//------------------------------//
// Consequences 
// Story: Remnants of a Dream 
// by Scout Charger 
//------------------------------//

Scout was just about to enter the shower when he registered something on his cheek. He stepped closer to the mirror and rubbed his eyes to get them to work correctly. There surely was something on his cheek, he just didn’t recognize what. In a desperate attempt to get a clearer view he switched on each and every light in the bathroom. The bright white one over the mirror finally did the trick.

It was faint, almost invisible in poor lighting, but there definitely was something red. He squinted and tried to get his eyes to focus on the stain by sheer force of will. “Is that…?” 

Something warm and wet pressed to his cheek.

His vision obscured by a curtain of red and gold.

Somebody whispered in his ears.

Deep turquoise eyes ask him for acceptance.

Scout shook his head to chase away the memories. “…Lipstick!” He mumbled as he brought a hand to his cheek. Once he had registered the faint red stain on his face it was almost impossible to miss. Careful, as if a hasty move could destroy it, he brushed his fingertips across the lipstick.

After a few seconds of reluctance he started to rub his cheek. Gently at first, but with every passing heartbeat he became more determined. When it felt like his skin started to get sore he stopped and brought his fingers in front of his eyes. He definitely saw red stains on his fingertips. “It wasn’t a stupid wet dream.” He exclaimed surprised and smiled at the mirror. “Applejack, Sunset and I had sex last night!”

It took Scout barely three seconds before he remembered another fact and his smile dropped instantly. “But the girls were gone this morning and Sunset seemed like she didn’t remember anything. Did they forget last night or…” his shoulders sacked a little “… or do they want to forget it?”

Scout never was a morning person and his brain tended to be rather pragmatic and pessimistic in the first one or two hours after he got up. Because of this he was almost instantly convinced that the girls had decided to forget it, that the night was a mistake and that he would never speak of it again. Therefore, with the enthusiasm of a death row inmate, he showered and prepared to leave Las Pegasus.





The trip back to CHS was rather uneventful. Scout had taken a seat at the front of the bus, avoiding so much as to even look at Sunset or Applejack. Instead he went for the tried and tested strategy of any man that wanted to avoid a conversation with a woman, he pretended to sleep.





Sunset was normally not all that fond of remembering the things she did before Princess Twilight first appeared at Canterlot High, but she was pretty sure her evil schemes and plans had always been top notch. This one however didn’t seem to work all that well.

Applejack and Sunset sat alone at a table in a corner of the cafeteria and debated about the latest turn of events. “Ah don’t think that mighty fine plan ya made is workin as intended.” Applejack stated with a mixture of anger and embarrassment.

Sunset looked at her friend and sighed. “Well, my old self and my villainous pride would like to contradict. The plan worked just fine, Scout hasn’t said anything and nobody at CHS has any idea what we did in Las Pegasus.” She slammed her head on the table and groaned. “And my new self wants to kick myself for that line of thought. It wasn’t supposed to end like this. He was supposed to think it was all a dream and nothing more.”

Both girls threw a glance at the boy who was the subject of their discussion and sighed. “He avoids me like the plague.” Sunset stated coldly.

Applejack snorted. “Before we all did this he was at Sweet Apple Acres at least once a week ta’ help out or talk to Big Mac Ah reckon. Now it’s three weeks since we came back and none o’ us has seen him except in school.” The blond farm girl looked at Sunset and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “We need ta’ do somethin’ about this.”

Sunset nodded and also crossed her arms. “That’s the thing. I don’t really know what to do. Back in Equestria nopony would give a damn about the situation at all. No embarrassment or awkwardness or secrecy about it, if there was something to talk about we would simply do so. I’m all for sorting this out, but I think you know better than me how to do it.”

Applejack rolled her eyes and blew a raspberry. “Come on, it can’t be that hard ta’ learn how ya’ be nice and what not.”

Sunset fixed Applejack with a deadpan glare. “Social norms are something explained to little kids by their parents. Good luck with learning those all by yourself. You can only pick up so much without somebody actually explaining it. By the way, with how secretive you guys are about sex I consider it a miracle that you still manage to procreate at all.”

Applejack made a dismissive gesture and leaned back. “Ok, social fancies aside, Ah think talkin’ to him sounds like a good start.”

