Rainbow’s hoof froze before she knocked on the barn door, biting her lip. She caught her heart beating and turned to the side to give herself a prepping deep breath.
What was she so nervous about, anyway?
She’d been showing up at AJ’s place uninvited whenever she wanted to hang out as naturally as she flew for the last several years now. Nothing was different.
Except maybe for the fact that she had been invited this time.
And, something about the way she invited her.
Come to think of it, there’s-... -A sharp clearing of her throat-... something you ought to hear, she’d told her hooves rather than RD herself, just before a long pause and a peer over her shoulder for something. But not yet. Let’s see… Mind coming around to my place on Friday? …Now don’t look like that, ain’t nothin’ bad.
What could be so difficult to say that she’d have to wait a whole two days in order to be able to say it? And for her of all ponies?
It wouldn’t have even crossed her mind to wonder about something like that if it wasn’t for the way she said it. The fact that Applejack was clearly nervous.
Not just nervous.
It was that particular type of nervousness, when she had to force the words from her throat, that could only mean so many things when it came from her.
“You’re overreacting,” Rainbow hissed to herself presently. “It’s not like anything bad’s gonna happen. Just be cool, Rainbow. You’re cool.”
She cracked the door open and peeked her head in. “AJ, I’m here,” she called across the barn, taking the liberty to come inside. When the door shut behind her, she let out a shiver at the frozen rush of air.
A feminine chuckle was sounding from behind the kitchen wall. A chuckle that, notably, wasn’t Applejack.
“You know, dear. You make it quite obvious when you’re worried about me.”
Rarity.
A warm, Applejack sigh responded. “Come on in, Dash,” she called.
Wait, ….Rarity?
A wave of heat shot up Rainbow’s neck for no discernable reason. Somehow she’d forgotten to consider that somepony who wasn’t an Apple could possibly be here. No, that wasn’t it. She’d forgotten that anypony besides Applejack could have been here.
But it did make sense. They were marefriends, after all.
She felt strangely guilty for coming in all of the sudden, as though she’d intruded on something special and private.
But she heeded AJ’s invitation without missing a beat and trotted into the kitchen. A pleasant aroma filled the space and pulled her nose to the right, where a three-wick candle flickered on the table. The scent was labeled ‘Hearth’s Warming Evening’, whatever that implied, but she had to admit that it did indeed smell like one.
“What’s up? You had something you needed to say?” She offered enthusiastically, refocusing her attention.
Apple green eyes reluctantly pulled from Rarity’s to Rainbow’s. AJ’s freckles rose in her smile when she saw her, a creeping excitement maneuvering her hoof to gesture Rainbow closer even as her gaze flicked back to Rarity’s. “You’re sure you’re ready to do this?” She asked under her breath, the smile softening as Rainbow approached.
Rarity made some dismissive noises and flung her hoof bashfully. “Yes, yes, of course I’m ready,” She laughed, eyes in the corner. Then dropped it and cleared her throat quietly. “I mean- …Yes. Yes, I am.”
Rainbow looked between the two a couple times. Somehow, Rarity’s unexpectant involvement was making things even less clear than they were before.
“Alright. Here goes nothin’ then.” Applejack looked at Rainbow again. “You know all that time ago when I told you about my conflicting feelings between you and Rarity?”
“Huh? Oh yeah, heh.” Rainbow rubbed her foreleg, craning over her shoulder at nothing in particular. ‘All that time ago’ was last year, and it was just a little before she and Rarity got together.
Wait-
Why would she be bringing that up?
Did that mean AJ changed her mind?
Her body lightened, and she had to try with all her might not to take flight. But she caught a glimpse of Rarity, and the feeling was shot down a ravine.
Were they breaking up?
“Is something the matter, darling?” Rarity frowned at her.
Rainbow found herself leaning backward slightly. She straightened and wiped the worry from her grin affirmingly. “Nope! So what about it?”
It wouldn’t make any sense if they broke up. Not now. Not after a year’s worth of pet names, snuggles, and lifting each other up. They always knew exactly how to help each other, or what to say to the other when they needed it.
It was Rarity who knew what to say to Applejack when she fell into a slump because Apple Bloom and her were growing apart. And it was Applejack who knew what to say to Rarity when she received an unflattering review of one thing or another. It was Rarity who knew when and how to give Applejack extra support when she was too stubborn to show anypony she needed it. And it was Applejack who knew how and when to give Rarity a boost of confidence when she was secretly beating herself up for not meeting her own exasperated expectations for herself.
It was never Rainbow Dash.
If Applejack had decided to choose her after all this time, then why?
No matter how much she tried, she would never be able to make AJ smile the way Rarity could. No matter what she could think to say, she never managed to cheer her up when she was down in exactly the same way Rarity could. She didn’t have those words. Didn’t have that magical stress-relieving aura that Rarity had when she told somepony it would be okay. That made it feel like you were being wrapped in a blanket with hot chocolate between your hooves, sat safely by the fire while the blizzard went on outside.
Rainbow didn’t have that. She couldn’t come anywhere close.
“Well,” AJ continued. “It should come as no surprise that I decided to tell the truth eventually. Even if it… took a bit of time.” She glanced at her marefriend.
It wasn’t the kind of look one would give their marefirend if they were about to break up with her. No… maybe the opposite of that? Like they were about to have a wedding, or a foal even.
“Wait a second,” Rainbow chimed in. She laid out the scene before her aloud as if she could glean some kind of understanding from it. “You told Rarity. Just recently. About your simultaneous crush on her and me. From a year ago?”
AJ laughed warmly, her eyes closing in her smile. “Yeah, you’ve got most of it right.” She looked at Rainbow with a sudden softness and passion. “I still found it relevant to tell her after so long, because it's still true. Although I think I’m done pretending it's just some crush. And it wouldn’t be right to go another Hearth’s Warming without getting it off my chest.”
“For real?” A fluttering sensation erupted in Rainbow’s chest, and for a second time, she had to plant herself firmly to the ground in order not to take off.
Rarity giggled behind her hoof, and Dash realized her wings had been flapping regardless.
