Room for One More

by bats

Rating: mature
Tags: Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rainbow Dash, Romance, Sex
Length: 74419

Twilight invites Applejack to join her and Rainbow Dash in the bedroom, but emotions run high and their agreement turns into something more than anypony intended.

Seeking to indulge a fantasy of her marefriend, Twilight invites Applejack to join her and Rainbow Dash in the bedroom. However, sometimes emotional detachment is easier said than done, and all three mares are left to figure out where they stand when their agreement turns into something more than anypony intended.

Written in collaboration with Peroth E.

Editing by warlord487 and Clopnobog.

(Content warning: contains light power play and magical marecocks).

Published 2013-07-23 17:30:01 UTC
Last updated 2014-04-09 22:03:04 UTC

Chapter 1

Pinkie waved enthusiastically at Twilight and Rainbow Dash, jumping in place on her hindlegs and making Gummy whip through the air from his position clamped to her tail. The two approaching mares grinned brightly from the bottom of the hill, Owlowiscious and Tank flying circles over their heads. A picnic basket bounced merrily on Rainbow’s back as they joined their friends in the middle of the park.

Winona barked happily at Tank as the tortoise flew close and settled on her back. The dog took off after Owlowiscious, and the three raced along in a meandering pattern around the group. Angel and Opalescence exchanged a haughty and indignant look and slunk away to find something more dignified to do with their time. Gummy seemed perfectly happy to hang from Pinkie’s poofy tail.

“Hey guys!” Rainbow said, dropping the basket in the middle of a blanket spread out for the group. “Twi and me brought some grub.”

Applejack flipped open the lid. “Well, lookit that, it ain’t even store-bought stuff, or daisy sandwiches. Y’all made this?”

Twilight beamed. “I’ve been learning to cook! Spike’s been teaching me. Since Rainbow was getting tired of…well, daisy sandwiches.”

Rainbow snorted good-naturedly and nuzzled Twilight’s cheek. “Nothin’ wrong with daisies, Twi, they just get boring after a while.” She gestured to the basket. “These stir-fries are awesome, though.”

Rarity peeked inside. “They do look exquisite, and it’s just about lunch time.”

Fluttershy said, “I am rather hungry. Thank you for cooking, Twilight.”

Grinning, Twilight waved a hoof dismissively. “You’re welcome; it wasn’t any trouble.”

Pinkie bounded forward and lifted the large dish of food and a stack of plates out of the basket. “Well, let’s eat, then!”

They settled down on the blanket as Pinkie quickly served them all a generous helping of noodles and vegetables. Rainbow sat next to Twilight and wrapped a wing around the mare’s back. Twilight smiled warmly and leaned into Rainbow.

Fluttershy smiled at the pair and shook her head. “You two are so cute together.”

Rainbow stuck out her tongue petulantly, but slipped back into a grin as Twilight nuzzled her neck. “I’m not cute.”

Twilight playfully whispered, “Tell it to somepony who’ll believe it, cutie.” Rainbow playfully shoved her marefriend in retort, eliciting a giggle.

Applejack chuckled and shook her head. “How long’s it been now for y’all? Six months?”

“Eight,” Twilight answered, pressing back into Rainbow. “Ever since last Nightmare Night.”

“Huh,” Applejack said, leaning back. “Ya know, y’all never talk about it. How’d that all happen anyway? Seems like one day I saw you two makin’ moony eyes at each other an’ I just sorta figured it out.”

Twilight shrugged. “Not much to tell, I guess. I was feeling really good after Luna started having fun and getting into the spirit of things. I’d had my eye on Rainbow for a while, so I just asked her on a date before everypony went home for the night.”

Rainbow smirked. “Took me a minute to answer her, though. It’s kinda hard to keep a straight face when a pony asks you out while wearin’ a big, bushy beard.”

Twilight giggled ruefully and covered her face with a hoof.

“But Twi’s totally hot, so I said why not? Glad I did, too.” She rested her head on the unicorn’s mane. “It’s been awesome.”

“Just like that, huh?” Applejack nodded appreciatively. “Well, that’s a rather nice story, I think.”

“What are you talking about, Applejack?” Rarity clicked her tongue as she shook her head. “It’s a shame! Where’s the romance and drama? The longing glances and stolen kisses? The bold declaration of hidden love from a balcony?” She sighed theatrically.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Why would we go through all of that instead of talking first?”

Rarity crossed her hooves and stuck her snout in the air. “You ponies have no sense of romance.”

Snorting, Rainbow said, “There’s plenty of romance. You should hear some of the stuff that comes outta Twi’s mouth when I stick my tongue in her—”

“Dash!” Twilight cried, shoving Rainbow hard enough to send her sprawling in a heap of giggles. Twilight bit her lip and willed the heat from her cheeks, struggling to not laugh.

Rarity and Fluttershy both looked scandalized and Pinkie raised an eyebrow. “Twilight says what when Dashie does what to her where?”

Applejack chuckled and shook her head. “Don’t worry about it none, Sugarcube. RD’s just bein’ crass.”

Pinkie opened her mouth, but Rarity talked over her. “Really, this conversation is not ladylike at all.”

Fluttershy meeped in embarrassment and clamped her hooves over her muzzle.

“Y’all’re sticks in the mud,” Applejack teased, “but this ain’t exactly lunch talk.”

Rainbow shoveled a huge helping of noodles into her mouth and slurped them down noisily. “I just wanted to see Rare’s face. Totally worth it.”

Rarity lifted her snout higher, but an amused smile ruined her intended effect. The group chuckled and they fell into eating their food.

“Mmm.” Pinkie grinned around a large mouthful.

“This is hittin’ the spot, Twi,” Applejack agreed. “Whatever Spike’s teachin’ ya, keep it up.” Fluttershy and Rarity both nodded appreciatively, taking dainty bites as Rainbow slurped loudly.

Twilight grinned. “Thanks, everypony.”

They talked amicably about nothing in particular, watching their pets at play. Rainbow cheered Tank on as he managed to drag Opalescence and Angel into their chase. Gummy left the security of Pinkie’s tail to stand in the middle of their circling run, leaping up to snap at anything flying overhead. After finishing their meals, they all sat back in satisfaction and let the afternoon while away. Eventually Twilight packed up the dirty plates in the picnic basket and they said their goodbyes. They split up to head their respective ways home.

Twilight cantered briskly alongside Rainbow, back towards the library. “I can’t believe you said that.”

“Really? You can’t believe it at all?” Rainbow winked playfully.

“Okay, I can easily believe it, which makes it worse.” She giggled and bumped her shoulder into her marefriend.

“What I think makes it worse is how true it is.” Rainbow smirked wickedly.

Twilight raised a suggestive eyebrow and grinned. “And just what about all the things you say, hmm?” As Rainbow’s face darkened, Twilight’s smile grew wide and she leaned in closer. “You act all tough, but we both know how you are when nopony else is around.”

Rainbow’s blush grew more heated and she glanced away, a coy smile on her face. Twilight leaned in closer and murmured, “For such a loudmouth, I can get you so timid and gentle…You really are just cute.”

Rainbow chuckled weakly and nuzzled Twilight’s neck. “Alright…you can call me cute. But just you.”

Twilight stopped mid-step and turned to her marefriend, capturing Rainbow’s lips in a forceful kiss. Noticing the lack of hoofbeats, Owlowiscious and Tank halted mid-flight and turned to see what was causing the hold up. They took one look at the couple, exchanged a knowing glance, and turned to fly back to the library on their own.

Rainbow was forced to sitting by the strength of the kiss, the picnic basket falling to the ground. She mumbled shapelessly into Twilight’s mouth, her eyes closing softly and a hoof rising to stroke the unicorn’s face. Twilight leaned back and inhaled deeply. “I love that it’s just me.”

Catching her breath, Rainbow pressed her cheek along the side of Twilight’s jaw. “I love you, Twi.”

“I love you, too.” She closed her eyes and snuggled against Rainbow, relishing the silent tranquility of the empty park path. Several minutes passed as they sat together. Eventually, Twilight shifted and opened her eyes. “Let’s go back to the library, Dashie.” She grazed her teeth along the mare’s ear and whispered, “I wanna make you scream.”

Rainbow stood abruptly and grabbed the basket in her teeth. The two hurried down the path, their sides pressed together, moving just shy of an all-out gallop. They rushed through town, weaving between milling groups of ponies, beelining for the library, giggling the whole run.

Panting lightly, Twilight shut the door behind them a little more forcefully than she meant to. She let out a chagrined chuckle and called, “Spike!”

“Hey, Twilight!” the dragon answered, his voice echoing from down the stairs. “How was the picnic?”

Rainbow spat the basket from her mouth onto the floor. “It was good; I think Tank buzzed Opal and scared half the fur off of her.”

“Oh, hi, Rainbow Dash.” Spike descended the stairs and smirked at the two. “Such a surprise to see you here,” he deadpanned.

Twilight giggled and pressed into Rainbow’s side. “Well, Spike, since Rainbow is here, do you mind—?”

“I’ll be back in a few hours,” he said, half amused and half exasperated. “See what Rarity’s doing or something.”

“Thanks, Spike,” Twilight smiled warmly at her number one assistant. “You’ve been really understanding about this.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Spike smiled thinly and headed towards the door. “I’ll see you two later.”

As the door shut behind the dragon, Twilight frowned thoughtfully. “I gotta do something for him; this isn’t really fair.” She turned back to Rainbow and pressed against her marefriend.

Rainbow’s brow furrowed. “He is still just a kid. I mean…” she smirked ruefully. “I’m pretty sure he knows what’s going on…”

Chuckling nervously, Twilight dropped her gaze. “I think he does; it’s probably why he doesn’t really complain and just leaves…”

Rainbow shifted uncomfortably on her hooves. “…You could start comin’ over to my place. I could fly you up and you can do that cloud-walking thingie.”

She smiled wanly. “I’d like that, Dashie, but it doesn’t really fix anything. Spike would just be here by himself instead of wandering around Ponyville by himself. It’s just…” Her smile changed to a smirk. “Can’t really do anything with a baby dragon in the room.”

Chuckling, Rainbow said, “I hear ya.” She chewed her lip and narrowed her eyes. “…Think he’s old enough to get his own room?” She snuggled back into Twilight, murmuring, “I bet ya got a spell so we can be as loud as we want and not bug him.”

Twilight brightened. “Great idea, Dashie! Spike would probably love having a space all to himself; it’d be more of a gift for him than anything and we can stop kicking him out!” She jumped up to clap her hooves together. As she settled back on the floor, she draped a foreleg around Rainbow’s neck. “Later, though. Where were we?”

Rainbow grinned and extended a wing over Twilight’s back. “Something about screaming, if I’m remembering right.”

“Mmm, that’s what it was,” she teased, grazing her teeth along Rainbow’s neck. “I was gonna make my Dashie scream…”

A shiver ran up her spine and Rainbow licked her lips. “Not if I make you scream first. You know it’s not that easy.”

“Oh, so it’s gonna be one of those days?” she asked into Rainbow’s coat, kissing and nipping.

“You wanna win, you gotta earn it. C’mon, let’s go upstairs.”

With a glow of magic, the door locked itself and the open sign flipped around to closed. Twilight bit her lover gently and purred out, “Now why would we need to do that if we have the place to ourselves?”

“Mmn,” Rainbow agreed. She turned and found Twilight’s lips, kissing deeply, stroking her wing along the unicorn’s back. Twilight whimpered and she advanced, darting into Twilight’s mouth and using her greater strength to push the mare back a step.

Sometimes Twilight liked to let Rainbow win. Her hectic life was always so rigidly structured and organized. It offered a rare relief for the unicorn to just let go for a while and be wild and reckless in Rainbow’s embrace. But exerting control over the brash mare had an alluring quality that was often much too great to pass up.

Rainbow pulled Twilight’s lower lip between her teeth and nibbled gently, teasing her marefriend’s sides with her feathers, lifting a leg to cup Twilight’s face. Twilight ran a hoof along her sensitive scalp and she shuddered, her steps forward faltering.

Rainbow loved being made to submit to Twilight, relinquishing control of herself so she could just be powerless in the hooves of somepony else for a while. But she was a mare of action and strength; she wasn’t going to just roll over and let Twilight win. Making Twilight scream was awesome, too. She caressed Twilight’s side more insistently with her wing, but the hoof in her mane was making every hair stand on end. She whimpered softly as her legs started to go rubbery.

Twilight grinned into Rainbow’s mouth and pressed her advantage, whipping around and pushing aggressively, forcing the pegasus to back up to the door. Rainbow moaned as they both stood on their hindlegs, feeling Twilight settle against her, pinning her to the wood. Twilight traced up her sides, into her wings and along her primaries. Her lover broke their kiss and darted to one of her hooves, held close to her chest in surprise. Twilight grasped the front tip in her teeth and bit down, teasing the soft underside. Rainbow inhaled sharply, her eyelids fluttering. “Oh, Twi…”

Twilight liked studying things; she threw herself readily into research with little incentive beyond the joy of learning. Discovering the little things about Rainbow Dash carried a strong, satisfying incentive. In exploring Rainbow’s body, Twilight learned how to play her lover like a musical instrument. She pressed her knee into Rainbow’s inner thigh in just the right spot and the mare gasped.

“There’s that look,” Twilight murmured, chest to chest with Rainbow, staring into her half lidded eyes and flushed face. “Right before you give up and let me do whatever I want to you.” She put more pressure on Rainbow’s thigh and the pegasus involuntarily parted her legs. She arched her head back and Twilight nipped her throat.

“Y-you’re really good at this,” Rainbow gasped, struggling to think clearly, to not give Twilight the satisfaction of taking control so easily.

Twilight slid a hoof down Rainbow’s side and around her back, finding the base of her tail. Checkmate. She gripped it tightly and pulled. “You love it.”

Rainbow squeaked weakly and squeezed her eyes shut, wrapping her hooves around Twilight and hugging her tightly. “Nng, Twi!” she cried. Twilight roughly stroked her dock and grinded against her chest. Rainbow felt her growing lust become insistent and yearning.

Twilight grinned triumphantly. She pulled Rainbow by the tail, turning her lover around and pushing her chest first to the door. Rainbow rolled easily, following Twilight’s tug with ready compliance. Rainbow spread her forelegs wide, bracing herself against the wood as she panted harshly. “Tell me you love it.” Twilight wrapped her hooves around Rainbow, rubbing the mare’s belly and thighs, holding herself achingly close.

“I love it,” Rainbow groaned, thrusting her hips back against Twilight.

Grinning, Twilight breathed hotly into Rainbow’s neck and slowly, agonizingly slid down her lover’s body, planting kisses and bites, grinding their coats together, grasping and massaging everywhere she could reach. Crouching down on the floor and gripping Rainbow’s cutie marks, Twilight sat back and admired the pegasus in her hooves.

Rainbow watched Twilight over her shoulder, forelegs above her head and eyes glazed over and almost closed. She breathed heavily through her muzzle. Twilight’s eyes drifted down. Rainbow held her tail aloft and to the side, draping it over Twilight’s foreleg. She thrust her hips back and angled up, presenting herself, submitting herself to the dominating mare. Her lips were puffy and glistening with arousal.

Rainbow looked so demure, so feminine to Twilight; a different pony only she got to see. A shiver of desire danced up her spine and she leaned forward to bite Rainbow’s left cheek.

“Nnf,” Rainbow grunted. Twilight bit the other side of her rump harder, sucking in. Rainbow wondered wildly if flanks could get hickeys.

Her tongue hanging from her mouth, Twilight swept up the exposed underside of Rainbow’s tail in a lingering lick. Her lover shook under her grip and Twilight pressed her thighs together, wanting attention herself. She lowered her head and inhaled the scent of Rainbow’s musk, rich and insistent on the air. Twilight opened her mouth and leaned in to taste.

Rainbow scrunched her eyes tight and moaned, long and loud. She lifted her rump higher, silently pleading for more, feeling Twilight’s tongue curl and dance against her inner walls. She felt the unicorn press in deeper, mapping her out, making her legs shake and her belly tighten.

As Twilight lapped at Rainbow’s folds, her magical senses drifted out of the room and up the stairs, to the box tucked away under her bed. She found what she was searching for and hefted it in her magic, guiding it silently down to the main room. As it drifted close, she grinned wickedly into Rainbow’s wetness.

Rainbow opened her eyes as Twilight pulled back, kissing once on her clit before standing up. She turned her head to see what was going on and was caught in a kiss. She murmured into Twilight’s mouth as she felt the smooth plastic of a strap-on slide against her sex. Twilight buckled it into place as Rainbow mumbled shapelessly, feeling her marefriend rub against her back and play with her extended wings. Twilight’s hips drew back and she felt the tip of the toy at her entrance.

“Do you want it?”

“Yes,” Rainbow whined.

“How much do you want it?”

“So much!”

“Good.” Twilight slid in until her hips met her lover’s rump.

Rainbow bit her lip and groaned out through her snout, her muscles contracting around the false stallionhood as it glided deeper and deeper. She winked around it, feeling filled, wanting nothing more than to revel in the sensation. Twilight’s chest settled on her back and Dash’s hooves held her own forelegs down to the door. She cried out sharply as Twilight slid a few inches out and thrust back inside.

Twilight gradually built a rhythm, rocking into the mare. She kissed Rainbow’s neck and watched the pegasus’ face, loving the rising look of unchecked lust. She drove herself faster and harder into Rainbow’s sex until she could hear the slap of hips to flanks, letting the noise mix with the sound of the mare’s mounting squeaks and whimpers. The door rattled in its frame from the force as she worked Rainbow with increasing speed.

“Oh, yeah!” Rainbow barked hoarsely. “Fuck!”

“Harder?” Twilight asked playfully. Rainbow nodded and bit her lip as Twilight obliged. Her hooves nearly lifted off the ground from the strength of each buck and she bit down on her own foreleg, her desperate cries at the end of each plunge cracking shrilly.

One of Twilight’s hooves snaked around her chest and pressed into her mound, finding her swollen nub and rubbing in time with each thrust. The rising tension, rising pleasure flooding her body overwhelmed her mind. Rainbow felt it again. Helpless. Completely at the mercy of somepony else, somepony she trusted implicitly and loved. With Twilight wrapped around her, holding her in place and fucking her brains out, all her barriers and masks could fall away. She didn’t have to be strong for anypony. She didn’t have to prove that she was the best. She could just be in the moment, weak, and be the one protected instead of doing all the protecting.

She could be cute.

Twilight could feel Rainbow’s muscles tightening underneath her. She found the leading edge of one of Rainbow’s wings and bit down savagely, thrusting in one last time with all she was worth. Rainbow screamed as she came, her raspy voice echoing through the room. She writhed in Twilight’s grip, grinding back against her lover as waves of lust exploded through her mind and made the tips of her hooves tingle.

Rainbow panted roughly, desperately, pinned to the door as she clenched around the toy buried to the hilt in her marehood. Twilight held her in place as she stood on trembling legs and basked in the blissful freedom from control.

The stallionhood slowly slid from her entrance and she shuddered, half collapsing back to all fours. She turned around on wobbly legs while feeling sore and ridden. Rainbow buried her face in the hollow of Twilight’s shoulder, peppering her lover with kisses. She whimpered out, “I love you, Twi.”

Grinning, Twilight nuzzled into Rainbow’s neck. “I love you too, Rainbow.”

“You always make me feel so good. I don’t have to pretend about anything around you. You’re so awesome.” She lifted a hoof and hugged Twilight weakly, burying her face in the mare’s mane.

With a small exertion of magical will, Twilight unstrapped the toy and floated it away from herself, sitting on her haunches and hugging Rainbow back. She listened to the pegasus murmur gratefully into her hair and smiled. This was really her favorite part; when she could manage to break through Rainbow’s walls completely and see her laid bare and open.

Twilight knew in a few minutes Rainbow’s kisses would grow more heated and the pegasus would take charge again, putting her lithe and athletic body to good use. Twilight knew it wouldn’t be long before Rainbow had her screaming senselessly as they made love, but for now she relished holding the pony she loved close.

Twilight lay back against her pillow, feeling spent and relaxed. Rainbow was curled around her, snuggling into her chest and half-dozing in the aftermath of an afternoon of passion. Twilight felt absolutely great as she stroked the mare’s messy mane with a hoof and stared at the ceiling. She nestled further into the bed, relishing the looseness of her muscles and gentle weight of Rainbow against her.

The pegasus stirred, briefly tightening her hug around Twilight’s middle before lazily crawling up along the unicorn’s side. She smiled tiredly at her marefriend and kissed her, a languid and sensual contact, not to stir passions but impart contentment and happiness. Twilight stroked her mane and they lay together, exploring each other’s familiar mouths.

Rainbow eventually pulled back and smiled again, settling down to lie directly on top of Twilight. Twilight grinned indulgently and kissed the top of Rainbow’s head. She watched her lover’s ears flick aimlessly every once in a while and let her mind wander. She furrowed her brow with sudden curiosity and pursed her lips.

“What are your fantasies, Dashie?”

Rainbow rubbed her face against Twilight’s chest. “What, like being a Wonderbolt?”

“No,” Twilight murmured, “Your sexual fantasies. I mean, I know we’ve got this whole domination and submission give and take thing going on, but what else?”

Rainbow stiffened against Twilight’s chest, her head turned away. She mumbled, “I dunno.”

“You must have some others. You know about mine, since I like being in control sometimes and you like being out of control sometimes. And you know about my ‘being a stallion’ fantasy.” She leaned forward and nibbled Rainbow’s ear, growling, “Which you indulge me with that toy all the time; thanks for that.” She sat back, not noticing how still Rainbow had become. “And we’ve done all those roleplaying scenarios for me. What about you?”

“I dunno.” Rainbow’s voice was uneasy. She frowned, still facing away from Twilight’s gaze. “I like the stuff we do; it’s always a lotta fun.”

“You’re so good about things I want to do, Dashie, I want to return the favor.” She stroked Rainbow’s mane affectionately. “So what sort of things do you think about doing?”

Rainbow muttered noncommittally.

“Is upping the stakes for the power dynamic appealing? Getting tied up, maybe a little more force?”

Shrugging, Rainbow said, “I’m down for that, if it’s somethin’ you wanna do.”

Twilight sighed. “I’m not talking about doing something for me, is that something you fantasize about?”

“Not really,” she answered flatly. “I just like the stuff we do.”

Trying to not get frustrated while missing the tremor of discomfort in Rainbow’s voice, Twilight continued, “There must be something you think about besides just having sex. Daring Do roleplay? I know having your hooves touched is a turn-on, but it gets to be too much for you sometimes; do you want me to push that more? Sex outside? In the air? Under water? What about—?”

“I wanna have a threesome,” Rainbow said quickly. She kept her head turned away and mentally patted herself on the back. ‘That’ll make her drop this.’

“Okay.”

Rainbow’s eyes widened and she sat up quickly. “What?”

“That could be a lot of fun. We both know each other so well; it would be exciting to have somepony else to learn about. And we could probably learn from them, too, at the same time!”

“You’re not…You’re okay with it?” Rainbow bit her lip nervously.

“Sure,” she answered, sitting up and smiling sympathetically. “I know some ponies think an interest in having additional partners is comparable to cheating, but it’s a natural desire. As much as we love each other, there are other things we both can like and find attractive. So why not have that together?”

Rainbow swallowed thickly and didn’t say anything for a few moments, her wings almost wilting at her sides. “We don’t have to.”

“Don’t be silly; it’s your fantasy. Let’s do it! Do you have anypony in mind?”

“Not…really,” she mumbled, shifting on her haunches and looking down.

“That’s okay. Are you thinking stallion or mare?” Twilight stood from the bed and cantered to her desk, pulling out a sheet of paper and a quill. “We can figure out who would be good potential matches.”

Rainbow shifted back and forth on the bed, lost in thought. Twilight seemed so into the idea. She contemplated having a third in the bedroom for real, instead of just something to get Twilight off the subject of desires. It…didn’t seem like a bad thing, really. Not a fantasy she had put any serious thought into, always happier to go with the flow of a partner than to make decisions like this, but if Twilight wanted to, anyway…

…How was it any different than if it was a fantasy of hers or if Twilight had brought up the idea first?

“I’m not really into stallions,” she eventually answered, a bit of the unease draining from her voice. “I’m not like some of those fillies who’re all ‘eww, dick,’ but they never catch my eye like a hot mare.”

“Mare it is, then. Are you opposed to maybe asking one of our friends?”

Rainbow almost fell over. “What?!”

“Friends are one of the first places to start looking,” Twilight said matter-of-factly. “We know them already and can trust them; sometimes trying to find somepony who will be up for no-strings-attached sex attracts weirdos.”

Rainbow nodded numbly. “I…guess. I mean, our friends are pretty hot. If they wanted to, too…”

“Great!” Twilight chimed, scribbling out a list of names on the paper. “Anyone you think we shouldn’t ask?”

“Fluttershy,” Rainbow answered immediately. “She’d probably faint.”

Twilight giggled. “Rarity’s most likely off-limits; you saw how she was at lunch. She’d call us both ruffians, or something.”

“Pinkie’s out, for sure. She’s way too innocent, and can you imagine how awkward it would be to teach a pony where to lick your marefriend?”

Twilight giggled at the thought. “Then that leaves Applejack.” Twilight scratched out the other names on the list. “She’s pretty relaxed about this sort of thing, from what I’ve seen. She might say no, of course, but I don’t think asking her will make her upset. What do you think? Any reason why Applejack should be crossed off?”

Rainbow pursed her lips. This was her opening. Eliminating Applejack would reduce their ready list of trusted ponies to zero. If Twilight set her mind to it, she could probably come up with some others eventually, but Rainbow could have the chance to dissuade her marefriend of the idea if she wanted to. But as she thought about it…Well, if Applejack said no, it would be the same as her saying no immediately and she could work on dismissing the whole thing afterwards, anyway. Applejack would probably say no, she reasoned.

And if Applejack said yes, Rainbow had to admit it would probably be really, really fun. And if Twilight herself was into the whole threesome thing, Rainbow would be able to enjoy it, too. Possibly a lot. She imagined if Twilight had brought it up instead of her, running through a pretend conversation.

‘A threesome? Sounds hot.’

‘One of our friends? Kinky; I like how you think, Twi.’

‘Applejack? Hell yeah!’

The remaining discomfort fled her mind. “…No. AJ’d be perfect to ask, I think.” She smirked. “Damn. Out of our friends, AJ’s the hottest one, too.”

Twilight turned around and grinned wickedly at Rainbow. “She is, isn’t she?”

Author's Note

tl;dr

Every pony who had cause to walk by the library that afternoon heard the door trying to tear itself off its hinges and never looked at Twilight the same way again.

Chapter 2

Rainbow fidgeted on the bale of hay, sitting at the outside table next to Twilight. She picked at her order of fries, but wasn’t particularly hungry. She glanced up over and over again, watching the roads around the café, tapping her hoof on the ground rapidly.

Twilight smiled at Rainbow kindly. “Relax, Dashie. Applejack still has a few minutes before she’s supposed to be here.”

“Uh huh.” She glanced back down the road and then looked at her pile of fries, moving them around the plate idly.

“Hey.” Twilight rested her hoof on Rainbow’s and offered a comforting smile. “You alright?”

Rainbow returned the smile weakly. “Yeah, I’m okay. Just a little nervous, I guess.”

Stroking the soft hairs of her lover’s hoof, Twilight said, “It’ll be fine, don’t worry. Applejack might say no, but that’s all that would happen; she isn’t the type of pony to let something like this come between friends.”

“It’s not really that,” Rainbow mumbled uneasily. “I know AJ’ll be cool about it, it’s just actually asking. What’re we gonna say? It’s just so—”

“Well, howdy, y’all!” Applejack threw herself onto the third hay bale and tipped back her Stetson. “Ain’t runnin’ late, am I?”

“Good afternoon, Applejack!” Twilight beamed brightly at the mare. “You’re right on time. You want anything to eat?”

“S’pose I could go for a bite. What’cha got there, Dash, fries?”

Rainbow smirked and slid the plate closer to her friend.

“You feelin’ alright?” Applejack teased. “I ain’t ever seen ya pass up a plate of food.” Rainbow shrugged as the farm pony scooped a large helping off the plate. She turned back to Twilight. “So what’s this all about anyway? Not that I don’t love seein’ ya or nothin’, but ya seemed awful excited ‘bout somethin’ when ya came by this mornin’.”

“Well,” Twilight began, sitting up straight. “Rainbow and I have a proposition for you.”

Applejack swallowed her mouthful of fries. “Oh yeah? What sorta proposition?”

“See, we were wondering if—”

“It’s totally cool if you say no,” Rainbow interjected brightly.

“Yes,” Twilight agreed, “it’s entirely up to you, but we’ve been talking about—”

“No pressure, if you think it’s weird or something.” Rainbow’s wide smile looked slightly pained.

Clearing her throat, Twilight cast a brief and irritated look at her marefriend. “Right. Anyway, Rainbow and I wanted to know if you had any interest—”

“—And it’s cool if you don’t.”

“—If you had any interest in participating in a private and experimental arrangement.” Twilight breathed out in relief, happy to have finished her thought.

“But you don’t have to,” Rainbow tacked on.

Applejack’s eyebrows slowly rose almost all the way to the underside of her hat as the two talked. “What sorta arrangement? What’s goin’ on? Y’all’re actin’ funny.”

Twilight glared at Rainbow for a lingering moment and the pegasus shrunk back, grinning sheepishly. Twilight took a deep breath and turned back to the farmer. “Rainbow Dash has expressed the desire to engage in sexual activities with an additional pony and we wanted to ask you to be that third, if you are interested.”

Applejack glanced briefly at Rainbow, watching the mare turn red and pointedly look at her own hooves, before turning back to Twilight, who closed her eyes and fell into a matter-of-fact, almost lecturing tone. “The arrangement would be one that you’re comfortable with, of course. If you’re receptive, we propose trying it out once to see how it goes for everypony. If it goes well, we could discuss setting up a semi-regular schedule of sessions. You’re welcome to set anything off-limits if there’s something that would make you uncomfortable but you would be otherwise interested.”

Rainbow watched Twilight talk, her jaw slowly falling open in bewilderment and wonder regarding her marefriend’s almost careless ease.

Twilight opened her eyes and nodded once. “So that’s why we asked to meet with you. If you have any questions about things, or if—”

“Yeah, alright,” Applejack answered simply.

Rainbow started and turned to Applejack. “Really?”

The farmer shrugged, stuffing another hoofful of fries into her mouth. She chewed them slowly and swallowed before continuing. “I ain’t shy, RD. A good roll in the hay’s a mighty nice way to spend an evenin’.” She smirked playfully and turned to Twilight. “And I can’t say I ever had a pair a’ fillies at the same time, but it sure don’t sound bad to me. ‘Specially not with a couple’a good lookin’ ones like y’all. I’d be lyin’ if’n I said I hadn’t thought about wrappin’ my hooves around either one of ya.”

Rainbow’s face darkened as she stared wide-eyed at Applejack, her throat bobbing uselessly.

“We’re all friends,” the earth pony reasoned casually. “I trust ya both with my life; can’t see why I can’t trust ya with a bit more friendliness.” She finished off the plate and sat back, tipping her hat down low. “An’ I reckon it’s been a bit of a dry spell for me, these last few months. I been busy on the farm, so I ain’t really been lookin’ for somethin’ serious, but I still got my needs. Meetin’ ‘em with a hot set a ponies like y’all? Well, that sounds mighty fine to me.”

Rainbow turned her bewildered gaze to Twilight, who beamed brightly and clapped her hooves together. “Wonderful! Oh, that was much easier than it could have been. What day would work well for you to try this out and see how it goes?”

“Y’all got anything goin’ on now?” the cowpony asked. Rainbow started again and looked back at Applejack. “Might wanna shut that jaw of yours, Dash; you’re gonna start catchin’ flies.”

“Now?” Rainbow squeaked.

“I didn’t rightly know how long y’all would need me for this here meetin’, so I got all my chores done first and cleaned up before comin’ out to see ya.” She winked at the dumbstruck pegasus. “Now I’m really glad I did both of them things; I got the night free an’ I ain’t got the day’s stink on me no more.”

“We’re free,” Twilight answered, drawing another surprised flinch from her marefriend. “Oh, I’m so glad we got Spike’s room set up for him yesterday. This is going to be so interesting! C’mon, let’s go!”

Twilight stood from the hay bale and dropped a stack of bits on the table to pay their bill. Applejack hopped up to follow and they headed back towards the library. Rainbow sat stock still for a few moments, staring after them. The shock was wearing off finally and she started to come to terms with what just happened. She, Rainbow Dash, was about to go back to her marefriend’s home and have sex with two ponies at once. Two very willing and rather excited ponies. She drew her eyes back into focus and watched Applejack’s hips swing as she walked alongside Twilight; two lovely rumps right next to each other, one well-muscled and the other soft and rounded. Suddenly Rainbow really wanted to slap both of them.

“Hey, wait up!” Rainbow called, leaping into the air and flying after the pair of smoking hot mares. She grinned hugely and gushed to herself, “This is gonna be soooo awesome!”

Twilight sat down on the edge of her bed, looking to Applejack as she and Rainbow Dash climbed up the loft steps. “So before we get started, is there anything you’re uncomfortable with? This should be fun for everypony and I don’t want you to have a bad time.”

Sauntering slowly to the bedside dresser, Applejack answered breezily, “Oh, I’d reckon I’m pretty open. I ain’t got anything that bugs me, I don’t think. I like what I like, an’ if somepony starts in on somethin’ I don’t much like, I can just say so.” She lifted off her Stetson and set it on the dresser before pulling the hair ties from her mane and tail and fluffing them out. When she turned to Rainbow, her face was framed by flowing blonde, making her smile even sultrier. The pegasus felt her mouth run dry. “But this here is y’alls rodeo; I’m just the guest. I’m game for whatever you’re up for.” Watching Rainbow, she practically strutted to the bed and sat down next to Twilight.

Rainbow swallowed thickly, frozen in place by the staircase. Her pulse was hammering and she felt more like a school filly than she had in years. Damn, AJ was hot, and damn, did she look good right next to Twilight. ‘This was a great idea,’ she thought. ‘Glad I thought of it.’ Rainbow smiled and hurried to the bed, sitting down and sandwiching Applejack between her and Twilight. “So…” she murmured, “what now?”

Twilight leaned her chest into Applejack’s shoulder and slid her hoof behind the farmer’s back, pressing against Rainbow’s wing, causing it to unfurl so she could brush across each feather. “I guess we just get started.” She nuzzled Applejack’s neck, brushing the mare’s loose mane out of the way and planting kisses from shoulder to jawline.

Applejack turned her head, presenting her neck to Twilight and catching Rainbow’s gaze. She smiled at the pegasus. “Ya wanna kiss me, sugar?”

Rainbow obliged, tentatively leaning in to meet her friend’s lips. She kissed Applejack, spreading her extended wing over the earth pony’s shoulders. Twilight, even at her most dominant and aggressive, had a gentle and soft quality to her. Applejack felt strong and solid against Rainbow; alluringly rough and tumble. Rainbow deepened the kiss, pressing into the mare and raising a hoof to stroke Applejack’s chest.

Applejack leaned into Rainbow’s mouth while sliding a leg down Twilight’s back in long strokes. The kiss became a duel of tongues and Rainbow was happy to put up a fight. Twilight’s hoof settled over her own on Applejack’s chest and the unicorn lifted her head to nibble the farmer’s ear.

Applejack broke the kiss with Rainbow, grinning and turning to catch Twilight’s lips. Rainbow darted into the mare’s neck, nipping and sucking. She ran her feathers gently across Applejack’s back.

Applejack pulled back from Twilight with a surprised guffaw. “Ah, that tickles, Dash!”

Chuckling, Rainbow said, “Sorry.” She moved her wing away and slid her hoof down Applejack’s chest, pressing in and rubbing the cowpony’s muscled belly forcefully. “This more your speed?” she purred into Applejack’s neck.

Twilight nipped just below the cowpony’s jaw and started rubbing her thigh. Applejack leaned her head back and closed her eyes, hugging the two mares loosely and feeling their limbs dance across her body, massaging and teasing, making the hairs of her coat stand on end. A fire in her belly gradually stoked itself to life at their touch. “Th-that’s the ticket, sugarcube,” she breathed out. “I reckon I could get used to this.”

Twilight lifted off the bed and straddled Applejack’s hips, capturing her mouth in another kiss. Rainbow moved from Applejack’s neck to Twilight’s, pressing into the two, holding them both and caressing them with her legs and wings.

Twilight’s eyes fluttered as she wrestled Applejack’s tongue. Applejack was so solid. In raw strength, Rainbow Dash held her own against the hard-working farmer, but they were built so differently. Rainbow’s cut and wiry frame suggested speed and flexibility, while Applejack felt more like a mountain. She strengthened her kiss and drove Applejack backwards onto the bed, looming over the earth pony, a quivering jolt of satisfaction racing up her spine. She broke the kiss with a gasp and dove into Applejack’s neck, biting and kissing, slowly drifting down the mare’s chest.

Rainbow grazed her teeth along Twilight’s ear as her marefriend slid backwards. Twilight’s back hooves settled down on the floor as Rainbow returned her attention to Applejack, nuzzling the pony’s neck and planting kisses.

Stroking Rainbow’s messy mane, Applejack mused, “For this bein’ about y’all havin’ two ponies to fool around with, ya both seem rather focused on me.” Rainbow nipped her throat just as Twilight arrived at her lower belly. Applejack gasped as the unicorn pulled a nipple between her teeth. “N-not that I’m complainin’, mind.”

Rainbow pulled away from Applejack’s neck and smirked at her. “Gotta take you for a test drive, AJ.” She pressed her muzzle forcefully to the mare’s, invading Applejack’s mouth. Applejack groaned in response, sliding her hoof down Rainbow’s body. She softly stroked Twilight’s mane with her other foreleg, shivering as the unicorn switched teats and began caressing her inner thighs. As Twilight’s strokes grew closer and closer to her growing need, Applejack drove her hoof between Rainbow’s legs.

Rainbow shuddered, pressing into Applejack’s limb, feeling her arousal dampen the farm pony’s fetlock. She kissed harder, her hooves roaming over Applejack’s chest, massaging thick muscle, gripping and pulling. Applejack murmured into Rainbow’s mouth.

Twilight could hardly take the smell of Applejack’s lust in the air. She rubbed her own thighs together as tremors of desire danced along her back. She slid back and lowered her head, almost dizzied by the scent pouring off of the earth pony’s parted lips. She swept her tongue upwards from one end to the other, collecting the gathered juices and relishing the flavor; savory and wild, a stronger taste than Rainbow Dash, but just as welcome. She hugged Applejack’s hips and tongued her friend’s marehood in tiny sweeps.

Applejack draped her hindlegs around Twilight’s shoulders, rubbing up and down affectionately, beckoning the unicorn to press in closer. Her arousal mounting, she petted Twilight’s ears and bangs, lifting her hips towards the effervescent sensation of a hot and wet tongue on her outer lips. She battled with the tongue in her mouth and increased her pace against Rainbow’s dripping sex until she pressed against Rainbow’s stiffened nub and the pegasus arched back, letting out a half voiced bark. Rainbow bit her own lip, rocking into Applejack’s leg with each stroke.

Panting breathlessly, the cowpony said with a hint of impatience in her voice, “Twi, I might be an ‘apple’, but I ain’t gonna bruise like a piece a’ fruit.”

Grinning wickedly, Twilight hugged Applejack’s hips tighter and buried her muzzle, bumping the mare’s clit with her snout and delving deep into wet and velvety folds. Applejack grunted approvingly, rocking into Twilight’s face. She opened her eyes as she felt Rainbow move away from her touch and watched the pegasus swing a leg over her shoulder, straddling her face.

“I won’t bruise, either.”

Applejack grinned up at the mare looming above her, peeking over the mound of Rainbow’s sex. She gripped Rainbow’s cutie marks and darted out her tongue.

Rainbow closed her eyes and rode her friend’s muzzle, arching her head up as Applejack’s tongue slid inside of her. Applejack was forceful in a way that was distinct from Twilight. There was a hungry ferocity her marefriend brought to the bedroom; a yearning need for control that made Rainbow want to submit in a desire to please Twilight. Applejack, on the other hoof, had a lazy and commanding strength. It didn’t ask or demand compliance, it simply was, and it made Rainbow grind her hips down, daring Applejack to up the stakes again, a cat and mouse game of rising competition. Rainbow smirked inwardly at herself for picking that up from the sensation of a tongue squirming against her inner walls.

Twilight watched Rainbow Dash, observing the muscles of the pegasus’ ass tighten and relax as she rocked back and forth. She quivered with heat and pushed further into Applejack’s sex, as far in as she could reach, exploring where the farmer matched her lover and where she differed. Applejack’s hindlegs beckoned her closer, directing her up, and she pulled the mare’s clit between her lips. Applejack grunted into Rainbow’s loins appreciatively.

Flicking and suckling the nub in her mouth, Twilight dropped a foreleg to her own unattended lust. She watched Rainbow’s thrusting rump, following the mare’s tail as it flicked back and forth in front of her face. Darting down to lap up the nectar threatening to spill over onto the base of Applejack’s tail, she pulled the box from under the bed and blindly rifled through it with a free hoof.

Applejack felt Twilight pull away as the unicorn stood up and a smooth bulge of cool plastic press up against her sex. She spread her legs wide and bucked her hips towards the toy, her thoughts a jumble of pleasurable sensations and the taste and smell of the pegasus over her mouth, juices dripping down her cheeks and her jaw aching wonderfully from the sway of Rainbow’s hips. She slid her hooves up Rainbow’s belly and sides, her gaze unfocused. As Twilight slid into her, stretching her in ways she hadn’t experienced in too long a time, she knew she could definitely get used to this.

Twilight gradually eased into rutting Applejack, holding onto the farmer’s back legs for balance and watching the strap-on slide wetly in and out of delicate folds. As Applejack’s bucking hips grew more insistent, silently asking for more, she dropped her forelegs to the bed and set her sights on her other prize. She clamped down on Rainbow’s tail with her teeth and pulled back hard as she slammed into Applejack’s marehood.

“Oh, damn!” Rainbow barked, a spasm racing up her back. She shuddered again as Applejack groaned into her, sending vibrations through her walls and along her clit. Twilight pulled back and slammed home again, pulling her tail and shaking Applejack underneath her. She looked back over her shoulder and caught the wild look of need in her lover’s gaze. When Twilight yanked again, she timed her glide forward on Applejack’s face to match. As the speed increased, a helpless series of whimpering cries escaped her throat to punctuate each tug.

Applejack could see stars, feeling each slap of Twilight’s hips against her flanks, feeling the plastic rod fill her up. She attacked Rainbow’s recesses with her tongue, lost in an ocean of sensation, gripping with her hooves in a scattered attempt to keep herself grounded in reality.

The bed itself started to shake from Twilight’s pounding, and the unicorn could see Applejack’s stomach tighten below her, and could feel the increased grip of the mare’s muscles trying to hold onto the soaked and dripping toy with each thrust. Her hooves slid back to grasp Applejack’s hips and she arched back, burying the strap-on as deep as she could and yanking Rainbow’s tail with all her strength.

Applejack screamed into Rainbow Dash, wrapping her hindlegs around Twilight and hugging her deeper, violently contracting around the toy, feeling her lust trickle into her tail. The muffled shout and lovely strain on Rainbow’s dock sent her over her own edge and she bent forward, clinging to Applejack’s mane. The cowpony writhed against Twilight’s hips while Rainbow grinded into her sore jaw as they rode out the aftershocks of their orgasms.

Rainbow collapsed forward and to the side on the bed, panting. She watched her marefriend slowly slide out of Applejack and she grinned, listening to the farm pony’s ragged breaths. Applejack flopped to her side and crawled further onto the bed, slinging a hoof around Rainbow’s waist. Rainbow kissed Applejack gently, licking her own spent lust from the mare’s lips.

Twilight dropped the toy to the floor and ran a hoof over her throbbing mound, soaked with sweat and trapped juices. She bit her lip and squeaked, rubbing herself gently.

Applejack smirked fondly at the adorable display in front of her. “Twi, you best be comin’ up here so as me an’ RD can see to that,” she purred, scooching away and patting the bed in the new gap.

Twilight grinned and eased onto the bed, slinking between the waiting ponies, rolling onto her back. She lay down and spread her forelegs, her two lovers snuggling into her sides and resting their heads on her shoulders. She hugged them both loosely.

She closed her eyes as hooves ran up and down her barrel, over her thighs, alternating between rough and gentle. The caresses reached her teats and she mumbled indistinctly, hugging tighter, stroking manes, nuzzling the tops of heads. A limb slid languidly up her slit and she whimpered.

Rainbow’s head lifted and Twilight turned to meet her marefriend, kissing deeply. Applejack kissed the back of her neck and breathed hotly into her mane, making her hair stand on end. One kiss broke and she turned the other way. Slowly, both of her hooves came free from underneath her lovers and she ran them down both mares’ chests, fondling, touching wherever she could reach. She arched into the limb on her marehood. A second hoof joined the first and she spread her legs further apart.

Twilight twisted, kissing one mare, then the other, biting necks, being bitten, nuzzling both as they leaned across her to kiss each other. Hooves were everywhere, and Twilight reveled in being touched and touching. Three sets of heavy breaths grew desperate with half voiced cries. They grinded into each other, hugging, grasping, growing warm and wet with each other’s sweat and arousal.

Twilight never wanted it to end.

She called out sharply as she came, burying her face in the hollow of Rainbow’s shoulder. The hooves on her body didn’t stop and she whimpered as her body shook, twisting back and forth between her lovers, touching and teasing.

Nopony wanted to stop, exploring each other with excitement and fondness, turning new into familiar, delighting in the sounds and faces they could drag from one another, curled around each other in a loose and lazy embrace.

At last they collapsed in a heap, gasping and spent, shuddering from lingering spikes of pleasure. They held each other gently and listened to the sounds of one another’s heart beats gradually slow to a normal rhythm. Applejack let out a half laugh, half moan and sat up.

“Well. That’s not likely gonna be somethin’ I’ll ever forget.” A tingling shiver ran down her spine and she grinned. “I ain’t had that much fun in a long while. Thanks for the invitation.”

Twilight and Rainbow grinned dazedly from their snuggling embrace. Twilight said, “The pleasure was all ours.”

Rainbow chuckled and nodded.

“Oof!” Applejack sighed, getting to her hooves and wobbling slightly. “It’s gonna be an interestin’ walk home. Glad it’s dark out.” She smirked ruefully at her damp and matted tail.

“Oh, stay!” Twilight called, patting the bed next to her. “It’s already late, you can sleep here.”

Applejack winced. “…I couldn’t. I feel like I’m imposin’.”

“AJ,” Rainbow teased, “I just came on your face. There’s no such thing as imposing anymore.”

Chuckling, Applejack shook her head. “Still, this is y’alls bedroom; I’m just a guest.”

“So be our guest.” Twilight patted the sheets again. “Stay.”

Applejack eyed the warm and inviting bed and released a long sigh. “I can’t. I got chores in the mornin’; I gotta get home so I can be up in time for ‘em. I do appreciate it, Twi. ‘Nother time.”

“Speaking of next time,” Twilight said, turning to Rainbow. “This was your fantasy, Dashie. Was it what you’d hoped it would be?”

Rainbow stifled a snort and smiled. “Better.”

“Good.” She leaned forward and kissed her lover on the snout. “I had a wonderful time, too. Would you like to make this more than a one-time thing?”

“Oh, yeah.” Rainbow grinned lasciviously at Applejack, who smiled coyly, her cheeks turning pink, and turned to the night table.

“What about you, Applejack?” Twilight glanced up to see the farm pony attempting to straighten her fluffed out mane enough to retie a ribbon. “Oh, let me help.” Applejack paused as a hair brush floated into her mane, sweeping through it gently. She closed her eyes and stood still as Twilight brushed out her hair, feeling the soft and pleasant tug on her scalp. She took a deep breath and smiled when the unicorn finished, tying up her ponytail with her eyes still shut.

Rainbow sat up, her gaze bright with interest. “So, d’you wanna?”

Applejack finished doing up her mane and tail while turned away from the two. She straightened up and looked back to them, smiling brightly. “If’n I move a couple’a things around with my brother, I can make it so my Saturday nights’re always free.”

