The chilly air nipped at my bare skin as Sunset's motorcycle's engine purred sweetly beneath us. It had been a surprisingly slow drive. I thought she would drive fast through the streets, make me hang on for my life, or do something rash to make a point. However, no. She exercised caution. steady. The slowness wasn't the result of someone's poor driving skills rather, it was deliberate.

She was trying to make me feel safe.

Was this another part of her grand scheme? A way to make me think I could trust her? Who knows.

We got into Sweet Apple Acres later than i thought. The others had arrived before us Pinkie’s tiny truck had overtaken us on the way here, much to her joy and Rainbow’s amusement. I could hear Pinkie’s laughter from inside.

Sunset killed the engine, and I handed her back the helmet she’d given me.

She smiled, a soft almost teasing smile. “See? That wasn’t so scary, was it?”

I scoffed. “Yeah, whatever. Could just be part of your plan.”

For a second, I saw her face fall, just a little, just enough. Her fingers brushed against the helmet before she took it, holding it close to her chest. But the smile stayed. That damn smile.

Applejack leaned against the porch railing, tipping her hat back. “Woah, you really did drive slow, Sunset.”

Sunset looked down, swirling the tip of her boot against the thin layer of frost covering the ground. “Yeah… guess I did.”

She sounded almost embarrassed, but I didn’t let myself dwell on it.

“Anyway,” I said, shaking off the cold, “let’s go inside. If you catch a cold, that’s on me.”

I turned and gestured for her to follow. A glimpse of something flickered in her eyes. Hope.

I hated that too.

I hated that every little thing I did seemed to give her hope, like she thought I’d come back to her, that I’d remember her and love her the way she claimed I used to. It wasn’t going to happen.

We approached the door just as Fluttershy suddenly wobbled on the porch steps, her boots slipping against the frost-covered wood. She let out a soft, startled squeak, and before I could even think, I reached out, grabbing her by the waist to steady her.

She tensed under my touch, her hands gripping my coat for balance. For a moment, she just stood there, wide-eyed, looking up at me. Her cheeks turned a delicate shade of pink.

“…Thank you,” she murmured, barely above a whisper.

I quickly pulled my hands away, rubbing the back of my neck. “No problem.”

I suddenly felt… weird. Like I had done something more than just catch her. Maybe it was just the way she was looking at me, like I had just saved her from more than a simple stumble.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Sunset staring at us. Her hands were clenched into fists.

Not my problem.

Applejack swung open the front door, stepping aside. “C’mon in, y’all. Granny made some warm cider.”

One by one, the girls walked in. I lingered by the entrance, holding the door open behind them. Not that I cared about being polite or anything. It was just… instinct.

Fluttershy was the last to step through, glancing at me one more time before disappearing inside.

I followed, stepping into the warm, rustic scent of applewood and cinnamon. The house felt oddly familiar—like a memory buried just beneath the surface, waiting to be unearthed.

Applejack kicked off her boots and hung up her hat. “You’ve been here plenty of times, y’know.”

I let out a dry chuckle. “Yeah? Well, can we not talk about things I—” I lifted my fingers in air quotes “‘did’”

“Oh, stop yappin’,” Rainbow cut in, crossing her arms. “Even with your memory gone, you still had friends. You have memories of having friends, don’t you?”

I opened my mouth, but she wasn’t done.

“Just think of it like starting fresh,” she continued, shrugging. “A new friendship. Unless that’s not ‘edgy’ enough for you?”

I blinked. Oh, you little—

Attacking me is one thing. But my ego?

I expected Sunset or Applejack to scold her, but instead, Fluttershy spoke up.

“I… I think that’s a good way to look at it,” she said softly.

I exhaled slowly. “Fine. I can do that.”

With that, we headed into Applejack’s living room. A massive fireplace roared in the corner, its flames flickering against the wooden walls, bathing the room in a golden glow.

I let out a low whistle. “That’s one big fireplace.”

