Chapter Six
Pick and Choose, Pt. 2

Fluttershy stared silently at the stained tiles on the bathroom floor, wet with her tears. This was her fault, wasn't it? Applejack, or any of the other girls, they didn't know about her crush. They didn't know that she was a lesbian. They had never even bothered to ask.

Maybe they just didn't want to intrude. Fluttershy hated the thought of her friends just not caring enough to ask. Maybe they were just scared to talk about it. After all, Fluttershy had made it very clear that she was extremely sensitive.

Perhaps they had been waiting for her to come out herself, like all of her friends had. Or perhaps---

Fluttershy's thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Flutters? Can I come in?" said a high-pitched voice, less bubbly than usual.

"Go away," Fluttershy lowered her head before realizing her comment might have been too mean, and added, "I mean, if you want to go away, I mean, you could stay..." The shy girl blushed profusely.

"Um... Okay? Well, I'm coming in anyway." Pinkie opened the door, slightly peeked inside and then slowly, carefully approached the girl, closing the door behind her as she went.

"Are you okay? Erm, well, obviously, you aren't okay. Sorry." Pinkie and Fluttershy stared at the tiles, at their feet for a while. What had Fluttershy done? She just had to go and make things awkward. She might as well make up for it somehow.

"Pinkie, I---" Fluttershy started, but was interrupted by sobs and warm arms wrapped around her midsection. Fluttershy gasped in surprise, as she slowly put her arms around her friend.

"You're my oldest, bestest friend," Pinkie cried out between sniffles, "and I don't want things to be any different between us. I still want to be friends! Please don't say I ruined it!"

"You ruined it?" Fluttershy was starting to tear up again too, "Pinkie, it was my fault, I never should have said that in front of you, and I am very sorry about that!"

"But you know if I wasn't dating Rainbow," Pinkie didn't have to finish her sentence. Fluttershy knew she didn't want to break anyone's heart, but Pinkie was extremely noncommittal. She was starting to get tired of her relationship with Rainbow, and the only person Pinkie had confided in was Fluttershy. They were old friends, and told each other everything. But Fluttershy had started to develop a sort of weird feeling towards her bouncy friend lately, especially now that she had seen Pinkie's sensitive side. It would be harder than ever to conceal Fluttershy's feelings for her now.

"Oh, Pinkie Pie," Fluttershy pulled away from her clinging friend. "I hate seeing you like this."

"I guess I'm not like this a lot," Pinkie gave a sorrowful chuckle, trying to break off her tears. It didn't work, and she continued to muffle her sobs.

Fluttershy studied her friend, before getting an idea. "I know what always cheers you up."

"Oh yeah?" Pinkie gave Fluttershy a sad smile.

"Yes," Fluttershy nodded, and began singing,

Oh God, the way you hold me...

Pinkie laughed through her tears, rolling her eyes, but sang,

I've never felt like this before...

Fluttershy smiled at seeing her friend cheer up a bit, and the two began singing together,

'Cause girl, you're my one and only,
And when you show up at my door,
I will wait, for you, to wake, me up
I promise you that this is not enough,
Girl, I promise you that this is not enough.

"Our song." Pinkie giggled, hiding a smile.

"Our song," Fluttershy confirmed, and pulled her friend in for another hug.

Instead she felt welcoming lips clash against hers.

* * *

"What--- I don't understand," Fluttershy mumbled after Pinkie had pried her lips away from Fluttershy's.

"Silly? What's not to understand?" Pinkie giggled, having returned to her vivid self. "I wanted you to cheer up, and I figured, what's the fastest way to do that? Aha! Kiss Fluttershy, because she likes you!"

"But you don't---" Fluttershy began.

"Yes, I do. I'm just in a relationship, is all. Once I get out of that, you and I can become a thing, promise!"

Fluttershy gawked at the pink-haired girl before her. So many thoughts crossed her mind. Many of them were unfinished, or not even questions, like What? and Me? and Why?. But only one did Fluttershy utter aloud.