Rainbow kicked her hindlegs in excitement and she trilled, “Awe~some!”

Applejack chuckled and climbed back onto the bed, pushing both mares down onto their backs and looming over them. She kissed Rainbow fiercely, and then did the same to Twilight. She leaned back and leered at them both. “…And I always sleep in on Sundays.”

Twilight grinned up at the earth pony playfully. “I’ll clear my schedule.” She turned to Rainbow and raised an eyebrow. “How about you? Your schedule free for Saturdays?”

“What schedule?”

Author's Note

tl;dr

Twilight didn't cast a sound dampening spell on her bedroom. Spike wished he had just gone for a walk again.

So, update schedule on this. There is no update schedule on this. It's quite a bit of fun to write, so chances are I'll keep the ball rolling on it fairly briskly, but I'm just going to write chapters for it whenever.

Chapter 4

Twilight cantered briskly through the orchard while humming tunelessly to herself. A contented smile lit up her face as she swiveled her ears in search of the double-thump of hooves to bark. Rounding a row of apple trees, she spotted Applejack working down the line. Trotting up, she called out, “Hi, Applejack!”

“Well, howdy, Twi!” Applejack bucked the tree and turned to Twilight as fruit rained down into the baskets. “Ya here to nab Apple Bloom for Spike’s sleepover?”

Nodding, she said, “That, and I wanted to talk to you about something ‘Saturday’ related.”

“Oh?” Applejack went onto the next tree, her tone growing beleaguered. “Somethin’ else come up? We ever gonna get to have a rodeo without somethin’ gettin’ in the way?”

Twilight giggled. “Actually, everything’s fine for when, I just wanted to talk to you about Rainbow.”

“What about her? She ain’t gettin’ cold hooves or nothin’, right?” Another cascade of apples fell as she frowned at Twilight.

“No, that’s not it, it’s about Rainbow’s…proclivities.” At her friend’s mystified expression, Twilight frowned in thought and tapped her chin. “Alright, let me ask you something…So far in our ‘rodeos’ you’ve not really taken the lead on anything. Is that normal for you, or do you normally take charge?”

Applejack’s brow knit. She pulled her hat back to scratch the top of her head. “What’s that gotta do with Dash?”

“Maybe a lot.”

“Well, uh… normally I’d say I’m a bit more hooves-on, but I’ve told ya both before; I’m the guest an’ I’m up for whatever y’all are up for.”

Twilight nodded, her smile growing. “That’s the thing, Applejack.” She stepped closer and lowered her voice. “Rainbow has a thing for other ponies taking control.”

A wry smirk spread across Applejack’s face. “Does she now? That blustery sack a’ feathers likes bein’ taken for a ride?” Shaking her head and chuckling, she trotted to the next tree. “Could’a fooled me them last two times.”

“I’m sure you’ve noticed my tendency to be a bit forceful,” Twilight mumbled, dots of color entering her cheeks. Applejack chuckled, her mind replaying the rather aggressive reaming of their first time. “Rainbow and I make it sort of a game. She wants to submit, but only if I take control; she doesn’t just give it up.”

“Well, Twi, this is fascinatin’ and all,” Applejack mused, leering at her friend, “but I don’t rightly know what it’s got to do with me.”

Twilight nodded again. “In the barn, Rainbow sort of asked me to take control part of the way through, but she found she couldn’t give up to just me; it had to be to the both of us.”

“Now you’re talkin’ a language I can understand.”

“So are you up for it?”

Pausing in her work again, Applejack turned to Twilight and gave her a decidedly hungry grin. “You askin’ if I’m up for pinnin’ Rainbow Dash down an’ makin’ her scream?” At Twilight’s amused smile, she turned back to her work. “Let’s just say Saturday can’t come fast enough.”

Twilight chuckled. “Well, that answers that question. So, for the real reason I’m here.”

“AB’s up at the house; I told her to pack up for an overnight.” She glanced back at Twilight. “Ya sure she ain’t gonna keep your hooves full?”

Twilight waved a hoof dismissively. “Rainbow’s going to be over to supervise, so it’ll be fine. I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Ya got it, Twi.”

Turning away from the orchards, Twilight set off for the farmhouse while smiling broadly to herself. Her hummed melody resumed as the apple trees thinned and she stepped into the farm’s yard. Apple Bloom was waiting for her on the porch and took off to meet her, a small saddlebag bouncing on her back. “Howdy, Twilight!”

“Hi, Apple Bloom!” Twilight paused as the excited filly closed the gap and turned to the road leading out of the farm and back into Ponyville. “You ready for the sleepover?”

“Oh, yeah!” Apple Bloom chimed, falling into step next to her. “Is everypony there already?”

Chuckling, she shook her head. “We’re stopping at Carousel Boutique to pick up Sweetie Belle on the way back, and Rainbow’s picking up Scootaloo.”

“Yay!”

The two made their way back onto the main road and trotted briskly into Ponyville. A quick stop at Rarity’s to pick up a bouncing Sweetie later, and their group met up with Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo in front of Town Hall. The three fillies broke off from Twilight and Rainbow to run giggling circles together around the pair. Rainbow gently shoulder-checked Twilight and said, “Hey.”

“Hey yourself.” She smiled warmly and ruffled Rainbow’s mane with a hoof. “Good day so far?”

“Yeah. Got some good flying in; I’m working on this new trick where I gotta make a cyclone and spin in a spiral at the same time. Most of the time I lose control halfway through and end up smackin’ into something, but I got it to work today! Mostly.”

Smirking and raising an eyebrow, Twilight asked, “Mostly?”

“I lost control, but I didn’t hit anything. So, progress.”

Twilight giggled and nuzzled Rainbow’s neck. “It’s a good thing your skull’s made of concrete.”

“Concrete? Nah, more like steel,” she boasted, returning the nuzzle. “So how’s your day been? You all set to go on this…research thingie whatever?”

Twilight nodded. “Thanks for keeping Spike busy.” She glanced at their additional guests and watched Scootaloo cartwheel down the road with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle on either side to keep her from losing control. Despite her spotters, Scootaloo careened sideways into a garbage can with an echoing bang. Twilight winced in sympathy as the three giggled dazedly and got back to their hooves, uprighting the bin and re-stuffing it with the contents they had spilled into the street. “And those three busy, too. You sure you’re up for it?”

“No sweat, Twi.” She flashed a cocky smirk. “Scoots and her friends are nuts, but they’re wrapped up in doing whatever the heck they get in their heads to do for the day. I’m just on ‘steer them away from the sexy librarian’ duty.”

Grinning and shaking her head, Twilight pressed her side into her marefriend’s as they walked. Golden Oaks Library came into view and the door opened at their approach. Spike rushed out to meet them, turning the trio into a quartet that bolted upstairs. The slam of Spike’s door reached Twilight and Rainbow’s ears before they crossed the threshold.

“See? Piece a’ cake; they’re gonna be up in Spike’s room all night.”

Twilight turned slowly to Rainbow and cupped her chin with a hoof, drawing her into a slow and lingering kiss. She studied Rainbow’s face with half-lidded eyes and murmured, “I’ll thank you properly for doing this later.”

Rainbow watched her sexy librarian slink up the stairs, rump swaying side to side a little bit further than strictly necessary, and pumped a hoof in victory. She strutted over to the fireplace and flopped down on a pillow, grabbing the latest Daring Do novel and propping it open on her chest.

“Awesome,” she told herself. “Don’t have to do squat, get some reading time in, then I get to bang the hell out of Twi. Best night ever.”

Rainbow’s plan lasted for about five minutes.

Spike’s door banged open and Scootaloo’s voice called out into the library, echoing up and down the stairs. “Twilight, can we have a snack?!”

Rainbow groaned and dropped her book. “Scoots, Twi’s busy. Doesn’t Spike have a bunch of snacks up there already?”

A clatter of hooves and claws on the stairs brought the quartet away from Twilight’s mane and firmly into Rainbow’s. “Yeah, he’s got a bunch of cookies and stuff,” Scootaloo said, “but I’m just getting over a cold and my mom made me promise to have somethin’ healthy.”

Rainbow sighed. “Alright, I think Twi’s got a pineapple I could cut up for everypony.” She tromped into the kitchen, muttering, “That I was gonna eat,” under her breath. The four bounded to the table and took seats around it while Rainbow pulled a cutting board and knife onto the counter. She grabbed the lone, delicious-looking pineapple from the fridge and lopped off both ends.

“So, Rainbow,” Scootaloo began in an amused tone that made her pause midway through shaving off the skin. “Is what Spike said true? Is Twilight really your special somepony?”

Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and stifled a groan as Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle started snickering quietly. “Yeah, Scoots. It’s true.” She sliced the pineapple up, making sure there would be five pieces, and trotted to the cupboard to grab plates. “Twi and me are dating.”

The partially hidden laughter jumped in volume. Rainbow held back from rubbing her face in annoyance, if only because the pineapple juice would really sting if she got it in her eyes, and dished up the slices. As she set them down on the table, Sweetie looked at hers doubtfully. “It’s still got the center in it.”

Rainbow glanced from one filly to the next. “Do you really need me to cut out the middles?”

Even Spike nodded.

Rainbow tried very hard to not roll her eyes as she brought the plates back to the cutting board and sliced out the cores from four of the slices. Apple Bloom chimed, “So what’s your special somepony doin’ that’s so important?” At the mention of Twilight, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle started giggling again.

Rainbow rubbed her face and got a small amount of burning juice in her eyes.

“Yeah,” Spike said, “she didn’t tell me what was up, do you know?”

“Not really.” Rainbow kept her voice even and friendly, blinking what felt like battery acid from her vision. “Somethin’ she’s busy researching she wanted some peace and quiet for.”

“Research?” Spike blinked, frowning at the slice of fruit Rainbow set down in front of him. “But I always help her with research. She never knows where any of the books she needs are. Why would she be doing research without me?”

Rainbow felt rather thankful she was immune to puppy-dog eyes as Spike looked at her. “I dunno, Spike. You’ll have to ask her yourself.” As the chair squeaked from Spike standing up, she quickly added, “Later! All four of you leave her be.” She pointed an accusing hoof around the table. “Twi asked me to watch you girls—and Spike—so she could have some peace and quiet tonight.”

“And you just do whatever your girlfriend asks you to do, Rainbow?” Scootaloo teased.

Rainbow rolled her eyes and blew a stray bang off her face. “Just eat your pineapple, squirt.” She sat on her haunches at the corner of the table, scooped up her own slice, and took a bite.

“You know,” Sweetie Belle mused, flashing a wicked smirk at her friends, “I bet you at this exact moment that Rainbow Dash and Twilight are both sitting down…and we are in a tree.”

Spike nearly choked on his mouthful before he started laughing. “Yeah, we are!” He glanced around with a maniacal grin. All four turned to Rainbow and started chanting in unison.

“Rainbow and Twilight, sittin’ in a tree!”

“Oh, Luna…” Rainbow groaned.

“K-I-S-S-I-N-G!”

As Rainbow collected their empty plates and plodded to the sink while they chanted in singsong, she told herself that no matter how easy it would be, no matter how well she hid the bodies, even if she could probably get away with it, it was still wrong to brutally murder three fillies and a baby dragon.

“Dogpile on Rainbow Dash!” Apple Bloom yelled, leaping onto Rainbow’s back. Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Spike soon joined her. Rainbow methodically washed the plates while the four attempted to pull her to the ground, thinking dark thoughts.

She stomped back into the main room of the library with Apple Bloom hanging from her neck, Sweetie Belle clinging to a foreleg, Scootaloo grabbing a wing, and Spike dragging along the ground holding her tail. Her movements were not hampered in the slightest.

“Ugh,” Apple Bloom scoffed, wriggling back and forth in an attempt to knock the athletic mare off her hooves. “Tryin’ to wrestle you’s like tryin’ to take down my big sis.”

“Don’t I know it,” Rainbow mumbled with a knowing grin.

“What’s that s’posed to mean?” Apple Bloom asked innocently.

Rainbow froze. “N-nothing; forget I said anything.”

“Ohh, I think I get it…”

Rainbow’s eyes grew wide and she swallowed nervously. This was not a conversation she wanted to have with her sometimes-lover’s little sister. Her mind flashed through a dozen rather violent scenarios of Applejack finding out. Rainbow knew she would not in good conscience be able to fight back. The beating would be legendary. She would probably sell tickets to it first, just to help cover the hospital bills.

“Ya wrestled her in your Iron Pony thing last year, huh?”

Rainbow breathed a sigh of relief. “Yeah, that’s what I meant.” She sat down by the fireplace, effectively tossing all four onto the floor in a heap.

“You’re no fun,” Apple Bloom whined, standing up and rubbing her sore shoulder. She turned back to her friends. “What should we do now, if’n Rainbow’s gonna be a wet blanket about wrestlin’?”

“We could go read comics,” Spike suggested.

‘Yes!’ Rainbow cheered to herself. ‘Go read comics all night!’

“Nah.” Scootaloo scrutinized the room, rubbing her chin. “…I wonder if we can work on those cutie marks in Parkour using these shelves…”

Rainbow’s coat stood on end as images of books and bookcases tumbling down on soft and tiny fillies flooded her mind. She shook her head forcefully. “What is it with you guys, are you tryin’ to give me a hard time?”

“We’re bored!” they cried.

Rainbow looked regretfully at her abandoned Daring Do book and sighed. “Wasn’t one of the points of tonight seeing Spike’s new room?”

“We saw it,” Scootaloo said flatly, “and now we’re bored.” Groaning again, Rainbow couldn’t help but glare at Scootaloo. As she glared, Scootaloo’s eyes widened and a smile lit up her face. “Cutie mark crusaders staring contest champions! Go!”

“Yay!” Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle called, turning together and sitting down forcefully, staring at each other. Spike scratched his head in bemusement as Scootaloo narrowed her eyes in challenge and locked glares with Rainbow.

Smirking despite herself, Rainbow thought, ‘Least it isn’t ‘crushed by shelves champions,’’ and leaned forward, baring her teeth in a smirk. Not to be outdone, Scootaloo edged closer to match. Rainbow was not going to be beaten by a filly at anything, even something as silly as a staring contest. Luckily, high-speed aero-acrobatics without flight goggles had provided an aggressive crash course in not blinking, and soon her opponent began to show the signs of strain. “You sweatin’ yet, Scoots?”

“You’re goin’ down, Rainbow Dash,” Scootaloo promised, leaning in closer. Her eyes wavered and Rainbow could see extra moisture beginning to pool up by her tear ducts. It was only a matter of time. “I can beat you, and when you blink, it’ll be the saddest blink you ever blunked.”

“‘Blunked’?” Rainbow teased. “I’m not the one who’s gonna be ‘blunking,’ Scoots.”

As Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle lost to each other simultaneously, a tremor ran along the bridge of Scootaloo’s muzzle. Rainbow hadn’t even started to feel the strain. Victory was in the bag. The other three gathered around to watch with keen interest, which made Rainbow all the more smug. Scootaloo’s lids quaked, and she opened her mouth in preparation for her self-congratulations.

Scootaloo sneezed.

“Augh!” Rainbow cried, reeling back. “You sneezed in my eyes, kid!”

Her ears falling flat, Scootaloo pouted. “Aww, I blinked first.”

Rainbow wiped at her face and huffed. “Alright, you four. I’ve been itchin’ to read Daring Do and the Cove of Candles since it came out. I’m gonna read it now. So unless you want me to read it out loud, you’re gonna have to clear out and find somethin’ else to do besides bug me.” She dragged the book in front of her vision.

“Ooo!”

Rainbow lowered the book to see Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Spike, and Apple Bloom sitting at poised attention. “…You want to listen to me read?” Four heads bobbed in animated nods. Rainbow smiled warmly. ‘These kids aren’t that bad,’ she thought, ‘they respect the Do.’

She turned the book back to the first page, cleared her throat, and began to read. The group sat in enraptured silence through three chapters of Daring’s tale of pirates and buried treasure, before the rumble of hungry bellies broke their stillness. Two more chapters were read over a simple dinner, and Rainbow got them hunkered down for the night in their sleeping bags amid half-hearted and yawn-interrupted protests.

Rainbow closed Spike’s door and sagged in place. She let out a long breath and trotted wearily up the stairs. She smiled at Twilight as she climbed up the loft steps and found her lover curled up in bed and reading. “They’re down for the night. Least I hope they are.”

Twilight shut her book and turned to her marefriend with a grin on her face. “Well, I’m about done, too. Thank you, Dashie. C’mere.” She opened her hooves wide and Rainbow crawled up the bed and into her embrace. She stroked messy mane. “Was it awful?”

“Eh, it was alright.” Rainbow snuggled into her chest and hugged her back. “Scoots totally sneezed in my face. I think my mouth was open, too.”

Twilight let out a choked laugh and shook her head.

“Mostly I read ‘em Daring Do, so that was cool.” She rubbed her face through Twilight’s coat and focused on the sensation of a hoof running along her scalp. “Hope Scoots doesn’t get me sick; I’m so close to finishing that move.”

Twilight lit her horn up in response and touched it gently to the top of Rainbow’s head. “There, that’s a temporary immunity booster. Should help keep you from getting sick.”

Sitting up, Rainbow looked at her with wide eyes. “You can keep ponies from getting sick?”

Twilight shrugged. “It’s not perfect. You’d get the same thing from drinking a gallon of orange juice.”

“You are just awesome.” Rainbow pecked her on the tip of the snout. “So you got everything done for your…research whatever?” At a nod and a chuckle, she mused, “Spike said he usually helps you with that sorta thing, why’d you need me to keep him out?”

A coy smile spread across her muzzle and her gaze drifted to the book. “…These spell books I was going through have magic that’s a little bit mature for a baby dragon.”

Rainbow’s eyes widened and she looked at the old tome with interest. “Sex spells, Twi?” She licked her lips. “Learn anything good?”

“A few things,” she teased. “But we’ll worry about that sort of thing later. I want to thank you the old fashioned way.”

‘All according to plan,’ Rainbow thought as her lover dragged her into a kiss. She felt Twilight’s hindlegs lock around her hips and pull her close. Rainbow knew already she was going to be sore in the morning.

Applejack stood up in the wash basin and upturned a bucket of clean water over her head. She grinned and shook herself off, stepping out into the grass and grabbing a towel. As she ran it through her mane and tail, Big Macintosh trundled in from the north orchard, yoked to a cart brimming with apples. He offered his sister a beleaguered grin and nodded. “Ya headin’ out again?”

“That I am,” she replied, running a buffing brush through her coat. “Ya got the fort held down without me, Mac?”

“Eeyup.” He stopped next to the barn and slowly unhooked himself from the cart, sweeping his work-dampened mane back from his forehead. “I ain’t one ta pry, but I’m awful curious ‘bout these Saturday plans a’ yours, sis.”

“Keep not pryin’ then,” she teased as she retied her mane and tail. “I’ll be seein’ ya tomorrow, Mac. You try an’ work on that curiosity problem of yours, alright?”

Big Mac snorted and shook his head, walking slowly to the wash basin to clean off his day of labor. Applejack cantered from the yard and down the path. Halfway to the road leading into town, she turned into a row of trees. Stepping up to one, she gave it a swift kick and stood up with her forelegs wide. Rainbow Dash tumbled into her grasp.

“Zha—wha?” Rainbow shook her head, looking around to get her bearings.

“Time’s a wastin’, RD. Twi’s waitin’ for us.” She smirked at the sleepy mare in her hooves.

Rainbow stumbled out of Applejack’s grip and stretched out her wings. “Yeah, yeah, I was just about to get up anyway.” They returned to the path and made their way towards town at a sedate pace. “Couldn’t have kept me away tonight.”

“Me neither, sugarcube,” Applejack agreed, thumping her shoulder into Rainbow’s. “Been lookin’ forward to it all week.”

Leering at her friend, Rainbow grinned. “Me too. And I haven’t seen Twi since last Wednesday. I’ve been working on this sick new move and it’s kept me busy.”

“Well, we’re both in for a treat, then.”

“You said it.”

Their conversation fell to a lull as they took turns making heated eyes at each other, their pace slowly increasing to a near gallop. They crossed through downtown Ponyville quickly and Rainbow practically threw open the door to the library.

Spike glanced up from the logbook he was going over at the returns desk. “Oh, hi there, Rainbow, Applejack.”

Raising an eyebrow, Rainbow mumbled, “Hi…Spike. I usually see Twilight doin’ that.”

Spike bent back over the book. “Yeah, Twilight’s up in her room. Have, uh…have fun.”

Rainbow and Applejack exchanged a confused and slightly pink look before tentatively heading up the stairs.

“Does Spike know?” Applejack whispered.

“I don’t think so…and he said that in kind of a weird way.”

“Yeah…” Her brow knit in contemplation, Applejack frowned and turned her attention up the stairs.

The shades were all drawn in Twilight’s room, casting a dim pall over the whole space. Rainbow glanced around, feeling bewildered, and slunk up the stairs to the loft. A low groan greeted her arrival at the top and she stopped short.

Twilight lay in bed, her head propped up under several pillows and the covers pulled up to her chin. A portable humidifier blew puffs of steam from the bedside dresser, which was littered with twisted up bits of tissue. Twilight looked at her two lovers with bloodshot eyes. Her voice came out creaky and nasally. “Hi…”

“Oh, Twi…” Rainbow hurried to the side of the bed and pressed her hoof to her marefriend’s sweaty brow. “You look awful.”

Twilight blew her snout into a tissue and scrunched it up, tossing it with the other fallen soldiers. “I’b sick, Raidbow.”

“I can tell.” She bent down and kissed Twilight’s burning forehead.

“I casd the sbell on you, so you wouldn’ ged sick from Scoodaloo, but I didn’ dink to casd id on me, doo.”

Rainbow shook her head and chuckled low. “You should’a sent a letter or had Spike come find me, I would’ve come over to take care of you.”

Smiling weakly, Twilight rubbed at her reddened snout with a hoof. “I didn’ wan’ do bother you; you had thad drick you were working on.”

Rainbow brushed the bangs away from the bedridden mare’s face affectionately. “You come first, Twi.”

Applejack let out a weary sigh. “Well, there goes that plan. Ya want me to fetch anythin’ for ya before I head home, Twi? I can make a mean veggie soup that’ll help ya feel better.”

“You don’ hab to go, Applejack,” Twilight said, turning her head towards her friend.

Rainbow snorted. “Twi, you’re not in any shape for a threesome.”

Struggling up to sitting, Twilight moved her tissue box onto the dresser. “Don’ led be sdop you dwo from habing fun. Move thad chair over here, you dwo can hab the bed.”

“…Are you serious?” Rainbow looked at Applejack, who shrugged.

“Why nod?” Twilight asked, honking into another tissue.

Rainbow scratched her head, musing, “It’s…not really a threesome with just the two of us.”

“I know, bud I like habing sex wid Applejack, and so do you, why nod hab sex wid her now?” Twilight scooched to the edge of the bed and motioned for Rainbow to bring the big, squishy chair that was off to the side of the loft closer. Mystified, Rainbow moved to comply. Twilight got shakily to her hooves and half collapsed into the chair, letting out a sigh. Rainbow swept the blanket back around her. “You should hab fun; I don’ mind.” A coy smile broke through her reddened face. “Id’d be fun do watch.”

Rainbow turned back to Applejack. “Think she’s delirious?”

Snorting, Applejack shook her head and flashed a smirk at her friend. “Well, why not, Dash? Way I see it, it ain’t really cheatin’ or nothin’ if everypony knows about it. We all do have fun together, don’t see why we can’t have fun now as a twosome.” She shot a predatory look at the bundled up and sniffling mare. “Or other times.”

Rainbow tapped her chin and pursed her lips. Slowly, she turned back to face her marefriend. She leaned forward and dropped her voice. “…Do you want to do that, Twi? It does sound like fun, and if you’re okay with it, I’d be okay with you seein’ AJ without me sometimes.” She ran her hoof down the side of her lover’s neck. “I mean, AJ’s right. If everypony knows about it, it’s not like we’re sneaking around or anything.”

Twilight opened her mouth to respond and then grimaced. She hurriedly grabbed a tissue and let out a tremendous sneeze into it. She gave Rainbow an exhausted grin and said, “We’ll dalk aboud id more when I’b nod sick, bud I’b happy wid thad idea.”

“Well then,” Applejack said brightly from closer than Rainbow was expecting. She felt a rush of mane under her belly. Applejack swept her head up, and before Rainbow knew what was happening, she found herself thrown through the air over her friend’s back and bouncing down on the bed. Applejack winked at Twilight and murmured, “Enjoy the show, sugar,” before turning and pouncing on Rainbow Dash.

Pinned face-down on the mattress, Rainbow felt hot breaths on her neck and hooves along her sides. Applejack breathed out, “Twi tells me ya like a bit of a fight.” She nipped down hard on Rainbow’s shoulder, drawing a shudder. “Put up your dukes, pardner.”

Applejack pressed down forcefully, the weight of her powerful muscles almost pushing the air from Rainbow’s lungs. Hooves snaked around the pinned mare’s middle, grabbing her belly and pushing her rump up into her lover’s hips. Rainbow groaned appreciatively, her eyes fluttering closed and a challenging smirk pulling at her lips. She twisted, trying to find purchase to roll over by drawing up a leg, and Applejack darted a hoof down to her exposed inner thigh.

As Twilight watched her two lovers grunt and shift against each other, she realized her hoof was drifting down under the blanket. She wiped at her reddened snout with a tissue and let out a soft breath, feeling her growing wetness.

Applejack grinned predatorily, feeling the slight, but powerful mare wriggle underneath her. She bit Rainbow again, harder, aggressively caressing and kneading any spot she could reach, feeling everywhere their coats touched grow hot and slick with sweat. Rainbow flared her wings to aid the battle and Applejack caught one, pulling it close to her face.

“I did always like your wings, Dash.” Her voice came out as a sultry purr. She ran her tongue roughly down the leading edge and felt Rainbow quake beneath her, a long moan rumbling into her belly through the trapped pegasus’ back.

As Applejack’s teeth clenched around her wing, Rainbow pressed her thighs together. She pushed her unhindered wing down on the bed and rolled underneath Applejack, her lover barely keeping from being thrown off. She forced her muzzle against Applejack’s, rushing past teeth, bringing the challenge for dominance to their tongues. Applejack growled into her mouth. Both wings free, Rainbow shoved against the bed.

Applejack found herself quite involuntarily tumbling over backwards. As she struck the mattress, their kiss breaking with a surprised gasp, Rainbow’s hooves slammed into her forelegs. She struggled to break free, but suddenly Rainbow had all the leverage and the only thing she could do was squirm. Rainbow’s eyes flashed with hunger.

“You’re gonna have to do better’n that, AJ,” she growled, biting and kissing Applejack’s neck. Applejack let out a half-intoned gasp as wings grabbed her back legs and forced them apart. Rainbow shifted and she felt a thigh slide up her parted folds.

“Y-you put Twi through this sorta thing and she wins?” Applejack asked dazedly as she dampened Rainbow’s leg, rocking to match the slow strokes without conscious thought.

“You can take it,” Rainbow answered into her neck. She writhed and twisted, but Rainbow had no give. She was completely at her athletic rival’s mercy.

She made a mental note to worry about how excited she was later.

Rainbow’s wings slowly pulled her hindlegs upwards. Applejack’s struggles grew weaker as her rump was lifted off the bed, carrying her dripping marehood away from Rainbow’s thigh. In a flash, the weight lifted off her forelegs, and just as fast, her lover pinned her again, holding her backlegs down to her chest with her hooves almost behind her head. She twisted, but the powerful pegasus resolutely kept her folded halfway over herself. Her lover looked down at her sex, parted and aimed at the ceiling.

Rainbow licked her lips.

Eyelids fluttering as Rainbow’s tongue slid lazily across her folds, Applejack let out a moan and gripped her own hindlegs. She spread herself wider as Rainbow lapped at her with teasing slowness. “Nn, Dash…”

She tongued Applejack’s clit and asked mockingly, “You want me to go faster?”

“Nnf.” She scrunched her eyes shut and bit her lip, trying to arch herself into Rainbow’s muzzle.

“Give up, then.”

A feeble quiver of challenge danced down Applejack’s spine, but it only made her shudder and whimper with need.

“Say I won,” Rainbow commanded, grazing her teeth along her captive’s outer lips.

“I-I give up,” Applejack breathed out, “you win, Dash.”

“Damn straight.”

Still folded over with her ass in the air, Applejack felt Rainbow leap off the bed and spin in midair while still pinning her down. The pegasus landed lightly on either side of her head, plunged tongue first into her entrance, and sat on her face.

Applejack let out a muffled cry into Rainbow’s hot and wet marehood as she felt her lover attack her aching sex. She slid her tongue into Rainbow in earnest, trying to match lick for enthusiastic lick. She felt so powerless under the bold mare as she gripped Rainbow’s hips fervently with her forelegs.

As Rainbow explored Applejack’s recesses, she realized with some amusement that this was the first time she had tasted her friend’s juices. She drank greedily, searching out every recess, feeling Applejack’s elevated pulse thrum against her tongue. Applejack’s own skills proved just as advanced as the previous times Rainbow had experienced them, and she hugged her friend’s head with her thighs.

Applejack’s muscles bunched painfully in the rising tide of pleasure flooding her core. She scrunched her eyes tight as Rainbow’s powerful inner walls clenched around her mouth with increasing frequency. All at once she hit her peak, wrapping her hindlegs around Rainbow’s back and grinding against her captor’s muzzle as much as she could.

Rainbow stroked the underside of her thighs as she rode out her climax, whimpering through her attentions to the throbbing marehood over her face. Gently guiding her back legs down to the bed, Rainbow started rocking into her jaw. Her hooves still twitching with spikes of pleasure, Applejack stroked Rainbow’s dock and listened to her rider’s breaths grow faster and closer together.

Arching her back sharply, Rainbow cried out into the room as she came. She sagged onto Applejack’s belly and flopped sideways onto the bed with a huge grin on her face broken only by heated pants. When she could finally think straight again, she sat up and offered a hoof to her breathless friend.

“That…was awesome,” she chuckled. Applejack looked at her in a daze and she pulled her lover into a quick and fiery kiss. She half whispered, “Good effort on tryin’ to top me.”

“Dash, you’re somethin’ else.” Applejack rubbed her jaw in circles and rolled over onto her stomach. “I’m gonna use the powder room.” She stumbled to her hooves and walked crookedly towards Twilight’s bathroom. She paused at the door and ran a hoof between her soaked and matted legs. “Whoo-ee, that crazy mare did a number on me,” she marveled to herself, shaking her head and chuckling. As the door shut with a click, Rainbow turned to face her marefriend.

The blanket had fallen to the floor. Twilight had propped one hindleg up over the arm of the chair and was rubbing herself with a hoof. Her jaw hung slack and her eyes were closed. Rainbow smiled gently and slunk off the bed.

Twilight felt her hoof get nuzzled out of the way and a tongue press up against her clit. Her eyes shot open and she looked down, seeing her marefriend look up at her with warmth dancing in her eyes. “Raidbow,” she said, her voice rough, “I don’ wand do ged you sick.”

Rainbow leaned back and playfully scolded, “Then don’t sneeze on me; your head’s all the way up there,” before resuming a slow and gentle flicking of her most sensitive spot.

Twilight rubbed at her snout and smiled weakly. “You’re so good do me, Dashie.”

Rainbow pulled Twilight’s nub between her lips and suckled, stroking her lover’s thighs in languid circles. She watched Twilight’s face as pleasure cut through the misery of sickness, keeping her pace lingering and drawn out, raising the weakened mare’s arousal in a soft incline.

Twilight grinned down lovingly at the pony between her legs. Rainbow was as soft and sweet in her attentions as she was whenever she released control, but the look she gave wasn’t one of submission. Rainbow simply adored her and wanted her to feel something nice despite her stuffed up head and sticky eyes. She stroked colorful mane and leaned back in the chair.

Rainbow languorously brought Twilight to an orgasm and she closed her eyes, nuzzling into her marefriend’s crotch. She loved Twilight’s taste, loved the mix of it with Applejack’s juices on her tongue, and she felt a peaceful contentment wash over her mind while she lapped up the errant wetness of Twilight’s bliss.

Standing and wiping her chin, Rainbow swept Twilight up in her hooves and set her gently on the bed. She lifted and unfurled the blanket, tucking the sniffly mare in with care. She kissed Twilight’s brow and crawled over her.

Twilight closed her eyes and smiled as Rainbow climbed under the covers behind her and held her close around the middle, but she still protested, “I’b gonna ged you sick.”

“Breathe that way, egghead.” Rainbow kissed the back of her neck and she shivered.

The bathroom door opened and Applejack smiled at the nestled couple. “There room for one more in that bed?”

Rainbow flicked back the covers with a wing and answered, “Always.”

Sighing in satisfaction, Applejack cantered to the bed and curled herself around Rainbow’s back. She mused internally, ‘Next time, I’m gonna make this filly scream and beg, so help me…’ Grinning at the thought, she nuzzled against the pegasus’ soft feathers and murmured, “I really do like your wings, Rainbow.”

Rainbow Dash slid her wing down the solid and well-muscled side of her friend and gripped the hindleg thrown casually over her hip, holding both of her lovers close. Applejack buried her snout in Rainbow’s mane and fell asleep smelling a mix of sweat, sex, soap, and an unmistakable hint of apple trees.

Author's Note

tl;dr

Life lesson #34521: If you want to have sex with your hot friend while your girlfriend watches, let a child sneeze into your open mouth.

Chapter 5

Twilight closed her book when she heard knocking at the door. Grinning to herself, she grasped the knob in her magic and let Applejack inside. “Howdy, Twi. Got your letter to try an’ show up a little early; now a good time?”

“Perfect timing, Applejack; Rainbow isn’t here yet. Can I get you anything to drink?” She trotted into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator.

“Sure thing. You feelin’ better, sugarcube? You were in a right state last week.”

Twilight giggled as she floated a bottle of juice from the fridge to the counter. “Much better, thank you. Rainbow did her best to take care of me.” She rolled her eyes and poured out two glasses. “I’m lucky she didn’t burn down the tree ‘helping’ out.”

Applejack chuckled. “Couldn’ta been that bad.” She lifted the offered juice to her lips.

“She tried to warm up a blanket for me in the fireplace.”

Applejack nearly choked on her mouthful, just barely keeping from spitting it all over the table.

Grinning, Twilight sat down across from her friend and took a sip. “I was already through the worst of it last Sunday, thankfully.”

“Least Dash means well.” She shook her head. “Anyway, Twi, there a particular reason ya had me get here early? I mean, I do like chattin’ with you; sometimes it feels like you’re the only pony ‘round this town that ain’t crazier'n a loon.”

“Yes, well…” A dusting of pink entered her cheeks as she grinned. “I might have been a little out of it, but I did witness how ‘successful’ you were at taking control last week.”

Applejack chuckled. “That mare’s extra crazy.”

Her grin growing, Twilight nodded. “I have an…idea that might help make this week go differently, but I wanted to talk to you about it first.” As she spoke, her horn lit up with energy. A book levitated in from the other room and settled in front of her. She started sifting through pages as she continued. “I know you’ve said you’re alright with anything we want to do, but this is a little—” she flipped the book around and slid it to where Applejack could see “—extreme to expect you to not get a say first.”

Applejack’s eyes widened as she looked over the page. She knew that the words, or rather runes, were an explanation for a magic ritual, but that was the extent of her understanding of such things. The diagrams, however, painted a plenty vivid picture. She locked eyes with Twilight, her friend’s expression reserved and maybe the smallest amount embarrassed. She looked back at the book.

The silence stretched out for a few minutes before Applejack asked, “Is, uh…who exactly would be…gettin’ this?”

“If you’re willing, the two of us.”

“And…if’n I say yes, how long’s this gonna last?”

“As long as you want it to last. As soon as you’re done, just focus on it going away and it goes away.”

“…Magic’s weird.”

Twilight snorted and covered her muzzle with a hoof. “You can certainly say ‘no’ and I won’t mind at all. Rainbow doesn’t know about this idea, and…well, this has been a fantasy of mine, but I see how strange it could be for you and her. If you’re uncomfortable, I’ll save it for some other time when you’re not over. I don’t even know if it would help with taking control, but I figured it was worth ask—”

“Yeah, alright.” Twilight’s teeth clicked together as she shut her mouth. Applejack smirked. “Can’t say I ever thought about somethin’ like this, but it’s not like it’s permanent.” Her expression grew stern. “On the other hoof, if I can’t get rid of it, we’re gonna have some words, ya follow?”

Twilight blanched and cleared her throat. “Um…”

Applejack leered at her and cracked a smirk. “I’m just givin’ you the business, Twi. I trust ya to know what you’re doin’ when it comes to this sorta thing. Can’t imagine you’d do somethin’ dangerous without checkin’ it out first.”

Her blush returning, she answered in a soft voice. “Well… I’ve already tested it.”

They stared at each other for a moment and then both broke into laughter. After a moment, Applejack regained her composure. “Well, I’m on board. Though this sounds…loud. We gonna bother Spike?”

Twilight wiped the lingering mirth from her eye and sat up straight. “Next time you see Rarity, you’ll need to thank her for delaying a gem-hunting trip to the mountains for our benefit. Well…you might not want to mention why exactly.”

Applejack snorted and shook her head. “So when’s RD showin’ up?”

Twilight opened her mouth, paused, and then cocked her ear to the side to listen. After a moment, she frowned. “Sorry, it just seems like whenever anypony says something like that around here, you get immediate results. I was kind of expecting to hear a knock as soon as you said tha—”

A banging at the door interrupted her and she sighed, rubbing her forehead with a hoof. “It’s open, Rainbow!”

Rainbow kicked the door shut behind herself and cantered into the kitchen. “Hey, Twi, AJ! Am I late?” She nuzzled Twilight’s cheek.

Nuzzling back, Twilight said, “No, just on time. Applejack got here early, because I needed to discuss something with her. Do you remember what I was researching that night you watched Spike and the girls?”

Rainbow pulled away and lifted her eyebrows at her marefriend. Twilight slid the book around so she could see the page. Her eyes widened and she looked back to Twilight, who grinned and nodded. She looked at Applejack, who winked.

Blinking slowly, Rainbow cleared her throat. “…Magic’s weird.”

Applejack and Twilight both snorted.

“More importantly,” she said, turning towards the doorway back to the main room, “why are we in the kitchen and not doing this right now?” With an impish grin, Rainbow bolted up the stairs.

Twilight and Applejack exchanged an amused look. Silently, they stood and followed Rainbow up to the bedroom.

Rainbow bounced on the bed, grinning at them. “Hurry up! This is gonna rock!”

Sighing and shaking her head, Twilight turned to Applejack. “Close your eyes, this won’t take long.”

Applejack closed her eyes and felt a prickling tingle of energy make her coat stand on end. She took a deep breath and waited as the magic seeped beneath her skin, warming her like she had just jumped into a hot spring. As the feeling faded, she opened her eyes and looked around herself.

“I don’t feel much different, Twi.” Turning her head this way and that, she looked down and back between her legs. “Whoop—nevermind.” Applejack had seen a stallion’s sack before, but it was a new experience to see one hanging off of her own body, mottled dusky orange and white. She shifted her hindlegs and watched them swing. “Huh.”

Looking back up, she saw Twilight concentrating with a field of glowing magic surrounding her body, and Rainbow Dash trying to hide a grin behind a hoof. She took a few awkward steps forward and dropped her Stetson and hair ribbons onto the bedside dresser. “How in the heck do guys walk with these things?”

Snickering, Rainbow said, “Lemme see!” Applejack grinned and walked closer to the bed, raising up on her back legs. “Ain’t much to see right now, I reckon, but—” she gasped as a wing grabbed her side and flung her onto the mattress.

Propping herself up on her forelegs, she felt Rainbow force her thighs apart. “Sit still.” Her eyes fluttered as Rainbow’s tongue swept up her sack. “Let’s see what ya’ got.”

Rainbow nuzzled and kissed the new part of her lover’s anatomy, sliding her hooves up and down Applejack’s barrel and thighs. It had been a while since she had seen stallion parts, but if she remembered anything from the experiences, it was that stallions were easy to please. The protective sheath around the rest of Applejack’s stallionhood began to bulge in mere moments, and soon enough, a flat and shiny head, mottled to match her lover’s sack, poked its way out. She gave Applejack a wicked grin and pulled the stallionhood between her lips.

“Mmn,” Applejack purred, “that sure is somethin’…” She stroked Rainbow’s ear as a chuckle vibrated into her expanding cock. “Dang, your mouth’s nice.” She opened her eyes as Twilight settled down next to her and wrapped a hoof around her middle. She looked down to see that Twilight’s deep purple member was already raring to go, and smirked.

“Likin’ what you’re seein’?” Applejack teased. Twilight grabbed her chin and kissed her in response.

Rainbow closed her eyes as she teased the member in her mouth with her tongue. Old memories played through her mind as she tasted the musky, wild maleness of dick, but as stallion-like as that was, she could still detect the flavor of Applejack. The contrast she was running through her thoughts made it hard to notice what else was happening until it became very apparent.

What had started out small was quickly becoming formidable and she was soon straining to get her mouth wide enough to fit it all in. She was also becoming aware that she was sitting up as more and more came out of Applejack’s sheath. At the point where her jaw started to hurt, Rainbow sat back and took a deep breath. She opened her eyes.

Applejack was huge. Her jaw ached again just looking at the cock in front of her. It reached up past the midpoint on her lover’s barrel and was half as thick as a foreleg. She turned her wide eyes to Twilight’s new dick. Her marefriend’s was much more in line with what she’d expect on a stallion her size. “Damn, AJ,” she marveled.

Twilight and Applejack broke their kiss. At the look on Rainbow’s face, they looked down at themselves, then each other, and then their eyes met. “Twilight,” Applejack asked, “didja overdo somethin’?”

Twilight cleared her throat and shook her head. “The, uh…the spell determines what you ‘look’ like based on your genetics. It’s supposed to give you an accurate view of what you’d have if you were born a stallion.”

Prodding her erection with a hoof, Applejack shook her head. “That’s kinda frightenin’ to think about. Glad I’m a mare.”

Rainbow snorted and started giggling. “Enjoy it while you got it, AJ.” She ran her tongue up Applejack’s length from base to tip, drawing a shudder.

Applejack cleared her throat nervously. “I’ll uh…I need a minute, y’all.” She hopped out of the bed, her erection bouncing against her stomach as she shook her head. “Just…This is weird, okay?” Rainbow and Twilight looked at her with concern and she took a deep breath. “Lemme just get my bearings with this…thing.” She trotted carefully to the bathroom and closed the door.

Applejack looked at herself in the mirror and touched her face with a hoof. “C’mon, girl, get ahold of yourself,” she whispered. “You’re still you, this is just…” She lifted herself up, propping her forelegs on the counter. Her dick stood at attention in the mirror. “Dear Celestia, that thing’s big.”

She dropped down to all fours and sat on her haunches. She looked down at it. The thought went through her head that there was something obscene about the fact that she could probably suck it herself without too much of a struggle. She took a deep breath. “Alright, Applejack, I know this is weird’n all, but it’s just the once. Them pretty mares in there are lookin’ forward to this…I’m looking forward to this.”

She puffed out her chest and set her jaw. “Just ‘cause I ain’t supposed to have one of these don’t mean I can’t have some fun with it. An’ when I’m done, it’ll go away an’ I don’t have to think about this no more. And besides: you weren’t complainin’ none when Dash’s mouth was on it, were ya? That felt mighty fine, didn’t it?”

Applejack lifted a hoof from the floor and gently slid it up her shaft. She closed her eyes and shivered. Such a familiar sensation of pleasure, but still so alien. She caressed herself, trying to grow accustomed to the feeling.

As the door clicked shut behind Applejack, Rainbow turned to Twilight. “…You think she’s okay?”

Twilight chewed her lip. As her marefriend scooted around and pressed into her side, she hugged Rainbow around the shoulders. “If she isn’t, the spell is easy enough to reverse. We can go downstairs, make some coffee or something, and have a normal night once everypony’s feeling up for it.” She leaned into Rainbow’s neck.

Rainbow nodded against her head. “Still, kinda sucks for you a little, huh?”

“Hmn?”

“C’mon, Twi…” She ran the tip of her hoof along Twilight’s dick. In the short reprieve, filled with concern for their third, she had begun to soften, and the contact made her jump as blood began to return. Rainbow grinned wryly. “I know for a fact this is a big thing for you.” She caressed up and down in smooth strokes, feeling the foreleg around her back tighten. “How’s it matching up to the fantasy?”

“Nnn…” She nuzzled into Rainbow’s neck, lifting her hips to meet the fleeting touches. “It’s…” she turned her head and bit Rainbow gently. “It’s different than what I thought, but not bad.”

“Why the stallion fantasy, anyway?” She circled Twilight’s head, feeling her lover’s pulse against her hoof. Twilight snaked a foreleg to Rainbow’s marehood, stroking her folds in time with her attentions. “Just think it’s hot to have a dick?”

“Dashie,” she whispered, “you know that face I talk about, when you give up?” She nipped again, harder. “When I have a toy inside you, it’s so much better. It makes me feel so…powerful. I’m doing this to you.” She trailed kisses up Rainbow’s neck to the corner of her jaw. “It’s not really about being a stallion, it’s about that.”

Rainbow rocked against Twilight’s hoof. She could feel how wet she was already, just from Twilight’s words murmured into her neck. A sudden and immediate desire settled over her mind: she needed to bring Twilight’s fantasy to life now. Wordlessly, she scooched onto her haunches and turned, straddling Twilight’s waist. With her hooves fumbling in anticipation, she guided Twilight’s cock to her entrance and lowered herself down.

Twilight gasped as she slid inside her lover, feeling Rainbow’s wetness, feeling every bump she had memorized with her tongue around her stallionhood. “D-Dashie, you’re so warm.” She hugged Rainbow to her chest and arched her hips, pressing herself in further, grinding against the heat and wetness.

Stroking Twilight’s mane, Rainbow lifted up an inch and slid back down. She built a languorous rhythm, hugging her marefriend and being hugged in return, all the while feeling the cock twitch and throb against her walls. Twilight pulled back from her chest to look her lover in the face, then dragged her into a fast and heated kiss.

Twilight leaned away and grabbed Rainbow’s hips to stop her. “We’ll definitely have to try this out some other time,” she growled, “but Applejack’s here and we’re being rude.”

Rainbow snorted and kissed Twilight on the snout. “Fine, have it your way, egghead.” She lifted herself off, shuddering as Twilight came free. Sitting back down on the bed, she pulled her lover close with a wing.

The bathroom door eventually opened and Applejack gave them both a sheepish look. “Sorry, girls. I, uhh…I needed to wrap my head around…this thing.” She prodded her still very prominent erection. “Took me a bit longer’n I thought.”

A coy grin on her muzzle, Twilight assured her, “It’s fine. Are you still up for this?”

“If’n I wasn’t, I would’ve gotten rid of it, sugar,” she said, a bit of confidence returning to her tone. She cantered boldly to the bed and hopped up, her stallionhood waggling from the movement. She grinned at Rainbow. “’Sides. I wanna see if lightnin’ butt over here can take all’a this thing.”

Rainbow licked her lips. “Better question is if you can take all of me.” Rainbow sat forward aggressively, but a hoof caught her chest. She turned and was pulled into kiss, forceful and demanding. She softened under Twilight’s assault and drifted down to the bed. She moaned into Twilight’s mouth as Applejack forced her hindlegs apart.

Twilight’s hooves settled on her shoulders and held her down. As her marefriend moved from her mouth to her throat, Applejack’s tongue slid up her folds. “Nnn, ganging up on me?” Rainbow asked, competitve edge coloring her voice.

Sitting back, Twilight locked eyes with Rainbow Dash. Rainbow read the wild need, the hunger in her gaze, and it made her quiver. Twilight bent forward with aching slowness and exhaled a hot breath over her ear.

“Scream for us, Dashie,” she whispered.

An extra dribbling of her juices leaked out onto Applejack’s tongue. She struggled to contain her whimper and breathed out, “G-gotta earn it.” She pushed against Twilight’s hooves and tried to close her back legs.

A shimmering warmth of energy grasped all four legs at the fetlock and she found herself pinned against the bed. She struggled to move at all, but was completely held fast. With a grunt, she opened her wings and had them magically locked down as well. Twilight sat away, a contented grin on her face, and Applejack loomed into view.

