You're on your way home from the grocery store, after running a few errands, the sky's starting to get gray. you listened to the weather report. why didn't you remember your umbrella?
you speed up the walk down the street as you ponder this. come to think of it, you've completed your daily errands in record time. almost as if... something were drawing you towards your home.

you stop at a crosswalk, as cars whizz by, the drivers going about their daily business. it's been raining for the past few days, so you back up to avoid getting splashed by a car in a puddle. you've always loved rainy days, you love sitting in your house, curled up on your couch with Netflix playing or on /mlp/, all day long.

your house barely lit, simply because you haven't moved from the spot you've been in all day. you haven't any need to.
as the light turns red, and the cars begin to slow to a stop, you look both ways, and walk quickly across the street. something's just got you feeling more... lively than before. whether it's this random expectation you're having that something's going to happen today, or the fact that you got your errands done in no time at all.
"you know what, you say to yourself, "I'm gonna treat myself to a little reward for getting everything finished." You decide as soon as you get home and drop off your groceries, you're going out.

As you approach your apartment, you notice the door's unlocked.
you suddenly tense up in fright, opening the door, slowly, and placing the groceries on the floor inside. After closing the door, locking it, and putting the latch on, you search your apartment, top to bottom. finding nothing out of place, until you reach your kitchen.
on the counter, and on the ground is about a dozen apples. You don't remember buying these.

underneath one of the apples on your kitchen counter is a note.

"meet me at Sugarcube Corner." it reads.
That's a place from a cartoon... but, what if... what if it were real?
you shake the idea from your head, the very notion of Sugarcube Corner being a real place is foolish. Still, you pocket the note, and try and push the curiousity you're feeling out of your head.

But the thought lingers, and it isn't going away anytime soon. after getting over the shock that somebody broke into your house, and putting away your groceries, you sit down at your computer, turning on the light in your room, which is unusual for you, the exception being made this time because you're still a bit nervous.

your browse /mlp/ for a while, trying to distract yourself from this whole break-in business and the note... But it's not happening.

You decide to get it out of your head, the best thing to do is to find out about it.
you open up a new tab, and head to Google, searching for "Sugarcube Corner, New York City".

as you browse through the results of your query, you make a strangely late revelation. Why didn't you call the cops when you found out your house had been broken into? you've always been weird about calling the authorities unless it was absolutely necessary, and to be honest, the criminal actually LEFT something in your house, and hadn't taken anything. but still, you debate informing the authorities.

Suddenly, your eyes widen as you come across a result on the top of the second page.
"Sugarcube Corner, Lower East Side of Manhattan".

the page shows an address, and you've been close to it before. How is it that you never noticed a place called Sugarcube Corner?
you add the address to your phone, now wanting to pay the place a visit. Well, you did say you would treat yourself today... What better way to do that than to find a new haunt?

you get yourself ready for the night, hopping in the shower, shaving, and getting ready for the evening's events. on the way out, you grab your umbrella, just in case you need it for later. After all, the ladies love chivalry... You think.

As you open the building door to the outside world, you realize that it's been raining. It's pounding the ground, and the puddles are huge. it must've been raining for a while, and it's weird that you didn't notice. Nevertheless, you continue on, expanding your umbrella and holding it up over your head as you head to the train station. next stop, Sugarcube Corner!

getting out of the train station at your stop, you feel pretty good about what's happening. you don't know why, but this feels meant to be.
Nearing your destination, however, you start to feel a bit apprehensive. Something about this whole deal just doesn't seem right. why is that you're following a note left in your house by a stranger who BROKE IN? You can't see to find the logic you're looking for.

As you approach Sugarcube Corner, you notice it's nothing more than a Bar/Club. showing your I.D. to the bouncer, you walk in, collapsing your umbrella, and leaving it in an umbrella holder in the corner next to the door.

The strobe lights flash different colors, and the club itself is extremely dimly lit. You can make out some of the people as the lights flash upon their faces, but you know you'll never see anyone you recognize. up until about an hour ago, you've never even heard of this place.

Figuring that you'll meet some new people if you chill at the bar, you take a seat. the music is loud, but not so loud that you can't hear anything. it's just right. you ask for a plain old beer, never being much of an alcohol "afficionado". downing the beer, you can't help but notice you don't fit in here at all. You dressed for a fancy restaurant more than a club. but you quickly disregard it. after all, everyone makes mistakes.

suddenly, from across the room, the strobe light flashing catches your eye. it's on one person's face. you squint, trying to get a good look, and hoping the lights shine on them again. the "fates" seemingly reward you, having a large, bright light shine on them for what feels like forever. in that time, you notice a girl- no, this is no girl - A WOMAN. with a perfectly light tan to her skin, and silky yellow-blonde hair. You also notice she's wearing a cowboy hat.