"Um, excuse me Pinkie, but if that's our song, why was Rainbow Dash singing it in the car this morning?"

Pinkie froze. Now she was really dead.

"Well... uh... you know our last party?" Fluttershy nodded and Pinkie bit her lip. "Well... After you left, I accidentally left the music on, while we were... uh..." Fluttershy's eyes started to get bigger, "and she was in the middle of an... um... Well, you know. So now it's her favorite song..." Pinkie grinned sheepishly. "Funny story, huh?"

* * *

Impatient knocks came pounding on the door; Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack flicked their heads towards the front of the house. Twilight, Rarity thought, finally. It was usually uncommon for Twilight to show up late to anything, but if she had homework, it always came first. She was terrified of losing her scholarship, and no party came before that.

"Rarity? Are you in there?" came Twilight's voice - but it was filled with something - what? Not fear, not annoyance, not impatience - no, it was like... guilt. Rarity got up from her couch, opening the front door as a look of suspicion etched across her face.

"Twilight? You're earlier than I expected." Twilight blinked in response, and Rarity's eyebrows furrowed a little. Nevertheless, she let her girlfriend inside, deciding to forget about Twilight's tone of voice. Rarity immediately urged Twilight to try on her pajamas, which she did. Twilight came out of Rarity's bedroom and stepped into the living room, wearing a crisscross front top, dark blue and decorated with white stars. A ruffled indigo skirt hung high up on her waist, decorated in a similar pattern, only with larger magenta stars. Wrapped around her feet were plain black flip-flops, and her sapphire hair was tied in a long braid over her shoulder.

"Wow, Rare, you really went all out with this," Twilight said breathlessly as she gaped at the outfit.

Rarity beamed, "Anything for my beautiful girlfriend!"

Twilight seemed to get antsy at the comment, and stopped eyeing the outfit. Instead she plopped down on the couch, next to Rainbow Dash, who scooted away quickly, seeing Twilight's crazy-eyes. That often meant she was not to be messed with.

"Hey, what's taking them two so long?" Applejack piped up after a moment's silence. Each guest, except Twilight of course, turned their heads toward the door in confusion. Rainbow jumped off the couch, cautiously going into the hall and knocking on the bathroom door. When no reply came, Rainbow decided to yell at them instead.

"Guys, we have a game to finish!" she screamed, and was about to knock on the door again when it unlatched and the two girls silently walked out. As strange as that was, no one seemed to care, and they jumped right back into their game. Surprisingly, Twilight agreed to play instantly, and everyone settled on the couch.

"Rarity, your hair looks... um, interesting. What happened while I was gone?" Twilight inquired, stifiling a giggle at the girl's still-wet locks.

The others quickly covered their mouths in an attempt not to burst out laughing again.

"Fluttershy dared her... to... to... ohmigod, it's too funny!" Pinkie started howling with laughter, and the others began to laugh too. Rainbow pulled out her phone, pulling up the video, and handed it to Twilight. Immediately, Twilight started laughing as well. Rarity just rolled her eyes, took the phone, and turned it off before anyone could see the rest of it.

"Yes, it's very funny," Rarity continued as she handed the phone back to Rainbow, who put it back in her pocket reluctantly. "But we have to finish our game, so I would suggest paying some attention?"

"Fine. She's right," Rainbow agreed. "Whose turn is it?"

* * *

Applejack hesitated. "Ah'll go with Twilight," she said. In the few hours that Applejack had come to know her, Twilight seemed less gossipy than the rest of her new friends. Even so, it was smart to be safe and try a dare. Applejack had seen what had happened to Fluttershy after just asking her about her crush.

"Oh, you'll regret this," Twilight grinned and rubbed her hands together. "Dare, huh?"

"Yup," Applejack smirked back and folded her arms in confidence. She was sure nothing Twilight could come up with would be anything Applejack couldn't handle.