“Don’t be pretendin’ you don’t want it, sugar.” Applejack nipped her chin and inhaled deeply. “I can smell how much you want it from here.”

Rainbow grunted and twisted, but the magical restraint Twilight enforced had no give. She gave Applejack a defiant look.

“C’mon now, Dash…” Applejack crouched down and lifted back her hips. Rainbow felt her lover’s hardness press up against her marehood and a tingling jolt raced up her spine. “I can feel how much you want it; you’re wetter’n a fall storm.”

Rainbow tried to lift her hips, but couldn’t move at all. She grunted and bit her lip. Twilight watched her eyes, seeing the defiance bleed away as it always did. Applejack lowered down an inch and she felt the large head part her. She clenched her inner walls, trying to draw Applejack in further, but her lover wouldn’t budge. Her muscles strained as she failed to lift herself towards the cock just barely inside of her, and a trill of a whimper escaped her throat.

“Do you want it, Dash?”

Rainbow’s glare was weak. Twilight saw it: the point of no return when Rainbow was on the cusp of submission. Her dick jumped at the sight, throbbing against her belly with desire.

“Say ya want it.”

Rainbow unconsciously licked her lips.

“Beg for it.”

Lifting her ass a fraction of an inch off the bed in one last struggle, Rainbow sagged in defeat. “I want it!” she barked.

“How much?”

“So much!” She turned from Applejack to Twilight, her gaze pleading, her barriers shattered. “Please! Please, I need it!”

Applejack slid inside her, inch after inch, filling her up, hot and alive in a way that a toy could never be. She let out a hoarse cry into the room and thumped her head against the mattress. The magic holding her in place lifted and she drew her forelegs to her chest, lifting up to meet Applejack’s hips. “More!” she cried, kicking her hindlegs as her lover stopped moving, completely buried in her sex. “More, I need more!”

Sitting up, Applejack grabbed one of her back legs. She was guided onto her stomach and she rolled without hesitation. Applejack, still buried deep, guided her ass up off the bed until she was standing. Her hooves trembled and her wings twitched. “Please…”

Applejack slid halfway out and thrust back in. Rainbow felt her lover’s sack slap against her clit as she pressed back, and a scream tore its way out of her throat. Applejack slammed again and again and she scrunched her eyes tight. She’d had longer and wider toys inside of her before, but the giant, pulsing cock filling her up was so much more real. Her cries were stifled as something slid into her mouth.

The fucking stopped as she opened her eyes and purple belly fur flooded her vision. She wrapped her lips around the cock in her mouth and tasted the lingering tang of her own arousal, as well as the wild hint of stallion, topped off with Twilight’s own flavor. She tongued the underside of Twilight’s dick and sucked as her marefriend slid the rest of the way into her and her snout pressed into the soft coat.

Twilight met Applejack’s gaze and they leaned across Rainbow’s body. Their lips met in a heated kiss while Rainbow felt them both press into her as deep as they could get. She clenched around Applejack and inhaled her marefriend’s scent. Twilight’s new dick felt like the perfect size for her mouth: wide enough to bulge her jaw and long enough she could feel the head at the back of her throat, not quite far enough for her to gag, but making her feel like she might gag. She sucked harder and waggled her hips.

They pulled back from their kiss, panting softly, and turned their attention to Rainbow. Propping their forelegs on hips or shoulders, they began a slow and matching rhythm in and out of their lover. Rainbow’s legs tremored with each plunge, sucking diligently, rocking back into Applejack’s hips. Twilight lifted one of her wings high and bit down on the leading edge. Applejack grabbed her tail and pulled. She groaned around the stallionhood in her mouth. Her lust was escaping in channels and running down her thighs.

Her body burned, ached, shook with pleasure as they fucked her. Time both rushed by in a blur and seemed to stop for her, trapped within the sensations, rendering her thoughts incoherent. She pressed back fiercely and grabbed Twilight’s ass with her hooves when her peak hit, flooding her mind with waves of bliss, tightening and relaxing around the cock still drilling her. She looked up at Twilight while her climax ebbed and flowed, and their eyes met.

Rainbow’s eyes were clouded over with that look, that complete and total submission. Absolute adoration, trust, and contentment poured from Rainbow’s gaze, pounding into Twilight. She felt her balls tighten and she gripped Rainbow’s shoulders, burying herself in her lover’s mouth.

Twilight’s dick lurched. Rainbow closed her eyes as it erupted, splattering her throat, thick, rich, and overwhelmingly hot. She swallowed just before a second spurt replaced the first. It seemed to last forever as she sucked and swallowed shot after shot, her own orgasm making her weak in the knees and Applejack’s rutting never slowing.

Twilight at last slid back and she heaved in a gulp of air. Any reprieve was short lived as Applejack forced her down onto the bed and flipped her onto her back, barely slowing at all.

“I’m gonna make a mess of that chest of yours,” Applejack promised, her voice strained and husky. “Tell me how much ya want me to.”

“Applejack,” Rainbow choked out through her heaving breaths and involuntary squeaks. “Come all over me.”

“An’ why should I?” She exchanged a grin with Twilight, who slid along the bed until she was next to Applejack, watching Rainbow’s face.

Rainbow whimpered; Applejack had her hips held off the bed as the pounding continued. Her juices matted her coat from her mound to her inner thighs and soaked Applejack’s hips and belly in a messy circle. She could feel the member inside of her pulsating and the image of it shooting off filled her mind. “Come all over me, ‘cause you won! You’re the boss and I’m weak! Please!”

Applejack slid out of Rainbow’s marehood and up her mound, making her shiver as the underside ran along her clit. Her lover grabbed one of her hooves and directed her to the throbbing shaft. She stroked it with both forelegs and aimed the head at her chest.

Turning to kiss Twilight, Applejack bucked into Rainbow’s slippery grip. Essence leapt from her cock and Rainbow flinched as it flew higher and straighter than she expected, spattering the underside of her chin and neck. Three sets of heavy breaths filled the room as Applejack spasmed, drenching her with spurt after spurt of her sticky load. Two squirts crisscrossing her chest from powerful shots were followed by a slower release, pooling out into a puddle on her belly. Come dribbled down Applejack’s length towards her sack as Rainbow flopped back onto the bed, feeling coated in the farmer’s potent seed.

Rainbow ran a hoof across her messy chest, smearing the spunk into her coat. “That was—” Applejack slammed back inside her and she barked out formlessly.

“Not over yet, sugar.”

Rainbow looked up wide eyed as Applejack slid against her inner walls, still sensitive and tingling. The look of aggressive hunger sent a chill up her spine. “Y-you can still go?”

“Twi said I got this for as long as I want it.” She raised an eyebrow at Twilight, who grinned mischievously, stroking her own erection. “I ain’t done yet.”

Rainbow squeaked as Applejack bent down and wrapped hooves around her back, hefting her off the bed. She hugged her lover with both sets of legs as their chests met with a wet slap. Applejack held Rainbow upright, straddled wide on her knees and still inside her lover’s confines. She rocked up hard and Rainbow lifted an inch before plunging down her cock.

Twilight pressed against Rainbow’s back and hugged them both. “You know, Rainbow,” she purred, “I don’t think we’ve ever tried anything here before, and there was such an interesting spell in that book…”

Rainbow’s eyes grew even wider as magical force, frictionless and gentle, pushed against her ass. A gasp escaped her mouth as she felt herself open to its presence and she willed herself to relax. She didn’t even have to try; the magic flowing into her left a sensation of ease and comfort. She closed her eyes and bit her lip. Twilight floated a bottle of lube from the bedside dresser and a glittering trail of moisture spread through the air. As some of it flowed in and coated her insides, she whimpered, “C-careful, Twi.”

“You’re safe, Rainbow,” Twilight whispered, kissing her neck.

“I kn-know.” She opened her eyes and looked into Applejack’s. Chest to chest with the broad and muscled farmer, strong hooves holding her effortlessly, sandwiched between her two lovers and completely out of control, Rainbow knew it with more clarity than anything in her life. As Twilight’s member, slick with lube, entered her magically stretched and relaxed rear, Rainbow Dash felt utterly safe.

Rainbow Dash arched in their grips as Twilight entered her in a way she had never experienced. In an odd fashion, Twilight felt bigger than Applejack, stretching unfamiliar walls and sending sparks of pleasure through her core. Both of them buried deep, hugged by her inner muscles, she felt more filled up than she had ever felt before. “Oh, dear Celestia,” she panted.

Twilight nuzzled her neck. “You’re so tight.”

Applejack thrust up, lifting Rainbow and making her fall on both of them.

“Holy shit!” she shouted.

Applejack chuckled and did it again.

Her lovers built a rhythm together, rutting her in sync. She could feel the cocks inside of her try to touch each other through the walls of muscle separating both her entrances. She hugged Applejack with desperate strength; a perception of hypersensitivity gripped her and she was aware of every inch of flesh moving against her insides, every bulging vein, and every thrumming of a heartbeat. Applejack and Twilight fucked her harder and faster until her moans bled together. It grew overwhelming, her thoughts clouded by pure bliss.

She came again, writhing between them both, every fiber of muscle spasming tight in crests. She shut her eyes and rocked her head back as the pounding continued through her throes.

Twilight caught Applejack’s gaze over Rainbow’s shoulder. They bore smoky holes into each other, thrusting in time, letting the sensations of Rainbow’s body wash over them. Silently, they matched their levels of arousal, slowing down and speeding up, reaching for their climaxes in tandem, delaying them together for as long as they could.

At last, they bit down on Rainbow’s shoulder and nuzzled each other’s cheeks, thrusting in with all their strength.

Hot seed doused her contracting walls, showering her insides with thick spurts. The cocks twitched with each shot and she could feel their liquid essence drench every recess. Still riding her own aftershocks, she grinded herself back and forth, filled up with both stallionhood and lust. All three gradually stilled, until they were left to pant ragged breaths while huddled together. Rainbow could feel their fluids leaking out of her around their members.

“Oh, man,” she marveled, her voice barely above a whisper. “That was—” she kissed Applejack weakly and then looked over her shoulder, her head wobbling. “And, Twi, you were—” she nuzzled her marefriend’s mane as best she could. “Oh, gosh, I feel…” Her eyelids fluttered. “You guys were…”

Rainbow sagged in Applejack’s grip and a rumbling snore filled the room. Twilight met Applejack’s eyes and they bit their lips at the same time. “I think we broke her,” Applejack whispered.

“She’ll be fine; she’s a strong mare,” she giggled, carefully easing herself out of the sleeping pony. “C’mon, let’s put her to bed.”

They laid her down on the pillow. Twilight clicked her tongue; Rainbow was smeared from neck to knees in cloudy spunk, her coat matted in crazy cowlicks. She looked at Applejack and mentally noted that her lover wasn’t much cleaner. She glanced down at herself and clicked her tongue again. Last, she turned her attention to the bedspread, covered in drips and wet patches, and rubbed her face with a hoof while sighing.

A rueful chuckle escaped her muzzle as she floated a towel out of the bathroom. She gently scraped the worst of the mess from her marefriend’s coat, and then passed the cloth to Applejack. After she herself had a chance to clean up, she put the decidedly dirty and rather sticky towel in her hamper.

Sitting back down on the bed, her eyes were drawn to the limp member still between Applejack’s legs. A wry smile graced her lips. “Ready to get rid of that?”

“I’ll say,” she chuckled, scooting to the edge and hugging Twilight around the shoulders. “Thanks for talkin’ me into it, though. Can’t say I’ll ever need to do that again, but I’m sure glad I did it the once. She leered at Rainbow over her shoulder. “That look in her eyes was damn near the cutest thing I ever did see.”

Twilight smiled and snuggled into her shoulder. She closed her eyes and focused on being all the way a mare once more. The same tingling warmth spread across her core and when she opened her eyes she was whole again.

Twilight checked herself briefly to ensure the magic had ended, and drifted a hoof across Applejack’s chest. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself, Applejack. I don’t want any of these sessions to make you uncomfortable.” She nuzzled in closer. “These should be for you, too; I like seeing you happy.”

Applejack grinned and strengthened the hug. “I like bein’ happy with y’all. An’ I like seein’ the two of ya so happy, too, an’ knowin’ I had a part in that.” She kissed the top of Twilight’s head. “I ain’t had a single second thought about this arrangement since the barn, no siree.”

“I’m happy with it, too.” Her hoof trailed lower. “It’s been very nice…”

Applejack closed her legs at Twilight’s approach and chuckled. “As nice as it’d be to really feel like a mare again, I’m afraid four times right in a row’s pushin’ it for me, magic or not.”

Twilight blinked. “Four? This would be the third.”

“I said I had to get used to that thing in the powder room, didn’t I?”

Snorting and shaking her head, Twilight sat back and cupped Applejack’s face. “Another time, then.” She kissed her lover gently and rolled over to face Rainbow.

The unconscious mare lay splayed out on the bed with her mouth wide and drooling. She shook her head again and slid the blankets out from under Rainbow’s form, before pushing Applejack down with a hoof. “You get the middle.”

“It’s ‘cause she’s snorin’, ain’t it?”

Twilight stuck out her tongue and flopped on the other side of her. The blanket settled around them and Twilight nuzzled into her chest. She hugged her lover close and leaned into the pillow. After a few minutes, Rainbow rolled over and grabbed Applejack around the middle in her sleep, her snores tapering down to a low rumble. She twitched her tail and flung it over Rainbow’s hip.

Applejack fell asleep with a grin on her face.

Applejack woke up very sticky.

She yawned and stretched in the embrace of her lovers; from how they had fallen asleep cuddling, hooves and wings had gotten everywhere. At her movement, her bedmates tightened their grips and Rainbow mumbled something unintelligible into her neck. She grinned indulgently as Rainbow began nibbling her.

Carefully rolling onto her back, the sleeping ponies groaned shapeless protests and wriggled into new positions, defiantly not waking. Applejack inhaled deeply and hugged them both as they snuggled against her shoulders.

Rainbow’s ear flicked against her chin. She turned her head to avoid the random taps and managed to put her lover’s unconscious assault dead center with a ticklish spot. Her eyes flew wide and she snorted.

Rainbow stirred and lifted her head, blinking the fog of sleep from her eyes. Her voice came out crackly and rough. “Mm, you’re awake already.”

“Usually am. Used to gettin’ up before Celestia, you know.” Rainbow yawned at her and she smirked. “I don’t know how ya sleep as much as ya do; tryin’ would drive me crazy. Guess you’re usually up later’n me, so—” Rainbow’s hoof cupped her face and she was pulled into a kiss. She closed her eyes and leaned into the gentle affection.

As Rainbow kissed her and stroked her mane, Twilight lifted off her other shoulder, and soon breathy pecks were being planted up the back of her neck. Rainbow pulled back and kissed her on the snout, grinning warmly.

Applejack strengthened her hug around them both and let out a contented sigh. “If’n there’s a better way to wake up, I haven’t heard of it.” Chuckling, she pulled herself to sitting. The blanket sounded like tape being removed from fabric as it fell off her chest.

Flakes of dried spunk clung to her coat everywhere. She bit her lip to stifle a laugh as her cheeks warmed up, and she ran a hoof over the mess. “I need a shower somethin’ fierce.”

Rainbow peeled the blanket off of herself. “You need a shower?”

Applejack grinned and hopped out of bed. “I call first.” She strutted to the bathroom.

Chuckling and shaking her head, Rainbow blew a lock of mane away from her eyes. Twilight slid across the bed and hugged her around the middle. “Mmm, you look good messy.”

“I always look good.” Twilight kissed her and they drifted back onto the mattress. Hooves slid along sides with increasing energy, and soon Rainbow found herself with Twilight on top of her and kissing her neck. She slid a back leg along Twilight’s thigh, already feeling the rise in her arousal. A coy smile lit up her face. “Hey, Twi,” she whispered. “Are we being rude?”

Twilight leaned back and their eyes met. Her horn sparked bright and a sheet of magic spread over her body. She kissed Rainbow again, caressing her lover’s sides and wings. Hooves were in her mane and on her shoulders as she felt her spell’s success become apparent.

Rainbow broke the kiss and nipped Twilight’s chin as the throbbing hardness pressed against her belly. Twilight looked at her questioningly and she nodded. Her lover’s member drew back with aching slowness, brushing against her most sensitive spot and teasing her outer lips. She held Twilight’s hips with her cannons and gently guided the erection to her entrance.

She shivered as Twilight slid into her. Twilight breathed out gently against her cheek and hugged her close. She closed her eyes as her lover rocked against her, arching her hips with each soft thrust.

Twilight held her marefriend, nuzzling, planting effervescent kisses, feeling warmth and wetness hug her cock. They panted silently against each other’s necks through their tender lovemaking, basking in the closeness they felt. She leaned back and held Rainbow’s gaze. “I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you.” She stroked Twilight’s face as the rhythmic thrusts continued, her pleasure rising in a slow climb. She closed her eyes and squeaked when her climax hit, arching against Twilight’s hips and hugging her marefriend to her chest.

Twilight’s pace increased through Rainbow’s tremors, her breaths growing shallow. She pressed in deep and grinded against Rainbow’s sex as she came, spilling streams of lust inside the pony she loved. They drooped in each other’s embrace and listened to their combined pants filling the air. Rainbow felt Twilight grow flaccid while still inside of her and she closed her eyes, feeling connected and at peace.

After lingering in the embrace past the point where their hearts slowed and their breaths evened out, Twilight drew back. Rainbow shuddered at her lover’s departure and felt a trickling of wetness escape her lips. She rubbed her thighs together and spread her forelegs in invitation.

Twilight concentrated and dismissed the spell again, before lying down and curling up against Rainbow’s side. They grinned at each other and got lost in a shared gaze.

“That spell...” she kissed Twilight’s snout, “is awesome.” Twilight giggled and nodded. Rainbow inhaled deeply and stretched out her back, running a hoof down her still matted chest and across her folds, clearing away the seed dripping out of her. She frowned suddenly. “Hey, Twi?”

“Hmn?”

“Should, uh…Do I need to, like…I mean, I dunno if it’s even a thing, but…like, they have those tests and…” Twilight looked at her in bewilderment. She shook her head forcefully and cleared her throat. “You both came inside me.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “Ohh…” She smirked and shook her head. “Don’t worry; I could have cast the spell in a way for me or Applejack to produce viable genetic material, but I didn’t.”

Rainbow released a held breath. “Okay, good. Wouldn’t want to have a kid.” As the words left her mouth, her eyes widened and she bolted up to sitting. “I mean! N-not that I wouldn’t ever, that’s just a big thing.” She grimaced and smacked her forehead. “Not that we’re not serious, I’m just not ready! Wait, no, I mean—Augh, I haven’t thought about it, that’s all!”

Twilight blinked and shook her head. “Calm down; we haven’t talked about it and it would be awful for me to spring that on you without us deciding together. Plus, if we were, I’d probably carry the foal, so you could keep training.” Twilight’s eyes widened. “N-not that I’m ready, either! I just like plans—” she gasped at herself “—not that I’m planning this yet; I’m just thinking to think! We’d want to get married first and…” The color drained from her face. She could see her own panicked expression in Rainbow’s frightened eyes.

They both blathered in tandem.

“Oh Celestia, I didn’t mean to say it that way, not right now, just maybe someday, and—”

“When I said I hadn’t thought about it it’s not that I don’t care or that I’m not serious, and—“

A loud snort interrupted their streams of words. They turned towards the bathroom, and Applejack, towel around her head, burst out laughing. “Whoo-ee, y’all’re about ready to crawl up the walls!” she howled. She forced a small measure of control into her voice. “Calm down the both of ya, an’ breathe.”

Twilight and Rainbow glanced at each other fearfully, then turned to Applejack and started gibbering again. Applejack held up a hoof, unable to contain her chuckles. “Now wait just a dang minute, you two. Twilight.” She pointed at her friend, who straightened as if thrown under a spotlight. “You know dang well that Dash here knows ya like to make lists. Ya probably got the next twenty years a’ your life planned out fifteen different ways, huh?”

“Seventeen,” she replied automatically.

“Uh huh, an’ Dash ain’t surprised by that in the least, are ya?”

Rainbow shook her head. Twilight looked at her marefriend and a bit of the worry drained from her expression.

“An’ you, Rainbow.” She pointed at the stock still mare. “Since when would anypony, anywhere, ever be surprised ya ain’t thought about somethin’?”

Twilight snorted and clapped a hoof over her face.

“See? Y’all’re actin’ like a pair a’ hens with a fox on the loose for nothin’,” she said with a laugh. Rainbow turned back to Twilight and they both let out a heavy breath they weren’t aware they were holding, sagging their shoulders. Applejack laughed at them again, and they joined her, giggling with relief. Applejack shook her head and pulled the towel off her mane. “Honestly, you two are cuter’n anything together, but with how the both of ya can get sometimes, I’m surprised ya haven’t blown up half of Ponyville.”

She grabbed her ribbons and hat from the dresser. “Now who wants breakfast?”

Rainbow looked down at herself, from the flaky come on her coat, to her still dripping marehood. “…I really need a shower.”

Applejack chuckled again and headed downstairs, calling over her shoulder, “I’ll get some grub started; meet ya down there.”

Rainbow leapt from the bed and headed for the bathroom, but a hoof caught her shoulder. She turned and Twilight pulled her into a kiss. “I love you, Rainbow Dash. Sorry for going off the deep end.”

Smiling fondly, Rainbow nuzzled Twilight’s cheek. “Me, too.”

“Want some company in the shower?”

Kissing her lover again, Rainbow pulled Twilight into the bathroom.

After scraping the gunk from each other’s coats with far more groping than entirely necessary, they toweled off and joined Applejack in the kitchen. Their friend set three tall plates of pancakes on the table.

Rainbow flopped into a chair and wolfed down half her stack. “Mmf,” she moaned as Twilight and Applejack took their seats. “How come everypony’s a better cook than me? My pancakes never taste like this.” She tore off another chunk.

“Spike could start teaching you, too,” Twilight teased, taking a modest bite. “Mmm, these are good.”

“Secret’s puttin’ some syrup in the batter.” Applejack tore through her plate of food neatly, with a practiced speed borne from thousands of early morning breakfasts before farmwork. She finished at the same time as Rainbow Dash, with Twilight barely a quarter of the way through her meal. “That hit the spot.”

Rainbow belched and sat back in her chair. “Mmm, I’m gonna need a nap before flying practice after that.”

Twilight giggled and shoved Rainbow’s shoulder playfully. “Lazy Sunday then? I like those; they’re perfect for reading.” She turned her head. “What have you got planned for the day, Applejack?”

“Oh, usual sorta stuff. Mac’s got the mornin’ chores done by now, like always, so I better head on over an’ get to prunin’ and buckin’ before too long.” She shrugged and stood up, lifting her and Rainbow’s plates from the table and carrying them to the sink on her back. “I don’t get lazy Sundays unless there’s a foot of snow on the ground.”

Twilight smiled. “Knowing you, you wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“You’re darn tootin’!” She chuckled as she scrubbed the dishes spotless. “Don’t know how y’all can be so dang still; I’d just about crawl outta my coat.”

Rainbow chuckled. “You work too much. You need to learn how to relax sometimes.” She scooted next to Twilight and extended a wing over her marefriend’s shoulders. “Work hard, then nap hard.”

Applejack set the clean dishes in the draining rack and cantered back to the table. She cleared Twilight’s finished plate and headed back to the sink. “I know how to relax; I was plenty relaxed last night.”

Giggling, Twilight prodded Rainbow in the ribs. “She calls that relaxing.”

“Ya know what I mean,” Applejack said, grinning broadly. “I just ain’t one to sit around all day.” She finished cleaning the last plate and stretched out her back. “Welp, I’d better be hoofin’ it on home. I’ll be seein’ ya next Saturday, if’n I don’t see ya before.” As she headed for the door, she trotted close to the table and nuzzled her lovers. “Y’all take care,” she murmured.

“You, too, Applejack,” Twilight said, closing her eyes and pressing into Applejack’s neck. Her friend stepped back and headed out of the library.

When the door clicked shut, Twilight turned back to Rainbow. As they sat at the table to digest their breakfasts before continuing on with the day, they talked and joked idly. Every once in a while, one or the other would glance across the table, half expecting Applejack to still be there to tease them or laugh at their quips.

A pall of melancholia fell over them both as they climbed the stairs back to the bedroom. When Rainbow curled up around her marefriend to nap, and Twilight opened a book, they both had the unmistakable sense that something was missing.

Author's Note

tl;dr

Spike ended up doing all that laundry. Twilight gave him several dozen gem chip cookies as hush money.

Chapter 6

Applejack’s eyes opened in the early-morning darkness. Like clockwork, the rooster’s call sounded out as she sat up and stretched her back. She rolled out of bed and shook off the sleep, before walking to her vanity. She lit a lantern ahead of the rising sun, and pulled a fresh set of red ribbons from their box. As she did up her mane and tail, she smiled at herself in the mirror.

“Mornin’, Li’l Apple,” she recited. “It’s a hard day a’ workin’ ahead, you do your momma an’ me proud.”

Her grin widened as she plopped her Stetson into place. “I always try my best, daddy.”

She cantered from her bedroom and down the stairs into the kitchen. As the rest of the house woke up, she cooked breakfast, and Big Macintosh, Apple Bloom, and Granny Smith sat down to big plates of scrambled eggs, toast, and tall glasses of juice. They tucked in together, eating with practiced speed. The sun poked up over the horizon as they finished, and without a word spoken, Applejack cleared their plates.

Big Mac stepped out the front door with a nod, heading off to the west orchards, while Granny Smith pulled a chair up to the sink to wash dishes. Applejack headed outside, the day’s chores playing through her thoughts, when Apple Bloom poked her on the shoulder.

“What’s up, sis?” Applejack walked to the side of the farmhouse and harnessed herself into a cart full of empty baskets. “I gotta get an early start.”

“It’s, uh…” Apple Bloom shuffled her hooves on the ground and looked down. “Well…I was hopin’ ya’d walk me to the first day a’ school, like ya did last year.”

Applejack’s eyes widened and she smacked her forehead. “It’s the first day for ya already? Dang, this summer’s flown by.” She chuckled and undid the harness. “’Course I’ll walk ya, AB; ain’t no Apple that’s gotta walk to the first day a’ school all on their lonesome.”

Apple Bloom’s face brightened and she rushed back inside, emerging with a messenger bag around her neck. She smiled at her big sister and headed for the main road. Applejack gave a brief glance to the cart, and then out into the fields; Applebuck Season had begun and the crop was massive. She let out a sigh, thankful her brother was in top form, and trotted to catch up to Apple Bloom.

“Ya excited to be back in school?”

“Uh huh.” They passed out of the orchards and onto the dirt street, catching sight of the town hall off in the distance. “Summer’s always tons a’ fun, but so’s school. Don’t get no chance to use math outta school.”

She chuckled. “I never could wrap my noggin ‘round math when I was a filly. Got enough now to keep all the books for the farm right, but it ain’t my strong subject. Good to see you got the math bug.”

Apple Bloom smirked. “I ain’t that good, I just like it.”

“Well, it’s a good thing for you to like.” At Apple Bloom’s shrug, she asked, “Anythin’ else you been lookin’ forward to?”

“Well, I missed Miss Cheerilee, an’ even though I saw ‘em both all the time over the summer, I always like doin’ school stuff with Sweetie Belle an’ Scootaloo.”

“I don’t doubt it. Y’all three’re inseparable. Good to see that, too. I didn’t have any friends like that when I was your age.”

As they turned down the road circling downtown Ponyville, Apple Bloom raised her eyebrow. “Ya didn’t have no friends?”

“Nah, AB, I had friends, they just weren’t like you with Scootaloo an’ Sweetie Belle. I saw ‘em at school, an’ we kicked around a soccer ball at the park sometimes, but I didn’t have no club with ‘em or nothin’.”

“Secret society,” Apple Bloom corrected.

“Secret society, then.” She chuckled. “Ya know I went to school with Rarity?”

“Did ya really? So you were fibbin’ an’ did have a friend like that?”

“Nope! We pretty much hated each other.”

Apple Bloom skidded to a halt and stared at her sister, her jaw hanging open in astonishment. Applejack laughed. “We didn’t fight or nothin’, just didn’t get along. I was always, well…doin’ the sorta stuff y’all like to do: playin’ sports, climbin’ trees, goin’ on adventures ‘round the woods.”

Applejack started walking again, and her sister followed alongside, listening closely. “Rarity was always playin’ tea an’ house. She was real proud a’ her collection a’ Fluffy Kitten Tales dolls. I said maybe a whole dozen words to her ‘fore we were outta school. She wasn’t mean or nothin’, we just didn’t see eye to eye. Still don’t much, but we got other stuff, now that we’re all grown.”

As they walked, Applejack’s thoughts jumped back a full year. Truth be told, she hadn’t seen eye to eye with Rarity for most of her life, polite enough around town, but strangers in passing. It had been at a rained-in slumber party at Twilight’s where she had at last buried the hatchet with Rarity.

Thinking about slumber parties at Twilight’s brought a different set of memories to mind, and a blush colored her cheeks as she realized Apple Bloom was still watching her. She cleared her throat and continued, “Me an’ all the girls’re thick as thieves now, just like you an’ your friends.”

The school house came into view and Applejack knelt down by her sister. “I’m real glad ya got a pair like those two. I ain’t ever been as happy without my friends as I am now, an’ I sure am glad ya got a group just like ‘em.” She ruffled Apple Bloom’s mane, her smile widening as her sister scowled and straightened her bow. “I’m real proud of you, Apple Bloom. Momma an’ Daddy’d be real proud of you, too.”

Apple Bloom grinned and hugged Applejack around the neck. “Thanks, sis.”

“You have yourself a good first day. I’ll be seein’ ya.”

Breaking away, Apple Bloom hurried off to the schoolyard, disappearing into the growing crowd of fillies and colts. Applejack saw Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle among the bustle, nodded once, and turned back towards the road. Her smile drifted to a neutral line and her trot turned into a canter, then a half gallop, as the sun crept further above the horizon.

As she arrived back on the farm, she eyed the orchards, fat with apples ready for bucking, and hurried up to the house to grab the cart. She could hear the creak of Granny Smith’s rocker through the window as she did up the harness. She set out at a trot.

A wheel on the cart fell off.

“Oh, what the hey?” Applejack muttered in annoyance and unstrapped herself again. She rounded on the cart; the end cap on the axle had snapped off, leaving a jagged spray of splintered wood from which the wheel slid free. Her grumblings grew louder as she shoved her side against the cart.

The axle straightened up from the ground as she supported the broken side, and she pawed at the fallen wheel, pulling it closer. She lined up the hub with the splintered end of the axle. “Almost,” she grunted. “Just need this ta hold for long enough to get it to the barn…”

A snap of wood fired like a gunshot as the other end cap broke. The second wheel gave and the cart bed crashed to the ground.

“Oh, for Luna’s sake!” Applejack stamped her hoof, scowling and gnashing her teeth. She stomped back to the harness, grabbed it in her teeth, and pulled. Plumes of dust kicked up as she dragged the broken cart across the yard, beads of sweat dribbling down her brow. The distance between the house and the barn seemed much further than she remembered as she inched her way in the rising sunlight.

At last she got the cart inside and let out a breath. “This is just what I needed…” Rounding the workbenches, she picked through the spare wood until she found a sturdy new axle. She did a quick size-check on the cart and sighed in relief. “Least we had this.”

She fetched the wheels from the side of the house and got to work replacing the axle. When the cart was back in action, she strapped herself in for the third time and headed for the south orchards.

According to the sun, more than half the morning was gone.

Applejack groaned. “Gonna be one of those Applebuck Seasons, ain’t it?” Her trot turned to a gallop, and she rounded a row of trees. She cursed under her breath while setting up baskets around the first in line. “Alright…bit of a late start, but I ain’t gonna let no hiccoughs mess up today, no sirree.” She reared back to buck.

“Sis!”

Her aim faltered and she hit the trunk at a bad angle. A single apple fell, bounced off her head, and landed in a basket. She tipped back her hat and rubbed the sore spot, doing her best to keep the annoyance out of her tone; her brother sounded worried. “I’m over here, Mac! What’cha need?”

Big Macintosh stepped around the row, trotting sheepishly to meet her. He mumbled something she couldn’t make out.

“Come again?”

“…There’s a spider on one a’ the trees.”

Applejack gave him a blank stare. After a moment, she rolled her eyes and let out a breath. “I swear ta Celestia, Mac, you’ve gotta get over this one a’ these days.”

“They just got so many legs…” He looked away and rubbed his knee.

She cast a venomous glare at the tree, gave it a buck, and trotted down the path as the baskets filled. “C’mon, ya big baby, let’s get rid’a that critter ‘fore ya have yourself a heart attack.”

They made their way into the west orchards, Applejack leading the way and Big Mac following behind her. She noted with some relief that despite her own morning, her brother had been making swift work of the grove, clearing several rows. She got to the next tree in line still bearing fruit and looked around. “Alright, where’s the creepy-crawly at?”

Big Mac peered around his sister. “It was on the trunk…”

“It ain’t there now.” She looked up and down the apple tree and along the ground. “Must’a wandered off when it heard ya whimperin’,” she teased. “I’m gettin’ back to work.”

“But it might still be here,” he whimpered.

Applejack stifled a groan. “Alright, alright. Help me find it at least. Don’t gimme that look; darn thing ain’t gonna bite ya just for seein’ it.” Applejack worked up and down the row, searching out the spider, wondering how long she’d need to look before Big Mac would be satisfied that it was gone. After several fruitless minutes, she straightened up. “I reckon it’s flown the coop, Mac. I’m gonna head back now, an’…”

Big Macintosh stared wide-eyed at her, his knees shaking. She followed his gaze up, and lifted the hat from her head. He stepped back and mewled as she examined the fat, black spider perched in the gutter-dent of her Stetson. “Well, howdy, little fella!”

Big Mac gulped and averted his eyes. Applejack grinned at him. “I’ll get this critter outta your mane. Then I’m gettin’ back to work.”

“You’re gonna take it off the farm, right?”

She couldn’t help herself snickering. “No, I’m gonna leave it on your pillow. ‘Course I’m gonna take it out; no sense stickin’ it back in a tree and have ya blubberin’ to me again.”

The color drained from his face as he imagined finding the spider on his pillow.

“Oh, Mac,” she marveled. “What would’ja do without me?”

“Spray for spiders.”

She shook her head, gave him a wink, and headed back the way she came. The smile slid from her face as she trotted out of the farm. “Lan’ sakes, I ain’t got a’ lick of work done,” she groaned. She coaxed the spider from her hat and into a tree on the opposite side of the road, and turned around. A weary sigh escaped her muzzle as she stared at the heavy crop.

Her gaze turned skyward and she winced. It was almost midday and she had bucked a grand total of one tree. “Some days…”

As she dragged herself back across the road, she heard the sound of feet marching towards her. She turned to see Spike making his way from Ponyville. “Hi, Applejack!”

She tried to sound enthusiastic. “Howdy, Spike! What can I do ya for?”

“Twilight asked me to bring you this.” He caught up with her and handed over a scroll.

She groaned. “A letter? What the heck’s happened now? I swear, today…”

“I don’t know, but I don’t think it’s anything bad; she was happy when she gave it to me.”

Applejack frowned as she pulled off the ribbon.

Dear Applejack,

I know Applebuck Season has just started for you, and I wanted to extend the same offer as last year to help, if you need it. Even if your brother isn’t hurt this time around, I’m sure an extra set of hooves or five would still be helpful.

I also know you have a tendency to work yourself to exhaustion, and since we didn’t get together on Saturday, I was hoping you’d meet me for lunch at the café. I understand if you’re busy and don’t want to pull yourself away, but a relaxing lunch might be a good change of pace!

Also, I missed seeing you on Saturday, so I’m being a little selfish.

I’ll be there around noon, and I hope to see you. If not, we always have next Saturday.

—Twilight Sparkle

Applejack let go of the letter and watched it spring closed. Her frown turned to a small smile as she turned to Spike. “Just Twi invitin’ me to lunch. Thanks for bringin’ it out, Spike, that was mighty nice of ya.”

“You’re welcome!” he beamed. “I’m gonna go home now. See you around, Applejack.” She waved as he headed back down the road, and then she looked back at the letter, then the trees, then the sky.

“I ain’t gonna get nothin’ done this mornin’ anyway. Might as well go meet Twi for some grub an’ start fresh after.” She grinned at the thought and straightened. Grabbing the letter, she trotted back to the farmhouse.

Granny looked up from her rocker and set her knitting to the side as Applejack walked in. “Hey there, missy! Lunch time already?”

“Not quite, Granny. I got this here letter from Twilight askin’ me to meet her in town for lunch, so it’s just gonna be you an’ Mac today.”

“Well, alright then. That friend a’ yours in trouble?”

Applejack chuckled. “I thought that, but nope, she just wants to say howdy. This mornin’ ain’t been treatin’ me too good, so I thought gettin’ away an’ seein’ a friendly face oughta get me in a better mood.” She climbed the steps up to her room, and tossed the letter onto her vanity. When she arrived back downstairs, there was a bounce in her step. “I’m feelin’ better already an’ I ain’t even seen her yet.”

Granny picked up her knitting. “Take care, dear.”

Applejack’s walk into town went by quickly, and she found herself humming. Her grin widened as she went, waving a hoof or tipping her hat to passersby. “Gotta thank Twi proper for invitin’ me. She got my number good; this is exactly what I needed. Applebuck Season.” She shook her head. “Every dang year, somethin’ new goes wrong.” She chuckled to herself as the café came into view. Twilight waited for her at an outdoor table, waving enthusiastically at her approach.

“You came!” Twilight called. “I didn’t know if you would; I know how intensive this time of year is for you.”

Applejack took a seat on a hay bale and tipped her hat back. “I reckon I probably would’a said no if’n I didn’t have the mornin’ I did.”

“Got a good head start?”

“I didn’t do squat.” At Twilight’s bemused blink, Applejack laughed. “Just about everythin’ that could go wrong did. When Spike showed up, I hadn’t had a chance to even properly start. Figured I could start fresh an’ have a better time of it after lunch.”

Twilight folded up her menu and set it to the side. “What happened?”

“Oh, nothin’ too awful, just stuff keepin’ me from workin’. Plum forgot AB was startin’ school up again, my cart threw a wheel, an’ Mac needed me to chase a critter off.” She opened her own menu.

“An animal was loose on the farm? Must have been really dangerous for your brother to need help; should we talk to Fluttershy about keeping others away?”

Applejack snorted and she hid her face behind the menu.

“What’s so funny?”

Dissolving into chuckles, she folded the menu back up and set it aside. “Poor Mac’s got himself a fear a’ spiders.”

“Oh.” Twilight tried to not smile. “Well, if it’s really bothersome for him, there are sprays…”

“I don’t want to be doin’ that; spiders’re good for plants, seein’ as they eat a bunch a’ nasty things that do hurt trees. Mac’s just gotta deal with ‘em sometimes. And by ‘deal with,’ I mean come bellyachin’ to me when he finds one.”

Twilight giggled.

“I gotta thank ya properly here for the invite; I’d be bangin’ my head on a trunk right now if’n I didn’t have an excuse to leave for a spell.”

“You’re very welcome, Applejack, and remember, if you need—”

“‘Fore you finish that thought, if there’s trouble with harvestin’ this year, I’ll be askin’ for help. Me an’ Mac should be able to get it all done, but I know y’all’ll be there if’n I need ya.”

“Alright, if you’re sure…”

A waiter approached the table as Applejack nodded. “Are you ladies ready to order?”

Applejack glanced back down at the menu. “Yeah, I’d like a couple’a daisy sandwiches, a plate a’ fries, an’ a slice of apple pie.”

Twilight grinned at Applejack before turning to the stallion. “I’d like a garden salad with raspberry vinaigrette, thanks.”

“Coming right up!”

The waiter trotted back inside the restaurant as Twilight turned to her friend. “Sometimes I wish I could eat like you do.”

Applejack laughed. “Farmin’ takes a lot out of a pony; gotta stay fueled up.”

Sighing, Twilight rested her chin on a hoof. “You and Rainbow both. I get self-conscious eating with her, like I’m starving myself or something. Where does it all go?”

“Well, for me, it goes square into the trunk of a whole mess a’ trees. For Dash, half of it’s in all them crazy corkscrews, an’ the rest gets turned into hot air.”

Twilight giggled.

“Speakin’ a’ Dash, how’d the move-in go? Y’all settled in now?” She grinned. “No second thoughts, I hope.”

Twilight’s smile widened. “Half my room—well, our room, I guess—is still covered in boxes, and she has so many bits and pieces of clouds everywhere it’s like I’m in Cloudsdale, but it’s been nice. To tell the truth, the last month or so Rainbow’s been staying over so often it’s almost as if she already moved in.”

“So it’s all been good?”

“Well…” Twilight rubbed her forehead and winced. “Tank’s gotten me in the head a few times.” Applejack snorted. “Not as much as he’s gotten Spike, but I’m still learning when to duck. The library is definitely louder now, but that’s not really new. It’s been nice.”

“Well, that’s good ta hear. Can’t say I’m surprised, what with the way ya both are; I reckoned it was only a matter a’ time.”

A wistful sigh escaped Twilight’s snout. “Still feels like we just started dating.”

“Time flies, don’t it? I couldn’t rightly believe Apple Bloom started up school again already. Summer just up an’ vanished.”

The waiter came back, dropping a single plate in front of Twilight and three in front of Applejack. They nodded thanks as he left, and Twilight looked over her friend’s spread. “I don’t think I could eat that much even if I did buck trees all the time.”

“Aw, heck. A week solid a’ buckin’ and you’d be ready to eat the whole dang crop.” She lifted a sandwich from her plate and took a large bite, chewing with her standard speed, while Twilight nibbled her salad. Applejack watched her friend’s muzzle crinkle from the dressing, and found herself slowing her own eating pace. She grinned at Twilight. “Ya ate plenty at the reunion when I met ya.”

“Oof. Don’t remind me; I sloshed when I walked.” She stabbed a bit of lettuce with her fork a bit harder than necessary.

Chuckling, Applejack finished off the first sandwich. “I still remember what you were like back then. Never met a pony who wanted friends so badly an’ didn’t even know it.”

Twilight poked at her salad for a moment. As Applejack began to grow concerned in the silence, she looked back up, a wide smile on her face. “I’m really glad I met you girls when I did.” Applejack waved her off with a hoof. “I mean it; I really didn’t know what I was missing, and I don’t think I would have figured it out with anypony else. It’s not just friendship that was special then or now, it’s you and the others. Magic doesn’t happen like it did back then just because, we needed that special connection.”

“Ya really think so?”

“I’d bet my horn on it. As amazing and surprising as it was to find out, in hindsight I think it was Rainbow’s Sonic Rainboom that started all of this, and drew the six of us together…” She looked off to the side, her expression vague. “Sort of like a magical echo, or ripples in a pond.”

“This sorta stuff really works like that?” Twilight nodded and took another bite. Applejack picked up her second sandwich. “I don’t rightly know what to think about all that. I’d be a fool if’n I didn’t think what happened weren’t special.”

“You don’t have to think anything about it in particular, Applejack.” She offered a small grin. “Just know that when I say I’m glad I met you, I really mean it.”

“Well…when I say I’m glad ya came in that balloon a’ yours and turned the whole dang town upside-down, I really mean it, too.” Applejack took another bite, and conversation dropped off as they ate together. She polished off her second sandwich and the plate of fries, before reaching for the slice of pie. She sat back on the bale of hay. “I tell ya, this is nice.”

“I like the food here, too.”

“Nah, I mean…this. I ain’t really done somethin’ like this in a while. I mean, I see all the girls just about every week, an’ we got our Saturdays, a’ course, but it’s been a while since I just…sat around with ya.” Her smile turned fond and warm. “It’s nice. You’re easy to talk to. What’re we even talkin’ about, magic? Eatin’ food? My brother bein’ a scaredy-cat? Don’t even matter what. Feels like everypony’s always bendin’ my ear, needin’ help or advice. It’s not that I don’t like helpin’, but well…I’d go to you for help or advice if’n I needed some. It’s nice.”

Twilight smiled. “It’s easy to talk to you, too, Applejack. It’s not like it’s hard to talk to Rainbow, or anything, but I do have to…censor myself, I guess.” She rubbed her chin. “I could probably talk to her about magic, but she’d make that face she makes when she’s bored as soon as I started.” She lifted the last bite of salad to her mouth.

“This one?” Applejack’s mouth dropped to a neutral line, and she rested her hoof on her chin, blowing an imaginary bang off her face.

Twilight started giggling and almost choked. She swallowed her mouthful. “Perfect!”

Applejack snorted and returned to the remains of her pie. “Ya want a bite of this?”

“I’m full, thank you.” Twilight’s eyes flashed as she looked Applejack over. “…But I could go for dessert.”

Applejack paused with the final bite halfway off the plate. Their eyes met.

Twilight plunked a bag of bits on the table. They stood from their hay bales at the same time, and without a word, Twilight took off at a canter with Applejack close behind. When Twilight turned off the road and down an alley, Applejack’s brow knit.

Twilight stopped at the back of a flower shop. Bags of seeds and old flowers left out carelessly over countless years had transformed the dirt ground into a wild garden, which was the most inviting stretch of alleyway Applejack had ever seen. Twilight’s horn lit and she floated a few stacks of crates over, and soon the little patch was a secluded hiding place.

Raising an eyebrow, Applejack asked, “Why, uh…why here?”

“Spike’s at home; I don’t want to sneak around him.” Twilight turned to face her friend, eyes half lidded.

“You…you sure about this?” Applejack looked up and down the alley. They were off the main thoroughfare and nopony was in sight, but she chewed her lip.

Twilight stepped closer and whispered, “Just hurry up and kiss me.”

Applejack closed the gap and pressed her lips to Twilight’s. Hooves wrapped around her neck, and she was pulled to the ground to lay on top of Twilight, blocked from view by the crates.

Twilight’s tongue snaked into her lover’s mouth and she hugged Applejack’s hips with both hindlegs. Applejack could taste the sweet and bitter dressing, and the thought that she should order salads more often passed through her head. Twilight’s hooves were in her mane and a relaxed sigh escaped her muzzle.

She nipped Twilight’s lower lip as she sat back. Twilight followed her up, pulling her into a series of kisses, and she hugged her lover to her chest. She felt her hat sliding off.

Applejack caught her Stetson as it fell and plopped it on Twilight’s head. She leaned back and grinned. “Well aren’t you just the cutest farmpony I ever did see.”

“Oh, I don’t know, I think that’s your title.” Twilight booped Applejack on the snout and kissed her again. Together, they drifted back down to the ground.

Applejack buried her face in Twilight’s neck, sucking and nipping. Twilight’s hooves roamed her sides, and she felt her excitement rise, but she found herself bumping into crates with every caress. “Ain’t much room here,” she breathed.

“Nnn…” Twilight kissed her neck. “I have an idea.”

She gripped Twilight’s springy, supple flank. “Yeah?”

“I’ve been reading through my spellbook, and there’s this one I wanted to try.”

Applejack felt Twilight’s teeth graze across her ear, and a shiver ran up her spine. “I ain’t gonna grow anythin’ extra, am I?”

Twilight’s forelegs drifted down and gripped her ass, pulling her closer. “No, it doesn’t have anything to do with transformations. I haven’t tried it with Rainbow yet, because it’s supposed to be really…intense and overwhelming if you’re not careful.” Twilight’s tongue slid along her jawline. “I trust you with it, though.”

“What is it?” Applejack raced a hoof up Twilight’s back and rattled a stack of crates. “Whoops.”

“It’s a spell that links sensory perception. Everything that one of us feels, the other feels, too. So if I did this…” She nipped Applejack’s jaw. “It’d feel like you bit me in the same place, and since I felt it, you’d feel it from me. Like a looping sensory feedback. So a little nip—” she bit again “—would be really stimulating. For the both of us.”

“…Alright, sugar. I think I can handle that.” Applejack pulled away from her lover, regretting the loss of warmth and closeness immediately. Still lying down, Twilight’s horn lit up. Applejack felt warmth spread over her mind and fought off the urge to sneeze. She scrunched her eyes shut and shook her head. “Did it work?”

Twilight leaned up and nuzzled Applejack’s cheek.

