Stuck In The Middle

Stuck In The Middle

Resolution - Part III

Twilight threw another book over her shoulder. "Nothing in that one either!" she grumbled, running a hoof through her mane. "Hoof me that one, Spike."

Spike sighed and passed her a large tome. "There's nothing in that one, I've looked," he murmured.

Again, the unicorn huffed and flicked through it, ignoring his comment. Indeed, the book contained nothing on what she was looking for.

"Agggh! Again, nothing!" she cried and flung the book away.

Spike watched with a gaping jaw as she so carelessly discarded a precious book. "Twilight... you just-"

"I know," she snapped.

The baby dragon raised his claws. "Alright, Twilight, take it easy. Perhaps if you actually told me what you were looking for I'd find it," he snorted and sulkily slumped down into a beanbag and picked up a tub of ice-cream.

Twilight sighed and rubbed his spines. "Sorry, Spike. Just everything that;'s been going on, I'm just really trying to find a way to work it all out."

He looked at her hopefully.

"So I guess I'd better tell you."

His mouth opened in awe and desire for some gossip. Rarity's influence had rubbed off on him a bi, it would seem, as he eagerly leaned in.

"I've been dating both princesses. I'm very much in love with both of them and recently, they both found out. If I don't find a way to resolve everything, I may have to either..." She winced. "Dump - oh that sounds horrible - them both, or choose between them. So I'm trying to find a way to... 'have'... both."

She winced again at her choice of words.

Spike blinked once. Twice. Then fell back laughing. "You? Dating both princesses?" he cried and held his sides together.

Twilight scowled and nodded. "It's true."

"Bwahahaha! Twilight Sparkle: Official bed-buddy with both princesses. Yeah right, Twilight. That was a great joke, now tell me really why," he chuckled and wiped a tear from his eyes, hunching forwards and grinning manically at her.

The unicorn scowled at him again and felt her cheeks burn red with indignity. "It's true," she repeated. "And I am not their 'bed-buddy'. I'm deeply in love with both of them... which is exactly the problem," she muttered.

Spike stopped laughing and gaped. "You mean... you were actually... in love with... both?" he asked, incredulously.

Twilight nodded and shamefully turned away. "And I still am. And I think they're... fighting over me," she admitted quietly.

He scratched his head. "So... what exactly are we looking for?"

She blinked. "You still want to help?"

"Of course I do, Twilight! It's what friends do. So what're we looking for?"

Twilight smiled at her assistant. He was always there when she needed him, whatever it was. "Just something - anything - about the love of three ponies."

Spike grinned. "So... like one of Rarity's books?"

Twilight blushed. "Not exactly like that. But sort of."

"No, no, see, she was telling me about one; where there was a young mare who was in love with two stallions, and she didn't know how to tell them both. So eventually, she ended up dating both of them. At the same time."

The unicorn blinked again and furrowed her brow. "Is that even possible? With both of them knowing?"

"Yeah. In the book, anyway. Maybe that's what you should be trying to do?"

"Well... I was... sort of dating both of them behind their backs. I wonder if they'll agree to a... schedule or something..."

The gears started turning in Twilight's head. Sure she'd considered this option, but from what she gathered, the sisters...might not want that. And of course, she thught it was the best option for her, seen as how she didn't say no to either of them and-

No.

No this wouldn't work.

But could it?

She sat and pondered this for a while.

Spike sat up and puffed his cheeks out. "Well, I'm gonna go tell everypony you're alright. See you later, Twilight."

Twilight mumbled something which sounded like a response. The dragon took it as one and quietly left the library. As soon as he was gone, she quickly scrambled up to her feet and flicked through the books, looking for the one SPike had mentioned.

"No," she grumbled as she cast another book behind her. "No, no, no no...where is it?" she murmured and searched through them.

A knock made her jump a bit, wiping her mind momentarily.

"Who is it?"

"Your friends. Open the door, Twilight," came the chorus of voices.

Twilight sighed and opened the door. "Hello girls. How is everypony?"

They stared at her.

"Uh... Twi? You OK, sugarcube?" Applejack asked carefully.

Twilight nodded. "Fine. Why wouldn't I be?" Especially when you've got a plan like mine.

"It's just... um... you sort of... ran away..." Fluttershy murmured.

The purple pony's ears fell. "That was pretty stupid wasn't it?"

"No, of course not darling, it was a bit... strange... though," Rarity said and shuffled nervously as Twilight turned to her.

"I take it you told them, then?"

"Well I had to darling! We were all worried about you. And when you went missing, I thought it was my fault-"

"It's OK, Rarity. I'm honestly glad you told them. Besides, I think I have a way to end all of this."