Then, your eyes meet hers in that split-second, and it seems she's realized you staring at her like a dope, as she begins waving, and starts walking towards you. You panic, thinking you just weirded her out or something, and now she's approaching to repimand you. You've always hated conflicts.

As the woman approaches, you notice she has freckles on her cheeks, directly under her eyes. You've always found freckles adorable, but you try and avoid getting enthusiatic over something that menial.

She sits down on the stool next to you, and mutters something to the barkeep. he nods, and heads back to mix up some drinks. Then, she turns around to you, a large grin upon her face.

"Howdy," she begins with the cutest Southern accent you've ever heard, " Ah'm Jaqueline! but my friend's call me Applejack, on a'count' of the fact that I fancy me some apples! what's your name!?"
you're taken aback by how forward she is, and even more so about how much she reminds you of a pony by the same name, Applejack. But that's impossible, you think to yourself. Why is it that everything's reminiscent of her, right down to the name? You continue to ponder, until you noticed you spaced out, thinking about the origin of her Southern accent. You've heard quite a few Southern accents before from all the people you've met online, but you can't quite place this one. everything about this woman is an enigma.

You shake your head, snapping out of the day-dream.
"My name's Anon." you respond, your voice fluctuating nervously. This woman's got a spell on you, already. maybe it's the beautiful emerald eyes...

"Well, it's mighty nice to meet'cha, Anon," Applejack says, her grin widening, "anyhow, I took the liberty of getting you something to drink. You seem a tiny tad flustered, ya' see."

"Wow, uh... thanks!" As the barkeep pushes the drink towards you. you notice it's in a strange mug, and the drink itself is frothing over. you take a sip, and the sweet taste of perfectly ripened apples meets your tongue. but you also taste a hint of alcohol. you hesitate a bit, before taking another sip, but you can't deny that the drink is delicious.

"that there's the best darn apple cider in all of New York. this bar gets it's apples fresh from a farm's orchard, way up-state." Jaqueline explains.

The similarities are just getting stranger and stranger, as you notice she's even wearing an orange flannel blouse. as she leans in to explain more, you can see her cleavage right down her shirt.

you feel a bit pervy for staring, but you notice that she even has some freckles on the top of her breasts. You've always found that attractive, too.

"So, anyhow, Anon, is this yer' first time here? I don't reckon ah've ever seen yer' face around here before."

"Um, yes, actually. it's quite a strange story as how I got here, to be honest." you reply, immediately cringing at what you just said. why would this girl want to hear about how you stupidly followed a note left on your counter by a tresspasser?

"Well, tell me all about it!" She implores.

You tell her all about your day, right up to you leaving for Sugarcube Corner.

"It seems like someone's got their eye on ya' Anon." she responds mischieviously, much to your suspicion.

"Just what are you implying, Applejack?" You respond, your blood a  little cold. could she have been the one who broke into your apartment? you begin to get a little bit paranoid as you look down at your half-full mug of apple cider. what if she had this poisoned or something? But something about her is comforting. she put her hand on yours, noticing it's shaking a bit. you tense up. Why would she be touching my hand?
 "Now what's wrong there, Sugarcube?" she says.

You don't want to say you're suspicious of her, and you also don't have much ground to stand on if you DO point the finger at her, so you decide to just leave it alone, and continue talking with her.

"Uh, nothing's the matter, why d'you ask?" You respond nonchalantly, attempting to clear any doubt from your mind. You decide to disregard everything else, and take this evening in stride.

As the night goes by, time flies, and soon it's about 12 midnight. The club has died down a bit, and you're on your second mug of cider. you're the first to admit you're a bit of a lightweight, so you decide this is your last drink.

you realize you've been here for five hours, shooting the breeze with AJ. You also realize you've been spaced out for the past minute or so, and she's trying to get your attention.

"uh, um... what?"

"I'm getting ready to head out, Sugarcube. you wanna come along?" she asks, brushing herself off as she stands up.

"of course!" You reply. You don't want to stop talking to her. The least you could do is walk to the train with her. You wouldn't want to miss a potential chance to get with the girl of your dreams...

she grabs you by the hand. as the two of you walk outside, you notice the lights in the Club have turned on. you can see the DJ from across the room. she's kind of pale, with two-tone blue hair and she's wearing red-tinted goggles. You can't quite think of where you've seen that before.

You stop in your tracks. come to think of it, a lot of the patrons of this club have pretty peculiar hair. they all look familiar. But you don't have time to ponder further, because Applejack yanks your arm, pulling you outside.
You barely have time to grab your umbrella as you're embraced by the crisp, December air.

"WHOA! It's colder than a mountain in the middle of Alaska!" Applejack says, suddenly wrapping her arms around herself.