Applejack’s eyes dilated. She could feel all the hairs of her coat mesh and rub against Twilight, the spike of pleasure from the primal show of affection prickling her mind like normal. She also felt Twilight’s cheek as if it was her own; a host of tiny differences contrasting against each other, throwing the similarities in sharper relief. She had never felt a nuzzle with more clarity in her life.

“Uhn—” they both grunted, shuddering against each other. Every spot their coats touched ignited with sensation, ephemeral echoes dancing across their bodies, mirroring left and right. Applejack could feel her own hoof, cupping Twilight’s cheek, on the opposite side of her face almost exactly where Twilight’s hoof cupped hers.

“Dang,” Applejack marveled. “This is somethin’ else.”

“Yeah.” Twilight shivered.

Applejack kissed Twilight and lost herself in the magic loop; lips and tongues, hers and her friend’s, dancing together, the lines separating them indistinct at times and sharply apparent at others. She broke the connection and panted into Twilight’s shoulder, feeling hot and ghostly breaths on her own coat.

Twilight shivered as she stroked Applejack’s mane. “Ohh…”

“How ya…” Applejack gasped as Twilight’s hoof ran down her back and up her tail. “Nn…holdin’ up?”

Twilight bit her lip and Applejack could feel the tingle along her own. “Intense is right. It’s not too much, though. At least not so far.”

“Well, you holler if’n ya can’t take it, alright?”

Smirking, Twilight stroked Applejack’s tail. “Don’t you say that every time you take charge?”

Applejack chuckled. “Fair ‘nough.” She planted a kiss on Twilight’s mouth, and led her friend onto the ground. She trailed down Twilight’s neck and chest, feeling her own kisses reflected. A throaty moan escaped her muzzle. Her arousal had grown in the shared connection to a throbbing need, and she could feel her wetness threatening to overflow.

She could feel Twilight’s excitement, too, thrumming to a different heartbeat, echoing and compounding her own. She clamped her hindlegs together as she worked her way down.

Applejack gripped Twilight’s gaskins and spread her lover’s back legs. The sensation made her open her own legs again, and she felt a trickle of lust run down her thigh. A small gasp told her that Twilight felt it, too. She lowered her head to Twilight’s parted folds. “I’m gonna go real slow, Twi.”

Twilight stroked Applejack’s ear.

Applejack took a deep breath, savoring the smell of her lover’s arousal, and pressed her tongue to Twilight’s folds. She swept upwards delicately.

Applejack’s eyelids fluttered. The imprint of her own tongue slid across her marehood, heightened and sharpened by the feedback from Twilight. She panted and felt a hot breath across her mound. “Nn.” She licked Twilight again.

Twilight’s hooves slid across her scalp. “Oh, Applejack…”

She tongued her lover and pressed inside. As she probed and tasted, it felt almost like she was going down on herself. She flicked her tongue against Twilight’s walls and felt the pleasure in her own sex, mapping out her favorite spots inside Twilight, sensing Twilight’s favorite spots through their connection, blending their desires in a rising tide of laps and kisses.

Twilight arched her back to Applejack’s attentions, twisting against the wildflowers. “Oh, Applejack…I can taste it, too…”

She hugged Twilight around the waist, pushing into her friend’s sex, feeling her juices drip onto the ground. The gentle stimulation, rebounding from body to body, left her shaking and weak. Twilight’s arousal overlaid her own, and she felt their peaks approach.

She slid out and swirled her tongue over Twilight’s most sensitive spot.

Applejack snapped her legs shut and pressed into Twilight’s mound, stifling a shout. Her inner walls clenched in time with Twilight’s: echoing, rising, sharpening, rebounding. Her core flooded with bliss, racing to the tips of her hooves, making her hair stand on end. She could feel the sweat run down Twilight’s sides, the blades of grass flattened beneath her lover’s back, Twilight’s lungs bellowed as a scream threatened to tear its way out. Twilight bit her lip to hold it in, and Applejack felt the sharpness of each tooth sink into her own flesh.

Their connection severed with a flick of magic. Applejack shuddered as an aftershock of her orgasm, alone in her body but still intense and heated, ran up her spine. She collapsed to her side, jostling the stack of crates. Twilight groaned, long and loud, stroking her mane with weak affection. She crawled up alongside Twilight’s barrel and hugged herself close.

“Twi, that was…”

“Good Luna, I know.” Twilight hugged her back, nuzzling cheek to cheek. “I don’t know if I can walk.”

Applejack rubbed her thighs together as another spike of lingering bliss shot through her. “Nnf…let’s not worry about movin’ ‘til I can see straight.”

Twilight chuckled gently and drew her into a kiss, side by side in the little garden. Applejack could feel Twilight’s heartbeat hammer against her chest. They explored each other’s mouths, familiar and inviting, as their waves of passion grew further apart.

They broke their kiss and Twilight snuggled into Applejack’s chest. Grinning at her lover, Applejack took a deep breath and closed her eyes, letting the minutes wash away. After a while, feeling at peace, she said, “I tell ya, Twi, ya sure know how to turn a lousy day into a great one.”

“And it’s barely half over!” Twilight teased. She pushed herself up on her forelegs to loom over Applejack and kiss her on the tip of the snout. “Glad I could help.”

Applejack stretched out her back and sat up, peering over the tops of the crates. “Coast’s still clear.” She stood up and shook herself off. “Alright! I feel like I could buck the whole dang farm if I had to.” She helped Twilight up and nuzzled her friend affectionately. “Thanks, Twi. I needed this.”

“So did I. Thank you, Applejack.”

They grinned at each other, and a comfortable silence stretched out in the alleyway. Applejack could feel Twilight studying her face as her friend said, “...I really like that smile on you. It’s a great smile.”

Applejack smirked, snatched her Stetson off of Twilight’s head, gave her lover one last kiss, and muttered, “Ya put me in a smilin’ mood, Twi. Yours is nice an’ easy on the eyes, too. I could waste all day lookin’ at it, but…” She glanced over her shoulder and shrugged. “Work’s callin’. Guess I’ll be seein’ ya next Saturday, if’n I don’t see ya before.”

“You’re welcome any time.” They stepped out from around the crates, pressing their sides together in a lingering glide, and parted, heading off in opposite directions. At the mouth of either end of the alley, they both cast a look at each other over their shoulders.

Twilight winked. Applejack winked back.

Setting off at a trot, Applejack avoided the center of town, still feeling trails of lust drying on her inner legs. At the river separating Ponyville proper from the outlying farmland, she opted to ford the water rather than take a bridge, and came out the other side refreshed and wild with energy. She headed home with a bounce in her step.

The trees wouldn’t know what hit them.

Author's Note

tl;dr

Fluffy Kitten Tales is a line of filly toys released by Haybro. There have been several incarnations over the years, and the ones Rarity collected in her foalhood are rare and valuable in this day and age. The most recent launch of the line was accompanied with a revamp to the whole concept, with more interesting cats, that's gained some attention from full grown mares and stallions alike.

Also: Fluffy Kitten Tales was borrowed with permission from my good friend Bookplayer.

Chapter 7

Applejack cleared row after row of the southern orchard, filling her cart to the brim, emptying it, and starting again. She hummed as she worked, her awful morning forgotten as she replayed lunch in her head. The sun moved across the sky as she went, and by midafternoon, Applejack was fairly certain she had regained all of her lost ground.

Setting baskets up around a trunk, a flick of color caught her attention from the corner of her eye. Rainbow Dash’s tail swung in a lazy arc from the branches of a tree towards the end of the row. A mischievous grin spread across her face. She bucked her current tree and waited for the baskets to fill. As the last apple fell, she sauntered down the row. She kicked the tree and whipped around to stand on her hindlegs, sweeping her hooves wide to catch the tumbling Rainbow.

Rainbow slid sideways. Her back legs sprung shut around the branch, and instead of falling, she swung like a pendulum. Applejack caught a glimpse of Rainbow’s bright and playful eyes before hooves wrapped around her back. She yelped as she was hoisted from the ground, carried through the upswing, and dropped on the branch. Rainbow grinned at her.

“Hey, AJ.”

Applejack straightened her hat and gave her friend a bewildered look. “Were…were you pretendin’ to be asleep?”

“Only since you started the row; figured I could finally get you back.” Rainbow sat back against the trunk and crossed her forelegs behind her head. “Totally worth it.”

Applejack snorted and shook her head. “Welp, fair’s fair; ya got me good.”

“Damn straight.” Rainbow chuckled. She leaned forward and smiled at Applejack. “So how’s things?”

Straightening on the branch, Applejack tried to get comfortable. She smirked at Rainbow. “Fine ‘n dandy. Busy with the harvest, mostly. Ya know how it is. How’s things with you? Twi said y’all’re all settled in now, how’s that goin’?”

“Good. Little weird. Never lived on the ground before, but it’s cool; Twi’s awesome and it’s great to see her all the time.”

“That’s good ta hear. I was tellin’ Twi it was just a matter a’ time between y’all.” She looked off the side of the branch at the ground, then back to her waiting baskets.

Rainbow’s smile fell. “…You’re all busy, huh?”

Glancing back up, she offered her friend an apologetic shrug. “Sorry, Dash. It’s Applebuck Season an’ all.” She took a breath and hopped down from the tree. Rainbow settled on the ground next to her.

“Can I help? I was hoping to hang out with you a little.”

“Aw, did’ja miss me, too? Skippin’ a Saturday throws you two off somethin’ fierce.” Applejack glanced over her shoulder and winked at Rainbow. She grabbed a basket and emptied it into the cart. “Extra set a’ hooves never hurt. You know the drill.”

Rainbow helped empty out the baskets and set them up around the next tree. “And the thing that sucked the worst about it was we were pretty much done before dinner. We totally could have done stuff with you.” She shook her head, then smirked at Applejack. “But are you saying you weren’t bummed about Saturday?”

“Now, I didn’t say one word a’ that.” She bucked the tree. “Gettin’ to be that Saturdays are the best part of the whole dang week.” As she bent down to lift a basket, she felt Rainbow nuzzle her neck.

“Wanna fool around, then?”

An initial protest died in her throat; she found herself pressing into Rainbow without thinking about it. She closed her eyes and leaned away from the apples, rubbing against her friend, savoring the contact. “…Ya know, I’d really love to,” she murmured, “but I got work ta do.”

Rainbow’s voice dropped further to an inviting tease. “I’ll still help, let’s just take a ‘break’ first.” She spread her wing across Applejack’s back, drawing their bodies closer.

“Gonna eat up a bunch a’ time findin’ somewhere private.”

“Let’s just do it here.” She kissed Applejack’s neck from shoulder to jaw.

“H-here? In the open?”

“Who’s gonna find us? We’re all alone. Your brother’s on the other side of the farm, Granny Smith’s in the house, and I always see your sister hanging out with Scoots and Sweetie Belle ‘til after it’s dark. When’s the last time somepony bugged you while you were working?” She nibbled up her lover’s ear.

Applejack turned in the loose embrace to stroke Rainbow’s side, ruffling the feathers at the base of her friend’s wing. She tried to keep the amusement out of her voice. “My brother this mornin’.”

Rainbow shrugged, working her way back down. “Ever been bugged twice in the same day?”

“Then Spike showed up a little after that.”

“…Three times, then?”

Applejack’s smug grin widened. “Spike came on account a’ Twi invitin’ me to lunch.”

Rainbow breathed a grunt of frustration into Applejack’s neck. “Four. Four times.”

“I seem to recall gettin’ yanked into a tree not too long ago.”

Rainbow leaned back and caught Applejack’s eyes. “Ever been bugged five times in one day?”

Applejack snorted, hiding her laughter behind a hoof. “No, I can’t say that I have.”

“See?” Rainbow smirked and shoved Applejack to her back, climbing on top of her. “So stop whining and gimme some of that flank.”

Applejack wrapped her hooves around Rainbow’s neck. “Alright, lightnin’ butt, ya talked me into it.” She pulled her lover into a kiss and rolled sideways. Rainbow flopped to the ground and Applejack tossed a back leg over her hip.

Applejack could feel a smirk through the kiss as Rainbow continued the roll. Their lips broke apart with Applejack on top and Rainbow gripping her rump. “You keep calling me lightning butt…I’d call you apple butt, but there’s something missing…” She darted to Applejack’s neck, biting and sucking.

“Nn, what’re you gettin’ at?” She pressed against Rainbow’s wing, coaxing it to extend.

“It just doesn’t capture the glory of your ass…” She sat back, grinning wickedly at Applejack. “Got it!”

Running her hoof along Rainbow’s primaries, Applejack raised an eyebrow.

“What’cha looking at, cider butt?”

Applejack snorted and buried her face in Rainbow’s shoulder. “Cider butt? Really?”

“If I could drink a mug of your ass, I would.”

Applejack shook her head against Rainbow. She grabbed onto the giggling mare and rolled to the side, pinning Rainbow to the trunk of a tree. “Just for that, ya ain’t gettin’ any mercy.”

Rainbow struggled against Applejack and managed to roll over so her chest was against the bark, but couldn’t escape. Applejack had been paying attention over several Saturdays, and learned Rainbow’s weak spots.

Lightning butt never stood a chance.

Swiping her tongue across an extended wing, Applejack wrapped a hoof around Rainbow and pressed against her inner thigh in just the right place. She moaned in response, pushing into Applejack’s chest.

“Y-you’re cheating.”

“Tough.” She rubbed Rainbow’s leg and nipped her neck. “Got ya right where I want ya now, just like with Twi earlier. Real treat, gettin’ the both of ya all to myself.”

“Sounds just like my day. Twi’s, too, I guess.” She snickered as she shoved against the tree, but couldn’t free herself. Applejack chuckled and bit down on the leading edge of her wing.

Rainbow shuddered against her. She nibbled at Rainbow’s feathers, delighting in the weak struggling in her hooves. “I could spend all day touchin’ your wings, Dash.” She rubbed her cheek through the limb. “Wish I knew how ta preen ya.”

“Uhn…” Rainbow spread her wing wider under Applejack’s face. “I could teach you how.”

Smirking, Applejack gripped Rainbow’s thigh and nuzzled her neck. “Think we could get through it without gettin’ all bug-eyed?”

She grinded against Applejack’s chest. “You’re pretty damn good at keeping me still now.” She looked over her shoulder at her captor, her muzzle a dark red and eyes half lidded. “’Sides, it’s not hard. I trust you.”

Applejack’s smirk changed to a warm smile. She kissed Rainbow on the cheek and returned to the wing. “Alright, Rainbow, I seen you an’ Twi do this a couple’a times, but I’m sure I’m missin’ important stuff…”

“Okay, so…” Rainbow stretched her wing out fully. “All you’re doing is making sure all my feathers are straight and clean. Start with the primaries and secondaries—those’re the big ones—then the coverts. I’ll tell you when the first couple are straight ‘til you get the hang of it.”

“Sounds easy enough.” She gripped a broad feather in her teeth.

“You’re gonna want to hold onto me better.” Rainbow shot her a playful smirk. “I’m not good at keeping still for this.”

Applejack pushed into Rainbow’s thigh and wrapped her other hoof around her friend’s belly. Rainbow gasped and she hugged the trunk. “Nnn…” Licking her lips, Applejack bit down on the feather again, wiggling it back and forth. “Th-there; that’s right. Then just smooth it out with your ton—ohh…perfect. Okay, n-next one. Mmm, yeah, you’re getting it…”

Rainbow shivered and twitched under her hooves. She moved from feather to feather, teasing them straight and licking them smooth. Her excitement grew as she held onto the writhing mare, and she rocked her hips into Rainbow’s rump. Rainbow moaned as Applejack slid a hoof down her belly and caressed her sex.

She hugged the tree and grinned.

Applejack stretched to reach the end of Rainbow’s wing, when it jerked away. “Oh, AJ…S-save those two at the end for last…” Their eyes met and Rainbow flashed a coy smile. “I really like those.”

Applejack winked as Rainbow presented her wing again. She stroked Rainbow’s wetness while she worked her way back along the coverts, delighting in the moans and cries her attentions brought. Rainbow’s restlessness in her grip grew with each passing feather until they were frantic against each other, grinding and rocking, panting hot breaths, dripping their juices on the ground.

Struggling to get through the last of the coverts, Applejack could feel Rainbow’s marehood throb with need against her. Her hoof was soaked and slick, and Rainbow’s voice was raw and strained from a constant stream of cries. She lunged, biting down on the last two primaries and tugging them into place.

Rainbow shrieked. She shoved against the tree and the two tumbled backwards. Her hindlegs clamped shut and she humped Applejack’s leg. Applejack closed her eyes and nuzzled into messy mane as Rainbow rode out her orgasm above her.

“Oh, Applejack,” she moaned. Several waves of pleasure shook her body against Applejack before she unclenched her thighs. She rolled to face her lover and locked their muzzles with burning intensity. Rainbow invaded Applejack’s mouth with no restraint, and as fierce as she started, she broke away and snaked down Applejack’s belly.

Before she could register a thought, Applejack felt her hips lift off the ground and Rainbow’s muzzle sink into her sex. She bit down on her hoof and cleaned away the juices as Rainbow lapped at her, as brazen and wild as the kiss, mapping her insides with a greedy hunger.

Applejack arched her back, gripping Rainbow’s muzzle with her inner-thighs. Her hooves flew into her lover’s mane, petting and fondling wherever she could reach. Her desire, brought high by Rainbow’s lustful display, grew higher still under the assault. Rainbow’s snout bumped against her clit with every thrust of her tongue. Her walls flexed, trying to draw Rainbow deeper as her climax approached. She scrunched her eyes shut. “Oh, Rainbow, I’m so close!”

Applejack chomped down on her own leg. Every muscle in her back spasmed and she rocked into Rainbow’s mouth. Bliss flooded her body in waves, leaking down Rainbow’s chin and into her tail. She screamed around the hoof in her mouth.

Rainbow held fast, drinking in Applejack’s overflowing lust, lapping her clean. She set Applejack’s flank back on the ground and crawled forward, curling up on her chest. Applejack hugged her close and they snuggled, panting in tandem with each other. As they caught their breaths, they kissed again, slow and gentle.

Entwined under the tree, Rainbow nuzzled Applejack’s cheek. “I needed that.”

Applejack chuckled, hugging Rainbow tighter. “Glad ta be of service, Dash. Anythin’ to help a friend out.”

Rainbow sat back, grinning at her. “Always knew I could count on you to ‘lend a hoof.’” She offered Applejack a leg up and glanced down at herself. “…Yikes.”

Snorting, Applejack looked over Rainbow. Her lover’s inner legs were soaked almost to the fetlock. “That’s a dang good look for ya.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Hold up, lemme…not look like I just got rutted to death.” She scanned the sky, and took off, flying up to a small cloud.

Applejack’s grin grew as she watched Rainbow bury herself in the cloud, scooping up chunks of it to wash out her fur. Rainbow pawed at herself with the fluff, scraping away signs of their lovemaking. If somepony else were watching, very little would be left to the imagination concerning what Rainbow was doing.

“Ya keep that up an’ you’re gonna get me all hot an’ bothered again.”

Rainbow started and looked down at Applejack, and then at the position she was in. She waggled her tongue and resumed cleaning, rocking her hips as she went and twitching her tail from side to side. Applejack couldn’t help laughing, but didn’t look away.

After longer than strictly necessary, Rainbow flew down from the cloud and shook off the excess water. “Alright, AJ, good break.”

Snickering, Applejack picked up a full basket and emptied it into the cart. “Shut up an’ help me, ya crazy sack a’ feathers.”

“Yeah, yeah. So you said you met Twi for lunch?”

“That I did.” She set the emptied baskets around the next tree. “She was missin’ me, too, an’ my mornin’ kinda stank, so I went an’ saw her for grub.” She stopped suddenly and turned to Rainbow with a frown. “Ya knew about all that, right? An’ Twi knows about this? I, uh…I ain’t oversteppin’ anythin’ here, am I?”

Rainbow waved her off with a hoof. “I didn’t know, but Twi and me talked about it a while ago. It’s not a big deal.”

Shrugging, Applejack turned to buck the tree. “If’n ya say so. I don’t wanna be causin’ no problems.”

“Don’t worry, AJ. You and Twi both worry about everything.”

“Just the sorta gal I am, Dash. Just like how I’m the sorta gal who don’t like sneakin’ around anypony’s back.”

“Hey, if you wanna go right now and tell her we banged under an apple tree, we can. She’ll probably ask for details. She might even make that cute little grin she makes when she gets excited.” Rainbow dropped the empty basket to the ground. “In fact, that’s a great idea! Let’s go talk to her right now; I bet you we both get laid again!”

Applejack rubbed her forehead with a hoof. “I still got work ta do, Dash.”

“I’m just messing with you.” She set up the baskets around the next in line. “But seriously, it’s not a big deal. I’m living with her now, but it’s not like I’m home all the time for her to double-check everything with me, and I wouldn’t want her to, anyway.”

“…I was kinda wonderin’ why you weren’t along for lunch, but I guess it’s silly to think everythin’ would change after y’all moved in together.”

“Yeah, I still got work to do, and flying practice. Not gonna spend all day cooped up in the library.”

“That’s a good thing, I guess. I bet my trees’d get awful lonely without you wearin’ a groove in ‘em.”

Rainbow laughed as they emptied the baskets. “Can’t abandon Nap Spots Number Seven, Thirteen, and Thirty-Two.”

“You’ve labeled all of ‘em? Dang, Twilight is rubbin’ off on you.”

With Rainbow’s help, Applejack emptied and filled the baskets until the cart was loaded down with apples. They took turns dumping out the cart, and together, they worked through row after row of the south orchard, joking and laughing throughout the afternoon. As evening set in, Applejack looked back over their progress. Working by herself on the top of her game, she probably could have done more in a single day, but for a day that started with nothing, she had a lot to show for it. She sighed in satisfaction and fanned her face with her hat.

“Dash, this ain’t the most productive day I ever had, but it sure as heck’s been one of the funnest I can remember. Thank ya much for the help an’ the company; it was mighty swell of ya, sugarcube.”

“No problem, AJ. This is a good work-out, and it’s cool to just, you know, do stuff for a while. I can’t sit still all the time.”

“I hear ya.” She stepped forward and nuzzled Rainbow. “Thanks again,” she whispered.

“Any time.” Rainbow closed her eyes and pressed into Applejack’s neck. “And I know we got this whole Saturday thing, and you and Twi are all about schedules, but if you have any free nights…”

Applejack chuckled, leaning into Rainbow, relishing the closeness.

“Uhh…”

The two broke apart, looked down the row, and went rigid. Apple Bloom sat staring at them with an eyebrow raised. Applejack felt a shiver run up her spine. Several tense seconds passed.

“There’s that fifth time I been bugged in a day, Dash.”

Rainbow winced. She leaned a little closer and mumbled, “Sh-should I say something?”

“No…y’all just head on home; I got this.”

“Alright. I’ll…I’ll see ya, AJ.” She grinned awkwardly and leapt into the air, taking off at a fast clip.

Applejack cleared her throat. “Well, howdy, sis! How was your first day?”

“What, uh…what were y’all doin’?”

Applejack swallowed the lump in her throat and stepped forward. “Rainbow Dash helped me out ‘round the farm today, an’ I was just sayin’ goodbye ‘fore she went home is all.”

Blinking at her older sister in confusion, Apple Bloom scratched her head. “Y’all were…awful close…”

“Dash an’ me are awful close.”

“Isn’t…Rainbow Dash…Twilight’s girlfriend?”

Beads of sweat formed on her brow. “That she is, yeah.”

Apple Bloom looked down at her hooves, which she fiddled like she was trying to make heads or tails of a word problem. “Uhh…so…”

“So.” Applejack took a steadying breath. “I’m awful close with some of my friends, an’ sometimes we…hug each other…and stuff…on account a’ how close we are.”

Apple Bloom nodded slowly. “So…it’s like…what ya were sayin’ this mornin’! ‘Bout how y’all’re thick as thieves an’ all! I get it!”

Breathing a sigh of relief, Applejack nodded her head. “Eeyup, ya got it. So, AB, I got a little bit left to clean up, so why don’t ya go wash up for supper?”

“Alright, sis, I’ll tell ya ‘bout school then!” She jumped up and ran off to the house.

Applejack grimaced and rubbed her face. “Gosh, I hate doin’ that,” she muttered to herself. She strapped herself into the last load of apples and headed towards the barn. She replayed the conversation in her head. Even though she technically didn’t lie to her little sister, she still felt like she was being underhoofed. She let out a sigh as she pulled the cart up and unloaded the apples. “Gotta be more careful. Those two get me too relaxed sometimes…”

After fetching the baskets and dropping the cart off around the side of the house, Applejack went to the wash basin to clean off her workday. She scrubbed away the dirt, grime, and questionable patches from her coat, and when she upturned a bucket of clean water over her head, her good mood had returned.

Apple Bloom regaled her family with news of new faces, old friends, new subjects, and adventures in crusading over dinner, and Applejack joined in with the rest of her family’s laughter.

As Apple Bloom and Big Macintosh headed off to bed, Applejack sidled up at the sink to dry dishes as Granny washed. They worked in comfortable silence together for a a few minutes, while Applejack half daydreamed.

Granny rinsed the soap from a dish and set it in the strainer. “That lunch mend what ails ya a little too good, Applejack? You’re off in the clouds somewheres.”

She started, looking down at the plate she held that was well past dry. She chuckled and set in on a shelf. “I been gettin’ all sorts a’ visitors today, Granny. Saw Twilight for lunch, then Rainbow Dash came ‘round and helped out with the buckin’ for a while.”

“Well, I hope they make a habit of it; can’t rightly remember the last start of Applebuck Season where ya smiled so much. Does these ol’ bones good ta see.” She set the last plate in the drainer and scrutinized Applejack’s face. “...I can’t be puttin’ my hoof on it all the way, but there’s somethin’ real familiar ‘bout that grin a’ yours. Makes me smile, an’ think a’ your pappy.”

Applejack finished off the drying. “I been thinkin’ ‘bout him a lot, too.” She let out a breath and stretched her back. “Welp, I’m beat. Long day tomorrow, just like today.”

“Ain’t it always the way.” Granny stood from the chair by the sink and stretched to match, her back letting out several loud cracks. “Woof! I best be layin’ down, too. Ya have yourself some good shut-eye, Li’l Apple.”

“You, too, Granny.” She flashed a smile and climbed up the stairs. She shut her door and lit a lantern.

Applejack sat down in front of her mirror, took off her hat, and pulled the ribbons out of her mane. “Good day’s work again, daddy,” she told her reflection. “’Nother day, ‘nother load of apples, just like always. Think ya’d be proud a’ me…” Her brow knit as she slid a brush over her hoof and worked the kinks out of her mane. “Well…I know y’all would be proud a’ me for the work, dunno ‘bout that li’l fib to Apple Bloom. Ain’t too proud a’ that myself. But she’s just a filly an’ all, I don’t wanna be explainin’ ‘arrangements’ unless I have to.”

She chuckled at herself. “I knew ya’d understand, daddy. Ya had the best head on your shoulders. No nonsense an’ always wantin’ to help, just like Twilight. An’ ya had the best laugh I ever done heard, too; everythin’ was always smiles an’ fun, just like with Dash. I bet’cha you’d like the both of ‘em somethin’ fierce.”

Applejack set the brush down and leaned on her hoof, smiling into the mirror, playing back through her day. She remembered sitting at lunch with Twilight, watching her friend nibble at the tiny little salad, and the way her muzzle would crinkle from the dressing. She remembered working through the fields with Rainbow, how she’d be left in stitches and forget if she was emptying baskets or filling them, and how they still cleared a grove of trees anyway.

Applejack sighed in contentment and stood up. She cast one last look at herself, turned towards her bed, and froze in her tracks. She whipped her head back to the mirror, her expression locked in place, her mind racing. She had seen that smile before. That same exact smile, in four different faces.

“…Uh oh.”

She stared at her reflection, feeling her heart thunder in her chest, feeling her hooves tremble. The smile slid off her face and she paced in front of the mirror.

“Oh, Applejack, ya darn fool…” She grimaced and rubbed her forehead. “Alright, which one…” She cycled back through her memories and listened to herself. At first she thought it’d be simple: think about Twilight, then Rainbow Dash, and figure out which one made her smile despite her worry.

Both of them made her smile.

She paced faster, replaying the day, and days before, and months before, thinking about them both, grinning through her agitation, thinking about how she felt around either of her friends.

Both of her friends.

Applejack sat back in front of the mirror with a thud. “Both of ‘em? How can—” She scoffed, thumping her chin down onto the vanity. “Good Luna, I done made a mess a’ this.” She covered her eyes with both hooves. “Applejack Apple, how in Equestria did’ja manage to fall for both of them?”

Applejack sat lamenting for several minutes, shaking her head back and forth, and groaning. After a while, she took a deep breath and sat back up, fixing a piercing look on her reflection.

“Alright, enough feelin’ sorry for yourself. You got those same brains your momma an’ daddy gave ya, time to use ‘em.” She stood up and resumed her march around the room, her gaze directed inward.

“I ain’t throwin’ myself between either of ‘em; Dash and Twi both’re happy as clams together. Ain’t my place to be muckin’ them up, they don’t deserve it. Not one bit.”

She nodded sharply, changing directions and rubbing her chin. “So what do I do? Do I tell ‘em?”

She looked at the mirror, but she didn’t need it to feel the panicked expression on her face. She took a deep breath. “Ya coward,” she admonished herself, returning to her pacing. “Okay…I could start seein’ somepony else. Hearts’re fickle; find somepony nice an’ this’ll go away. Sure.” Her frown deepened. “Like I got a whole mess a’ time to go courtin’ somepony…”

She sighed when she realized how much noise she was making on the wood floor. She slowed her steps and cast a weary look at the door. “I could stop seein’ ‘em…It’d go away if’n I wasn’t jumpin’ into bed with ‘em every week…”

Her frown turned into a grimace. “They’d be askin’ me why, an’ they’d be so disappointed; I saw how much they like the way we got things set up today.” After a moment, she scowled. “Can’t lie to myself; I like it, too, an’ I don’t wanna stop. But I have to, don’t I?”

She turned to the mirror. “This was just us havin’ fun. That’s the agreement. It ain’t that anymore if’n I got feelin’s for ‘em…”

She stared at herself, long and hard. “…But it ain’t changed for them. It’s still fun for them.”

She felt bile rise in her throat as a wave of self-loathing passed over her. “…I can just pretend like it ain’t changed for me, have fun with ‘em like they like, an’ when winter comes ‘round, start lookin’ ‘round town for somepony to start chattin’ up. They’d be happy, I’d be…happy.”

Applejack dropped her head and sagged where she stood. She blew out the lantern and turned to her bed, dragging herself under the covers. “Great plan, Applejack. Lie to your friends for a few months, pretend Saturdays—no, any day I want, seein’ as they invited me—ain’t nothin’ more than fun, an’ hope neither of ‘em notice. This ain’t gonna blow up in your face, ya idjit.”

She let out another sigh and hugged a pillow to her chest, trying not to pretend it was Rainbow, or maybe Twilight. Her mind raced through different courses of action, each one seemingly worse than the one before, as she drifted into an uneasy sleep.

She had work to do in the morning.

Author's Note

tl;dr

Applejack branded Butt Cider: Rainbow Dash tested, Twilight Sparkle approved. Warning: consuming Applejack branded Butt Cider may result in giddiness, inflated sense of self-importance, and tented pants.

Chapter 8

Applejack’s ears twitched as the rooster’s call sounded out across the farm. Her brow furrowed before she even opened her eyes, and she sat up in bed to see the sun peeking its way over the horizon through the window. She let out a sigh and hopped out of bed.

She sat at her vanity and grabbed her brush. As she worked out the kinks, she frowned at herself. “Ain’t like me to sleep in,” she mused. Her eyes flicked to the calendar. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw it was Thursday, and then grimaced at herself. “Coward,” she whispered.

Sitting up straight, Applejack took a steadying breath and focused on her reflection. “Mornin’, Li’l Apple. It’s a hard day a’ workin’ ahead, you do your momma an’ me proud.” She pulled a ribbon from its box. “I always…try.” She slumped forward, letting out a huff. “Oh, Celestia, I ain’t too proud a’ myself right now. The heck am I gonna do on Saturday?” She groaned and thumped her forehead against the dresser.

Standing up, she tied her mane and tail back, and grabbed her hat. She cantered from her bedroom and down the stairs.

Big Macintosh smirked at her, dishing up a plate of eggs at her spot. “Sleep in, sis?”

She sat down. “Har har. That extra ten minutes a’ shut-eye’s gonna be all it takes to beat ya by ten barrels of apples today.”

Big Mac chuckled and took his seat. “I’d be shakin’ in my yoke, sis, but you’re on market.”

“Ah, dang it, it is Thursday.” She winced and shook her head. “My head’s all over the place. Well, I bet I’m ten barrels ahead by lunch.”

Shoveling down his breakfast, Big Mac shook his head. “Ain’t gonna be ten barrels ta get, ‘less somethin’ goes wrong. Got a big storm hittin’ soon, an’ most a’ the crop’s gettin’ watered. We gonna be in one a’ the smaller groves in the west workin’ towards each other.” He grinned. “Ain’t gonna be much ta do after market time.”

Applejack leaned back in her seat. “That so? Ain’t had a day like that durin’ Applebuck Season in a blue moon. You remember one, Granny?”

“Weren’t one last year, that’s for sure,” she teased.

Applejack sighed and shook her head. “Y’all ain’t never lettin’ me live that down, are ya?”

Giggling, Apple Bloom chimed, “Nope!”

“I tell ya what, sis, how ‘bout this for a wager? If’n we get done ‘fore lunch with the buckin’, all’s that’s left is fixin’ the cellar door, an’ some stuff ‘round the house. I’ll do that while you’re sellin’, and you can take off for the evenin’. Go do whatever the heck ya do nowadays.”

Applejack’s eye twitched, and she leaned over her plate to hide her face. She cleared her throat. “I don’t mind comin’ back an’ helpin’ out with chores.”

“Nah, it ain’t nothin’ if’n the trees’re done. Gonna be a break for the both of us.”

“…Alright, but only if’n we finish before lunch.” Applejack finished up her plate, and cleared the table. She grinned at Apple Bloom. “Ya have a good time at school, sis.”

“I will!” Apple Bloom jumped up and hugged her around the neck. She whispered, “I bet ya can still beat ‘im by ten barrels.”

Applejack chuckled as her sister jumped down and headed out the door. She got to washing the dishes, and out of habit, cast a smirk over her shoulder at her brother.

“Still gon’ try ta race me, Applejack?” he marveled. “Alright, then.” He lurched his neck to the side and a loud crack sounded. “Have it your way, li’l sis.” He sat down and crossed his hooves over his chest, grinning smugly at her.

“Just be hopin’ there ain’t any spiders roamin’ about today; ya might stand a chance.” She turned back to the sink and grit her teeth. “Now what ya haveta go an’ do that for, ya fool? Ain’t no way we’re not gettin’ done ‘less I throw it…” she muttered to herself under her breath. For a moment she just stared into the soapy water, then attacked the dishes, scrubbing them clean and burning off a bit of her tension.

Applejack put her game face on and turned back to Big Macintosh. Without a word, he stood up and headed outside. As Applejack followed, Granny laughed. “Y’all ain’t never gonna stop competin’, are ya? I been meanin’ ta make cornbread; y’all’re gonna need some hot an’ fresh after you’re done killin’ yourselves running through them trees like a couple’a nuthatches.”

Applejack chuckled and looked back halfway out the door. “Maybe I just like your cornbread enough ta be givin’ ya excuses to make it.”

Big Macintosh gave her a challenging smirk as he strapped himself into his cart. Applejack went around the side of the house and hooked herself into hers, then followed him out west. She looked overhead and watched a weather team as they finished moving clouds into position. Her heart sped up as she searched for a flash of color, but Rainbow Dash wasn’t among the pegasi present. A wave of relief passed over her, but was overwhelmed by a stronger burning sense of disappointment.

A frown creased her muzzle as she refocused on Big Mac, heading for the far end of the only grove not under cloud cover. Applejack called out, “I’d say ‘see ya in the middle, but you ain’t gonna get anywhere near the middle ‘fore ya see me!”

“Ya talk a big game, li’l sis! We’ll start when the storm starts!” he yelled back, and Applejack grinned as he disappeared from view. Her cheer vanished as she pulled up to the first tree and unhooked herself, throwing barrels around the trunk and pacing with nervous energy.

A crash of thunder rang out as pegasi bounced down on the gathered storm head. As rain flashed down around her, she swung around and slammed her hooves into the tree trunk.

Applejack flew through the row, filling and emptying barrels, keeping an ear turned towards Big Macintosh in the distance, and alternating between eager smiles and puzzling frowns.

“If’n I slow my flank down, I don’t got to have no excuse for comin’ back to the farm after the market…” She hefted a basket onto her back while apples were still falling, catching the slowpokes with a deft sweep of her shoulders and flinging the basket to the back of the cart. She slid to the next basket. “…Do I want to be comin’ back?”

Applejack thundered from tree to tree until the cart was straining under the weight of the crop. She lashed herself in, and galloped into the rain. “…Gotta see ‘em both sometime…” Butterflies jumped into her belly, but it was a mixed feeling.

Out of the rain in a barn, Applejack skidded to a halt. Her lungs bellowing to catch up with her, Applejack sat still and let her mind whirl.

“…I dunno what it’s gonna be like around ‘em now,” she reasoned out loud, “but I sure dang liked bein’ around Twi an’ Dash ‘fore I knew how much I liked ‘em. Can’t’ve changed too much…an’ I gotta find out anyway.”

She stood and unhooked the cart, tipping it back and spilling out the apples. “Alright, Applejack…just…just talk yourself through this. What’s gonna happen when ya see them fillies?” She closed her eyes, and imagined the two of them smiling at her. “…You’re gonna grin like a darn fool, an’ you’re gonna get all wobbly in the knees. But you were doin’ that already, ya lovesick filly.”

She nodded to herself as she righted the cart. “Then after that?” She strapped herself back into the harness, taking longer than necessary as she stared straight ahead, letting herself think and her body catch a second wind. “…Either you’re gonna blab somethin’ foolish at ‘em, or you’re gonna keep your mouth shut, that’s what. Ain’t like I been keepin’ how I feel a secret when I didn’t have the words for it. I been showin’ ‘em how much I want ‘em and wanna be around ‘em for weeks.”

She let out a groan and headed back into the rain, gaining speed as she ran. “I worry any more ‘bout this, I’m gonna turn into my dang sister. Here’s the only important question: do I wanna see Twilight an’ Dash today?”

Applejack undid the cart again and moved to the next tree. As she turned around to buck it, she looked up at the sky, through the hole in the clouds over the orchard streaming sunlight past the rainstorm, filling the air with shimmering rainbows.

“…More’n anything.”

Applejack slammed her hooves into the trunk, and raced towards the middle of the grove.

Twilight spread the scroll out with care, her ears twitching at the delightful crinkle of aged paper. She floated weights to all four corners with magic, hardly daring to breathe until it was secure. She stepped back from her desk, her eyes trailing over the crowded writing covering every inch of the scroll, and grinned to herself. She levitated a fresh sheet of paper, inkpot and a quill into the air.

As feather touched parchment, the balcony door banged open.

“Twi!” Rainbow called, landing at a strut in the middle of the room, her hooves clacking on the wood floors.

The flurry of noise made Twilight jump out of her seat. The quill sailed through the air and stabbed the spine of a book, the parchment tore itself in half, and the inkpot upended. Twilight shrieked and her horn blazed bright, forming a bowl in the air over her workspace. The ink splashed into her magic, and she scooted it to the side, frantically searching the old document for any fresh splotches of black. She let out a sigh of relief.

“Twi! Pay attention to me! I did it! I did it!”

“Did what, Rainbow?” she snapped. She floated the empty inkpot under the bowl, which she slowly changed into a funnel. She set the refilled pot on her desk well away from the scroll.

“My move! It worked! I didn’t smash into anything!”

As Twilight turned around, hooves wrapped around her back and hoisted her off the floor. She meeped before being drawn into an energetic kiss. Most of her irritation melted in the embrace, and she closed her eyes, kissing her marefriend back. She chuckled as she was set back on her hooves and nuzzled Rainbow’s cheek. “I’m glad; I know that trick’s been giving you trouble.”

“Just a matter of time, Twi.” She puffed out her chest and slicked her mane back with a hoof. “I call it the Dashicane. Come watch me do one!” She grabbed Twilight’s foreleg and turned towards the balcony. “C’mon! I’ll fly you to the park, and then we can make out in the grass afterwards!”

Twilight giggled and shook her head, pulling her hoof back. “I’m sorry, Rainbow, but I’m right in the middle of something really important. Town Hall needs these papers back, and they’re vital to my research.” She looked over the scroll. “This is a ledger from about seventy years ago, and I’m hopeful I’ll find records of…you don’t care at all, do you?” She turned around, and when she saw the exact same bored expression she had imagined on Rainbow’s face, she grinned and shook her head.

Rainbow fidgeted on her hooves. “I’m…like…happy you like it; you’re adorable when you’re excited.” At Twilight’s giggle she continued, “But c’mon, I gotta show you the Dashicane! It’s not done ‘til you see!”

Twilight pulled the quill out of the book and looked the binding over. “That doesn’t make any sense. If you did it, it’s done. I’d like to see it, Rainbow, really; your flying is always so impressive. I’m just on a time crunch. Can you amuse yourself until evening? You still have a few boxes left you could unpack.”

Rainbow groaned.

“...Or you could spend some time with Spike.”

Huffing, Rainbow started pacing. “He’s a cool little dude and all, and I like him, but you’re the reason I’m living here, Twi. Besides, he’s hanging out with his friends right now, anyway.”

“Mmhmm.” Twilight squinted at the old text, jotting notes on a fresh sheet of paper.

Rainbow made a face at the back of Twilight’s head. “I’ll just go ‘amuse’ myself by setting fire to the kitchen, that sound good?”

“Mmm.”

The annoyance in Rainbow’s expression softened as she watched Twilight from behind. Twilight had a habit of flicking her tail from side to side and wriggling back and forth on her haunches when she zoned out studying. Rainbow shook her head and trotted beside Twilight, pecking her on the cheek. “You owe me, egghead.”

“Mmm.” Twilight turned without taking her eyes off the scroll and kissed Rainbow back.

Chuckling, Rainbow flew back out the balcony door. She considered finding somewhere to nap, but she saw the watering schedule for Sweet Apple Acres earlier in the week and knew most of her favorite spots were soaked. She also knew the adrenaline rush from finishing her trick would keep her tossing and turning.

Flying in lazy circles around the library, she muttered to herself, “I don’t wanna kill two hours by myself, dammit. But everypony’s busy toda—” A glimpse of orange below her caught her attention, and she grinned when she saw Applejack trotting past Sugarcube Corner towards the library.

“AJ!” she called, going into a dive.

Applejack froze, and looked up at Rainbow. For a moment, Rainbow thought her friend’s expression was frightened, but Applejack grinned at her as she leveled off. “Howdy there, Dash! I was just makin’ my way to the library!”

Rainbow landed and folded up her wings. “Thought you’d be working your flank off right now. What’s going on? Anything up?”

“Nah, nothin’s up.” She looked side to side quickly, and cleared her throat, rubbing her knee. “We got a big rain on the farm, an’ it made chores real easy today.”

“Oh, yeah! I saw that was gonna happen!” She saddled up to Applejack and raised an eyebrow, grinning. “So that’s why you’re coming over, huh?”

Applejack chuckled and looked away.

“Too bad Twi’s got her snout in some big important blah blah blah right now…” Rainbow brightened, standing up straight. “Hey, I know what we could do! Remember that move I was working on?”

“The one where ya kept hittin’ stuff, right?” She smirked at Rainbow.

“Not anymore; I got it to work!” She puffed out her chest. “Up for watching? It’s not done ‘til somepony sees me do it.”

“Alright, Dash, if’n Twi’s busy anyway, why not?”

Rainbow pumped a hoof and jumped back into the air. “Let’s go to the park, so I’ve got some room.”

Applejack trotted behind Rainbow, grinning at the twitches of excitement in her friend’s legs. She had worried all day that either Rainbow or Twilight would take one look at her and start needling her about what was bothering her. She almost laughed at herself as Rainbow beckoned with a hoof, and angled off to the park: she was worried that Rainbow Dash would notice something.

As Rainbow landed from a backflip, took a deep breath, and started stretching, Applejack found her nerves had evaporated. There really wasn’t anything different from the few days before, nuzzling Rainbow under the trees. She sat down and admired the view of her friend stretching out all her muscles.

“Okay, AJ, I call this the Dashicane.” She lowered in a challenging crouch, and leapt into the air.

Smirk on her face, Applejack watched Rainbow fly in loops, picking up speed until she blurred her flight trail into a ball of color. Rainbow’s circles shrunk in size, and Applejack nodded in appreciation, admiring the miniature cyclone of her friend’s Rainblow Dry. Her jaw fell open as Rainbow began to twist.

What had been a tornado came alive as the trailing rainbow spun with Rainbow Dash. The edges of each color blurred and rotated like a barber pole, dazzling and shimmering in the afternoon sunlight. The cyclone, already blended with speed, became a flashing top.

Rainbow’s display grew smaller and smaller, until all at once Rainbow flew up from the middle. She flung her hooves and wings wide, halting in midair, and through some trick of pegasus magic Applejack couldn’t fathom, the remains of her trail knotted together, and exploded like a firework, raining specks of light all over the sky.

Applejack’s throat bobbed as Rainbow landed at a strut. Rainbow stumbled, and fell on her side. Snapping out of it, Applejack rushed over. “Rainbow, y’alright?”

“Yeah.” She shook her head and pushed herself up to her haunches. “Still getting over how damn dizzy that makes me,” she said with a chuckle. “Still, better than landing in a tree…or roof.” She cleared her throat and got back to her hooves. “So what’d you think?”

Applejack sat back and crossed her legs, shaking her head and grinning at her friend. “If’n I didn’t see ya do it just now, an’ somepony tried to tell me what it looked like, I’d tell ‘em they were fibbin’.”

“Aw yeah, Rainbow Dash, making the impossible awesome!”

Applejack laughed and hit Rainbow in the shoulder. “Don’t ya be gettin’ a big head about it; it’s hard enough gettin’ yours through doors already.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Rainbow took a deep breath and let her shoulders sag. “Well, it’s finished now.” Her smile fell and she gave Applejack a guarded look. “You probably think I’m nuts, too, for not saying that until somepony else sees it, just like Twilight.”

“Nah, I knew what you’re talkin’ about ‘fore ya did it.” At Rainbow’s blink, she smirked. “I ain’t no flyer, but I got my tricks for rodeo shows. Don’t matter how many times ya do a trick all on your lonesome; it don’t count ‘til ya can do it for a crowd, even if that’s just somepony else.”

Rainbow nodded enthusiastically. “See, you get it! Egghead didn’t get it at all.”

Applejack chuckled and stood up. “Twi don’t know nothin’ ‘bout trainin’ for sports, but I bet she’d get it for somethin’. She’s always writin’ them papers ‘n things on magic, an’ they probably don’t count ‘til somepony else looks at ‘em an’ says there ain’t no mistakes, or somethin’.”

Rainbow scoffed. “Don’t you go all egghead on me, too.”

“Maybe ya oughta jus’ clean out your ears an’ listen to that girl a’ yours sometimes,” Applejack teased. “Speakin’ a’ her, when did she say she’d be done?”

“Ugh, not ‘til sunset.” Rainbow rolled her eyes and sat back down, crossing her forelegs.

“Got anythin’ to kill that time in mind?”

Rainbow grinned and stalked closer to Applejack. “Well, I was gonna make out with Twi in the grass after showing her.”

Snorting, Applejack shoved Rainbow away and fell into giggles. “Ya forget how that went with Apple Bloom last time already?”

Rainbow choked. “Oh, right…uh…that…turn out okay?” She fidgeted her wings and chewed her lip.

“Yeah, everythin’s fine; ya don’t havet’a make that face.” She winked. “Though it’s awful cute on ya.” Rainbow stuck out her tongue. “AB took it as me bein’ close with ya, on account a’ how good a’ friends we are.”

“That’s good,” Rainbow said, letting out a breath. “I don’t wanna, like, mess stuff up for you, and I know Twi doesn’t either.”

Applejack winced inwardly at how messed up things were anyway, but kept her expression even. “I know ya’ don’t, sugarcube. Just gotta be careful ‘round her is all; don’t wanna be havin’ that conversation again.”

