Twilight and Rainbow looked with interest to Rarity who had a huge smile on her face. "Fluttershy and I are dating!" Rarity exclaimed.

"No way!" Rainbow said. She looked over to Twilight with a stunned look. Twilight looked back with an equally shocked expression. They both turned back to Rarity when she spoke.

"It's true! We've been dating for about six months now," Rarity added.

"What!? You were dating before us!" Rainbow said.

"Yes, I-I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner, but Fluttershy was nervous about how everyone would react," Rarity said.

"What!? We would have been fine with it, heck we would have Pinkie throw a party for you and everything!" Rainbow said.

"O-oh, no. Not you girls, the town in general," Rarity clarified.

"Pfft, who cares what they think!" Rainbow said.

"Fluttershy does," Rarity said with a deadpan expression. Fluttershy nodded looking down and blushing. Rarity turned to Fluttershy and nuzzled the side of her neck, Fluttershy raised her head back up a bit.

"Yeah... Okay, I can see that. You could have told us though, we can keep a secret," Rainbow said.

"I know darling, but Fluttershy and I both know from experience that if anyone knows a secret, then everyone can know that secret. We wanted absolute security, it just made us feel a bit more comfortable," Rarity explained. Fluttershy looked nervously toward Twilight.

"Y-you've been awfully quiet Twilight, i-is there a problem with me and Rarity dating?"

"O-oh, n-no no, no problem. I'm happy for you both really, I was just thinking of Spike," Twilight looked down thoughtfully.

"Oh darling, you worry to much," Rarity said with a light giggle. Twilight looked up with an angry expression.

"Rarity! You know how Spike feels about you, I'm very disappointed that you think so little of his feelings," Twilight said with a huff. Rarity looked taken aback.

"Darling, I do respect Spike's feelings! That's why I dealt with the situation ages ago!" Rarity said. Now it was Twilight's turn to look taken aback.

"What!? What do you mean?" Twilight asked.

"I mean, that I spoke with Spike months ago. I let him down gently, and we talked about it at length. Spike and I are good friends, that's all we'll ever be and he knows that. He was quite down that day, but I made sure he understood that it wasn't because he was bad or insufficient in any way. By the end of it all I even managed to get a little smile out of him. When I saw him a few days later, he seemed okay and we've been getting along wonderfully ever since," Rarity explained.

Twilight was quiet for a few seconds before responding. "Oh, I didn't know that, he never told me that."

Rarity's expression softened. "He was probably too embarrassed darling. Despite my best efforts it still must have been a big hit to his ego," she said quietly.

Twilight nodded, then looked up sharply. "Hold on, he still fawns over you, and I've seen you flirt with him recently too!" Twilight accused.

"Well darling, he still finds me attractive," Rarity said. "As for me, well, he enjoys a little flirting. He knows I'm not serious about it, I've explicitly told him so. I know he likes it so I do it for him as a little reward for being so helpful. Of course I give him gems too, but you know how much I like to give people things they'll appreciate."

"So... You flirt with him and let him ogle you, as a reward?" Twilight asked uncertainly.

"Well, he's a teenage boy, what teenage boy wouldn't appreciate it," Rarity said with a blush.

Twilight smiled a little "You're sure he knows that you aren't serious," she asked.

"Quite sure darling," Rarity said.

"Wow, I wish I had your confidence Rarity," Twilight said. Rarity cocked her head to the side a bit.

"What do you mean darling?" Rarity asked.

"To be able to flaunt your body and know that others are appreciating it. I could never do that," Twilight said.

"I appreciate it," Rainbow said putting her arm around Twilight. Twilight looked to Rainbow and smiled, then she looked back to Rarity.

"Still, even if I don't tell him, he'll find out eventually. How can you be sure that he will be okay?" Twilight asked.

"Well darling, I suppose I can tell you. You see a few weeks ago I witnessed something that told me Spike was going to be just fine. I was out of the back of the Boutique, taking out some trash to the bin I keep out there. I heard a strange noise nearby. I carefully made my way around the building, I didn't know what the noise was so I was being careful. I got quite the shock, I saw Spike and Sweetie Belle kissing, passionately," Rarity blushed at the memory.

"What!? Isn't Sweetie twelve?" Twilight responded.

"Yes, and Spike's fifteen, it's a bit of an age difference I'll admit but it's not too bad. Sweetie is very mature for her age," Rarity replied.

"I suppose, Spike didn't tell me he was dating Sweetie," Twilight said.

"Oh darling, I don't know if they're dating," Rarity giggled. "They may just have been, experimenting."

Twilight's face scrunched up in thought. "Is that something teenage ponies do?" She asked uncertainly.

"Of course, didn't you experiment in your youth?" Rarity asked.

