Chapter Seven
Normalcy

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It had been a trying – and lonely – week. Although Twilight felt much more comfortable leaving the castle ever since Rarity had given her a few garments that concealed her unwanted guest, she still found herself keeping away from the rest of the world. Part of it was how uncomfortable she felt in her own body. She knew better, but she couldn’t help but feel like everyone’s eyes were on her when she was with other ponies. But part of it was who she might run into…

Not that she was safe from awkward meetings in the castle. Starlight lived there, after all. The two of them took meals together, and even aside from that, they always ran into one another in the hallways.

Or at least they usually did. Ever since the kiss, Twilight hadn’t seen much of Starlight. A few strained and unplanned greetings as they passed by one another, and that was all. No meals together, no working on their project, no hanging out as friends did. They simply lived in the same space, and that space was very large and easy to avoid one another in.

Twilight missed her friends, but she was grateful for the solitude. She wasn’t sure what to say to Starlight. Or Pinkie, for that matter. And the others – Rainbow, Applejack, Fluttershy… especially Fluttershy… She just didn’t want them to know anything about her situation.

At least there was Rarity. She knew, and she had managed to make the whole thing as normal as it could be. Which was why Twilight was looking forward to seeing her.

Twilight reached the Boutique and knocked on the door. A moment later, Rarity answered it with a smile. “Twilight, darling, you know you don’t need to knock.”

Twilight smiled as she walked in. “Well, you are closed.”

“Never to friends!” Rarity walked behind her register and pulled out a bag, which she brought over to Twilight. “I would like for you to try them on, of course.”

“Of course,” Twilight said. There was a fitting room, but since it was just the two of them, Twilight didn’t bother to use it. As she pulled off one of the skirts Rarity had given her on their last meeting, Rarity locked the front door to make sure no one walked in unannounced. “You’ve billed it to my usual account?”

“Not without making sure you’re a satisfied customer.”

“I always am.” Twilight pulled on a pair of pants. They were much more flattering than the ones Rarity had previously given her. The cut was designed for a mare, and tailored specifically to Twilight’s measurements, just with a little extra space for Twilight’s current situation.

“They do look quite fetching, no?” Rarity asked, so Twilight turned back with a smile.

“They’re perfect, thank you.”

“I do admit I hate to charge you given your situation… Perhaps a discount is in order?”

“Rarity, we agreed you’d stop doing this. You’re running a business, and I have more than enough bits! Please, bill me the full amount.”

Rarity gave a dainty sigh, but at least she didn’t argue. From anyone else, Twilight might have thought the song and dance was a formality. ‘Oh, I couldn’t possibly take so much, but if you insist…’ And from anyone else, it might have been. But Rarity truly meant it. All of her friends had to put their hooves down at one point or another – she could not work for them for free, barring a few gifts for birthdays and the like.

Twilight moved through the options. Because the skirts Rarity had given her before were thick enough to hide things on their own, or at least with the more fitting underwear she now had, these were all pants and shorts. Twilight preferred long skirts, but it was nice to have options without wearing a stallion’s cut.

“They’re all perfect,” Twilight said when she tried on the final pair. “Thank you so much. You have no idea how big of a relief this is.”

Rarity smiled. “And I hope you don’t mind that I notice you’ve solved your other problem?”

“Er, no, that thing is very much still there.”

Rarity giggled. “Your panties, dear. They seem to fit much better than before.”

“Oh, that.” Twilight blushed and put the skirt back on. “Yeah, Starlight told me what to get. She even loaned me a pair of hers to wear while I went out to get my own.”

“I’m glad to hear that you’ve had some small comforts. It’s lucky you and Starlight are so close.”

“Yeah…” Twilight frowned and took a seat on Rarity’s couch.

Rarity took her cue to sit next to Twilight. “Oh dear, that sounds bad.”

“It… it is…” Twilight hadn’t meant to get into what had happened, but she was all too eager to talk about it. Rarity was a good friend, and Twilight had been cooped up by herself for days. “Starlight and I… well, something happened, and now it’s been awkward. I’ve… I’ve actually been avoiding her…”

“I see.” Rarity took hold of Twilight’s hand. “Do you feel comfortable telling me what happened?”

Twilight looked down at their hands, cupped together. “I’d like to, actually, but…”

“But Starlight might not feel the same?” Rarity guessed, so Twilight nodded. “I won’t pry then, but I do think you know what you must do.”

“I have to talk to her.” Twilight was not the Princess of Friendship for nothing. True, she had never managed to feel like she was the most qualified for the job, but she was growing more comfortable in her role. This was a pretty basic friendship problem and it only had one solution.