Rainbow chuckled, and shook her head. “Well, you got anything to do now?”

“Nope. Chores are done; just gotta show up bright ‘n early tomorrow.”

“…We could go back to the library and make out.”

Applejack snorted. “That sounds like fun. Maybe we can help Twi first, an’ she can join us.” She set off towards the library, and Rainbow fell in beside her. “If she’s real busy, she’ll join us after.”

Rainbow bumped her flank into Applejack’s. “Think she’s gonna pass us up? No way.”

“You know how she gets; we might not get her to bat an eye, ‘less somepony starts ticklin’ her.”

“Yeah, she gets like that…” A grin spread across her muzzle, and she leaned over to Applejack in a conspiratorial whisper. “We should gang up on her; get her good.”

Applejack sighed. “Ya know I ain’t one for pranks, Dash. Ask Pinkie, since she’s all about that.”

“Not, like, a prank prank. I mean how you ganged up on me with that stallion spell.”

Slowing her steps, Applejack raised an eyebrow. “I’m listenin’.”

Rainbow laughed, a smirk growing on her face. “Just follow my lead, okay? And don’t worry, this doesn’t have you growing a dick again; I know that’s ‘just the one time’ for you.”

They went up the short hill from town to the library together, and Rainbow let them in. They climbed the stairs and found Twilight right where Rainbow had left her, scrutinizing the old scroll. “Hey, Twi! AJ followed me home; can we bang her?” Applejack choked, and smacked Rainbow’s shoulder.

“Mmm.”

Sighing, Applejack cantered with purpose to the desk and shoved an inkpot over two inches.

“Hmm? Oh, Applejack!” Twilight floated her page of notes and quill to a free spot on her desk, then turned to her friend and grinned. “It’s good to see you!” She exchanged a knowing smile with Rainbow. “Are you taking us up on our anytime offer?”

Applejack waggled her eyebrows. “I got the time for it.”

Twilight clapped her hooves together. “Okay! Just let me finish this up…” She turned back to her papers, and Rainbow huffed. “Yes, Rainbow, I’m still busy. I’ve been putting together this paper on public art for three weeks, and I just got the okay from Mayor Mare to look at these expense reports, since nopony seems to remember anything about the fountain in the middle of town. It’s bound to say who paid for it—”

“Mr. Waddle’s daddy, Perique Blend,” Applejack said.

Twilight stopped, and turned back to Applejack, her eyes bright.

Applejack chuckled, mussing up Twilight’s mane. “Granny tol’ me stories about that fountain. Back when the town was just startin’ out, Mr. Blend started a tobacco farm. He made a lotta bits, an’ paid for the fountain to thank the town for bein’ so neighborly. I dunno who he paid; some guild outta Canterlot, I reckon, but I know the statue’s of Mayor Mare’s momma, Lady Constable.”

Twilight’s quill flew over her sheet of notes at a manic pace. She bent back over the scroll. “Yes—yes, this must be it; I flagged ‘P.B. remit to S.M. Guild’ as a maybe, because the payment total was in range, but there wasn’t enough detail…’P.B.’ could be ‘Perique Blend,’ and ‘S.M. Guild’ is probably ‘Stonemasonry Guild’—oh, the dates match up perfectly, too! Oh, thank you, Applejack; this is going to go so much faster now. I just need to…”

Applejack stepped away from the small storm of paper, feathers, and ink Twilight made around the desk, shaking her head and grinning. “Lost her again, Dash.”

“I got it. Watch this.” Rainbow wrapped a wing around Applejack’s back, pressing their sides together. She grabbed Twilight’s chair by a leg, and spun her marefriend around.

“Wha?—Rainbow, I’m right in the middle of…” She blinked in surprise as Rainbow pulled Applejack into a deep and sloppy kiss. Rainbow looked at her sidelong through the display, running a hoof down Applejack’s neck and shoulder.

Rainbow pulled back slowly, nipping Applejack’s lip. Applejack, following Rainbow’s lead, buried her face in her friend’s neck, biting and sucking.

“Hey, Twi,” Rainbow said, “wanna cast that stallion spell on yourself, then fuck me and Applejack while we make out?”

Blood rushed to Twilight’s face, among other places, as Applejack nipped Rainbow’s jaw, drawing her back to a kiss. “That, uhh…” Twilight cleared her throat. “Yes, well, I’ll have plenty of time to get what I need from this ledger tomorrow and return it…” She spun around in her chair to make sure the ink was closed and nothing was out of order, and spun back. Applejack and Rainbow were already gone. Twilight jumped out of her chair and bolted up the loft stairs.

Applejack and Rainbow lay side-by-side on the bed, with their rears lifted and pointed towards Twilight. They both looked at her over their shoulders while they kissed. Twilight swallowed the saliva rising in her mouth as Rainbow reached back behind herself.

Twilight stopped at the edge of the bed. Rainbow moved her tail to the side while gripping her outer lips. She spread herself, and Twilight swallowed again, gaze lingering over Rainbow’s sex, held open and glistening with juices. Applejack’s hoof settled on the other side and stretched Rainbow wider.

Applejack pulled away from Rainbow, who darted to her neck. “Ya wanna take Dash for a ride first, sugar?” As she spoke, Rainbow let go of herself, and reached over to spread Applejack’s marehood. “Or ya wanna take me?” She winked as she draped her tail over Rainbow’s, and slid closer so their hips were touching.

Twilight cleared her throat, eyes jumping from one lovely set of lips to the other, pink and shining, ready and waiting. As the tingle of magic passed over her body, her stallionhood appeared already hard and throbbing.

Climbing onto the bed, Twilight felt like she was at a buffet line, trying to figure out which mouthwatering dish to sample first. Rainbow wiggled at her, and she gripped her marefriend’s hips. She closed her eyes as her member pressed into Rainbow’s sex, sliding inch by inch inside. Applejack let go, and she felt Rainbow’s lips spring shut around her, hugging her length with warmth and wetness. She let out a sigh, and rocked back.

Rainbow leaned to Applejack’s ear and whispered, “Give her an eyeful.” She bit down on the fuzzy tip as Applejack leaned into her side. She rolled with the pressure onto her back, feeling Twilight spin inside her through steady thrusts, and laid her head back on the mattress as Applejack climbed on top of her. Lifting her hips to meet each thrust, she wrapped her hooves around Applejack’s neck. “T-tell us when you’re almost there, Twi.” She closed her eyes and pulled Applejack close, exploring her lover’s mouth, feeling tingles of pleasure shoot across her spine as Twilight filled her up with each plunge.

Twilight watched Rainbow roll over, and Applejack climb on top, lifting up until she was breathing across her lover’s marehood. She slid forward, hooves on Rainbow’s hips, and swiped her tongue up Applejack’s folds, inhaling the scent of arousal as she tasted. She lifted a hoof to stroke Applejack’s side as she tasted deeper, darting her tongue in and out, the world falling away around them, mapping the insides of her lovers, one hugging her dick with slick muscles, the other filling her senses with the flavor of mare.

Rainbow moaned into Applejack’s mouth, and flopped back against the bed to pant. Twilight’s pace grew faster inside of her, and she found herself staring at Applejack’s frazzled mane. In the rush up the stairs, Applejack hadn’t had the chance to pull out her ribbons or take off her hat. As Applejack bit her lip, leaning into Twilight’s muzzle, Rainbow slid her hat off and onto the bed. Rainbow reached back and undid the ribbon.

Applejack’s hair cascaded around her. Her lover opened her eyes, and their gazes met, both flushed and out of breath. She slid a hoof over Applejack’s cheek.

“I’m—I’m almost…” Twilight moaned into Applejack while slamming into Rainbow’s sex.

Rainbow grinned and flicked her hoof, telling Applejack to move. Once clear, she sat up and back with a flick of her wings.

Twilight let out a disappointed bark as her dick came free, dripping with lust and throbbing with need. Before she could voice a complaint, Applejack and Rainbow both sprung on her, pushing her down to the bed. She gasped as Rainbow’s lips wrapped around the head of her stallionhood.

Twilight watched Rainbow slurp her own juices off her member, and moaned when Applejack joined in, licking up the shaft in slow and teasing strokes. Rainbow swiped the other side while Applejack circled her head with teasing flicks.

“Oh, Celestia…” Twilight let out a soft moan, stroking them both behind the ears. Applejack cupped her sack, and she leaned her head back. “I’m so close…”

Rainbow took all of Twilight into her mouth, feeling the head throb against the back of her throat. Rainbow clamped down and sucked, listening to Twilight’s breaths come out in hitching jags and caressing her legs as they trembled in anticipation.

“Oh!” Twilight arched off the bed.

Come splattered Rainbow’s waiting mouth, and she swallowed the thick load. A second shot followed the first down, and then Applejack nudged her. The third splash erupted as she sat back, and she closed her eyes as the sticky cream coated half her muzzle. Applejack slid Twilight’s dick between her lips and drank down the fourth, milking the remaining drops of seed with sucks and flicks of her tongue.

Twilight let out a feeble groan, feeling her body tremble from her release. She opened her eyes, and watched Applejack slurp the spunk off a giggling Rainbow’s face, kissing the matted cowlick of coat she left behind. “Ain’t too bad a taste, Twi.”

Twilight lifted a hoof towards them, but couldn’t bring herself to sit up. “Wow, that was—”

“Okay, me first!” Rainbow chimed, leaping up to straddle Twilight’s hips.

“Wait, what’re you—aahnn…” Rainbow’s hooves pinned her shoulders down as she slid back inside. Her temporary stallionhood, virile with magic and ready to go, brushed along Rainbow’s walls, mixing saliva and come with her own lubrication, and she rocked her head back, still trying to catch her breath. “What’s going on?”

Applejack winked at her, sliding a hoof along her belly, then up Rainbow. “We’re ridin’ ya ragged, sugar.”

Twilight opened her mouth, but only a weak cry came out as Rainbow lifted up and slid back down her shaft. She gripped her marefriend’s hips as they built a rhythm together, with Rainbow gliding along her stallionhood faster and faster. Applejack slid behind Rainbow and hugged her, kissing her neck and pressing a hoof into her most sensitive spot.

Rainbow nuzzled against Applejack as she rode Twilight, delighting in every thrust, relishing the soft circling against her clit. She spread her wings, and Applejack buried her face, preening a few small feathers in easy reach.

“Uhn!” Rainbow arched back, grinding her hips against Twilight. Applejack’s hoof sped up, and her jaw fell open, feeling her excitement rise, bubbling in her core. “Oh, damn, AJ…”

Applejack grinned and found the two primaries on the end of Rainbow’s wing. As she bit down and pulled, a cry rung out through the bedroom. Rainbow shuddered in her grip, and she felt her hoof grow damp.

Twilight watched Rainbow climax against her, writhing with the waves, clenching around her member. She shivered as pressure built, and she clamped her hooves down on Rainbow’s hips, pushing in as deep as she could. She felt Rainbow’s walls become even slicker as come poured out of her, hot and steady. She slumped down as Rainbow lifted off. Their combined lust dribbled onto her belly fur, and ran down her member onto her sack. Her eyes flew open again as she slid into throbbing sex and her hips met flank.

“My turn, Twi,” Applejack said with a smirk.

Twilight let out a moan as Applejack’s hoof settled on her chest. Rainbow pressed into Applejack’s side, hoof finding her clit and lips capturing her muzzle. Twilight pushed herself up to sitting on shaky forelegs, and hugged them both around their waists, rocking to meet each downward plunge from Applejack. She nuzzled their throats. “Somepony kiss me,” she whispered.

Applejack covered her mouth and Rainbow nipped her throat, and she closed her eyes, pulled into a group hug of hooves and wings, sweat slicked and jittery. She tasted the lingering saltiness of her climax on Applejack’s tongue as it probed her, and her hoof drifted lower to caress her lover’s tail and rump.

Breaking away to nibble her ear, Applejack’s mouth was replaced by Rainbow’s. Applejack’s breaths grew shallow and rapid against her ear, and she felt the hoof around her back tighten, drawing her closer to the both of them. Applejack hugged her hips between thighs, and a spasm of clenched muscles gripped her stallionhood as a new wave of juices dampened her.

“Nn,” Applejack choked out into her ear. She felt her lover’s hips rock forward, and she slipped out of Applejack’s sex. The grinding continued, stroking her shaft against outer lips. “L-let’s make ya real messy, Twi.”

Twilight broke the kiss with Rainbow and threw her head back as another climax built up, drawing her balls tight and her stomach clenched. “Ahn…I’m—” Twilight inhaled sharply, and she buried her face in Applejack’s neck.

Her own orgasm still ebbing and flowing through her body, Applejack thrust against Twilight’s member as a thick jet fired between them. Gobs coated their bellies, each spray punctuated by a tremor against her clit. She stifled a moan by grabbing Rainbow and shoving her tongue into her lover’s mouth.

Twilight let out a sigh, and fell back against the bed. Strands of ropey come stretched from wet spot to wet spot on their coats, snapping away to splatters as Applejack lifted herself off.

Twilight’s eyes flew open when Applejack asked, “Ya wanna go again, Rainbow?”

“Whaddya think, Twi? Want sloppy seconds with yourself?” Without waiting for a response, Rainbow grabbed Twilight’s dick and lowered herself onto it.

“You girls don’t want me to walk again, do you?” A weak giggle escaped Twilight’s muzzle.

“Where’s the fun in walking?” Rainbow crouched over Twilight on all fours, lifting up until the head of Twilight’s stallionhood threatened to pop out of her marehood. A wet slap of fluid-soaked flesh slamming together echoed as she drove down again and again. Twilight couldn’t muster the will or strength to meet her, and could only hold on for dear life.

Applejack curled up next to Twilight and brushed her sweaty bangs off her face. “Think she’s ragged yet, Dash?”

Nodding vigorously, Twilight panted out, “I’m—I’m gonna dismiss the spell after this time. You girls are trying to kill me.”

“Grab a strap-on, AJ; we haven’t ridden her every way yet.”

Twilight whimpered.

“Aw, she can’t hardly think no more, Dash. Look at it this way: we go too hard now, she ain’t gonna be in no shape for another round after supper.” She winked at Rainbow, and bent over to kiss Twilight on the tip of the snout.

“…You make an awesome point, AJ.” Rainbow’s giggle turned into a moan halfway through, and she slowed her bouncing, relishing the sensation of Twilight sliding in and out of her walls. “Nnn…let’s make this last one count, then. Got any ideas for a grand finale?”

Smirking, Applejack pushed herself up to her haunches, and hugged Rainbow around the middle. She kissed Rainbow deep and fierce, and Rainbow allowed her to rotate around, Twilight still deep inside, until she was facing the end of the bed.

Applejack broke the kiss and nuzzled into Rainbow’s neck, looking down her lover’s back at Twilight. Twilight gave her a tired, sweaty, ruddy, and contented smile. She winked back as Rainbow returned the hug and slid up Twilight’s shaft.

“This isn’t really that flashy,” Rainbow whispered, pressing into Applejack’s neck.

She slid a hoof down Rainbow’s belly, finding the spot where her lovers joined, and teased them both, cupping and fondling Twilight’s sack, then switching to Rainbow’s hardened nub. “Just tell me when you’re gettin’ close, sugar.”

Rainbow breathed hot puffs into Applejack’s mane, rising and falling on the stallionhood inside her at a languid pace. She got lost in the primal pleasure of nuzzling, and somewhere in meshing her coat with Applejack’s, found lips and started kissing.

As the two moved together above, Twilight began to push back, meeting Rainbow to drive in deeper, and stroking her marefriend’s dock with a hoof. Rainbow gasped, breaking the kiss, and locked eyes with Applejack.

“…I’m really happy you came over today,” she murmured.

“I am, too.”

“You should come over a lot.”

“…I’ll try.”

Twilight tugged at her tail hairs, and she shuddered. Applejack smirked at her and she nodded in response. She watched her lover snake down her chest with flighty kisses, making her stop her rising and falling as Applejack pushed her to lean back until Twilight nearly came free.

Applejack grinned at the sight: Twilight’s sack tight and glistening below her stallionhood just barely inside Rainbow, both pulsing with need, and Rainbow’s soaked lips and nub thrumming to a different heartbeat. She gripped Twilight with both hooves and slid the loose skin up and down, aided by three sets of fluids spilled across its surface. As she worked, she pulled Rainbow’s clit into her mouth, sucking and flicking with her tongue.

“Oh—oh—oh!” Rainbow cried, hooves flying into Applejack’s mane, pulling her closer as the bliss tightened her core to rock. “Nnn! Oh, shit, I—!” Her head fell back, and she spread her wings to keep from tipping over. She hugged Twilight’s hips with her thighs as release clouded her thoughts and dribbled onto Applejack’s hooves. With one last lick, Applejack leaned back, and Twilight’s head popped free, gliding up Rainbow’s folds and pressing into her clit. Applejack stroked faster.

A whinny shook Rainbow as a second wave of passion flooded her system, and she cracked open her eyes to stare at Applejack. Her lover grinned as Twilight let out a feeble cry, and she felt a spray of lust cover her most sensitive spot. She leaned back further to watch as thick strands of white shot out, trailing up her stomach, clinging to the outer lips of her marehood, and seeping down to her butt. Gobs ran down Applejack’s hooves, and she could feel Twilight twitch and shiver between her legs.

Several moments passed while joy clouded Rainbow’s thoughts. “…That was so awesome, Applejack,” she panted out. Applejack smiled at her, and a burning desire to bury her face between Applejack’s legs raced up her spine. “I—”

Twilight’s horn flashed, and her dick popped out of existence. The strands of come connecting her to Rainbow’s belly and Applejack’s hooves pattered down against her restored marehood and thighs, and she groaned in satisfaction, forcing her way up to sitting and wrapping a hoof around Rainbow’s waist. She dragged Applejack into the bearhug, shoved them both down to the sheets, and crawled on top of them.

“That was the best assassination attempt I’ve ever lived through,” Twilight sighed, snuggling into them.

Giggling, Rainbow kissed her brow. “And you thought you’d never walk again.”

“It’s not like you two didn’t try.” She nipped Rainbow’s shoulder, then turned to rub her face into Applejack’s neck. “Even with the spell keeping me constantly ready, my testicles were getting sore and achy.” Her jaw snapped shut, and she pulled away, staring at them both blankly. “…That might’ve been the strangest sentence I ever had reason to say.”

Applejack stifled a snort and shook her head at Twilight.

“Whatever. Oh look, it’s evening now. I’d say you could show me that trick at the park, Rainbow, but I’m afraid instead I’m going to nap on the both of you. Don’t try to struggle; I’ll pin you down with magic until you behave like beds.” She tightened her hug, stretching out on top of them both.

“Dash, I think we broke her.”

Rainbow laughed, stroking Twilight’s mane. “Can you fuck a screw loose?”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re both amazing sex goddesses, but beds don’t talk; shh…”

“Oh man, I so need a trophy that says ‘sex goddess’ on it.”

Twilight groaned, snuggling deeper into them. “You’re not gonna let me sleep, are you?”

Applejack kissed her forehead. “Nah, don’t reckon we will.”

“Yeah, c’mon, Twi, aren’t you hungry now?”

Taking a slow breath, Twilight sighed out, “Yeah.”

“Besides,” Rainbow said, wriggling beneath her, “we should probably wash off soon. There’s come everywhere.”

“That there’s a good question.” Applejack grinned at the both of them and winked. “Can ya get three ponies into the shower at once?”

Twilight frowned, sitting up and glaring at the bathroom. “…In theory, yes.”

Rainbow licked Twilight’s neck from shoulder to jaw. “The real question isn’t if we’ll fit. It’s if we can do it without it turning into steamy, wet, shower sex.”

“That is probably impossible.” A lull in conversation fell as they all looked at each other. A smile spread across Twilight’s muzzle. “…This proposition doesn’t have much of a downside, does it?”

“I knew stoppin’ ‘fore she passed out was a good idea.”

“I am so glad you came over, AJ.”

“But nap first.” Twilight lay back down on top of them.

Rainbow wriggled to get free, and a glow of magic held her flat to the mattress. “Twilight! I’m sticky!”

Rainbow Dash couldn’t keep her eyes closed.

After a long shower, where she indulged her impulse to bury herself snout-deep in Applejack’s crotch, a giggly dinner preparation in which halfway through Twilight pinned her spread eagle on the table to be ‘the first course,’ and retiring to bed early to do anything but sleep, she was bone-tired, aching, and probably a little dehydrated, but wide awake.

The last bout of lovemaking left her in a tangle of hooves, nestled on Applejack’s shoulder, with Twilight’s head tucked under her chin. She stared out the window at the moon, listening to her lovers’ even breaths, and thinking.

Something had tugged at her attention all evening. Never enough to drag her away, but a lingering sense of discomfort was there all night, while she laughed and teased Twilight and Applejack, gorged herself on their cooking, hid her blushing face and damp thighs from Spike when he got home late, and practically ran all night to keep up with the other two sex goddesses in her home.

Rainbow didn’t know when she’d last been more physically satisfied. A shiver of memory drove her further into the carefree embrace of overlapping body parts and enmeshed tails. Still her mind raced around in circles, spinning like her brand new trick. She let her exhaustion work out the snarls of her head for her, waiting for whatever bothered her to grow clearer.

Her eyes widened, and her breath caught in her throat when the threads of thought came together. Careful to not wake up her bedmates, she pulled away to look at Applejack’s face.

It was what she had almost said to Applejack. The words replayed in her head as she stared, free of the interruption from Twilight earlier in the day.

‘That was so awesome, Applejack.’

She could see her lover’s smile in the moonlight. A little smile, content and peaceful, mysterious and alluring.

‘I love you.’

Rainbow forced herself to breathe. She resettled and gazed at the top of Twilight’s head. It must have been the wildness of their lovemaking, staring at Applejack sucking her clit as her body thundered, Twilight pressed at her sex, coming against her, marking her in a way that made her feel owned and weak, out of control to both of them and left wanting to submit more.

That must have been why she almost said that.

Rainbow kissed Twilight’s mane and hugged her closer, receiving a small squeeze in return. She inhaled the smell of shampoo and sweat lingering on her marefriend, on Twilight, on the pony she loved with all her heart, still loved with all her heart, the pony she knew she’d leap into the jaws of death for without a moment’s hesitation.

Of course it was just a near slip of the tongue.

It was Twilight she loved.

Author's Note

tl;dr

Twilight got Rainbow a trophy labeled 'Sex Goddess' for her birthday. Twilight regretted it immediately: Rainbow put it on the mantle and pointed it out to guests.

Chapter 9

Twilight leaned back from the library’s log book and popped a crick in her neck, letting out a sigh. She straightened and shook her head, dispelling the jumble of titles, authors, dates, and names of ponies who had checked something out over the past week that had taken residence in her head. Her gaze flicked to the clock, then back to the log book and stack of returns as she bent over the list.

She had expected the upswing in work as the season changed colder; ponies who spent the whole summer enjoying the sun turned to books as the leaves changed color and orders from Cloudsdale brought in stronger winds.

She floated the quill to the page and marked the last from the list before looking back over her work. “Looks like Scootaloo still has Harnessing Your Inner Daredevil checked out,” she murmured, feeling a shiver race up her spine at the title. “I’ll have to send a note; maybe Spike can bring it to her…” Her gaze trailed around the room, and her ear twitched in annoyance. “If I ever see a scale on his head again.”

Sighing, Twilight went back through the stack of books. She wasn’t the only one whose schedule had become crowded. Just as Applebuck Season closed for Applejack, the rush of work to make cider had begun, and despite Rainbow’s infectious enthusiasm, Applejack had to cancel their get-togethers frequently to keep up on the farm. As for Rainbow, the change in the weather brought on more and more work from Cloudsdale.

Twilight thought they were all probably too busy to even think about lamenting the lack of time. A frown passed over her face at the thought, but she pushed it aside.

Twilight let out a grunt of satisfaction as she finished her third pass through the books and stood from the desk. She grabbed the stack in her magic and stepped out to the center of the room, reshelving the books one by one.

A long and pleased sigh escaped her muzzle as the last one went into place. “Done,” she announced to the room. Another glance at the clock confirmed that she finished just at closing time, and with a grin she flipped the open sign around with a practiced flick of energy. Satisfied, she trotted back to her desk and swapped out the log book for a stack of personal research projects. Her smile widened as she sifted through each of them, delighting in the array of focuses to choose from.

Settling onto her haunches, she put everything away save a book on analyzing dreams, and her rather rumpled dream journal. Her eye twitched at the cracked cover and dog-eared pages, but there was little she could do about the fact that Rainbow had dived-bombed the bed and broke it with her butt, save transferring the contents to a new book.

Her annoyance faded to a smirk as she remembered Rainbow rubbing the sore spot, and then chasing her around the bedroom ass-first, demanding Twilight ‘kiss it better’ through their shared laughter. A wave of unease ran through her, and she shook her head clear. She cracked open both books and floated a fresh quill to her journal to copy down notes about dream interpretations.

Twilight barely registered the click of the door and had to drag herself out of a fascinating chapter about the symbolic importance of crabs to see who had come in. Spike dropped a backpack to the floor and sagged, a sleepy smile stretched across his mouth. Twilight grinned. “There you are! You know that Fridays are return days.”

Spike winced and looked down at his claws with guilt. “Uhh…Sorry, Twilight. I meant to come help when I came home for lunch, but Apple Bloom had this whole picnic packed for everypony, and Scootaloo had this really cool book about making go karts, and—”

Giggling, Twilight waved a hoof dismissively. “It’s alright, Spike. I got everything done, anyway, and I’m glad you were out having fun.”

Spike brightened and walked over to the other side of Twilight’s desk. “So what’re you working on now? Anything I can help with?”

As he spoke, her attention shifted back to the analysis book. “I’m just looking through my dream journal again. I had a really strange one last night…”

Spike sighed and rolled his eyes. “Not the dream thing again. I still remember you trying that on one of my dreams and said it meant I was ‘avoiding feeling sensitive,’ or something.”

Twilight stuck her tongue out at him and rolled her eyes. “It’s not like this is an exact science, Spike.”

“It was a dream about being chased by a giant snail!”

Giggling, she shook her head. “I was humoring you, Spike, because you thought this was about predicting the future and we were about to be invaded by giant snails.” At his glare, she continued, “I knew the minute you told me about that dream what it really meant: it was two days before we went to visit my mom and dad, and on the last trip we took my dad made you try his escargot.”

Spike’s face took on a hint of green at the memory as he mocked gagging. “Oh…that does make sense. I still don’t get why your dad’s obsessed with griffon food.” Spike sighed and crossed his arms. “So if it’s not about future stuff, why’d you tell me I was avoiding feeling stuff?”

Twilight flipped forward several pages and turned the book around so Spike could read it. “Well, it’s because that’s what the book says it could mean. The reason for that is because a lot of ponies have the same sorts of dreams, and a lot of the things in dreams all have the same meaning to everypony. Snails are associated with moving slowly, and with sensitivity because they hide inside their shells for protection. Since it was chasing you, being slow didn’t make sense in context.”

Spike’s brow furrowed as he looked over the paragraph titled, ‘Snail Symbolism and Interpretation.’ “…You have really strange hobbies sometimes, Twilight.”

Blowing a raspberry, Twilight spun the book back around. “This is mostly for fun, and it’s something to discuss with Princess Luna; she has told me several times that there is a magical application to understanding and influencing dreams, but wouldn’t go into any more detail than that. Outside of that reason, it’s a good way to self-analyze from a different perspective, if something’s bothering you that you can’t put your hoof on.” Her brow creased as discomfort settled over her again. “…And I think something’s bothering me.”

Spike straightened and looked Twilight over. “Like what? Princess Celestia hasn’t sent anything in a while, do you think something big’s about to happen in Equestria?”

Twilight expelled a sharp breath of air, making her bangs flutter. “Spike, if you want to predict the future, you have to cast spells to do it, and it’s all in fields I barely studied in school at all. You know this.”

“Yeah, yeah. So if it’s not something big, is there other stuff going on? Everything alright with you and Rainbow and Applejack?”

“I thi—wait.” Twilight’s jaw snapped shut and she felt heat rush to her face as she stared at him. “W-why did you include Applejack in that list?”

She saw dots of pink rise in Spike’s cheeks as he quickly looked away. He shuffled his feet in the thick silence. Eventually, he cleared his throat. “…C’mon, Twilight, I’m not stupid.”

Her mouth opened, but no sound came out.

“I’m not, like, asking for details, but…” He shifted weight from one foot to another, his gaze roaming the room for something to focus on. “Applejack comes over, stays the night in your room with the two of you…then in the morning all three of you have big goofy grins on your faces…” He turned and fixed his eyes on Twilight’s. “I mean, all of you are super happy with…whatever you’ve got going on together, but it’s not like you’ve kept it that much of a secret.”

Twilight’s jaw fell open and clicked shut a few times. She was sure her face had gone several shades darker. Her focus dropped to the desk. “Um…” The silence stretched out to where she could hear the creak of the floor as Spike shifted weight from foot to foot. She tried to think of what to say, feeling suffocated in the quiet.

At last, Spike stammered out, “S-sorry. I didn’t mean to bring it up; I wasn’t thinking.”

“N-no, I—”

“I figured it was private, or else you’d tell me.”

Twilight cleared her throat and sat back up. “I’m sorry, Spike. You’re right that it’s…private, but I shouldn’t have been so…clandestine about it. I should have at least told you it was a private thing.”

“It’s okay,” he mumbled.

Several tense moments passed as the two didn’t look at each other. Twilight’s face gradually faded from a raging forest inferno to a manageable bonfire. “Uhm. A-anyway, I don’t think anything’s wrong. Everypony’s busy getting ready for winter and we have less time, but that’s expected…” She leaned back.

Spike turned to her, the awkwardness already forgotten and replaced with curiosity. “Well, you might know it’s gotta happen, but is it still bothering you girls?”

Twilight frowned in thought. “It’s not bothering me. And Applejack seems tired, but happy to see me when she’s around.” Her brow furrowed deeper. “Rainbow has been rather…strange lately, though. Sometimes she’s fine, other times she’s quiet and…distant? I guess? And it doesn’t matter if it’s when Applejack’s around or not. I’ve tried talking to her a few times, but…”

Spike smirked at her. “I bet that’s like pulling teeth.”

She grinned back.

“So…think you’re just worried about Rainbow Dash?”

“I…” Twilight chewed on her lip, looking over her jumble of notes. “It feels like…it’s more than that…but that’s at least a good place to start.”

Beaming, Spike cleaned his claw on his chest. “See? Your Number One Assistant is always a help!” He started, and gave her a chagrined look. “Sorry for not being around to be your Number One Assistant as much. I’ll be around more, okay?”

Twilight’s eyes refocused from far away as she dragged herself out of her thoughts. “Actually, Spike, don’t worry about it.” Before he could protest, she continued over him, “I know it’s important for you to be here for me, and I really do appreciate it; we’ve been a team for a very long time, and we’ll always be that team no matter what, but…” She smiled at him fondly, her eyes darting to his scuffed backpack. “I’ve been sort of worried about you, Spike.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“You never had any friends your own age for so long.” A ghost of regret crossed her face. “I didn’t see the value in having friends other than you for most of my life, and I did a disservice to you by just sort of…keeping you from making friends in order to match my life.”

Spike’s eyebrow rose higher.

“When we came to Ponyville, we both made friends, but they were all my age, and all six of us are, well…adults, with jobs and responsibilities, and we don’t always have time for you, or know exactly what you’re going through in your own life.” At his blank expression, Twilight sighed and sat back. “Tell me, Spike, I know you like helping out here, or with any of the girls when they need it, but…you’ve become a whole different dragon since you got closer to Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom. You have more fun with them than when you’re at the library, don’t you?”

Spike looked down at his feet. “It’s…it’s different fun.”

“I’m not asking you to choose between me and your friends, Spike. I’m just glad you have them. I want you to have friends other than me. As close as we are, there’s something adults just sort of…forget about being your age.”

He brought his head back up, probing Twilight’s expression. “What do you mean?”

“It was a long time ago when I was trying to figure out who I was, and what my destiny would be. I met you on the day I found it.” She offered him a little smile. “But that’s exactly what Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom are looking for, and it’s exactly what you’re looking for, too.”

Rolling his eyes, Spike slumped his shoulders and glared at her. “Dragons don’t get cutie marks.”

“Everypony gets a cutie mark, Spike.” Twilight straightened out her desk by floating away her quills and ink and returning her books to underneath. “It’s just that not everypony has one on their flank. Some are only on the inside.” She prodded him in the chest with a hoof. “Dragons look for their destinies, too. I learned that when we followed the dragon migration last spring.”

Looking down at the place she poked, he shook his head. “…Really? You really think so?”

“I think it’s just a part of growing up. Everypony gets old enough that they start wondering who they are and what they can do with their lives, and begin to look for answers. I think I knew that when you left to follow the other dragons…I think that’s why I let you go, even though I was frightened something bad might happen.”

Spike cast a doubtful eye over his side at the stretch of purple scales that would never hold a picture of who he was…at least not on the outside. He shook his head again. “Why’re you telling me this now, Twilight? I’ve been hanging out with Scoots, Sweetie, and AB for ages. What’s all this about?”

“I…” Twilight double-checked her desk to make sure everything was put away and rose to her hooves, not quite bringing herself to meet his gaze. “I’m not sure, Spike. Things have changed a lot in the last few years. I’ve been thinking about that pretty often and I guess I just noticed how things have been changing for you, too. That, and I overthink things.”

Spike snorted and covered his mouth with a claw, unable to keep the mirth out of his gaze.

She smiled at him and stepped around the desk. “The big changes are easy to see, because they happen all at once; it’s the small ones that sneak up on you, and by the time you notice them, it feels like you’ve always been that way.”

“I guess.”

“That’ll make more sense when you’re older. Just like how I don’t quite remember what it feels like to not have a cutie mark.” Smirking, Twilight headed for the kitchen. “Now then, let’s have dinner. I’ll cook if you’ll be sous chef.”

Eyes lighting up, he scampered in behind her. “Gem risotto? Please~?”

Twilight giggled. “You keep the fire even, and it’s a deal.”

Spike grinned and grabbed his apron.

With a flash of her horn, Twilight snuffed the lanterns around her bedroom, save the one next to her on the dresser. She adjusted the light to the perfect level for reading and pulled open a book. As her eyes drifted over the words, her hoof drifted over the cold and empty space next to her. She sighed inwardly; as busy as she was, it was a lie to say she didn’t miss the carefree weeks of summer. Half the nights she’d end up falling asleep before Rainbow even got home, waking up enough to roll over and wrap her hooves around her marefriend in the middle of the night.

She told herself she didn’t begrudge Rainbow fitting in as much flight practice as possible around the heavy workload; she squeezed as much studying into her own day as she could. The thought of Rainbow pressed close and warm with her own book open and ignored still kept Twilight from moving past the first paragraph.

As her mind picked at Rainbow’s absence, she shut her reading material and dropped it on the dresser, before rolling over and staring out into the room. “These days will pass,” she mumbled to herself. “I’m just lonely right now.”

Twilight huffed and shoved the thoughts away. The thought of blowing out the light and going to sleep crossed her mind, but she dismissed it. She wanted to be awake when her distant lover got home. Alternating between trying to read, groaning, and tossing and turning, she breathed a sigh of relief when the balcony door swung open.

“Hey, Twi.” As she tossed the book aside for the last time that evening, Rainbow landed at the side of the bed and nuzzled her cheek. “You’re still up.”

“Mmhmm.” Twilight slid over as Rainbow clambered in next to her, and she hugged herself close. “Oh! You’re cold!”

A chuckle tickled her ear as Rainbow returned the embrace with frigid legs and wings. “Flying above the clouds’ll do that. Mmm, you’ll warm me up, though.”

Twilight squeaked as a chilly hoof grabbed her ass. She giggled and pressed into Rainbow’s chest, breathing in the smell of the night still lingering on her marefriend’s neck and mane, feeling the furnace just below the layer of cold working its way back to the surface. She levitated the blankets up and around them both. “Have a good day?”

Rainbow shrugged against her. “Kept having to patch holes; Cloudsdale didn’t send enough clouds to cover everything right. And, like, half the farms aren’t ready for it to get cold enough for the ground to get hard, and blah blah blah, same thing as always, right?” At Twilight’s nod, Rainbow’s wandering hoof traced up her side and over her stomach. “And lemme guess; everypony wanted the same book at the same time, nopony returned anything on the right day, and Spike showed up just in time for dinner.”

Twilight let out a mock sigh. “I almost want a giant monster to try and eat the town, just so it wasn’t so boring for a change.”

As Rainbow laughed, Twilight closed her eyes and felt the rumbling through her chest. She loved that laugh. It always started with a strained release of air, as if Rainbow was about to deny that anything was funny. As the chuckles resolved and they lay wrapped in each other’s embrace, Twilight considered just enjoying the night: kissing her mare with growing desperation in increasingly exotic places and eventually falling asleep a sweaty mess.

She held in her sigh; physical release wouldn’t help her mental worries.

“Rainbow?” Twilight sat back in the embrace enough to make eye contact. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “What’s up, Twi?”

“I don’t know…?” A thoughtful frown creased her muzzle. “I can’t put my hoof on it, but it feels like something’s bothering you.”

“Me?” Raising an eyebrow, she said, “Um…no? I’m cool, Twi. Tired of running around all the time, I guess.”

“You’re not upset about that, are you? Or about me being busy, too? ”

Rainbow shrugged, her tone dismissive. “Nah, it’s not like we don’t see each other. We’re busy ponies; it’s just how it is.”

Twilight nodded and ran a hoof along her marefriend’s side. “Are you upset that Applejack’s busy?” She felt Rainbow stiffen against her.

“No. What’s this all about, Twi?”

“It’s just that you’ve been sort of... off recently. Distant. It’s just some of the time, and I’ve been worried.”

Dropping her head back against the pillow, Rainbow grunted, “I’m fine.”

“Because if something was bothering you, I’d be happy to help if I can, and—”

“Really, I’m fine.”

“—you can always talk to me about anything; I like helping ponies, and if I could help you it’d be—”

“Nothing’s bothering me.”

“—no problem at all, if you’d just talk to me about it I could maybe—”

“Twilight.” Her jaw snapped shut as she met Rainbow’s glare. “I’m fine.”

Her gaze didn’t waver as she met the look; her lover’s eyes narrowed and snout crinkled the barest amount. Twilight’s heart hurt as she took in the expression. She’d seen Rainbow angry enough times to know she was treading close to it, but underneath the annoyance, she saw the defensiveness and vulnerability betrayed by a tremoring lip, uneasy breaths, a nervous energy boiling just beneath the surface.

Twilight swallowed the lump in her throat. “…You don’t look ‘fine.’”

With a huff, Rainbow scooted her away and rolled over, facing the lantern. Leaning off the bed and tipping the light towards her, she let out a second, louder huff and threw the room into darkness.

Twilight stared at the silhouette of Rainbow’s mane against the window and bit her lip. She waited as Rainbow’s breaths slowed before running a hoof over her marefriend’s back, soothing and gentle. “We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” she whispered.

Rainbow’s voice drifted through the darkness: resolute, but kind. “I don’t.”

She slid closer, her caresses drifting up through Rainbow’s mane and then down her sides. “I’m just worried. You’ve been sad, and I want you to be happy, Rainbow. I love seeing you happy.” She kissed the back of her lover’s neck.

Sighing, Rainbow rolled over and back into an embrace, face pressed to Twilight’s neck and hooves around her middle. The dying coldness still on Rainbow’s coat led Twilight to hug tighter. “I’ll be okay, Twilight. Don’t worry about me; it’ll all work out.”

“Even if we don’t talk about it, if there’s anything I can do, just ask.”

For a long time Rainbow didn’t say anything and Twilight filled the silence stroking her back and nuzzling the top of her mane. As the minutes passed, she closed her eyes and nestled in, content that she had at least started the conversation even if it didn’t get anywhere. She snapped all the way awake again when Rainbow said, “Tell me something cool about magic.”

Twilight shook her head clear. “Huh?”

“Like, something about…um…leylines…or, uhh…transformation spells? Those are all things, right?”

Snorting, Twilight rolled her eyes. “Yes. Things that bore you.”

“Yeah, but you like ‘em, and…” As she trailed off, Twilight looked down at her in bewilderment. Usually whenever they talked about magic she grew playful and teasing in tone; not ever insulting or dismissive, but checked out of the conversation. To Twilight’s ears, she was dead serious and as open and raw as Twilight had ever heard her.

“…What? What is it, Dashie?”

“I just…I wanna hear you talk. You get excited about stuff you like.”

For a few seconds, Twilight stared at the messy splay of colors on the top of Rainbow’s head. She rolled over onto her back, and her marefriend followed, using her chest as a pillow and holding her in a loose hug. Twilight took a deep breath, picked a subject, and began to talk.

Her words fumbled at the start; she half expected Rainbow to start giggling and teasing her, but she fell into the rhythm of answering a question back in school. Though she couldn’t recall what exactly she had explained later, it was a subject she knew by heart and as she went on the volume of her voice rose. She could feel the smile on her face as she talked, and for an instant, she was sent back in time, studying next to Princess Celestia with boundless possibilities at her hooves.

Rainbow’s mouth pressed into hers.

Her eyes fluttered open and back shut as she was kissed, held tight against her pillow and the mattress, wrapped up in Rainbow Dash and the sheets. She dismissed the thought that her lover was shutting her up instantly, feeling the fierce passion in Rainbow’s probing tongue, in the hooves tightening around her, in the heartbeat thundering against her chest.

They broke apart with a gasp, leaving Twilight panting and staring upwards. Rainbow stared back, eyes half lidded and filled with want, clear as crystal in the darkness. Twilight lay hypnotized by the expression. Rainbow whispered, “When you talk about magic…you always sound like you just won a race.”

She stared back in confusion.

“I love you, Twilight.”

“I love you, too.” Leaning up, their lips met again, and Twilight pushed her doubts and worries away. Whatever wasn’t being talked about, she could hear and feel the need for closeness, for lust and love made physical, pouring off Rainbow like steam off a boiling pot. She promised to do anything to help the pony she shared her life with, and if this was what Rainbow needed from her, she wouldn’t let herself be distracted.

Twilight rocked upwards, snaking around Rainbow’s middle, deepening the kiss as she shoved her shoulder against her marefriend, battling for the higher ground to force submission. One hoof found Rainbow’s tail to pull, and the other prodded a wing, coaxing it to open.

Her eyes opened in surprise as Rainbow pressed a foreleg into her shoulder and pinned her to the bed. There was no violence in the act, nor did it have the playful struggle of their normal bedroom games; it was commanding and final. She blinked at Rainbow, who loomed above her with the same look of need.

“Just…just let me tonight, okay?” Rainbow whispered.

“…Okay.”

Rainbow lowered and met her mouth again, soft and gentle. She stroked her lover’s mane, sweeping down to cup her cheek. Rainbow’s hooves left her shoulders and slid between her back and the mattress, pulling their bodies together. Twilight sighed into Rainbow’s mouth, losing herself in the kiss.

Their lips parted and Rainbow trailed pecks down her chin and neck, puffing heated breaths against her coat, making the hairs stand on end. She swept back into Rainbow’s mane, stroking in waves, making the colors shimmer in glints of moonlight. Rainbow’s tail twitched back and forth across Twilight’s hindlegs as she reached her marefriend’s chest, sliding down the bed and dragging the blankets with her.

A small gasp escaped Twilight’s mouth as Rainbow nipped her stomach. The sheets fell away as her lover’s wings spread open. She stroked a fuzzy ear as Rainbow lifted her leg into the air and kissed her inner thigh.

Twilight fell back against the bed and closed her eyes. Each breath and flighty touch from Rainbow formed a trail up her gaskin, across her sensitive flesh, growing closer with each new peck, the gap closing inch by inch.

She let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding as Rainbow hoisted her other leg, working back down, skipping over where her thighs met. Twilight bit her lip; she could feel the building pressure in her core, the mounting heat and wetness filling her sex, begging for release. Rainbow continued down her cannon to nuzzle her fetlock, and Twilight struggled to keep from pouting.

Rainbow pushed her hooves forward to place a row of kisses up the back of her hindleg, and she chewed her lip as they came tantalizingly closer to her need. A breathy moan erupted from her throat when her lover pressed in just below her outer lips. A tiny slurp sounded out as Rainbow drank her escaping juices, and she groaned again as the kisses traced up the first leg.

“Ohhh, Rainbow…” she rumbled, grabbing at the sheets with both forelegs. “Oh, dear Celestia…”

She felt Rainbow’s tongue against her thigh, dragging along her raised coat, drawing towards her throbbing marehood with painful slowness. She scrunched her eyes as Rainbow hovered over her, puffing a humid breath across her wetness. She swallowed the excess saliva in her mouth when Rainbow’s hooves circled her thighs, stroking her belly and pulling her close.

Twilight watched Rainbow’s tail flick to the side of her raised rump as she lowered the rest of the way, meeting her lover’s waiting lips. She ran her tongue up, spreading Twilight’s folds, catching the trickle of lust, teasing every inch, finishing with a little flick to her marefriend’s most sensitive spot.

Twilight arched her neck against the pillow. Rainbow’s tongue swept along her lips again and she let her back legs fall as wide apart as she could, clenching the muscles in her stomach with each pass edging deeper inside. She felt Rainbow’s jaw press against where she’d been kissed. Her inner walls welcomed her lover’s tongue with a spark of pleasure up her spine, lapped at with maddening slowness.

Biting her hoof, Twilight basked in lover’s attentions of her marehood’s recesses. Rainbow’s snout pressed up against her clit and she could feel every exhalation. She tried to pet Rainbow’s mane without shaking too much.

A foreleg left her stomach and she opened her eyes again, whimpering into the soft underside of her hoof as Rainbow tasted her with a gradual build of intensity. Her gaze trailed down and she watched her Marefriend’s hips sway and tail twitch. With another breath across her mound, she looked down at Rainbow’s eyes, closed in serenity. Rainbow was inhaling deep, drowning herself in Twilight’s scent and taste, and stroking her own need with a hoof: self-pleasuring to her lover’s pleasure.

Twilight’s horn lit up. Part of her consciousness flowed out of her and passed along the contours of Rainbow’s wings, down trim and muscled sides, and gathered at the soaked lips she knew so well. With a little will, she slid her magic inside.

Rainbow gasped into her sex. Their eyes met before her lover’s attention flicked to her horn. She pushed in further, feeling Rainbow’s walls squeeze around the solidified force, gripping her magic as she filled her lover up. Rainbow’s eyes fluttered shut and the dampened hoof returned to her stomach as her marefriend pushed deeper inside, nudging her clit, licking as far in as she could go. Twilight matched her tempo, gliding in and out of Rainbow’s rocking hips.

The sheets stuck to her back with sweat. The burning ache of release balled up in her core as she watched Rainbow lap at her. The look of contentment, the knowledge that the pony she loved’s own excitement was built upon the act of pleasuring her, left her at peace, drifting in a sea of sensation. The tide crashed against her muscles, trying to grip Rainbow’s tongue and pull her deeper but too slippery to hold. Languid and dawdling, her arousal rose toward its peak.

Twilight arched off the bed. The ball rolled up her spine and down her legs, a sparking rush of bliss clenching her muscles taut and trickling juices onto Rainbow’s waiting tongue and down her chin. As the first spike passed, she felt her lover climax against her magic, gripping tight and pattering fat drops onto the bedsheets. She pressed the force in deep as the next wave of pleasure shot through her and she writhed against Rainbow’s snout.

Rainbow moaned into her, sending vibrations to tingle alongside the ebb and flow of her orgasm. She released her horn’s energy as Rainbow sunk to the bed, still drinking the remains of her lust, easing her down from the mountain at a gradual decline. She was still shaking when Rainbow crawled up and lay against her, using her as a pillow as if she was still talking about magic.

“Oh, Rainbow,” she whimpered, “I love you so much, Rainbow Dash.”

“I love you, Twilight. I promise.”

Twilight shivered and hugged her marefriend, her beloved Rainbow Dash close. It took a few tries for her to drag the blankets back over them with magic, and she crashed into sleep still smelling stormclouds, sweat, and sex in Rainbow’s mane.

Rainbow Dash listened to her lover’s slowing heartbeat, eyes trained on the far wall, trying to lose herself in the fog of emotions she felt for Twilight, trying to fall asleep on the pony she had made love to.

