A “Friendship” Problem

by Idsertian

Rating: mature
Tags: Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rainbow Dash, Romance, Drama, Coloratura, Rarity, Sex, Human
Length: 30013

When Rainbow Dash and Applejack hit a major bump in their relationship, can their friends help put the pieces back together?

Loyalty and honesty. Two sides of the same coin. Naturally, you’d think that two people embodying those virtues would be like two peas in a pod, as thick as thieves, stuck to each other like glue, and other such idioms.

You’d be right… well, for a time, anyway. Life has a habit of getting in the way. Bad decisions are made, and now those same people have to deal with the consequences.

They’re not alone, however, and perhaps all is not lost…

- - - - - - - -

Written for the 2017 AppleDash competition.

Published 2017-10-23 00:30:07 UTC
Last updated 2017-10-23 00:30:07 UTC

Truth & Reconciliation

Birdsong filled the early morning air, drifting along the dawn breeze to slip through an open bedroom window and gently coax the single occupant from her nightly slumber.

Simply put, Rarity awoke to the sound of birdsong.

She lay for a moment, enjoying the warmth of her bed against the cool morning air a little longer. Summer was rapidly turning into autumn, and while the nights weren’t quite cold enough yet to warrant closing the windows, the mornings were already carrying enough of a chill to make one reluctant to leave their bed.

Eventually, though, Rarity opened her azure eyes, blinking momentarily against the morning sunlight that cast a yellow block of light on the wall of her room. Sitting up, she stretched luxuriantly, allowing the blankets to fall off her and expose her breasts, her nipples stiffening in response to the cool air.

Yawning, Rarity threw the covers from the rest of herself, swinging her long legs off the bed and standing up. She walked towards her door, rubbing the sleep from her eyes with one hand, while scratching the back of her head with the other, causing her sleep-disheveled purple hair to fluff around her shoulders.

As she passed her mirror, she caught a glimpse of herself in the oval-shaped glass. A few months ago, she wouldn’t have countenanced stepping out of her room without paying a visit to her en suite bathroom, looking as she did. Her hair was unkempt, she wore no makeup or clothes except for a pair of black panties with a tiny, decorative pink bow on the hem, and she hadn’t even washed her face, never mind taken a shower.

Then again, a few months ago, she’d not been… “involved” with anyone. Such things had a way of changing certain outlooks, she was finding, even if they were only casual commitments. Being found attractive despite one’s shortcomings had a bolstering effect on one’s self-confidence, apparently, not to mention cultivating a certain laissez-faire attitude to one’s morning routine.

Besides, Sweetie Belle had been visiting their parents for the past three weeks, so modesty and vanity were a little less pressing.

Walking out of her room, Rarity headed down the hallway to the stairs, bare feet whispering along the thick, soft carpet covering the floor. As she passed the radiator on the wall, a small but delightful pocket of warmer air caressed her bare skin. She shivered as she passed out of it, goosebumps appearing on her arms.

As she reached the top of the stairs, the faint smell of toast and cooking food reached her nose, along with the clattering sounds of someone busying themselves in the kitchen. Rarity smiled.

‘She really is a darling,’ she thought to herself. ‘Now if only she’d apply that to the girl who deserves it the most.’ She shook her head. It was too early in the morning to be thinking about that right now.

Taking the stairs slowly, she made her way quietly down to the ground floor, slipping softly through the currently closed showroom of Carousel Boutique towards the kitchen. If she’d had a slightly more active imagination, Rarity might have imagined the mannequins arranged around the room silently judging her nakedness.

Stopping in the doorway to the kitchen, she finally laid eyes on the source of the noises and delicious smells. Rainbow Dash stood at the stove with her back to Rarity, fussing over what was clearly bacon, judging by the smell and the sizzling sounds. Her colourful hair was drawn back in a loose ponytail, and she was wearing only a dark blue sports bra, matching shorts and a pair of running shoes bearing the Wonderbolts team colours and logo.

Rarity tip-toed gracefully across the cold linoleum of the kitchen floor, crossing the gap between her and Rainbow Dash in just a few steps. She slipped her arms around the other woman’s chest, crossing them just underneath her breasts. Rainbow jumped slightly as she did so, but made no other outward sign of her surprise at being embraced. Rarity pulled her closer, nestling the smaller woman’s frame against her own and resting her chin on Rainbow’s left shoulder.

“Good morning, lover,” she said softly, kissing Rainbow’s cheek. “That smells delicious.” She moved her mouth up to Rainbow’s ear and lowered her voice to just above a whisper. “You left me alone in bed again this morning.”

“Sorry,” Rainbow replied, nuzzling her cheek against Rarity’s. She flipped a piece of bacon in the pan. “Had to go for a run. This testing and pre-season training is gonna keep me pretty busy for the next few weeks.” She smirked. “Did you sneak out to get piercings in the night, or are you just glad to see me?”

Rarity hummed in amusement. “As much as I might want to indulge your wonderfully dirty mind,” she began playfully, pressing her stiff nipples into Rainbow’s back slightly harder, “it’s just the cold air. They’ll go back down soon.”

“I hope not.”

Rarity actually laughed that time. “Maybe I’ll consider that request, but right now I’m utterly famished. Do I smell egg-fried bread, darling?”

“Right there on the table,” Rainbow answered, gesturing to the right with the fish slice she was using to turn the bacon. A few spots of grease flew off the end, unnoticed by both women.

“Mmm, you know me too well.”

Rarity delivered another firm kiss to Rainbow’s cheek and turned to walk over to the table. As she did, she swung her hand and delivered a hard smack to Rainbow’s ass, squeezing the firm muscle underneath.

Rainbow yelped, visibly jumping. The yelp, however, quickly turned into an involuntary moan as she pressed her backside into Rarity’s quick grasp. Just as quickly as she’d grabbed her, the dressmaker let go of her lover’s behind.

“A-Again,” came a demand, almost begging.

“Sorry, darling?” Rarity replied, feigning not having heard her.

“D-Do that again,” Rainbow stammered, biting her lip and inhaling sharply. Rarity gave a sultry chuckle.

“Oh no, dear, you only get one for free. You’ll have to work for the rest if you want them.” She turned and sashayed towards the table under the kitchen window.

“F-Fuck”, she heard Rainbow utter shakily under her breath.

Sitting down at the table, Rarity grinned to herself as she watched Rainbow resume cooking, her hands shaking slightly. She enjoyed teasing the younger woman. Her reactions were a delight to watch, and that slap was sure to have left her shorts damp.

Rarity reached across the table and grabbed two slices of egg-fried bread from a plate stacked with it, biting into one piece before depositing both onto her plate. Filling a glass with orange juice from the jug sitting in the middle of the table, she watched Rainbow as she walked over with two pans and dished up the bacon from one, and some fried eggs from the other.

After Rainbow set the pans back atop the stove, she returned to the table. Picking up three slices of toast, she dumped them onto her own plate before sliding it across to Rarity’s, pushing it to the side. She then moved her glass closer to her plate.

Rarity swallowed her mouthful. “And just what do you think you’re doing?” she asked coyly.

By way of an answer, Rainbow undid the button on her shorts, which, as Rarity had predicted, had a visible wet spot. Rainbow then sat in Rarity’s lap, grabbed her left hand and shoved it down her now loose shorts, placing it firmly between her parted legs. She then laid her head in the crook of Rarity’s shoulder, her arm dangling behind the chair.

“Getting myself comfortable,” she whispered huskily in Rarity’s ear, who began rubbing her thigh with her free hand.

“And what, precisely, is so comfortable about this position?” asked the fashionista, sliding her fingers slowly up and down the outside of Rainbow’s slick vulva, teasing her.

“Oh, nothing in par-ah-particular,” Rainbow breathed raggedly. “Just s-something about a beautiful woman groping me is pretty relaxing.” She took another shuddering breath.

“Oh, so you think I’m merely beautiful?” asked Rarity, mock hurt in her voice. She pulled her hand from Rainbow’s shorts and picked up a fork, stabbing a piece of bacon with feigned aggression. She took a bite, looking away and pretending to ignore her whilst chewing. Rainbow thumped her shoulder, but didn’t lift her head from where it rested.

“Oh stop it, I know when you’re joking. You can’t fool me anymore. Now put your hand back in my shorts.” Rarity giggled and swallowed her mouthful.

“Too bad, I do so love seeing you get flustered.” She turned and kissed the top of Rainbow’s head. “You need to eat, we can play later. Tell me about what Spitfire has you doing this weekend.”

Rainbow whined, but sat up. She picked up one of her eggs with her fingers and laid it on one of her pieces of toast. Picking the whole thing up, she took a bite, chewing whilst answering.

“Nuff’n ut ‘uh ooshul.”

“Really, Rainbow, finish your mouthful first, please.”

Rainbow swallowed. “Nothing out the usual. We got the new brakes for the bikes coming in next week, though. They want me to test them out.”

“Test them?” Rarity inquired, slightly alarmed. “You mean they don’t even know if they work?!”

Rainbow laughed. “Of course they work, the team just needs to know how good they perform on-track.”

“Oh, of course.” Rarity relaxed again. “I knew that.”

“You so didn’t!”

“You know what? I’m too hungry to deny it.” Rarity grinned and picked up her slice of egg-fried bread again.

“I knew it.”

The pair ate in silence for awhile, the crunch of toast, clinking of silverware and glasses, and Rainbow’s occasional smacking of lips the only sounds filling the kitchen. Once they were done, the well-toned young woman snuggled in close to Rarity, draping her arm over her shoulders, while idly fondling the breast she wasn’t currently lying against with her other hand.

Rarity watched her hand at work for a moment, enjoying the squeezing sensations and the occasional electric zing of Rainbow’s fingers rubbing her nipple. Reaching up with the arm she had wrapped around the other woman, she gently ran her fingers through the different colours of hair for a moment, before she asked what was at the fore of her mind.

“What are you thinking?” she inquired softly.

“Huh?” Rainbow stopped her fondling and looked up at her, hand still on her breast.

“Darling, I’ve known you long enough to know when you’re lost in thought, never mind how that affects your wandering hands.”

“Oh.” The racer lowered her head again and was silent, her hand remaining still. Rarity waited patiently. Publicly, Rainbow Dash was brash and loud, quick with her tongue and quicker to act. Over the past few months, however, Rarity had learned that the tough motorsport rider act covered a genuinely soft interior. When it came to matters close to her, Rainbow needed time to gather herself. Rushing her came to no good.

“It’s nothing,” was the eventual response. Her hand dropped to rest in the nook between her legs and Rarity’s firm stomach.

“That’s quite the nothing, then, if it can kill even your libido,” Rarity observed, placing her hand over Rainbow’s and intertwining their fingers. “It’s Applejack, isn’t it?” There was no response, bar a fidget that may have been a shrug.

“Talk to me,” the seamstress demanded firmly. “We all know what you meant to each other.” After a moment of silence that seemed to drag on forever, Rainbow finally answered.

“What’s there to talk about?” Rainbow asked defeatedly, looking down at her lap. “We got drunk, she took advantage of that and cheated on me.”

“Does that really sound like Applejack to you?”

“If you’d asked me if she’d do something like that before she did it, I would’ve knocked you into next week. She did do it, though, so yeah, I guess it does.”

“Really, darling, I think you’re being rather unreas-”

“Look,” Rainbow interrupted. “I really don’t want to talk about this anymore. It’s ruining my mood and I don’t want to go to work angry.” She looked up at Rarity again. “How about you tell me about your plan for today, huh?” She reached up with a hand and cupped Rarity’s cheek, then planted a quick kiss on her lips before settling back down again. “Tell me about all the froo-froo stuff you’re gonna do.”

Rarity stared at the top of the other woman’s head for a moment. The kiss had been unexpected, but pleasant. She wondered where exactly it was coming from, but decided to let it slide for the minute.

“Well, uh,” she began, clearing her throat. “Since you asked so nicely… My plan for today involves, in no particular order, completing that batch of shawls to ship to my Manehattan branch, polishing my good heels for the weekend, and visiting Twilight.” Still holding Rainbow’s hand, she brought it up to her breast and pressed it firmly into the soft, yielding flesh. “But before all that, I’m going to spend some time cheering you up.”

Rainbow once again looked up to meet her gaze, grinning. Her hand tightened around Rarity’s breast, her fingertips digging in just shy of painfully.

“Oh yeah? And how’re you gonna do that?”

Rarity leaned forward and whispered in her ear. Moments later, the two of them sprinted naked up the stairs, hand in hand, with Rainbow leading the way.

* * * * * * * *

Twilight’s orgasm echoed loudly off the crystal walls of her bathroom, the open door carrying the sounds of her moans into the rest of the castle. She panted harshly, bent over with both hands against the wall of the shower, her whole body quaking with aftershocks. Her tangled, wet hair hung like a dark sapphire curtain over her face, the usually straight violet and rose streaks twisted and broken. The hot water of the shower pounded her bare back and poured off of her in rivulets, running down her backside and quivering, spread legs.

Given the weakness in her knees, she likely would’ve collapsed where she stood if not for the strong, yet feminine, arm that gripped her, running around her waist to grasp her cunt, two fingers inside her.

“Y’all like that?” Applejack asked from behind her, her other hand rubbing along Twilight’s back. “I ain’t heard you scream like that in a bit.” There was a hint of gentle laughter in her voice. Twilight nodded.

“Yeah,” she giggled back. “I guess… I guess I needed that more than I thought.” She cast a glance back and smiled. “Thank you. You can go ahead and take it out, now. Slowly, though.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Applejack nod.

“I got you, sugarcube.”

The young royal hissed in excruciating pleasure as Applejack’s fingers left her and stroked her sensitive womanhood on their way back up to her hip. She hummed as she felt her companion pull the strap-on out of her ass, her sphincter reflexively tightening around the shaft as it retreated. She tried to relax as much as possible, pushing slightly to aid Applejack’s pulling. After what seemed an eternal and ecstatic few seconds, Twilight felt the toy slip free, sighing at the empty feeling in her rear.

Standing up carefully into the flow of the shower head, she reached up and detached it from the wall. Holding it behind herself, she pointed the stream at her behind, running her free hand between her cheeks to rid herself of left-over lube. Turning around to face Applejack, she watched as the blonde farm-girl removed the plastic toy from her crotch, revealing a triangular patch of blonde pubes, then reached for the shower head.

Twilight handed it to her and stepped in close, running her hand across Applejack’s chest, feeling the hard muscles, developed through years of physical labour, under the freckled skin and soft breasts. She kissed her cheek, moving quickly to her neck, where she mixed kisses with playful bites.

“Darlin’,” Applejack began, dropping the now clean strap on and turning to Twilight. “If you don’t stop that, I’m gonna have to take that pretty face of yours in my hands and pin it to me.” Twilight grinned naughtily.

“Oh yeah? Where?” she inquired in a teasing manner. She began moving lower, trailing kisses and licks across Applejack’s chest, tasting a mix of shower water and soft skin. “Here?”

“Lower than that.”

“Hmm…” The princess kissed down across the farmer’s breast, sucking on her nipple and pulling gently away until it slipped out of her mouth with a pop. Applejack hissed in pleasure.

“Here?” Twilight asked.

“Nuh-uh, keep goin’ sugarcube.”

Slowly crouching onto her heels, Twilight left yet more kisses on Applejack’s stomach, circling her belly-button with her tongue as she passed it, her hands slowly trailing after her, feeling every nuance of the trained and hard abdominal muscles she could see under the tanned skin.

As she made it to Applejack’s mound, Twilight stopped her ministrations and nuzzled into the soft, wiry hair, inhaling deeply of both the country girl’s natural smell and the distinctly feminine scent coming from just below. She felt Applejack buck her hips slightly towards her, voicing a quiet noise of impatience. Giggling at her lover’s restlessness, Twilight teased her once more.

“How about here?” She ran her fingers through the blonde hair in front of her with one hand, and used the other to trace the edge of the tan line around her friend’s legs, teasing the other woman just that bit more.

“N-no, Twi, a bit further down…” Applejack replied breathlessly. Twilight felt her place a hand on her head, urging her gently downward. She resisted for a moment, then slipped out from under it, looking up to meet Applejack’s surprised green eyes with her own violet ones.

“But Applejack, that’s your naughty place!” she said in her best innocent schoolgirl voice. “Surely you don’t want me to kiss you there?!”

Applejack’s face quickly turned into a perfect illustration of lust. Her cheeks glowed red, her eyes were clouded with desire and her lower lip all but disappeared behind her teeth as she bit down. She dropped the shower head, which landed with an unceremonious thump. The water continued spraying from the head, splashing back off the wall in a fine mist that coated both of them. She reached down with both hands and gently clasped Twilight’s face.

“Twilight,” Applejack started, her unrestrained desire making her country accent even huskier. “You sure do know how to push all my fuckin’ buttons.” Twilight barely had time to grin in triumph as the hands holding her head pushed her towards the aroused woman’s crotch.

Before her, Applejack’s pussy was reddened and engorged; thick, dark inner lips protruding from the puffy outer labia. Her large clitoris, roughly double the size of Twilight’s own pea-sized one, stood proud from its hood, almost begging to be touched. Despite the shower, it was obvious that water wasn’t the only reason for the unmistakable wetness here.

Dropping to her knees, Twilight immediately took Applejack’s nether lips into her mouth, sucking and gently nibbling on them, the way she knew she liked. Every now and then, she stuck her tongue out to venture between them, varying between slow licks along the length of her vulva, and delving deep inside her for the source of the salty-sweet honey that kept running between her lips.

Her hands weren’t idle during this, either. Whilst she kept one busy caressing the other girl’s ass, rubbing and grabbing, the other moved in to tend to Applejack’s clit. Holding the flat of her hand against the farmer’s mound, Twilight used her thumb to slowly and gently rub circles around the incredibly sensitive nub, feeling the shaft of it through her labia. After a moment, she dragged her thumb hard and straight across the head of it and was immediately rewarded by a loud, throaty moan from above her, along with a sudden increase in juices. Another smile graced her lips at the success, and she continued her gentle, circular motions.

Applejack apparently decided that wasn’t enough, however, as her weight suddenly shifted and one of her hands disappeared from Twilight’s head. A moment later, she felt one of Applejack’s strong, muscular legs curve around her back and pull her in, the remaining hand on her head pushing her face harder into her crotch. Applejack began grinding Twilight’s face, clearly desperate for relief. The princess decided to oblige her.

Bringing her hand around from behind the farm girl, Twilight slipped first one, then two fingers inside her, feeling the inside of Applejack’s cunny immediately squeeze down greedily on the intruders. Ordinarily, she would have liked to explore the inside of her friend’s vagina, teasing her and slowly bringing her closer to climax, but she could sense the need for release in her partner.