She closed them and cleared her throat to respond in a more natural and chill way. “I mean. It is, huh? I guess I can’t blame you.”
She prompted her to continue without adhering to the tornado of conflicting emotions beginning to tie up her throat.
On the one hoof, she and AJ would be together.
She could actually, really, physically, and romanticly be with Applejack.
And on the other, Applejack wouldn’t be with Rarity anymore.
No matter how she phrased it, or pictured it, or mauled over the thought in her brain, it didn’t seem right that they would split up. And it left her with a confusing bitter taste in her mouth to accept that fact, even despite the ultra mega amazing idea of AJ choosing Rainbow. Because she was happy with Rarity. No…
In love with Rarity.
Unless something had changed when she wasn’t looking?
“Then,” Applejack stepped back to wrap a hoof around Rarity. “Rares told me something.”
As if cued into action, Rarity cleared her throat and focused on Rainbow. It wasn’t hard to notice the blush, however subtle, given her snow-white coat.
“Just to preface, Rainbow, dear, I know this may seem like it’s coming out of nowhere, but I really have felt this way since before Applejack told me about her own feelings.”
“Felt what way?” Dash asked.
“Well,” her voice peeked, eyes darting into the upper corners of the room. “You see, its-… I never did feel this particular way about anypony else, so it took me a while to name it. But the longer I’ve been with Applejack, the better I come to realize that love can look many different unique ways, and it can manifest in ways you don’t always expect it to.” She paused and took a deep breath. “What I realized is that my love for each and every individual pony is unique. Special.
“My love for Applejack, looks, behaves, and feels different than my love for you and everypony else.” Rarity took a tentative step closer. “And my love for you, Rainbow,” Rarity tapped Dash’s chest. “Is vibrant… and bold. Like an endlessly flowing supply of the most divine colors in all of Equestria, flowing straight into my heart.” She hastily wiped an eye, though Rainbow hadn’t seen any tears. “You give me the strength to be bold too. I just adore being with you, and seeing the world through your eyes. I savor that energy you bring to my life that doesn’t come from anypony else. And I would never turn down an opportunity to be able to spend more time with a mare like that.”
Applejack snickered.
Rarity laughed nervously in response, avoiding any eye contact. “Oh… dear. Too much?”
Rainbow scrambled her brain for words, feeling particularly awkward. Flattered, definitely, but awkward too. She was used to responding to praise, but this particular praise felt quite a bit different than most. Rainbow really never was good at interacting with… this kind of thing. Whatever ‘this’ was. Even when she did appreciate it. “Uh…. Thanks. I guess.”
Was ‘thank you’ even the appropriate response to that?
Rarity cleared her throat. “Anyway. All that is to say…” She continued casually, stepping back to AJ’s side. “Applejack and I both were wondering if… If you might want to…” She swirled her hoof around searching for the phrasing and then smiled. “To join our relationship, so to speak.”
. . . Wait, what?
Applejack’s eyes softened and she lifted a hoof. “But you ain’t gotta worry about it. Ain't no pressure.”
Rarity nodded strongly, humming in agreement.
If the panic wasn't already smeared across her face, it definitely was now. She found herself flicking her gaze from one object to the next for inspiration.
They weren’t breaking up?
They wanted Rainbow to … ‘join their relationship’?
What did that even mean?
It sounded good. It sounded kinda cool, actually. Would that mean being with two consenting ponies at once? Because that seemed awesome. So awesome it was a wonder why she hadn’t ever thought of it before.
It was also a wonder why she wasn’t leaping at the chance right now.
“Hey,” AJ said warmly after some silence, returning Rainbow’s attention. “You know you’re not obligated to do anything you don’t want to. If you’re not comfortable with it, then that’s all you gotta say. We’ll respect your decision.”
“We just thought in the event that you did say yes,” Rarity added, “that it would be a shame to wait until after Hearth’s Warming season.”
“When we could spend it as a throuple!” Applejack beamed excitedly, offering a loving glance to Rarity and a similar, more cautious one to Rainbow.
A throuple.
It was such a bold word to be casually hanging out at the end of a sentence like that.
AJ walked closer to her, enough so that she could hear her whisper. “You… do still feel how you said back then, don’t you? I did sorta make the assumption, considerin’... You know.”
Dash did not know.
Was it really that obvious?
She tried to ignore the heat and the pounding in her chest when she answered softly. “I… I might-.... Maybe.”
AJ’s expression returned to what it was before, some sort of calm excitement, and spoke back in a regular volume, glancing back at Rarity. “We don’t mean to rush ya,” she said, and then watched Rainbow carefully again. “How ‘bout you give it some time to think it over? Meantime, you can help with dinner.” She looked up to the clock with a hoof on her hat. “I told Big Mac, Granny, and Apple Bloom I’d have it ready by the time they got back with the tree. Sorta lost track of time there, but I reckon I can still make it before twelve-thirty with a little hard work and yall’s help.”
“Certainly,” Rarity asserted, and glanced back toward Rainbow. “Right, Rainbow?”
Rainbow took the welcome distraction as a way to force herself out of her stunned silence. “Just tell me what to do!” It was easier to think about things when she wasn’t thinking about them anyway. Some busy work would give her some time to process it. And hopefully, cool down.
Even if she was a terrible cook.
It was a little over a half hour later when the other Apples returned. Rainbow was invited by Granny Smith to stay and eat with them, considering she did have a hoof in making it, but she hesitated.
“What are you doing here anyway?” Asked Apple Bloom, hopping into her seat at the table. It was an innocently curious question, but it stabbed Rainbow in the gut regardless.
“I, uh-”
“I asked her over. Why? Is there something wrong with her being here?” AJ interjected, trotting up next to Rainbow. She was standing close to her, comfortable at her side. The way she did it when she was trying to reassure somepony without telling them she was doing it. Rainbow recognized it and couldn’t help but smirk with pride a little at the notion.
“No. It’s just usually when you two hang out, it's someplace you can have a competition at. And Rainbow doesn’t even like all this stuff,” said Apple Bloom.
“Hey!” Rainbow took slight offense and examined the food, majoritively green. “I like… Actually, is that broccoli?” How come she hadn’t noticed any of this stuff while she was making it? “Wait-- How did you know I didn’t like this stuff?”