“It is, of course, easier said than done.” Rarity gave Twilight’s hand a squeeze. “I… must confess, I know you’re avoiding dear Pinkie Pie as well.”

“Oh.”

“Please don’t be upset with her, she tried not to tell me it was you. But well… You know Pinkie, she’s lacking in subtlety. I believe she said ‘a friend who has the chance to try new things with her body’ or something along those lines.”

That actually made Twilight smile a bit, although she blushed as well. She managed to look Rarity in the eyes as she continued. “I’m not upset with her. I’m… kind of glad you know. Er, what do you know?”

“Well, I didn’t ask for all the details, but a lady can speculate.” Rarity looked off to the side. “She wanted to help you… experiment, as it were. I gather you two were intimate with one another in some way, though the details seem less important.”

Twilight’s blush grew and she nodded. “Yeah, that’s fair. I just… I don’t know what to make of it. I never thought Pinkie saw me like that, and I hope it’s not just because of this thing.”

“Do give her more credit, darling.” Rarity turned back to face Twilight. “Pinkie loves you, yes, but you know we all do. We all want you to be happy, and to help you with this situation in whatever way we can manage. For me, that’s designing you a new wardrobe. For Pinkie, it’s helping you to try new experiences.”

Twilight didn’t know what to say, and her eyes flashed down to their hands. Rarity noticed and shifted her fingers so they were laced together.

“To Pinkie, this is just a way to have fun with a friend. It’s a normal sort of thing for her, really. And no one blames you for seeing it differently, but at least put your mind at ease about that facet of the situation.”

“I… I know Pinkie is always trying to have fun, but this seems a little much, even for her.” Twilight looked around the room, vaguely noting the dresses and suits that Rarity had on display. “I just can’t help but think, I don’t know… this sort of thing doesn’t just happen!”

Rarity squeezed Twilight’s hand, so she turned to face her friend. Rarity seemed to be contemplating what she wanted to say, and eventually she sighed and didn’t meet Twilight’s eyes as she said, “Pinkie and I have been sleeping together for years.”

“You what?” Twilight blinked, sure she somehow misunderstood.

“We have a certain… mutual interest. I won’t get into the details. But every Tuesday night, she comes by the Boutique after hours and we take great pleasure in one another’s company.”

“I… I had no idea! I’m so sorry. Believe me, If I had known –”

“Now stop right there,” Rarity said, placing a finger on Twilight’s mouth for emphasis. “Pinkie did not cheat on me. You know if we had any agreement of exclusivity she would never break it. No, she is perfectly free to do what she wants in her time, as am I.”

Twilight tried and failed to comprehend what was going on. “I… I see. Right, I should have thought…”

“Twilight, we are not dating. I love Pinkie as I love all my friends, and no other way. She feels likewise towards me. It is something we’ve talked about extensively. You could say we are friends with benefits.”

“Oh.” Twilight was, of course, familiar with the term. She had never thought much about it, it was something other ponies did, not her or her friends. Finding out that this had been happening for years, well… Twilight wasn’t sure why it was so hard to accept. She stayed quiet so she wouldn’t say the wrong thing.

“Do you know why I’m telling you this now?”

“Because… you want me to know what this means to Pinkie isn’t what I thought.”

“Precisely.” Rarity cupped Twilight’s face in her free hand for a moment, and gave her a smile. “Now, I’ve noticed how bashful you are about the topic of sex. I know you aren’t the type to want to do that so casually with a friend. Truthfully, I think Pinkie should have known better.”

“She… she left it up to me,” Twilight confessed. “She gave me multiple chances to back out. I don’t blame her.”

“I see. Well, that is a tad surprising, but of course, I should have known she would be nothing less than a lady.”

Twilight wasn’t sure there was anything ladylike about what had happened between the two of them, but there was no sense in pointing that out.

Rarity pressed on. “So then, it was something you wanted?”

“I… I guess? At the time, I mean…”

“Twilight, dear, you are an adult. You can want things. You can act on those wants. It’s your body, and if you want to do things like that with Pinkie or anyone else, I think that would be good for you!”

Twilight wasn’t sure how it was possible, but her blush grew even more. “I… I know that’s something ponies do. And that’s fine, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with you and Pinkie…”

“But you don’t have the same interests.” Rarity sighed. “Of course, that is fine, but I do believe you’ve sent some mixed messages to poor Pinkie.”

“You’re right. You’re absolutely right.” Twilight placed her hand on her forehead. She’d really made a mess of things. “It’s not Pinkie’s fault. It’s mine. I could have said no. I… I said yes, I told her I wanted to do those things.”

