybe resented a little." She sips her juice. "It's just...you've never been a boy." I raise an eyebrow at her. "I'm pretty sure I've always been a boy, sis." "You know what I mean!" Juniper says hotly, flushing. "I mean, I never knew you thought of me as a girl, like...a girl a girl. It just...surprises me." She takes a bite of eggs, then looks up at me, her sapphire eyes sharp and a little bit accusatory. "And it's a little unnerving. I mean...now I have to wonder just how often you ogle me, what kind of weird thoughts you're having about me..." She looks away. "Whether or not you've ever...done anything weird when I'm asleep..." "Never," I say fiercely. "I've never done anything like that." I push my plate back and lean forward. "Sure, sometimes I watch you sleep, because..." I take a deep breath. I can't say it just yet. Not until the air is clear. "Well, anyway, I just...I've never done anything," I finish. "The watching me sleep thing is kind of weird, though," Juniper points out with a mild frown. "Especially with yesterday's, umm..." She ducks her head and looks away. "Exposure." "That wasn't me," I say hastily. "You were like that when I came in." "And you sat there and ogled me," Juniper accuses. I feel my face heat up in shame. "A little," I admit. "But really, I just...I wasn't sitting there staring at your...at your thighs, or...or anything." I wipe my mouth with a napkin. "I just really...wanted to watch you sleep." Juniper blinks, pursing her lips. "That another of your turn-ons?" she asks. I shake my head. "It's not like that," I say. "I just..." I sigh and look her straight in the eyes. "Okay, here it is," I try. "The thing is...I'm in love with you." Juniper tilts her head, confusion written across her face. "Huh?" I swallow heavily. "I'm in love with you," I say again, my voice hoarse. "I've been in love with you for years, Juniper. Really in love with you." Now that I've said those words, the rest comes tumbling out in a rush. "I think about you all the time. Whenever I see you, my heart beats faster. Every little thing about you fascinates me. I see your cute face when you smile and it warms me up inside. When you're sad or scared I just want to cuddle you and keep you safe and warm. And...and yes, I've had some lewd thoughts about you now and then, but I..." I take a sip of juice to wet my dry mouth and parched throat. "I mean, you're so beautiful and so sexy and so...just amazing," I continue. "And...and I can't help it. I love you, and I want to keep you all to myself, and I guess I also want to..." I gesture sheepishly. "Stuff." Juniper stares at me, her mouth gaping wide, her glasses sliding down her nose. Her entire face is beet red. "Umm...wow," she says in a soft voice. "I...just...wow," she says again, poking the tips of her index fingers together. She ducks her head and casts her eyes up shyly at me. "B-but...I mean, you're my brother, I'm your sister...that's wrong, isn't it?" "Not to me it isn't," I say. "If it is, I don't care. You're special and precious to me and I'll never stop loving you." I didn't think it was possible for her to get any redder, but somehow, she does. "I...need time to think about all this," she says. "This is just...really surprising. I don't know how to feel about everything you just told me." My heart sinks. "I understand," I say. She wipes her mouth and hands with her napkin. "I'm...gonna go for a walk," she says. "I'm probably gonna hang out with the girls for a bit today, so I might be back home kinda late. You're...gonna be okay, right?" "Yeah, totally," I say as my insides turn to lead. "Okay." Juniper stands, hesitates, then steps over and lightly hugs me around the shoulders. "I'll see you later, Freeze Frame." With that, she heads back to her room for a second, then heads for the back door and leaves. I sigh and bang my head on the table, cursing my stupidity, then set about cleaning up the breakfast dishes.