Apple Bloom erupted into a fit of laughter. “Lucky guess?”
“You do know you’re the one who baked the broccoli, right?” Rarity reminded Rainbow gently from the kitchen, finishing cleaning one of the pots they apparently used and magicing it back into place.
“I was?”
Surely not. Rainbow didn’t like the smell of broccoli.
“Well don’t just stand there, are you eating or are you beatin’?” Granny Smith cawed, sitting herself in her seat next to Big Mac, who had yet to speak since he returned.
“Granny!” Applejack hissed. Rarity passed her with a kiss on the cheek, and she flicked her eyes over for a second before refocusing on Granny. “Don’t be rude.”
“Actually, I think I’ll beat it,” Rainbow forced a smile and levitated slightly, heart pounding. “I just realized I gotta go do s-something important!”
“Are you sure, dear?” Rarity finished pouring herself water and sat herself down next to an empty seat, as if the motion would convince Rainbow to try it too. A disappointment tanged the edges of her sentence, masquerading as a little extra coyness.
It nawed at Rainbow’s resolve.
“You’re not even gonna wait till the tree we picked gets here?” Applebloom wined, droopy eared and wide eyed. “The pegasi are gonna carry it over on a huge sled.”
Applejack smiled at that.
Dash wavered. “Oh, uhh…”
Her smile softened considerably when she noticed Rainbow. “It’s alright. Go on and take care of it, sugar cube,” she cooed warmly, before she padded over and sat in the seat next to Rarity. “But you should know you’re welcome anytime.” The softened tone of her voice might have suggested a double meaning.
“Eyup,” Big Mac concluded with a smile, just out of courtesy.
An involuntary swallow prevented her from speaking for a second. “Sure thing!” Rainbow shot back completely naturally before taking off to the door and flying straight out of there.
She flew upward with no particular destination, increasing her pace for the comfort of the wind pressing tighter against her fur, waiting for the sharp winter breeze to cool her down.
The events of the morning circled around in her brain.
I think I’m passed pretending it's just some crush…
You give me the strength to be bold too….
She flew faster, as if it would dull down the words tornadoing in her brain, or at least bring her to a decisive conclusion about it all faster.
Applejack and I both were wondering if….
A throuple.
Three ponies together.
One pony, with two marefirends.
Could she really do that?
***
“Polyamory!”
“A what? A poly-deco-hedren?” Rainbow quizzed, absent mindedly redirecting her focus from Spike’s meticulous decorating on top of the ginormous Hearth’s Warming tree back to Twilight.
It was the following day’s evening when Rainbow had finally decided to tell somepony about her concerns. She decided on Twilight because she was the princess of friendship, and generally smart, so if any pony had some wise words to say about it it would probably have been her. So, she told her all about what happened the previous day, and expressed all her confusions about the unfamiliar situation, to which Twilight replied as such. Only, Rainbow wasn’t sure she’d ever heard that word.
Twilight chuckled and walked over to the wall of books to pluck something out with her magic, hooves clinking against crystal floors. “Polyamory. And it's not a shape. It's a kind of relationship style that involves more than two ponies.” She magiced the pages to a certain part of the book and flipped it around to show her. “See?”
There were lots of words on it, but there were pictures too. The largest was a circular placement of four pony heads with a heart in the middle. Beneath it, were several similar drawings, only with various assortments of arrows connecting the ponies in different ways. She just ignored that part.
“Ohhh,” Rainbow came to at least some sort of new understanding from the big picture. It wasn’t really new information, but it was nice to know that the concept already existed. “I guess it would be a polygon.”
Twilight snickered again and swirled the book over for herself to read it, and flipped through a couple pages. “In all honesty, I haven’t done as much research on the subject as I might have liked. But get this!” She beamed with outstretched wings and a raised hoof, gleaming eyes skimming through the pages.
Spike sighed from above. “Here we go.”
Twilight started talking faster than Rainbow could keep up. “I’ve always wondered what it must feel like to be so wholeheartedly in love with more than one pony, or if it’s even that much different from loving one pony. Curiously enough, although its possible with monogamous folks, polyamory has been much better known to cause certain magical phenomena among ponies referred to as a hyper-fixated emotion induced manifestation of love, in which a pony’s feelings can create various unnatural versions of whether, magic or earth related unnatural occurrences. So it makes you think, surely if it causes magical phenomena, it must be pretty different right? Well there’s a couple different theories on the matter, which stem from different conceptualizations of being in love in the first place, and how much of it is innate versus how much societal views have shaped it. For instance, jealousy in monogamous ponies, me included, is often seen as romantic, and as an expression of love. Why is that? According to Spring Riser’s book ‘The plural form of love,’ ponies are often inclined to associate love with sacrifice, because--”
“Uhhh, you’re not quizzing me on this, are you?” Rainbow interjected. “Please tell me you're not.”
Twilight blinked. “Sorry! Got a little sidetracked.” She cleared her throat, and shooed away the subject with a bashful grin. “Nevermind that.The point is, some creatures find that they can come to love multiple others at the same time. It sounds like Applejack and Rarity have that experience.”
“But, how do I know if I could have that experience? What if I can’t love them both and I’m just not made to be able to handle being in a polygon?” That wasn’t the word, but it didn’t really matter.
Twilight frowned a bit. “How about we try this question instead. Do you want to be in a relationship with Applejack and Rarity?”
“Yes!” Rainbow soared upward. “I mean… Maybe not? But yes! Ugh, maybe?” She floated back down the surface in defeat, and sat. “I really wanna be with Applejack, and, I think it would be cool to be in a relationship with Rarity too. …Really cool. It’s just… What if I can’t handle all of it at once? I want my marefriend, whoever she is, to be utterly showered with love and awesomeness by me every second she can get. But if its two marefriends, what if I don’t have enough awesomeness to go around? I mean, I’m not perfect!” She threw a hoof out in emphasis.
Twilight opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out. She touched the side of her neck, looking to the ceiling for answers. Then tapped her chin a couple times, looking at the ground. “Hmm…”
“Great! Just great!” Dash fell backwards in defeat. “The princess of friendship doesn’t even know.”