Applejack chuckled. “Ya said the same thing the first time you were here.”

I frowned, but I didn’t argue. Instead, I took a seat on the couch, stretching out my legs.

Sunset, of course, sat next to me.

Rarity wanted to take other space on me but Fluttershy practically dashed past her and sat down right next to me as well.

Huh.

Okay.

Weird, but… kind of cute.

The girls fell into conversation around me, their voices blending into a low hum. I sat there, hands in my pockets, not really listening. This was fine. This was easy. If I just stayed quiet, maybe I could—

“So,” Rarity’s voice cut through the room, sharp and direct. “Who do you think is Anon-a-Miss?”

I stiffened.

There go my quiet days.

I glanced up, catching the expectant looks from the others. “I don’t know,” I admitted. “But whoever it is, they’ve got a pretty big grudge against everyone.”

The air grew tense. I frowned, something clicking in my head.

“…Wait” I said slowly. “They haven’t posted anything about me, have they?”

The girls exchanged glances.

“Yeah…” Rainbow muttered, narrowing her eyes. “Kinda suspicious.”

I groaned. “Oh, don’t even start.”

“I’m just saying—”

“All I know is that…Well, I don’t know anything. But it’s not me. And honestly? I don’t care about it.”

That was the truth. My own problems were big enough. Some anonymous gossip account wasn’t exactly high on my priority list.

The conversation moved on after that, easing back into casual chatter. Granny Smith brought out glasses of apple juice, setting them on the coffee table with a warm smile.

She’s a good woman, I thought to myself, taking a sip. And damn, this juice is good.

As I took another sip, Sunset excused herself to use the restroom, leaving me sitting next to Fluttershy.

She was quiet, occasionally sipping from her glass of apple juice, her eyes flicking between the girls as they talked. Unlike the others, she wasn’t pushing me. She wasn’t treating me like I was supposed to be someone I wasn’t.

And honestly?

I liked that.

The warmth of the fire, the low hum of conversation, the scent of apples.

Almost.

Then, the door creaked open.

I barely glanced up as Sunset walked back into the room.

Something was… off.

Her hair was tied up. A high ponytail, strands of red and gold spilling over her shoulder.

When did she have time to do that?

Before I could finish that thought, she moved past Fluttershy.

And then—

Fluttershy gasped as her shoulder was knocked forward, her grip on her glass slipped.

And the cold splash of apple juice hit my lap before I even processed what had happened.

I sucked in a sharp breath. The sticky liquid seeped into my jeans, chilling my skin.

“Oh my! I’m so sorry,” Sunset gasped, her voice was thick with... Fake guilt.

Fluttershy panicked, hurriedly reaching for something—anything—to clean it up.

“It’s okay” she murmured, fumbling as Rarity quickly handed her a small handkerchief.

She hesitated, her hands trembling slightly as she dabbed at my legs.

Awkward.

Beyond awkward.

I kept my hands at my sides, my jaw tightening as she worked clearly avoiding my crotch.

A soft giggle broke through the tension. Then another.

"That's one moment you won’t forget" Pinkie teased.

Fluttershy’s face burned bright red, and I felt my own heat up as well.

I swallowed hard, trying to shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Then—

A soft click.

I barely caught it out of the corner of my eye.

Sunset was holding her phone just a little too low, fingers brushing over the screen.

She turned before I could say anything. “I’ll grab some napkins” she said quickly, already making her way toward the door.

Something wasn’t right.

A few minutes passed. The girls started talking again, but I wasn’t listening.

Then, the door creaked open again.

Sunset walked back into the room. She no longer had the pony-tail

Rarity turned to her immediately.

“You didn’t bring napkins” she said, her voice was sharp “but you had time to change your hair?”

Sunset blinked. “What?”

Rarity scoffed. “You went to get napkins. You came back with different hair.”

Sunset frowned, touching her loose hair as if she was checking to see if something had changed.