Releasing Applejack’s labia from her mouth, Twilight moved up slightly to the clit she’d just been rubbing, and began flicking it rapidly with her tongue. Simultaneously, she curled her fingers inside Applejack, almost instinctively finding the sensitive spot that she knew would drive her to the highest peaks of pleasure. The reaction was immediate and loud.

Applejack’s screams of ecstasy rebounded off the walls, her hips bucking hard into Twilight’s face and her hand grabbing a fistul of hair, pushing the princess’ head into her crotch; her body seeking out more contact even as she orgasmed. The tall blonde bent over double, squashing Twilight slightly, who just gripped the thigh squeezing her in and held on, trying not to unbalance her lover as she came.

Applejack’s juices coated her fingers and hand, running almost as freely as the shower head, her insides clamping down hard on the digits invading her most private of places. Twilight kept up her motions, knowing there was at least one more orgasm in her. After a few more seconds, it arrived, even more powerful than the first.

The country girl uttered a scream even louder than the first, her voice suddenly choking off. All her movement stopped as her climax overloaded her brain. Twilight slowed her rapid movements, switching to long, slow licks and strokes. She felt the hand in her hair grab even tighter, some of the strands pulling painfully. She ignored it as she gently massaged the orgasming woman down from the sensual peak she’d climbed.

Without warning, something warm splashed against her chin and neck. Surprised, she took her lips from Applejack’s clit to see what was happening. Another spurt nailed her right in the mouth, delivering an unfamiliar salty-sharp taste that somehow stayed on the tip of her tongue, even after she spat it out, followed by two more that quickly turned into a stream.

“Wha- Oh!” she gasped in surprise, grasping what was happening almost straight away, but unable to do anything about it. Her lover’s grip was such that she could just about remove her mouth from her pussy, but further retreat was impossible. Instead, she just turned her head slightly and closed an eye, giggling as Applejack’s bladder emptied itself over her face, the hot stream running down her chin and over her breasts to pool in her lap.

After a couple of seconds Applejack herself suddenly relaxed, her breath coming in deep, harsh gasps. She made no move to straighten up, however, simply remaining bent over, trying to regain her breath. Over the sound of the shower, Twilight could just make out her whispering “oh fuck, oh fuck” between pants for breath. Still giggling at the situation, she slowly removed her her fingers from inside her friend and spoke up.

“AJ?” It took Applejack a second to answer, but eventually she managed to respond.

“Ye-yeah, Twi?”

“I hope you enjoyed that, but… well, you’re kind of peeing on me.”

“I- I know. I, uh… I c-can’t seem to stand up right now.”

Twilight snorted. “Really? A big, strong girl like you? Whatever could have done that?”

“You know damn well who’s responsible, you minx.”

Twilight could only laugh in response. She felt Applejack’s body shaking as she laughed along with her.

“Alright,” Twilight began as she stifled her laugh. “I forgive you. But only if you promise to take me out to dinner tonight! I don’t let just any girl do this,” she finished teasingly.

“It’s a date,” came the chuckled reply.

A moment later and the stream of pee from Applejack dribbled to a stop, the woman slowly straightening and letting go of Twilight’s hair, though keeping her hand on the railing on the wall. Her face was beet red as she looked down at the librarian-turned-royalty, who was licking her fingers clean whilst still dripping with the remnants of her impromptu extra shower.

“Real sorry about that, Twi,” the farmer began, her voice unusually contrite. “That don’t- I mean, that ain’t never happened to me before. I guess I was closer to burstin’ than I thought. I couldn’t stop it.” Sucking her middle finger clean with a quiet smack of her lips, Twilight just smiled up at her and shrugged.

“Don’t worry about it, it’s fine. Accidents happen. Besides, we’re naked and in the shower. It’s not like you ruined some expensive clothes or something.” Twilight picked up the shower head and quickly rinsed herself off. “See? All fixed.”

“Yeah, accidents happen,” Applejack said, embarrassment evident in her voice. “They happen to little girls in pre-school, not twenty-five year old farm hands who ain’t pissed themselves since they were knee-high to a grasshopper!” Twilight wasn’t sure, but she thought she saw the blush on Applejack’s face deepen even more.

“I said it’s fine,” she said reassuringly. She stood up and offered the shower head to the other woman, who took it and gingerly began cleaning her crotch. Twilight crossed her arms. “Besides, I think I’m going to take it as a compliment,” she added with an impish grin. Applejack looked at her quizzically.

“Compliment? I just whizzed all over your face!”

“Yeah, you did… right after I made you orgasm so hard you lost all control,” Twilight explained, her grin widening. “You said you’ve never had that happen before, so I guess I’m the first girl to do it to you. Pretty high praise, I should think.”

The two of them looked at each other for a moment, before Twilight suddenly burst into laughter. Unable to help herself, Applejack found herself joining in with her friend’s infectious mirth.

“Well, I guess that’s one way of lookin’ at it,” she managed to get out as they both calmed down.

Twilight nodded, still giggling. She pushed open the door to the shower, tensing slightly as the colder air of the bathroom raised goosebumps all over her body. She stepped out, casting a look back over her shoulder.

“Now how about we get some breakfast?” she asked. “I don’t know about you, but I’m absolutely starving.”

* * * * * * * *

Breakfast in the castle of friendship had been a rapidly evolving affair over the past few months. Initially, it had been just Twilight and Spike, the two of them eating quietly in the castle kitchen, one or both reading something of interest that morning. When Starlight Glimmer had moved in, light conversation came with her, the kitchen becoming host to discussions about magic and friendship for an hour or so each morning.

Then Applejack and Twilight had started sleeping together. The kitchen and its small table suddenly weren’t enough for everyone during her visits, so breakfast moved to the castle’s dining hall, the participants clustering around one end of the table. Shortly after that, Applejack started bringing Coloratura with her every now and again, who, after two weeks of sporadic visits, had decided to take a break from her career to stay in the castle. Whilst it had surprised Applejack, it was something Twilight had no problem approving.

Thus breakfast had acquired a fifth member around the table, and the kitchen a second, as Coloratura proved herself as able in front of a stove as she was behind a microphone, or indeed, between Twilight and Applejack’s legs. Soon thereafter, it became the norm for the other three to be deep in conversation when Spike and Coloratura arrived with whatever dish they’d conjured up that morning.

So it had been for several months now, but this morning saw the dining hall empty. With Starlight visiting Sunburst in the Crystal Empire, and Spike attending a sleepover with Applejack’s sister and their friend Scootaloo, the three remaining women had opted to sit at the kitchen table that morning.

The usual conversation was absent, however, with just the sounds of eating filling the room. Twilight and Applejack munched hungrily on the breakfast of pancakes and waffles that Coloratura had prepared, while the latter looked on in mild amusement, eating her own food at a more sedate pace. The two of them had barely greeted her before they’d sat down and started eating, not that she minded. The fact they were wolfing down the food as they were was compliment enough.

As she watched them eating, Coloratura wondered idly about their attire, or lack of it, in Twilight’s case. Applejack was clearly planning to leave after eating, already done up in her jeans and shirt, the arms rolled up past her elbows to expose her tanned forearms. For the moment, her trademark hat was hanging off the back of her chair, showing off her blonde hair, which was tied back in a loose ponytail and held together by a simple red ribbon. The sunlight from the window cast across her hair, making it seem to glow in the morning light.

Twilight, on the other hand, was clearly planning on going nowhere. Whilst her hair was brushed straight, the violet and rose streaks forming a set of neat stripes, the only thing she wore was a soft looking pale pink dressing gown, which she hadn’t even bothered tying up. It hung limply from her shoulders, exposing her front to anyone who cared to look, which Coloratura very much did. She let her opal-coloured gaze linger on Twilight’s ample cleavage, admiring the shape and fullness for moment, wishing for a fleeting moment her own assets were as big.

Evidently she stared for a bit too long, causing Applejack to comment.

“Hey, Twi, I think Rara’s seen somethin’ she likes,” the farm girl teased, elbowing the princess and nodding in Coloratura’s direction. Twilight looked up at her and smirked around a mouthful of waffle, before returning to her food.

“They are kind of just there, on display,” Coloratura stated, sticking her tongue out at Applejack, but blushing at being caught staring nonetheless.

“Says she,” the farmer retorted, gesturing with her fork at the satin slip the popstar was wearing. The straps were solid black, but everything else was sheer, almost transparent, leaving nothing to the imagination. A small fake ribbon, the same black as the fabric, was sewn into the base of the bust, and the hem stopped halfway down her thighs, a thick black line that stood out against the skin of her legs.

Despite showing off its wearer’s most intimate places, the garment’s lack of styling beyond the obvious intention of exhibitionism left it feeling practical and plain, which somehow only enhanced its erotic nature.

“I’ll have you know this is the height of nightwear fashion,” Coloratura shot back, mustering as much fake outrage as she could. Applejack wasn’t buying it.

“Can still see your tits, darlin’,” she stated matter-of-factly. She took another mouthful of food with her fork and began chewing, smiling victoriously as she did so. Coloratura just shook her head and laughed.

“Fair,” she conceded. “But at least I’m only staring at our princess’ ample chest. You were doing a lot more than that upstairs, judging by the noises I heard.”

Twilight immediately burst out laughing, nearly choking on her food and having to wash it down with a gulp of water from her glass. Applejack just glowered at her childhood friend, or tried to as best she could with the sudden redness in her cheeks.

“She’s got you there, AJ,” Twilight said, recovering from her coughing fit and joining in with the teasing. She leaned in towards Applejack, speaking in a low tone. “You were doing pretty unspeakable things to me up there.”

“Y’all be quiet now, sugarcube, she don’t need to know about that,” Applejack said quietly, suddenly very interested in the contents of her plate.

“Oh, really? I think she does. She needs fair warning, at least,” Twilight replied, leaning back in her chair with an evil grin on her face.

“Why?” Coloratura inquired, making her eyes wide and filling her voice with fake concern. “What did she do?”

“Twi…” Applejack pleaded, to no avail. Twilight didn’t stop looking at Applejack, clearly enjoying watching her squirm. Her grin became triumphant.

“I fingered her so hard that she peed on me.”

Coloratura just looked from Twilight to Applejack and back. Finally, she couldn’t hold it in any longer and broke out in uproarious laughter.

“TWI!” shouted Applejack, sinking down into her chair as much as it would allow.

“What?” asked the princess, barely controlling her own laughter. The farmer just covered her face with her hands and groaned.

“I ain’t gonna live this down, am I?” she asked, her voice muffled slightly by her palms. Once she’d calmed down enough, Coloratura simply shook her head.

“Don’t worry, we’ll make sure to only bring it up at the most embarrassing moments,” she giggled good-naturedly. Twilight tittered along with her. Applejack removed her hands from her face and went back to finishing her breakfast.

“Well gee, thanks Rara,” she retorted sarcastically.

“You’re welcome,” the singer responded in sunny tones.

Quiet overtook the kitchen once more, as the three of them set about finishing their respective breakfasts. Applejack finished first, setting her fork down on her plate with a clatter. Quickly draining her glass of water of its contents, she stood up from her chair and stretched. In one smooth motion, she grabbed her hat and set it on her head, making only the slightest of adjustments afterward.

“Going already?” asked Coloratura, watching her the whole time.

“Yup, farm ain’t gonna run itself, after all.” Applejack winked at her, then turned to Twilight and pecked her on the cheek. “See you this evenin’, sugarcube.”

“I’ll be waiting,” the princess replied, returning the kiss. “Take me somewhere nice, but not too fancy. I don’t want to cause a stir.”

“You got it.”

With that, Applejack turned and left, the dull clumping of her boots getting slowly quieter. The sound of the castle’s main doors opening echoed down the hall, followed by a loud bang as they closed.

With her own meal finished, Coloratura stood up and began clearing the plates from the table, as she gathered up the crockery, she flashed a sly smile at Twilight.

“Going out tonight, then?” she asked knowingly. Twilight nodded her affirmation.

“It’s an apology dinner,” she answered, grinning again.

“Poor AJ. We’re not going to tease her too much, I hope?”

“Only when necessary.” Both women chuckled again at Applejack’s misfortune.

Carrying the dishes to the sink, Coloratura placed them in it and walked back around to Twilight. Pulling her chair away from the table so she could straddle her lap, she crossed her arms behind the princess’ neck.

With a flick of her head, she threw her hair back over her shoulder, the sun catching on the opal highlights in her curls and making them shine in contrast to the two dark indigo shades that made up the body. She threw another long look at Twilight’s body, soaking in the sight of her curves and soft skin, noting her freshly shaven legs and mound. Eventually, she looked back up and met Twilight’s eyes with her own, which were looking at her in a reproaching, but playful manner.

“If you’d looked any longer,” Twilight started, her voice a reflection of her expression. “I might’ve had to start charging you.” Coloratura smirked.

“We both know I’d gladly pay anything, just for a few seconds.”

“Uh-huh.” Twilight’s smile reflected both her tone and the knowledge that what Coloratura had just said was likely true.

“What about you?” the singer asked, straightening up slightly to stick out her chest. “Do you like the slip? I ordered it last week from Rarity. I thought you’d love it, but you’ve barely looked at me this morning.” Twilight nodded.

“Sorry, Rara,” she apologised. “I did notice it and I do love it, I was just very hungry when I came down.”

“Good to know that food outranks me in the pecking order,” teased the other woman. “I’ll just have to make sure you’re fed next time I want you to ogle me.”

“I can do that right now, if you want.” A smile that could only be described as lascivious spread slowly across Twilight’s face, her hand stroking the small woman’s thigh sensually. Coloratura pretended to consider for a moment, then shook her head.

“I’m afraid her highness has missed that opportunity,” she stated matter-of-factly. “She’ll have to petition for time ogling the countess at a later date.”

“Are you denying a royal request? This is an outrage!” Faux indignation dripped from Twilight’s every syllable, her mischievous smile still present. Coloratura giggled.

“Be outraged on your own time, please, your highness, we have other matters to discuss.”

“Such as?”

“Our mutual lover. Did you manage to get her to open up at all last night while I was in the bath?” Twilight’s hand stopped its stroking and her expression immediately changed to one of worriment. She shook her head.

“Not really. The only thing she’d say to me was that she wished she’d paid more attention to Dash, and less to her hormones. I think she’d just rather forget the whole thing, which upsets me. She and Rainbow were so good together.” Sighing, Coloratura nodded.

“I can’t get anything out of her, either. The thing is, she doesn’t just clam up, she actively changes the subject. I can’t tell if she just wants to move on, or if she’s actually afraid of confronting how she feels. What happened bothers her, though, you can see it in her face when she thinks no-one’s looking.”

“Yes, I’ve seen it, too,” Twilight agreed.

“We can’t let her go on like this.”

“I know, I know.”

“I feel guilty,” Coloratura admitted. “I mean, it was me she slept with that night. I’m basically the reason her relationship fell apart.” Twilight shook her head.

“Don’t think like that. It’s not your fault.”

“Still, though…”

The pair were quiet for a moment, then Twilight spoke up.

“When I see Rarity next, I’ll talk with her. Maybe she’s had more luck with Rainbow and I can figure something out from that.” She sighed. “Are we even doing this the right way? We’ve never had to deal with something this big before.”

“Hey,” Coloratura said firmly. She leaned her forehead gently against Twilight’s, forcing her to meet her gaze. “You can do this. The map called you and Rarity for a reason. You’ve faced bigger problems than this before.”

“Yes, but what if we’re going about fixing this all wrong? What if-” Twilight was silenced as Coloratura pressed a finger to her lips.

“Stop,” she said pointedly, taking her finger away. “You are the princess of friendship. You’ve stared down monsters, saved the country countless times and even reformed some of your enemies. You’ve got this.” Twilight sighed even deeper than before, but smiled nonetheless.

“I wish I had your confidence, Rara, but thank you. I appreciate your faith in me.”

“Don’t mention it,” said the singer, a gentle smile gracing her lips. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Coloratura felt her heart leap at the words, just the same as it had a couple of weeks ago when she first heard them, breathlessly whispered in her ear under a full moon, the scent of lavender perfume filling her nose. She hoped that she would continue to hear those words far into the future, and that her reaction to them would never dull.

Both women closed the gap to each other at the same time, the pair’s lips meeting softly. The kiss lingered, neither wishing to be the first to break contact. Eventually, though, it was Twilight who conceded to the need for oxygen first, breathing quickly as she simply stared lovingly at her girlfriend, her cheeks tinged pink.

“Feel better?” Coloratura asked, returning the gaze, her breath also coming quicker than normal. Twilight nodded.

“A bit, thanks.” She looked up at the clock hanging over the stove, her eyes suddenly widening. “Oh crap, I didn’t realise that was the time! I’m so far behind schedule! I’ve still got all those forms to sign for the Nightmare Night plans!”

Coloratura felt the now familiar tingle of Twilight’s magic encompassing her body, followed by a brief sensation of weightlessness as she was lifted from the princess’ lap up onto the table. Faster than she would have thought possible, the other woman was up out of her seat and out the kitchen, her dressing gown billowing behind her as she ran.

Surprised, Coloratura sat blinking for a second before crying out in indignation.

“Hey!” she shouted after Twilight. “Don’t mind me! It’s not like I decided to wear this specifically to have sex with you or anything!”

“Lunch time!” came Twilight’s yelled reply, echoing down the crystal halls of the castle. Coloratura looked at the clock and shook her head in resignation.

It was going to be long morning.

* * * * * * * *

The midday sun warmed Rarity as she walked out of Ponyville, fighting off the slight chill from the weak breeze that stirred the air. Her appearance was in stark contrast to that of earlier in the morning; her hair brushed and immaculately styled, makeup perfectly applied, diamond-shaped sapphire earrings dangling alongside her neck. Her perfume was just a hint of something exotic, its scent a shade of the real spices it hoped to imitate.

Her outfit was of a similar level of perfection, chosen both for the weather and its appearance. A pale blue, almost white, off-the-shoulder top covered her torso down to her thighs, leaving her right shoulder bare, the flared sleeves ending just short of her wrists. A pair of dark skinny jeans gripped her legs, assuring anybody nearby was left in no doubt as to their curvaceousness. A black pair of heeled, knee-high leather boots crunched daintily on the dirt path as she walked, brass buckles holding the thin straps in place. A pair of golden bracelets and a simple tan handbag completed the outfit.