“I’m sorry, Rainbow. But to be fair, I am the princess of friendship, not romance.”
“Ugh...” Dash lifted herself on her elbows to look at her. “Is there a princess of romance I can talk to?”
Twilight giggled and padded a couple steps toward the tree. She magiced an ornament a single branch higher than before, to evenly distance it from the rest. “Actually, there is somepony else who it might benefit you to talk with.”
Dash flew upright. “Really? Who is it?”
***
Rainbow was gliding through Ponyville in the early morning hours, having been unable to go to sleep through the gnawing sensation that she had yet to make a decision. Applejack and Rarity were still waiting for her reply. And she didn’t like to keep ponies waiting.
She was Rainbow Dash. She wasn’t supposed to do that to ponies. Usually you were supposed to trust her with being easy to talk to, because she would always have something to say, even if it wasn’t what you wanted to hear. She was the kind of pony you could trust to get back to you about decisions without having to wait more than a couple of minutes, let alone days.
It had been four days now.
Four days since Applejack and Rarity asked if she wanted to be with them.
A whole entire four day period, that she hadn’t been able to come to them with an answer.
Because of it, she hadn't gathered the nerve to face them at all in that time. She couldn't bear to until she had an answer for them.
And so, she decided that she had to do something about it after all.
She zoomed to the ground on the front porch of the pony she needed to talk to and knocked vigorously.
It took some time, and some exhausted groaning from inside, but eventually the owner of the house opened the door.
“Starlight!” Rainbow flew toward her and grabbed her by the shoulders. “How do you love two ponies at the same time? Does it come naturally? Do you kiss twice as often? How do you know when one of them is getting more attention than the other? Do you keep a telemark for everytime you make each of them laugh in a day? What if I’m a terrible marefriend compared to Rarity, and Applejack gets super led down and changes her mind about liking me because I can’t make her feel like she’s wrapped in a blanket drinking hot chocolate--”
“Woah, woah, woah, slow down!” Starlight pushed her back a little and Rainbow landed. “Okay. For your first question. Yes, it comes naturally for me but I can’t say if it would for you. For me, at least, its the same as having multiple friendships. I love you and Twilight and the others as friends the same way I love Maud and Trixie as marefriends. There’s… not much of a difference there.”
Rainbow gaped. “You’re with Maud and Trixie?”
“Oh. Um, yeah. Isn’t that why you came to talk to me about this?”
“Huh? Uhh-.... Oh, yeah. Totally!”
Starlight gave her a bit of a look. “You just heard a rumor I was poly and went with it, didn’t you?”
It wasn't really a rumor if Twilight Sparkle said it, right?
Rainbow gulped. “Heheh. …Maybe?”
Starlight smiled, rolling her eyes as she walked inside. “How about we take this to my room? I have a feeling we’ll be talking for a while.”
“Uhh… Alright.” She tried not to let her nerves show much, but the thought of talking with Starlight alone was surprisingly intimidating.
Directing their walk, Starlight prompted her. “Remind me your other questions?”
Rainbow sighed exhaustively and gave a summary. “What if I’m a failure?”
Starlight frowned, her demeanor softening to that of a concerned and empathetic counselor. It seemed strange to Rainbow that a look like that would have become so commonplace for a pony who used to be so scary. “What makes you think you’d be a failure?” She cooed, opening the door to her room for Rainbow to come in first.
Apprehensively, she walked inside, keeping eye contact with Starlight. “I just never considered anything like this before. I’ve always…-” The words caught in her throat as though to hide away from Starlight’s expectant, listening look. She’d really felt a lot more comfortable when she was trying to do something fun with her, because then the idea that they weren’t completely close was pretty far out of reach. Venting out about her personal life wasn’t near the same feeling.
Part of her thought maybe she’d do something crazy magical to try and fix her problem just to impress Twilight, considering the time she brainwashed her and the others for a whole day. And she really didn’t want to think about which ponies she’d be casting spells onto this time around.
Starlight smiled sadly at the following silence and took it as cue to close the door gently and take her seat over on the other side of the desk. A way behind it was a bed, but other than that it was notably similar to the counselor's room in the school. If the counselor's room was covered in plants.
“Woah.” Rainbow commented for the sake of filling in the awkwardness. “You’ve got a lot of plants in here.”
“I know,” Starlight admired them. “This one’s Droopy,” she motioned to a droopy plant on the desk, and then to another and went on, “And Dawna, David and Michelle…” She pointed to a few other plants with a few other odd names and then laughed a little. “Oh. You’re not allergic to pollen or anything, are you?” Starlight blushed and rubbed her foreleg. “I really like plants.”
Rainbow let out an uncomfortable breathy laugh. “Oookay. Nice, to, erm, meet… them.”
Starlight laughed. “It’s okay, I know. You can just say its weird.”
A huge weight seemed to lift from Rainbow’s shoulders from that, and suddenly talking to Starlight seemed a whole lot easier than talking to Twilight about it. “Okay, well, that is pretty weird.” She smirked.
“Anyway,” Starlight continued with a comfortable smile. “What was it you were saying? This is a safe space.”
Rainbow blinked.
Starlight cleared her throat. “Er- Sorry. Force of habit. Not counseling. But I am not gonna judge you, or tell anypony. So what’s up?”
Rainbow hesitated a little before sighing and tentatively retried what she was saying before. “Right. So… I’ve always…. wanted to be with Applejack. But if I’m really gonna get that chance, I don’t want to let her down. I mean, Rarity makes her so happy. I’ve never seen AJ smile the way she does when she’s with her, or even just thinking about her! And, I mean, who can blame her?”