"No," Twilight said, lowering her head. Rainbow pulled her into a sideways hug, as Rarity gasped.

"I'm so sorry! I wasn't thinking, I... I'm sorry Twilight," Rarity said. Twilight shook her head and looked up again.

"No no, it's okay, it's not your fault Rarity." Twilight said with a small smile. "And it's good to know that Spike is, um, experimenting. It does sound like a healthy thing for him to be doing, now that I think about it. Are you sure they aren't dating?" Twilight asked.

"Well, they might be, it's hard to know darling," Rarity replied.

"Hmm, might have to ask him about that later. Anyway, I agree with you, it seems Spike will be fine with this. Which is good because now I can be happy for the two of you without feeling guilty," Twilight said with a big smile.

"Oh I'm glad to hear you say that darling. Because there was something else we wished to discuss with you and if you had any guilt about that, then this would have been out of the question I fear," Rarity said. Rainbow and Twilight looked to each other with confused looks and then looked back to Rarity.

"Um, okay, what do you wish to discuss?" Twilight asked.

"Well, Fluttershy and I were hoping that you two might join us in an old Pegasus tradition called the 'Bonding'," Rarity said. Rainbow's wings immediately shot open.

"No way!" Rainbow exclaimed. "You actually want to do that!? With us!?" Before Rarity could answer, Twilight turned to Rainbow.

"What's the 'Bonding'?" Twilight asked.

"Um, it's kind of, well. It's where two couples switch partners for, you know, sex," Rainbow said. Twilight looked positively horrified.

"Rainbow!" Rarity exclaimed. "It's far more than that! It's a beautiful thing shared between ponies who are very close. Twilight, let me explain before you pass judgment on this."

Twilight took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "Okay, please explain Rarity," she said.

"Okay, well it is pretty much what Rainbow said, but let me explain the context. Two couples who are all close friends, like us, choose to explore their sexuality with each other. There are rules to this of course, it is meant to help all involved grow sexually by expanding their experiences beyond their partner. It's meant to help all involved grow closer and also to help the couple's trust in each other," Rarity explained.

Twilight thought about this for a few seconds. "Okay, how does it help trust?"

"Well, I think it would take a fair bit of trust to allow your partner to be sexual with another pony, even if you trust that other pony too," Rarity said.

"I suppose I can see that, but why do you and Fluttershy want to do this with us?" Twilight asked.

"There is only one good reason for this darling, because we love you two of course," Rarity said. "You are both our dear friends and we wish to express that in a new, more intimate way," Rarity said. Twilight and Rainbow both blushed at this.

"Really?" They both asked simultaneously. Rarity giggled.

"Of course, you are both wonderful and beautiful mares who we are honored to call friends," Rarity said. Fluttershy nodded and smiled in agreement. "We love you both and we want to be even closer to you, if you want to that is."

"Wow, um," Twilight floundered for words.

"Hey Twi," Rainbow said. "You know me, I'd be up for this if you are but if you aren't comfortable with it, that's fine too."

"Let me be clear darling," Rarity said. "If you aren't one hundred percent comfortable with this, feel free to say no. Fluttershy and I have discussed this quite a bit and we both agreed that whatever you decide will be fine with us. We will still love you just as much, we don't want you feeling pressured at all. I promise, aside from a little initial disappointment, we won't feel any differently about you." Fluttershy nodded again.

"I... I'm going to need to think about this for a while," Twilight said.

"Oh! Of course darling, take your time." Rarity said. "You and Rainbow should discuss it in private sometime and of course you should think on it for a while. There's no rush."

"Yes, please take your time," Fluttershy added.

"Well, as fun as this has been, I think I need some air. Do you want to go for a walk around town Rainbow?" Twilight asked.

"Like this?" Rainbow gestured to herself and Twilight, then smirked. "Sure, if you're up for it."

Twilight blushed. "I guess we will draw a bit of attention, but there's nothing wrong with that. Right?" she asked a bit uncertainly.

"Of course not darling, every mare deserves to show off sometimes," Rarity said.

"O-okay, let's go Rainbow," Twilight said.

After saying goodbye to Rarity and Fluttershy, Rainbow and Twilight left the Boutique. Twilight had her left arm linked with Rainbow's right, to help them both balance. As they approached to road Twilight spoke up. "I guess that explains why Rarity didn't chastise you for your crude compliments earlier."

"Huh?" Rainbow said.

"She didn't want to discourage you from looking at her, you know, to increase the chance that you would accept their offer," Twilight said.

"Really?" Rainbow said. "Do you think that's why she didn't wear a bra?"

Twilight shrugged. "She said she didn't do it for that reason, but who can say. She may have done it subconsciously."

"I guess. Hey, looks we're getting a fair bit of attention," Rainbow said.