Rarity walked unhurriedly, enjoying her walk along the path to Twilight’s castle, the crystal structure dominating the local skyline. The air was fresh and clear, birdsong lilting between the occasional trees dotting the path, which were already starting to turn the numerous hues of autumn, reds and golds shooting through green foliage.

Presently, she arrived at the front doors to the castle, opening them with a flick of her wrist, her magic enveloping one half with a blue aura and moving the heavy metal effortlessly. Walking inside and closing the door carefully behind her, she called out, her voice echoing around the castle’s massive foyer.

“Hello? Twilight? It’s me!” No response, except the dying echo of her own voice.

Shrugging her shoulders, Rarity reasoned that her friend was either too far away, or too busy, to hear her. She was probably in her study, buried a mile deep in paperwork, as was the norm for her since becoming princess. Actually, it had been the norm since before then, with only the nature of the paperwork changing slightly, as far as the seamstress could tell.

Setting off to find Twilight, Rarity passed through one of the smaller doors opposite the entryway, her heels clicking on the floor. As she made her way through the castle’s vast interior towards the study, she pondered the reason for her visit.

Since getting the call from the map several months ago, she and Twilight had been trying to get to the bottom of the breakup between Rainbow Dash and Applejack, with little success. Neither had been very forthcoming, often refusing to engage on the subject at all. The little they had managed to glean didn’t make much sense, but it was clear that someone wasn’t being entirely honest. It had been a long, confusing few months, and she was at her wits end about what to do.

She finally reached the door to Twilight’s study, which stood slightly ajar. Raising an arm, she reached out to push it fully open. Perhaps it might worth it if they were to write to Princess Cadan-

Rarity stopped dead as the door swung open to reveal the study, her brain taking a moment to process what she saw.

Twilight was scooched down low in her favourite armchair, naked save for a pair of reading glasses perched on her nose, her legs splayed and presenting her pussy to the room. Her hands were playing roughly with her breasts, squeezing the plump mounds for all they were worth. On her knees in front of her, butt resting on her heels, was Coloratura, also completely nude. Both her hands were busy with Twilight’s crotch, which glistened with the princess’ arousal. One of her hands was busy with Twilight’s clit, while the other… the other…

The other was inside her. Rarity gasped.

Twilight immediately looked up and squealed in surprise, her arms flying up to cover her breasts and her legs snapping shut.

“Rarity!”

Coloratura looked around, also surprised, but made no move to cover herself up.

“Uh, hello!” she offered, her expression stuck halfway between shameless lust and that of a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar, almost literally in this case.

As for Rarity, she turned bright red and looked away, bringing her hand up to cover her peripheral vision.

“Oh, dear heavens!” she cried. “Twilight, I’m so sorry! I’ll erm… I’ll wait in the map room for you two to, uh… finish up.”

Pulling the door to with her magic, she all but ran back down the hallway, the devilish laughter of her friends following her as she went.

* * * * * * * *

Fifteen minutes later, Rarity sat on her crystal throne in the map room, resting her chin on one hand and drumming the fingers of her other on the map itself. On the back of her hand, the three diamonds of her cutie mark shifted slightly as the tendons underneath it flexed. Her initial embarrassment at catching Twilight and Coloratura in the act had worn off, only to be replaced with boredom as she waited for them.

She stared at the cutie marks glowing over Ponyville on the magical representation of Equestria, and wondered why the map had chosen her for this. Ever since it had appeared, its means and methods of who it picked had remained a mystery. Behind her, she heard the side door opening, followed by the sound of bare footsteps and Twilight’s voice.

“Sorry about that, Rarity,” she said, walking past her to the other side of the table and seating herself on the throne that bore her own cutie mark. No longer naked, she had thrown on a pink dressing gown, tying it closed at the waist. Her glasses were nowhere to be seen and though she hid it well, her face betrayed her embarrassment at being caught with Coloratura.

“I completely forgot you were coming over today,” she finished. Rarity shook her head.

“It’s fine, dear,” she said. “The fault is mine. I should have knocked or called out, instead of just walking in like that. This is your home, after all.” She looked around briefly. “Um… do you mind me asking if you’re okay?” Twilight arched an eyebrow in puzzlement.

“I’m fine, why?”

“Well…” Rarity floundered, her impeccable manners struggling to find a way to express what she’d just seen. “I mean, you… her hand… doesn’t that hurt?”

“Oh!” Twilight gave an awkward chuckle. “No. Well, it was pretty uncomfortable the first few times, but it’s a lot better now. Practice makes perfect, and Rara… let’s just say she’s given me plenty of it.” She blushed and flashed a lopsided grin.

“I see,” Rarity said, blushing slightly herself. “So long as everything is above board. Speaking of which, where is Coloratura?”

“Making us some tea,” replied Twilight, fidgeting in her seat to get comfortable. “She’ll be here in a moment. And really, don’t worry about walking in on us, it’s fine. It’s not like we haven’t all seen each other naked at the spa before.”

“Yes, darling, but that’s different. There you aren’t… you know…” she trailed off awkwardly.

“Having sex?”

“Well… yes,” Rarity stated matter-of-factly. Twilight laughed at her friend’s bluntness, Rarity soon tittering along with her.

With the tension abated, the two chatted idly for a few minutes until Coloratura arrived with three steaming cups on a tray. The singer was now wearing an overly large white shirt that hung down to her knees, the sleeves rolled back so her hands could stick out. Enough buttons were done up to cover her front, but her intention was still clearly to titillate anyone in the room with her.

“So, how are things with Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked once Coloratura had passed out the cups and settled into the chair usually reserved for Spike.

Between sips of tea, Rarity related what had happened between herself and Rainbow that morning, leaving out the more indecent events. The two other women listened attentively, sipping at their tea as they did so. Twilight set down her cup after Rarity finished.

“Odd,” she began, turning the cup in place thoughtfully. “Why would she clearly indicate something’s bothering her, but then refuse to talk about it?”

“Feelings sometimes don’t make sense,” answered Coloratura. “She might want to talk, but feels too scared to do so.”

“You know what Rainbow’s like,” Rarity added, shrugging. “She’s almost as proud as Applejack is, which leads me on to asking how your own endeavours have fared.”

Twilight repeated what she’d told Coloratura that morning over breakfast, her own progress sounding almost like a play-by-play of Rarity’s tale, only with different participants. Rarity shook her head.

“It doesn’t sound like either have us has managed to make any headway since the last time we met,” she commented, disheartened.

“So, nothing out of the usual, then?” Twilight remarked. She groaned, slumping onto the table, her head resting on her arms. “We’re getting nowhere.”

“There is one other thing,” Rarity said hesitantly, dropping her gaze slightly to her half-empty cup. Twilight looked back up at her.

“What?” she asked. The dressmaker took a moment before answering.

“When Rainbow told me to change the subject, she… kissed me. On the lips.”

Coloratura and Twilight exchanged a glance.

“So?” asked Rara. “You two probably kiss all the time when you have sex.”

“Yeeeees,” Rarity admitted falteringly, her blush returning to her cheeks briefly. “But that’s different, it’s just mechanical. Part of the game, if you will. This was… gentler. There was meaning behind it.”

“Are you sure you aren’t just imagining that?” inquired Twilight. Rarity gave another shake of her head.

“No, I know how Rainbow kisses when she’s being… passionate. This was very different. I think she might be falling in love with me.” A look of alarm immediately crossed Twilight’s face.

“Rarity, you cannot allow that to happen!” she cried, almost shouting.

“I know, I know!” Rarity replied, snapping. “I’ll have to figure out some way to gently remind her that our little arrangement is strictly platonic.” Coloratura cleared her throat.

“Both of you calm down, please. Remember we’re here to try and help our friends. Twily, apologise for yelling,” she added firmly. Twilight sighed.

“You’re right. Sorry, Rarity. We’ve been at this so long now, it’s starting to get to me.” Rarity just held up a hand.

“It’s fine, darling. I know the feeling,” she said, brushing off the little spat. She hadn’t meant to snap at Twilight, no doubt as the other woman hadn’t meant to yell, instead the stress of the whole situation answering for her.

Silence pervaded the room for a minute, each woman lost in her own thoughts. Rarity was the first to break it.

“I think…” she started, almost thinking aloud. “I think we need to consider a more direct approach.” Coloratura nodded in approval.

“I agree,” the popstar said. “You’ve been at this for six months, now. Maybe it’s time to switch things up.” Twilight just looked between the two before running a hand over her face.

“Yeah, maybe we’ve been going about this wrong,” she conceded. “We’ve spent all this time trying to find out about what happened, keeping them separate while we do it… maybe we should just try getting them to talk to each other?”

“Do you really think that will work?” Rarity asked. “I mean, I don’t think I’ve seen them exchange more than sour greetings when they pass each other in the street.” Twilight sat up and shrugged.

“It’s worth a try, isn’t it? What else can we do at this point?” She looked at Rarity, who just shrugged her shoulders. Another silence settled on the map room as the occupants pondered their situation. This time, it was Coloratura’s turn to break it.

“So,” she began gently, looking over at Rarity. “How are you doing in all of this?”

“Me?” responded the fashionista, surprised. “Whatever do you mean?”

“Well, for starters, this is a lot of stress to take on. Moreover, Twilight here tells me you weren’t always into women.” Twilight started in her seat as if she’d suddenly remembered something.

“Yeah,” she said, nodding. “As if it wasn’t enough that we’re having to try and recover our friends’ relationship, you’ve got to deal with discovering your own sexuality as well.”

“Oh, I’m er… I’m fine, really,” Rarity answered flustered. She looked away, rubbing the back of her head. “I think.”

“You know you can talk to us about it any time, right?” Twilight asked, concern touching her voice. “Rara and I grew up nearly our entire lives knowing we were gay, but you’ve only had a few months to deal with finding out you like girls as well.”

“It’s… not easy,” Rarity admitted. “Growing up, all I wanted to do when I was old enough was meet a handsome man, get married and start a family.” She looked back up. “I still want that, but now I catch myself staring at other women in the street, wondering if it wouldn’t be so bad if it was one of them I married instead. It’s confusing.”

“That’s perfectly normal,” Coloratura reassured. “My advice would be to not fight it. Embrace it. It’s part of you, so let it happen. You can’t control your attractions, after all.” Twilight nodded in agreement.

“As you can imagine, I read up on the subject a lot when I was growing up,” she explained. “And one of the common reiterations was that a subject’s denial of their sexuality was inherently unhealthy. Obviously, you aren’t or you wouldn’t be sleeping with Rainbow, but it’s worth bearing in mind.”

“Yes, alright. Thank you, both of you,” Rarity said with a nod, absorbing the info. “But I think I just need time to adjust to all this, is all. Besides, we’re not here for me.”

“Nonsense, Rarity,” argued Coloratura. “Your well-being is just as important as whatever else we’re discussing. Besides,” she added with a racy smirk. “You still haven’t told us how you ended up sleeping with Rainbow Dash.” Rarity just blushed and chuckled awkwardly.

“I, uh… I’m not-”

“It’s okay, you don’t have to tell us,” Twilight quickly reassured her, shooting a warning look at Coloratura.

“What?” the singer asked innocently. “I’ve been dying to know for ages!” Twilight simply kept looking sternly at her. “Oh, fine!” she huffed, crossing her arms. Rarity took the opportunity to move things along.

“Well, if there’s nothing more to discuss, I really should be going. I have plenty of work waiting for me back at the boutique.” She stood, picking up her bag and placing the strap over her shoulder. “I’ll be a bit busy over the next day or two, Twilight, so would you like to meet again in, say, three days?” Twilight nodded.

“I’ll be here, assuming some new crisis doesn’t befall Equestria.”

“See you then, darling.”

“Maybe not as much of us as you saw today, eh?” Coloratura suddenly piped up in a suggestive tone, a lewd grin plastered on her face. Twilight swatted her knees.

“Will you behave?!” She and Rarity both blushed, though for very different reasons. Coloratura just laughed.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Rarity,” Twilight said, glaring at her sniggering girlfriend. Rarity nodded, trying to will the blush off of her cheeks for the umpteenth time since she’d arrived at the castle.

“Take care, you two.”

As she made her way out of the map room, the clicking of her heels not quite loud enough to cover the sounds of Twilight’s admonishments to Coloratura, the seamstress wondered how the hell she was going to convince Rainbow to sit down with Applejack.

Probably with some rope and a lot of strong knots.

* * * * * * * *

Night had fallen over Equestria, Celestia’s sun having long since sunk below the horizon. The skies were clear, but Luna’s moon offered none of its silver radiance, instead hiding behind the shroud of its new phase. Only her stars offered any sort of light to those outside of the towns.

It was by this light that Applejack struggled to see, picking her way carefully along the path towards Twilight’s castle. The princess in question clung drowsily to her, one arm wrapped around her waist and her head resting on the farmer’s shoulder. Applejack’s own arm circled her in turn, the pair of them supporting each other as they walked.

Both were dressed casually but practically for the cool temperature. Twilight had donned blue slacks, a pair of white trainers and a v-necked purple sweater, her reading glasses hanging by an arm from the collar.

Applejack, on the other hand, was simply wearing a smarter upgrade of her regular work clothes; an off-white shirt with dark, thin vertical stripes, underneath a brown lace-up vest, blue jeans that hugged her hips, and her good show boots. Her ever-present hat rested firmly atop her head to finish off her outfit.

The castle loomed in the darkness ahead, the light cast by the magical crystals serving as torches giving it an ethereal appearance. Despite its closeness, neither woman hurried their step in the cold night air, enjoying each other’s company in silence, something Applejack was fine with. She’d never needed constant conversation to fill every moment, and Twilight seemed more than happy to oblige that.

Eventually, they arrived at the doors, separating as they went up the stairs. Applejack reached for the door handle, but stopped when Twilight’s slender hand grasped her wrist. She turned to face the other woman, about to ask what was wrong, when she was stopped by Twilight’s lips meeting her own. It wasn’t a long kiss, but the gratitude behind it was clear.

“Thank you for tonight,” she said, as if to allay any doubt as to her actions.

“You’re welcome,” Applejack replied. “But I did kinda owe you.” Twilight giggled.

“No, you didn’t. I was going to ask you out tonight, anyway. I was just kidding about this morning.”

“Oh, well ain’t you just the master of teasing?”

“Mistress,” corrected Twilight coyly, stepping close. “And you know very well how good I can be at that.”

Applejack felt the other woman lace her slender fingers with hers, clasping their hands together. She always liked how soft Twilight’s hands were compared to her own, the skin supple and pliant. Hers, on the other hand, were rough and ready to work, unyielding from years of hard labour in her family’s orchards and on the farm. A small part of her secretly wished she could have hands like Twilight’s, if only for a day, just so she could feel what it was like. Only a small part, though.

She felt Twilight squeeze her hands and gently returned the gesture, looking up from their joined fingers to stare into her violet eyes. Applejack found herself wondering if there was any other sight more beautiful than the one she was looking at now. She wanted nothing more than to lose herself in that gaze forever. To confess her feelings to its owner and spend the rest of her days wrapped in her warm embrace.

But she hesitated, as she had for the last couple of months. Every time she’d wanted to express her feelings, a tiny little part of her mind had held her back, unsure. She suddenly realised Twilight was speaking to her.

“Uh, pardon?”

“I asked where you disappeared to in that head of yours,” Twilight repeated, a curious smile gracing her features.

“Oh, sorry. I guess I spaced a little there, huh?” Applejack chuckled, slightly embarrassed.

“Just a bit,” the princess giggled back. She glanced at the door before looking back at Applejack, biting her lower lip. “Stay the night?” she invited, hope clear in her voice. The farmer shook her head, albeit reluctantly.

“Can’t. I promised Big Mac I wouldn’t be late again this week. We got a lotta work to do to prepare for winter. Sorry, Twi.”

Twilight nodded her head, clearly disappointed. Her expression quickly shifted, however, changing to something Applejack couldn’t quite place. Before she could ask what was wrong, Twilight spoke again.

“Could you come inside for a few minutes anyway? I need to talk to you about something. It won’t take long, I promise.” The same unreadable expression remained on her features, concerning Applejack, but after a moment she nodded, if only to find out what was bothering Twilight.

She allowed herself to be led by the hand into the castle, Twilight opening and closing the doors as quietly as she could with her magic. The pair headed for Twilight’s study, walking carefully in an attempt to mute their footsteps in the echoey hallways.

Once inside the study, Applejack extracted herself from Twilight’s grip and sat in one of the chairs dotted around amongst the stacks of books. She waited as Twilight closed the door and seated herself opposite her.

“So, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?” Applejack asked, settling into the chair. There was a moment’s silence before Twilight answered.

“It has to do with what I asked you about last night.” Applejack shook her head.

“I told you I don’t wanna ta-”

“I know, you said. So just listen to me instead.”

“Twilight…”

“Please?”

Applejack sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. Ever since they’d started sleeping together, Twilight, and to a lesser extent Coloratura, had been prodding her over the end of her relationship with Rainbow Dash. They both wanted to know how she felt, which was no-one’s business but her own. She couldn’t bring herself to tell them as much, however, so she’d tried to deflect the questioning each time it occurred.

As tiresome as it was getting, she decided to humour Twilight once more.

“Fine,” she said, crossing her arms. She might as well hear her out before she had to brush her off again.

“Thank you,” Twilight said. She appeared to collect herself before continuing. “I know you don’t want to talk about what happened with Rainbow Dash, and I know you still hurt over what happened. I probably would, too. That’s why…” She took a breath, apparently steeling herself. “That’s why I want you to sit down with her and talk it out.”

Applejack’s heart missed a beat. She wanted her to what?! Did she even know what Rainbow had done the last time they’d been on speaking terms?

“Forget it,” she said emphatically, getting to her feet. “There ain’t no way Rainbow’s gonna speak to me. We barely even say hello in the street!”

“I know, I know,” Twilight said, raising her hands placatingly. “But… well… Rarity is asking her to do the same.”

“She- Wait, Rarity?” Applejack asked, confused. “Why’s Rarity askin’ her? And why would Rainbow listen to her?”

“It’s a long story. If you sit down with Rainbow, I promise I’ll explain everything.” Applejack slumped back into the chair, deflated somewhat.

“I don’t see much point in sayin’ yes, Twilight. She’s only gonna say no. She don’t want anythin’ to do with me.”

“But if she did say yes, would you sit down with her?”

“I mean… I guess. It’s not like I don’t want to be friends with her again. I just don’t know if she wants that.” Twilight shifted her gaze uncomfortably.

“I wasn’t really talking about you two just being friends.”

“Huh?” A moment passed before Twilight looked her in the eye again.