Rainbow finally flew into the chair on her side of the desk. “Who can even dare compete with a marefirend like Rarity? She’s kind, gorgeous- Did you know she has this crazy sixth sense where she can tell when a pony’s lying? Pfft, not to mention a five star detective? She can seduce anyone into doing practically anything. And on top of being cool, she’s so-... She just knows how to help ponies. Knows what to say, and when to say it. And she does all of it, all of that, like it's nothing! Celestia, she’s so charming in nature that she can make you smile just by existing! Seriously, how can I compete with that?” She threw a hoof out in emphasis. “Not to mention the role I’d be stepping into as Applejack's marefriend. Rarity knows her so well. Probably better than I do! And I know AJ. She’s got this certain look she gets for when she’s bothered by something but she' s trying to ignore it, she purses her lips and looks all pensive at where the walls connect in a room- Oh, and whenever she walks through puddles of water in a bad mood she sludges her hooves across the bottom to make that loud swooshing sound and feel the pressure against her legs to help her feel grounded-"
She caught Starlight’s look of slight amusement, and got back on topic.
“Er- I mean- And she’s just as awesome as Rarity!” She started counting on her wing. “She’s strong, hot, smart, apparently knows how to defeat a chimera? Holds her friends and family close enough to die for them probably? That’s why they make the perfect couple! I may be awesome, but those ponies are, like, the second most awesome ponies in existence, and they just so happen to love each other! Do you even realize how perfect that is?”
Starlight commented experimentally. “It… sounds like based off of that that you joining them would be a great idea. Being the most awesome pony and all.”
“Maybe…” Dash sighed. “But my awesomeness doesn’t necessarily complement theirs as well as they complement each other. Like, despite the composed exterior AJ tries to put up all the time, I can tell she’s really competitive and conflict driven in nature like me. Deep down, she really just wants to impress ponies. Mostly herself, I think. That’s why she can work herself to the bone without eating or sleeping for days on end just to prove that she can. Its like she's constantly at war with an imaginary enemy when she gets that way.” She slid the side of her face on the desk. “And Rarity is perfect for that kind of a pony. Remember that sixth sense I told you about? Rarity can use that on AJ, and just magically understand when she needs somepony to acknowledge and validate her. And she does it. But I-... I don’t have that. I’m basically the opposite of that, actually.”
“How do you mean?”
Rainbow sat up. “I mean I tease her and challenge her all the time. I love doing that. I love proving myself to her. And sure, most of the time that’s great. Applejack reciprocates that feeling and we can go all out. But… I’ve misjudged her mood before. And… I could do it again. Rarity, on the other hoof, is completely perfect at telling what’s going on in her head. And since Applejack hides her true feelings so often, they’re pretty much made for eachother.”
Starlight softened, but she was smiling. “I have a hard time believing they’ve never had a single misunderstanding just because they make a decent couple. Everypony has their faults. I should know,” she snorted. “I’m sure even a perfect couple like Applejack and Rarity has its own little conflicts from time to time.”
“How can you be so sure?”
Starlight shrugged. “Trixie and I have our disagreements.”
“Well of course you do! You’re Starlight Glimmer and Trixie.”
“Hey!” She growled.
Rainbow shrunk a little. “No, no- What I mean is, you’re missing the point. They’re not just your average couple. They’re-... They’re…” She let go of a breath and released some of the tension in her shoulders. “How can I just insert myself into both their lives as if I’m gonna be anywhere as amazing for them as they are for each other? What if I’m not cut out for loving two ponies at once?”
Starlight thought on that. “You seem pretty hung up on this double love thing. But you know it doesn’t have to be both or neither, right?” Starlight suggested.
Rainbow stopped. “What do you mean?”
“You could just date Applejack. She is the pony you’ve been in love with for well over a year, right? I mean, Trixie’s not dating both me and Maud.”
“She’s… not?”
Starlight shook her head. “Nope. It’s just that I’m dating both her and Trixie. With her knowledge, obviously. And Maud’s also dating Mudbiar. Did she ask you out specifically?”
Rainbow thought about that. “She…”
And I would never turn down an opportunity to be able to spend more time with a mare like that.
Rarity’s words resurfaced, and Rainbow tried to remember in detail the exact way she said it.
“...Might have?” She muttered, thinking about all the emotional things she said about her. “But… maybe not.”
“Then you should probably ask, just to make sure,” Starlight was saying, and then closed her eyes with a somewhat proud smile, expressing herself with a hoof. “One of the most important parts of any relationship is clear communication.”
“I guess you’re probably right.” Rainbow conceded.
It was strange, she felt something inside her sizzle and burn out at the thought that Rarity wasn’t asking her to be with her too.
Wasn’t she?
Whatever. It shouldn’t have mattered all that much.
“Back to your other concern,” Starlight said. “It doesn’t have to be a competition. If Applejack says she wants you to be with her, then clearly there’s something you have that Rarity doesn’t. And it doesn’t mean that either of you is better than the other, it just means you’re two different ponies.”
Rainbow scanned the leaves of one of the desk plants, considering that. Dawna, possibly. “That… does make sense. In theory, I mean.”
Applejack’s smile resurfaced in her mind. The cautious one.
Rainbow bit her lip, a tightening in her chest and throat making it harder to say anything out loud. “But what if AJ doesn’t actually like me that way?” She started, softer than intended. “What if she’s just asking because she knows how much I like her? It’s not like she loses anything by being with both me and Rarity, so… how do I know if she actually does… still feel as strongly as she did a whole year ago?”
Starlight was frowning in consideration at this, glancing down at the desk. It didn’t seem like she was at a loss for words, though. Her eyes were squinted in focus, as though she was trying to pinpoint something. “Hmm. You know something? …I think Trixie might have felt a similar way before,” she eventually started. “She never said it out loud, but it was pretty easy to tell. To be honest, it took quite a long time for me to convince her that I really loved her no less than I do Maud. No amount of words or actions seemed to convince her otherwise… But I think she’s finally starting to feel better about it now that its been some time. In the end, I think a little bit of time was the only thing that could’ve done anything.”
Rainbow stared down at her hooves.
Starlight sighed. “Look. I can’t say for sure how anything will turn out for you. But personally, I think if AJ says she likes you, then you should just trust her. If you want to, then you should give her a chance. You have no reason not to. Besides,” She smiled confidently. “I know I haven’t known Applejack as long as you have, but do you really think she’d be the type of pony to lead you on for no reason?”
Rainbow sighed. When she put it like that, the answer seemed obvious. “Not really,” She conceded.