Sunset threw a sideways glance toward Scout and nodded. “I think you’re right.” She stood up and, with a nod toward Applejack, went to Scout’s table.

When the two girls approached their target however things started to go haywire. They hadn’t even crossed half of their way when Scout started to wrap up his lunch. Feeling the need to hurry, Sunset and Applejack picked up the pace to cut him off before he left. They reached the table before it was too late and Sunset gave Scout an apologetic smile. “Scout, can we…” Before her sentence was even halfway out of her mouth, the boy stood up, took the remains of his lunch and left without a word.

Applejack took two quick strides and grabbed his shoulder, making him stop dead in his tracks. “Can ya’ please listen to what we gotta say? Ah don’t know what happened, but…” A sudden twist of his neck and a glare filled with barely content rage made Applejack almost choke on her words.

Scout slowly put down his tablet, reached for Applejack’s hand and plucked it off his shoulder. The girl scrunched her face a bit, her expression suddenly a mix of anger and sorrow. “You don’t know?!” Scout almost whispered.

Applejack stared directly at him and clenched her jaw tight. “Ya’ twistin’ ma’ wrist. Ah’ll count to five. Let go or Ah’ll make ya let go.” The farm girl delivered almost unnaturally calm.

The standoff was like a game of chicken, fought between Applejack’s legendary stubbornness against Scout’s uncharacteristic anger.

After roughly a second, Applejack took a deep breath. “One!” While the cafeteria grew a little quieter Scout stood his ground, never breaking eye contact with her. 

“Two!” Applejack continued and more students turned their attention toward her, Scout and Sunset.

Sunset herself had come to the conclusion that this was spiraling out of control very, very fast.

Applejack clenched her fist and her whole body seemed to tense. “Three!”

Almost all students present were now looking at the scene unfolding in front of them. Conversations had toned down to a whisper and those closest to the impending catastrophe attempted to slowly retreat out of the danger zone.

“Four!” Applejack’s voice rang through the room as the knuckles of her fists started to turn white. 

Their surroundings grew silent as Applejack, the girl infamous for her strength, raised her hand, took aim and readied herself. Before she threw her punch though, Scout let go of her wrist and snorted. “You should know very well what happened. … What you two did.” His words were but a whisper. “I’m pretty sure it wasn’t a dream.” He turned his head towards Sunset. “Regardless what you tried to make me think.”

Within an instant, Applejack froze and her eyes grew as wide as dinner plates. Sunset bit her lip and turned away as if in an attempt to hide. As Scout turned around and left the cafeteria, the girls could barely look after him.

After all was over, it took not even a minute before the room was filled to the brim with conversations about Applejack and Scout Charger nearly getting into a fight. Sunset stood next to her friend and sighed. “I think we fucked up majorly.”





Sunset and Applejack kept a low profile for the rest of the day and managed to get through the afternoon without having to answer any uncomfortable questions. Even though their friends asked a few times what happened, they managed to dodge the worst bullets. Strangely enough, Pinkie Pie didn’t ask any questions at all, she merely scrutinized the two of them for the rest of the day.

Shortly after dusk Sunset sat on her balcony and recounted the day, a bowl of cherries sitting next to her. “Scout either suspects or knows that what we did in Las Pegasus was no dream but very much real. Yet still he hasn’t said anything about it before today.” She popped one of the sweet red fruits into her mouth. “His equestrian counterpart said he had a major crush on AJ for years and that he thought I was a filly worth to get to know better. I’m pretty sure he fancied the idea of us being more than just acquaintances who both know Princess Twilight.”

Sunset’s look turned skywards. “But I don’t think the Scout Charger from Equestria would really try his luck on any other mare than Applejack. Though that doesn’t mean this world’s version of him wouldn’t.” She spit the stone that remained of her cherry over the balcony rail. “So why does he react like this?”

Minutes turned to hours as Sunset ate her cherries and desperately tried to decipher what exactly happened and why Scout was so mad that he almost picked a fight with AJ.





The next day was largely the same as the day before. Sunset and Applejack debated what to do and Scout didn’t even look at the two. The day after that continued like this, as did the day after that.