“I want you two to talk this out with an eye to getting back together.” Applejack sat bolt upright, her eyes going wide.

“You what?! Twi, sugarcube, I don’t think y’all understand just how bad Rainbow took what hap-” She stopped short as Twilight held up a hand to silence her.

“We can deal with that when you two sit down together,” she said, her tone remaining gentle, but also making it clear she wasn’t going to entertain further discussion of the matter. “The real question is do you want her back?”

The farmer took a moment to answer. Her relationship with Rainbow had been the happiest days of her life so far. The dates, the time spent lounging together on the farm doing nothing, the constant competition and one-upmanship, not to mention the sex… Every minute they’d spent together had seemed like a dream.

But then everything had gone sideways. Coloratura had come back into her life, things heating up quickly and unexpectedly between them in the weeks after the concert. It never became physical until a party Pinkie Pie had thrown at Twilight’s castle. Applejack didn’t remember what it was for, only that it was out of doors and involved a great deal of her family’s cider, but what she did remember was herself and Coloratura under a tree, away from everyone else, her warm skin and soft lips…

The two of them had somehow stopped before taking it too far under the tree. At Rara’s suggestion, they’d gone to find Rainbow, finding her alone at one of the cider kegs. Although they’d previously discussed it, Applejack had never gotten more than a tentative “maybe” from Rainbow about adding a third member to their bed in the future. So when she and Rara proposed the idea that all three of them retire from the party early to Applejack’s house, she’d been pleasantly surprised to hear her then-girlfriend tell them to go on ahead and that she’d catch up soon.

Only… she never had.

Despite having a key to the farmhouse, Rainbow had never turned up that night. It was only after her third orgasm, lying naked and out of breath in a tangle of sweaty sheets and limbs, Coloratura purring contentedly beside her, that Applejack had realised her absence. She’d immediately begun worrying, afraid that Rainbow had gotten lost somehow or hurt, but Coloratura had calmed her down, sensibly suggesting that Rainbow had probably decided to leave the two of them alone for the night. Applejack had accepted that, albeit tentatively, and the two of them had slept the rest of the night away.

The following day, the farmer had gone looking for Rainbow to find out why she’d not turned up. It had taken until the evening, but she eventually found the small woman alone, exercising furiously in one of the meadows outside Ponyville. Barely had she spoken a word of greeting when Rainbow had turned on her, yelled accusations of unfaithfulness pouring from her mouth almost faster than Applejack had been able to comprehend.

The argument had been short, but ugly, Rainbow refusing to accept Applejack’s explanations of the night before. It had ended with the resounding crack of Rainbow’s palm on Applejack’s cheek. The farm girl had stumbled back a step, shocked; both at the sudden act of violence and the look of sheer fury in the other woman’s eyes.

Tears stung her eyes now as they had then, the memory dredging up the same feelings she had been trying to suppress for the last few months. Applejack felt a drop roll down her cheek and swiped at it.

“AJ?” Twilight started, evidently concerned. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

Applejack stopped her with a shake of the head, drying her eyes with the heel of her hand. She sniffed. The past few months had given her plenty of practice at stuffing her emotions down inside.

“I- I’m okay,” she assured Twilight. “I was just remembering somethin’ painful.”

“If you need to talk-”

“I’ll be okay, Twilight, but…” Applejack looked down at her lap for a moment, considering. That little voice at the back of her mind was clamouring for her to shut up, to not say it, to change the subject.

“But?” Twilight prompted.

To hell with the little voice.

“Y’all asked if I wanted Rainbow back…” Applejack started, lifting her to look at Twilight once more. “But what about us? Maybe I wanna be with you, Twilight.”

If someone had been holding a white sheet behind Twilight, Applejack was sure the woman’s face could have blended in effortlessly. The princess’ expression was frozen in place, her mouth a small “o” of shock. At the sight of that white face, Applejack felt every drop of hope that had built up in her heart over the past two months drain in an instant.

“Us?” Twilight finally managed in a small voice. She cleared her throat. “AJ, I… I enjoy being with you, but…”

“You don’t feel the same way… do you?” Applejack finished for her. She let out a shaky breath. Twilight shook her head slowly.

“I’m sorry, Applejack, but no I don’t. I didn’t even know you felt that way.”

“All this time… you didn’t at all?” Again, Twilight just shook her head.

“I don’t know what to say, AJ. This relationship wasn’t supposed to be serious. I thought you knew that.”

“But… I thought the three of us…” Applejack shook her head again, standing up once more. “Never mind what I thought, I guess. I-I’d better get home.” She made for the door, intending to leave before her feelings could overwhelm her and she broke down in front of Twilight. She could already feel the tears building again. Her hand was on the door handle when Twilight called to her.

“Applejack, wait!” The farmer spun, tears flying from her cheeks.

“For what?!” she barked, her tone bitter. Twilight visibly jumped. Applejack hadn’t intended to yell, but now the dam had well and truly broken.

“Wait for what?” she continued, not even attempting to hide her tears. She pointed an accusatory finger at Twilight. “Wait for you to pry with more questions about me and Rainbow? ‘Cos it seems like that’s all you care about!” An angry sob left her involuntarily.

“AJ, that’s-”

“Forget it! I don’t wanna hear it!”

With that, Applejack turned, opened the door and stormed down the corridor. She barely registered Coloratura coming the other way, her hair wet and a towel clutched around her. The singer called her name, but she just carried on, her pace increasing.

Nearly running out of the castle, she swatted angrily at her eyes. She gave up trying to clear her vision after only a few steps, the darkness outside making it pointless. More from memory than being able to see, she angrily stalked back through town, the occasional pool of yellow light from some building or other lighting her way.

The voice in the back of her head had been right, she never should have voiced her feelings to Twilight. Never should have opened herself up like that. Stupid, so stupid! She should’ve suspected something was up this entire time, that her feelings weren’t being reciprocated, but she was so wrapped up in escaping her breakup with Rainbow that she’d refused to even entertain that idea. And even that hadn’t worked, had it? She hadn’t been able to get away from what had happened, the memories, the pain…

As she marched out through the other side of town, Applejack’s anger started to cool as she recalled all the times she’d caught herself thinking about her time with Rainbow. All the times when she’d had to stop working in the orchard to dry her eyes and collect herself. And when she’d cried herself to sleep in the first few weeks after their fight, clutching the necklace of Rainbow’s cutie mark she always kept tucked inside her hat.

Nearing home, another sob escaped her. She stopped walking, hand over her face as she leaned against the nearest fencepost, trying to prevent herself from completely breaking down. It was an exercise in futility. The more she tried to stop her feelings, the more they washed over her, overwhelming in their assault.

Her back to the fencepost, Applejack slid down it to sit on the grass, the cold of the ground seeping through her jeans to chill her backside. She paid it little mind, however, as she wallowed in her self-pity, tears soaking her face and her shirt. Head down, she tucked her knees to her chest, sobbing loudly into her legs.

Rainbow… Twilight… she’d lost both of them. Some part of her, far away from the bawling wreck that she currently was, registered that she hadn’t been at all fair to Twilight. Her friend had only been trying to help, and she’d treated her horribly in return. The rest of her didn’t care, though, and simply wailed inconsolably into the night.

It was there, against the fence of the orchard, that Applejack would remain for a couple of hours, her crying accompanied only by the hiss of the breeze through the trees. Eventually, the cold would get to be too much and she would pick herself up and make her way home, still sniffling, where she would stumble into bed and fall into an exhausted and restless sleep.

* * * * * * * *

Twilight watched helplessly as Applejack stormed out of the study, her hand reaching out in a vain attempt at stopping the farm girl from leaving. As the door swung slowly shut, she lowered her hand, clenching her fist unconsciously.

“Fuck,” she whispered to the empty room. “Fuck!”

She got up and started pacing furiously, desperately trying to figure out how to salvage the situation. So fast did her mind work, and so deep into her thinking did she get, that she didn’t hear Coloratura come in scant seconds later, towel still clutched around her, nor did she hear her call her name. She only reacted when the other woman grabbed her arm.

“Twilight!”

The princess turned to her girlfriend, her face a confusing mask of worry, panic and upset. Almost instinctively, Twilight clutched at her, not even noticing how her clothes were immediately drenched from Rara’s bath-soaked hair.

“I screwed up,” Twilight said in a low, panicked tone. “I just screwed up so bad and I don’t know what to do.”

“What happened?”

Twilight told her everything that had just transpired. She watched as Coloratura’s face grew more and more troubled.

“Okay,” she began. “While I admit that could have gone better, I don’t know what else you really could have done. It was better to be honest with her, especially considering what we’re trying to do.”

“Don’t you see, though?” Twilight asked, gripping Coloratura’s shoulders, her voice still on the edge of panic. “She’s not going to talk to me after this and I didn’t get an answer from her! If I go after her for one, she’s just going to push me away even further!” Coloratura nodded.

“You’re right, she will. Let’s give her a day or so, then I’ll talk to her. She might listen to me.”

“And if she doesn’t?”

“Then we’ll figure something else out.” Twilight hung her head, sighing. Eventually, though, she nodded.

“Alright.” She felt Coloratura gently grip her chin and lift her head up. Their lips met, the kiss brief but reassuring.

“It’ll be alright,” the singer said soothingly. “We’ll work this out. Now come join me in the bath, you’ll never get to sleep if you’re this tense.”

Twilight wished she had the confidence Coloratura did. Nevertheless, she allowed herself to be led out the room and upstairs. After what had happened that evening, however, she knew she wasn’t going to get much sleep tonight, bath or no bath.

* * * * * * * *

Rainbow Dash shivered as she stood atop one of Carousel Boutique’s display floors in nothing but her underwear, arms folded across her flat chest. Rarity was bustling around her, glasses perched on her nose and measuring tape draped around her shoulders. She kept applying the tape to different parts of Rainbow’s body and stopping to take notes after every measurement.

Rainbow wouldn’t have minded so much if Rarity had actually bothered to heat the store past opening hours, preventing the creeping cold of the evening air from pervading the lower floor. She shifted her weight and huffed loudly.

“Darling, if you don’t stop fidgeting, this will take twice as long,” Rarity admonished, her tone that of a mother chastising her wayward child.

“It’s freezing down here, I’m standing in nothing but my panties and you’re busy taking measurements of me I’m pretty sure you already have!” Rainbow complained back. As if to make a point, she rubbed her arms. “Why couldn’t we have done this somewhere warmer?”

“It doesn’t hurt to be sure,” Rarity said, bending down to press the cold tape to the inside of Rainbow’s leg. “Besides, you weren’t complaining of the cold this morning with that outfit you were hardly wearing.” Rainbow didn’t need to look down to know there was a sly grin on the other woman’s face.

“First, I’d been running,” she shot back. “Second, the kitchen was warm from the stove. Anyway, those are my gym clothes, they’re supposed to be small.”

“Uh huh.” Rainbow felt the tape switch from one leg to the other.

“What do you even need these measurements for, anyway?” she asked irritably.

“Oh, nothing in particular. I just like to keep them up-to-date.” Rainbow scoffed.

“I can’t have changed that much since you last did this.”

“Actually,” Rarity started, straightening up and writing quickly in her little pad. “The last time I measured you was for the first Gala we attended in Canterlot.” She flipped the pad closed and slipped it back into her pocket. “Since then, you’ve grown taller by two inches, put an extra inch around your biceps, and another two around your thighs.”

“Wait, really?” Rainbow looked down at herself, surprised, but all she could see was tight, firm muscle. She watched her diet pretty carefully, she couldn’t believe she’d put on that much weig-

“All muscle, before you start panicking, dear.” Rainbow stopped mid-twist, trying to see the backs of her legs, and looked over at Rarity.

“I knew that.” Rarity merely raised an eyebrow at her.

“Of course.” She pulled the tape from around her shoulders and started rolling it up. “Well, I’m all done for now. You can go ahead and get dressed.”

“Finally!” Rainbow hopped down off the show floor, the thick carpet soft under her bare feet, and grabbed her clothes from where they lay in a disorganised pile. She threw them on hurriedly, shivering once more as the fabric slid over the goosebumps on her skin. She looked up to see Rarity smirking at her.

“What?” Rainbow demanded, crossing her arms.

“Come now, dear, it’s not that cold,” the fashionista chided playfully. Rainbow saw her eyes flick down for a brief second. “Or maybe it is.”

The racer looked down at herself. She spotted it almost immediately, or rather, them. Two obvious bumps over her chest were sticking through the material of her blue hoodie. Rainbow rolled her eyes.

“Yeah yeah, enjoy the show,” she said, striding past Rarity. “It’s alright for you, Miss Vanhoover. You’re used to even colder shit. I’m going somewhere warmer.” With that, she started up the stairs to the living areas of the boutique.

“Really, it’s only fall,” Rarity called after her. “It’s going to get colder still!”

Rainbow just grumbled in response. She made her way to Rarity’s drawing room, where a wood fire crackled quietly in the fireplace on the back wall, the flames low from neglect. She grabbed a log from the stack nearby and threw it carelessly into the grate, flinching slightly as a shower of sparks shot up into the chimney.

Turning from the fireplace, Rainbow settled into one of the wing-backed leather chairs arranged near it. She tucked her feet under her and slid her hands into the single pocket on the front of her hoodie, leaving only her head exposed to the air. Finally comfortable, she watched as the flames greedily consumed the log she’d just thrown into the fire. Behind her, she heard Rarity enter the room and make her way over, watching her seat herself in the other chair out of the corner of her eye.

“You know, Rainbow, for a such a big, tough motorcycle rider, you sure are very sensitive about the temperature.” Rarity’s voice was light and teasing as she poked some fun at her friend. Rainbow, on the other hand, just gave her a churlish look.

“You know I hate the cold, and you had me standing there bare-ass for all that,” she griped.

“Oh, come now, you weren’t completely nude. I let you keep your underwear on,” replied Rarity, chuckling. “Not that I needed you to strip, exactly.”

“Wait a second, you mean I didn’t need to take off all my clothes down there?”

“Well…” Rarity trailed off, a naughty grin spread over her features. “You did make for a nice view, though.”

Rainbow’s mouth opened, then snapped shut again. If looks were fruit, then the one she gave Rarity at that moment would have made lemons seem sweet. Of all the dirty tricks…

“You could have just asked me to take my clothes off if you wanted to see me naked,” she grouched, turning away to look into the flames again. She couldn’t believe she’d fallen for such a dirty trick.

“I did,” Rarity replied, still teasing. “And you obliged me all too readily, darling.” Rainbow just huffed.

“You are so hard to be around, you know that?” Her answer came in the form a giggle and another playful gibe.

“Yet you’re still here…” Rainbow ignored her.

There was quiet between the two for a bit, long enough that Rainbow looked over at Rarity, thinking she may have dozed off. However, the stylish woman was simply sat watching her with those pretty blue eyes, her head resting on one hand as she leaned her elbow against the arm of the chair.

And those eyes were very pretty, much like the rest of her, Rainbow thought, even if her diva-like tendencies could be annoying sometimes.

She was still a little confused at how she’d ended up becoming Rarity’s lover. Rainbow had always thought the woman was way too uptight, too delicate, and too far up her own ass to be cool enough to jump into bed with. Not to mention the fact that she’d always come across as straight. Never once had Rarity ever given even the slightest hint that she was interested in girls.

Yet, barely two weeks after she’d broken up with Applejack, Rainbow had found herself unzipping one of Rarity’s fancy dresses. She’d watched as it had slipped from the woman’s pale shoulders, her hands caressing that soft skin, moving down her arms…
She remembered them falling to the bed, Rarity lying underneath her, the two of them sharing heated kisses…
The feeling of her hand squeezing one of those huge tits she’d often found herself staring at…
The taste of Rarity’s nipple on her tongue…

Rainbow suddenly realised she had been staring at Rarity this whole time and looked away quickly, clearing her throat, though she couldn’t do anything about the heat she felt in her cheeks. Or the dampness between her legs. Thankfully, the black of her tracksuit bottoms would cover that up.

“My my,” she heard Rarity begin playfully. “Do I still have that effect on you?” Rainbow just looked away, her blush deepening. No way was she going to admit to what she’d just been thinking about, not after the stunt Rarity had pulled downstairs.

“I guess I do,” Rarity said, seemingly to herself, her tone pleased. Rainbow heard her shift in place but didn’t look over, trying to will the heat in her cheeks to go away. When Rarity spoke again, her tone was much more conciliatory.

“Alright, darling, I’m sorry for making you stand naked in the cold for measurements when I could’ve done it somewhere warmer.”

Rainbow glanced sidelong at her. Her apology sounded sincere enough, and it would be kind of a dick move to stay mad too much longer, especially since Rarity had gone out of her way to prepare a pretty good meal beforehand. That, and Rainbow had been looking forward to wrapping her legs around the dressmaker’s head since about mid-afternoon.

“Alright, fine,” she said, flashing a cocky grin towards the other woman. “But you’re making it up to me in bed tonight as your apology.” Her grin faded when she saw the expression on Rarity’s face, a mix of seriousness and an awkward, lopsided smile.

“What?” she asked, suddenly pensive.

“Er, well, I’m all for that,” Rarity started, uncharacteristically nervous. “But perhaps we could put a pin in that for just a moment? I have something serious I want to ask you. It’s… about something you did this morning.”

“This morning?” Now Rainbow found herself becoming nervous, her heart getting a little faster in her chest. Rarity was a bit ridiculous when it came to the rules she made about cleanliness, but other than maybe forgetting to take her shoes off after her run, Rainbow couldn’t think of anything she might have done to annoy her. Certainly nothing that she might come down on her for now…

“Yes, you… you kissed me.” Nervousness now replaced by puzzlement, Rainbow cocked an eyebrow at Rarity.

“I kiss you all the time,” she said. A smirk found its way onto her face. “In a lot of places, too.”

“Again, yes,” Rarity reiterated, a hint of red appearing on her cheeks. “But I’m specifically thinking of the one in the kitchen. When I was asking about Applejack.” It suddenly dawned on Rainbow what Rarity was getting at.

“Oh, that,” she said with an awkward chuckle. She’d never intended to do that, but she hadn’t seen any other way of convincing Rarity to drop the subject. Had she accidentally lead Rarity on? Looking away, she lifted a hand to rub the back of her head.

“Yeah, that was-” Rarity interrupted her.

“Rainbow, do you have feelings for me?”

“Wait, what?” Rainbow’s head snapped back around, her eyes wide. Was she serious?

“Because if you do,” continued the other woman, her gaze levelled squarely at Rainbow. “Then we need to seriously talk about what we’re doing here.”