Rarity retracted her lower lip and eyed her friend. "How do you mean?"

Rainbow Dash glanced between the two. "So what's up? What do we do?"

Twilight frowned. "We, Rainbow?"

"Well yeah, ah wouldn't let any of y'all do anythin' like this by yourself. We're all in this together, Twi, whether you want us to be or not," Applejack chuckled and clapped her bookish friend on the back.

Fluttershy nodded but said nothing. Evidently, the idea of Twilight being a two-timer was unnerving to her.

Twilight looked at all her friends. "Well, Spike said Rarity showed him one of her books-"

The white unicorn giggled uncontrollably. "Oh yes. Sorry. I remember that. Go on, Twilight."

"And apparently there was a young mare who was in love with two ponies. At the same time, like me and the princesses-"

"So you're actually in love with both?" Fluttershy murmured.

Twilight nodded. "Yes, Fluttershy. So very much so."

"What's that like?"

Everypony in the room seemed to be shocked at her question.

"I mean... if you don't mind telling me..." the butter yellow pegasus whimpered and flayed her ears back. "I've just always... admired that sort of relationship."

All her friends' eyebrows wandered up into their respective manes.

"Really?" Rainbow Dash asked and tapped her friend's wing.

Fluttershy nodded as her cheeks turned a rosy-pink.

"Well, Fluttershy... it's hard. Or it was," Twilight explained. "I mean, it was great when I was with them-"

"What's Celestia like in bed?" Pinkie Pie so delicately put, making all her friends facehoof and choke up on the embarrassing question.

"Pinkie! You do not talk that way about a princess!" Rarity scolded.

The bubbly, pink pony smiled, blissfully unaware of her friend's reactions. "What? Well, how was she, Twilight?"

Twilight sputtered and fought for control of her brain. "I... guess... she was great."

All her friend leaned in, suddenly very excited to learn about their friend's love life.

"How so?" Dash asked and flexing her wings.

Fluttershy's own wings were extended as well.

"Well... she would always do this thing, right here." Twilight pointed to a spot just above her cutie mark. "Just right, and it would always made me giggle uncontrollably."

"And Luna?" Applejack asked, nudging her to continue.

"Luna... oh afterwards we would just stay up and watch the stars..." The five friends fell silent as the lavender of the bunch trailed off and looked up at the sky. "It was wonderful... anyway!" she cried, bringing herself out of her memories. "Spike told me what happened in the book, was the mare ended up dating both of them. With a schedule of something. And my idea was this: Seen as how I can organize, surely I could somehow arrange a schedule for spending time with both the princesses?"

Her friends sat back and thought for a moment.

"Well, Twi... that sounds like it could work, but-" Applejack began.

"I know! Isn't that the great thing? This way, nopony's heart gets broken, and I can keep living, not as a statue in Canterlot, but real!"

The farm pony placed a hoof on her purple friend's shoulder and shushed her.

Twilight looked around, her smile faltering as she saw her friends shaking their heads sadly.

Rarity sighed and nuzzled her. "Twilight, that story was just that. A story. A novel. Fiction. if somepony did that, there might be terrible consequences. What if the princesses didn't agree? What if they thought you were brash and arrogant for thinking they'd go along with it?"

The lavender mare felt tears burn in her eyes again. "B-but... but... I don't want to lose them. Either of them... what else can I do?"

"Break up with them?" Rainbow Dash suggested, making Twilight cringe with fear and reluctance.

Applejack scowled at the cyan pegasus. "Rainbow!" she hissed and brought the crying unicorn into a hug. "She can't do that. Everypony's heart'll be broken. And ah won't see my friend Twilight upset. Ah won't see any of you," she warned and pointed an accusing hoof at each of them.

Pinkie Pie smiled wearily. "But what else can she do? She's not a big ol' meanie pants. Are you, Twilight?"

Twilight sniffed and shook her head. "I know I should just end it with one, or both, or neither and keep them both... but I just don't know..."

"Perhaps we can help."

Princesses Celestia and Luna slowly opened the door and smiled at the purple unicorn.

Twilight cringed and tried to hide behind her orange friend.

Applejack chuckled softly and forced her forwards. "Go on, have a talk. We'll be here if any of ya'll need us."

The unicorn looked between the sisters and her friends and hung her head. "Alright," she squeaked.

Luna instinctively placed a wing around her and steered her out the door.

Celestia smiled to the five friends and closed the door after her.

Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applejack and Rainbow Dash all shared worried glances as they watched Twilight disappear with the benevolent rulers.

"Ah hope she's alright..." AJ murmured sadly and rounded on Rainbow. "And how could you just outright tell her somethin' like that?"