“Me neither,” Starlight agreed. “I think you should try to have a little more faith in her. And more importantly, in yourself.”
Faith in herself?
Well, obviously. Of course she had faith in herself. How could she not? She was the coolest, fastest, hottest pony she knew, not to mention an amazing friend.
The notion that she somehow didn’t somewhere deep in her subconscious was more than a little frustrating to her. And she couldn’t quite tell if she was mad at Starlight, the concept, or this stuffy room which was seeming to get smaller all of the sudden.
“Rainbow Dash?” Starlight frowned. “Is something wrong?”
“Huh? Nope! What are you talking about? You know what? I think I get it now!” She hopped off the seat, grinning to overcompensate for her lack of confidence in the lie. “Faith in Applejack and faith in myself! Got it!”
“Happy to help!” Starlight beamed proudly as Dash lept toward the door. Then blinked. “Wait. Seriously?”
Dash’s grin merely faltered. “Yup!”
She dashed out the door before it did.
***
She could just date Applejack.
Why didn’t that thought soothe her as much as it should have?
The sun was just setting over the horizon, and the lights everyone in Ponyville had put up so far were starting to come alive. It was always easy to tell who was a Hearth’s Warming fanatic, and who was just joining in because they could. Besides Rarity’s place, anyway, because she didn’t have to be a Hearth's Warming fanatic to go all out.
She found the boutique to be adorned head to toe in string lights surrounded by elegant reindeer light structures on their hind legs, symmetrically facing the boutique on either side as a warm welcome, though a pretty notable factor was that nothing had come on yet.
Rarity was standing at the front of the Boutique, at least several meters away, motioning every now and again to her sister who was positioning one of the Reindeer back and forth.
She’d spent far too long without speaking to her.
She probably needed to say something to her, even if it wasn’t an answer.
“Hey, Rainbow Dash!” Emerald Gem called from a little ways out from her. She and Cloud Kicker were handling some larger clouds that carried snow, judging from the consistency. Something that rubbed her the wrong way was Cloud Kicker’s cloud, which was of a very different consistency than Emerald’s. It was so thick and stuffy she might have thought she intended to start a blizzard if Emerald’s was anything like it. “Think you could help us out with this?”
“What’s the weather for today?” It was a foreign question, after having been a weather pony for so long and always being privy to the weather of the week, but ever since she joined the wonder bolts she’d gotten quite a bit out of touch with that life. It felt awkward asking, but it seemed that the others didn’t notice.
“Just a light snow drizzle over the town until noon tomorrow,” Cloud Kicker started. “It was supposed to be happening at least an hour ago but there was a mix up in the weather factory that’s been making all the clouds at different consistencies of snow.”
“Yeah… I kinda noticed.” Rainbow cringed, gaze following all the other pegasi carrying out varying degrees of snow clouds across the sky. With varying degrees of confidence on their faces.
“Eventually we were told to carry them out as is and just use our control over the clouds to make sure it's a drizzle,” Emerald said. “But I’m not gonna lie, I have a pretty bad feeling about that. Cloud Kicker and I thought maybe you’d have an idea-- You were always pretty good about weather manipulation.”
She was?
Dash could remember just a couple emergencies where she used her sharp wits to get somepony out of a quick weather related accident, but nothing to this level.
The only thing coming to mind was when she manipulated the weather factory to try and stop Winter all together, and that turned out horrifically. The factory was having all sorts of trouble for months after the fact. In fact, she wouldn’t have doubted if all these years later, a hiccup like this might have been because of that time.
Which meant to her dismay, that she definitely had to be the one to fix it.
Somehow.
Besides, since when was she the type of pony not to help out when she was needed?
“Okay, I got an idea,” Rainbow assured them, doing her best to hide the hesitation in her voice. “Tell everypony to let go of their clouds. I’ll take care of it.”
Emerald and Cloud gave each other a wide eyed look. Emerald Gem nervously laughed and glanced back at Rainbow. “You’re going to handle all of them at once?”
“Don’t worry about it!” Dash exasperated the words reassuringly. “I’ve done way more impressive things in my life.”
The weather ponies shrugged at each other and tentatively let go of their clouds. “Okay then,” Emerald was saying. “We’ll spread the message. Thanks, Rainbow Dash.”
“No problem!” Dash soured off toward the edge of Ponyville.
She just had to combine all the clouds into one giant cloud, with evened out consistency so that a single kick would make it drizzle. If she was careful and patient, it would work.
She started to lap around the sky of the town, picking up her pace as the whipping cold air stung sharply under her wings. She didn’t go too fast-- Only fast enough to pick up the cloud particles in the gust she was formulating in the center, and not merely fast enough to cause anything drastic.
As the simplicity and longevity of the task started to settle in, her mind wandered back to current events.
Maybe she should talk to Rarity first after all. She did have a lot to say to Rainbow before, and all she managed in return was a measly ‘thank you.’ And that wasn’t right. Not after she’d laid her heart out to her like that.
She loved rarity too, afterall. Whether it was platonic or otherwise. And she sure as hey could stand to express those feelings a little clearer in return. She deserved to know just how much she mattered to her too, and Rainbow was going to show her that somehow. That's what friends did.
She swirled above the formulation she was creating and surveyed the clouds she’d banded together as it was so far. It wasn’t evenly spread throughout, but most of the snow had formulated together in the center as she expected.
Dash dove into the center at a cautious pace and gradually spiraled outward, snow clinging to her fur and seeping into her tongue when she gritted her teeth in focus. If she went any faster than a glide, she might melt it all, but thanks to pegasi magic she probably wouldn’t hurt it just by grazing it.
Snow was always her least favorite to deal with for that reason. You always had to be so careful around it to get it to do what you want. And not only was it sensitive to the way it was handled, but it responded extremely easily to pegasi magic. And the effect a pegasus had through their hooves was mostly intentional and controllable, but some cases depended more than others on that pegasus’ emotional or physical state. Snow was one such case where it depended quite a bit on that.
But anyway, she liked to think she was doing pretty good with snow all things considered. And she was in great shape after WonderBolt practice this week. Being such, she was probably the best pony to be able to tackle such a task.