She totally was serious.

Unable to help herself, Rainbow began to giggle. The giggles, however, quickly turned to full-blown laughter. Out the corner of her eye, she could see Rarity growing more and more confused.

“Er, this is hardly a laughing matter, darling,” the dressmaker said, sounding somewhat cross. Rainbow managed to stifle her laughs down to mere sniggers.

“I’m- I’m sorry,” she managed to get out. “But you really had me going there!”

“Rainbow, I’m being serious right now.” Rarity had her arms crossed, her expression one of reproach.

“I know! I know, I know…” After a moment, the athlete managed to calm herself down, then shook her head. “No, Rarity, I don’t have feelings for you. I like screwing you, but I’m not looking to make you my girlfriend or anything.”

Something that looked a lot like relief briefly crossed Rarity’s face before another wave of confusion set in.

“But then why did you kiss me?” she asked. “And why did you laugh just now?” Rainbow simply shrugged.

“I laughed because I thought you were catching feelings for me. And… I kissed you because…” Her voice caught in her throat slightly, prompting her to clear her throat. “Because it was the only way I could think of to get you to stop talking about me and Applejack.”

Rarity seemed to process this for a minute. Rainbow shifted in her seat, slightly uncomfortable with the silence.

“I see,” the fashionista said eventually. “To start, and just to be completely clear, whilst I too enjoy sleeping with you, I don’t have feelings for you, either. We can both relax on that front.” She sighed. “But you really must think before you act, Rainbow. What if I had had feelings for you? You could have caused a lot of hurt. For both of us.” Once again, Rainbow just shifted awkwardly.

“Yeah, I… sorry.” Another sigh escaped from Rarity.

“Well, look, no harm done I suppose. But it does lead me on to something else I wanted to talk about.”

“Oh yeah?” Rainbow asked cautiously.

“Yes. But I want you to promise that you’ll hear me out. No deflections, no redirections, no shutting me down. Okay?”

“If this is about me and Applejack again-” Rainbow started, only to be almost immediately interrupted.

“Yes, it is, and I want you to promise to listen to me, Dash.”

Rarity hardly ever called her that, and it was usually an indicator that she was being serious. ‘Do not test me’ serious. About two months into their arrangement, Rainbow had gotten a little too grabby while Rarity was working on an important project. That was the first time she’d used that name and tone. Rainbow had pushed her luck and the result had been no sex for a week. She wasn’t keen to repeat the experience.

“Ugh, alright, fine,” she testily conceded. “Not gonna promise to like it, though.”

Apparently choosing to ignore that last comment, Rarity appeared to gather her thoughts for a moment, staring quietly out into the darkness beyond the window next to the fireplace. When she turned back to Rainbow, both her expression and her voice were gentle.

“How are you feeling?” she asked.

The question took Rainbow by surprise. What did she mean how was she feeling? What kind of question was that? She was Rainbow Dash, she felt great! This articulation was lost in her reply, however.

“Huh?” was all she managed to get out.

“How do you feel?” Rarity asked again. “Are you happy? Are you content?”

“I’m fine,” answered Rainbow, confused. “Rarity, what-” The other woman’s expression suddenly hardened.

“Because I assure you, Applejack most definitely is not.”

“She told you that? And you believe her?” Rainbow asked, the questions dripping with disdain.

“No,” Rarity told her, stonily. “Twilight told me, and I believe her. She’s told me about how miserable Applejack is so much of the time, and how terrible she feels about what happened between you two.”

“Pff, what does she know? She’s just-”

“Our friend! And if you finish that sentence, Rainbow Dash, you can forget about staying here tonight.” One of Rarity’s fingers was pointed at her in warning.

Rainbow just sat in surly, glaring silence. Just what the hell was this? She’d come here for dinner and a quick fuck before bed, not this third-degree bullshit! She swallowed angrily.

“And how does Twilight know this?” she asked, struggling to keep the venom from her voice. “More importantly, why should I care? Do you know what Applejack did to me? How worthless she made me feel?!” Rarity took a deep breath before answering calmly.

“I am well aware of what you said happened, Rainbow. You should care, because everyone else around you is tired of treading on eggshells around you two. We’re tired of trying to make plans that won’t bring you two together. We’re tired of the tension between the two of you when you do happen to be in the same place, and we’re tired of being afraid that one wrong word might set one of you off.” As Rarity spoke, she ticked off each item on one of her fingers. She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Rainbow deflated, the wind blown out of her sails. She hadn’t realised any of her friends had felt like that.

“You guys… really feel that way?” she asked. A nod of the head was her only answer. “I… I see.”

Rainbow lowered her gaze to her lap. In all the time since she’d broken up with Applejack, she’d been so wrapped up in her own feelings, she hadn’t stopped to consider how she’d been making everyone else around her feel. She’d just assumed that they weren’t affected, or that they didn’t really care much beyond what had happened.

“There’s more,” she heard Rarity say. Rainbow looked back up at her. “Twilight knows what she knows… because she has an arrangement very similar to our own. With both Applejack and Coloratura.”

Of all the things to expect, that particular revelation was not on any list Rainbow had ever cared to make. Twilight was the last person she’d expected to make a move on anyone, never mind two at once. The rainbow haired woman simply sat in stunned silence. Twilight was sleeping with her ex and the woman who’d stolen Applejack away from her? What the fuck…?

Apparently taking Rainbow’s silence as a cue to continue, Rarity spoke again.

“That’s also how I know you’re not being entirely honest, Dash.” Rainbow reacted as if slapped. No, that wasn’t true…

“Coloratura told Twilight and I what happened that night,” Rarity continued on. “At least, from her perspective. She told us that she and Applejack had approached you about a… ménage à trois, so to speak.”

No, that wasn’t right at all. It wasn’t! She’d… Shaking her head, Rainbow attempted to defend herself.

“But-” Rarity interrupted her, however.

“And that you said yes, but you never joined them.”

“No, that’s not… I was drunk!” Again, Rainbow tried to defend her side of the story, but she was already beginning to sound hollow to herself. The news about Twilight and Applejack, combined with the knowledge that Rarity apparently knew a good part of what went down that night had left the sportswoman shaken.

“But that’s not true, though, is it?” Rarity said gently. The question was spoken almost as a statement, but without accusation.

“I… I…” Rainbow stammered, trying to organise her jumbled thoughts. No, she’d been the one wronged, hadn’t she? She’d been drinking, and Applejack had-

Her train of thought was once again interrupted by Rarity’s voice.

“You had your first practice session with the Wonderbolts the next day, so you weren’t drinking much that evening. In fact, I remember you couldn’t stop talking about it, you were so excited.”

Her story already shot through, Rainbow sagged even further, her already small frame appearing to become even smaller, the chair seemingly dwarfing her. She sniffed. Something tickled her cheek and she swatted at it, surprised to find her fingers coming back wet. Oh, so not cool…

“I’m right, aren’t I?” she heard Rarity ask. Rainbow looked up at her through misty eyes, hoping to find some hint of cruelty or anger, something she could lash out at, but there was nothing. Rarity’s face once again wore that gentle expression it had a few minutes ago.

“What do you want from me?” Rainbow asked, her voice thick with emotion. She wasn’t crying… yet, but she was getting close. “Why are you doing this? What gives you the right?!”

“Rainbow, darling, believe it or not, I’m not doing this to attack you. I want to help you,” explained the dressmaker.

“Help me?!” Rainbow cried, incredulous. “Oh yeah, you’re doing such an awesome job at that!” She thumbed another tear from her cheek.

“Regardless of how you feel right now, yes, I want to help you. We, that is, Twilight and I, would like you to consider sitting down and talking with Applejack.”

“What, why?” If she could be any more unbelieving, she would be, but Rainbow was completely tapped out. Just what the hell was going on?

“Because of all the reasons I already stated,” Rarity answered. “Because we believe you two should be back together. And because I believe there is more to this than you’re letting on. You know it, and I know it.”

“But I-” Holding her hand up, Rarity interrupted her once more.

“Rainbow, stop. We both know whatever you’re about to say isn’t going to be true.”

The young motor racer fell silent, turning away from Rarity once more. She’d simply run out of the will to contest her arguments. This was not how this evening was supposed to go. All she’d wanted was some good food, some good sex, and to curl up next to a warm body afterward. Apparently that wasn’t on the menu tonight. Instead, she was being dragged into a conversation she most definitely didn’t want to have…

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rarity stand up.

“Now,” the seamstress started, her voice gentle, but firm. “I don’t know what happened between you and Applejack after the party that night, I only know what Coloratura told me, but I know that it isn’t what you’ve been telling me and everyone else. But,” she paused, her tone softening slightly. “I do want to know, and I want you to know that you’ll get no judgement from me when I hear it.”

She walked over and placed a hand gently on Rainbow’s arm, prompting the smaller woman to look up at her.

“I’m here for you, darling,” Rarity said, smiling kindly. “As your friend, no matter what.”

Those words, more than any others spoken that evening, somehow stung Rainbow the most. She looked away quickly before Rarity could see the fresh tears springing to her eyes. Beside her, the other woman sighed quietly.

“Look,” she heard Rarity say, weariness evident in her voice. “It’s late. It’s been a long day for both of us, and this little discussion has obviously worn us both down. You don’t have to say anything right now, but I’d like to hear your side of the story sooner rather than later.” Her hand left Rainbow’s arm, the unmistakable sound of a stifled yawn following soon after.

“I’m going to take a bath and then go to bed,” she continued, her voice retreating. Through the tears still threatening to spill, Rainbow could just make out Rarity’s reflection in the window, the woman pausing at the door to the room.

“You’re welcome to join me in either… if you still want to.”

With that, she was gone, and Rainbow finally let out a strangled sob. It was the only one she permitted herself, but her tears had their own plans. First one, then another ran down her face, dripping from her chin to land on her hoodie, leaving dark spots.

Where had this evening gone? When had it gone from simple dinner and fun, to ripping her apart for things that had happened six months ago? Why were Rarity and Twilight suddenly so interested in getting her and Applejack back together? What had she done to deserve this treatment?

Rainbow immediately knew the answer to that last question, even if she’d spent the last few months trying to convince herself and everyone else differently. She knew she deserved much worse that what Rarity had given her, and she had brought it on herself. Not because she felt she needed to be punished in some way, but because what she had done to Applejack had been horrible; utterly reprehensible. And she had done it because… because she…

Tears still trickling down her face, Rainbow took a shaky breath. Images and feelings poured through her mind like flood waters, churning and twisting. The party outside the castle. Her elation at becoming a test rider for the Wonderbolts. The proposition made by AJ and Rara. Her telling them to go on ahead. The feelings of guilt when she just went straight home. Her crying herself to sleep that night, her heart aching and empty.

She’d spent most of the next day almost entirely numb, somehow making it through her first practice session without screwing up or laying the bike down. She’d had to focus entirely on each individual task before her, or the events of the previous day threatened to intrude. And when the day’s work had finally been over, she’d gone out of town to exercise as a distraction, hoping to tire herself out so completely that she wouldn’t have time to think before bed.

That had gone out of the window the moment she’d been discovered by Applejack. All of the feelings she’d been suppressing that day had come raging back in an instant. With AJ there, representing at least one half of the apparent cause of her distress, she’d had a target to vent all her stress at.

Rainbow couldn’t recall even half of what she’d said. No, that wasn’t true, she remembered all of it, and it was far from pleasant. She’d raged at Applejack for several minutes, never even giving her a chance to explain her side. And then when her girlfriend, her blonde angel, the love of her life had finally been able to get a word in edgewise…

Rainbow didn’t even remember delivering the slap, just that her hand suddenly stung like a bitch, and that AJ was clutching her cheek, a look of pure shock on her face.

Staring deep into the dying flames of the fireplace, her tears showing no signs of letting up, Rainbow realised Rarity had been right about one thing; she was worn down. Six months of heartache and denial had taken their toll. She was exhausted. By Celestia’s sun, she just wanted to it stop. No more hurting, no more wondering, no more lying. Because that’s what it was, really, wasn’t it? Lying. To herself and to her friends. She wasn’t the injured party, she was the injury.

Wiping her face with a sleeve, Rainbow stood from the chair and made her way to the hallway. To her right lay the stairs and the way out of the Boutique, to her left was Rarity and her questions. With an unsteady sigh, the rainbow haired woman made her way down the hall towards the bathroom.

Standing in front of the door, hands in her hoodie pocket, Rainbow could just make out the flicker of candlelight dancing through the gap where it stood ajar. The sound of water splashing could be heard from the other side. Steeling herself, Rainbow reached out a hand and knocked softly, the door swinging on the hinges almost imperceptibly.

“Come in,” Rarity’s voice drifted out the gap. Rainbow pushed open the door and slipped inside, the warm, fragrant air wrapping itself around her.

Except for the dim yellow light cast by the scented candles dotted around the room, which gave off some sort of soft, flowery smell, the usually bright white bathroom was dark. To one side was a toilet, a cabinet sink with a large vanity mirror on the wall above it, and a dedicated shower unit. Rainbow knew from experience that the latter could easily hold two people, probably more. What was in the middle of the room, however, was undoubtedly the focus.

Stood at a right angle to the door, a large, ornate bathtub dominated the centre of the arguably unnecessarily grand bathroom. Like the rest of the room, it was white, but the feet and fittings were a highly polished brass, the light from the candles reflecting in their surfaces. Inside the tub lay a mostly submerged Rarity, only her head visible as she lay back amid the suds, her hair splayed wetly around her against the slope of the bath. Wisps of steam wafted and curled into the air above her.

Turning to face Rainbow, she regarded her with a playful smile.

“You didn’t have to knock, you know,” she said teasingly. As Rainbow stepped further into the room, worry quickly replaced the playfulness on Rarity’s features.

“Darling, your face is all puffy! Have you been crying?”

Rainbow just nodded sullenly. Pushing the door closed, she crossed the distance to the bathtub, the cold tiles seemingly almost freezing under her bare feet compared to the warm air. The rug next to the bath came almost as a relief as she perched herself on the edge of the tub, hands once again tucked into her hoodie.

“Rainbow, I’m so sorry. Making you cry was never my intention,” Rarity said off to her left, her voice genuinely apologetic. Rainbow felt her lay a hand gently on her arm, bath water soaking through the fabric of her hoodie. She felt Rarity’s thumb rub lightly back and forth across her arm, the tiny movement somehow immensely comforting, despite the fact that the other woman had been chewing her out not that long ago. After a few moments of this, Rainbow let out another unsteady sigh before speaking.

“I… I was scared,” she said, still not looking over at her friend.

“Scared?” Rarity asked, obviously confused. “Rainbow, you know I would never-” Rainbow shook her head.

“Not of you. I mean back then.”

“Back then? You mean with Applejack?” Rainbow nodded once more.

“Why?” continued Rarity, still rubbing her arm. “What could possibly scare the great Rainbow Dash?”

The friendly tease drew a wry chuckle from the racer, much to her surprise. She didn’t think she was capable of laughing, not with how emotionally drained she felt right now. Regardless, she ploughed on.

“When me and AJ were together, she brought up the idea that we should, uh…” Rainbow paused to swallow. “‘Bring another partner to play with’, to use her words.” Her voice carried an affectation of Applejack’s accent as she quoted her.

“And what did you say?”

“I wasn’t sure. I said I had to think about it. I mean, that’s a lot to ask, right?”

“It is. Did you ever make a decision?” Rainbow shook her head.

“Not really. I never told her more than ‘maybe’. But…” She turned and finally looked at Rarity, who was watching her attentively. “I still thought about it. The idea of it was kinda hot, in a way, you know?” A guilty smile played at the corner of her lips.

“I can’t say as I’ve ever given it much thought, darling,” replied the seamstress, shaking her head. “So how does this fit in with Applejack and Coloratura’s request?”

Rainbow looked away again, suddenly unsure of herself. After everything Rarity had said to her that evening, she knew that she should tell her what had happened, but now that she was about to do so, she hesitated. What she had done was so bad, she wasn’t sure if the other woman would want anything to do with her afterwards, promise or no promise. Rainbow stalled for time.

“Could I get in the bath with you? I’m kinda cold and I haven’t had a shower yet.”

It wasn’t a complete lie, but neither was it totally honest. While it was true Rainbow needed to wash, she could have waited, and she certainly wasn’t cold sitting in the warm bathroom.

“Of course you can,” she heard Rarity answer. If she’d picked up on the white lie, she didn’t show it.

Pulling her hands out of her pocket, Rainbow stripped off her hoodie before standing and pulling her tracksuit bottoms and panties off her hips, allowing them to slide down her legs. Naked once more that evening, she kicked her clothes away across the room, then turned towards the bath and slipped a leg into the water, hissing softly at the temperature. Much like how she couldn’t understand how Rarity withstood the cold, neither could Rainbow understand how she tolerated such hot baths.

Regardless, she quickly swung her other leg into the bath and then bent over facing Rarity, lowering her whole body into the steaming water. As she did so, Rarity suddenly sat up straight, her breasts making an appearance through the bubbles. She placed her hand on Rainbow’s chest, stopping her as she sat down.

“Don’t be silly, darling, there’s plenty of room at this end,” she said, a small smile on her lips.

While the bath wasn’t quite big enough for two people to sit side by side, there was more than enough room for Rarity to quite obviously spread her legs, allowing Rainbow to sit between them. Nodding, the smaller woman turned around and did just that, feeling Rarity’s legs wrapping around her and crossing over her own.

Once she was sat down, Rainbow felt the heat working at her, her muscles releasing the tension that had built up in them over the evening. Unable to help herself, she let out a small coo of pleasure as the water did its work. Behind her, she heard Rarity chuckle.

“The bath feels good, I take it?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe,” Rainbow answered, dreamily. Rarity squeezed herself up against Rainbow’s back, her breasts pressing into the athlete’s back like they had that morning.

“Oh, I can,” she replied, speaking mere inches from Rainbow’s ear. “But you still haven’t answered my question.”

And just like that, Rainbow’s focus was snapped from the hot water massaging her body, right back to the reason she was in the room in the first place. She sighed.

“You already know I said yes, right?” she asked, watching as Rarity’s arms hunted around for something under the water. She felt something soft brush her leg, and then Rarity’s hand came up, mauve washcloth tangled around her fingers. The hand and cloth disappeared behind her, as did the feeling of her lover’s bust, which was immediately replaced by the sensation of water running down her back.

“That’s what Coloratura told me, yes.” As Rarity spoke, she began washing Rainbow, the soft washcloth moving slowly but firmly up and down her back, simultaneously cleaning her and easing more tension out of her muscles. The combination of sensations elicited yet another involuntary noise of pleasure from Rainbow before she continued.