"Okay, then," Twilight giggled a little. "I dare you to..."

* * *

Well, almost anything.

"You want me to do what?!" Applejack demanded, her eyes bursting open in shock as Rarity handed her a can.

"That's right. You and me, Applesmack," Twilight curled her fingers around the cider can dramatically.

Applejack gave a sarcastic laugh. "You know what? Fuck you, I can drink all these cans," Applejack announced, and threw her head back. She barely announced "go" before taking a large swig, setting her in the lead of the alcohol competition.

Twilight's eyes narrowed in a competitive manner, and started downing her can too. Pinkie kept score of how many cans each girl drank, Rainbow timed the competition, and Rarity and Fluttershy watched in anticipation. Whoever couldn't drink any more cider first lost, therefore making the other the winner.

Applejack had consumed her first can in an impressive twenty seconds, and was just beginning on the next one, while Twilight was still attempting to get used to the taste of her cider. The others didn't know this, but this was her first time having alcohol, and despite her competitive drive, Twilight was not having fun adjusting to the situation. It wasted a lot of time, but eventually Twilight started learning to take small sips instead of long swigs liker her competitor. This helped her adjust, and as time went on, she started copying Applejack, and downed the rest of her drink quickly. She tossed the can behind her shoulder and started on a new one, confident - until she saw that Applejack had already finished four cans and was now started on her fifth.

"God dammit, Applejack!" Twilight yelled, already feeling tipsy. The others laughed. This was going to be fun.

A long while passed. Applejack continued her streak of chugging the cans and moving on to the next, while Twilight uncertainly sipped on hers. About ten minutes went by, Applejack having finished ten cans, and Twilight having finished four, before something amazing happened.

Applejack coughed. She sputtered, her eyes going wide as she realized that she was choking on the drink. Running to the sink, she cupped water in her hands and tried to fix it, but it only made the coughing fit worse. It burned in her throat like nothing else. Eventually, Applejack calmed herself and her throat, but it was too late. Twilight had just figured out her own trick to the drinking, and had guzzled five more cans in that small amount of time. Applejack tried to bring the can back up to her lips, but it tasted awful after choking on it, and set it down, just as Twilight pushed herself into drinking two more cans.

"Ah - oh, fuck - Ah give up," Applejack said angrily, hiccupping.

"You hear that, everybody? That means that by one more can, Twilight is the winner!" Pinkie grinned and held up Twilight's arm in victory. The others laughed and cheered on Twilight, while Applejack huffed angrily in the corner. She hated losing.

"You okay?" Rainbow stifled a laugh as she placed a hand on Applejack's shoulder. Applejack turned around to yell that she wasn't, in fact, when she looked into Rainbow's eyes and her heart softened a bit.

"Not really, actually," Applejack took a seat on the arm of the couch. "Ah hate losing. Hate it."

"Wow, you didn't really strike me as the type of girl who would care so much about winning," Rainbow said geniunely.

"It actually started when Ah was a little girl," Applejack blushed. "Ah made a fool of mahself in front of a whole crowd o' people."

"You wanna tell me about it?" Rainbow asked. Applejack looked up at the girl that had made her so uncomfortable before, but now seemed so natural to talk to. Seeing her gorgeous features in a cool light, Applejack's heart fluttered a bit. She wasn't really sure why Rainbow made her feel so nervous. After all, she was just a normal girl, like all other girls, right? But Applejack could use someone to confide in.

"It's, uh, kinda personal," Applejack replied, lowering her head. "But... when Ah was five, Ah went to mah first rodeo. It was a big deal n' all. Ah got cotton candy, watched some rodeo clowns, yada yada. But the really excit'n thing was when Ah got to ride the mechanical bull. It was mah first time.