Trying to not think about Applejack.

Author's Note

tl;dr

Twilight was wrong and there really was a snail invasion that Spike foresaw. The griffons ate them all, sending the griffon civilization into a slow decline while they sat around on the couch, patting their bellies, groaning about how full they felt, and watching Fluffy Kitten Tales.

Chapter 10

Twilight rested her chin on her hoof, glaring out over her desk. Scootaloo, Spike, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle huddled around a book, whispering among each other. Her gaze flicked to the clock, then back to the group, leaning into her hoof and struggling to not groan.

Sitting up, she popped a kink in her neck and let out a sigh. Chewing her lip, she flipped her cracked and ragged book back open.

“Hey, Twilight?” Scootaloo asked for the tenth time that afternoon.

She suppressed another groan and closed her book again, turning to Scootaloo and offering a strained smile. “Yes, Scootaloo?”

“Did Rainbow Dash maybe tell you when the snow’s supposed to start? I know it’s usually right after the Running of the Leaves, and there’s this cool thing in here about making igloos…”

Twilight met Spike’s excited gaze and her smile widened. “I think she said next Wednesday is the first storm, but it’ll probably be a few weeks before there’s enough snow to build anything.”

“Aww…” Scootaloo sunk back to the floor and flipped a page. “I hate waiting.”

Twilight muttered, “Me, too,” under her breath and dared to open her book again. She found the first blank page and started browsing back through the entries. “It’s one of these…”

“Ooh, this looks good!” Spike broke her concentration, causing her to turn several pages at once.

“Oh, wow,” Apple Bloom agreed. “That looks just like the one I carved with my sister!”

Sweetie Belle pouted. “But Nightmare Night’s already over.”

“That don’t matter none. There’s always a bunch a’ pumpkins left in the yard that don’t get made into pies or nothin’. I bet’cha Applejack’ll give us a few if we ask!”

Scootaloo’s wings buzzed with excitement. “Ooh, if we kept the seeds, we can make one of ‘em look like it’s barfing!” The three leapt to their hooves.

Twilight breathed out in relief and turned back to her book just before Spike said, “I’ll catch up with you girls at Apple Bloom’s.” She tried to hide her wince.

“Alright, Spike!” They chimed as they rushed out the door, shouting, “Cutie Mark Crusaders jack o’lantern carvers!”

Spike got to his feet and walked to Twilight’s desk. “You need me for anything?”

“No, that’s okay, Spike.” She shuffled the last few pages, searching for her place.

“Not dreams again,” he grumbled. “You’ve had your snout in that journal all the time lately.” He leaned over the desk, glaring at the book. “If there’s something bothering you, I don’t think it’s in your dreams.”

Twilight rubbed the bridge of her muzzle and slid the book away. “Spike…”

“Oh, come on, Twilight, I know you said Princess Luna wants you to study dream magic or whatever, but it’s obvious.”

She sat back and popped the kink in her neck, taking in a deep breath and letting it out evenly. “Yes, Spike. I’m still feeling unsettled and I don’t know why.”

“Well, things’ve gotten less crazy-busy, did that help at all?”

“Not really; I already knew that wasn’t what was bothering me.”

“Well, did’ja talk to Rainbow Dash?”

“Yes…and no. I tried to talk to her right after we talked, but she won’t tell me anything, other than it not being because everypony was busy. Anyway, I know it’s not her, because even if Rainbow won’t talk to me I know something’s upsetting her. Something else is making me uncomfortable.” She prodded her book. “And I’ve often felt strange when writing out my dreams recently.”

He raised an eyebrow. “What kind of strange?”

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out as she struggled to put it into words. She grimaced and slumped her shoulders. “It’s like…déjà vu. But every time I look back through my entries, none of the dreams match up to each other or older dreams, and they’re all really weird, so it’s not like they’re reminding me of something that really happened.”

Spike rubbed his chin. “Huh. And you’re sure it’s not Rainbow Dash?”

“Yes, I’m sure,” she huffed. “Rainbow being upset is already bothering me, but this is something else.”

“Oookay. Have fun reading about dreams again.” He stepped back from the desk and grabbed his backpack from beside the door. “You sure you’ll be okay without my help?”

She smiled at him and nodded. “Go have fun, Spike. We’ll reshelf tomorrow morning.”

He waved as he left and she fell back to her book, muttering, “Finally,” as she found a dream she remembered feeling odd while writing. She scanned back through.

I’m lying on a beach sunbathing. Pinkie is playing in the surf while Rarity and Fluttershy are talking about something under an umbrella. Rainbow and Applejack are playing volleyball. Rainbow keeps cheating by using her wings, but Applejack just finds it funny. A small wave splashes my tail and surprises me. I sit up and the water rises to my chest. I’m not afraid and hold out my hooves like I’m expecting something. The water recedes, and there’s a clamshell in my hooves. It opens and there’s a pearl inside. I try to remove the pearl with my magic, but the clam closes again.

I look back up and all my friends are gathered around the shell. Rarity tries to open the clam with her magic, but it won’t budge. Fluttershy tries talking to it, but still nothing. Pinkie blows a raspberry to ‘make the clam laugh.’ Rainbow grabs it from my hooves and tries to force it open. Applejack takes it from Rainbow and says, “There’s a trick to it, Dash.” She sets it on its side and taps it. The clam opens again. Applejack takes the pearl out and puts it in my hair. I wake up.

Twilight groaned and leaned away from the journal. “Why are dreams so stupid?” Pulling out the dream interpretation book and her notes, glancing over the usual meanings for clams, pearls, beaches, relaxing, passivity, and receiving gifts in dreams. “I am not worried that Applejack is trying to tell me a secret, you stupid book. If she was, which she isn’t; she’s horrible at keeping secrets, I would be curious,” she grumbled, slapping it shut again. She did the same to her dream journal for good measure.

Standing up, she stretched out her back. “This is all so stupid. I know something’s wrong, but I have no idea what and I feel like I’m pulling at straws! And it’s making me talk to myself like a crazy pony!” She growled and stomped a hoof.

Glaring at the books, she turned and marched out into the room, pacing back and forth. “I hate not knowing what’s going on in my own head. I never know what to do, and it just digs at me while I try to figure it out , taunting me with the fact that I don’t know what it even is.” She ground her teeth. “Why can’t it ever be obvious? It’s always like this!”

She sunk to her haunches and let out a drained whine, drooping her head. “I haven’t felt this wound up and confused in months.”

As the words left her mouth, her head snapped back up. A thoughtful frown creased her mouth as she followed the idea behind the sentence. “When was that…?” she muttered, standing and walking back towards her desk. “It was late winter, and…”

Her frown deepened. “…And I wrote to Princess Celestia about it…” She looked up at the ceiling, towards the lower loft of her bedroom. The old feeling of confusion and panic filled her mind as she traversed the memories: letters sent, letters received, a log sheet of her autonomic responses covering weeks, all bottled up into a pressure cooker that only had the steam released in the scant and blissful hours of dates with Rainbow Dash.

“…And I realized I loved her.”

Twilight turned to her dream journal. She stepped around her desk timidly, still awash in the memories of her self-analysis that seemed so laughable after Princess Celestia had written her back, saying, Nopony’s heart thinks in words, my dear student. Elevated heartbeats tracked, moments of nervousness, a swooping feeling in the pit of her stomach at random times she later figured out were when something reminded her of Rainbow Dash, unsettling her in the involuntary nature of her own responses.

It was funny afterwards how little of it she even noticed until it was staring her in the face, down to as minor a thing as how she wrote Rainbow’s name.

She sat down carefully at her desk and flipped open her book to the dream about the pearl, holding her breath, trying to not think anything. She looked through her hoofwriting one word at a time. After years of note-taking, Twilight almost always wrote in simple block letters to keep from having to translate and rewrite everything into something legible afterward. Almost always. Rainbow’s name flowed in loopy script in her entry with an extra flair on the tail of the ‘w;’ Twilight recalled first noticing she wrote out her marefriend’s name like that a month after confessing her love.

Applejack’s name was also written in cursive.

A knock at the door sounded out, barely cutting through Twilight’s trance. She mechanically grabbed the handle with her magic and pulled it open, still staring at Applejack’s name, still marveling over the flourish trailing off the ‘k,’ feeling her stomach leap at the sight, throwing her weeks of disquiet into a context she didn’t want to accept.

“Hi, Twilight,” Fluttershy said, stepping into the library, “I was hoping you had a book on—Twilight, are you okay?”

“…I, uh…” Twilight tried to tear her eyes off the page. She slammed the cover shut and stumbled back a step.

Fluttershy frowned. “What’s wrong?”

She leapt to her hooves. “Oh, Celestia, I didn’t notice again?!” she shouted, galloping up the stairs. Her bedroom door banged open in her rush as she raced to her bed. She tore open the drawer next to the bed and yanked a forgotten hair tie out. “Olfactory sense has the strongest connection to memory,” she rambled to herself before holding it over her snout.

Twilight inhaled.

A rush of images washed over her mind: rows of trees fat with fruit, the spice of fresh cider, worn hats, and Applejack. Applejack bucking the fields, handing her a mug, and smiling at her. She couldn’t help smiling into the tie as butterflies danced in her belly.

Déjà vu struck her again as she accepted the truth, linking with memories from months before when she stared at the letter from Celestia.

She shoved the ribbon away and rushed back downstairs, past Fluttershy to the bookshelves, dancing on her hooves as her eyes whipped from one title to another.

“Twilight, are you having a panic attack?”

“Where is it? Where is it?! Spike!” she shouted, flying to another shelf. “Spike! I need help! Where are you?!”

“Oh dear, you are panicking.” Fluttershy walked into the kitchen.

Twilight jumped from one row of books to another, not taking in the titles. “Self-help was here! Where is it now?! Or was it over here? Did I put it with the romance fiction?!”

Stacks rained down to the floor as she pulled them off the shelves. “Where’s ‘r’?” she pleaded, desperation edging into her voice. “Spike, where did you reshelf Relationships and You?! I need it right now! Spike, where are you?!”

Her vision wavered and she blinked away alarmed tears. She realized on some level she was hyperventilating as she pulled the entire contents of her library down, but book after book was wrong, nothing had answers, nothing was right. She ran back to her desk and tossed the contents. “Did I leave it here?! Where—”

Fluttershy’s hoof caught a back leg at the cannon and Twilight tumbled to her haunches. Before she could get back up, her friend prodded her into a sitting position and shoved a steaming cup of tea in front of her face. “Drink,” she commanded.

Twilight sputtered. “Fluttershy, I’m—”

“Very upset and tearing apart your own home. You need to calm down and think instead of panicking. Drink.”

Twilight tried to glare in defiance at her friend, but Fluttershy’s expression was hard-set and unwavering. Twilight looked down; the teacup shook in her hooves.

Fluttershy’s voice softened. “You know I’m right, Twilight.”

The thought crossed Twilight’s mind to lift Fluttershy off the floor and fling her out of the room so she could continue the search. The violence of the impulse slapped her in the face, and she closed her eyes in shame, lifting the cup to her lips.

“Chamomile,” she mumbled, sipping slowly to keep from burning her tongue. It grew easier to drink as she swallowed; the tremoring stilled and her jackhammering heart evened out. Her thoughts writhed like snakes, but she forced herself to focus on the tea. She set the cup on her disheveled desktop and took a shaky breath.

Fluttershy’s shoulders drooped and she let out a huff. “Sorry I was so forceful, Twilight.”

“It’s okay…you were right.” Twilight closed her eyes and leaned back. She opened them again and looked out across the wreckage of the library. “Me exploding doesn’t solve anything.”

Fluttershy put a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “Are you feeling better?”

Twilight breathed out slowly, leaning forward. “No.”

Sighing, Fluttershy patted her and sat down. “If you want to talk about it…”

Twilight turned to Fluttershy with a grimace on her face. As she looked over her friend’s concerned expression, she recalled the conversation she had with Rainbow months before, picturing worry turning into squeaks and blushes. She ran a hoof through her bangs and looked back out into the room, wincing again.

Fluttershy followed her gaze. “…Let’s go into the kitchen and have another cup of tea.”

“Okay.” Twilight stood up and followed Fluttershy out of the room and away from the destruction. She sunk down at the table, glancing up with an unsteady smile of thanks when given a second cup.

Fluttershy sat opposite her, sweeping a hoof through her mane and looking down at the table. “I…I don’t know if you want to talk to me about your problems, but I’ll listen if you need somepony.”

“Thank you, Fluttershy.” Twilight took a sip of tea and let her shoulders sink. The cup settled back on the table as she released her magic, and she stared at the curl of steam. As the silence stretched out, her looping thoughts grew more insistent, threatening to rush out of her. “I—I don’t know what to do!” she groaned, leaning back and thumping the top of her head against the wall.

Fluttershy tapped on the table nervously. “What’s going on, if you’re okay with telling me?”

“I’m—” she glanced at her friend and grimaced again, screwing her eyes shut and forcing her mind into order. Her voice came out agitated, but slow and measured. “I…I figured something out. It explains why I’ve been feeling off for a while now, but it makes more problems than it solves.” Fluttershy met her gaze. “This will really hurt Rainbow. I can’t bear to hurt her, Fluttershy. I can’t.” Her throat grew thick and she swallowed, looking back at the table and wiping her eyes. “Oh, Celestia, I’ve made a mess of things…”

Fluttershy’s hoof slid over and rested on top of her own. “Will it hurt Rainbow more not to know?”

Twilight closed her eyes and bowed her head. “…Yes. I…I have to talk to them both. I have to make this right, or else…” She sniffled. “I just have to.” She felt her friend squeeze her hoof and she wiped her eyes again. “Oh, I feel so stupid…”

“Things will be okay, Twilight,” Fluttershy soothed. “I know you, and Rainbow Dash knows you. You don’t hurt ponies on purpose, so she’ll understand about…whatever’s going on. You two make a really nice couple and everypony sees that.”

She offered Fluttershy a weak smile. “Thank you. I…th-things will be okay.”

Fluttershy grinned back. “Of course they will. Are you feeling better now?”

“A little.” Twilight sniffled. “It’ll take a while to feel all the way better, but…well, I’m not going to wreck the library anymore.”

Fluttershy giggled and tried to hide it behind a hoof. “That’s good.”

She couldn’t help smirking. Taking a deep breath, Twilight vigorously rubbed her face with both hooves. She let the air out slowly and shook her head. “Okay…now that that’s over with…were you looking for a book when you came in?”

“Oh! Yes. I was hoping you had something about tree care, or diseases. There’s a poor little elm right outside my yard that’s looking droopy. I wanted to see if there was anything I could do before bothering Applejack by asking.”

Twilight’s stomach backflipped again.

“But, uhh…” Fluttershy leaned sideways and peered out at the torn apart shelves. “…Maybe I can help you put everything away first?”

Twilight sighed and stood up. “You’ve helped me enough today if you’d rather go home, and I can send you the right book when I find it.”

Standing, Fluttershy followed Twilight to the main room, minding her hoofsteps over the mess. “I don’t mind helping you…”

Twilight stopped and turned to her friend. Her expression was a mixture of gratitude, worry, and exhaustion. “Thank you, but…I need some time to think.”

Fluttershy nodded in understanding. She glanced around for somewhere to step and opened her wings, floating off the floor towards the door. “I’m sure everything will turn out just fine, Twilight. If you ever need to talk, you know where to find me.”

They exchanged a smile as Fluttershy forced the door open through the mess. As it shut behind her, the books she displaced tumbled back. Twilight took another steadying breath and began floating stacks back onto the shelves. She was haphazard in her placement, knowing she and Spike would get everything properly ordered in the morning. She kept an eye open for Fluttershy’s book on tree care, as well as Relationships and You, as she worked.

As the last book lifted off the floor, the setting sun glinting off the lettering through the windows, Twilight knew what she was going to do.

Twilight paced in front of the balcony door, her mind racing, alternating between mussing up her mane and patting it back down. Her head was a battleground of nerves and dread and her gait gradually sped up just so she had something to do with her hooves. She chewed her lip until it hurt.

The latch to the balcony clicked and she whipped around to see Rainbow. “Hey, Twi, got your note.” Her marefriend sauntered into the room, expression flat and bored as she glanced around the room. Their eyes met and Rainbow frowned. “You alright?”

Twilight pawed at the floor and cleared her throat. “I…have something important I need to talk to you and Applejack about.”

Her brow knitting, Rainbow replied, “Okay…is AJ coming over?”

“Yes. I sent her a note, too.” Twilight started pacing again, meeting Rainbow’s gaze and then looking away fitfully. “She should be here soon.”

Bewildered, Rainbow trotted closer. “Did something bad happen, Twi? You look like somepony ran you over.”

Twilight took a deep breath and forced a smile. “Nothing bad happened. I…I’ll tell you and Applejack at the same time.” She cleared her throat and turned towards the stairs. “Applejack should be here soon.”

“Yeah…you said that already, Twi.” Rainbow followed her marefriend down to the library, staring at the back of Twilight’s head. She watched with growing confusion as Twilight circled the center table, disappearing behind the bust with each pass. She looked around the room for some sign of whatever had thrown Twilight off the deep-end, noticing half the books were shelved upside-down, sideways, or backwards. She glanced sidelong at Twilight.

A knock sounded out and Twilight stopped. She cast a fearful eye over at Rainbow before pulling the door open.

“Hey, y’all, I…” Applejack took in the sight of Twilight’s mane and skittish eyes, then Rainbow’s confusion. “Uh…everythin’ alright?”

Rainbow shrugged at her.

Clearing her throat, Twilight looked back and forth between the two. “Um…yes. I need to talk to both of you.” She rubbed her knee, looking away from them, her eyes darting around. “L-let me make us something to drink.” She headed for the kitchen, Rainbow and Applejack glancing at each other with growing nervousness.

Applejack mouthed, “What’s going on?” at Rainbow, who shrugged again before following Twilight into the kitchen. Rainbow found her marefriend pouring three glasses of juice, the jug shaking in her hooves.

“Twi, are you okay?” she asked, stepping close to rub Twilight’s back.

Twilight started and set the juice down, closing her eyes and swallowing. She turned from the counter, her voice low and urgent. “Rainbow, I need you to know something and it’s very important.”

Numb, Rainbow nodded.

“Regardless of what I say out there, I need you to remember…” She stepped forward, taking Rainbow by surprise as she nuzzled her, the action just as earnest as her voice, their coats rubbing against each other neck to neck. “Remember that I love you.”

“Y-yeah, I know,” Rainbow mumbled. Twilight stepped back and looked away, lifting the glasses in her magic and plodding back to the main room. Rainbow followed and mouthed over Twilight’s shoulder to Applejack, “Whu….uh…I have no idea.”

Twilight walked to the fireplace and sat down on a floor pillow, settling the three glasses in front of each of them.

Applejack looked at her glass as she sat down. “So, uhh…what’s this all about, sugarcube?”

“Yeah, Twi. You’re sorta freaking me out here.”

Twilight’s mouth opened before she jumped in her seat. “Oh! Applejack, this is yours.” She floated her friend’s hair ribbon from a bookshelf to Applejack’s waiting hooves. Applejack blinked at it and looked sidelong at Rainbow, who was chugging her glass of juice. She refocused on Twilight with growing confusion. Twilight took a sip of her own juice before looking from Rainbow to Applejack and then back again. “I…have a confession to make.”

Rainbow and Applejack exchanged another glance.

Twilight took a deep breath, straightened up, and leveled her gaze at Applejack. “Our arrangement has been…great, Applejack. Really, really great. I’ve had a lot of fun, and I’ve looked forward to our Saturday nights more and more each week. In fact…” She looked at Rainbow and her eyes skittered away from her marefriend, cheeks growing pink. “I like them a little too much.”

Applejack opened her mouth but couldn’t think of anything to say. She looked to Rainbow, who shrugged helplessly again, and turned back to Twilight.

Grimacing, Twilight’s focus flicked to Rainbow and back, her ears falling flat. “I, uh, I’m…” She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and let the words rush out of her. “I’ve developed feelings for you, Applejack.” A beat of silence passed and she cracked one eye open. At their continued bewilderment, she continued, “Romantic ones. For you. I’ve, uh, I’ve fallen in love with you.”

Applejack and Rainbow rocked back on their pillows and Twilight saw flashes of recognition across their faces. Twilight watched her marefriend fearfully, looking for pain or betrayal, growing confused herself when understanding was followed by the briefest glimpse of relief, and then guilt. A wave of remorse crashed over her seeing the pain in her lover’s expression.

Her throat bobbing, Applejack opened and closed her mouth a few times, sputtering out, “Twilight, I—“

“I’m sorry, Rainbow!” Twilight lamented, letting her head and shoulders droop. “I know this arrangement was about us having something fun and carefree, but I didn’t even notice it was happening! I still love you, though; nothing changed that, I swear to you, I still love you!” Twilight’s throat grew thick with emotion, and she swallowed, wiping at her eyes with a hoof.

Rainbow’s mouth hung open as Twilight’s crying turned to sobs. She looked at Applejack, her expression lost and helpless, and her friend smacked her back, shoving her off balance towards Twilight. Rainbow stumbled before closing the distance, embracing her marefriend. Twilight hugged back, hitching against Rainbow’s chest, holding on as the worst of her terror and sorrow bled out of her.

“It’s okay,” Rainbow mumbled, “I get it.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, clinging tight, dampening Rainbow’s coat. A heavy stillness hung over the room, broken only by her tears, until at last she stilled, more exhausted than calmed. She sniffled, rubbing her face into Rainbow’s chest, and leaned back. She turned to face Applejack, her face red and puffy. Her voice came out rough. “I owe you an apology, too, Applejack. We had something nice, and I had to go mess it up.”

Applejack looked down at her untouched juice, kneading the pillow with her forelegs. “A pony ain’t got much say in what her heart wants.”

Twilight turned to Rainbow and kissed her still shocked face. She pulled away from the hug and her marefriend drifted backwards to her pillow. Rainbow shook her head and ran a hoof through her mane. “So, uh, what…what now?”

Wiping her face and closing her eyes again, she took a steadying breath. “We end the arrangement.” Rainbow and Applejack both winced. “I don’t really want to stop, but…this won’t go away if I don’t. I’m committed to you, Rainbow, and I don’t want that to change. The only way for things to go back to the way they were is if we get some distance.” She offered Applejack a strained smile. “I don’t want to stop seeing you, Applejack; we’ll still spend some time together, just…not that type of spending time.”

Applejack adjusted her hat, looking away. Her eyes caught her glass again, and she lifted it up, draining it in a few swallows. She wiped her muzzle and nodded. “Yeah, that sounds about right…Now that it’s about winter time, I was plannin’ on lookin’ ‘round town for somepony to start courtin’…” She didn’t meet Twilight’s gaze as she said, “’Fore I got too attached to y’all.” She looked to Rainbow and her expression slowly set, as if bracing for an explosion. “What’s your say on it, Dash?”

Disappointment and guilt warred on Rainbow’s face, meeting somewhere in the middle with a look of nausea. “…Whatever you two want.”

Twilight nodded and let out a sigh. “I am sorry, both of you. I didn’t mean to make things awkward like this.” She looked at her marefriend. “And I never meant to hurt you.”

Applejack looked between the two of them, a strained smile on her face. “Ain’t nothin’ the two of ya can’t work through. I seen lots a’ lovebirds, an’ what ya got together is somethin’ really special. Little ol’ me ain’t gonna come between that. I’m awful sorry I helped muck things up, though.”

Inhaling deep, Applejack set her hat firm and stood up. She stepped over to Twilight, leaned down, and planted a soft kiss on her friend’s forehead. “Ya ain’t gotta apologize for nothin’, sugarcube.” She turned and kissed Rainbow in the same place as she sat wooden and unmoving. “I’ll be missin’ this, but I ain’t gonna regret one second of it.” She straightened and headed for the door. As she let the cold and windy night in, she glanced over her shoulder at the two, all their expressions drawn with remorse. “I’ll be seein’ ya around…and I’m gonna be rootin’ for the both of ya. Don’t you forget that.”

The door clicked shut behind her.

Rainbow stared after Applejack, her expression vague and detached. She pulled herself out of her reverie when she heard Twilight sniff again. She turned back to see her marefriend looking at the floor and hugging herself.

“D-do you hate me?” Twilight whispered.

“What?” Rainbow shook her head hard enough for her ears to flap back and forth. She leapt off the floor. “No! No, of course I don’t hate you!”

Twilight’s gaze stayed lowered, but her voice rose, some of the tension gone. “But…aren’t you jealous, or…?”

A refuting grunt left her throat, but she snapped her mouth shut. She sat down abruptly, brow creased. “That’s…uh…no, I’m not. Is that weird?” She raised an eyebrow and then shook her head again. “Listen, Twi, it’s not a big deal and I’m not, like, angry or anything.”

Twilight sniffled and rubbed her muzzle. “So…you believe me?”

Rainbow stood up, shaking her head. “Twilight, when I got up this morning, you were holding one of my wings like it was a stuffed animal. It took me five minutes to get you to let go without just waking you up. You were chewing on it. You—” she prodded Twilight in the chest, startling her into looking up. Rainbow couldn’t help but smile at her lover’s face, full of relief and earnest hope. “—are crazy about me.” She puffed out her chest and struck a pose, shooting a cocky smirk that earned her a giggle. “Everypony knows it.” She leaned down and kissed Twilight hard and fast. “And I’m crazy about you. Nothing’s changed.”

Leaning forward, Twilight nuzzled into her neck and she closed her eyes, returning the affection. Her tone dropped as she mumbled, “I get it, Twi. I fe—” Her throat seized up on her. She swallowed. “I’m—” She hugged Twilight around the shoulders to keep her hooves from shaking. “I…really liked being with Applejack, too.”

“I know,” Twilight mumbled. “This was your fantasy. I’m sorry I messed it up.”

Rainbow’s jaw hung open, but she couldn’t force sound out of it. She clenched her eyes shut and gave Twilight a squeeze. She fixed her expression to neutral before sitting back. “You feeling better now?”

Twilight sighed and slumped again, looking down at her juice. She floated it to her lips and drained it. “Not really. I’m mostly tired now.”

Rainbow nodded. “Yeah, me, too. That…sucked.” Twilight snorted. “C’mon, let’s go to bed.” She helped Twilight up and turned around to grab her empty glass. Her attention caught on Applejack’s pillow for a moment, and she rushed to it, sweeping her wing open across it. She turned around with Applejack’s glass in her teeth. She scooped up her own in the crook of a foreleg and hobbled towards the kitchen. Twilight rolled her eyes and followed with her own glass floating next to her.

Dishes in the sink, the two climbed the stairs to their bedroom, up the loft and straight into bed. Twilight pressed into Rainbow’s back as she lay down, hugging her around the middle. She snuggled backwards into the embrace, stroking Twilight’s hoof.

As her marefriend’s breaths evened out, Rainbow carefully opened her wing, wriggling it out from the hug so she could extend it without waking Twilight. Applejack’s forgotten hair ribbon fell out. She held it to her muzzle and inhaled the scent of orchards and hard work.

Rainbow told herself that she had trouble sliding the ribbon into the drawer of the bedside dresser because it was dark, not because her vision was wavering with tears.

Author's Note

tl;dr

The chapter where all this narrative stuff got in the way of boning.

(For those of you who don't follow me and/or read my production blogs: Room for One More is moving to a weekly Wednesday update schedule until it's completed)

Chapter 11

Applejack plodded downstairs from her bedroom in the darkness of the early morning. She yawned and rubbed at her eyes, moving through the kitchen, guided only by muscle memory. She wasn’t sure what she was even cooking for a while as a pan brought water to a boil and she rooted around the cupboards. As the sun peeked over the horizon and she finished waking up, she saw she was spooning hoecakes onto a skillet.

The squeak and whine of floorboards overhead punctuated the last cake coming off the pan, and she dropped a loaded plate in the middle of the table. She fetched a bottle of honey as her family settled in into their usual spots.

“Ooo!” Apple Bloom chimed as she saw the piled up hoecakes. She shoveled a stack onto her plate and yanked the honey out of her sister’s hooves.

“Hey, ya little thief!” Applejack teased as she sat, piling up her own plate fast to make sure she had enough as her brother took a generous share. Granny glanced from the hoecakes to Applejack, her brows drawn together, before she served herself.

Applejack eyed Apple Bloom’s honey-drowned plate as she took back the considerably lighter bottle. Her sister gave her an innocent smile and started gobbling down hoecakes.

They ate quickly, Big Macintosh polishing off his plate first, followed by Apple Bloom. The two headed out together. Applejack finished up and cleared the plates while Granny Smith chewed her last hoecake. She scrubbed the plates clean and set them to dry in silence, turning towards the door and her waiting chores.

“Applejack, come sit with me a minute.”

Applejack paused, turning towards Granny, who sat on the couch and patted the spot next to her. Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Alright, Granny. The cold ain’t makin’ your hip act up, is it?”

“Nah, Li’l Apple, this ain’t about me. I know my grandchild good ‘nough to know she don’t make hoecakes ‘less she’s feelin’ down.” As Applejack sat on the couch, Granny grabbed her chin and scrutinized her face. She stammered in surprise and then froze, knowing it was easier to just let the inspection happen than fight it. Granny sighed and dropped her hoof from Applejack, shaking her head. “Oh, child, somepony done stomped all over your heart.”

Applejack sat back. “Wha—”

“Don’t you be denyin’ it now, missy. I can see it plain as day.”

Her mind racing through options, Applejack let out a slow breath and sunk in her seat. She shook her head. “S’my own fault, Granny. My heart went barkin’ up the wrong tree.”

Granny patted her granddaughter’s shoulder. “Aw, that’s a cryin’ shame. You tell your granny what happened.”

Applejack started, her ears falling flat as she looked at Granny Smith from the corner of her eye. “Uhh…” Her cheeks darkened.

“Hoo, nelly, I’m in for somethin’ real interestin’, ain’t I?” Granny teased, prodding Applejack in the belly. “Go on, then, AJ. Ain’t nothin’ you could say that’d embarrass your ol’ granny. It’s ol’ folks’ job to embarrass the young’ins, not the other way ‘round.”

Her face burning, Applejack looked away and cleared her throat. “Well, erm…Ya see…I got these two friends who’ve been seein’ each other a bit over a year now…”

“They set’cha up with somepony?” As she watched her granddaughter grimace, Granny’s eyes lit up. “They set’cha up with themselves, eh?” Granny leaned back and cackled as Applejack covered her eyes, sure that her face would match her brother’s coat. “I’m sorry, child, I don’t mean to laugh at ya none; I just gotta savor them faces ‘fore ya get too old an’ wise ta make ‘em no more.” She wiped the mirth from the corner of her eye and took a breath. “So I’ll take it them messes a’ Saturdays was ya entertainin’ a couple’a ponies.”

Applejack nodded, still covering her eyes.

“Well, I ain’t judgin’ ya none, Li’l Apple; it’s been a gaggle a’ years since I was young, but that don’t mean I don’t remember it. I ain’t gonna ask for details any sooner’n you’d spill ‘em.” She poked Applejack’s belly until she got a snort of laughter out of her granddaughter. “So ya went an’ got sweet on one of ‘em?”

Applejack took a deep breath and leaned back against the couch. “I got sweet on both of ‘em…an’ stayed sweet on ‘em for a few months now.” She sighed and shook her head. “I was keepin’ it to myself, thinkin’ I’d start pokin’ ‘round town an’ findin’ somepony else I could start seein’…but Twilight took a shine to me.” She took off her hat and ran a hoof through her mane. “I ain’t lookin’ to break the two of ‘em up, and they ain’t lookin’ to break up, neither. So…we called it quits.” She bowed her head again.

Granny nodded and wrapped a hoof around Applejack’s shoulders. “I’m awful sorry, child. It’s always a hardship when things don’t work out ‘cause of everythin’ else instead a’ just not gettin’ along. From the sound of it, I don’t think I gotta tell ya none about how this ain’t the end of the world, seein’ as you was gettin’ ready to go lookin’ for somepony different. And I gotta say that even though I ain’t keen on it hurtin’ ya, a part a’ me’s glad ta hear it happened.”

Applejack sat back and raised her eyebrow. “Whaddya mean, Granny?”

The smile she gave her granddaughter was wistful, highlighting the age and experience in her eyes. “I was gettin’ afraid ya went an’ married your work, Applejack. I know this here farm means an awful lot to ya, an’ it needs ya, too, but we Apples ain’t never been solitary folk. Now, I ain’t tellin’ ya ta hurry up or do nothin’ else but follow your heart, mind. I just know ya, Applejack.”

Granny leaned back and cupped Applejack’s face. “I know how big a heart ya got in ya. I know how much ya love the ponies around ya, an’ how happy makin’ them happy makes you. I was gettin’ sad thinkin’ you weren’t ever gonna wanna share that big ol’ heart with somepony special.”

Applejack smiled and shook her head. “I ain’t been grown half long enough for ya to be worryin’ about that yet.”

“Oh, ain’t never too soon for a granny to start worryin’, you know that.” She smirked and smacked Applejack’s shoulder, who rubbed the spot in mock pain and returned the grin. “I’m just glad you’re puttin’ all that love ta good use. I’m sure with a little lookin’, you’ll find that somepony who’ll give ya back just as much love as you give to ‘em.”

Her smile fading, Applejack leaned back with a sigh. “I think what hurts the most is I found that with ‘em both, at least for a little while. Twilight is…” She grimaced, rubbing her face.

“You go ahead an’ talk about ‘em; might help ya feel better.”

She took a deep breath and stared out the front window. “Ya know, sometimes it feels like this whole dang town’s about to fall down around me. Everypony’s crazy, an’ every bit a crazy needs my help.” She flashed Granny Smith a grin that implied her elder was just as much a part of the problem as anypony else. “I don’t mind it none, but it’s just somethin’ I figure I’m gonna have to deal with…except around Twilight. Twilight ain’t above goin’ crazy here ‘n there...and when she does, she don’t play around and goes a lotta crazy...but most of the time she’s the only pony I can really talk to.”

As she spoke her voice lightened to match her growing smile. “She don’t make me feel like I gotta be the one to fix everything. She’s more clever’n a fox, and if’n I was goin’ to somepony for help or advice, it’d be her. Bein’ around her’s just…easy.”

Applejack looked down at her hooves, grinning, a teasing lilt of laughter in her tone. “An’ if everypony’s crazy, Dash got about three extra helpings of it, but she’s nuts in a way that just leaves me grinnin’ an’ laughin’ the whole day. Everythin’s a game to her, but that don’t mean she doesn’t care. She cares about everything she does, she just ain’t about to have a bad time of it…an’ it makes me wanna have just as good a time as she’s havin’, like her happiness is catchin’.

“They both just make me feel so…peaceful. An’ it’s for different reasons, an’ it’s as much with the two of ‘em together as it is either one of ‘em alone.” Applejack’s smile gradually fell and she slouched forward, a frown creasing her muzzle. “…I miss it already.”

Granny Smith hugged Applejack around the shoulder and kissed her cheek. “I miss it for ya, just from hearin’ ya talk. I’m sorry, honey, I really am, an’ if I could take that achin’ away from ya I would. I know you’re tough as nails, though, an’ you’ll come out the other side a’ this as strong an’ sure a’ yourself as ever. You’ll find your special somepony, Li’l Apple, ‘cause that heart a’ yours is too good to keep all to your lonesome.”

Applejack leaned into the embrace. “Thank you, Granny. I’m…I’ll be okay. I’m kiddin’ myself if I think I’m gonna be out courtin’ somepony new right now, but I’ll get there in time. First…I gotta mourn this a little.” She took a deep breath and sat back, smiling at her grandmother. “Nothin’ that time an’ some hard work won’t help with.”

Returning the smile, Granny nodded. “Ya got that same head on your shoulders as your daddy, Applejack. Skull as thick as a tree trunk, but nothin’ll knock ya down for too long. Just don’t go an’ really marry your work while you’re grievin’, ya hear?”

Applejack’s grin widened and she nodded. “Speakin’ a’ work, we’re burnin’ daylight an’ this place’ll fall apart without me. I better get to it.” She turned to the door, but paused before opening it. “And…thanks, Granny. I needed to get that off’a my chest.”

Her grandmother smiled. “Any time, dear.”

Applejack set her hat straight and marched out into the yard. The farm counted on her.

Rainbow scanned the endless field of clouds below her, ascending higher as she took in the whole mass, scanning for gaps to the ground. Far off to her right she could see the patch of clear sky over the lake, left open so the skating rink could open on Friday, and to her left she could see the Everfree Forest, left alone to its own weather whims. She nodded in satisfaction.

She raised a hoof and the other pegasi flew up to match her height, spread out across the town. Her hoof fell.

She spread her wings wide with the others, and they all drifted downwards together, gliding in shallow spirals towards the clouds below them. At once, they tapped down with their hooves all across Ponyville.

Rainbow leapt up and rocketed to the lake, and watched snow fall from the underside of the cloud cover. She grinned and flew back up, meeting the rest of the weather crew.

“Good work, team!” she called out with a smile. “Winter is officially here!”

A cheer rose from the group and Rainbow beamed. She waved them off as they flew away, streaming through the hole and spreading out to head back to their homes. When the sky above the clouds was clear, Rainbow sped across the expanse, looking for any new breaks in the blanket from starting the snow. She scooted a few puffs that had drifted away over the Everfree Forest back into place, wiped her brow, and streaked through the air back to the lake. The smooth surface of the water, frozen from the week of higher winds but still too thin to bear weight, glinted below her as she jackknifed through the clear section of sky and headed for town. She smirked at the trees as their empty branches filled with a new foliage of white. A barn’s roof gathering snow caught her eye, and her heart leapt to her throat.

Rainbow sped up as she soared over Sweet Apple Acres.

Clenching her eyes, she shook the gathering flakes from her mane and launched herself in the direction of town hall’s spire, away from the farm and her dwelling thoughts.

She passed downtown and settled on the balcony of her home. She shook herself free of snow like a dog and opened the door, stepping into the lower loft of the bedroom. Twilight glanced up from the desk and smiled at her as she waved, walking over to a beanbag chair by the fireplace and flopping down.

“Hi, Rainbow. Long day?”

“Nope,” she beamed, snuggling into the chair. “Long fall, but it’s over now!”

Twilight glanced out the window at the falling snow, before something caught her eye and widened her smile. “Yeah, Spike brought his jack o’ lantern back so it wouldn’t get buried.”

Rainbow sat up, following Twilight’s gaze to the balcony and the pumpkin facing inside. She snorted. “That’s Spike’s pumpkin?”

“Be nice, Rainbow.”

“It looks so doofy.” She giggled at the vacant and toothless smile as Twilight took a sip of tea. “It’s like if Gummy and Derpy had a baby.”

Twilight spit her tea on the floor.

“See?! I’m right!” Rainbow cackled as her marefriend coughed and sputtered. “It’s Gurmpy the pumpkin!”

Twilight smacked her chest as she coughed and laughed at the same time. “S-stop!”

“Not until you say I’m right! Gurmpy!”

“Okay, okay, it does!” Twilight struggled out, dissolving into laughter with Rainbow. “Just don’t tell Spike that!”

As her mirth sank into chuckles, she said, “Relax. It’s not like he’s here right now.” She took a deep breath and sunk into the beanbag chair. “No Spike around with his crazy fillies breaking stuff, no more work since I just gotta make sure the snow doesn’t stop for the next three days, nothing to do but nothing…”

Twilight floated a washcloth out of the bathroom and wiped up her spill, then took a cautious sip of tea. “I’m happy winter’s here, too. I doubt anypony will be checking out books during the first snow.” She brought the cloth to her desk and a comfortable silence fell over the room. She turned back to Rainbow, her tone dropping an octave and growing tentative. “Um…since Spike isn’t here right now…do you want to have sex?”

Knitting her brow, Rainbow sat up and stared at Twilight.

Twilight fiddled her hooves together. “…What?”

“Nothing…it’s just you haven’t asked me like that since, like, the first week we banged…” Rainbow craned her neck to look at the book on her marefriend’s desk. Twilight slid it hidden behind her back and smiled innocently, but Rainbow recognized the cover, flopping back onto the beanbag with a groan. “Twilight! Not that book again!”

Twilight pulled it around and opened it, not really reading anything. “I know, I know; you think Relationships and You is useless, but it says that if I’m trying to repair damage to a relationship after an instance of infidelity, it’s important to affirm that I’m still sexually attracted to you…”

Rainbow sighed in annoyance and rolled off the chair, plodding through the room towards the door downstairs. “Twilight, you didn’t cheat on me.”

“But I have to fix this, and this is the closest thing to—”

“There’s nothing to fix!” Rainbow snapped. Twilight’s ears fell flat and she recoiled. The muscle’s in Rainbow’s jaw tightened.

Twilight rubbed her knee, looking away. Her voice came out low and frail. “Rainbow…I know you don’t like talking about these sorts of things, but I don’t know how to move past this without discussing it, or trying things in this book. What am I supposed to do?”

A beat of tension passed as Rainbow pushed down her anger. She sighed and drooped her head. “I’m sorry I snapped. It’s just that there’s nothing wrong you need to be doing stuff for.”

Twilight rubbed at her eye. “But it still feels so…damaged. I don’t know how I’m supposed to just not do anything.”

“Look.” Rainbow turned and closed the distance. Without warning, she dove in and stole a kiss, pushing past Twilight’s lips. The book dropped forgotten to the floor and Twilight fell back against her desk, one of Rainbow’s hooves on her chest, one in her mane, and tongue in her mouth. Rainbow stepped back, sweeping a foreleg around to cup Twilight’s uncertain face. “This sucks, I get it. But you told AJ you want us to work out. And…and I’m really into you, and we live together, and…and I like it—living with you, and having this life together that’s us. I know that’s what you want, and I want it, too, Twi. I…I want it now, and I want it to last for a really long time.” Her wings puffed around her sides defensively and her eyes darted away as she added, “Maybe the rest of my life.”

Twilight sniffed and held Rainbow’s hoof to her cheek. “I want that, too,” she whispered.

Rainbow let out the breath she was holding and nuzzled into Twilight’s neck. “See? Nothing’s changed.”

“…Something’s changed.”

“…Yeah.” Rainbow stroked her lover’s cheek. “But…it’s other stuff. For just you and me there’s nothing to fix. We want us and you’re just gonna have to suck it up and admit you’re stuck with me.”

A surprised giggle escaped her muzzle and she hugged her marefriend tight. She took a deep breath, her smile fading as she exhaled. “Everything just feels so shaky now. This is what I want, but I’m…I’m still in love with her.”

“I know.” She closed her eyes. “I get it. It’s only been a week. Stuff like this takes time, right? We both…erm. Stuff’ll change and go back to how it was before if we just wait.” She cleared her throat. “It’ll be okay.”

Twilight took a deep breath, snuggling in fiercely before pulling away from the embrace. “You’ve taken all of this really well, Rainbow. I couldn’t ask for anypony to be as understanding about...pretty much everything. Thank you.”

She gave Twilight a tired smile and turned back towards the beanbag chair. She drooped her wings and shook her head.

Twilight floated the book off the floor and onto a shelf, energy returning to her voice. “Everything okay?”

Rainbow rubbed the bridge of her muzzle. “Just tired, Twi. Ready for a break, you know?”

“Well, Nap Spot Number Seventeen is all made and clean,” Twilight teased.

Rainbow chuckled as she glanced up at their bed. A dull ache throbbed through her legs and shoulders, and she turned towards the bathroom. “Think I’m gonna soak in the tub. That’s something ponies do when they don’t have to do squat, right?” She flashed a smirk and crossed the floor. “Gotta wash this month off me.”

“Enjoy yourself,” Twilight giggled. “I’ll get dinner started soon; I’m expecting Spike home soon.”

“I’ll try to not pass out in the tub.” With a wink, she shut herself away behind the door, suppressing a groan as the start of a headache set in.

She glanced at her reflection and ran a hoof through her mane before stepping to the tub. She cranked the hot water and sat on her haunches as it filled, watching curls of steam rise into the air. Lifting herself up with her wings when the tub was full, hovering in the air for a moment, then sinking all four hooves into the water at once.

“Ahhhh….” The water rushed up her legs and she felt the pangs in her joints melt away in the heat. She sat and it raced up her belly, its temperature a hair under uncomfortably hot, making gooseflesh rise up her shoulders and her feathers puff out. She drifted backwards, the massage of heat coating her wings, shoulders, chest, and mane. She closed her eyes and stopped with only the tip of her muzzle jutting out of the surface, enveloped in the warmth, her mind clouding over with the simple bliss it brought.

She paddled her hooves idly, taking slow breaths in the haze and drifting. After several minutes, she sat up enough for her head to poke out and rest against the back of the tub, her mane plastered to her forehead and dripping. She slowly ran her forelegs down her sides, feeling the tension in her muscles give in to the onslaught of hot water and pressure. She sighed and closed her eyes again.

Time in the steam slowed to a crawl while all the soreness bled away, hooves kneading her muscles loose as she watched her tail swirl and dance through the ripples. Her head drifted to the wall and she swished her wings as she felt completely at peace for the first time in recent memory.

As she stopped her massaging, her hooves came to rest on her belly. Her eyes sharpened into focus when she brushed against a nipple. An impish grin spread across her face as she resumed her massaging with a lighter touch aimed at less-muscled areas. The heat of the water left her skin extra sensitive, curling her smile further as she stroked her inner thighs and sunk into the water up to her chin.

In the muggy bathroom, the fog of her thoughts gathered form with the same languid pace as her hooves across her legs, chest, and belly. She moved her right hoof down to where her legs met, brushing over her outer lips, puffy from the water and her building desire. An image coalesced into her mind.

‘Howdy, sugarcube,’ murmured the imaginary Applejack, standing over her in the tub.

Rainbow’s hoof cupped her slit, sliding up and down as she pictured Applejack. Her friend grinned down, eyes sultry and mane undone, dragging along the surface of the water. They kissed, Applejack’s mouth spiced with cinnamon, and she felt her clit grow stiff against her fetlock. Her left foreleg dragged across her chest and around her back, then down her rump. She spread her back legs and pressed against the base of her marehood, parting her lips enough for her right hoof to tease the top of her entrance.

The phantom Applejack’s stifle replaced her own hoof in her fantasy, pressing against her sex, transforming the self-pleasure to teasing. “Ahn,” Rainbow breathed out into the room, touching herself, being touched by her imagined lover, surrounded by heat as a new warmth gathered in her core.

‘Ya want a taste, Dash?’ Applejack lifted her front out of the water with a splash, propping her hooves up on the wall, and Rainbow opened her mouth, tongue hanging out, tasting water as it splashed in around her chin. Applejack’s marehood lowered over her muzzle and she could taste it again, the same as she remembered, bold and wild, dripping down her chin, slick and covering her mouth. Channels of water ran down her lover’s body, dripping from her mane, tracing her curves. Rainbow recalled the smell of Applejack’s arousal and it filled her mind as her friend looked down at her, hoof around the back of her head, trapping her against the scent and flavor.

Rainbow pushed her hoof in against her clit, kneading it in its hood as she panted huffs into the air. The water around her seemed to cool, either from the passage of time or her own temperature rising with her arousal, so she lifted a back leg out of the water, gooseflesh racing up her cannon in the sudden movement and temperature drop. She blindly kicked at the hot water faucet until the sound of a stream running hit her ears. She grunted as she propped the leg up on the edge of the tub, rubbing faster, the water rippling just as much from her hoof as the faucet.

’Don’t you stop now, Rainbow’ Applejack commanded, stroking her mane.

“Uhn.”

She lifted her head and swept her tongue through the air, tasting Applejack’s clit, feeling the firmness and urgency, pulling it between her lips to suckle. Applejack arched against her, her imagined lover’s arousal a pace above her own, growing closer to climax as her hooves worked. ‘That’s the spot, Dash, right there.’

A spurt of juices decorated Rainbow’s chin and she opened her mouth, tasting Applejack’s orgasm again, wanting it on her lips, craving it like she was dying of thirst. Applejack writhed against her as she splashed water with her hoof, her core tight and hot to match the water, a rise of pressure begging for release, almost there, almost at its height.

‘I love you, Applejack!’ she shouted in her mind, her muscles clenching, back arching and dunking her head underwater. Her hindleg slid off the tub lid and back into the heat, her whole body clenching and relaxing, waves of bliss wracking her nerves. She sputtered up to the surface, whimpering as she pushed her hoof in against her marehood, twitching and spasming with the explosion of pleasure, her mind losing grip on the image.

