Reserve Stock: Growing Competition

There were no trial proceedings the next day, and so Applejack took her time in returning to Ponyville. She had to tend her own farm, mind her own trees, and endure a lecture from Big Mac about how she wouldn’t have a headache if she didn’t drink so much.

She really wanted to tell him what she’d been drinking, but some things brother and sister were not meant to know about each other.

It was early afternoon by the time she got back to the Boutique. No creature was there, so she let herself in the back and sat in the front, fiddling with her hat while she waited. Around three, she heard the key turn in the front lock, and Ember and Rarity walked in.

“Well, I don’t know,” Rarity was saying. “Flim & Flam are surprisingly good at this, I almost…”

She trailed off when Ember pointed, and only then noticed Applejack sitting in the store. “Applejack,” she said softly. “I uh… I’m surprised to see you here.” After a moment’s silence, she added, “When you didn’t come back last night… well. You understand.”

“Yeah, I got some things to say.” Applejack stood up, perched her hat on her head, and then adjusted it with a single brush of her hooves. “To both of you.”

Ember snorted. “If you expect me to apologize for that fight, you’re out of your mind. All I need is support and you two can’t—”

“Ember, why in Tartarus are you wasting your time with this?”

Ember froze, her expression screwing up. AJ crossed the distance between them, and without hesitation, poked her in the breast. “With this.”

“Well, it’s…” She stammered. “It’s fun. I like the… physicality.”

“Good. Have fun. Like the physicality. You know we can still sleep together even if we lose this court case, right? Twilight ain’t going to confiscate your tits.” Then she whirled on Rarity. “And you? Why are you here? You make dresses, not alcohol.”

“Applejack, I—”

“It’s because it’s fun and because you like being in charge. And you like winning. And that’s great! Have fun. Boss us around and make us bend over and do all the sexy things you like. I’m finding I’m weirdly into it. You can even like winning. But this case?” Applejack drew a breath and slammed a hoof down on the floor. “You’ve lost. Stop taking it out on your friends.”

Ember and Rarity stared at Applejack, neither sure what to say. But it hardly mattered. Applejack was not done speaking, and didn’t pause to let them interrupt. “You know why I’m here? Because I really like dragon tits. I do! Didn’t know that about myself. But I do. Ember, you’re the second-hottest piece of tail in all the world. The first hottest is Fuze. Screw you, she looks better, I like her tits. But you know why I’m over here and not there? Because I want a relationship, not just to go to bed. Even if it is a weird, three way… I don’t know. I don’t know what we are.”

With a stiff breath she finished: “But whatever we are? It’s based on my wanting you. Not my needing you. So if you treat me wrong like that, screw you, I’m out. Now are you going to calm down or what?”

“I…” Ember hesitated. “I didn’t mean…” She couldn’t make herself say sorry, but she did manage, “I’ll calm down.”

Rarity said nothing, but she did manage to look ashamed.

“This whole time I was wondering what I do here,” Applejack said. “And now I get it, because I got more common sense than both of you put together. Ember, Fuze doesn’t want to be Dragon Lord, and she ain’t no threat to your rule. But if you make an ass of yourself fighting her in Equestria, other dragons might start to wonder if you’ve lost your marbles. And Rarity? Trying to rig a trial and screwing it up doesn’t look good. Settle. I’d bet bits to wooden nickels they’ll offer 30%.”

“I…” Rarity hesitated. “We could. But, Applejack, is… everything okay?”

“It’s fine. It wasn’t fine before, but it’s fine now. I think.” She shut her eyes and let out a long sigh. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Hesitantly, Ember cleared her throat. “You want a drink?”

“Yeah,” Applejack said. “But you owe me one night at the farm. Something quiet and intimate you said. You never showed up.”

“I…” Ember ran her claws down her arm, looking away and at the floor. “I guess I do.”

“Am I uh…” Rarity hesitated. “Invited?”

“Yeah,” Applejack said. Then she smiled, “Just, when all three of us end up in bed together, don’t make it weird.”