“Well, she was telling the truth. They both came up to me and, well… straight up said we should all go back to AJ’s place.” She shook her head. “I said yes. I want to say that I wanted to say no, that I wanted to tell AJ to stick it, but…”

“You actually wanted a threesome.” Rarity’s voice carried no accusation, just a statement of fact. The washcloth made the journey up to Rainbow’s shoulders, running down along and under her arms.

“Yeah,” she responded, ashamed. “Isn’t that the most fucked up thing? AJ asks me about it, and I spend forever brushing her off, but as soon as the opportunity is given to me, I jump on it.”

Rarity ran the washcloth over Rainbow’s fingers, then offered it to her. The smaller woman took it and cleaned her face before dropping it back in the bath. She watched as Rarity reached for a small porcelain jug sat on the bath rack, dunking it into the water. Her other hand came up to Rainbow’s chin, prompting her to tilt her head back.

“Close your eyes, darling,” she said. Rainbow did so, and almost immediately felt water being poured over her hair. Rarity repeated this a few times, fully soaking her multi-coloured locks. There was a pause and the sound of a bottle being opened, followed by something thick landing in her hair. She felt Rarity’s long fingers begin working the shampoo into her hair and scalp, massaging the lather in thoroughly.

Rainbow didn’t know if it was the shampoo or Rarity’s deft touch, and she would die before admitting it, but getting her hair washed by someone else felt wonderful. She’d never had it done before, even in all the time she’d been sleeping with Rarity. Secretly, she wished that it would never end.

As she sat there enjoying every little nuance of Rarity’s attentions, she heard her would-be hairdresser speak again. She almost didn’t catch the question, lost as she was in the sensation of fingers trailing through her hair.

“So are you going to tell me why you didn’t go, or am I going to have to guess that part?”

Her eyes still closed, Rainbow exhaled deeply through her nose. She took a moment to settle the butterflies in her stomach before answering.

“Like I said, I got scared.”

“Of what? Coloratura isn’t that imposing, dear.” Rarity’s reply was laced with amusement, no doubt intended to lighten the mood. As focussed as she was on trying to articulate her emotions, the gibe was lost on Rainbow.

“I started thinking… things,” she started, fighting to keep her voice level. “Bad things. Things I didn’t want to think about.”

“Like what?”

“Like ‘What if Coloratura is better than me in bed?’, ‘What if I’m not good enough anymore?’, ‘What if AJ likes her more than me?’, ‘What if she leaves me because of it?’” Rainbow felt a finger suddenly tap her harshly on the forehead.

“Foolishness, Rainbow, and you know it,” Rarity admonished. “Applejack is almost as loyal as you are, and both of you were together for two years by that point. Do you really think she’d throw it all away over something as silly as a threesome with someone she hadn’t spoken to for years?”

Before Rainbow could respond, she felt more water being poured over her head, some of it washing over her closed eyelids. This was repeated several times, just like before. When she attempted to lift her head again, however, she was checked almost immediately by Rarity.

“Ah, I’m not done yet,” the fashionista said, her tone all business. The sound of another bottle being opened reached Rainbow’s ears, followed again by something thick drizzling into her hair.

“What’re you doing now?” she demanded, slightly irritated.

“Conditioner, sweetheart. Your hair needs it badly.”

“My hair’s fine.”

“You might think so,” Rarity said matter-of-factly, setting to work once more. “But your million and one split ends say otherwise. Now hush and tell me the rest.”

Rainbow simply huffed and allowed Rarity to work, the incredible feeling of her fingers caressing her scalp causing muscles lower down her body to ease. She almost didn’t want to ruin it by speaking, but she knew she had to at this point. She’d told so much already, she needed to finish. Reluctantly, she once again continued her story.

“Because I was so scared of any of that happening, I just went home. I didn’t see AJ until the next evening, and when I did, I…” she hesitated. It was one thing to think about it, another to say it.

“Take your time,” Rarity said reassuringly, still working the lather deep into the racer’s hair. Taking a deep, unsteady breath, Rainbow pushed forward.

“I-I don’t remember what triggered it, I was just so… mad. I don’t even know why, I just was. I guess it was because all I could think about that day, when I wasn’t busy, was those two… her and Coloratura, together, instead of with me.” She shuddered, struggling to stay calm amid the storm of her emotions. “I said such horrible things to her. I’m pretty sure I called her a whore. I… Rarity, I slapped her.”

The tears came again. Unbidden and heedless of her wishes, they welled up and ran down her temples, where they disappeared into her hairline. Rarity’s fingers slowed as Rainbow’s breath hitched. Through the sobs, the young woman forced out the last of her confession.

“S-She was my g-girlfriend, and I hit her! I loved her so m-much and I h-hurt her so fucking bad!” The last few words were spoken as little more than an outright wail.

Oblivious to the state of her hair, Rainbow jerked away from Rarity and buried her face in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably. A moment later, she felt Rarity pull gently her into an embrace, holding her close. For her part, the smaller woman just wrapped her arms around the dressmaker, burying her face into her chest as she wept. The two remained that way for a short time, Rarity rocking gently as she tried to soothe the crying Rainbow Dash.

Eventually, Rainbow’s tears exhausted themselves and the poor woman both. Reduced to just sniffles, she clung to Rarity for a few minutes, needing the reassurance of physical contact just a bit longer. She felt drained, yet oddly lighter. She’d been carrying that baggage around for half a year, wrapping herself up in the anger and the lies she’d told herself for so long, it felt freeing to finally get it off her chest. Like someone had removed a set of training weights from her shoulders.

Just then, Rainbow felt Rarity press the washcloth softly against her face, wiping around her eyes. Sitting up again, she opened them and blinked blearily, her pupils taking a moment to focus in the dim light. When they did, she saw Rarity sat with a sympathetic smile on her face.

“Feel better?” she asked gently. Rainbow shrugged, then nodded.

“A little.”

“Good. Turn around and tilt your head back, please, I need to rinse your hair.” Wordlessly, Rainbow did just that, closing her eyes again.

As Rarity poured more water over her, she wondered what the other woman must be thinking right now, having heard her confession. Rarity probably thought she was some kind of violent asshole, more used to using her hands than her words. A monster that had no business having a relationship, let alone being with someone as amazing as Applejack. Yet she was just sat back there, calmly washing her friend’s hair.

“Rarity?” Rainbow probed, trying to feel out her companion’s mood.

“Yes?” Her voice carried no hints either way as to her current state of mind, merely acknowledging her willingness to speak.

“You… haven’t said anything.”

“I’m thinking, dear.”

Rainbow didn’t like the sound of that, but sat quietly nonetheless, allowing Rarity to finish rinsing the conditioner from her hair. Once she had, the seamstress stood and stepped out of the bath, water running from her body to drip over the floor and bathmat. She bent over and reached between Rainbow’s feet to pull the plug, offering her hand to her afterwards. Rainbow took it, standing and stepping out of the bath to stand next to her, another wave of water splashing to the floor as she did so.

As she stood there, the young woman watched as Rarity’s other hand glowed blue. She felt a dull heat permeating her skin and hair, drying her almost instantly. At the same time, she was dimly aware of the water on the floor flowing back into the tub, the blue aura of Rarity’s magic guiding it. Finally, with just a pointed finger, the candles snuffed themselves out, one by one.

Still hand in hand, Rainbow followed Rarity to the door, trailing slightly behind her. As they passed still naked into the hall, the cooler air outside raised goosebumps on her skin, but she kept her silence, preferring it over speaking. Whatever Rarity was thinking, she didn’t want to interrupt it. Besides, if she was going to get yelled at, she’d rather have to wait for as long as possible beforehand.

Yelling, as it turned out, was not what was in store for her. Instead of that, Rarity simply led her to her bedroom, where a magic lamp glowed on the bedside table, lighting the room the colour of sunset. Once both of them were inside, she let go of Rainbow’s hand and closed the door. Moving over to the bed, she pulled back the duvet and climbed in, patting the other side of the mattress in invitation.

Confused, Rainbow joined her, slipping her legs under the cover before lying down and pulling it up to her chin. She watched as Rarity turned and lay on her side facing Rainbow, simply looking at her, head resting on her hand. After a few moments of this, when it was clear that Rarity wasn’t going to be saying anything, Rainbow spoke.

“I, uh, didn’t think you’d want me in here after what I said,” she admitted with a frown.

“I don’t condone what you did, Rainbow,” Rarity said, shaking her head. “But I’m not going to judge you for it. It was months ago, and what I said was true, I want to help you, not attack you.” Rainbow nodded, but remained silent. Rarity continued speaking.

“To wit, whilst it took a long time, thank you for finally being honest and sharing your side of things with me. I appreciate how hard that must have been for you.”

“If you knew all along, why didn’t you just call me out?”

“Because I wanted to give you a chance to tell me on your own terms. I’ll admit, I was nearing my wits end, but you got there. Eventually.”

“You must think I’m a piece of shit,” Rainbow uttered miserably, breaking eye contact with her.

“No,” Rarity said firmly. “I don’t. I think perhaps you got overwhelmed by feelings you weren’t prepared for, and you acted inappropriately as a result, but you aren’t a bad person, Rainbow Dash.”

“But I hit-”

“Enough, Rainbow. I know what you said you did, and it doesn’t change what I just said. Besides,” she added, her free hand reaching up to Rainbow’s chin, tilting her face up to look at her. “You crying all over my boobs once is more than enough for one evening,” she finished with a teasing smile.

Unable to help it, Rainbow cracked a small smile of her own, the expression feeling somehow alien on her features after the events of the evening. A giggle escaped the back of her throat.

“Sorry about that.”

“No need to apologise, dear. But if we can return to the matter at hand…” Rarity’s expression turned serious once more. “If Twilight can convince Applejack to sit down and talk with you, would you do the same?” Rainbow’s answer came with a lack of hesitation that surprised even herself.

“Yes. I miss her, Rarity. I wanna try and be friends again, maybe even… you know…”

“It’s a goal,” Rarity cautioned her with a nod. “But perhaps take things one step at a time, darling. Even if Applejack wants the same, you two have a lot of healing to do.”

“I guess,” Rainbow conceded. “When can we do this?”

“Well,” started Rarity, appearing to think. “Twilight and I agreed to meet in a few days to discuss our respective results. I shouldn’t think until after then.”

“So when is that?”

“Not for another three days.”

“Three days?!”

“Yes, but I don’t think she’d object to me turning up a little early with good news,” Rarity said confidently.

“You’re seeing her tomorrow, then?” Rainbow asked, her voice the definition of hope. That hope was immediately tempered by the apologetic look on Rarity’s face.

“Er, not tomorrow,” she said, brushing some hair out of her face with her free hand. “I have to finish drawing up some designs for a client I’m meeting next week, but I can definitely see her the day after. You could come with me, if you like.”

“I would,” Rainbow answered. In truth, the idea scared her a little. Rarity had been kind, but she had no idea how Twilight would react to what she had to say, especially since she was apparently sleeping with Applejack as well. A thought suddenly occurred to her.

“Wait, why are you and Twilight so invested in this?” she asked.

“If you really want to know, Twilight and I will tell you everything when we go to see her,” Rarity replied with a shake of her head. “Right now, it’s late and I really want to get my beauty sleep, darling.”

Rainbow groaned internally, but her own body was crying out for rest, so for now, she let it go. With a yawn and a nod, she curled up a little tighter under the covers, rolling over more to face Rarity. The other woman smiled and clicked her fingers, the lamp on the bedside table dimming slowly before extinguishing completely.

In the dark, Rainbow could just make out her hostess as she leaned over and kissed her cheek, a kind goodnight on her lips. As Rarity lay down and made herself comfortable, Rainbow scooted closer, seeking out the warmth of her body. Almost immediately, she felt Rarity’s arm encircle her waist, dragging her closer. Once their bodies were in contact with one another, her hand ran up Rainbow’s back to cradle her head, pulling it tenderly into her soft bosom. This was the young racer’s favourite sleeping position; tucked into the curve of Rarity’s body, her head nestled against her breasts.

It was like that the two lay quietly, breathing softly in the darkness, until Rarity’s gentle snores gave away her lack of wakefulness. It took Rainbow a little longer to go, wrapped up as she was in her thoughts of what had transpired that evening and of what was to come, but she too eventually drifted off, a flicker of hope burning in her heart.

* * * * * * * *

True to her word, Rarity did indeed take Rainbow with her when she went to see Twilight. The day was overcast and blustery, the first loose leaves of autumn blowing about in the gusts. Rarity wished she’d brought her scarf as the wind buffeted her and Rainbow on the path to the castle. Even with her coat, picked for matching the shade of her hair, she could feel the bite of the cold air. She could only imagine how Rainbow felt, given her feelings on the cold, dressed as she was in a bomber jacket and a pair of faded jeans.

On the upside, though, she imagined Twilight would be happy to see both of them. Such success had eluded them through this endeavour so far, so Rainbow being willing, even eager, to go through with this plan would be a much-needed morale boost.

Rarity looked over at Rainbow as they walked. The young woman had her hands in her pockets, a thoughtful expression on her face as she kept her eyes on the ground in front of her. Since the other night, while Rainbow continued to stay over for convenience’s sake, they’d both agreed that it was probably best they no longer shared a bed or each other. As a result, things had been friendly, if a little awkward between the two. Not that Rarity minded, in the grand scheme of things. A little awkwardness was a small price to pay, considering the potential outcome.

Turning her attention back to where they were walking, Rarity saw a figure leave the castle in the distance and start heading their way. As they drew closer, she could make out the unmistakable colours of Coloratura’s hair blowing about. Rarity raised her arm and waved, earning a wave back in response.

“Look, it’s Coloratura,” she said to Rainbow, putting her hand back in her coat pocket. “I’ll go say hello, she’ll probably want to hear the good news, too.” Without waiting for a reply, she increased her pace to meet the singer.

Meeting in the middle of the path, the two exchanged a friendly hug, Rarity complimenting the popstar on her choice of outfit; a long, black coat that reached her knees with a fake belt around the waist, a pair of thick, grey leggings and block heel boots. As they parted, Coloratura gave a questioning glance over Rarity’s shoulder at the approaching Rainbow Dash.

“Here to see Twilight,” Rarity answered simply.

“I hope it’s good news,” was Rara’s weary response. “Twilight could use some after the other night.”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“Not what, who.”

“Say what, now?” Rainbow asked as she joined them. “Um, hi, Coloratura.” She briefly lifted her hand out of her pocket in an awkward wave.

“Hello,” Rara replied politely enough, if somewhat stiffly. Rarity stood puzzled for a moment, before remembering that both had had reasons to be extraordinarily angry at the other in recent months, even if one side’s grievance wasn’t entirely legitimate.

“Rarity,” the former diva continued. “Could we talk in private for a moment? It’s important.”

“If it’s about what I think it is,” Rarity said. “Then no need. Rainbow has agreed to talk to Applejack.” She watched with no small amount of pride as surprise registered on Coloratura’s face, the woman turning to eye Rainbow with an indiscernible look.

“Really? Well, Twilight will be glad to hear that, but…” Coloratura hesitated, the wind toying with her hair as she chewed her lip. Rarity felt her heart slowly sink the longer she waited. What had happened now?

“But what?” she prompted, after she judged the silence to have gone on long enough.

“But… Twilight’s side of things… didn’t go well.” Rarity listened as Coloratura relayed what had happened, her hopes dashing further and further as she did so. Why could nothing ever be simple?

“Of all the things that could happen!” she cried out in a mix of frustration and despair. “This is the worst possi-”

“What do we do now?” Rainbow interrupted her tirade suddenly. Rarity shot her an annoyed glance, but the other woman paid her no mind.

“Well, I was just on my way to see her,” answered Coloratura. “I was going to see if I could convince her to talk to you, but with you here now…” A thoughtful look appeared on her face. “We should talk to Twilight, I have an idea.”

With that, she turned and quickly headed back in the direction of the castle, beckoning for the two other women to follow. Rainbow immediately set off after her, leaving Rarity stood all by herself on the path.

“Idea or not, this is still the worst possible thing,” she groused, before chasing after them.

* * * * * * * *

Twilight sat on her throne in the map room, elbows on the giant table and chin resting on her hands, quietly contemplating the cutie marks floating above it. Ever since her disastrous attempt at getting Applejack to meet with Rainbow Dash, she’d been turning that night over in her head, examining it from every angle, but so far, she hadn’t been able to come up with any way she could have done things better.

She knew she was focussing on the wrong thing, but her failure irked her conscience, knowing that two of her friends were hurting and she was the one tasked with ameliorating that hurt. She’d screwed up bigger in the past, sure, but the fact that she’d failed someone she was so close to stung in a way nothing else had before.

The added knowledge that she’d exacerbate the situation if she herself tried to fix the issue, only served to deepen her glum mood. She could only hope that Applejack would listen to Coloratura and agree to the meeting.

As she sat pondering the situation, a cold draught blew through the map room, accompanied by the sound of the front door opening and closing. Twilight shivered at the touch of the chilly gust of air. With the castle’s magical warmth, she was dressed only in a shirt, knee-length skirt and stockings, an outfit reminiscent of her school years in Canterlot.

The doors to the map room stood ajar, and from the other side she could hear multiple, hurried footsteps approaching. Given their pace and the animated voices that accompanied them, she wondered what disaster had befallen Ponyville now. When the doors were pulled fully open and she turned to see who it was, however, she was rather surprised to see first Coloratura, then Rarity and Rainbow Dash walk in.

With a quick glance at the map, she confirmed that the thin aura of the illusion spell that she’d cast around it six months ago was still intact. Only the most astute observers would notice anything off about the map’s appearance, and even then, only a slight blurring around the edge.

“Rara?” Twilight asked her girlfriend, perplexed at her quick return. “I thought you were going to see AJ?”

“I was, but then I ran into these two,” she replied, walking up to lean on the edge of the map, arms folded. “They were coming to see you. I believe Rainbow Dash has some news that will cheer you up.” She winked at the princess.

A small amount of hope started dancing in Twilight’s chest as she looked over at her friend, who was settling into her own throne. Rarity stood on the opposite side of the chair to Twilight, placing a reassuring hand on Rainbow’s shoulder as she sat down.

“Really? What is it?” Twilight asked, doing her best to sound both surprised and interested. She needn’t have put so much effort into the façade, however, as Rainbow immediately called her bluff.

“You can cut the act, Twilight, I already know what’s going on,” she said, her voice carrying none of its usual cocksure arrogance, or even irritation at Twilight’s attempt at deception. “Rarity already told me what you two are up to. And my answer is yes, I wanna sit down with Applejack.”