The words echoed through her head as the weight of her body’s need and release tried to pull her under the surface.

‘I love you.’

A sob tore its way out of her throat.

Twilight climbed the stairs back to her room as Spike took charge of cooking. On the lower loft, she glanced out the window at the snowy evening air, a smile on her face as she turned to the bathroom door, lifting a hoof to knock. She paused right before rapping as her ears perked up. The splattering of water, dulled through the wood, made her frown; it didn’t sound so much like a running faucet or draining tub. The noise was too small and random, and she pictured a soaked towel being rung out, pattering on tile or hardwood.

“Rainbow, dinner’s almost ready,” she called through the door, her voice more tentative than she expected. Through the sound of running water, Rainbow answered her with a grunt. Twilight opened her mouth to say more, snapped it shut, and pulled the door open.

A puddle covered the floor, streaming off of Rainbow. She stood in the middle of the room, hunched over and shaking. Twilight rushed forward, raising a hoof to touch her but hesitating, feeling a layer of heat radiating off her coat. “Rainbow, what’s—?”

She flinched at Twilight’s voice, looking up through reddened eyes that were strained half shut, teeth locked in a grimace. A beat passed and a choked back sob came out of her.

Twilight fought through the corona blazing from her lover’s coat, but Rainbow slid back from her comfort, spreading the puddle across the floor. Rainbow’s grimace widened, eyes clenching, chest shaking, and all at once she forced out, “I miss Applejack!”

She stared at Rainbow, mind racing with confusion. “Rainbow, I knew the threesome fantasy was important to you, but—”

Shaking her mane and flinging water around, Rainbow grunted in frustration. “I never had a damn threesome fantasy! I just said that because I thought it’d get you to stop bugging me!” Twilight’s mouth fell open. “Now I’m in love with her, too, and I feel like shit! I just wanna forget about it, but I can’t!”

She shut her eyes again, cringing away, her body shaking. “It’s all just there when I think about her—that smile she makes, what she smells like, how she says my name, what she looks like kissing you…and I tell myself it’s over.”

Rainbow slammed her hoof against a drawer under the sink, a crunch of wood splintering from the force echoing out, and she skidded on the wet floor, barely keeping from falling. “But I don’t want it to be over! I don’t want that! I told myself I could deal with feeling like this, but Celestia damn it, I don’t want to deal with it!” Rainbow’s voice cracked as she said, “I just want Applejack.” The vehemence fled her and she sunk to her haunches, shoulders slumping, soaked and miserable like an animal pulled out of a violent river. “Why did this happen, Twilight?” She looked up, and Twilight could see the bags under her eyes. “Why’d we both have to fuck this up so badly?”

Twilight’s head felt full of cotton through all of Rainbow’s yelling, her jaw relaxed and body frozen with one hoof still raised towards the spot her lover’s shoulder had been. Slow and mechanically, she turned towards the mirror, fogged up with steam, but clear enough to see herself in it. The silence that fell stifled the room, magnifying the pattering drips from everything wet, Rainbow’s heavy breaths, and her own heartbeat in her ears, which grew faster and faster.

Twilight’s voice held no power, barely above a whisper. “You…you were just trying to get me to stop needling you…”

Rainbow groaned, slicking her bangs away from her eyes. “Twi, that was months ago, it’s not impor—”

“I’m always doing this with you. I don’t know when to leave you be until it’s too late, and it always does this, it always makes things harder, it—” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Oh, Celestia, I did this to us! This is all my fault, because I kept pushing you, and I made you do something you didn’t even want to do! I—I…”

“Stop it,” Rainbow snapped. “Just stop it. You always blame yourself for things that are nopony’s fault, and I don’t wanna deal with it right now.”

“But this wouldn’t have happened if—!”

“I don’t care, Twilight! It happened and here we are!” Rainow jumped back to her hooves.

Twilight’s gaze never left the mirror, locked with her own reflection, her mind looping back months before. She had asked her lover for fantasies they could explore, and she heard the mumbled response of ‘I dunno,’ as clearly as if Rainbow had just said it out loud. Dismissive. Uninterested.

She had pressed further, and Rainbow responded, ‘I like the stuff we do; it’s always a lotta fun.’ Disquieted. Wanting the conversation to be over. ‘Not really, I just like the stuff we do,’ flat and direct, moving past a lack of interest. She could hear the frustration setting into Rainbow’s tone, but she remembered her own curiosity, her own need to delve into her marefriend overriding that recognition of comfort. She could hear herself listing off possible scenarios, burning with a need to know what Rainbow might be wanting.

‘I wanna have a threesome.’ Rainbow blurted it out, no excitement, no relief in saying it, just a bare statement. Out of the haze of her own inquisitive nature, Twilight saw the sentence for what it was: a distraction, a line she wasn’t supposed to cross, but instead scoff at. She heard the subtext in the sentence, as plain as if Rainbow Dash had actually said it herself.

‘Stop asking me about this.’

Twilight stared at herself in the mirror, the weight of realization keeping her still, months of lust turning to heartache for herself, and worst of all heartache for the pony she shared her life with, all thrown in sharp relief. It was all her fault. She pushed and prodded, forcing Rainbow into a situation she wasn’t asking for and stomping all over both of their hearts like a careless foal, all because she didn’t know when to shut up.

“…My fault.”

“Stop it, Twilight!” Rainbow snapped.

A pulse of magic flashed from her horn. A keening screech bounced off the walls as the mirror spiderwebbed into jagged fragments, still held together in its frame. Rainbow shrunk from the noise, pinning her ears back and falling into an aggressive crouch. Twilight’s breaths hitched as she stayed locked with her reflection, severed into a distorted picture of herself, eyes wide and wet, muzzle crinkled and pulled in dismay, horn sparking light brighter and brighter.

“It’s all my fault!” she cried, trying to pull her eyes away from the shattered mirror, unable to move from the spot.

“It doesn’t matter!” Rainbow shouted, slamming her hooves down again. “Stop making this all about you!”

The anger in her lover’s voice fueled her emotional spiral, her head swimming as she breathed too fast and too shallow, her joints shaking and eyes watering. Still she couldn’t look away, the shards of her reflection staring back, bleeding guilt between the cracks, carrying the accusation with them, and she knew it, she knew it was earned.

A flood of energy shot from her horn. The mirror exploded from the wall, showering the room in glittering fragments. Rainbow yelped as the force of the magic flung her from standing and against a wall as the mirror fell. The tinkling smash reverberated out of the bathroom and every window in the entire tree shattered, cacophonous and deafening. Twilight’s scream was barely audible over the din, and she tore her eyes away as the mirror fell, shielding her face with her forelegs and collapsing to the floor.

Twilight sobbed with shame, curled up against herself, ignoring the little cuts from the glass. A silence just as deafening settled over them in the wake of the explosion until Rainbow struggled back to her hooves. Her voice came out raw, a muddy combination of bewildered , angry, and upset. “Twilight, what the fuck—?”

“Just leave me alone,” Twilight cried into her hooves. “Just go, before I ruin something else.”

A gurgling and strained growl poured out of Rainbow’s throat, and she flung her wings open, blazing out of the bathroom and through the broken skeleton of the balcony door, a trail of water following her and disappearing into the snow.

As Twilight heard Spike’s feet scrabbling up the stairs, she swung the bathroom door shut and latched it.

Author's Note

tl;dr

When Spike carried Gurmpy the pumpkin home, he didn't notice the mailmare flying by overhead. Derpy avoided getting within sight of Sugarcube Corner for weeks.

Chapter 12

“Twilight!”

She whimpered at the sound of Spike calling for her, scrabbling through the bedroom on the other side of the door. She scrunched her eyes shut and slowed her breathing, willing herself silent, begging her emotion to stay inside.

“Twilight, where are you?! I heard fighting and then…” The doorknob rattled in his claw and then he banged on the wood. “Twilight, are you okay?!”

She rolled away from his voice. “Just…just leave me alone.” Her tone came out raw and she rubbed her throat, wincing at the soreness. “Just ignore me.”

“Twilight, open this door or I’ll melt the knob.”

Her eyes snapped open and she sat up in shock, turning back towards his voice, the bare gravity of the tone in his threat slicing through her misery. She heard him inhale and imagined a gout of dragonfire hitting the door, the knob glowing red before running like candlewax. Her horn lit up and the latch sprung free. Spike burst into the room.

“What happened, where’s Rainbow Dash, what’s—?”

“Th-there’s glass,” she warned, her head lowering as she shot her hoof out to stop him, wincing at the crackle under his steps.

Spike stopped and looked down at the floor, then back at Twilight, his frightened expression mixed with bewilderment. “I can eat glass if I want. Stop worrying about me, what the heck happened?!”

Her bangs hid her eyes, but her shoulders shook with held-back sobs. She let her hoof fall to the floor. “…It’s all my fault,” she whispered. “We had a fight and I…I lost control of my magic.”

“Wh-what was your fault that caused that?”

She wiped at her eyes, lids stinging and hot. “Everything’s my fault. Everything.” She sniffed sharply and turned away from him, gripping her gaskins and curling into a ball. “…I’ve spent my entire life thinking and over-thinking, analyzing what anypony says, looking for patterns and solutions to everything…but if it actually matters that I notice…” She swallowws the lump in her throat. “…I’m just the same oblivious foal reading a book on the playground while the world passes me by.”

Spike reached for her shoulder, but she shrunk away. “…Y-you sometimes blame yourself for stuff that isn’t your fault—”

“It is my fault.” Her voice dropped to a murmur. “I did everything wrong. I missed what she was saying at the start, and I was too stupid to notice what was happening to me—to us—until it was too late.” She turned her reddened eyes towards him and whispered, “How did I miss all of it?”

Spike’s expression wilted from fear to sadness as she spoke, his claw still hovering a few inches away, reaching out to her. His throat bobbed as he mulled over how to respond. “…You remember what you told me about change? About how sometimes stuff happens so slow that when you figure it out it’s like you never saw it changing?”

After a moment, Twilight gave him a grudging nod. “Yes, but it’s not the same. I should have noticed. It was my job to notice. I should’ve seen we were playing with fire, I should have been looking. It’s all my fault.”

Spike shut his eyes and shook his head slowly, his expression solemn. “Twilight…Every time I or somepony else has a problem, you always say, ‘Everypony makes mistakes.’ That’s always the advice you give me when I know I’ve done something wrong, and then you help me figure out how to fix it…Whose fault it is never matters, it’s what ponies do about it that’s important. Why is that good enough for everypony else, but not you?”

Twilight cringed as a stab of fresh hurt cut through her despondency. She wiped her eyes again and hid her face. “…Y-you’re right, Spike. I…I just messed up a lot and I don’t know how to fix it.”

He scooted closer, more of the mirror crunching under his feet. His claw reached her back and he felt her quivering under his touch. “Ca…is…can I help?”

She lifted her head and looked at him, fresh tears running down her cheeks. “Can I have a hug?”

A beat of silence passed. “What sorta Number One Assistant would I be if I didn’t hug you?” Spike circled her neck with his arms, pulling her out of the slouch so she could hug him back.

She clung to him and cried into his shoulder, drawing comfort from his arms, letting the worst of her pain and fear bleed out. Through her tears, she told him, “I don’t need a Number One Assistant right now. Just my LBBFF.”

Spike hugged tighter.

For a long time Twilight held him in her hooves, the mix of terror, guilt, hysteria, sadness, and anger boiling off like an overfilled pot, leaving a cavity of exhaustion in their place. Her sobs came further apart as the room grew colder, random gusts of wind blowing in from the ruined balcony door to raise gooseflesh on her forelegs. She rubbed her face into his scales and sat away. “Thank you, Spike.”

He nodded, looking her over with worry. His voice trembled as he said, “What are little brothers for?”

A weak smile cut through her tears and she gave him another squeeze. “I couldn’t ask for anything else. I love you, Spike.”

“I love you, too.”

Twilight sat up straight and vigorously rubbed her face, trying to transform her fatigue into resolve. She patted her bangs into some semblance of order and cleared her throat. Feeling a little centered again, she peered out into the lower loft of her room. “We should get the windows covered or it’s gonna be too cold to stay here tonight. I think there’re some extra sheets—”

Spike waved her off. “Don’t worry about the windows; there’s a whole stack of new ones in the basement. Enough to fix up everything really important, anyway, and I can go get more tomorrow when stores are open again.”

Her brow knit. “Why are there windows in the basement?”

He smirked despite himself, hiding his hands behind his back and giving her a chagrined look. “Well, uh, I ordered ‘em when Rainbow Dash moved in, since windows sorta die around her a lot.”

Twilight also couldn’t help smiling, ruffling the scales on the top of his head.

“Anyway, you’ve got other stuff to worry about besides a bunch of repairs.” He frowned and looked away. “I wish I could help more than just hugging…”

“You did help,” she said, getting up from the floor on unsteady hooves. She lifted a leg and paused; everywhere she could step had bits of mirror, just waiting to sink into the soft underside of her hoof. The parade of cuts running up her legs and chest had started to sting as her adrenaline tapered off, and the thought of adding to them made her set her leg back where it was. She lit her horn up and floated the floor clean, not looking at her reflection in the shards as they whizzed past her face and into a garbage can.

Spike watched her clear the floor and followed her out into the center of the loft. “...Well? What’d I do?”

“You said everypony always comes to me for advice when they make mistakes. I just need to go talk to the pony I ask for advice.” She took a deep breath and straightened up, mustering resolve into her shaking limbs. “I need to go talk to Applejack.”

Spike smiled. “I hope she can help.”

“Well…a lot of this involves her already, so I probably need to tell her about it anyway. I hope she doesn’t get upset if I just teleport there…” She glanced out the balcony and grimaced at the snow. “…I really don’t want to have to walk there right now.” She turned back to Spike and looked him over, touching a hoof to his cheek and dropping her voice. “Thank you for listening and being such a good brother. You’re always there for me.”

A blush colored his face and he hugged her again. “And I always will be. Good luck.”

Twilight straightened and focused her attention on Sweet Apple Acres. She willed magic into her horn, and Spike closed his eyes as a flash of light and crackling bang filled the room.

Applejack ran a brush through her mane, stifling a yawn. “’Nother good day a’ work, daddy,” she told the mirror. “Got everythin’ squared away for winter before it started snowin’. The ol’ farm’s lookin’ as good as the day you an’ momma left it.” She smiled. “Granny says you’d be right proud a’ me…not just for the farm, neither.” Setting the brush down, she took a deep breath. “…I’m keepin’ that promise I made ya, for what it’s worth.”

She stood and arched her back, turning towards her lantern and blowing it out. She glanced out the window and watched the snow fall in the dim sky, her smile widening as the change of seasons set in for her. Winter had come; the farm would need her, but another harvest season had come to an end. Holidays, snowball fights with her sister, hot cocoa, carols, and crackling fires awaited. She turned to her bed and pulled back the sheets.

As she crawled onto the mattress, a sharp tap followed by rattling glass cut through the silence. She swung her head back towards the winter scene. The window’s latch snapped and Rainbow Dash tumbled into the room.

Applejack shot up in her bed. “What in the world?” Rainbow’s mane and tail hung flat and drenched around her, the water thickened to slush with snow. In the dim light of evening, Applejack could see crystals forming in her friend’s matted coat. “Good cripes, Dash!”

She sprung to her hooves and raced out of the room, galloping to the linen closet. Tossing a stack of towels on her back, she bolted back to Rainbow, huddled under the window and shivering. “Ya tryin’ to kill yourself, flyin’ like that?” The window slammed shut under her hooves and she attacked her friend with the towels, scraping off gobs of frigid wet snow. Rainbow’s flesh was icy under her touch and she worked briskly, tossing saturated towels to the side before launching into the next patch of freezing pony.

“P-pegasi d-don’t get c-cold,” Rainbow chattered, no strength in her voice or her body, jostling back and forth with Applejack’s toweling.

“Big difference between not gettin’ chilly an’ freezin’ to death, ya darn fool,” she replied more frightened than angry, throwing the last towel down. Rainbow’s head hung and her mane puffed out in fluffy chunks, her whole body vibrating with shivers. Applejack dragged her friend away from the patch of cold and wet under the window, over to the bed. She grabbed the blanket in her teeth and ripped it from the mattress, wrapping Rainbow up like she was swaddling a newborn foal. Rainbow shook in the covering and she sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing up and down her friend’s quivering form, trying to impart some warmth.

As Rainbow began to still and breathe evenly, gripping the blanket close under her own will, Applejack let out a sigh of relief. “The heck were ya doin’ out like that, Rainbow? Did’ja fall in the lake?” She brushed Rainbow’s bangs away from her eyes and got a good look at her face. Rainbow stared back at Applejack, eyes haunted and bloodshot, and all the fear leapt back into her belly. “Oh, Celestia, somethin’ happened.”

Rainbow sniffled, head and shoulders drooping in the blanket, away from Applejack’s piercing expression. “I fucked up, AJ.”

“Somethin’ happen with Twilight?”

Rainbow nodded weakly. “We had a fight and she freaked out, but I was pissed and didn’t try to snap her out of it.” The blanket loosened and a hoof popped out from the folds for her to wipe her eyes. “I know she gets like that and says crazy stuff. I was just so angry.” She took an unsteady breath and shook her head. “And it was my shit that started it and freaked her out in the first place. I dunno what to do, AJ. That fight was…bad. And…and I dunno if she’s gonna forgive me…” Rainbow gritted her teeth and scrunched her eyes shut, her voice trembling with emotion; a barely restrained growl. “And part of me doesn’t want her to forgive me, because then nothing’ll change, and I’m so angry at myself, because I gotta fix it with her; I love her too much, I—” Her voice hitched and she cleared her throat, wiping her eyes. “It can’t be over.”

Applejack’s eyes widened as Rainbow started shivering for an entirely different reason. “…What on earth were y’all fightin’ about?”

Rainbow breathed in deep and swallowed the lump in her throat, her face relaxing as she opened her eyes and met Applejack’s gaze. “You.”

She grimaced and hung her head. “…Should’a broke this off ‘fore any a’ this mess happened,” she muttered, taking a deep breath. “Ya ain’t holdin’ what happened with Twi against her, are ya? Ya know she’s crazy about you an’ I ain’t gonna get in the way a’ that.”

“It’s not that.” Rainbow’s other hoof came free from the blanket and she touched Applejack’s sides, sliding around her shoulders and up to her cheeks. Applejack felt a spark run up her spine. Rainbow’s hooves, chilly and gentle, stood the hairs of her coat on end in their wake. She felt sluggish and disconnected from herself, watching Rainbow’s face draw closer.

“Applejack, I’m in love with you.”

Her eyes fluttered shut on their own as Rainbow kissed her, lips cool but mouth burning hot, the same living fire she remembered and mourned. She kissed back more out of memory and instinct than anything else, hooves circling Rainbow’s shoulders to drag their bodies closer, heart pounding, bathing in her own lack of worry, trying to hold onto the peace. A gasp of shock snapped her out of it and she broke the kiss, turning towards her open door.

Apple Bloom stared at the two of them, eyes wide and jaw slack.

Applejack felt heat rise to her already-flushed face as she stared back. She felt Rainbow follow her gaze and tense against her. An avalanche of silence crushed the three, suffocating and thick.

Purple light exploded in the center of the room as Twilight appeared, a thunderclap breaking the quiet. “Sorry to intrude like this, Applejack, buhh…” Her voice tapered off as she saw Rainbow, and the deafening silence fell again, twice as heavy, all eyes on the newest arrival. Apple Bloom’s ears fell flat and she grimaced, unable to look away. Rainbow’s expression morphed from shock to a mixture of fear and pain as her eyes met Twilight’s, her marefriend frazzled and exhausted, but looking just as afraid and hurt as she was.

The longest three seconds any of them had ever known crawled by.

“I’m sorry, Rainbow!” Twilight cried. She galloped at the pair, tackling them both in a bearhug that knocked Rainbow all the way onto the bed and nearly dragged Applejack on top of them both. “I panicked and—!”

Apple Bloom’s jaw fell open again and she sat down with a thud.

“I’m sorry, Twi, I shouldn’t—!”

“No, it’s my fault, I—!”

Apple Bloom’s voice crashed over the room, drowning them both out. “What in the gates of Tartarus is goin’ on?!”

Twilight started and looked at Apple Bloom, who had leapt back up with her head lowered in challenge, and then she turned to Applejack, her eyes wide with guilt and shock. Rainbow grimaced. Apple Bloom stared at her sister through a sea of confusion bordering on hysteria. Then all three started talking over each other at once.

Applejack pulled herself up straight, her expression fell flat, and her hoof shot straight up into the air. The room fell still as she commanded their attention, her eyes never leaving her sister’s face. After a moment, she lowered her leg and extended it towards Apple Bloom in a wordless request for her to wait. Grudgingly, Apple Bloom nodded and sat on her haunches. She turned to the pair still wrapped around her, watching her with unease and fright.

She took a deep breath, her voice coming out soft and slow. “I think, ‘fore anypony’s gonna be able to really talk about anythin’, the two’ve ya gotta hug some a’ this out.”

They pulled back from her and looked at each other, the expressions of hurt and worry returning to their faces. “But—”

“Y’all both just had a big ol’, knock down, drag out fight, an’ it’s plain as day on your faces you’re about ready ta jump outta your skin thinkin’ ya messed up too much to fix it. But ya both know ya ain’t stopped lovin’ each other one bit. Nopony’s gonna be in no state to really talk ‘til after ya got a chance to see that ain’t nothin’ really changed.”

Twilight nodded, followed by Rainbow. Applejack watched Twilight reach forward, tentative and questioning in contrast to her earlier tackle. Rainbow’s hoof rose to match and they touched fetlocks. Twilight closed the distance in a fluid glide and they were around each other, cheek to cheek, eyes closed and breaths controlled and deep, blanket falling away from Rainbow. Applejack could feel the yearning and earnest strength of their embrace from a foot away, could feel the desperation of their clinging. She heard Twilight whisper, “I’m sorry.”

Rainbow answered, “Me, too.”

Applejack’s chest clenched around her lungs looking at them, and she fought her face, keeping her expression even, her breathing steady. She turned to Apple Bloom and slid off the bed, crossing the distance to her sister. She spoke in the same soft tone. “Apple Bloom…I didn’t want ya to see somethin’ like this, and you’re deservin’ of an explanation. I will give ya one.” She took a deep breath and looked back at Twilight and Rainbow, who drifted back from their embrace on the bed, their faces still drawn and beleaguered. “…But this ain’t the time right now.”

“But—”

“Apple Bloom.” She swung back to look at her sister, expression stern. “I got a pair of real upset ponies in the middle of a crisis. Me talkin’ to you about this when it’s all a mess and I don’t rightly know what’s goin’ on myself can wait ‘til not past bedtime when ya got school in the morning.”

As her sister spoke, Apple Bloom’s brow drew together and she pouted, “You swear you’ll tell me?”

“I promise.”

Apple Bloom’s lip jutted out further and she let out a groan. “Okaaay…” She slunk out of the bedroom, casting one more bewildered look at the three of them, and Applejack shut the door behind her.

Taking a steadying breath, Applejack walked back to the bed and sat down next to Rainbow and Twilight, who had fully separated to watch her solemnly. “So, uh, y’all doin’ better now?” she sighed.

Twilight’s eyes flicked to the door and back to Rainbow, frowning. “Um. Not...really. I think we’re less panicked now, but everything’s still so…”

“Fucked up?” Rainbow offered.

“Yeah.” She sighed and turned to her friend. “Applejack, I’m so sorry your sister stumbled into our mess.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow agreed. “That totally wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“It’s alright.” At their objections, she continued, “It could’a been worse. I ain’t keen on her walkin’ in like that, but…it’s different now.” She rubbed her knee and looked away. “I think I’d rather jump off the roof than explain a word of our arrangement to her, but this ain’t about that no more.” Applejack gave them both a weary grin. “Tellin’ her about the two’ve ya’s hearts gettin’ all tangled up with me ain’t like that, though. I can tell her about that, an’ how ya came here ‘cause ya needed my…help. U-untanglin’.” Her smile wilted and she turned her head to the side, looking off the bed and at her vanity’s mirror. “Untanglin’ from me.”

The pair exchanged a look of concern, and Twilight scooted closer to her friend, forming a circle on the bed. “Applejack?”

Applejack closed her eyes, dismayed to feel tears running down her cheeks. She inhaled, leaning back and wiping her face. “Oh, Luna, it ain’t fair,” she muttered, clearing the roughness from her throat.

Rainbow reached a hoof out. “AJ?”

“I’m sorry.” She forced herself to sit up straight, still facing the mirror. “I…I can’t do this. I can’t help ya. I don’t have the strength right now.”

The two shared another glance, and Twilight hung her head. “You’re right. This is a problem between me and Rainbow, and dragging you into it to clean up our mess isn’t fair.”

Applejack shook her head. “If ya just gave me more time.” She wiped at her eyes again. “…I made a promise to my daddy. I promised I wouldn’t pull the two of ya apart just ‘cause I wanted to be selfish.” She turned away from the mirror and looked at them both, feeling her chest tighten at just their sight, burdened by the weight of the missing peace she had recaptured for a fleeting instant in Rainbow’s hooves. “But you’re askin’ me to stitch ya back together, and I just don’t have it in me right now.” She hung her head.

Twilight’s throat bobbed as she listened to Applejack talk, realization dawning in her eyes. She looked at her marefriend to confirm, but only saw confusion. “…Applejack, I think the three of us should get everything out in the open. Did Rainbow tell you—?”

“Yeah,” Rainbow interrupted, avoiding Twilight’s eyes.

Twilight turned back to Applejack. “Applejack, do you have anything to tell us?”

She kept her head hung. A war raged in her heart, one fought between the desire to be honest, and the desire to do what was right. She tried to live her life so the two lined up, because when they did it was easy. When they didn’t she never knew which decision she should make, because a lie of omission was still a lie. She never felt quite right lying for the sake of what she thought was right, especially when she didn’t know for sure it was right, but hurting the ponies around her with painful truths was never a better decision. She tried to temper herself, and despite her misgivings, always went for what was right over what was honest.

But oh, Celestia, she was tired. Her body ached from months of bottled up truth, from glances she tried to keep from giving, from a week of mourning thrown through a thresher to leave her heart raw and fresh again.

“…Ya know what my favorite part of our Saturdays was?” She looked back up and met their gazes. “It was gettin’ to fall asleep with the both of ya in my hooves… ‘cause it meant I got a couple minutes where it was okay for me to love you.”

Twilight bowed her head as Rainbow’s eyes widened.

“I promised my daddy, I promised him, but Celestia help me, I miss that so much it hurts, and ya both bein’ here is askin’ for me to piece ya back together when I ain’t even started gettin’ over it. It’s too much. I can’t do it. It’s too soon.” She shook her head and wiped at her eyes again, her shoulders sinking as she let out a long breath. “Look at us. When ya asked me if I wanted to jump into bed all I thought was, ‘That sounds fun,’ and I didn’t even think about what might go wrong.”

“None of us did.” Twilight shrugged, brushing her bangs away from her eyes. When she set her leg back down she found she was touching Rainbow’s hoof. She held on. “All three of us heard the idea and thought it sounded fun. What happened after that…was just something that happened.”

Rainbow took Twilight’s hoof in her own. “…This sucks.” The others murmured in agreement. She looked from Applejack to Twilight. “What, uh…what do we do now?”

Sighing, Twilight gave her a smile that looked more like a grimace. “I guess we do what we were doing already. You and I go home and the three of us…mourn this. Then we move on with our lives as friends, and maybe some day look back on this whole experience as a fond memory.”

Rainbow watched Applejack nod in agreement, eyes downcast. She turned to Twilight and let out a huff of frustration. “But I don’t want to do that. Do you? Do either of you wanna just go back to how it was?”

Twilight shot her a guilty look, and after a moment shook her head. “I can’t put my hoof on it, but…it feels so much more than just going back to being friends. There’s something…something we’re losing, and it’s not just the fact that it feels nice to love her.” She saw Applejack’s gaze drift back to the vanity.

“…Yeah, I think you’re right. Geeze. This really sucks.” Rainbow sighed and slumped forward. They sat in their rough circle not looking at each other, silent and downcast.

After a while, Rainbow squeezed Twilight’s hoof and raised her head, her voice coming out low. “…This started when you asked me if I had a fantasy, Twi. Well, I do have one.” Rainbow’s other leg slid across the sheet, finding Applejack’s hoof, caressing the side as she settled on top, holding on with the same gentle strength as Twilight’s leg. “My fantasy is that I don’t have to stop loving her.”

Applejack’s ears fell flat in dismay as she met Rainbow’s eyes, full of want, absent of the guilt and misgivings, just a plain desire for her. Before she could object, Twilight’s hoof found her other leg, holding onto her, completing the circle. “That’s my fantasy, too,” Twilight said, and she turned to meet the same expression, the same probing eyes.

She held their hooves back, gripping, feeling the shame in her chest squeeze her heart as she let herself just love them both, if only for another moment, if only as part of the shared fantasy. She loved them and they loved her, and right then, sitting on her bed in the dark, that was okay.

Except she knew it wasn’t.

Applejack swallowed the lump in her throat, swallowed down her emotion. “…I can’t break my promise. I can’t break you up just because I love you both.” She closed her eyes. “It’s a mighty wonderful fantasy, but it ain’t real.”

Rainbow grit her teeth. Applejack felt Rainbow’s grip tighten on her hoof, pinning her to the bed and tremoring against her. Rainbow’s nostrils flared, her eyes narrowed, and her ears flattened to the back of her head as she let out a growl. Her forelegs flew up in the air in disgust. “Why the hell are we fighting this?! Why can’t I love you both?! I want you both, and I want you both to have each other, too, why is that so fucking impossible?!”

“Rainbow, keep your voice down,” Twilight admonished.

She growled again, hissing out in a lower volume, “Twi, give me one reason why we need to go back to how it was before besides we’re ‘supposed to’ do it. Nopony wants it, so why?” As Twilight gaped at her, she whipped around to Applejack, prodding her friend in the chest. “And don’t give me your promise, because if I got to wake up next to you and not pretend I wasn’t in love, I sure as hell wouldn’t break up with Twilight.”

Applejack groaned and rubbed her forehead. “Dash, there’s more goin’ on than just that. The two of ya got a life together. Me comin’ over and hoppin’ in the sheets once a week’s just gonna make it harder for everypony, whether we’re all sayin’ we love each other out loud or not. Ya got your life you’re makin’ an’ I’m just imposin’!”

“But—”

“But you’re not imposing, you were never imposing.” Twilight sat up straight, stamping a hoof on the bed, her eyes bright with realization. “And that’s the difference; that’s why this is so hard. This isn’t about just love, and it never was. Any two—or three—ponies can fall for each other, and couples who are already in love break up all the time anyway, because nothing else is right between them. But, Applejack—” She pointed at her friend. “—you’re not interfering with the life Rainbow and I are making. You make it better. Rainbow and I don’t just love you; we want you in our lives. That’s why giving this up hurts so much; we’re not trying to move past something that happened, we’re trying to take you out of our lives when nopony wants that. What we want is to have you there.”

Applejack’s jaw snapped shut. She turned to Rainbow, who grinned back at her with relief, frustration gone. “Ya…ya both want me as part a’ what ya already got?”

“Yes!” Twilight cheered.

Rainbow’s grin widened. “Listen, the sex is awesome, but just having you around is so much more awesome. There’s stuff the two of us do that just isn’t the same with me and Twilight. And you bring out stuff in Twi I can’t; I’ve seen both of you talk about junk that puts me to sleep, but I can see how happy you both are. And even without all of that, when you’re not around it’s like…” She frowned and turned to Twilight.

“It’s like something’s missing. It’s that you are missing, from our lives, from our plans, our conversations…It’s always more alive when you’re there. Is it the same for you? When you’re with us, does it feel like you’re a part of…this…” Twilight scratched her chin and looked to Rainbow.

“Like you’re part of the Wonderbolts.”

Twilight snorted. “Or at least a team that nopony could hope to beat?”

Applejack’s frown deepened with confusion as they spoke. “I…tried to pretend I didn’t.” She chewed her lip. “But y’all have been livin’ together; ya already got your team…”

“So?” Rainbow asked, grabbing Applejack’s hoof again. “Me and Twi didn’t start out living together. What’s that matter?”

“I…” The straightjacket on her chest loosened bit by bit as she turned from one excited face to the other. She sent a wild look across the room at her vanity, and she cracked a smile at the two of them. “It don’t matter, ‘cause we’d have’ta start somewhere anyway.” Her grin strengthened, the weights lifting off as she let go of her promise, a promise she didn’t have to keep. “So…where do we start?”

Twilight leaned in closer. “We make our fantasy a reality, not just for sex, but for everything. We figure out how to have a life together. All of us. Your workload is lighter over the winter, right?” Applejack nodded. “So come date us. We’ll spend time together like we have been, but more than that, too. If you have the time for it, maybe we can have an…extended sleepover through the winter. You stay with us and come here for work during the day when you need to. After next Winter Wrap Up we’ll see where everypony stands and go from there. Like a normal couple. Like a team.” She cupped Applejack’s free hoof again. “If you’ll have us?”

She looked down at the legs holding her on either side, reaching out to her to draw her into a life she wasn’t expecting, but wanted more than anything. Her mind raced back over months spent together, in and out of the bedroom, the peace she desperately wanted gripping her, beckoning her, calling her to come home. A new home with Twilight and Rainbow as partners, as lovers, as friends. A home as part of a team that nopony could beat.

Applejack slid forward.

She pressed her cheek into Twilight’s, feeling Rainbow on the other side, hooves around her shoulders, her legs around their middles, nuzzling in, closing her eyes, her grin painful. Rainbow’s lips found her neck and she turned her snout into Twilight’s mane, breathing in the smell, the comforting scent of one of her marefriends.

They drifted down onto the mattress, nestled into each other, hooves entangled around one another, in manes, brushing against wings, holding each other with earnest yearning. The weight of a day far too long and far too full of heartache pulled at them, and they soon drifted off into rumbling snores, lying in a pile, wrapped around each other, holding onto a new promise of things to come.

They were in love. And it was okay.

Applejack yawned as she woke up, twisting to stretch out her back. Rainbow tightened against her front, keeping her from moving, and Twilight nuzzled into her neck. Her eyes snapped open in the bleary darkness of predawn and she grinned at her predicament, buried underneath her lovers. Rainbow muttered shapelessly, loosening the grip around her middle and shifting position to use her chest as a pillow. She let out a sigh and prodded the two off of her.

“Nn, whuzat?” Rainbow grumbled, swatting at Applejack’s hooves.

“I’m gettin’ up, sugarcube.” She pulled herself out of the middle, stepping to the edge of the bed and shoving Rainbow into Twilight, who grabbed ahold in her sleep to spoon.

“S’early,” Rainbow complained, hooking Applejack’s hindleg to drag her back into the pile.

She yanked herself free. “Breakfast soon, lazybones.” Rainbow grumbled and buried her face in a pillow. “Yeah, yeah, go back to sleep. I’ll get’cha both up in a few.”

“Make coffee,” Twilight groaned.

Grinning and shaking her head, Applejack left the room, shutting the door quietly. She looked at the stairs, before facing back down the hallway, her eyes falling on Apple Bloom’s door. Her ears flattened to her head as the desire to bolt to the kitchen and start cooking tugged at her, but she resisted, drawing up straight and taking a deep breath.

She got to the door and stopped, her hoof raised in the air. She steeled herself, drawing back to knock but not quite bringing herself to strike the wood. A door opened behind her and she turned to find her brother.

They exchanged a look. Big Mac smirked at her.

Clearing her throat, Applejack kept her tone normal. “Hey, Mac, ya mind cookin’ today? I gotta talk to Apple Bloom ‘fore breakfast.” He gave her a nod. “Make coffee. And, uh…make enough extra food for a couple’a guests.”

“Eeyup,” he responded smugly, no hint of surprise in his voice. His eyes glinted with enough amusement for Applejack to consider putting a spider or ten on his pillow as he strutted past her towards the stairs. She cleared her throat again, willing the heat out of her cheeks, as she knocked on her little sister’s door.

She heard rustling from the other side, and Apple Bloom belted out, “Oh, for pete’s sake, the sun ain’t even up yet, Granny; I ain’t runnin’ late!”

“Can I come in?”

The rustling stopped, and she heard hoofsteps. Apple Bloom opened the door, her mane still messy and missing its bow, and looked up at her sister. Applejack could see that the night’s sleep had driven the burning curiosity from Apple Bloom, leaving her cautious and nervous. “H-hey.”

Applejack forced a smile as she stepped into the room, leading her sister back to the bed and taking a seat on the floor. Apple Bloom sat facing her, and she could see the trepidation warring with a hint of renewed eagerness. The sounds of pots and pans rustling floated up from downstairs in the silence, and Applejack gathered herself as she looked over Apple Bloom’s features.

Apple Bloom broke the silence first, dropping her gaze and tracing circles on the floor with a hoof. “So, uh…I figured out ya ain’t helpin’ Rainbow Dash cheat on Twilight or nothin’…” Applejack coughed into her hoof, her cheeks burning again. “…Seein’ as Twilight wasn’t shook up about ya…huggin’ an’ kissin’ like that.” She looked up at Applejack, the wariness in her face losing out to her need to understand. “And ya were kissin’ her.”

Taking a breath in and letting it out slowly, Applejack nodded. “I was. An’ it wasn’t the first time I kissed her, an’ Twilight knew about it. You’re right about all a’ that.”

“…So what is goin’ on?”

She frowned down at Apple Bloom, trying to sort her thoughts into words, then compress those words into something she could say to a little filly without dunking her head in a lake afterwards. Her mind raced back over past conversations, trying to find something to pull her jumbled head together. She dwelled on the last meeting in the library, the turmoil of her friends, turned lovers, turned partners, as she said goodbye to them, never guessing they might have a life together yet.

She was at a loss for how to explain all of that to a little girl who still jumped at the chance to carve pumpkins.

Applejack smiled as she thought about Apple Bloom stamping through the remains of the patch, accompanied by two other fillies plus one dragon. It clicked in her head.

“Apple Bloom, lemme ask ya somethin’.” Her sister raised an eyebrow as she grinned. “Wasn’t too long ago I started seein’ Spike runnin’ around with ya more ‘n more. Did y’all make him part a’ your club?”

“Secret society,” Apple Bloom corrected, frowning at Applejack. “What’s this gotta do with anythin’?”

“I’m gettin’ to it. Is Spike part a’ the secret society?”

Apple Bloom’s brow knit. “…He is, yeah. Little while ago, Spike told us that Twilight said even dragons get cutie marks, just on the inside. We had a ceremony an’ made him a full member an’ everything.”

She nodded in satisfaction, some of the tension leaving her shoulders. “I thought as much. And I bet ya didn’t just do it ‘cause he fit your clu—err, secret society’s rules, huh? Ya made him a member ‘cause he’s part a’ your team now. Y’all have grown real close, right?”

She nodded, growing more confused. “Yeah, Spike’s a real good friend. S’like ya say, we’re thick as thieves.”

Applejack leaned against the bed, propping her chin on her hoof. “Well, that’s sorta like what things are between me, Twilight, ‘n Rainbow Dash.” Apple Bloom gave her a deadpan glare and she chuckled. “I ain’t sayin’ we’re just friends, don’t look at me like that. It’s just…if ya called the two of ‘em bein’ marefriends a secret society, then they asked me to join up.”

Apple Bloom’s eyes widened and her jaw fell open. “Does bein’ marefriends work like that?”

“…I ain’t got the foggiest idea, AB.” She laughed louder as her sister sputtered at her. “I just know that as great a’ friends as I am with the other girls, I got somethin’ else with the two a’ them. Sorta like I was tellin’ you on the first day a’ school; even though me an’ Rarity’re close, I never stopped not seein’ eye to eye with her. Me, Twilight, ‘n Dash, though, when the three of us are together, we really are thick as thieves, and if they want me in their secret society, I’m sayin’ whatever oath they ask.

“If I had to guess, I’d say it’s a lot like what happened with y’all and Spike. Ya started out just the three of ya, and then Spike came along. At first, it was fun ‘cause ya kept findin’ little things Spike knew about and wanted to do, an’ it was sorta like an adventure just figurin’ out how he fit in with the rest of ya. Y’all started lookin’ forward to him bein’ there when he wasn’t, ‘cause those things y’all found out showed how much he fit in as part of your group. Then before ya knew it, it was like he’d always been there as part of the team.” Her eyes drifted to the wall, in the direction of her bedroom. “And when ya made it official, it was just words, ‘cause y’all knew he’d been a cutie mark crusader from the start.”

Apple Bloom opened and shut her mouth a few times. “Well, uh, I guess you’re right about Spike, but…” A lull settled over the room and they sat in silence, listening to Big Mac cooking downstairs and the shift of floorboards as Granny crossed the hall to join him. Apple Bloom shifted her weight from side to side, her gaze distant in thought, until eventually she shrugged. “I…don’t really get it.”

Applejack sighed.

“Well...it’s not like ya sound sad or ‘nothin’.”

Her grin returned and she nodded. “I ain’t sad. I’m happier’n I’ve been in a long time.”

“Well, if’n you’re happy, an’ the two a’ them are happy, I guess…that means…this is really a good thing?” She scratched her head. “So does this make ‘em both your marefriends?”

“Sounds strange to me, too.”

“Well, uh, then I guess I’m happy for ya, sis. An’ I forgive ya for not tellin’ me sooner an’ keepin’ it a secret, ‘cause… this is really weird.” As the smell of eggs drifted into the room and the light of dawn filtered through the window, Apple Bloom shrugged again and stood up, kicking open her bureau to grab a bow. “This whole year’s been really weird.”

Applejack snorted and stood up, pausing at the door before leaving, watching her sister brush her mane in the mirror. “I’m glad I was right about Spike. Momma an’ Daddy’d be real proud a’ you, makin’ friends like that. It took me a long time to figure out how to do it, an’ you’re great at it already.” Apple Bloom smiled at her and rolled her eyes. “Hold onto ‘em, okay? Friends that close don’t come along too often.”

“I will. Now get out; I gotta get ready ‘fore Granny comes back up hollerin’ for me.”

Letting out a relieved breath, Applejack left her sister’s room, plodding back to her own door. She let herself in and stifled a giggle as her eyes fell on the bed. Rainbow’s hooves twitched in her sleep and her mouth hung open in a goofy smile as Twilight sleep-chewed on her wing.

“Breakfast time,” she called out, grabbing her brush off the vanity.

“Nnf, five more minutes,” Twilight mumbled through a mouthful of feathers.

“Don’t make me throw one a’ these towels at ya. I bet they’re still plenty wet.”

Rainbow groaned and rolled onto her belly, pulling Twilight on top of her. Twilight squeaked and flopped out of bed, grabbing onto Rainbow as she tumbled, succeeding in pulling her marefriend off the mattress with her. The two whined and muttered as they untangled themselves and got to their hooves.

“Fine,” Rainbow grumbled, stomping across the floor, “I gotta pee, anyway.” She paused at the vanity and grinned at Applejack’s reflection. Swooping in from the side, she stole a peck, then headed out into the hall.

“Ooh, I didn’t mean to just fall asleep like that. I hope Spike’s not worried. That was just a really long day...” Twilight shook her head and found her balance before walking to the vanity. Applejack paused in her brushing to look up at her marefriend.

In the light of day, Applejack’s eyes fell to the little nicks along Twilight’s legs and she sucked air through her teeth in sympathy. “Dang, Twi, ya did a number on yourself yesterday, didn’t ya?”

Twilight looked down at herself and shook her head. “It’s nothing that bad. Just...part of a really long day.”

“What happened? Y’all never really told me, ‘side from Dash gettin’ angry and you gettin’ outta sorts.”

She shrugged and sighed. “We’ll tell you the whole story later. The short version is that fights happen, but it’s better now. I wish you had been there; you’re really good at calming the two of us down.” Applejack grinned at her, and watched worry bloom in her expression. “Applejack…Last night happened kinda fast… Do you really want this? We didn’t force you into anything you didn’t want, did we?”

“Nah, y’all didn’t force me into nothin’.” Applejack smiled and touched Twilight’s cheek, guiding her into a kiss, soft and tender. “If you’ll have me, I’m there.”

Twilight smiled in relief and nuzzled Applejack’s neck. “Okay.”

“...I’m worried, though. The heck are we doin’? Can we really do somethin’ like this?”

“I...don’t know, but I want to try. We’ll start figuring all of this out after breakfast. And coffee. And I get home to check on Spike.” She let out a huff. “Gonna be another long day.”

“Long winter... but maybe that’s a good thing.”

“Maybe.” She grinned and brushed along Applejack’s back as she followed Rainbow’s path into the hall. Applejack turned back to the mirror and pulled a couple ribbons out of their box, doing up her mane. She smiled at her reflection, watching snow fall behind her in the window.

Winter had arrived and another harvest season had come to an end. Holidays, snowball fights, hot cocoa, carols, and crackling fires awaited her, both at home on the farm and in a new home that welcomed her in with open hooves.

“Mornin’, Li’l Apple. It’s a hard day a’ workin’ ahead, you do your momma an’ me proud.” She grabbed her Stetson and put it on. “I always try my best, daddy...and I know I’m gonna make you proud.”

Author's Note

tl;dr

The ending can be summed up by whatever the reverse of "And then the fucked" is, perhaps "They fucked, and then..."

Epilogue

“Rainbow Dash, how in the heck are ya not up yet, ya lazy varmint?”

Rainbow scrunched her face and dug further into the pillow, flicking her tail at Applejack. “Oh, lay off; I was up half the night. Or don’t you remember?” She flicked her tail again, away from her backside, and lifted a thigh, giving Applejack a nice view. She cracked an eye open, smirking as she watched her marefriend take in the sight.

“If you remember, I was there for it. Now put that away; you’re makin’ me hungry.” Applejack turned and crossed the room towards the loft steps, hefting a fallen pillow on her back leg and bucking it straight into Rainbow’s face.

Giggling, she batted it away and sat up, stretching out her limbs. “Oh, come on, AJ, we got time for a pre-meal meal if you’re quick about it.”

“How romantic,” Applejack deadpanned. “And we’re supposed to be at Sugarcube Corner in ten minutes.”

“Oh.” Her eyes jumped to the clock and she winced. “Damn, I really did sleep in.” She ran a hoof through her mane and front flipped off the bed, spreading her wings and flying up to Applejack. “You and Twi just really knocked me out, I guess.”

Applejack smirked and shot back a wink. “Lightweight.” She headed down the stairs before Rainbow could respond.

“Lightweight?! Hey!” She zoomed after Applejack, landing on her marefriend’s back as they reached the lower loft. Hooking all four legs around her middle, she found the best tickling spots from memory.

“It’s so dang adorable, Dash,” Applejack goaded, already laughing. “Ya come like the first one done wins the race!”

“Oh, like I’m ever done after the first.” She wiggled her hooves, grinning as her lover’s cackles spiked an octave. “Hey, if we didn’t have that big lunch to get to, we could race.”

Applejack bucked her back legs, sending Rainbow sailing off. She caught her balance midair and flipped around to exchange a grin with her marefriend. Applejack straightened back up and regained her breath before heading towards the stairs. “I’m up for a race afterwards. You talkin’ through the woods or through the sheets, hot shot?”

“How about one, then the other? Twi can time us, then join us, then time us, then join us again.”

Snorting, Applejack shook her head as they hit the main floor of the library, aiming for the sounds of cooking in the kitchen. Twilight moved fluidly through the room as she took pans off the heat, combining sauces, noodles, and veggies in a large dish on the counter. Without looking up, she asked, “Did you get her up, or should I go turn the bed upside-down?”

“I’m up, I’m up! Geeze, can’t a girl sleep for, like, nine hours—”

“Twelve,” Twilight corrected.

“Twelve hours without—okay, damn, did I really sleep for twelve hours?” She landed with a clatter, shaking her head. “Did you two drug me?”

Applejack chuckled and shoulder-checked her. “Lightweight.”

“It’s okay, Rainbow, you were being very acrobatic last night.” Twilight shot her a smoky glance and went back to the cooking, floating the cookware into the sink and laying a towel over the finished dish. “Everypony ready?”

