Chapter 1: In Which A Twist Is Involved
Today was the day. Yeah, definitely. Today was the day she was finally going to do it. No holding back or chickening out this time. Just going to outright say it and leave the cards on the table. Finally be free from this unbearable burden and hope that everypony understands...
“Ah, who am I kidding?” Rainbow Dash muttered to herself, more so when she was speaking to her reflection in the mirror. The rainbow maned pegasus had been sitting there for hours just blatantly gazing at herself without either movement or care, almost in a hypnotic trance until she finally broke it with those very words she just uttered.
“Come on Dash, no big deal,” she tried to assure herself, to no avail. She sighed and stared crossly at her hooves, no longer wanting to look into her own guilt ridden eyes. “Yeah, no big deal...”
But it was a big deal. A huge deal, even. A deal she wished she had more of a say in, but no luck there. She wanted desperately not to even think about this. But her nagging thoughts were tearing a hole through her physique, preventing her from even eating or sleeping for the past couple of days as it felt like her mind was twisting itself in an intangible knot of worry and dread.
Well, it was now or never, and she didn’t have much of a choice on the never part. She had invited her friends to visit, and unless she was going to bail on them (which she’d never do), it was time to talk. She glanced nervously as the clock, her eyes widening in mute horror as she noticed the scheduled meet up time was only a few minutes away.
She gulped back the butterflies in her tummy trying to escape through her mouth as she prepared for the worst. Best case scenario was that they would accept her for who she was and still be her friend. Worst case scenario was that they completely alienate her and cut off all ties to her. She didn’t like to think of the latter.
What especially troubled her and caused her to sweat a river on the spot was how would Applejack react? She was the one she dreaded the most in telling, mostly because of their... relationship. They had always been competitive towards one another, the other always trying to one up or get a hoof over the other. And that had led to feelings and thoughts that confused Dash greatly.
Truth be told, she just wanted to talk to Applejack separately to break it down gently to her, and to better gauge her reaction. But she knew it would be unfair to the rest of her friends if she left them out in the cold like that, even if it was for somepony she cared deeply enough like Applejack. She’d tell all of them at once, just to get it over with as quickly as possible.
Now she was pacing, too high strung to wait at the door or on her couch. The moment was about to come where all the weeks of mind numbing waiting and inability to do anything productive were finally at an end. Because a hoof just knocked on her front door.
Dash sighed heavily, wanting nothing else than to jump out of her window and fly away from her problems. But no, she was too tired of running, flying, or avoiding this any longer. She had been doing that her entire life, and that was going to end today.
She always knew she was different from other ponies. Especially with the mares. At a young age she figured it out, but denied it the best she could. Sure, she experimented a few times, just to get a much needed taste. But it always ended with her being awkward and clumsy and leading to nothing worthwhile.
With hesitant steps she finally reached her front door, her hoof shaking like a branch in the wind as she reached for the doorknob. She mentally chided herself for such a cowardly behavior, straightening out her arm and opening her door with a puffed out chest full of fake charisma.
She immediately blew out all her air when faced with her friends. Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie... and Applejack. She swallowed her tongue when making eye contact with the orange coated mare, her green hued eyes setting her heart aflutter. Averting her gaze from the mare for a moment’s relief, she opened the door more for everyone to fit through, saying, “H-hey you guys! Glad you could make it.”
“Happy to, sugarcube,” Applejack responded kindly, passing by with a slight bump of her flank against Dash’s. Rainbow Dash blushed, but cast her eyes to the others so Applejack couldn't see.
“Always a pleasure to, darling. What’s the occasion for this little get together?” Rarity asked, the pompous unicorn daintily entering Dash’s cloud home.
“What, a mare can’t ask her friends to hang out for a bit?” Rainbow Dash asked defensively, not wanting to reveal her true intentions right off the bat.
Twilight arched an eyebrow at the pegasus. “But at your house, Dash? I had to cast a spell on all of us, just so we could get up here and walk in your house. Seems rather odd thing to put us all through just to hang out.”
Dash glanced left and right, her ruby eyes bouncing like ping pong balls in her eyeballs. “I... um... was about to show you girls something,” Dash said on the spot, sweating bullets at the moment.
Twilight gave her an unconvinced look, which was quickly blocked by Pinkie’s face as she stood approximately one inch away from Dash herself. “Ooh, is it a surprise? Like a present or birthday cake or edible panties?”
“What? No... not even going to ask about the last part,” Dash said, facehoofing at Pinkie’s usual antics. “You’ll find out soon enough, okay.”
“Aww,” Pinkie complained, her puffy pink mane straightening slightly as she joined her friends. All there was left was Fluttershy, who timidly scuttled her way inside and join the others, giving Dash a faint hello.
Sighing in relief now that everyone had arrived, she returned to her living room, where everyone was perched on her couch or seating arrangements such as a chair or pillow on the floor. Approaching the center of the room, she cleared her throat and said, “Can I have everypony’s attention please?”