On the inside, Twilight was overjoyed to hear those words. Finally, after six months of nothing, some progress! Outwardly, though, she sighed.

“That’s great, Rainbow, really,” she said, doing her best to sound upbeat about the matter, though sounding insincere by her own reckoning. “But… I don’t think Applejack feels the same way.”

“To be fair, darling,” Rarity spoke up. “From how Coloratura tells it, she didn’t really commit one way or the other.”

“I… suppose that’s true,” Twilight admitted. “I don’t think she’s likely to see it that way, though.”

“I have an idea about that,” Coloratura interjected. “Why don’t we just take Rainbow to see her?” Twilight boggled at Rara’s suggestion.

“Are you nuts?!” she cried out, raising a hand in disbelief. “After what happened the other night, you want to-”

“Do what we planned to do anyway?” the singer finished for her, a sassy grin lighting up her face. The steam abruptly left Twilight’s argument.

“Er, come again?” she said, lowering her hand. Rarity surprised her with a sudden squeal.

“Ooh, that’s a good idea!” she said excitedly, practically bouncing on the spot.

“What’s a good idea?” Rainbow asked, sounding annoyed at being out of the loop. “What are you guys talking about?”

“Twilight, think about it, darling,” Rarity continued, ignoring Rainbow. “Applejack probably won’t want to listen to you, and if Coloratura tries to get an answer out of her, she’ll probably shut her out, too, merely because of her association with you. Even if I go, she’ll probably realise something is amiss.” The seamstress bent down to wrap an arm around Rainbow’s shoulders, pulling her close. “But Rainbow here is the last person she expects to see right now, so…”

“So if we take her to see her…” Twilight said, following the logic. “Then it might throw her off-guard enough to listen! Rara, you’re a genius!” She stood up and threw her arms tightly around Coloratura, who returned the hug with a giggle. Letting go, Twilight turned to make for the doors, intending to go fetch her coat, but was stopped when Rarity spoke up once more.

“Twilight, wait.”

Looking over at her, Twilight did just that. Rarity had straightened up once more, and was now giving her a serious look.

“What is it?” Twilight asked, puzzled. “Shouldn’t we head out?”

“In a moment,” answered Rarity, turning slightly to one side. “But first, I think we owe Rainbow Dash an explanation, don’t you?” She finished with a nod to the map. Twilight immediately understood, turning to look Rainbow Dash.

“It’s probably easier if I just show you,” she said. Turning to the map, she raised a hand, the aura of her magic appearing ever so briefly as she dispelled the illusion around magical table. The glow around the edge faded away.

It didn’t take long for Rainbow to see the difference. Immediately, she sat forward, leaning in to get a better look at Twilight and Rarity’s cutie marks floating above Ponyville.

“Wait, how long have those been there?” she asked, perplexed. “How come I never saw them until just now?”

Unsure how her friend would react, Twilight answered her questions with a small amount of trepidation.

“You couldn’t see them because I put an illusion spell around the map that only myself, Rarity and Coloratura could see through,” she began. “As for how long they’ve been there… they appeared around the time you and Applejack broke up.” Twilight watched as realisation dawned on Rainbow’s face.

“You mean…” she whispered breathlessly.

“Yes,” the princess replied simply. “The map called Rarity and I to help you.”

She watched as Rainbow processed what she’d just been told, the racer’s jaw moving as she chewed on her tongue. She stayed that way for several moments, just staring at the map, making Twilight start to worry that she’d just reversed everything Rarity had accomplished with her. However, Rainbow simply nodded, stood up and headed for the door.

“I’m heading to Applejack’s,” was all she said as she left, leaving Twilight and the two other women slightly bewildered.

“Should… should we go after her?” Rarity asked, unsure. Twilight looked over at Coloratura, who nodded.

“Probably a good idea,” answered the popstar, getting up and following Rainbow out, Rarity quickly following her.

Twilight was the last one to leave the castle, delaying only to grab her coat and leave a note for Spike.

* * * * * * * *

Heading in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres, Rainbow didn’t run, but neither did she walk, her pace dictated by her tumultuous thoughts.

In her mind, the new information she’d acquired turned over, settling into place, though she wasn’t really examining it in any detail. She was still reeling from the revelation of the map.

A friendship problem! She was a friendship problem! Well, okay, she had a friendship problem, but that was pretty much the same thing. What she couldn’t understand was why Twilight hadn’t told her. Or Applejack. Didn’t they deserve to know? Stupid question, of course they did, that’s why she was on her way to the farm. Not that it mattered now, it was done. She had other business to settle.

The wind blustered around her as it had all day, but she paid it no mind. She was focussed squarely on getting to Applejack. This shit had gone on for far too long. She’d been the one to start it, and she’d be the one to end it, for better or worse.

Behind her, she heard Twilight call her name. She looked over her shoulder at her friend rushing to catch up to her, her long hair blowing around wildly with each gust of wind. Clutching her dark grey coat around her, the princess drew level, though staying alongside obviously took more effort than she was comfortable with. Behind them, Rarity and Coloratura hung back slightly, enjoying a slightly more leisurely pace, though still hurrying by anyone’s standards.

“What is it?” Rainbow asked Twilight, not slowing.

“Have…” Twilight started, panting slightly. “Have you thought about what you’re going to say?”

“Nope.”

“You should at least come up with a plan-”

“Don’t need one. I’m just going to play it by ear.”

“But, Rainbow-”

“Twilight, in all the years you’ve known me, when have I ever had a plan?” Rainbow asked over the wind. “I’ll feel it out, like always.”

“I really don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Deal with it, egghead.”

The silence from Twilight spoke volumes. Rainbow could feel her worried glaring without even looking over.

“Alright, fine,” she gave in, unable to take the silence any longer. “I started all this by not being honest about my feelings. I let it go on by lying to myself and to the rest of you. The only way I can finish it is if I just come clean with AJ.” Out the corner of her eye, Rainbow saw Twilight nodding.

“That seems sensible, I guess,” the princess agreed. “I’ll be right behind you. We all will.”

“Thanks, Twilight.”

Twilight nodded and dropped back to Coloratura and Rarity, leaving Rainbow alone with her thoughts once again. Behind her, the sounds of the three of them discussing things drifted to her whenever the wind dropped, but no actual words. She didn’t let it distract her. In fact, she picked up her pace slightly, eager to get to the farm. While Rainbow had no real reason to believe Applejack would even consider listening to her, the little flame of hope she’d had ever since her confession to Rarity pushed her onwards, filling her every step with determination.

Eventually, Rainbow arrived at the farm, the wind swishing through the abundant and bountiful apple trees that made the establishment famous, each one cared for as tenderly as the next and perfectly shaped to provide the highest yield. Even now, with yellows and browns veining the green foliage, the orchards were an impressive sight.

Hurrying through the gates into the main courtyard, Rainbow quickly scanned the area. Other than Big Mac, Applejack’s big brother, hauling hay bales from the barn into a cart, she didn’t see any activity. Having visited the farm on many occasions over the years, though, and during various seasons, she had a pretty good idea where Applejack herself was.

With a quick glance over her shoulder to make sure Twilight and the others knew which way she was heading, Rainbow set off towards the southern fields.

It was uphill all the way, the journey made all the more difficult by both the wind, and the ground itself, still soft from the rain the day before. Her trainers slipping on every fallen leaf, exposed root, and patch of mud, Rainbow struggled her way up the incline, occasionally grabbing a tree trunk or low-hanging branch for support. She chuckled to herself as she imagined what kind of a scene Rarity must be making behind her.

As she climbed, evidence began to slowly emerge that she wasn’t alone. Boot prints in the mud, trampled grass, an empty canteen hanging on a branch, a streak of mud where someone had slipped, maybe even fallen…

Most importantly, however, was the fact that the giant baskets at the base of each tree, placed there to catch the fruit thrown by the pickers during the summer, were starting to appear in stacks.

With the wind hissing loudly through the trees, Rainbow looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of something between the tree trunks, a piece of Applejack’s shirt, maybe, or her hair. Even movement would do, just something to give her a direction to head in. She was so wrapped up in her search, that she completely missed the sound of boots traipsing through the grass on her left.

Rainbow walked past the tree at the same time as Applejack did, her arms full with a stack of the picking baskets. The two collided heavily, Applejack knocking over the smaller woman and dropping the baskets in the process, sending them rolling every which way. The farmer cried out as she lost her balance, her hat falling from her head, and the woman herself ending up sprawled across the winded Rainbow Dash.

“What in tarnation?!” Applejack yelled, her voice carrying more surprise than anger. Turning to look at what she’d walked into, her eyes shot wide when she saw Rainbow’s face.

“Uh, hi,” Rainbow managed to croak out, struggling to catch her breath from the impact.

“Rainbow?!” Applejack’s voice was incredulous. She practically shot to her feet, grabbing her hat and re-securing it in the process. “What in the hell are you doing all the way out here?”

“Looking for you,” the racer said, reaching a hand up to her. After regarding it cautiously, as if Rainbow’s hand might suddenly bite her, Applejack grabbed it and helped her up.

“Lookin’ for me?” repeated the farm girl. She scoffed indignantly. “And just what makes you think I even wanna see you?”

“Because,” Rainbow said, brushing herself off as best she could. She looked up at Applejack and grinned. “We’re a friendship problem.”

* * * * * * * *

Applejack stood dumbfounded. One minute she’d been minding her own business, the next, Rainbow Dash was stood in front of her spouting some nonsense about the map, and Rarity and Twilight being part of some big plan to reunite them.

Behind her, she heard someone else clambering up the hill. Turning, she felt her heart skip a beat as she found herself face to face with Twilight, somewhat out of breath from the climb.

“T-Twilight?” Applejack stammered. She noticed two others walking up behind the young princess, first Coloratura, then Rarity, the latter walking as daintily as she could manage, somehow avoiding the worst of the mud. Both of them stopped a short distance away.

“Rara? Rarity? What are y’all doing out here? Are you with Rainbow?”

“We are,” Twilight answered after catching her breath. “And judging by how Rainbow was going a mile a minute when I got up here, I imagine you have some questions.”

“Uh, you bet I do. What’s all this about the map and me bein’ a friendship problem?”

“Not you, us,” interjected Rainbow. Applejack scowled at her.

“There ain’t no “us”, anymore, remember?” she retorted, venomously. The sportswoman recoiled slightly, but didn’t offer a comeback.

“Easy, Applejack,” said Twilight, placatingly. “Rainbow’s here to try to make amends.”

“That’s gonna take some doin’,” the farmer deadpanned. In truth, though, her heart suddenly leapt. To her left, Rainbow hung her head slightly.

“I know,” Twilight acknowledged, nodding. “But first, let me answer a few of those questions of yours.”

Applejack listened as Twilight told her first about the map, then the plan she and Rarity had concocted to try and get her and Rainbow Dash back together. She talked about how they’d included Coloratura, and about how they’d spent the last six months with nothing to show for it except new bedmates, until Rarity had made a breakthrough with Rainbow.

The more Twilight spoke, the more things started to make sense to Applejack. All the questions from her and Coloratura, all the offers to talk, to get things off her chest, they’d all been part of this plan to get her and Rainbow back together. She was so astounded that Twilight had come up with this, and kept it hidden for so long, she couldn’t find room in her heart to be mad at her.

“And now we’re here, you know everything,” Twilight finished, brushing her hair back from her face with a hand. It took Applejack a moment to process everything, slightly overwhelmed by the scope of it all. To think this had all been going on right under her nose, and Rainbow’s as well, without either of them knowing… It made her wonder if Twilight had any other secrets she didn’t know about.

“Twilight, I…” Applejack began, unsure where to even begin. “Why didn’t you just tell me and Rainbow from the start?”

“I… I was afraid if I said anything, it would somehow make things worse. I didn’t want to completely destroy any chance of you two getting back together.”

“Why are y’all so keen on us being together, anyway?” Applejack demanded to know. “People break up all the time, what makes us so special?”

“You’re our friends, we care about you,” Twilight responded, simply. A lighthearted smirk played across her features. “Besides… Honesty and loyalty together? Can you think of a better couple?”

Applejack looked over at Rainbow, who had gone to lean against a nearby tree during Twilight’s monologue. She was watching the pair of them with a strange mix of hope and repentance painted on her face.

“Twilight, I don’t know if we can make it work again,” the farm girl said with a sigh. She turned back to the former librarian. “I know I told you I want me and Rainbow to be friends again, but what happened was… bad. You really think it could work?” Twilight just shrugged.

“I don’t know,” she said. “I hope so. What have you got to lose, after all? At worst, things go right back to the way they are now, at best…” She left the sentence unfinished, the implication clear.

Applejack hesitated, still unsure. Rainbow had been absolutely horrible to her, both in words and action. How could she forgive that? Could she forgive it at all? Enough to be friends again, maybe, but lovers? Girlfriends? The way they used to be? She didn’t know. Apparently sensing her hesitation, Twilight spoke again.

“At least try,” she urged. “For both your sakes.”

Looking once more at Rainbow, Applejack chewed her lip uncertainly. She thought about all the good times they’d shared in the past, the rivalry, the jokes, the little glances they’d give one another when no-one was looking… She realised now how much she’d missed all that. Finally, she nodded.

“Alright,” she said shakily. “Tryin’ I can do.” As she turned to go, a thought crossed her mind, stopping her.

“Shit, Twilight, I almost forgot… I owe you an apology for the other night. What I said to you weren’t right, you were just tryin’ to help. I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologise, AJ, I’m the one who screwed up,” Twilight replied with a shake of her head. “I made a complete mess of all this. Never mind that now, though, just go talk to Rainbow Dash.”

“Yeah, okay. And thanks, Twilight, even if this don’t turn out as you hoped.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll take the others down the hill, this isn’t a conversation you should have with an audience.”

With that, Twilight turned and started down the hill, taking Coloratura and Rarity with her, the latter audibly complaining about the conditions as she did so. Applejack watched them until the wind swallowed Rarity’s gripes, though the drama-inclined dressmaker still somehow managed to make a show out of walking down the slope.

Once all three women were definitely out of earshot, the cowgirl turned towards Rainbow and headed over to her.

* * * * * * * *

Applejack glanced up at Rainbow for what felt like the hundredth time, only to see Rainbow doing the exact same thing. The two had been stood for a few minutes in uncomfortable silence, trading looks but neither one offering up any conversation. If she was being honest, Applejack wasn’t even sure where to begin. How did you even start a conversation like this?

“So…” Rainbow said all of a sudden, prompting her to look up once more. Those magenta eyes were watching her tentatively, but couldn’t completely hide the hopeful expectation behind them.

“So,” Applejack replied, simply echoing the statement for engagement’s sake.

Another moment of silence. The wind blasted between the trees, trying to yank the blonde woman’s hat off her head. She reseated it with a firm tug.

“Do you want to talk first?” asked Rainbow, almostly timidly. “Or should I?”

“Ain’t you done enough talking the last few months?” Applejack snapped. She regretted it the moment she said it, but she couldn’t take it back now. Rainbow at least had the good grace to look apologetic.

“Sorry,” she said, dropping her gaze to the ground.

“Sorry?” Applejack asked, incredulous. “Six months of you bad-mouthin’ me and callin’ me every name under the sun, and you’re sorry?!” Still not looking at her, Rainbow nodded.

“Yes,” was all she managed to get out.

“Oh, well then, that’s alright,” said the farmer, sarcasm dripping off of every word like oil. “All’s forgiven, sugarcube, because the great Rainbow Dash is sorry! Do you have any idea what you put me through the past six months?! Do you?!”

Unable to stop herself, Applejack’s voice had risen to a shout. Every minute of emotional anguish since they’d broken up was now crashing into her, full force. Tears were already running down her face, flowing so fast they barely blocked her vision. Somehow, she forced herself to lower her voice again, though her tone remained tense.

“People look at me funny in town, now. They whisper behind my back. I get turned away from, refused service, and called names.” She pointed an accusatory finger. “All because they overheard you spreadin’ some bullshit somewhere!”

Wiping at her eyes, Applejack took a second to compose herself before carrying on.

“I had to sit and listen as people I thought were my friends repeated the things you’d said. The names you’d called me. How I was the one to blame for everythin’ that went wrong between us. Do-” Her breath caught and she cleared her throat. “Do you have any idea how humiliatin’ that was?!”

Looking up, Rainbow appeared to be about to say something, but kept her peace. Applejack continued, tears still continuing to stream.

“But do you know what the worst part is?” she asked, her voice cracking. “I don’t even know why. The woman I loved suddenly hated me, and I couldn’t even figure out why she’d flip like that.” A single, unbidden sob escaped her. “You were my everythin’, Rainbow, and you destroyed me!”

The first sob paved the way for others, and soon they followed. Applejack turned away and furiously wiped the tears from her face, not wanting to give Rainbow the satisfaction of seeing her break down. Behind her, the racer finally spoke up, her voice small.

“Applejack, I don’t hate you, I never did.” The farmer rounded on her, forcing the smaller woman back against the tree, towering over her.

“Then why?!” she yelled, caught between fury and torment. “Why would you do all that to me?!”

“I don’t know!” Rainbow wailed, her own tears making an appearance. “I just felt so angry! At you! At Coloratura! And after I hit you, it just seemed easier to stick with what I made up than to confront how I felt!”

“But why do any of it?!”

“I was scared! I didn’t want to lose you!”

Of all the things the rainbow-haired woman could have said, that was not the one Applejack had expected.

“Lose me?” she asked, suddenly bewildered. “Lose me how?”

“To… To Coloratura.”

“Rainbow, what in the hell are you talking about?” Applejack asked sharply, genuinely confused. Looking thoroughly miserable, the sportswoman answered her.

“After you two left that party, the night we were supposed to all sleep together… I got scared. I started worrying that Coloratura was better than me, that you’d start liking her over me, that… that you’d leave me for her.”

“What?!” Shocked, Applejack took a step back. “Why?”

“Uh, hello! You wanted to sleep with her!”

“Rainbow, I wanted to fuck her! With you! Not spend my life with her!”

Immediately, she slapped her hand over her mouth, but the words had already been said. Even the wind couldn’t snatch them back. She watched as Rainbow’s eyes slowly widened, her jaw dropping at the same time.

“Spend… your life?” she said in a near whisper.

“Rainbow, I- that’s not- I didn’t mean-” Applejack stammered, trying to come up with an excuse. She hadn’t meant to let that slip, her emotions getting the better of her. That was something she’d kept bottled inside for nearly a year, waiting for the right moment, a moment that felt like it had disappeared forever during the last few months. It was a large source of the pain she’d felt in that time.