Applejack grunted. “Lemme grab my pie from the fridge.”

Rainbow shrugged, crossing her legs and leaning against the table. “Hey, you guys are the cooks. All I gotta do is show up.” Twilight and Applejack exchanged an amused glance. “I still don’t know why we’re doing this now. If we waited a few days, we’d be able to do it outside.”

Twilight floated the dish over her head and grabbed the pie off Applejack’s back in her aura, turning towards the doorway. “Well, Pinkie wanted one last hurrah before winter’s over, plus there was some other reason she wasn’t clear about.”

“Yeah, I guess.” She followed after Twilight, Applejack falling into step next to her. “I’ve just been…enjoying winter.”

“Ain’t been all sunshine, lightnin’ butt.”

She bumped her side into Applejack. “Well, no, it’s snowed a lot, cider butt.”

Sighing, Twilight slung a scarf around her neck from the peg by the door. “Those silly names. Thank Celestia you haven’t given me one.”

“Actually…” Rainbow exchanged a wicked smirk with Applejack as they filed out into the snowy street while Twilight locked up.

“Oh, shoot!” Twilight exclaimed, her surprise a bit too even to be genuine. “I forgot to get the light, hold on—”

Applejack caught her back leg. “Already got it, and ya ain’t gettin’ outta hearin’ the name.”

Twilight groaned, turning the deadbolt and then walking ahead of them, angling down the hill towards Sugarcube Corner. “…What is it?”

“Smack butt!” the two shouted, swatting either side of her flank with a hoof. Twilight shrieked, almost dropping the pie and noodles to the ground. Applejack and Rainbow fell into each other in laughter.

Twilight coughed as she pulled herself up straight and tall, adjusting her scarf beneath her blush. “How long have you two been waiting to do that?”

Rainbow’s snickers tapered off and she winked. “Months.”

Shaking her head and giggling despite herself, Twilight turned back to the road. “Crazy to think it has been months. Time’s both flown and crawled by, hasn’t it?” Applejack and Rainbow sped their pace, pressing in on either side of Twilight and sandwiching her in a nuzzle. “Mmm. It’s been nice, though. I’d say it was like a vacation, even though it really wasn’t.”

Rainbow nodded against her cheek. “Yeah, vacations have a lot more booze.”

Chuckling, Applejack reached over Twilight and flicked Rainbow’s ear with a hoof. “It’s just been…life. Lotta it good, some of it bad, workin’, relaxin’…”

“A lot of banging,” Rainbow added, earning another flick. She opened her wing and tickled Applejack’s side with her primaries.

Twilight slowed her pace as their destination came into view. Her marefriends stopped with her, standing in the middle of the street. They pulled away a step to look at her. She glanced from one to the other, nerves coloring her expression. “So, uh…it’s…getting close to when we said we’d see where we stood, isn’t it?”

Sighing and rolling her eyes, Rainbow smirked at Twilight. “Always gotta ruin the mood talking about stuff, huh?”

“Oh, yes, because not talking about ‘stuff’ worked so well, Rainbow.” Twilight stuck out her tongue. Rainbow blew a raspberry back.

“Ain’t no reason not to talk about it. ‘Less I been readin’ the both of ya real wrong, everypony’s pretty dang happy with things the way they are right now.” The smugness dropped out of her grin, her expression completely sincere. “I know I am.”

“I dunno,” Rainbow teased. “I could do without how damn early you get up.”

“I could do without your snorin’.”

Twilight giggled, swatting them both with her tail. “I don’t think anypony’s looking to end this arrangement. It’s just…Applejack, how has it been getting into the farm in the mornings?”

“It’s alright, I guess.”

Twilight smiled and shook her head. “Applejack…”

Sighing, she pushed her Stetson back on her forehead. “Okay, yeah, it ain’t been the best. I’m either late gettin’ to work an’ have to rush, or I don’t get no breakfast. I’ve tried gettin’ up earlier, but I’m already beatin’ Celestia as it is, an’ I can’t stay on the farm much later’n I do every day. Ain’t like there’s a bunch a’ lights; when the sun goes down, that’s all I got.”

Twilight nodded solemnly. “I thought so.”

A wave of panic crashed around Rainbow. Puffing out her wings, she rounded on the two of them. “So? So that’s it?!”

They stared back at her in confusion. After a moment, Twilight started giggling. Rainbow grunted and pointed an accusatory hoof at her laughing marefriend, but Applejack swatted it away, chuckling herself. “No, that ain’t it, Dash.”

“But—”

“So,” Twilight cut in, “I’ve been thinking about our living arrangement. Applejack gets up the earliest and has the longest work day, followed by you, Rainbow, while I have steady hours that start later in the morning. When you first moved into the library it made sense, because your job is just up from pretty much anywhere and me getting to and from a cloud house isn’t exactly easy, even if I found a permanent cloudwalking spell. But if Applejack’s going to live with us permanently, it doesn’t make any sense for us to live in the library.”

Rainbow’s jaw snapped shut. “...Oh.”

“That is presupposing you’re either interested or ready to move in permanently, Applejack, which I’m not assuming.” She turned to her other marefriend, her smile turning tentative. “If you are, I was thinking we should start looking for a new place to move into closer to the farm. You and Rainbow Dash are already commuting; I can just as easily work at the library during the day and come home to someplace else.”

Applejack frowned in thought and nodded. “Well…I got a feelin’ I’m gonna be real busy for Winter Wrap Up, and it’s just gonna get worse for a while. Farmin’ in the spring ain’t no picnic, an’ Big Mac’s gonna need me there.”

Rainbow’s ears fell flat and she puffed out her feathers again.

“But if I can say anythin’ about makin’ the time this winter …I want this.” She smiled at Twilight, then to Rainbow. “I want us.”

They grinned back at her, and Twilight nuzzled in under her chin. “I want us, too.”

“Duh.” Rainbow injected bravado back into her voice, running a hoof through her mane and shooting a bored look off the side of the road. “I knew everything was still cool.” She looked sidelong at Applejack, her expression guarded. “So…you wanna move in with us if we find a new place?”

“Might have’ta wait for things to settle down ‘fore I really got the time, but if’n we can find someplace that works for everypony…I’d love to.”

Shooting into the air, Rainbow shouted, “Yes!” She coughed and cleared her throat, returning to the ground and darting her eyes side to side. “Um, I mean, that’s cool.” Applejack and Twilight exchanged a smirk. “So, uh…go Team Sex Goddesses?”

Twilight’s brow knit. “…Team Sex Goddesses?”

“It’s either that or Team Butts.”

Twilight winced and shook her head, turning to Applejack. “Thank goodness you’re normal.”

“Normal? I’m votin’ for Team Butts.” Rainbow snorted and covered her snout, watching the blooming grin on Applejack’s face as Twilight’s ears fell flat and her eye twitched. Applejack prodded her in the chest. “What’cha think, smack butt?”

Rainbow poked Twilight in the ribs. “Yeah, smack butt.”

At their continued jabs, Twilight started giggling and slapping their hooves away. “Okay, okay, knock it off, you’re both crazy. C’mon, we’re almost late.” They set off down the hill towards the bakery, giggling together and pressed in close.

Applejack shook her head as they went. “I still can’t fathom how we’re makin’ this work. ‘Specially after that first week.”

Rainbow coughed. “I’m still sorry I tossed your alarm clock out, AJ.”

“And right after Spike replaced that window, too,” Twilight teased.

“Ain’t no big deal now, Dash.” She grinned faintly, then sighed. “I just been scared about all this, worryin’ about how it’d go, an’ about messin’ stuff up ‘tween the two of ya. In hindsight, it sorta felt like it wasn’t smart to try this out right after that big fight the two of ya had. Y’all were walkin’ on eggshells with each other, an’ I kept worryin’ I was gonna say the wrong thing.”

Twilight nodded. “If I had it to do over again, but…nopony ever does. It hasn’t been perfect, but that’s real life.”

“Eeyup.” Applejack stepped in front and held the door open for her marefriends, the bell overhead jingling. They filed into the bakery and made their way over to their friends at the largest table in the room.

Rarity grinned at their approach. “Ah, here are the ruffians,” she teased, pulling out the three empty chairs with her magic. Twilight sat and lowered the food to the center of the table. “Pinkie was getting ready to send a search party.”

“I was not, silly! I was just gonna send Gummy!”

Fluttershy hid her giggle behind a hoof, waving at Applejack and Rainbow as they sat down on either side of Twilight. Rarity lifted the towel off the dish. “Ooh, another one of your noodle entrees, Twilight, and it smells delightful! And a wonderful looking pie from Applejack…I see Rainbow Dash graces us with her presence again.” Rarity smirked, her eyes shining with mischief.

“Hey, you’re lucky I even got up, Rares.”

Pinkie whipped back to the table with a stack of plates before anypony noticed she had left. “That looks really yummy, Twilight! Let’s dig in and have a happy winter’s-almost-over day, and a super happy Twiley-Apple-Dashie three monthiversary!”

The three lovers mirrored each other, their jaws falling open and snapping shut at the same time. Applejack adjusted her hat as she frowned in thought, and glanced at Rainbow and Twilight. “Is it three months now?”

Rainbow shrugged and Twilight rubbed her chin. “Well…uh, let’s see…” She screwed her eyes up in thought. “Ninety days today.”

Pinkie giggled as she dished out servings for the table, leaping back into her seat. “So here’s to sunny days and happy threesomes!” she shouted.

Rainbow, Twilight, and Applejack heard Mrs. Cake drop a plate in the back room as their faces heated up. Fluttershy hid her eyes from view, while Rarity looked delighted in her amusement. Neither made the three feel better. “D-don’t call it that, Pinkie,” Applejack groaned.

“Yes, Pinkie,” Rarity tittered, her lips curling, “I’m sure they much prefer you call them a ménage.”

Twilight coughed into her hoof. “We’ve been going with ‘team,’ if it’s all the same.” She cast sidelong glares that said, ‘don’t you dare,’ at both Rainbow and Applejack, who struggled to keep their faces straight, before turning her attention to the food. “Shall we eat?” She raised a glass of water in her magic. “To the end of winter, and…to three months as a team?”

The others raised their glasses, clinking them overhead in the middle of the table. Rainbow and Pinkie dove into their plates, scarfing down wads of noodles, while the others took more reasonable bites, murmuring their approval to Twilight.

Fluttershy cleared her throat, sliding her mane away from her forehead. “We, uh, we really are happy for you three.”

“Uh-huh!” Pinkie chimed.

“Oh, of course we’re happy for them, Fluttershy, they’re well aware I’m teasing them.” She winked at the three. “But you can’t give me something so juicy and expect me to ignore it, after all. It’s all in good fun, and I must admit you’ve struck a rather delicate balance together. And it’s such an aesthetically pleasing grouping!” She flourished her hooves in the air. “Unicorn, earth pony, and pegasus! And such exemplary specimens of each tribe, too!”

Applejack rolled her eyes and took a large bite of her meal. “Yeah, Rarity, we were thinkin’ real hard about that when we got together.”

“Ooh, speaking of, you have been rather reticent to tell us how that happened.” Applejack’s lips twitched as she stifled a grimace, while Rainbow’s and Twilight’s gazes met and then glanced off each other, searching for interesting things in the bakery to focus on. “How did such an arrangement happen?”

“C’mon, Rares,” Rainbow groaned.

“Surely it’s a story full of heartache and personal turmoil, with tearful declarations of love between starcrossed ponies! Promises of faithfulness not meant, jealousy, arguments, clandestine midnight rendezvous!” Rarity swooned in her seat, making a face as Pinkie ruined the effect by clearing the plates and dishing out slices of pie. She cleared her throat and refocused on the three. “You absolutely must tell us how this came to pass.”

“I-if you want to,” Fluttershy added. “I am a little curious.”

Rainbow swallowed the lump in her throat and slouched in her seat, looking to Twilight. Twilight chewed her lip, ears pulled back against her head, and turned towards Applejack.

Applejack smiled. “Actually, sugarcube, the three of us started datin’ after talkin’ it out. Dash ‘n Twi said they both loved havin’ me around an’ asked me to date ‘em over the winter, just to see how it’d go.” She slid her hoof across the table, meeting Twilight’s, then Rainbow’s. “And now that winter’s over, we reckon I’m gonna move in with ‘em for good.”

Rarity pouted. “Oh, that’s not romantic at all!”

Rainbow gave the table a wicked smirk. “Hey, you wanna hear romantic, you should hear Twi when she’s got her legs up in—”

“Hey!” Twilight choked.

Applejack snorted and forced out, “Or Dash when somepony starts chewin’ on a wing just righ—”

Rainbow sputtered. “Hey!”

Twilight glared at Applejack and jabbed her in the belly. “Oh, you, too, Applejack? How would you like it if I shared the way you get when I cast a certain spell. I’m sure you’d love for Rarity to hear about that.”

Rarity’s eyes lit up. “Ooh, what sort of spell?” Twilight flinched and fell back in her seat, her face darkening with embarrassment. Rarity met her gaze and went red to match. “…Oh.”

Fluttershy squeaked and darted under the table. Applejack burst out laughing. Rainbow followed.

Twilight and Rarity mustered their dignity as Pinkie coaxed Fluttershy out from hiding, and the laughter from Rainbow and Applejack eventually tapered off. Taking a deep breath, Applejack wiped her eyes and said, “Listen, sugarcube, the three of us just ain’t romantic ponies. We’re the sort to just sit down an’ just talk through what’s goin’ on. We ain’t always the best at it, an’ Celestia knows we messed that up more’n once, but the first time we said we loved each other wasn’t from no fairy tale. And I think the three of us like that just fine.”

Applejack grinned and caught her lovers’ hooves again, looking them both over. “And there ain’t no fairy tale that’ll match up to just livin’ life together one day at a time, neither.”

Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie smiled at the three as they sat together, holding hooves and taking each other in. Rarity leaned back in her chair and let out a wistful sigh. “Well, Applejack, I suppose that is a rather nice story after all. I suspect the three of you are far more soft-hearted than you let on.” She winked. “I won’t tell a soul; your secrets are safe with me.”

They took turns rolling their eyes at her as Pinkie discovered she had an untouched slice of pie. When their friend inhaled her dessert, the table fell into comfortable chuckles before tending to their own plates.

They finished their meals in amiable small-talk before saying their goodbyes and heading their separate ways. Outside of Sugarcube Corner, Rainbow paused on the path back towards the library. “Hey, AJ, you still up for that race?”

“Any time, fly-girl.”

“Your funeral.” Rainbow grinned, then turned to Twilight. “Twi, you mind timing us?” Her expression fell into a smirk. “We got another race planned for when we’re home that you’ll wanna join.”

Twilight giggled and shook her head. “That sounds like a nice afternoon.” She winked at Applejack, turning in the direction of the park. “Remember to pace yourselves. I don’t want to be running that second race all by myself.” Rainbow shoulder-checked her and she laughed, shoving back and knocking Rainbow into Applejack.

“’Nough standin’ around, let’s go race.” Applejack punctuated her words by thumping Rainbow back towards Twilight, sending them both sprawling. Rainbow helped Twilight up and they both smeared Applejack’s neck with hooffuls of snow. Applejack tackled them into a snow bank.

After a while of roughhousing, laughing, half-soaked, cheeks rosy from the cold, and with specks of white caught in their coats and manes, the three gathered themselves up, standing side by side and facing towards the park.

And together, they moved forward.

The End

Author's Note

And with that, Room for One More comes to a close. I had a great time writing this story, from its sort of strange history as an outline for most of the A plot I hacked out and then largely ignored with my friend and frequent collaborator, Peroth E, to an expanded and complete idea months later I launched into largely on a whim of inspiration.

It was a fun ride I am so happy I got to share with you all, and I’m so glad you all took the time to read. I love writing and I love these characters. Thank you all so much for indulging me; I read every comment I get way more than once, and I feel so lucky to have gotten so many readers who are willing to put up with my frequent bouts of inactivity and fairly constant insanity.

A question I’ve gotten a few times is whether or not I plan on revisiting the world of Room for One More, and the answer is…yeah, probably. Over the course of writing Room, there were a few parts that I wanted to write about that just wouldn’t fit without messing up the pacing. No grand plans for another novel-length follow-up, but there’s a lot of room for expansion and it’s something I’d like to revisit, so don’t be surprised to see a ‘Room for One More: Side Stories’ popping up at some point. After all, I never got a chance to write about the first time Rainbow Dash was the subject of Twilight’s certain spell.

Again, thank you so much for reading, and I hope you’ll stick with me onto the next silly little project. And now, I’ll close off Room for One More the same way I ended every chapter. This time, it applies to the entire story:

tl;dr

bats is a pervert.

Chapter 3

Twilight’s ears flicked at the sound of birdsong drifting through the windows. She cracked open her eyes and yawned widely, sitting up and stretching out her back. She rolled out of bed and wandered to her vanity. Running a brush through her mane, Twilight’s gaze drifted to her calendar. A smile lit up her face and some of the lingering sleepiness fled her mind. “Saturday,” she murmured to herself.

Feeling her face grow a little warmer, Twilight finished putting her mane and tail in order and cantered downstairs with a bounce in her step. Halfway down to the main room of the library, she stopped at Spike’s bedroom door and tapped it with her hoof. “Spike!” she called in a bright voice. “Wake up! It’s a beautiful day!”

A miserable grumble that sounded vaguely like, “Five more minutes,” drifted through the wood.

Twilight chuckled. “Alright, sleepyhead. I’m going to go down and start breakfast; I’ll come back when it’s ready.”

A shapeless mumble of appreciation made Twilight grin affectionately and she continued down the stairs. Heading into the kitchen, Twilight flitted about, gathering everything she needed for the omelet recipe Spike had taught her the previous week. The first three eggs stuck to the pan and she had to start over, remembering to properly butter the pan for the second omelet. Despite the slight setback, Twilight produced two satisfyingly-intact omelets. She set the table and headed back to Spike’s room while humming a soft tune.

“Spike, breakfast!”

A scuffling of claws on the floor accompanied by petulant muttering grew louder until the door opened. “Already?”

Twilight giggled and shook her head. “Hurry up before it gets cold.” She practically pranced back downstairs, followed by a plodding dragon. The unicorn led the way to the kitchen table and sat at her plate, beaming at Spike.

“Omelets?” Spike asked with slightly less complaint in his tone, rubbing his eyes and taking a seat. “They look good…” He scooped up a chunk with his fork and took a bite. “Taste good, too. Looks like you got ‘em down!”

“Thanks, Spike.” Twilight grinned. “And thanks for teaching me all these recipes. I never really thought about cooking for a long time, but knowing how to do all of this is nice.” Twilight’s mind wandered to several fresh memories of dishing up steaming plates of food for Rainbow Dash. The look of excitement in the pegasus’ eyes was one of the most flattering and gratifying things she had ever experienced and thinking about it again made her smile uncontrollably.

Spike took in a large mouthful of eggs and nearly spit them out when he looked back to Twilight; the unicorn was staring off into space with a large and wobbly grin stretched across her muzzle. He swallowed a little faster than was comfortable, coughed, and started chuckling. “Twilight, you look so goofy.”

She started and shook her head. “Sorry, zoned out a little. I’m in a really good mood today. It’s Saturday.”

Spike stared at her blankly. “What’s so special about Satur—” his eyes widened. “Oh! Tonight’s my sleepover! I’ve been looking forward to hanging out with Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom all week! I can’t believe I forgot!” Spike shoveled down the rest of his omelet and stood up, making his chair squeak across the wood floor. “I gotta get my room ready! Thanks for reminding me!”

Twilight watched the little dragon scurry out of the room and listened to his claws click on the stairs. She blinked slowly and looked down at her omelet. “That sleepover’s today?!” Twilight exclaimed in frustration. She slid the plate carefully to the side and thumped her head against the table. “Augh.”

She sat back up and recentered her plate, eating forkfuls of her breakfast with a petulant pout on her face. She sighed wistfully and grumbled, floating the dirty dishes over to the sink. As she cleaned up the kitchen, she took slow and plodding steps. “I was really looking forward to that,” she muttered darkly at the soapy sink, leaning onto the counter to rest her chin on a hoof while the plates and skillet scraped themselves spotless in a glow of magic. “Dashie might be up for staying over, but I can’t imagine Applejack is going to be comfortable with her sister one room away…”

As she spoke, a bit of Twilight’s funk lifted. Rainbow was planning on staying over the night already, so it wouldn’t be a total loss. Just a delay for their new schedule with Applejack. As much as the thought of disrupting a schedule bothered the detail-oriented mare, she’d still get to fall asleep in the hooves of her lover. She stood back up and finished cleaning up at a brisk pace.

Twilight climbed the stairs and knocked on Spike’s door. “Hey, Spike?”

The door opened and he poked his head out into the stairway. “What’s up, Twilight?”

“I’ve got to go talk to Applejack about plans for tonight. Can you handle the library while I’m out?”

Spike nodded happily and turned back to his room. Three sleeping bags were spread out across the floor, forming a semicircle against the side of his small bed. A large pile of comics and snacks was taking shape in the middle. “I’m almost done getting everything ready! Tonight’s gonna be great!”

A warm smile spread across the mare’s face, but it was traced with guilt. “I’m glad. I’m…sorry I haven’t been the most available, Spike. Stuff’s been different for me lately and I’ve gotten caught up in it. I didn’t mean to kick you out so much…”

Spike paused and turned back towards the door. He waddled over to Twilight and hugged her around the neck. “It’s okay, Twilight. I know Rainbow Dash has gotten really important to you; I can see it.”

Twilight closed her eyes and hugged Spike back.

“Really, I’m happy for you.” He stepped back and grinned at the mare. “I just remember what it was like back in Canterlot. It’s been good for you to have a special somepony since we moved here.” He turned back to his room, grabbing a bag of marshmallows and tossing it into the center of the sleeping bag circle. “It’s made you happier.”

For a few moments, Twilight watched Spike busy about his little room, getting everything in place. She took a deep breath and cantered into the space, sweeping her number one assistant, oldest friend, and kinda-sorta little brother into another hug. “You’re right; I am happier,” she murmured. “It’s so much easier for me to relax when Rainbow’s around. Thanks for understanding.”

Spike struggled out of the hug, scratching the back of his head bashfully. “It’s nothing,” he mumbled, turning back to his work. “Thanks again for the room, though.” He gestured wildly and spun around in a big circle. “This place is great!”

Twilight giggled and made her way back down the stairs. “I’ll be back soon!” she called before heading out the door and into Ponyville. A bit of a bounce had re-entered her comfortable trot, but slowly drained away as she made her way across town. By the time the cobbled road turned to dirt, a disappointed frown pulled at her lips.

When Twilight had agreed to inviting a third into the bedroom, she had been swept up in the idea of the experience. The self-contained unicorn hadn’t had the most dating experience before moving to Ponyville, and asking Rainbow Dash to a date had been a major departure for her. As their budding relationship progressed and grew intimate, Twilight found herself opened up to a new field of study and she silently liked to think of herself as Equestria’s foremost expert on pleasuring Rainbow Dash.

Outside of Rainbow Dash, however, Twilight had no quantifiable experience, and Applejack offered a method of changing that in addition to giving back something nice to Rainbow in the form of fulfilling a fantasy. Really, she thought of it as a win-win proposition.

What she discovered in actually going through with it was that having Applejack there was extremely fun. Less than a year previously, Twilight wouldn’t have been willing to recognize the level of sex appeal in the rugged farmer; she remembered convincing herself that the only reason she had interest in dating Rainbow Dash was because of her playful personality, strong positive qualities, and sense of humor. She wouldn’t let herself consider the fact that she frequently lost her train of thought whenever Rainbow bent over far enough or that sometimes she missed what was special about a flight maneuver because she was too busy watching the daredevil bend, as important matters in selecting a potential mate.

A few months into dating, Twilight discovered she was very glad that she was sexually attracted to Rainbow Dash; if she had convinced herself of compatibility with somepony who didn’t turn her on, sex would not have been half as fun. Rainbow crossed barriers between feminine and masculine traits constantly, from her looks to her demeanor, the daredevil bucked all the rules in the face like a napping dragon. It wasn’t just that Rainbow was coltish on the outside and a filly on the inside; that didn’t give her enough credit. Rainbow was a mess of contradictions: feminine and masculine mixed together on the inside and the outside, refusing to be defined and existing as a unique blend of contrasting traits. Rainbow turned Twilight on so much.

Applejack…

Twilight stopped looking at other ponies after a while with Rainbow. At a certain point in dating, pieces of a puzzle she didn’t even know she was assembling had clicked into place in her head. She really got Rainbow Dash, and Rainbow Dash really got her. They had fun together, they could talk about anything with each other, and even if they didn’t share a large number of interests they still understood the drive and passion in their partner’s life. After three solid weeks of constantly reading psychology books and a few confused and panicky letters to Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle came to the conclusion that she had fallen in love with Rainbow Dash.

When she told Rainbow this tidbit of self-discovery, Rainbow had surprised her by saying she felt the same way. Rainbow had been seeing the same signs, she had just accepted them quietly and moved on. Twilight didn’t think much about other ponies after that.

Applejack…

Applejack was a solid, built, rugged, careless, self-contained bastion of strong and effortless femininity. As brash and tomboyish as Rainbow Dash could be, Applejack exuded a sense of unquestionable authority from a pony who was unmistakably female. Twilight couldn’t deny it; Applejack was just as hot, just as physically desirable as Rainbow for completely different reasons.

Dear Celestia, that was exciting to her.

And that first time with both of them! If Twilight had gone through with the idea of keeping a sex journal, that entry would have filled pages. The desire, the new input, the loss of boundaries and wild, wanton exploration. Twilight wanted that again.

She sighed inwardly and turned down the road to the farmhouse, steeling herself to put it off for another week and trying to focus on the positives.

The distant thwack of hooves to trunk pulled Twilight off the path and into the orchards, weaving between trees until Applejack’s shapely and muscular form came into view in surprising clarity given the distance. Twilight sighed again and cantered briskly towards the far too attractive for her own good mare.

“Well, howdy there, Twi!” Applejack called, slamming her back legs into a tree. “Caught me double-timin’ on the buckin’ for the day; gettin’ ready for tonight.” She grinned and winked. “What brings ya ‘round here?”

“About tonight,” Twilight said, her voice falling. “I completely forgot, but I promised Spike a sleepover for him with your sister and her friends.”

“That was tonight?!” Applejack’s footing faltered and she hit the tree askew, causing a single apple to fall and bounce off her hat. Grumbling, she re-straightened her Stetson back from over of her eyes. “Consarnit, I knew I was forgettin’ somethin’ important.” Muttering under her breath, she re-bucked the trunk.

“I assume you’re not exactly comfortable having your sister a room over, even with a sound dampening spell over us.”

Applejack grimaced, moving on to the next tree. “Yeah, I can’t say I’m too keen on havin’ that conversation with Apple Bloom. Even if we were real quiet-like, me bein’ there’s gonna be raisin’ questions.” The cowpony tipped back her hat and wiped her brow. “I ain’t one to be sneakin’ around with ponies, but there’s a big difference between bein’ discreet and blabbin’ about private matters to a group of little fillies.”

“Agreed,” Twilight said with a nod, following Applejack down the row of trees. “So I guess we’ll have to reschedule—” the unicorn’s voice hitched uncomfortably on the word “—for next week?”

“Sounds like, unless ya got any bright ideas.”

Following the cowpony to the next tree, Twilight frowned in thought and she tapped her chin. “I could cancel it, but I really don’t want to. Poor Spike’s been looking forward to this for a while; it wouldn’t be right to do that. He’s had to move his time around enough for me.”

“Well, I guess we’re stuck, then,” Applejack sighed as she reared back to kick. “S’alright; it’s not like next Saturday’s more’n a week away.” Her hooves pistoned into a trunk. The branches shook with more force than normal and a groggy pegasus tumbled onto the farmer’s back. “Whoop!” Applejack called out in surprise.

Sitting up from her new perch across her friend’s spine a little too quickly, Rainbow fell the rest of the way to the ground, landing in one of the baskets set up around the tree. “The heck?” she mumbled dazedly.

“Sorry there, RD,” Applejack said with an uneasy chuckle. “I usually check to make sure your scraggly head ain’t in a tree I’m buckin’, but I got a little distracted.”

Twilight giggled at the vacant and half-awake expression on her marefriend’s face. She offered a hoof and pulled Rainbow back to her hooves.

“Hey Twi.” Rainbow nuzzled Twilight’s face as she got upright. “I was getting ready to come over.”

Smirking and raising a brow, Twilight asked, “Getting ready?”

“Eventually. Doesn’t take me long.” She yawned widely. “What brings you to Nap Spot Number Seven?”

Applejack chuckled, re-bucking the tree to fill her baskets with apples instead of ponies. “Twi came to my farm ‘cause we’re gonna have to reschedule the festivities. We both plum forgot my little sister’n her friends’re gonna be sleepin’ over with Spike tonight.”

The tired pegasus shot Applejack an uneasy glance. “Aren’t they all a little too young to be doin’ that?”

Applejack rolled her eyes.

Twilight snorted and shook her head. She smiled as Rainbow pulled her into an affectionate hug. “You’re so eloquent, Rainbow,” the unicorn said playfully.

“I try to do…whatever that is…” she nuzzled into Twilight’s mane.

“You’re not gonna fall asleep against me while standing up again, are you?” Twilight murmured under her breath.

“I’m awake.”

“Well, I guess I can slow down a bit then,” Applejack said, lifting off her hat and using it to fan herself. “No sense rushin’ if there ain’t nothin’ to rush for.”

Twilight sighed. “Sorry, Applejack. I think we were all looking forward to it.” Rainbow nodded against her. “I don’t have any solutions, though.”

“We could move the sleepover here,” Rainbow mumbled. “The girls’ll wanna have it in their clubhouse; they wouldn’t even need to know Twi and me were around.”

Applejack straightened and turned to the pair, frowning thoughtfully. “They all do tend to stay away from the house when they’re crashin’ here.” A wicked smirk spread across her face. “An’ we could use the barn.”

Twilight chewed her lip and furrowed her brow in concentration. “…Spike’s really looking forward to showing off his new room, though. He’s gonna be disappointed if we move it.”

“You got that spell research paper thingie you’re doin’ Wednesday, right?” Rainbow shifted sideways as she talked, raising her front legs off the ground and hugging Twilight around the middle, using her lover’s body as a pillow. “You wanted me to keep Spike outta your mane that night, anyway; I bet he’d be easier to distract if the fillies’re there, too.”

A bright grin spread across Twilight’s face. “Rainbow, that’s perfect! Spike would get two sleepovers out of it and there’s no rescheduling. I’ll have to check to see if the girls can make a Wednesday sleepover, too…” She glanced at Applejack.

“Sounds like a plan to me, if’n that’s what ya wanna do. Apple Bloom can get a bit under hoof when she’s outta classes; y’all would be doin’ Mac an’ me a favor.” The farmer slapped her hat back on and resumed her pace. “We back on then?”

“We could just wait a week,” Rainbow said. She opened her eyes and leered at Applejack. “But I don’t really wanna.”

Applejack winked and moved onto the next tree. “I’ll double-time it then, an’ let Apple Bloom know to get ready for company.” Her voice dropped. “I’ll see you two ‘round tonight.”

Twilight beamed brightly; the bounce in her step from the early morning had returned. Well, it would have returned if Rainbow wasn’t holding her quite so firmly to the ground. “Okay,” she mumbled to herself, “I’ve got to go check with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo’s parents about Wednesday, and if everything works out there, get Spike ready to go…” She turned her head, glancing over her shoulder. “Alright, Dashie, I’ve got to go for now, if you could—”

A rumbling snore vibrated into her back.

“You’ve got to be kidding me…” Twilight rubbed the bridge of her muzzle with a hoof and sighed.

Twilight shut the barn door on the golden rays of the setting sun. Her horn lit up and she weaved a sound dampening spell around the room, coating the walls as she spun in place, catching sight of Rainbow Dash standing in the middle of the barn as she turned. As she finished, she shook out her fuzzy head and meandered to a small haystack. “Applejack’s getting everypony settled in and should be here soon,” she said, flopping down and rubbing her face.

Rainbow chuckled, cantering over and sitting down next to her. “Long day, Twi?”

Twilight leaned into her marefriend and nodded. “Sweetie Belle’s parents are out of town, so I had to track down Rarity. Rarity was in the mountains hunting for gems.”

“Ouch.”

“So after I wandered around and finally found her, it was already four o’clock. And then I couldn’t find Scootaloo’s parents for the life of me. It seems like those ponies are never around.”

Rainbow rubbed Twilight’s back soothingly.

“I eventually tracked down her dad, but by then it was almost five and I had to run back to talk to Spike.” She massaged her forehead and sighed. “So how was your day, Dashie? Get back to sleep?”

“Oh, yeah,” she teased, nuzzling Twilight’s head. “I feel awesome.”

Twilight chuckled and closed her eyes, hugging the pegasus with one limb.

“Gonna feel way more awesome in a minute.”

Twilight glanced up and grinned in amusement at Rainbow. She ran a hoof along her lover’s mane and leaned up, kissing Rainbow gently. As the pegasus kissed her back, Twilight felt the familiar tug at her mind; a growing need to shove her rugged ball of contradictions into the hay and make her be cute. As Rainbow purred appreciatively against her invading tongue, Twilight opened her eyes and sat back, a contemplative frown on her face.

“Mm, why’d you stop, Twi?” Rainbow nuzzled her marefriend’s cheek, sliding a hoof up and down Twilight’s side.

“Dashie, how comfortable are you with me being…dominant, if Applejack’s here, too?”

Rainbow sat back a little and raised an eyebrow at Twilight.

“I’m kinda in the mood to push things tonight, but I don’t know if I should with Applejack joining us. We haven’t set any rules on this, and I don’t want—”

Rainbow huffed and sat back against the soft hay. “Why do we haveta talk about this, Twi? Can’t we just do stuff?”

“Rainbow…”

“You’ve always gotta make everything some sort of major thing, with rules, and lists, and blah blah blah,” Rainbow muttered. “Can’t we just go with the flow?”

Twilight sighed and leaned back into the hay next to the mare. “Listen, hear me out on this; I’ll explain what I’m thinking, and if when I’m done you think I’m being silly, I’ll drop it. Deal?”

Rainbow let out a breath and nodded. “Yeah, okay.” She turned to Twilight and smiled thinly.

“Okay, so…” Twilight rubbed her face with both forelegs vigorously and turned to her lover. She pecked Rainbow on the snout. “I love you and the last thing in the world I want to do is hurt you.” Rainbow’s smile warmed and she opened her mouth, but Twilight set a hoof gently against her lips. “We play a rough and exciting game that we both like, and I know a large part of it for you is that it’s just the two of us and you can stop pretending about some things; you’ve said that to me before, those exact words. I love seeing that side of you and I want to see it tonight.”

Twilight leaned forward and pecked Rainbow again. “But Applejack’s going to be here. Is that something you want to do with Applejack here, or is it going to hurt you? Is revealing that to somepony else something you’re okay doing?”

Rainbow’s brow creased and she glanced away, frowning in thought.

“If you’re not comfortable with it, I’ll leave it alone, Rainbow. We have lots of time together and I can indulge that later. But if you are okay with it, I’d like to do my best to make you scream tonight.” Her eyes flashed predatorily.

A flush of warmth coloring her cheeks, Rainbow smiled briefly and dropped back into thought. After a few moments she smirked and looked back to Twilight. “Alright, egghead, you win; it was important to ask.” Twilight grinned. “I…don’t know. Lemme think about it, ‘kay?”

Twilight nodded. “We’ll say no for tonight, and revisit later.”

“Deal.” Rainbow wrapped her hooves around Twilight and pulled her close. Twilight gripped her lover’s mane and restarted their interrupted kiss, ignoring the urge to strengthen it and take control. As a wing unfurled across her side, Twilight sighed contentedly into Rainbow’s mouth and she basked in being held. They slowly drifted over until Rainbow was laying on top of her. The pegasus broke the kiss and they stared at each other, lost in a shared grin.

Rainbow started suddenly and pulled back. She looked towards the door and raised a confused eyebrow. Twilight followed her gaze to Applejack, looking at them ambivalently, hooves scuffing the dirt floor. Twilight cleared her throat, still absentmindedly stroking Rainbow’s mane. “Everything alright, Applejack?”

“Well a’course everythin’s alright,” Applejack said too brightly. “I got Spike an’ the girls all settled, so everythin’s fine, what makes ya think somethin’s wrong? Everythin’s just fine!” She grinned widely.

Rainbow and Twilight stared at her blankly.

Sighing, Applejack looked away and said, “I’m sorry, it’s just…seein’ y’all together like that…I feel like I’m invadin’.” She frowned and turned back to the pair. “Are ya sure y’all wanna do this? I had a great time before, but…y’all’re in love. I can see it. Ya got the same looks in your eyes as my mama an’ my daddy had for each other.”

Twilight turned back to Rainbow and gently tapped her on the shoulder. Rainbow sat back up and offered a hoof, pulling Twilight to standing. Twilight turned to Applejack and smiled, beckoning her over. At the cowpony’s tentative approach, Twilight set her hoof on Applejack’s shoulder. “Applejack…Rainbow and I both want you here.”

The pegasus nodded firmly, waggling her eyebrows at her friend. Applejack smirked, but trepidation still shone in her eyes.

“This is about having fun, Applejack. Rainbow and I had a lot of fun with you.” She nuzzled Applejack’s neck, lingering for far longer than strictly necessary. “If you’re not comfortable, we’ll understand, but nothing changed since last time.”

Applejack closed her eyes and nuzzled against Twilight, her uneasy smirk changing to a little smile. “I guess I’m just bein’ silly is all. I knew y’all were together before, but seein’ that comin’ through the door, it just sorta hit me.”

“It’s alright. We do want you here, though.” To punctuate her statement, Twilight slid her hoof up Applejack’s leg.

Rainbow stepped forward and snuggled into the other side of her friend’s neck. breathing out, “Mmm, you smell good, AJ.”

Applejack chuckled and hugged them both. “I reckon I should just take that as a ‘stop your worryin’ and get to ruttin’ a couple’a hot fillies,’ then?” Rainbow bit the base of her neck in response and she shivered. “Eeyup.”

Applejack turned and caught Twilight’s lips in a hungry kiss while pulling Rainbow harder into her shoulder. Two different hooves ran through her mane and she pressed into Twilight until she lost her balance and stumbled forward. All three mares landed back in the pile of hay, giggling breathlessly. Applejack rolled onto her back just as Rainbow climbed into her lap.

Twilight watched her marefriend kiss the farmer and she grinned. She brushed her hoof along Rainbow’s wing until the mare extended it in front of her face. Twilight sighed contentedly and rubbed her cheek through Rainbow’s downy plumage. A tremor ran up her lover’s spine and a soft moan rumbled into Applejack’s mouth.

An indulgent grin on her muzzle, Twilight scooched out from under Rainbow’s wing and stood up. She rounded to the back of the two mares deep in a kiss with hooves roaming and grabbing each other, and she leaned down to grip a feather in her teeth.

Rainbow broke the kiss with a gasp, feeling a primary tugged back into place and smoothed with the swipe of a tongue. The cowpony under her darted to her throat, nipping and sucking. She closed her eyes and grunted, stroking Applejack’s mane and trying to hold her tremoring wing still. Twilight’s preening always got her hot and bothered and she had never once managed to let the unicorn finish, always tackling her lover off the bed in a fog of lust halfway through. As Applejack grabbed her roughly by the flank and bit her collar hard enough to make her squeak, Rainbow thought she might just be preoccupied enough to let Twilight finish.

Twilight fondled the other side of Rainbow’s ass as she worked her way across the pegasus’ wing, straightening and smoothing, teasing and wiggling.

Rainbow felt herself go from hot to soaked in the space of seconds and she grinded helplessly against Applejack’s lap, holding the farmer’s head close to her neck. She could barely keep her wing from violently quaking as Twilight finished the last feather and switched sides, coaxing her to open her other wing. She moaned and spread her feathers wide, scrunching her eyes shut. Applejack grabbed her dock and she let out a yelp.

Rainbow forced Applejack roughly into the hay and pressed their muzzles together, thrusting her tongue past her friend’s teeth. Applejack kissed back with just as much excitement, rubbing her rump and squeezing her tail. They writhed against each other as Twilight finished up Rainbow’s second wing. For a moment, Twilight simply stepped back and smiled in satisfaction. It was about time she made it through a whole preening. Twilight lay down on her belly and forced both of her lovers’ back legs apart.

“Oh.” Rainbow and Applejack barked out in tandem as their kiss broke. A hot, wriggling tongue had slid between their aching marehoods and teased both of their clits at the same time. They exchanged a wicked glance and wrapped their legs around Twilight’s head, pulling the unicorn in closer. Twilight hugged their hips in response.

Rainbow’s mind reeled as she thrust herself against Twilight’s muzzle, feeling Applejack do the same slightly off rhythm so their coats meshed and rubbed, slick with their sweat. She bit and sucked at the earth pony’s neck, slowly tunneling both of them into the hay, everything not quite enough, her whole body aching for more. With a small whinny of need, Rainbow pushed Twilight back strong enough to make the mare tumble to half prone. Rainbow stood abruptly and flicked her wings once, lifting into the air and whirling around to face her marefriend. Just as unceremoniously as she stood, Rainbow dropped back onto the earth pony, halfway down Applejack’s barrel, and thrust her dripping and aching sex towards the farmer’s muzzle.

As the cowpony sat halfway up to reach and wasted no time lapping at Rainbow’s folds, the pegasus grabbed Twilight by a back hoof and dragged her closer until the unicorn’s rump was inches away from Applejack’s. With one hoof on Applejack’s throbbing slit, Rainbow inhaled the combined smell of both her lovers and buried her muzzle in Twilight.

Twilight moaned, stroking messy mane as she felt Rainbow’s tongue explore her recesses. The unicorn looked over the scene in front of her, from her lover’s face between her legs, up across Rainbow’s back, to the tips of Applejack’s ears poking into view just behind the pegasus’ rear. She rocked gently against Rainbow’s jaw, a tingle racing up her spine every time she brushed her swollen nub against her marefriend’s snout.

Rainbow gazed over the mound of Twilight’s marehood and watched the unicorn’s face. Twilight’s expression gradually melted from a pleased smile to a clouded and strained look of growing intensity. As the pegasus’ own body shivered from Applejack’s skilled and enthusiastic tongue, alternately filling her up and suckling her clit, a creeping sense of desire settled over her mind. She pushed further into her marefriend’s sex, drinking in the taste and scent, reaching as deep as she could.

Rainbow’s eyes were locked on Twilight and she wanted nothing more than for Twilight to grab her head and force her in deeper, grind against her face until her jaw burned, leave her gasping, aching, and weak. Applejack grazed her teeth across Rainbow’s outer lips and the pegasus reached up, grabbed the hoof in her mane, and pulled it around to the back of her own head.

Swimming out of an almost delirium of pleasure and back into lucidity, Twilight looked down at Rainbow questioningly. The pegasus pressed her hoof hard and pleaded silently with her eyes. Twilight murmured nervously, glancing at Applejack, “You sure?”

Rainbow nodded rapidly, tongue still searching, her muzzle rubbing against Twilight’s clit. Twilight grabbed her roughly by the mane and thrust into her face.

She moaned, her eyelids fluttering. Twilight bucked again, harder, and she pushed back, putting up the fight against domination, attacking the unicorn’s dripping lust with fervor. Twilight watched Rainbow’s face, waiting for the look of submission, a wonderful sense of wildness clouding her mind. Rainbow gazed at her lovingly, lapping and suckling, and Twilight felt her belly tighten with a rising anticipation.

Applejack pulled Rainbow’s pearl between her lips and sucked, nippling softly, stroking Rainbow’s tail with both hooves. A spasm of wobbliness shook Rainbow’s lower half and she nearly cried out into Twilight’s inner walls. A fiery sense of competition flooded her mind and she pressed her hoof more insistently into Applejack’s folds, stroking the mare’s clit in circles, her coat growing slick with lust. A need to make Applejack come before she herself finished sprung to life.

The look of acceptance slowly left Rainbow’s face. A brief note of confusion passed over Twilight’s mind, but was quickly replaced by the growing pressure in her core. Her muscles began to clench and she found herself less controlling Rainbow’s closeness as clinging with desperation to her lover. She scrunched her eyes tightly shut and half grimaced.

Applejack shuddered and twitched under the pegasus, her senses consumed by the burning hot and sopping wet marehood taking up her vision and filling her snout and mouth. The rapid circling over her most sensitive spot rocketed her bliss upwards, fast and steep.

Twilight cried out sharply as Applejack hugged Rainbow around the waist. Rainbow thought her eyes might roll back in her head as the two mares came against her at the same time, winking around her tongue, grinding against her hoof, pulling her in opposite directions with desperate hugging. The pegasus whimpered gently as she was driven over her own peak, her wings twitching erratically at her sides as desire washed over her mind. She rocked against Applejack weakly, her hoof still stroking the mare’s lips and her aching tongue still lapping at Twilight’s lust. They arched and relaxed together, their mewling grunts bleeding together into a composite voice of release.

At last they fell apart, gasping and panting for air, trying to blink the stars from their vision. The barn filled with languid, dazed, and contented groans as they struggled to crawl together, hugging each other in a loose ball of shaky limbs back on the squashed pile of hay.

“Well,” Applejack sighed out, “y’all certainly do know how to show a pony a good time. Lan’ sakes.” She rubbed her thighs together and shivered. Rainbow chuckled weakly and Twilight grinned. “…I don’t rightly know if’n I’m gonna have the strength to make it up my own stairs for a while.”

“Wimp,” Rainbow teased without any strength in her voice.

Applejack chuckled and gave the pegasus a small squeeze. “Wouldn’t be the first time I crashed in the barn. I’d like to extend that invitation back at the both of ya, what with y’all bein’ my guest here for the night, unless ya wanna head home.”

“Never moving again sounds good,” Rainbow mumbled, still feeling tingly all over.

Twilight smiled weakly and said, “Thank you, Applejack.”

Grunting, the cowpony struggled up to sitting. “I’ll go fetch some blankets real quick, make this a little bit nicer.” She got unsteadily to her hooves and walked carefully out of the barn. Before she shut the door, Rainbow caught a glint of moonlight shining off the lust still trickling down Applejack’s thighs.

“I’m glad we didn’t wait a week,” Rainbow chuckled, hugging Twilight closer.

Twilight’s voice dropped low and gentle. “What happened, Dashie? You didn’t give up, even though I knew you wanted to.”

Her smile fading a little, Rainbow shrugged. “I really wanted you to win, but…AJ makes me wanna win, too. More, I think. I think I’m okay with her winning, though, she just needs to, you know…actually win. If that makes any sense?” She grinned sheepishly at the unicorn.

Twilight nodded slowly. “If you’re going to give up control, it needs to be to the both of us. Is that it?”

“Yeah, that sounds right.”

“…Should I talk to Applejack about it?”

Rainbow leaned back a little and searched Twilight’s face. She read concern and caring in the expression of the pony she loved and a sense of safety settled over her. She marveled in what she had found in Twilight; somepony she felt protected by all the time, even outside of their game. And underneath the concern, Rainbow could see hunger, a drive to next time make her submit and a willingness to do whatever was necessary to make it happen.

Rainbow found it desperately exciting.

She smiled gently. “Sure. Sounds like a blast.”

Applejack stumbled back into the barn with a large blanket on her back. She yawned widely as she threw it over the two ponies and crawled underneath to join them. They gradually drifted off to sleep on the hay, nestled under the blanket, Rainbow wrapped in the hooves of her two lovers. She woke up with the gentle smile still on her muzzle.

Author's Note

tl;dr

"Hey, y'all," Apple Bloom chimed suddenly, sitting up from her sleeping bag with a grin. "I got an idea! Let's go sneakin' up to the house an' try an' get our cutie marks in spyin'! I bet'cha my sis has loads of hidden stuff!"

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo exchanged wide smiles. "That's a great idea, AB!" Scootaloo cheered. "Let's start with the barn! I bet there's something really cool in there!"

"I don't know," Spike said uneasily. "Applejack might get angry, and I'm pretty comfortable right here already. Why don't you three try to get cutie marks in roasting marshmallows?"

Three pairs of eyes widened. "That's an even better idea!"

And thus, Spike inadvertently prevented years of mental therapy bills.