You pull your jacket off, and hand it to her. you were wearing a sweater under. but even if you weren't you feel like it wouldn't matter. just having Applejack so close to you made you warmer than any sweater. AJ puts on your jacket and gets a bit closer to you. A few cars drive by in what should have been perfect darkness, except for the fact that you're in New York City, and the streetlights are always on.

"Well, Anon," Applejack begins, " you like apples, right?"

then you have a revelation.

"so it was you that broke int-" you're cut off, as AJ puts her finger to your lips, whispering "SHHH". A chill runs up your spine, as you realize she's the person who left the note in your house. Everything made sense now... But you decide to play it by ear.

"I can't get enough apples!" you respond, laughing weirdly. Applejack begins giggling, too.

"Well, Ah' have the best apples you've ever had. Fresh from the same orchard that makes that there cider! I get them shipped to my house!"

Being as awkward as you are, you can't tell what kind of signal she's giving you, until she straightforwardly asks if you'd like to try some apples at her place. You, of course, oblige, your face turning reddish from nervousness as she entwines her fingers with yours, and you begin to walk towards the train station with her.

the wind blows through her yellow-blonde hair, and she adjusts her brown cowboy hat a little bit. She giggles as she notices you're staring into her eyes as you walk, and you turn away bashfully in response.

As the two of you walk down the stairs, you realize she's headed to the same terminal you'd have to to get home.

"Wait, AJ. you take the 6 train as well?" You ask, hopefully.
"Yep, to be honest, Ah'm not from the city, so when Ah first got here, I couldn't find my way outta' mah' own Apartment!" She replies, as you both have a chuckle.

The train approaches, as you and Jaqueline get up, her hand meets yours again, and you grasp it instinctively. the two of you step inside the heated train and take a seat next to each other. The yellowish tint to the inside of these trains is just something you'll never get used to. on th

"So, what street do ya'll live on, Anon? AJ asks.
"58th. How about yourself?" You respond. Right after you answer her, your eyes widen. What if Applejack really WAS the burglar?
"Hey, looks like we're neighbors, Anon!" she replied loudly, her eyes widening. Your worry dissipates almost instantly.
"Looks like it". You reply, attempting to sound nonchalant.

The ride progresses, and the train car empties out some more. ever since you were a kid, you've always loved staring out into the inky blackness of the tunnels, for no explainable reason. when you turn back, you notice Applejack is leaning on your shoulder, her eyes closed. you stare down at her longingly.

As the train arrives at you and Applejack's stop, you pick her up, not wanting to jar her awake, and carry her off the train. you button up your jacket on her before waking her up on the platform.

"oh, Anon... Ah' just had one of the nicest dreams..." she whispers, groggily.
"Tell me about it when we get back to your place."

Slowly, AJ begins regaining her composure, and after stretching and yawning, wraps her arms around your waist, cuddling up to you as you walk down the street.

A lone streetlight flickers in between rows of other, perfectly illuminated lamps. Moths swarm the lamp, and it grabs your attention. A couple of taxis, most likely bringing inebriated clubbers and partygoers back to their dwellings, pass you by.

"so where do you live on 58th, exactly?" You ask.
"Right at the corner, how about ya'll?" You tense up. She lives right across the street from you. Why is it that you've never seen this girl before?
"Right across the street from you, actually."
"Ah' reckon we're even closer neighbors than we thought!"

As you follow AJ into her apartment building, you notice the lobby is almost completely identical to yours. same mailbox placements, same security desk, even the elevator was perfectly centered like your building. everything was similar right down to the carpeting! talk about reproducing things to the tee!

you hit the Elevator's UP button, and as the door opens, you motion your hands towards the elevator car, indicating that she go first.

"Awh, that's mighty chivalrous of ya, Anon." Stepping into the elevator, she gives you a peck on the cheek, blushing, as your face flushes red.

stepping into the reflective chrome elevator, you reach for the floor selection panel. "What floor are we headed for?" you inquire.

"The third, thank you."
Pushing the corresponding button, it doesn't take long before Applejack is clinging to you again. You can't even describe how great you feel.

The elevator makes a shrill beep, reaching the third floor, and the two of you step out. Applejack rifles thru her form-fitting skinny jeans and pulls out her house keys, leading you towards her front door.
"And here we are, Anon! Mah' humble abode, if you will!"

she steps inside first, and you quickly follow her.

The living room is pretty clean, and the furniture is practical and plain. everything has calm earthen tones to it, right down to the counters. on the kitchen prep table is two huge bowls of apples, one Granny Smith, and the other Macintosh. "What a coincidence!" you think to yourself.

"Anon, just drop yer' umbrella in the holder over there" she points to a large can full of Umbrellas. the can itself has an apple embroidered on it.