“AJ, were you going to propose to me?”

The question was neither yelled nor whispered, nor did it carry any disbelief or conviction. It simply existed.

Applejack had always been a terrible liar. No matter the subject or the stakes, she just couldn’t get the knack of the thing that so many people took for granted. Knowing that even her best lie would be instantly laid bare, she simply accepted defeat.

“I… was thinkin’ about it,” she admitted, unable to look Rainbow in the eye entirely. She fiddled with a button on her work jacket. “I was waitin’ for the right time.”

“I see,” Rainbow said simply. She slowly slid down the trunk of the tree, ending up sat on the ground between two large roots, her knees raised up near her chest. Her expression was distant, as if she was looking far into the future… or the past.

“I really fucked things up bad, didn’t I?” she asked after a minute.

“Yeah, you did,” Applejack replied, sniffing. She dried her tears and sat down next to Rainbow. “But we’re both here now, so I guess that means somethin’. Hell if I know what, though.”

The pair sat in silence once more, the wind once again filling the gap between them, though perhaps not quite as blustery as it had been earlier in the day.

Applejack sighed and leaned back against the tree. She had no idea what to do next. Her mind whirled and her head felt like it was stuffed full of cotton. Normally, she’d go for a walk to clear her head, but that wasn’t really an option here. Reaching up, she took her hat off, flipped it over and pulled out the necklace of Rainbow’s cutie mark.

Made of some metal she couldn’t remember the name of, the necklace was painted with the same colours as the real thing, both sides sharing the bright colouration. The craftsmanship was superb, the details replicated exactly, even at a quarter scale to the actual mark; clearly the work of a master jeweler. Placing her hat back on her head, Applejack allowed the delicate chain to slip from where it was wrapped around the charm. It clinked faintly as it hit its limit.

As she sat there staring at it, slowly rubbing her thumb back and forth over the shiny surface, she heard Rainbow utter a small noise.

“You still have that?” the athlete asked, sounding surprised. Applejack just nodded.

“Couldn’t bear to throw it away, even after what you did. The first few weeks, I cried myself to sleep holdin’ it. Plus it helps me think.” She regarded the necklace a bit longer, wondering if she should tell Rainbow the real reason she kept it. She doubted a better time would come.

“I also kept it, ‘cos I think, deep down, a part of me hoped that you’d come back… and we’d be together again.” Next to her, she heard a shaky intake of breath from Rainbow.

“Applejack…” she started, clearly struggling to keep her voice level. “W-What are you saying?”

“I’m sayin’,” she said, looking over at Rainbow, whose face was streaked with fresh tears. “That I think a small part of me never stopped lovin’ you.”

That seemed to tip Rainbow over the edge, her expression crumbling into one of pure grief. She hid her face against her knees and wept loudly. Applejack’s breath came in unsteady hitches, though her eyes remained dry, her tears apparently having dried up for the moment.

“What have I done?!” Rainbow wailed next to her, rocking back and forth slightly. “All you ever did was love me, and I shit all over it!” Applejack remained silent, letting her get it out of her system. Like her own venting a few minutes ago, this was something the other woman needed to do.

“I’m so sorry, Applejack!” Rainbow continued between sobs, her head still down, voice slightly muffled by her legs. “For everything! All the shit I said about you… what I did to you… everything I put you through… it was all so fucking dumb!”

“Ayup, that’s one way of puttin’ it,” Applejack agreed, though her words contained no malice. In truth, she’d never wished any on Rainbow, even at her angriest. She just wanted this whole situation to be over, for better or worse.

Rainbow looked up at her, sniffling, her eyes puffy and reddened. A small note of sympathy sounded inside of Applejack at seeing her like that, but she made no move to act on it.

“I… ruined it all.” Rainbow spoke quietly, atypical of her usual self. “I blamed you all this time, because I convinced myself that I was the victim, somehow. That you should have been loyal, like me, instead of running off to sleep with some other chick.” She scoffed, swiping at the tears on her cheeks.

“But the truth is… I wanted that threesome with Rara as much as you did.”

“So why did you go off on me, then?” Applejack asked, careful to keep her tone as neutral as possible.

“I told you,” replied Rainbow. “I got scared that I was losing you to her. I’d seen how close you two were getting after she arrived in town. The day after the party, I spent all day hiding from my feelings, not dealing with them. Then, when you found me in the field, I just… saw red.” She leaned back against the tree, staring up into the leaves.

“All I felt was anger, but I wasn’t really angry at you… at least, I know that now. I was angry at myself for not chasing after you and telling you how I felt.”

The wind blew another gust, stirring the leaves above them. Rainbow turned her gaze from the canopy above down to Applejack, looking her right in the eyes.

“I know it’s no excuse,” the racer said earnestly, tears still coursing down her face. “There isn’t one for what I did. But I want you know how sorry I am for all of it. I just don’t want things to continue like this anymore. Please, Applejack… can you forgive me?”

Applejack stared deep into Rainbow’s cerise eyes. Whilst she herself was terrible at lying, she had a significant amount of pride in being able to pick up on the untruths of others. There was always some tick, some mannerism, some flicker behind the eyes, that gave them away. Rainbow Dash had nothing. Everything she’d just said was the absolute truth.

With a trembling hand, Applejack reached out to Rainbow and pulled her into a tight embrace, wrapping both arms around her. A second later, the smaller woman returned the hug, nestling into the crook of her neck. Tears stung Applejack’s eyes for the second time that day, but didn’t fall.

“It ain’t gonna be easy,” she murmured in Rainbow’s ear. “And it ain’t gonna happen quick, but I reckon I can. Eventually.” She felt Rainbow nod against her, whether in relief or acceptance of her judgement, she couldn’t tell.

It wasn’t until she was this close to Rainbow that Applejack realised how much she’d missed her. The wiry strength of her arms, the soft tickle of her hair, the smell of her skin mixed with that awful jacket she wore… She closed her eyes, feeling the tears spill down her freckled cheeks again.

Applejack held onto Rainbow for a few minutes longer, the two of them crying softly into each other’s shoulders. Eventually, though, the farmer forced herself away, breaking Rainbow’s grip on her. Both of them took a moment to dry their eyes before simply sitting and staring at each other.

The wind had calmed during all this, now barely a whisper in the leaves over their heads, though the clouds remained. Noticing Rainbow’s gaze falling, Applejack followed it down to her lap, where she still clutched the necklace of Rainbow’s cutie mark in her hand. Looking back at her curiously, she watched as the sportswoman reached into a pocket on her jacket and pulled something out.

There, laying in her palm with the same delicate chain pooled next to it, was a necklace of the exact same size and quality as the one Applejack herself held. Only instead of the cloud and multi-coloured lighting bolt of Rainbow’s cutie mark, it was the same three red apples that adorned the back of Applejack’s right hand. A small smile spread across her lips at the sight of the piece of jewellery.

“You kept yours, too,” she said, unable to keep a glimmer of happiness from her voice. The necklaces had been gifts near the beginning of their relationship, just a way of showing how much they meant to each other. Applejack had been certain the impulsive Rainbow would have thrown hers away, and seeing the three pieces of metal joined by their stiff links sent joy into her heart, despite the last half a year.

“Yeah,” Rainbow replied, her voice slightly hoarse from crying. She cleared her throat. “I didn’t really know why at the time, but I guess I do now.”

“I guess you didn’t stop havin’ feelings for me, neither.”

“If you’d asked me before the other night, I would’ve denied it, but now… yeah. I guess I didn’t stop loving you. I… I still do.”

Applejack rejoiced at those words, although she didn’t let it show. Instead, she merely nodded, looking away out over the orchard for a moment. She knew Rainbow was telling the truth, or at least that she believed she was, but she’d be a damn fool if she just jumped back into a relationship with her, no questions asked. When she turned back and spoke again, her tone was serious.

“Rainbow, I know what our friends want for us, and I’m guessin’ that’s what you want, too… But you hurt me. Badly. What you did… Land’s sakes, Rainbow, you hit me!”

“I- I know,” Rainbow stammered. “Really, AJ, I’m so sor-”

“Stop,” Applejack told her, holding up a hand. She lowered it again once she was sure Rainbow wouldn’t interrupt. “Let’s not go down that road again. I know you’re sorry. I’m sorry, too. I probably should’ve paid a little more attention to your feelings, instead of tryin’ to get in Rara’s pants. But that don’t mean I’m just gonna jump back into things with you like nothin’ happened.” Although Rainbow’s expression was unhappy, she nodded once again.

“I understand,” she said. “So what do you wanna do?”

Applejack sighed. Part of her just wanted things to go back to the way they were. The rest of her knew that was childish and unrealistic, but if her friends thought there was a chance for the both of them to be happy again, and Rainbow wanted it too, then she was willing to try. However, it was going to be on her terms.

“I want…” she started, looking Rainbow in the eye once more. “I want to know I can trust you again. I want you to promise me that, from now on, you’re not gonna let your feelings get the better of you. That if you ever feel the way you did again, you’ll come talk to me, or one of our friends. And I want you to promise that you’ll never, ever lay your hands on me again, or so help me Celestia, me and you will be done. Forever.”

As Applejack watched Rainbow, she saw a mixture of sudden understanding, hope and relief fight a brief war on the athlete’s face. The three emotions quickly reached a truce, and settled on contrition. For what seemed to Applejack like the hundredth time that day, Rainbow nodded again, this time much more eagerly than before.

“Absolutely, yes!” she exclaimed. “It’ll never happen again, I promise! Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!”

Applejack hadn’t asked for the Pinkie promise, and the sudden absurdity of the oath nearly made her burst out laughing, but the fact that Rainbow had done it without being prompted was proof she was utterly serious about making amends.

“Ya’ll didn’t need to go that far,” Applejack said, smiling. “But I appreciate it.”

Rainbow looked away slightly, a somewhat embarrassed expression on her face, though a smile of her own graced her features. Applejack reached out with the hand that held her necklace, taking hold of the one Rainbow held her own pendant in. The two pieces of metal clinked and scraped together as she intertwined her fingers with those of Rainbow, who met her eyes once more with a look filled with both hope and joy. Although she still smiled, Applejack remained serious as she spoke again.

“I wanna make it clear that although I’m givin’ you a second chance, this ain’t gonna be an overnight thing,” she said. “We ain’t just gonna be jumping back to how things were before. I’ll need some time, understand?”

“Yeah, I get it,” Rainbow acknowledged, squeezing her hand. “I’m going to have to earn you and your trust back if we’re going to be together again. We… are back together, right?”

Applejack contemplated the question. If they were taking things one step at a time, from a point where they were basically starting over, and weren’t really doing any of the things that a couple would normally do, could they really be considered a couple? Would they really be girlfriends again?

Just then, a memory surfaced of a letter sent to her by Princess Cadance. A letter sent in response to her questions about entering into a relationship with Rainbow Dash, and how she should go about it. One particular passage had stuck with her.

‘The important thing to remember is that the only stipulation for a couple being a couple, is that they consider themselves one. Whether they’re having sex several times a day, or simply holding hands every Sunday, their interpretation of what it means to be together is the only one that matters.’

Remembering that quote made Applejack smile briefly once more. It had given her the confidence to move forward then, and it did the same now. Thanks to Cadance, she knew just what to say.

“Would y’all feel like we were together, even if we do things at my speed?” she asked, cocking an eyebrow at Rainbow. Barely missing a beat, her companion answered positively.

“Yeah, I don’t want to push my luck,” she said. “I’ll move at whatever pace you’re comfortable with. You want me to give you space, I’ll give it to you. You say screw me, I’ll ask when and where.”

“I think it’ll be awhile before I ask you to do that,” Applejack said, more than a hint of reproach in her voice. “But otherwise, I think we’ve got ourselves an arrangement.” Standing up, she kept hold of Rainbow’s hand and pulled her up with her.

“Now, what’s say we go give the others the good news?”

“Absolutely!” Rainbow replied, beaming.

Hand in hand, the two women started off down the hill. As they stepped out from under the tree, a small parting in the clouds appeared and Celestia’s sun shone down over the orchard, finally lending some warmth to the cold autumn day and reflecting the feeling of hope in Applejack’s heart.

* * * * * * * *

“Why darlings, that’s wonderful news! I’m so happy for you!”

Twilight and Coloratura stood holding hands under one of the apple trees, watching as Rarity gushed at the news they’d just delivered. Both were smiling broadly, mostly at their friend’s exuberance, but also partly at finally having shared the secret they’d kept for several months.

“Obviously we want to keep it quiet for now, so the press don’t hear about it,” Twilight said. “But we thought it wouldn’t hurt to start telling our friends and family now, while we still can.” She looked over at Coloratura and kissed her firmly, but lovingly, on the lips.

“Plus, now we can do that around our friends, and not have to worry,” she added, grinning slyly at her girlfriend.

Coloratura, for her part, just grinned back. She was glad that they were finally revealing their relationship, but she also couldn’t wait to embarrass Twilight in a whole bunch of new ways around her friends. Of course, she’d get told off for her troubles, but the extremely aroused lover she’d get at the end of the day would make it all worth it.

Rarity was practically dancing on the spot, loving every second of what she’d just been told. She’d had her suspicions about the pair for awhile, but to finally have them confirmed… and to be the first to know! It was almost too much for the elegant woman, who could barely maintain her composure.

“Sooooo…” she began in a leading tone, clasping her hands together. “When should I start designing wedding dresses?”

“Rarity!” Twilight cried, her face flushing. Sometimes her friend could be a little too imaginative. “We’ve barely been together a few months!” She heard Coloratura chuckling by her side.

“I know, darling,” Rarity said, somewhat apologetically. “But you two are so adorable together! I can’t help but-” She stopped dead as a flash of light caught her eye. A flash of light from her hand. Turning it over so she could see her cutie mark, she gasped when she saw the three diamonds glowing.

“Twilight!” she squealed. “Do you-”

“I see it! Mine’s doing it, too!” Twilight held her hand out, the stars that formed her own mark glowing brightly with the same magical light as Rarity’s. After six months of hard work, worry, upset, emotional turmoil and several sleepless nights… they’d finally done it.

With a whoop and a cheer, both women ran to each other and embraced, laughing and jumping on the spot in celebration. Coloratura looked on in amusement, arms folded, as the pair divested themselves of half a year’s worth of stress. After a minute of this, Twilight and Rarity parted, both out of breath, but beaming from ear to ear.

“It’s finally over!” Twilight exclaimed, panting slightly. “We did it!”

“Y’all did what, now?” asked a familiar voice. Turning, all three women saw Applejack and Rainbow Dash coming towards them, picking their way down the final part of the hill. Most importantly, they were doing it while holding hands.

By way of answering Applejack’s question, both Rarity and Twilight held up the backs of their hands to her. The glowing had already stopped, but simply seeing their cutie marks was enough for the farmer to understand. She raised her own hand, and Rainbow’s with it, in acknowledgement.

“I see you had similar results,” Coloratura remarked, indicating the pair’s joined hands. While she’d been pissed at Rainbow for what she’d done, and still was if she was being honest, it was nice to see the pair apparently together again. And if Applejack was willing to give the girl a second chance, then the singer supposed she could as well.

“Yeah,” Applejack replied, looking over at her. “We’ve agreed to give it another go, so long as Rainbow here keeps to a couple of conditions. No more outbursts, no more hidin’ her feelings, and no goin’ faster than I’m comfortable with. She’s got a lot of trust to earn back.” She looked over at Rainbow earnestly, who just nodded, shamefaced.

“I know,” Rainbow said. She looked around the group, meeting each one of their eyes in turn. “I screwed up bad. I lied to all of you in some way, and I’m sorry. I’m not going to make the same mistakes again, and I’ll do better from now on. I promise.”

Each of the women murmured their recognition, accepting Rainbow’s apology and her promise. Even Coloratura, much to the racer’s surprise, who she’d thought would be the hardest sell of them all. Instead, she just nodded and told her that her apology was accepted.

Ultimately, though, and despite being incredibly lucky in getting it, the only thing Rainbow really cared about was that Applejack had given her a second chance. Even if everyone else had shunned her after all this, so long as she had her blonde angel by her side, nothing anyone else said or did mattered. Looking over at Applejack, she gave her hand another squeeze, the farmer returning it in kind.

“This is great news, you two, really,” Twilight said, utterly delighted. “And if you need anything, you just have to ask. We’ll all be here for you both.” Inside the princess, pride, joy and satisfaction all vied for position. For her, seeing the two women holding hands once more was like getting a thousand-page thesis validated.

“Absolutely,” agreed Rarity, feelings much the same as Twilight’s filling her up inside. “But perhaps we could be supportive in someplace a bit less muddy? As it is, I’m going to have to spend an hour cleaning these boots when I get home.” As if to emphasise, she lifted a foot, showing off a white boot caked in mud.

“Why don’t y’all head on inside?” Applejack suggested, rolling her eyes at Rarity. “It’s nearly dinner time, anyway. I’ll make sure you all eat before you go home.”

With more murmurs of assent, the group started towards the house. Twilight, Rarity and Coloratura walked up front, talking excitedly among themselves, though about what, neither Rainbow nor Applejack particularly cared. They stayed back slightly, walking slowly with their own thoughts, their hands never separating. It was only when she felt another squeeze from Rainbow that Applejack looked over.

“I meant every word I said back there,” the rainbow haired girl said, looking at her sincerely. “I promise I’ll do better from now on.”

“I know,” Applejack replied, smiling gently. “But we’ve been through all that. Now ain’t the time for apologies or promises anymore, now’s the time for healin’.”

Stopping, she waited for the others to get slightly more ahead of them. Once she was sure they weren’t going to turn around, she leaned in and, against her better judgement, laid a soft kiss on Rainbow’s lips. It was a brief one, gone before the other woman could return it, but it carried with it a huge weight for both of them.

“Don’t get used to that,” Applejack said, holding up a finger and giving Rainbow a stern look. “That’s only to show my appreciation for what you’ve said. Now come on, before the others wonder what we’re doin’.” Elated and grinning from ear to ear, Rainbow nodded eagerly.

“Yes, ma’am!” she said gleefully.

With that, the two of them set off after their friends. Once more, the sun found a parting in the clouds, this time much bigger than before, bathing the farm and much of the surrounding orchards in golden light.

It warmed the five women who walked the path back to farm, but none more so than the two at the back. The two who, while knowing they had a long road ahead, also looked forward to that journey for its ultimate goal. For while both would tread it separately, their friends would make sure they would never truly be alone.

End