Spread

Chapter 12: The Talk

Most of the decorations for the party had been put away. Pinkie and Rainbow Dash were busy sweeping the floor, but Dash had gotten herself so drunk that she was doing a haphazard job of it. Applejack winced as she saw her flinging the broom around like it was a toy airplane, and she set a hoof on her shoulder.

“Maybe you should just go home and sleep it off,” she said.

“Whaddaya mean? I’m fine...” Dash said, but then she clutched her stomach. “Uh...gotta use the bathroom!” She flew off about as fast as Applejack had ever seen her go. The faint sounds of retching could be heard coming from the bathroom down the hall.

“She needs to learn she’s more of a lightweight than she thinks she is,” Applejack said with a sigh. “Can somepony check up on her? Ah gotta get all this cider back to Sweet Apple Acres.”

“I’m on it,” Pinkie said, and she took off towards the bathroom almost as quickly as Dash did. Applejack was always impressed that she could do that.

“Um...Applejack?” Fluttershy asked timidly.

“Yes, Sugarcube?” Applejack said, facing Fluttershy and taking a slow breath when she saw the trepidation in her face.

“Do you want my help carrying all the cider back to your farm?” Fluttershy asked meekly. Applejack smiled and put her hooves on Fluttershy’s shoulders.

“Ah’d really appreciate it, but you don’t always have to be so afraid to ask. Yer a kind pony and ah’m always grateful fer yer help.”

“Um, no offense, but you might be a little buzzed...” Fluttershy said, more to herself. Applejack heard it and laughed.

“All the more reason ah’ll need help then!” she said. “Now c’mon. Let’s get this stuff hitched on our backs and skedaddle.”

Applejack hitched the cart that Big Mac had dropped off for her at the start of the party, while Fluttershy took Applejack’s lighter cart. Wishing they could have given Pinkie and Dash proper goodbyes, they left Sugarcube Corner and began making the trek to Sweet Apple Acres.

For a while there was silence between the two ponies. Applejack wanted to break it, but she had never actually been alone with Fluttershy very often and wasn’t sure what to say. Fluttershy, however, had something pressing she wanted to say, but was afraid to bring it up. Reminding herself that Applejack wouldn’t judge her, she found her voice.

“When Rarity was talking about her porn film, I felt really uncomfortable,” she said. Applejack came to a halt, and Fluttershy quickly stopped, too. For a moment neither pony said anything, but Applejack cleared her throat and responded.

“Ah don’t like it much, either,” she said. “Personally ah think it’s disgustin’, even worse than the spread she did.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” Fluttershy said, and the relief lifted the expression of her face to one of calm, “I thought I was the only one.”

“Me, too, though now that ah think about it, ah should’ve known you wouldn’t take too kindly to it either.”

“It’s not even all about the movie,” Fluttershy said. “It’s the way she was bragging about it, like she was proud of it. Why would Rarity do that to herself? Doesn’t she understand it’s...”

“It’s what, Sugarcube?” Applejack asked.

“Well, if it were me,” Fluttershy said, “not that there’s any way I would ever agree to do such a thing. I mean, I guess if I was forced to do it, I wouldn’t be bragging about it like that. I’d try to pretend it didn’t even happen.”

“Well, Rarity already tried that reaction, didn’t she?” Applejack asked. “She hid the spread from us until Rainbow pulled a fast one on her.”

“Why did she do that?” Fluttershy asked. “It was so unlike her.”

“She probably thought it was cool and wanted to show it off,” Applejack said. “You’ve been friends with her longer than ah have. What’s her take on porn?”

“Well, I never asked specifically,” Fluttershy said, now looking directly at Applejack with some confidence, “but we were roommates in flight school, and once I found a large stash of magazines under her bed. I had no idea where they could have come from, but there were all sorts of pictures of mares and stallions in really, um...provocative poses.”

“Shoulda known she’d swing both ways,” Applejack said with a derisive smile. “Not that there’s anythin’ wrong with that, but havin’ it lyin’ around in yer room like that is...well, it’s kinda gross. Wait a minute...how’d you know what kinda pictures were in there?”

“Oh, no...” Fluttershy said, suddenly blushing profusely. “I mean I guess I didn’t really know at first what the magazines were, so I flipped through one of them because I was curious, and then I kept looking at all of them just to see what was in them. I got carried away, and...well, after that, Dash came in.”

“Wait, Dash saw you lookin’ at her...porn? Was she mad?”

Fluttershy now looked extremely uncomfortable, as if she now thought talking about this had been a bad idea. “She wasn’t mad. She laughed and asked me if I thought it was hot. I said no but I don’t think she believed me. She offered to share them with me as long as...as long as I didn’t stain them...”

Applejack was in the right state of buzz to find that hysterical, but she curtailed her laughter for her friend. “She’s always been a little iffy with boundaries,” she said. “That don’t surprise me in the slightest.”