Sure enough there were a lot of ponies staring at the pair as they slowly walked down the main street of Ponyville. Twilight looked around nervously. "Oh my, we are aren't we?" she said, her face blushing.

"Hey, it's okay Twi, let them look. If you're worried about anyone approaching us, don't. I'll scare 'em off," Rainbow replied.

"Oh, I wouldn't want you to be rude on my account Dashie, but thanks. I don't know why all this attention is making me nervous, it just is. Maybe I'll get used to it eventually. Of course, I only plan on dressing like this on special occasions. O-or if you want me to," Twilight said, smiling up at Rainbow.

Rainbow smiled back, "How'd I get so lucky to have a beautiful mare who'll dress sexy for me," Rainbow said.

Twilight blushed even more. "H-how did I get so lucky as to have a mare who's sexy all the time," Twilight said with a light chuckle.

Rainbow chuckled but suddenly took on a shocked look. "N-not that I'm saying you aren't always sexy too, cause you are! I just meant-," Rainbow blurted out before Twilight stopped her by putting her finger over Rainbow's lips.

"I know, it's okay," Twilight said with a reassuring smile. Rainbow returned the smile. They continued on in a pleasant silence until they reached the library. Being a Sunday, the library wasn't open. However few ponies lock their doors around Ponyville, unless they're leaving for a long time, so Twilight and Rainbow were able to walk right in. When they closed the door they heard Spike's voice coming from the kitchen.

"Twi? Is that you?"

"Yes Spike, and Rainbow too," Twilight responded.

"Oh cool, hey Rain... bow..." Spike trailed off as he entered the room and caught sight of the pair. Twilight still had her arm intertwined with Rainbow's and they were both smiling.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer," Rainbow said laughing.

Spike shook his head violently and blushed. "S-sorry, uh, looking good girls," he said giving them a thumbs up and a nervous smile.

"Thanks Spike," Twilight replied with a giggle. Rainbow just laughed harder. Spike shook his head again and spoke up in a teasing voice.

"So, you're no longer a virgin then?" Predictably Twilight broke out in a blush and Rainbow just laughed again. But then to Rainbow's surprise, Twilight put on an evil looking smile, and got her own back.

"That's right Spike, I'm no longer a virgin. Because last night this beautiful mare climbed on top of me and slid my-"

"OKAY OKAY! I DON'T WANT TO KNOW!" Spike shouted as he covered his ears. Twilight broke out into laughter as did a somewhat shocked Rainbow Dash. Twilight then offered up her gloved hand for a high five, which Rainbow promptly accepted.

"Nice one Twi, didn't know you had that in you," Rainbow said.

"Well, when you live with two brothers for long enough, you have to learn how to tease them back," Twilight said with a giggle.

"Okay, okay, you got me," Spike said looking embarrassed but chuckling a little too.

"Anyway, speaking of virginity, there's something I need to talk to you about Spike," Twilight said looking suddenly serious. Spike gulped.

"O-oh! A-alright then," Spike said, shifting nervously from one foot to the other.

Twilight walked over to him and put her hand on his shoulder. She looked down at him with a gentle smile. "It's okay Spike, you aren't in any trouble. I just wanted to ask about something Rarity told us today," Twilight said.

"O-oh, what's that?"

"She mentioned that a few weeks ago she caught you and Sweetie Belle kissing behind the Boutique," Twilight said calmly. Spike flinched.

"O-oh right, that, um..."

"It's okay Spike, I'm not upset about it or anything. I just wanted to know if kissing was all that was going on?" Twilight asked gently.

"W-well yeah, it was." Spike replied looking down.

"Was? What happened? Wait, come sit on the couch with me," Twilight said.

"Um, do you want me to go?" Rainbow asked.

"Oh, um..." Twilight said.

"You can stay Rainbow, I don't mind. You've practically become family over these last few months anyway," Spike said. Twilight smiled at Spike. The three went over to the couch and sat down.

"Okay, well this all started cause I was helping Sweetie with her first heat cycle," Spike began. He then noticed the shocked looks that Twilight and Rainbow were giving him. "Not like that! Not like that!" Spike quickly added. Rainbow sighed with relief but Twilight still looked a bit uncertain.

"Then what was it like?" Twilight asked.

"Well, it started on Monday, three weeks ago. I was going to hang out with the Crusaders that day, but Scootaloo and Apple Bloom had things come up so it was just me and Sweetie," Spike began. "I noticed she was wearing less clothing than you'd typically expect for this time of year but I didn't think anything of it. Anyhow we were just sitting on a hilltop near Whitetail Woods, talking about stuff. Then I noticed she was shivering. I asked if she was cold, she nodded, so I put my arm around her and pulled her close to try and warm her up. I said she should have worn more clothes if she was cold. She said she couldn't because she would get too hot. She said her body temperature was all over the place and she didn't know why. Um, well I'll put it simply. After she laid her head on my shoulder for a while, she looked up at me, leaned in and kissed me."