The others immediately ended their small time chit-chats to listen up to what Dash had to say. “Yes, dear, what is it?” Rarity asked, her inner curiosity about gossip compelling her to ask.
“I, um, have something I’ve been meaning to say for a long time now...” Dash began, freezing up when she realized her mind freezed was drawing blanks. Silently she hyperventilated, her throat choked with too much fear to speak.
Her friends noticed her hesitation. “Rainbow Dash, is something wrong?” Twilight asked with a worried frown, getting up from her seat. Dash desperately shook her head, waving her hoof in the air to indicate for Twilight to sit down.
Once the unicorn was seated again, and Dash managed to cough enough times to clear her throat, the pegasus mare stared at each of her friends in a heavy silence. Pinkie Pie, the bubbly party pony with an attitude for fun and making her friends happy. Fluttershy, a sweet mare whose kindness warmed the hearts of countless, along with her dearly beloved animal friends. Rarity, sophisticated and eloquent, always there to share and help a friend in need. Twilight Sparkle, a mare with smarts and determination to boot, and a little bit of an egghead too. And of course, Applejack, who's strong will and willingness to put her friends first, above all else.
She loved each and every one of them, for how they help support her, inspire her to be a better pony, and for their eternal friendship. And for that reason, she finally drew enough courage to take another breath, and started over.
“Everyone... I’ve been meaning to say this for awhile,” she said, pausing momentarily to scratch the back of her mane. “I’ve kinda been putting it off for so long, I just thought it could go away. But I know that’ll never happen. This is something you all gotta know, if you want to know the real me.”
Pinkie eagerly bounced in her seat, a smile as wide as a mile on her face. “Sure thing, Dashie! Just come out and tell us already! The suspense is killing me!”
“Like Pinkie said, we’re here to support you, Rainbow Dash. So you can have the utmost faith that we’ll be the most understanding of your situation,” Twilight assured her, casting a warm and caring smile to her friend.
Fluttershy twiddled her hooves, idle to the conversation until this point. She looked up and stared long and hard at Dash, but not in a fierce or un-gentle way. More like how a mother would stare at her children when they’re being completely serious about a subject. “Rainbow Dash, I’m with everyone else when I say we’ll help you any way we can.”
“And myself as well,” Rarity added, brushing back a lock of her lusciously voluminous from her face. “Count me in for the help committee when you need it, Rainbow Dash.”
Applejack was the last to speak. Truth be told, it was her answer to what Dash was about to say that meant the most to her. The make it or break it point. A change to their relationship forever...
“Dash, we’ve been through good times and rough. Ya’ should know by now I ain’t goin’ nowhere or doin’ anythin’ that won’t be here helpin’ you,” the earth pony said, each of her words back by her conviction.
Dash took a moment to breathe, not because she was nervous, but because she had to stop herself from crying tears of joy from having such wonderful and caring friends such as these mares. Finally blowing out the rest of her held breath, Dash just went out and said, “I’m not gay.”
There was a moment of tense silence, the awkwardness so heavy in the air, one could cut it with a knife. First off was Applejack to speak, the orange mare’s eyes open wide and her pupils shrunk to pinpricks. “... Say what now? Ya can’t be serious?”
“I am,” Dash told everyone quickly, moving her head left to right in fast movements so she could meet everyone's’ eyes. “I am not gay. Not a lesbian.”
“But Dashie, everyone who’s a mare is lesbian,” Pinkie reminded her, tapping her hoof to her chin. “Most of the mares in Ponyville and Canterlot. The Princesses. Heck, rumors even say Princess Cadence does it with the odd maid or four instead of her husband.”
“That’s the thing. I don’t find mares attractive. It’s a stallion I want,” Rainbow Dash explained, her fears from earlier on the rise now that she was seeing their shocked reaction.
“Rainbow Dash, you’re, um, sure you’re not going through a late phase of some kind?” Rarity asked, her best managed fake smile on her lips. “I mean, I wouldn’t say I myself haven’t dabbled or experimented in it here and there, but...”
“Hey, you guys said you’d support and help me no matter what it was!” Dash reminded them, furious they were going back on their word already. She had guessed it, but she never imagined it’d be a reality until now.
“Oh, I’m not saying we don’t support you, darling,” Rarity hastily replied, her expression noticeably more nervous than before. “It’s just that we want to make sure you’re not making a mistake or going into this too fast.”
“What, so it’s a mistake that I’m straight?” Dash questioned her, fury growing behind her ruby eyes as the cyan pegasus approached Rarity.
“No, no, not at all!” Rarity was quick to reply, nudging Twilight from her own shocked stupor as both become fully aware of the situation at hand.
“Yeah, what Rarity said! We’re all here to help you go through this, right girls?” Twilight asked the others, sweating up a storm of extreme nervousness.