"The rodeo hosts, they decided it'd be fun for us to have a competition. They kept score o' everyone's best time. It was ahmazin'. I loved seein' the bull ride back and forth, and the other kids hangin' on for dear life." Applejack chuckled at the thought. "But finally it was mah turn. Ah was so nervous, my hands were shakin', and I guess Ah kinda lost control - Ah fell off, right on mah hip. Had to get stitched up.

"But the worst part of all was that Ah had only three measly seconds on that bull. Ah came in last in mah family, in the whole rodeo. Lost to mah cousin Braeburn. It was so embarassin', Ah can't even tell ya. Mah family shunned me for a couple o' days. Brought down the orchard name. That rodeo was a big deal." Applejack sighed and closed her eyes. She remembered that moment like it was yesterday.

"So, ya see, I can't stand losin'. It means a lot to me to win." Applejack opened her eyes and looked over at the girl next to her. To her surprise, Rainbow had been staring at her the whole time, intently hanging on to every word she said. Maybe Applejack had misjudged her. Maybe Rainbow didn't have quite the brash personality she'd expected.

"I know what you mean, actually. My parents... they died in a car crash when I was ten. That day felt like a real loss." Rainbow gave a soft chuckle, but her expression was somber.

"Rainbow, Ah'm so sorry. Ya know, Ah never even met mah parents. Apparently they got sick and died right after Ah was born. Apple Bloom was adopted by Granny Smith." Applejack could never feel the same attachment to her parents as Rainbow probably did, but it was sad nonetheless.

"It's... it's okay. No, I'm fine. Uh, why don't we just go back to our game?" Rainbow wiped her nose with the back of her hand. Funny, Applejack had never seen Rainbow Dash as the sentimental type. It's strange what family will do to you.

"Okay, sugarcube," Applejack replied, but then added softly, "but Ah'm always right here if'n ya need me."

Rainbow nodded, and the two walked back to the still-excited group, eager to finish their game.

* * *

"I believe it is Twilight's turn," Rarity smirked.

Twilight groaned. She may love giving truths or dares, but she certainly did not like receiving them. And to find out that both Fluttershy and Applejack, her first choices for askers, had already gone, it made Twilight feel even more angry than before.

Well, there was no turning back now. She had gotten herself into this mess, and now she was going to get herself out of it. Hopefully. Noting Rainbow's daredevilish personality, and the reason for being late she definitely did not want to reveal to Rarity, there was only one choice left.

"Pinkie Pie."

God, she hoped this wasn't a mistake. Pinkie Pie was not as much of a gossip as her girlfriend, but she was one nonetheless. And anything Pinkie could dare her to do would undoubtedly be embarrassing.

"Okay, Twi! Truth or dare?" the hyperactive girl squealed, obviously excited to be giving the question.

"Truth, I guess," Twilight huffed.

"Ooh! I have a really, really good one!" Pinkie started jumping up and down due to her thrill. "What is... your deepest, darkest secret? Something you've never told anyone before, not even Rarity?"

Twilight's heart dropped into her stomach. She never did anything bad. She was a virgin, she was on 4.0 honor roll, already had three scholarship offerings -

No, wait. She wasn't a virgin anymore, as of tonight.

Fuck.

Author's Note

IT'S FINALLY OUT OMG!!!! God this took me like FOREVER, because my classes started up again and then my parents came to visit me two weekends in a row, so I had like NO TIME to finish this.

also everyone is going to hate me for putting a pony.mov reference in there, but I don't really care

BUT IM GLAD ITS OUT NOW. Big secrets revealed, the AppleDash is growing stronger , the drama is getting saltier, and FlutterPie is canon!!! I am SO excited for the next chapter - the CLOPPY chapter, of course - and i'll see ya'll next time because I really need some sleep.

BEFORE I GO - I just wanted to make a note that YES, I know the whole drinking scene was KINDA IMPOSSIBLE. But I needed something to move the story along DESPERATELY, because I finally had the idea for this chapter and didn't want it to go to waste! Just clearing that up.

PEACE!