“Well, now here’s the weird thing...” Fluttershy said. “Whenever I see a magazine like that, or whenever somepony talks about it, all I can think of is Rainbow Dash...”

“Oh,” Applejack said, unsure what to say after that odd confession. “Well, uh...have ya talked to Rainbow about that?”

“Oh, no no no, of course not,” Fluttershy protested, shaking her head so that her mane flowed back and forth. “I’ve just tried to stay away from it because I don’t want to feel awkward around her. She’s my best friend. I don’t want to see a dirty picture or video and start thinking about...” Suddenly Fluttershy was blushing bright red and she turned to hide her face.

“It’s okay, ’Shy,” Applejack said, patting her on the back. “Ah think ah get what’s goin’ on here. The question is...do you get it?”

Fluttershy refused to answer for a moment, but then she turned to face Applejack. “I get it,” she said meekly, “but I don’t want to get it...”

“Do you wanna stay over at Sweet Apple Acres fer tonight?” Applejack asked. “We can talk this out and see if we can get ya to feel better.”

“Oh, you would do that for me?” Fluttershy asked.

“Sure ah would! What kinda friend would ah be if ah just left ya hangin’ after a confession like that?”

“Oh, please don’t call it a confession,” Fluttershy said. “That makes it sound like...”

“All right, then it’s an epiphany then. Whatever ya call it, ah ain’t gonna leave ya alone to brood about it.”

“O-okay then...” Fluttershy said. The two of them set off again towards the farm side by side.

“Thank you, Applejack,” Fluttershy said.

“Don’t mention it,” Applejack responded.

***

“Twilight!” Rarity called, pounding on the door. She knew Twilight was there because she had seen her in the distance walking in this direction. “Twilight, please let me in! I want to talk to you!”

Nopony came to answer the door. Rarity was about to walk off in a huff when Spike cracked the door open.

“She doesn’t want to see you right now,” he said.

“And why is that?” Rarity asked, a little louder than she would have had she been completely sober.

“I can’t tell you that,” Spike said.

“Oh, so there is something,” Rarity said. “Well, if you won’t tell me, I’ll have to get Twilight to tell me herself. Could you be a dear and call her down for me, please?”

Spike groaned. “You’re not listening to me, Rarity. She doesn’t want to talk to you.”

“Look, Spike, I know what this is about,” Rarity said. Spike’s eyes bugged open, which Rarity wasn’t expecting.

“How do you...well what do you think this is about?” Spike asked. He cursed himself for almost blowing Twilight’s cover.

“I clearly made her uncomfortable discussing my pornographic movie, and I know she wasn’t the only one. Fluttershy was barely looking at me and Applejack had a stern look on her face. They were going along with it, sure, but I know how they feel about it.”

“So why don’t you go talk to them about it?” Spike asked.

“Because...well, I’m scared for my friend,” Rarity admitted. “Applejack’s a tough mare and I think Fluttershy has shown she can handle more than her fair share of discomfort, though I say that with regret. But when you and Twilight left the party she looked physically ill.”

“Well, she downed a whole bottle of cider in about ten minutes,” Spike said. “And didn’t Applejack say it had whiskey in it? That was bound to make her pretty sick.”

“How do you know about that?” Rarity asked.

“I’m not stupid, Rarity,” Spike said, and Rarity suddenly felt quite ashamed about forgetting that Spike was no baby in mind, even if he was in stature. “She got sick from the alcohol and she came home to sleep it off. Look, it’s not that I’m not glad to see you. If it were up to me, I’d say she could really use you right now.”

“What does that mean?” Rarity asked.

“Nothing, f-forget I said it,” Spike said. “But I’m sure Twilight’s passed out by now and it would be a bad idea to wake her up. Maybe you can talk to her in the morning, but now is not a good—”

“Let her in, Spike,” came Twilight’s voice from the shadows of the library. Spike jumped about a foot in the air and Rarity’s stomach gave a lurch.

“Where did you come from?” Spike asked. Twilight stepped into the light, and she looked exhausted, but she smiled when she saw Rarity.

“Twilight,” Rarity said softly. “Good heavens, you nearly gave me a heart attack.”

“Sorry for startling you,” she said, “but I heard you shouting for me and, well...would you like to come in?”

“Of course, dear,” Rarity said. Spike opened the door to let Rarity in. Twilight lit the library with a magical aura so they could see.

“Do...” Twilight started to ask, but she shuddered. She swallowed a lump in her throat and recovered her composure. “Do you want to talk upstairs?” Her stomach was twisted in knots and she was still debating in her head whether talking to Rarity was a good idea.

“Yes, darling, I most certainly do,” Rarity said. She and Twilight started walking up the stairs, with Spike following. Twilight smiled and turned to face him.