"Ha, nice," Rainbow said.

"Rainbow!" Twilight hissed. "Don't interrupt. Go on Spike."

"Heh, well yeah, it was nice. Then she got a strange look in her eye and suddenly she started kissing me again, but this time really grabbing hold of me and pressing hard. Then her tongue pushed into my mouth." Spike said, his face blushing.

"Whoa!" Rainbow said in awe.

"Rainbow! Stop it!" Twilight chastised.

"Anyway, I didn't mind her doing that really. So after doing that for a bit, she suddenly stopped and looked at a bit panicked. She quickly said she was sorry and then ran off at amazing speed. Like seriously, that girl can run. Anyway, she approached me the next day, she looked scared out of her mind and apologized again. I told her she had nothing to worry about that I was okay with what happened. She relaxed a bit and told me that she figured out that she was in heat. I asked if there was anything I could do. Next thing you know, we're back on hill kissing again. This time she ran off again, but not in a panic, she just said she had to go. Anyway we did that for a couple more days, at some point it occurred to me why she was running off in such a hurry." Spike's face blushed.

"Heh heh, to relieve some tension," Rainbow chuckled.

"Rainbow!" Twilight almost growled. Then turning to Spike. "Yes, her parent's house isn't far from there, so it's a safe bet that's where she went." Spike nodded. "But then, why were you behind the Boutique?"

"Oh, that was, the fourth day I think. She seemed a bit more desperate than the last few days and wanted somewhere closer to where we met up."

"Oh, where did you meet up?"

"... The Boutique," Spike chuckled nervously.

"Snkt," Rainbow snorted, Twilight ignored this as she was trying to hold back her laughter as well.

"Anyway, it was the sixth day that things went wrong," Spike said sadly.

"Oh," Twilight put a supportive hand on his shoulder. "What happened?"

"Well, she seemed very excited that day. As soon as we got to the hill she pounced me, I collapsed to ground with her on top of me. It didn't hurt or anything, but it was quite the surprise. Like I said before, I'm okay with her being a bit aggressive so this didn't bother me, the moaning sounds she made were really cute too. Anyway, after a few minutes, she stopped and looked down at me with a look of horror and fear and I don't know what else. She then burst into tears and ran away." Twilight put her arm around him and hugged him. "I wanted to go after her but like I said, that girl can run. I could have caught up with her at her parent's house, cause I'm sure that's where she went. But I thought that be a bit awkward considering her mother or father would likely answer the door, and having just seen their daughter run in crying..."

"I get it Spike, so what happened then?" Twilight asked gently. Spike shrugged.

"Nothing really, I tried approaching her a couple of days later when I saw her in town but she saw me and ran off. I haven't been able to talk to her since," Spike said sadly.

"Aw man, that sucks," Rainbow said quietly. Twilight hugged him harder.

"Hey, if you want, I could talk to Sweetie for you," Twilight said. "I get on with all the Crusaders pretty well and they usually listen to me."

"Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt to try," Spike replied. "I just want her to know that I think she's a great filly. I also want to know why she won't talk to me."

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about Spike, I'll talk it over with her. So, I understand that you weren't dating her, just helping out with her heat. But, would you like to go out with her?" Twilight asked with a small smile.

"Er, I-I. W-well, maybe," Spike stuttered. "I-I mean, she's great, I just don't know if we're compatible or if she's even interested in me anymore. You know, with her not talking to me, and that she isn't in heat anymore."

"Well, when I talk to her I'll see what she thinks," Twilight said.

"Hey Spike," Rainbow said. Spike looked over to her. "If she was making out with you when she was in heat, then she's interested in you. Heat may make you horny but it doesn't change who you're interested in."

"Really?" Spike asked. Rainbow nodded. "Well, that's good to know, but it doesn't change the fact that she won't talk to me for some reason."

"We'll figure it out Spike," Twilight said, gently rubbing his back.

"Yeah, I hope so," Spike replied.

"Well, it's getting close to lunch, think I might head out." Rainbow said. "Probably go home and change first though, don't want to wear this all day, save it for special occasions you know."

Twilight smiled. "Okay Rainbow, and thank you for last night, it was perfect." She leaned over and kissed Rainbow gently. Rainbow blushed a little.

"Aw, it was nothing, I had fun too." Rainbow stood up and went to the door. "Catch you later guys," she said as she opened the door and flew away.

Author's Note

Again, I'm sorry this takes me so long to do. I hope at least that it is decent.