Fluttershy was the next one to shake herself out of her confusion, staring at Dash for a moment and then the other way when a faint blush appeared on her cheeks. “Oh, you don’t have to worry from me. I always kind of guessed. Even in Flight School you always stared at stallions in a weird way.”
Well, Dash was certainly feeling better, though still a tad bit hurt that everyone was so shocked at this revelation. “Come on, girls, were you really that surprised that this was true?” Dash asked all of them, arching an eyebrow at the group.
Her answer was a couple of awkward coughing and avoidance of gazes. “Well... it wasn’t exactly obvious, but easy enough to infer,” Twilight began hesitantly, “Though I wasn’t exactly sure...”
“Like I said before, I had suspicions, but felt no need to ask you about them, if that’s okay with you?” Fluttershy said, trying her best to hide behind her mane to avoid any more of the awkwardness of the conversation.
“Truthfully, this is coming at quite the surprise to me,” Rarity said, tilting her head at the rainbow maned pegasus. “I was sure that you’d meet a lovely mare of some type and get married one day.”
“Things change,” Dash replied bitterly, not exactly to Rarity herself, but more so at everyone else, and herself. “Listen, I never asked to be this way. To be different from everyone else because of my sexuality. But it’s who I am, so you all can either accept it or...” She didn’t finish, too afraid of what they would do if they took up what she was about to say.
Immediately a pink ball of pink fluffiness came barreling at her and grabbed her in a tight, spine breaking hug. “Don’t worry Dashie, I’ll still be your friend! What are best friends for, anyways?” Pinkie said, beaming a wide grin while crushing her friend’s back.
“I’m with Pinkie and you too, Dash,” Twilight was the next to say, getting up and joining the collective group hug.
“Seriously you guys... a little close,” Dash gasped, trying her best to suck in more air while Pinkie still gave her a rib-crushing hug.
“You can count me in too,” Fluttershy said, joining the others with Rarity in tow.
“And you can certainly be sure I’ll stick around too,” Rarity said, all five of the ponies now huddled together in a friendship hug, while Dash’s cyan face turned a few shades darker as pinkie continued to squeeze.
The only pony to not be in the group hug was Applejack, who was still so shocked for words her bottom jaw hung open slightly. Wiggling out of Pinkie’s grip, Dash sucked in air and moved closer to the orange earth pony. Kicking her hoof slightly at the floor while avoiding eye contact, Rainbow Dash said, “So... how do you feel about this, Applejack?”
Applejack hung her head down low, her face hidden behind her Stetson. “How do I feel, Dash? I feel... betrayed.” Applejack looked up, her eyes filled with a mix of sorrow and anger. “You were my marefriend! I thought we had somethin’!”
Rainbow Dash was afraid of this. Realizing she didn’t love Applejack... in that way anymore nearly tore her heart apart. But she knew it was for the best. She couldn’t have stayed in a relationship with her if it meant she didn’t find her attractive anymore.
“Listen, Applejack. I never meant to hurt you,” Dash said, looking directly in the other mare’s eyes. “I just... I couldn’t live with this lie anymore. You understand, right?”
Applejack still glared at Rainbow Dash for a few moments longer, but soon her expression softened. The mare looked away before her ex-marefriend could see the tears in her eyes. “Yeah Dash, I do. I’m just hurt is all. I just thought that... never mind,” she said quickly, shaking her head.
Now the awkward silence returned, tenfold. Not knowing what else to say, and feeling like this was the only way to cut the tension, Dash asked Applejack, “So... I have a really weird question for you.”
“And that would be?” Applejack replied slowly, looking over her shoulder to Dash.
“Is Big Mac dating anypony?” Dash blurted out, blushing slightly now. She always did have a crush on the large, red coated stallion. His muscles, his stoic nature, everything about him oozed masculinity Dash desperately wanted after going so long without having it. “I’m just curious is all. If you don’t want me to ask him out because of our... breakup thing, I understand.”
Instead of the hated and resentful response she was expecting, what Dash got instead was snorts and chuckles from the earth pony. Applejack was trying her best to compose herself, but to no avail.
“Hey, why are you laughing?” Rainbow Dash asked, confused to an extremely high extent now.
“Because,” Applejack began, raising an eyebrow at Dash. “Big Mac is already going out with Caramel.”
“... Isn’t Caramel a stallion?” Dash said, a frown appearing on her face.
“Eeyup,” Applejack replied, still snickering a bit. “Big Mac is into stallions, Dash. Surprised you didn’t know.”
At that moment Rainbow Dash felt more embarrassed than she ever had before. Well... at least this news wasn’t passed onto her from Big Mac himself, which would’ve been a downright awkward conversation to begin with. But still, something troubling was nagging at her thoughts...
“Wait, isn’t Caramel your cousin?” Dash asked in shocked horror, pointing her hoof at Applejack in an accusing manner.
“Um... yes,” the orange coated mare responded. “Big Mac is also into incest.”
“... Ewwwwwwwwwwwww.”