“What napkins?” she asked, confusion flickering across her face. “And what about my hair?”

Rarity’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Never mind.”

Applejack went to ask her brother if he had any spare old pants to lend me.. Yeah old i won't fit in this unit of man everyday pants, She quickly came back thankfully with something near my size i went to bathroom to change myself.

Not great, not terrible. The ones I had before were way better. Expensive, too. Now I was wearing whatever Big Mac had lying around.

This is temporary. Just deal with it.

I stepped back into Applejack’s living room

The girls had rearranged the furniture slightly, clearing space on the wooden table. My eyes immediately landed on the deck of cards in Rainbow Dash’s hands.

Cards.

Oh, hell yes.

My feet moved before I could even think, practically launching myself onto the couch. I didn’t care that Sunset and Fluttershy were sitting on either side of me.

“What are we playing?” I asked, excitement bubbling up.

Rainbow Dash blinked. “Uh… you good? Did you, like, relieve yourself in the bathroom or something?”

I shot her a glare. “No, I just love playing cards.”

The room fell into an awkward silence. The girls exchanged looks, their expressions tinged with something—confusion? Maybe even… concern?

“What?” I frowned.

Sunset shifted uncomfortably beside me, her eyes flickered. “It’s just… you never wanted to play cards before,”

Never wanted to play before?

That didn’t make sense. I love cards. Why wouldn’t I have wanted to play before?

A tight feeling formed in my chest, but I ignored it. It didn’t matter. That was the old me.

“Well,” I shrugged, cracking my knuckles. “Guess I’ve changed.”

Sunset’s lips pressed into a thin line, she said nothing.

Applejack shuffled the deck, her practiced hands moving fast. “Alright, let’s get to it, then. We’re playin’ Pinochle. Y’all know the rules?”

Fluttershy tilted her head. “I… I think so?”

I smirked. “Don’t worry, you’ll catch on.”

The game started off simple. I played the first few rounds normally, pulling small victories here and there. Then Fluttershy started getting the hang of it. She wasn’t a natural, but she was fast. Sharp. She watched how I played, how I read the board.

Then she won.

Once.

Twice.

Four times in a row.

Applejack groaned and threw her cards down. “Oh, come on! You gotta be cheatin’!”

Fluttershy immediately tensed. “I—I would never—”

“She’s not cheating,” I said smoothly, shuffling the deck like a professional, watching as the cards flickered through my fingers. “She’s just good.”

Applejack still looked suspicious.

I grinned and casually flicked four random cards onto the table.

Four aces.

The room went dead silent.

Rainbow’s jaw dropped. “What the hell?”

Rarity leaned forward. “Did you just… randomly draw four aces?”

Sunset hadn’t spoken. She was staring at me, hands clasped tightly together in her lap.

I didn’t look at her.

Because I knew what I’d see.

She was already hurt that I didn’t remember her. But this? Seeing me getting along with Fluttershy, letting her win, going out of my way to make her feel better after the apple juice incident?

Yeah.

That probably stung.

But that’s not my problem. Again

I looked at Fluttershy. Her face was still pink from the attention, her fingers fidgeting with the corner of her sleeve. She looked… happy.

Good.

She had been feeling guilty. I saw it written all over her face. So I threw some games for her. Why shouldn’t I?

Sunset, on the other hand?

I felt her eyes on me. The sadness behind them.

“You know…” I said slowly. “Spending time with all of you… isn’t that bad.”

The girls perked up at my words. Even Rainbow seemed pleasantly surprised. But Sunset? She barely reacted.

She just stared at me.

Like she was searching for something.

She looked so… lost.

Like she was mourning something.

Something that wasn’t even dead.

Author's Note

Ahoy, here with shorter chapter again, im gonna do smaller chapters for something like this, i allways thought it didn't fit to put something like that in long chapter, its more like filler nothing important is happening here.... right? who knows.