The black pegasus was shivering... And half way to sobbing. He clutched at the little teacup I'd given him so hard I was scared it would break.
He whimpered. "I just wish I could go back to the way everything was before..."
I shook my head. "That's not how it works Thunderlane."
The pegasus winced. He'd shown up at my doorstep just like this, disheveled and miserable. And now we were having a talk I had had way too many times.
After losing the seeds I was supposed to provide for Winter Wrap Up five years running, nopony would call me the most organized stallion in Equestria, but somehow I'd stumbled into being the local LGBTQ+ (our acronym changed every two minutes) outreach organizer. It mostly meant holding little meetings for stallions and mares who were nervous about their identities until they realized how boring we were and ended up hanging out at the local gay bar instead.
And, of course, it meant every so often I had a conversation like this... Even if this one had a different twist on it than usual.
The pegasus in front of me sipped his tea and sighed. "I just... I don't want to give up on stallions you know? I mean, I love mares so much and there's nothing wrong with that, but... How do you deal with having half of the awesome people in the world taken out of your dating pool?"
I chuckled. "Most of the gay folks I've bumped into have no trouble with that... Or the hetero folks for that matter." I put a hoof to my chin. "And technically you're not losing that many people on account of how there are fewer gay stallions than straight ma-"
Thunderlane groaned. "Can you cut it with the statistics? You know what I mean." He sighed. "Celestia I need a beer."
I shook my head. "Nope, you're going to have this conversation with a clear head." Plus, I was out of beer.
Thunderlane pointed a hoof at me. "See! That's exactly what I'm talking about. There are stallions like you around that are smart, responsible and objectively handsome."
I blushed. "Flattery will get you everywhere."
He looked down. "But here I am, in your house in the middle of the night like something out of a dang romance novel, and I'm not even popping a wing boner!"
I scratched the back of my head. "Uhh..."
He blushed. "Sorry, it's just..." He sighed. "It's not just about dating pools. I mean, I barely get to see Cat Herder or High Tide outside of group these days. And I have this really great thing where Lyra and Bon Bon and I get sandwiches and shoot the breeze at lunch. They feel safe talking about their relationship around me and..." He grimaced. "And now they won't want anything to do with me. I'd feel so much better about all this if I wasn't going to lose all my friends."
My eyes widened. "What? Why the heck would any of those ponies care who you're into?"
He blinked. "Uh... Because..."
I narrowed my eyes. This would not stand. "Thunderlane, you can still come to group, you can still hang out with us. LGBT people are not required by law to only befriend other LGBT people. That is just some stupid, exclusionary BS right there and I'm not going to have it in my organization."
The pegasus winced. He looked unsure... Even a little vulnerable. "But, won't they feel weird? Or scared or-"
I crossed my forehooves. "I think they know what it's like to be the one pony in the room whose sexuality doesn't fit the dress code. If anyone can cut you slack for being different it's them."
"And if they can't?" he asked.
I growled. "Then I will kick their flanks out of the room. If they can't be accepting of different sexualities then they can all go suck something actually unpleasant for all I care."
He looked up. He had a tiny shred of hope in his eyes. "You'd really be okay if I kept coming?"
I rolled my eyes. "There is a big fat sign over the door that says 'Allies Welcome'. Plus, you have things to talk about. You have actively questioned your sexuality, maybe not in the same way as most folks that come to group, but it happened."
He looked away. "I... I guess that's true, but what the heck am I supposed to say during introductions?"
I smiled. "You do know the format don't you?"
He took in a breath. "Hi, I'm Thunderlane. My preferred pronouns are he/him... And I'm straight?"
I nodded.
He smiled back. "Sweet Luna, that felt good to get out there."
I shrugged. "Yeah... Forcing bisexuality is generally not a good idea."
Thunderlane chuckled. "You know I have to say... This night didn't end the way I was hoping."
I raised an eyebrow. "How were you hoping this would end?"
He looked away. "Oh, you know, standard trashy romance novel fare, I come over and realize the reason I'm not into other stallions is because I'm madly in love with just you and we end up banging on your coffee table."
I turned crimson. "For the record I would not like to do that. I'm not attracted to straight dudes." Also I was pretty sure my coffee table couldn't handle the stress.
He tilted his head. "Um... That's okay?" he said.
I grinned. "You're learning."