INT. BEDROOM - AFTERNOONView OnlineFreeze FrameINT. BEDROOM - AFTERNOONMelancholy alt rock plays from my computer as I lie in bed, struggling through the reading for one of my classes. I can't really concentrate today. I keep picking up my phone and looking through my collection of photos. Juniper as Daring Do for Halloween. She was sixteen and excited for the premiere of the latest Daring Do movie, which would be the last one to feature the original actress. "I'm gonna be the next Daring Do!" she'd tell anyone and everyone. She really, honestly believed it too, even though she's never had a single acting role in her life. When Chestnut Magnifico was cast for the part for the next film, Juniper was shellshocked. Then she started acting all moody and bitchy. Then there was the incident that got her kicked off Uncle Canter Zoom's set. I still don't know all the details, nor do I know why Juniper got fired from the movie theater usher job Uncle Canter got her after that. I asked, but she wouldn't talk about it, and got really moody if I pried. Eventually, I stopped asking and settled for just being her supportive big brother. It occasionally occurred to me to do some digging behind her back and get the facts, but I couldn't bring myself to betray her trust like that. Besides, once she made those new friends of hers, her attitude did a complete turn-around; once she was all smiles and sunshine and adorkableness again, it just stopped mattering. A few swipes later brings me to Juniper's Quinceañera, and I smile at the memory. My little sister, coming into her womanhood in a simple but gorgeous lavender dress. It's a little sad that it was only attended by family, mostly our cousins and second cousins and the like. Juniper's always had trouble making friends... Oh, there I am dancing with her in place of Dad because Dad broke his leg a week before the party. I remember my heart beating so furiously as I looked into my sister's sparkling eyes... Swipe, and I've got last year's trip to the beach. My blood rushes at the sight of Juniper in a purple-spotted eggshell bikini. So incredibly sexy... I set my phone aside and toss the book I'm reading to the floor, folding my arms behind my head. I sigh and stare up at the ceiling, wondering what she's doing right now, what she's thinking... What she thinks of her brother now that she knows... What if things get too awkward at home now? I might have to get a job and move out. Mom and Dad are sure to pick up on the weirdness between me and Juniper if she can't cope with this...what then? I close my eyes. I open my eyes. The shadows stretching across the room are longer and the sunlight coming in from the blinds is less intense. I must have fallen asleep... I check my phone, and find two hours have passed. My phone rings. It's Mom. I answer. "Hello?" "How are you kids doing?" "We're alright. Juniper's out somewhere with her friends. I'm trying to get some studying done." "Good to hear. Listen, we're gonna be a while getting back. Your Aunt Roseberry came down with the flu right before we got here, then Sepia caught it so he's down, I'm on Bannaflu for a few days, and with Roseberry down they need me around here to help with the baby anyway. We might not be back until around Thursday or Friday. Will you kids be okay for a bit?" Yikes. Dad can't catch a break sometimes. "Yeah, I think we can manage. I'll let Juniper know." "Okay. The spare debit card's in Sepia's desk in our bedroom, it isn't locked. Don't go crazy with it, just use it to buy food for the two of you, okay?" I roll my eyes. "I know, Mom. Tell Dad I hope he feels better soon." "Right. I'll keep you posted. Love you." "Love you too, Mom." I end the call and flop back with a sigh. It's just me and Juniper for a while... I hear the back door open and close. I sit up, tucking my legs underneath me and frowning pensively. I have no idea what kind of mood Juniper's going to be in, or how strained things are going to be between us. I'm almost afraid to go out there and face her...
EXT. CANTERLOT CITY - EARLIER (CONT.)View OnlineFreeze FrameEXT. CANTERLOT CITY - EARLIER (CONT.)Juniper Montage shuffled listlessly down the sidewalk, lost in thought. She had lost track of how long she'd been walking or where she even was; her mind was a whirl of confusing, conflicting emotions, thoughts, and memories. Freeze Frame, her dorky older brother, the brother who'd always helped with her homework and watched movies with her and played games with her, the brother who danced with her at her Quinceañera, who held her and comforted her when she was upset, who made breakfast for her when Mom was busy or sick... Her brother, who she now realized she'd taken completely for granted for so long, was in love with her. Colors and shapes passed by her in a vague blur as she walked, sounds blending together into a hollow, distant buzz as she meandered through the forest of memory, searching for any sign, any clue, any signals she'd missed about her brother. A loud, blaring sound cut through her introspection. Something slammed into her, tackling her to the rough sidewalk. She heard a screeching sound, a torrent of obscenities, and a flurry of murmuring voices. Someone