“Spike, would you make sure we don’t get any more unexpected visitors?” Twilight asked.

Spike looked up at Twilight sadly, but he thought he knew why she wanted her privacy. A part of him felt sad, but another part of him was rooting Twilight on. Hopefully things would go well, and he was happy to play his part.

“No problem, Twilight,” he said, making his way back down the stairs.

“Thank you,” Twilight said as emphatically as she could, hoping to send Spike a message of her true gratitude. She and Rarity continued up the stairs.

Twilight felt so shaky on her legs that she thought she would fall over, but there was no way she was going to make a fool of herself in front of Rarity, so she remained steady as she entered her room. She hopped up to the bed and, to her surprise, Rarity sat right next to her. Twilight’s heart was pounding, so much so she was afraid Rarity might hear it, but her logical sense reminded her that this was not a possibility. She took a calming breath before trying to speak, but Rarity spoke first.

“Twilight, I know you’re upset and I know it’s more than just the liquor,” she said. “I first wanted to apologize to you for the way I was recounting my sordid experiences. My mind was a tad foggy and I lost my sense of judgment, and I failed to pay attention to how uncomfortable it was making you.”

“Um...thank you,” Twilight said flatly. She was mad she couldn’t yet say what she wanted to say, what she needed to say to her friend, but Rarity was leading the conversation for her.

“But I can sense that’s not the only thing bothering you,” Rarity said. “I’ve noticed a level of discomfort about you whenever I’m in the vicinity. I fear as if I may have done something to upset you and you’re unwilling to admit it. If I’ve done something wrong, I want you to tell me so I can correct my erroneous behavior. If there’s something that needs to change I will make every effort I can to change it—”

“There’s something that needs to change,” Twilight said, the words flying out of her mouth almost of their own volition. Suddenly cast in the spotlight, she began to breathe heavily and could feel her heart pounding louder now. Rarity placed a hoof on her shoulder, but Twilight winced and drew away from her as if she had been burned. Rarity withdrew her hoof and gazed upon Twilight sadly.

“Is there something wrong between us?” Rarity asked.

“No! Nothing’s wrong! Everything’s wrong! I have a copy of your spread!” Twilight hadn’t intended to say that last part, and she covered her mouth and cursed silently.

“You...you have a copy of my...?” Rarity asked.

“It was for Spike,” Twilight said, steering the conversation out of danger, at least for now. Rarity took a calming breath and smiled knowingly.

“I should have known he would want that,” Rarity said. “Oh, but I’ve been so insensitive to him. The poor dear must have been so confused, the way I was talking about the sex I was having. Oh, I’m such an idiot...”

“You’re not an idiot, Rarity,” Twilight said.

“I am about this. I didn’t realize it out of concern for you, but he must have been even more uncomfortable and I didn’t even apologize to him.”

“Don’t worry about him, he’s fine,” Twilight said. “We were talking about it before you arrived, and he said he didn’t understand any of it anyway. You didn’t emotionally scar him, if that’s what you were thinking.”

“Oh, well, that does make me feel a bit better,” Rarity said. “But I can tell you’re still in need. You said something needed to change between us. What did you mean by that?”

“I’m sorry,” Twilight said, turning away from Rarity’s gaze, “I shouldn’t have brought it up. It’s a long story...”

“I have all night,” Rarity said, scooching over closer to Twilight and making herself more comfortable on the bed. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Twilight wasn’t sure whether to scream or start crying, so she chose neither. She took another calming breath and faced Rarity. Her beauty struck her at that moment and she almost lost control again, but she remained steady. If she was going to do this, she was going to do it right.

“I should start from the beginning,” Twilight said, and now that she had an outline of what she wanted to say to Rarity it was easier to continue. “I brought the copy of the magazine home, but it wasn’t for Spike...it was for me.”

“Twilight...” Rarity said, looking at her with confusion. “What...?”

“I’m sorry,” Twilight said. “I know it’s wrong, but I was so...so drawn to it and...well then I lost it and I got really upset...but...oh, this is all coming out wrong!” Twilight groaned and buried her head in her hooves. Her upper body started convulsing, a sure sign of the tears falling, and a soft sobbing confirmed it.

Rarity was still unsure what was going on, but a growing suspicion entered her mind and she knew she had to be the best friend she could be. She moved Twilight’s hooves away from her face and lifted her chin so they were face to face. There was a pained look in Twilight’s eyes, and when Twilight dared to stare at Rarity, she started to lose control of her breathing. She turned away and relaxed herself, then realized that if this were going to make any sense, she’d have to explain it clearly and concisely, just as Celestia used to teach her as a filly.

“I brought the magazine home for me, because...because I found you very attractive.” It was easier to say this looking away from Rarity, but at the same time she couldn’t see how she was responding. Nevertheless, it was time to lay down this burden, and however she needed to say it would have to be good enough. “I wanted to...to pleasure myself to your pictures.”

