"Dad, I think I'm lesbian."
"Hm?" Carrot Cake continued to read his newspaper, without seeming to notice his daughter's declaration.
"Huh, yes, you know, like... I think I'm in love with another mare."
"Hm, hm." Carrot just adjusted his pipe and unfolded his legs to fold them the other way.
"There is that... huh... mare at school, we get there together and we come back together, we even sit next to each other." Pumpkin raised her eyes to see her father, blowing out some smoke. "And... we have begun to go out together –as friends!" she quickly corrected herself. "But each time we have to part or I see her with another, I feel my heart tightening and feel like crying..."
"Hm, hm."
"Dad! Are you listening to me?!" Pumpkin pulled the paper from her father's hooves and stared at him with murderous eyes, her cheeks ready to blow out.
Carrot lowered the paper and smoked his pipe before answering, "Of course, my little sugar Cake, you are a big mare and you have feelings for another mare. If it can reassure you, you are indeed a lesbian, no doubts about it."
"What!? I... No! It doesn't reassure me at all! I mean... We are both mares! Doesn't it bother you?!"
Carrot rolled his eyes and resumed reading his paper without giving more attention to his daughter.
"Does it bother you?" he finally asked.
"I... I don't know, it's kind of why I wanted to talk to you about it..." She nervously rubbed her horn and let a lock of her mane fall over her eyes, to look again at her father. "To be honest, I thought you'd react differently, it would have helped me if... you had been angry, or... I don't know, supportive... I really need help, Dad..." she ended with a shaky voice.
Carrot lowered his paper and locked his eyes with his daughter's, without showing any emotion. Nonetheless, Pumpkin felt a small smile appearing on her lips. "It's very simple, Pumpkin. If it bothers you, just give up and find someone else. But if you think you really love her and you can overcome everything together, then just go and tell her how you feel." He rubbed his chin and looked away. "You know, I don't think there should be any obstacle to love."
Pumpkin's smile grew bigger hearing her father, to the point sparks began to shimmer in her eyes.
"Although" her father interrupted her before she got her hopes too high. "it doesn't mean she'll feel the same way, and that on her side, she'll be ready to accept the consequences of your love."
"Consequences?" repeated Pumpkin, her smile disappeared to be replaced by confusion.
"Listen, I don't think I'm the best pony you should be talking to about this. We'd better ask your mother." Carrot said with an innocent smile.
"Mum? Why-"
"Cup Cake!" her father called his wife before she had time to finish.
"Yes, honey?" came back his wife voice from the bakery.
"I have great news!" He shouted completely oblivious to his panicked daughter waving frantically to try and stop him. "Your daughter finally discovered she's lesbian!"
"CONGRATULATION!!" a lot of voices cheered with whistles, and a lot of hooves hit the floor, enough to make it shake.
Pumpkin felt her blood come to her face and put her mane in front of her eyes to hide her embarrassment. Before she thought of a better place to actually disappear, strong hooves took her from the ground and crushed her in a loving embrace.
"Oh! My little Pumpkin, I'm so proud of you!" Cup Cake hugged her daughter closer and blew her mane with a hoof. "I thought this day would never come!"
"I- What?! Mom, stop that!" She tried to get rid of the hoof in her mane, without success."I mean, it was that obvious? I didn't think it was. I mean, even I discovered it not long ago."
"But of course, my little Pumpkin. It's no secret, everypony knows. It's probably the most important part of your life after your cutie mark! With more than ninety percent of the population being mares, it's normal to feel attracted by ponies from the same gender!"
"I- What?! No, seriously, mum, stop that!" In a last attempt, Pumpkin finally pushed back her mother's invading hoof.
"Of course, darling, even me, even the neighbours'!" She slowly approached her daughter's ear and whispered in a conspiracy tone, "Even Bonbon and Lyra. Yes, I know, it shocked me too. I always thought the were just bestest friends."
Pumpkin managed to escape from the crushing hug and looked at her mom and her father, her face marked with stupefaction. Her brain had a hard time processing all this information. She didn't even understand what was the most shocking. Her attraction to other mares, the joy that menaced to transform her parents into a confetti rain, or even worse?! The fact that the musician and the candymare leaving the other side of the street were more than bestest friends?!
She pointed a hoof at her parents, her eyes never stopping to move from one to the other. "But-But... Then, why- why you two-"
"Oh! But it's very simple my pumpkin," answered her mother tenderly. "In order to have the two most beautiful foals in the world, I needed a stallion lovely and patient enough to share his life with me." She kissed her husband on the cheek, which didn't fail to make Carrot blush.
"But, how did you… I mean… If you prefer mares ?"
"Did you ever wonder why you called her auntie Pinkie even if we never were related?" asked Carrot with a large smile.
Pumpkin face was getting whiter by the second, she could feel her a knot forming in her stomach. "I think I wasn't ready for that kind of revelation."
Her two parents began to giggle loudly. "Oh, my dear little pumpkin, your innocence is so cute, everypony in Ponyville know about this." Cup Cake wiped her tears while her husband tried to regain his breath. "You want a true secret?"
"Your mother is sterile, she can't have foals," finished her father, trying to control his last chuckles.
"What?!" The shock was painted on Pumpkin's muzzle. "But then? How?!"
"Well… let's say that it could be that Auntie Pinkie may have some kinship with some of us in the end…"
Author's Note
Thanks to Dzamie for his proofreading.
You can find the French version here : Le secret