was saying something to her. She blinked, struggling dazedly to sit up. "—all right?" a male voice asked. Juniper adjusted her glasses and blinked. A peach-colored face topped with spiky blue hair swam into view, eyes full of concern. "Hey, are you alright?" Juniper frowned in confusion. "Huh?" "You almost walked right into traffic," the boy in front of her said, slowly pulling her to her feet. Juniper blinked, then looked around. People were staring at her, whispering and murmuring. Juniper's heart jumped into her throat. "Oh my god, what?" She watched the truck that had almost hit her kick into gear and pull away, the driver casting a disparaging look back at her. Then a familiar head of red and gold hair bobbed into view. "J-Juniper!" Sunset Shimmer panted, bracing her hands on her knees. "My god, are you okay?" "Y-yeah," Juniper stammered shakily. "Sunset Shimmer? How did you—" "You're lucky we were walking by here," the blue-haired boy said. "I almost didn't get to you in time." "Oh, umm..." Juniper squirmed, blushing as she looked from one to the other. "Th-thanks," she said, ducking her head. "S-sorry about..." "Are you okay, Juniper?" Sunset asked. "You looked so distracted, and then you just walked right into the street..." Juniper looked down, drawing into herself, unconsciously grabbing her left arm with her right hand. "Y-yeah..." She shuddered. "Oh god..." Sunset laid a hand on Juniper's arm, her teal eyes boring compassionately into Juniper's. "Do you wanna talk about it?" she asked. Juniper looked up at Sunset, then over at the boy. Her eyes widened. "Oh! Um. W-well...I don't want to, um, intrude..." "Oh, it's cool," the boy said. "I'm Flash Sentry, by the way." "Flash is my...well, ex-boyfriend, but..." Sunset blushed. "We're sort of trying to figure out if maybe we wanna try it again." "Oh," Juniper said, her mouth pursed in a small 'o'. "W-well, I don't want to be a third wheel then." "Oh, we're not on a date or anything," Flash said. "We're just hanging out." His body language made it clear that he was desperate for it to be a date. "More importantly, there's no way we're gonna just leave you alone after you nearly died!" "That's right," Sunset said firmly. "Come on, the diner Pinkie Pie works at isn't too far from here. Let's go sit down, get something to eat, and talk, okay?" Juniper looked from Sunset to Flash, then swallowed and nodded. "O-okay." A few minutes later, the three of them sat in a booth in a retro diner with an old-fashioned jukebox and waitresses on rollerskates. While Juniper looked over the menu, Sunset busied herself with texting her friends. She pursed her lips. "Twilight and Rarity are nearby, they said they'll be right over," she said. "I'd hoped Pinkie Pie was working here today, but she's doing a thing with her sisters. Applejack and Rainbow Dash are busy with stuff, and Fluttershy...isn't answering, so she's either busy with her animals or she's asleep." She put her phone away and perused the menu. "Do you want to wait to talk about it until the girls get here?" Juniper nodded. "I...I think so, yes," she said. She looked away, frowning. "I'm...not even sure how to talk about it anyway." By the time Twilight Sparkle and Rarity arrived, Flash Sentry was working his way through an order of chili cheese fries and a cherry cola, while Sunset munched on a grilled chicken salad and Juniper listlessly spooned hot fudge around the edge of an ice cream sundae, one elbow on the table, her mouth pursed in a faint frown. "Good day, everyone!" Rarity said as the others scooched in to make room for the new arrivals. "Lovely morning, isn't it?" "Well, for some of us," Sunset said. "Juniper doesn't seem to be having a very good day." She glanced at Juniper, raising an eyebrow. "Oh? What's wrong, Juniper?" Twilight asked. "Whatever it is, we're your friends, and we'll do our best to help you out!" She offered a bright, hopeful smile. "That's right, darling! We're here for you, all the way!" Rarity agreed heartily. "Thanks," Juniper said, offering a halfhearted smile. She fussed with her glasses for a minute, then looked down into her ice cream. After listlessly toying with her spoon for a second, she looked up again. "Do any of you girls have brothers?" "I do," Twilight said. "Older brother." "I have a sister," Rarity said. "But no brothers." Sunset shook her head. "Only child here, but Applejack and Fluttershy have brothers." She grimaced. "Well, Applejack has a brother. Fluttershy has...whatever Zephyr Breeze is." Rarity and Twilight shuddered. Juniper blinked, but