Dash snorted. "Like what? The truth? What she should have done?"

"That's not what ah mean. Y'all need to quit being so gosh darn hard headed, Dash, this here's a very delicate matter and it means a lot to Twi, which means it means a lot to us too."

The pegasus glared at the earth pony, before eventually snorting again and lounging on the couch. "So what now?" she grumbled, sulkily.

"Now, we wait. Twilight needs to do this on her own from now on. We've given her as much help as we could. So now we wait," said a strangely profound Pinkie Pie.

Rarity nodded. "I agree. While that novel idea is good, and seems like the best option, I fear she may have to eventually choose between the two - as much as I would hate to see her distraught - it's the right thing to do..."

The remaining Elements nodded and murmured in agreement.

~~~

Twilight gingerly shuffled in between the two sisters. Her two lovers. At least they aren't fighting. And they're both alive. That's good, right?

"Twilight... we need to talk," said Celestia.

The unicorn nodded her head stiffly as Luna's wing unfurled around her.

"Agreed. Twilight Sparkle. You have... dishonoured both of us with your ways," Luna said, rather harshly.

The little mare felt even littler as she readied herself for her dream to come true. Any second now, Celestia was going to plant the metal casting over her head and throw rotten food at her.

"Yes. But..." Celestia continued.

Twilight looked up hopefully, into the kind eyes of her beloved princesses. She wasn't expecting a 'but'.

"We have both agreed that this cannot continue. Something terrible almost happened, my student. Do you know what it was that happened?"

The unicorn shook her head dumbly and stared at the ground, forcing the tears back.

Luna stifled a sob. "I almost killed my dear sister. Over you, my... Twilight. If that had happened, I would have forever held you responsible."

"I know," Twilight squeaked and felt shivers run up and down her body, still avoiding to meet the princesses' gazes. "I would gladly accept any punishment. The moon, Tartarus, being turned to stone, I deserve everything..."

Celestia frowned. "Why would you be punished? Yes, you did wrong, but it was because you love us, is it not?"

Twilight nodded and slowly looked up. "Yes..."

"Both of us?" Luna asked, clearly on the verge of another breakdown.

"Both... so much... I'm so sorry..."

The subject of both their affections started crying, breaking both their hearts in the space of roughyl five seconds.

"Shhh," Luna whispered and moved to hold her. "We know you are sorry. And..." she glanced up at her sister, who joined in the embrace.

"We forgive you. Come, Twilight. Let us return to Canterlot and sort this whole sordid mess out once and for all," said the Sun Princess.

Twilight sniffled and rested her head on the dark princess's shoulder. "Wait, Canterlot?" she asked and pulled away, wiping some tears away.

"Just for a while, Twilight. Then we can return here, if you wish. Depending on how 'negotiations' go," Luna chuckled and brushed her little love's mane away.

Celestia coughed and motioned for her sister to move away. The younger did so reluctantly and watched as the elder moved forwards and nuzzled her student. The dark alicorn was green with envy, but held her tongue, and refrained from calling objections.

She did not need another bout of Nightmare Moon. Not in front of her beloved...

After the hugs finished, leaving Twilight stunned and confused, the Sun Princess ushered her towards an illustrious golden chariot.

"You too, Luna."

Luna obeyed and climbed aboard, nestling down next to the purple mare and opposite her sister.

The Royal Guard pulling the chariot saluted and quickly rose into the air.

The Night princess couldn't help but smirk as she watched her sister's face.

Celestia watched her back. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, your guards. They're just so... slow compared to the Night Guard," Luna chuckled.

The elder sister smiled a warm smile.

Twilight was even more confused. Had the princesses stopped fighting over her? What had they agreed on anyhow? Where were they going again? Oh right, Canterlot. But why?

"Um... princesses?" she murmured, flinching as they both stared at her. "Um... what exactly is going on?"

Celestia smiled. "Luna, would you like to explain, or shall I?"

Luna smiled back and nuzzled the purple mare. "We have come to the agreement, that we are both in love with you, and you  us."

Twilight paled.

"But, we have also come to the agreement, that you shall have your choice of princess. Choose whomever you do wish, Twilight Sparkle. It is your decision. Not ours."

The unicorn shivered. So they really were asking her to choose between them. What was she going to tell them? "Sorry, I can't choose because I love you so equally much?"

Perhaps...

"But, um, I... had another idea..." she whispered.

Celestia nodded for her to continue. "Yes, Twilight?"

Her student gulped. "Um... what if... I... date.. both... of you?"

The chariot screamed to a halt as both princesses gaped at her with wide eyes and open jaws.

She winced and squeezed her eyes shut, praying that this was just another horrible nightmare.

It wasn't.