“Twilight, please...” Rarity started.

“Rarity, please let me finish,” Twilight said, turning to face her. Her heart plummeted when she saw Rarity’s face. She looked terrified. For a moment Twilight feared she was pushing her friend away, but her rational sense told her to finish the story before making any judgment on Rarity’s reaction.

“I’m sorry,” Rarity said. “Go ahead.”

“Well, I lost the magazine,” Twilight said. “I was hiding it in one of the books on my shelf, and at first I thought I had forgotten where the book was. During all my free time I kept searching for it, hoping I could see you. I became irritable, I started lashing out at Spike. I later found out he had found the magazine and hidden it for himself, which I realize now is not surprising in the least.” Twilight and Rarity started to laugh, and the laughter proved to cut through the tension that had been stifling them. It lifted Twilight’s spirits and made it that much easier to finish her story.

“We got into an argument about it, and then we both admitted how we felt...how we felt about you.” Twilight turned to face Rarity, who still looked scared, but she was also smiling. Twilight smiled back, and Rarity relaxed her gaze.

“You know how much Spike loves you,” Twilight said. The sentence seemed to hang in the air, its implicit meaning clear.

“Yes, I do,” Rarity said. “I’ll have to apologize to him.”

“For what?” Twilight asked. Rarity’s face seemed to be closing in on her. Twilight held her breath, not wanting to believe what she thought was happening.

“I think I’m about to break his heart...” Rarity said. She closed the distance and pressed her lips up against Twilight’s.

Twilight’s mind seemed to go numb, so her body reacted for her. She pressed her face closer to Rarity’s and stroked her cheek. Rarity liked this feeling and so kissed Twilight more deeply, her tongue brushing up against Twilight’s lips. Twilight opened her mouth as if on instinct and felt Rarity’s tongue slide against her’s. Twilight played with it using her own. The two parted lips for a moment, but could not resist bringing them back together again and again, as much times as necessary. They both laid down on the bed, and Rarity brought Twilight’s body up against her’s, holding her in her hooves. Her fur was warm in the heat of a late summer’s night, and the touch stimulated them.

Suddenly, Twilight was afraid where this might take them and she pulled away. Rarity looked warily at her and was scared when she saw fear in Twilight’s eyes.

“Is everything all right?” Rarity asked.

“Rarity,” Twilight said, “Rarity, this is amazing, but I don’t think I’m ready for...”

“Ready for what, darling? Ah.” Rarity had figured it out and now the fear was gone. She smiled warmly at Twilight, and Twilight’s fear ebbed away as well. “I’m not ready for that either. But another kiss would be lovely.”

Twilight smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. She gladly met Rarity’s lips again and the two of them embraced each other, losing all sense except for pure happiness, which Twilight had longed for and Rarity hadn’t known she was missing. Neither of them wanted this good feeling to ever end, so they enjoyed for as much as they could until a stupor came over them. They parted lips, gazed into each other’s eyes, and chuckled softly.

“You wouldn’t mind if I...slept in your bed tonight, would you?” Rarity asked.

“If that’s all right with you,” Twilight said, but a thought suddenly struck her. “We forgot about Spike!”

“What?” Rarity asked.

“He’s been down there waiting for us to finish our talk. He’s gonna flip out if he finds out what we were doing, what we might have done...”

Rarity planted a strong kiss on Twilight’s lips, and Twilight’s body visibly relaxed.

“I think he might have fallen asleep by now,” Rarity said, “but I can check up on him if you want. If he’s asleep, then I have no qualms with staying here for the night. Do you?”

“No, of course not,” Twilight said.

“Then I’ll be right back.” A quick kiss later, Rarity climbed out of the bed and walked out of the bedroom. Twilight’s heart began pounding as a million thoughts went racing through her head. She was still unsure if this was all a dream and she’d wake up lonely and hungover from the party, but those kisses had felt real enough. Rarity came back with a smile on her face.

“He’s passed out on the couch,” she said.

“Okay,” Twilight said, but then she groaned. “We’re gonna have to explain this to him in the morning.”

“Never mind that now,” Rarity said. “We need to get to sleep ourselves. It’s been a long day.”

Twilight let out a long yawn. “I guess you’re right, Rarity. Um...thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me darling,” Rarity said, “I enjoyed it as much as you did.”

“It really was great,” Twilight said, but Rarity put a hoof to her mouth.

“You don’t have to say any more,” Rarity said. “I already know. Good night, Twilight,” Rarity said and she lay down and got comfortable on the bed.

“Good night, Rarity,” Twilight said, lying down on the other side. Rarity scooched over and wrapped Twilight up in her hooves. Twilight smiled as the two shut their eyes for what would probably be the best night of sleep they’d gotten in a while.