shook her head and pressed on. "Well, I have an older brother, Freeze Frame. He's three years older than me, he goes to Canterlot University." She took a bite of her melting ice cream. "I mean, he's always just been there, y'know? My dorky big bro. But..." She sighed. "Last night and this morning, things got...weird at home." Sunset narrowed her eyes. "Weird how?" she asked suspiciously, even as Flash tensed up and Twilight paled. Juniper pushed her ice cream away and folded her arms on the table, laying her chin down on them with a miserable expression. "He dropped this big dramatic love confession on me out of nowhere this morning," she said. "Like...right out of a sappy movie." Rarity gasped, eyes lighting up. "Oh my!" she said excitedly. Sunset blinked. "Your...brother...confessed to you?" she asked. "Yikes," Twilight said, eyes shrinking to pinpricks behind her glasses. "Hold up," Flash said. "You said something happened last night, too...?" "Oh, right," Juniper said. "Sorry, I wanted to lead with the part that really threw me." She coughed. "W-well, last night we were just playing video games in the living room and I caught him staring at my legs and...and..." She blushed, her eyes roaming around the diner. "W-well, he had a...y'know..." "Boner?" Flash prompted. "Flash Sentry!" Rarity chided. "Do remember there are ladies present!" "Sorry," Flash said, scratching the back of his head. Sunset rolled her eyes. "Flash is right though, right Juniper?" Juniper nodded, her face red. "Y-yeah." "That's not that weird," Flash said dismissively. "Guys don't really have much control over that. Or over what sets them off." "I...guess," Juniper said. "It's just...he outright admitted he's attracted to me. In...in that way." "Gyeah," Twilight said, pulling a face. "I know it'd wig me out if Shining Armor was ogling me like that." "I can't even begin to imagine, darling!" Rarity said, utterly scandalized. "Sister complex," Flash said, nodding. "I've heard about it, but I've never seen one in person before." Juniper sighed again. "The...the thing is..." She took another spoonful of mostly-melted ice cream. "Him being, w-well..." She ducked her head and coughed. "T-turned on by me, I could...I could deal with that. It's weird, but..." Her ears burned red. "I mean, it's not a bad thing, really? Because I know he'd never...y'know..." She poked her fingertips together. "It just...caught me off guard. But the whole...thing from this morning, it's just..." She shook her head, then slumped forward onto the table. "I don't know," she half-moaned, half-croaked. "What do your parents have to say about all this?" Flash asked. "They're out of town," Juniper said. Sunset paled. "Do you...do you need someplace to stay? While you figure all this out?" "Huh? Oh...no," Juniper said, eyes wide. "Why would I? I mean, it's not like I'm afraid of my brother or anything! I'm just...overwhelmed." She shrugged limply. "I mean, it's a lot to take in." She sighed. "I mean, he's my brother. He's always just been there and I guess now I realize I've been taking him for granted my entire life, but..." She waved her spoon around. "Hearing him go on and on this morning about...about how much he loves me and how special I am to him..." Her cheeks flushed again. Rarity smiled and sighed dreamily. "How lovely," she said. "Gah!" Twilight cried. "Rarity, it's her brother!" "Forbidden love, darling!" Rarity shot back, lost in the drama. "It's so compelling!" "It's incest!" Twilight retorted. "I don't think just being in love with your sister counts as incest," Flash said. "Not unless you act on it, or..." He frowned. "I mean, feelings are just feelings, right?" Sunset pursed her lips. "My advice?" she hedged. "You need to sit down with him and talk it out. Discuss his feelings, discuss your feelings, lay everything out on the table. If you don't, this is just gonna fester." Juniper swallowed thickly. "You're right," she said. She stood up, fishing some money out of her pocket and tossing it onto the table. "Thanks, guys," she said tonelessly. "I think I'm gonna go home and talk to Freeze Frame." "Good luck, darling," Rarity said with a comforting smile. "If you need backup, let one of us know," Sunset said. "Or a place to crash if it gets too awkward at home," Twilight added. "I'll be happy to pick you up and take you anywhere so you don't walk in front of any more trucks," Flash put in. Juniper smiled. "Thanks," she said. "I think I'll be okay, really." With that, she left the diner, mind still whirling, but a plan of attack keeping her grounded.