“I think you sound conflicted. And you know, I do think exploring your body with someone you’re comfortable with is a good idea. I know you were never fully satisfied in your relationship with Flash, I can’t imagine that was a very pleasant experience…”

“Flash was fine. He was a gentlecolt about things, and didn’t pressure me. I didn’t even hate it, really. I just… didn’t like it.”

Rarity nodded. “You know I’ve always liked stallions just as well as mares. More, really. So I can’t say I understand what it must be like to have an experience with someone of the wrong gender, but… Well, I just think you should try exploring things with someone of the right one, as it were.”

Twilight said nothing. She knew the advice was well meant, but Twilight just wasn’t sure it was right for her.

“Or don’t. Please, don’t let me dictate what you do or don’t do with your body. But please, do try to patch things up with Pinkie. By all means, tell her you don’t wish to continue any intimacy between you two, but don’t hold this against her.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll reach out to her.”

“And don’t hold it against yourself, either.” Rarity inclined her head to fix Twilight with a serious look.

That was much harder. “Thanks, Rarity. I think I needed this talk.”

“From the sound of it, I agree. And if you need me to help move conversations along, I’m more than happy to.”

“I appreciate that. I’ll try talking to her on my own first, though.”

“Yes, of course. And Starlight too.”

“Right…” Twilight let herself slide down on the couch and leaned her head back. “I’ve really made a mess of things, Rarity…”

“You poor thing… This really has been an ordeal for you.”

“Yeah…” Thoughts of Starlight’s lips against Twilight’s flashed through her head, intermingling with thoughts of holding Pinkie on the couch. Those thoughts barely left Twilight’s mind over the past few days. “I’ll fix things. I owe it to both of them.”

“Perhaps you could start with Starlight tonight? I know she’s a bit of a night owl.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Starlight should be easier. The two of them had only kissed, after all. But then, they’d also had a fight about it afterwards…

No. No, Twilight owed this to them. She would fix things, she would, she just… just had to figure out how to do that.

“Oh, but where are my manors?” Rarity asked brightly. “Would you like a drink? I could prepare some tea, or something stronger if you’d like.”

Twilight shook her head. “Thank you, but I think I’ll head home. I’d like to… to talk to Starlight.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Twilight lifted her head to look Rarity in the eyes. “Really, thank you, Rarity. You’ve been a big help.”

“You’re quite welcome. Let me know if I can be of any further help. Or just pop in for a chat, my door is always open to you.”

Twilight squeezed Rarity’s hand, then let go of it so she could stand. “Thanks, I appreciate that.”

Rarity stood as well to walk Twilight to the door, then they hugged and Rarity wished her good luck. They said their goodbyes and Twilight walked out into the cool evening air.

She had a lot on her mind, and a lot to do. She tried to focus on what she’d say to Starlight when she got home, but all that she could think of was that kiss.

And then there was Pinkie. Twilight had meant what she said, she didn’t hold anything against Pinkie for what had happened. And maybe she would be fine with putting it behind them, if not for the fact that…

The thought of Pinkie’s mouth wrapped around her flashed through her mind. Of holding Pinkie’s head, pulling her hair, of the sense of release as Pinkie pressed down even farther…

It wasn’t that it had happened. That had been a friend trying to give her a new and unique experience. But it was that Twilight couldn’t stop thinking of it. More than anything, it was what she usually did when she thought of it.

It was disgusting. Pinkie was a friend, and she didn’t deserve Twilight’s thoughts dwelling on that moment, didn’t deserve to be fodder for Twilight’s perverse thoughts and even more perverse activities. She deserved so much better.

And Twilight would honor that. No more touching herself and thinking back to that day, no more fantasies. And when she managed that, then she could look Pinkie in the eye and apologize, and it would mean so much more that way.

Yes, that was the plan. Twilight would go home, she would talk to Starlight, she would stop being such a lecherous friend, and then she would apologize to Pinkie.

And, of course, she and Starlight would figure out how to get rid of that thing between her legs. Then everything would be back to normal, and Twilight would never have to worry about stuff like this again.

Author's Note

I gotta be honest, I didn't know if this story was ever updating. I actually have another chapter coming out next week, but after that it might go on hiatus again. In fact, I won't be changing the story status off hiatus at all. It's still something I'm not able to commit to, I really have to be in the right kinda mood to work on this story.

Also I'm going to be leaning on this as a low-effort story more. I wrote this chapter in one sitting, and Baphomet willing that's what I plan on continuing to do from here on out. There are some things I notice quality-wise about the writing that I really found improve on if I tried, but I'm not going to. That's basically because either I write this story in draft format, or I don't write it at all. I hope this is mostly just noticeable to me and not as much to y'all.

Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter that almost exclusively takes place on Rarity's couch! I actually like how it turned out.