The sun was almost gone now, and it was getting just a little harder to see but she’d be fine. Even if it was pitch black, which Luna’s moon and stars tended to prevent, she would be able to feel her way around the snow and judge just from the sensations what she was doing.
She wondered if Rarity’s lights were on yet.
She wondered, secondly, if Applejack and her family had received and decorated their tree yet.
It was considerably cold out.
Maybe by now, Applejack and Rarity and gotten together someplace to snuggle. She imagined them pressed up against each other, Rarity’s face tucked into Applejack’s chest somewhere. The content smiles on their faces, even if they weren’t talking. Rarity might be lulled to sleep by the relaxing nature of the hug, and Applejack would lovingly stroke her mane the way she did when she was counting her blessings.
Sweet Luna, she loved those two.
It was late in the evening by the time Dash was finally done, and had even gotten the giant cloud to drizzle a little. Her paranoia forced her to keep watch on her creation for much longer than she intended to, but she could tell through the darkness that the snow had been falling smoothly for several minutes.
It just… felt a little… different than it should have.
Snow clouds usually gave an aura of soft, slow moving particles.
But something about this snow cloud was… jittery. It had a quality to it that reminded her of thunder clouds, the way they filled a pegasus with energy to touch them, whether that be in the form of anger or excitement.
It was such a subtle quality though.
So subtle she may have just been getting it mixed up with her own nerves.
Shoot, exactly how late had it gotten?
Rainbow zoomed over to Rarity’s boutique. She needed to talk to her, even if she wasn't exactly sure what she was going to say yet. The amount of time she'd spent without giving her some type of response was chewing away at her insides and she just couldn't stand it anymore.
She was going to say something.
The delicate, decorative lights were on now, flashing between different colors in different places. Luckily, the inner lights were on too. Hopefully that meant that whatever time it was, Rarity hadn’t gone to sleep yet.
She knocked on the door.
It opened.
Sweetie Belle was the one standing there, and she might have been about to say something, only now her jaw hung limply open in some kind of shock. Rainbow still had to look down at her, but she’d reached chest level now. Funny how time flew like that.
“Oh hey Sweetie Belle,” Rainbow greeted. “Think I can talk to your sister for a second?”
Sweetie rubbed beneath her mane and glanced to the side nervously. “I dunno… Depends.”
A gasp sounded from somewhere inside. Not a second later, Rarity had run up behind Sweetie at the door. “Darling, whatever are you doing out at an hour like this?” She asked, expression dripping with concern, or maybe horror.
“I-... Uh…” Rainbow’s voice cracked, having found it unexpectedly difficult to start.
What exactly was her plan again?
“Well don’t just stand out there in the freezing snow, come inside!” She and Sweetie left her space to come in, and when she did, Rarity closed the door behind her and magiced a scarlette scarf around Rainbow’s neck that seemed to come out of nowhere. An involuntary shiver shot up through her body, finally having realized how cold she was, and how much she needed it.
“There you are,” Rarity was saying. “Now what is it you were going to say?” Her ears lifted expectantly.
Rainbow tentatively ran her hoof along the scarf trying to formulate a coherent thought. It was as cozy soft as the clouds, only without being cold and wet. As it warmed her, her increasing energy sparked into words before she thought them. “Okay… So… You know how the other day-...”
Sweetie Belle was staring with a similar amount of attention to Rarity when she looked up, and whatever she’d been about to say had left her.
Rarity’s gaze shifted in some sort of realization. “Oh. …Oh. Sweetie, do you think you could give us just a moment?”
Sweetie Belle seemed to droop a little. “O-Okay… But what if-”
“I’ll be fine. I promise,” she offered a reassuring yet slightly scolding smile, and Sweetie bit her lip looking at Rainbow. It was a frail, pleading look. Maybe desperate even, but Rainbow couldn’t figure out what exactly she was trying to ask of her before she took to the stairs.
“Honestly,” Rarity chuckled when she was out of ear-shot. “I don’t understand how that filly can get so wrapped up in the lives of other ponies. She eavesdropped on a conversation I had with Applejack the other day, and now she acts as though its the only thing she can think about.”
“Oh, yeah? Was it… about me?”
Rarity trotted over to the mini kitchen, where she opened the refrigerator and poured herself some eggnog with her magic. “Only barely. Would you like some?”
“Sure!” Dash flew over to the tiny table and sat with Rarity as she levitated another mug to Dash’s side of the table.
“Did… you come to a decision?” Rarity asked softly, as she finished pouring the eggnog into Dash’s cup. “I-It’s okay if you haven’t. I’m only asking because you were starting to get a little bashful when Sweetie Belle was here, and we both know there’s only so many things that can intimidate a courageous pony like you. I want you to know you can take as much time as you need.”
The compliment forced a little smile from Rainbow. “Yeah, I know. I just hate to keep ponies waiting for me to get back to them for so long.”
“Er-” Rarity blinked and sighed. “Sorry.”
Rainbow finished a noisy slurp of eggnog. “For what?”
“For calling you courageous,” Rarity sighed at herself. “I just realized it-... I wasn’t trying to-… You know.”
“Trying to… what?” Rainbow asked again, confusion increasing.
“Erm, well,” Rarity’s gaze slipped across the table, red creeping into her cheeks. Her eyes glimmered with water. Rainbow couldn’t tell if it was because she was close to crying, or because of how late into the night it was. “I just want to make sure that… Whatever it is you do, you do it because you want to.”
Rainbow didn’t respond immediately to that. It was an awfully kind thing for Rarity to say, but…
Did that mean she really did like Rainbow that way?
Had she been trying to tell her that?
An awkward silence filled the space between them. Eventually, Dash cleared her throat. “Rarity?” She started hesitantly.
“Yes?”
“Do you… I mean-... Do you like me?” And just like that, she’d asked. She wasn’t sure if she should have now that she had, but there was no going back now. Her chest tightened, and her face flushed.
This was going to be a really awkward interaction if she didn’t.
Rarity blinked a couple times. Then she laughed.
It was a nice laugh, lifting her hoof just slightly over her mouth as she did. The tension on Rainbow's shoulders evaporated at the sight of it.