On Friday Sunset was finally fed up and decided it was time for a dramatic change in their course of action. After the group had exchanged goodbyes for the weekend and each was heading towards their homes, Sunset went after Applejack and declared her intention. “I will write Twilight and ask her for help.” She stated in a calm tone.

Applejack gulped and looked around like she expected someone to scream for her head on a pike any moment. “Ya’ sure ‘bout that sugar cube? Ah know she is pretty smart an’ all, but this ain’t exactly the type o’ problem a princess of friendship is responsible for, right?”

Sunset merely shrugged. “I see where you’re coming from, but I’m desperate at this point and if you ask me this is some sort of friendship problem. We were friends, we hurt him and now we need to make up to him.”

“It ain’t no friendship thing anymore if ya’ fucked that friend don’t ya’ think?” Applejack hissed. “’Sides, Ah don’t know if Ah’m comfortable with her knowing we did … ya’ know.”

Sunset couldn’t help but to roll her eyes. “I consider it a friendship problem and I will ask Twilight for help. I won’t tell her that you were involved if you don’t want me to. But I will ask her one way or another since I honestly don’t know what else to do.” A mischievous smile formed on Sunset’s lips as she paused for a moment. “Besides, if I remember correctly she told me her former foalsitter is the princess of love.”

Applejack snorted and gave Sunset a stern look. “Well, do what ya’ want if ya’ can’t help it. But Ah would appreciate it if ya’ kept quiet ‘bout me. Ah really don’t want ma’ family ta get wind of this. Ah already feel like a mighty piece of shit for lying ‘bout this ‘n all. No need ta’ make it worse by paintin’ me a whore or somethin’.”

Sunset nodded and smiled sympathetically. “I know your family can be a little old fashioned about some things. I’ll keep your involvement to myself and see what Twilight has to say to all of this.”

Applejack couldn’t help but smile too. “Thanks Sunny.” With a sideways glance at her watch, the blonde farm girl hugged her friend and started to make her way home. “Sorry, but Ah gotta go. Mac wants ta’ see how far the cider is an’ he always needs a hand or two with them damn barrels.”

With a smile Sunset waved after her friend. Though as soon as Applejack was out of sight she sighed and her shoulders dropped visibly. “AJ, I’d never thought you’d chicken out like this when it comes to boys. You always seem like the famous ‘immovable object’.”





When Sunset arrived at her apartment she instantly sat down at her desk, got the magical book she used to write to Twilight from her bag and grabbed a pen. She knew very well that she couldn’t phrase this ‘the right way’. Whatever she said would be wrong on some level or another. Because of this she decided to just get it over with and grab some feel good food afterwards.

Dear Princess Twilight,

I’m sorry I don’t write to you as much as I used to, but lately all is getting kind of crazy around here. No magical craziness, no need to panic there, but rather the normal boring school craziness that always hits when finals draw nearer.

Anyway, I actually write because I could use your help. We had a school trip a few weeks ago. It was great and I really should tell you about it another time, but sadly I made a mistake at the end. You see, there is this boy I kind of fancied and since we had a fun evening at a casino and went to a bar and it was the last night of the trip and all… long story short, we had sex.

I originally didn’t think any of it, but then I remembered this world isn’t as liberal as Equestria when it comes to stuff like this and so I decided to cover it up. You know, to avoid rumors about any of us. I decided to clear the evidence and trick him into thinking it was a dream. And, before you say it, yes I know I bucked up big with this one.

The thing is, he didn’t buy my story and is sure that all was real. He didn’t say anything to the other students but when I wanted to talk to him about it he was so angry, I almost thought he would hit me.

Do you have any advice for me? I was friends with him before and I would want to at least keep that friendship intact.

Your friend,
Sunset Shimmer

Sunset heaved a heavy sigh and put her pen down. She hoped Twilight would buy her story, at least for Applejack’s sake. “I on the other hoof am in for a nice little lecture I think.” She chuckled to herself.

With her message written Sunset stood up and made way to her kitchen. She rummaged through her ice box and found a half-eaten tub of lemon ice cream. “Exactly what the doctor ordered.” She said with a smile.

As Sunset returned to her living room the magical book was already glowing and vibrating. She clenched her eyes shut and put the ice cream down. “Quite fast today … this is going to be fun.” She murmured sarcastically.