By the time she stopped laughing, she hadn’t stopped blushing, or smiling for that matter. Rainbow adored it. Even if she’d been laughing directly at her the whole time, she wanted to make her smile like that again.
“Oh Darling,” Rarity started, softly. “Yes. I believe I love you. Quite a bit, actually.”
Rainbow’s jaw dropped. “You… Love me?”
“Why, yes dear.” Rarity cooed, her expression lightening even more, as if to lessen whatever burden her words might carry. “I’ve had as much feelings for you as I’ve had for Applejack for Celestia know how long. …Sorry if that’s coming out of nowhere-- I thought I’d conveyed that before but I suppose I… may have overcomplicated things and…”
She sighed and wrapped a hoof around her mug. “In all honesty, I probably should have told you much sooner. Its just that-… You and I don’t spend all that much time together when its just us and… It just never seemed like the right moment. Or perhaps I just never had the courage. …A part of me might have believed that I didn’t need to say it. That you would just magically understand somehow, and… tell me what I wanted to hear.”
She took a tentative sip of her eggnog perfectly between her lips, and Rainbow could tell she was doing it in an attempt not to overwhelm herself before continuing. She set it back down with her eyes meditatively closed.
“I think I understand now that I was just scared of rejection. But it doesn’t matter.” A smile forced itself back on Rarity’s face as she opened them again. “I will make it out alive if you do, erm, 'reject' me, as it were, though it sounds a tad more harsh than it is. You need not worry about hurting my feelings. I’ve always been able to see that you feel so strongly for Applejack, and the idea that you’d by some miracle like me too is quite a stretch when put in perspective. …What matters most to me in this situation, is always going to be your happiness. Whether that be with the both of us, or… just with her.” She went into a little bit of a daze, losing eye contact. A more natural smile formed on her face. “It would make both of you so happy after all.”
Rainbow didn’t want that.
For the first time, she was able to see that so clearly.
That, and…
Rarity liked her.
Loved her.
“My bad,” Rarity laughed sweetly. “I didn’t even realize I had that much to say, really. I think I finally understand what Twilight gets from those self-reflective monologs she sometimes does- …Are you alright?” She frowned.
Rainbow bit her lip and looked passed Rarity to the photos of her and her sister on the refrigerator, as though they’d tell her what to say. She looked through the window, though the night black sky only reflected her own pitiful expression.
She took a secretive deep breath and regained her composure.
Rarity smiled again, but only a little. She waited with that smile, patient for Rainbow to come up with all the right words.
All the things she absolutely needed to tell her, and hear herself say.
Right here. Right now.
“So-... Back at AJ’s the other day when you tried to tell me how you feel about me? That I feel like a bunch of pretty colors flowing into your heart and all that stuff? I didn’t really know what to say yet because nopony’s ever said anything like that to me before. I mean, when Applejack told me she liked me last year, she just kinda told me she liked me. Like, seriously, that was it.” Rainbow laughed, reminiscing over the moment.
It was the most nervous she’d ever seen AJ, stuttering and all. But what she managed to say, she was able to be completely straight forward about. And ofcourse she would.
“And all I had to do was say I liked her too,” Rainbow was saying. “…But the point is, I’ve been thinking about it. And I’m gonna try and respond to it now, because you deserve to know exactly how I feel about you too.”
Rarity’s eyes widened in surprise.
Rainbow straightened and might have opened her wings a little. “So, basically just pretend I said this. You too, Rarity. Really, I love hanging out with you too. And it doesn’t take Twilight Sparkle to recognize how hard working and awe inspiring you are. You-... You give me strength too. And, if I had to describe my love for you, it’d be like…. Like, uh, the sky. The night sky, when the clouds are clear and the stars are their brightest, and you can fly for miles and miles and you’ll always find more to like. That’s how I feel about you.”
Rarity smiled and touched her chest, eyes watering.
Rainbow grinned. “I love you too, Rarity. You and Applejack both. I realized that earlier. I guess I just… never thought it was possible to love two ponies at once before. Sorry it took me so long.”
She walked around the table to Rarity, who smiled as Rainbow wrapped a hoof around her and pressed her forehead against hers. Rarity did the same, closing her eyes. “But I promise I’ll make up for it. I’ll tell you everyday if I have too,” she cooed under her breath. And paused. And asked. “... Was that good?”
Rarity chuckled. “Quite good.”
“Like, the most amazingly romantic thing you’ve ever heard?”
Rarity nodded. “Perfect.”
***
Rainbow stirred at a sudden fluff of incredibly soft fur touching her nose, accompanied by purring. She opened her eyes to see Opalescence had planted herself audaciously in between she and Rarity’s faces despite the lack of space, and her tail was ignorantly swooshing right across Rainbow’s face.
Back. And forth.
She grunted and sat up. “Stop that.”
Opal circled around, neading the extra space Rainbow had given her and laid herself down right in her spot against Rarity's chest.
“Hey! That’s my spot you’re stealing!” Rainbow hissed under her breath, courteous enough not to wake her marefriend, but hopefully loud enough to convey her disdain.
Opal yawned and flipped her tail gently.
“Quit ignoring me!” Her eyes stung dry, and she yawned, coming to the realization that she had no clue what time it was. Except for the fact that the sun was seeping into the bedroom from the tiny opened slit between window curtains.
Having agreed to come to Applejack with her answer in the morning, she wondered if she and her family were already up.
Rainbow hopped onto the floor and padded over to it to see if she could judge the time based on the sun.
Her jaw dropped at the sight.
No.
No way.
Some part of Twilight’s ramble resurfaced in her brain.
…Polyamory has been much better known to cause certain magical phenomena among ponies referred to as a hyper-fixated emotion induced manifestation of love…
But this?
This couldn’t have been her doing.
There was no way in Tartarus.
Those weather ponies were probably already infecting the clouds with their enormous polyamorous love for eachother by the time she ever touched a single particle.
“Rainbow?” Came Rarity’s hoarse morning voice and a yawn. “Rainbow, whatever do you look so flustered over?”
“Flustered? I mean- It’s nothing! Just go back to sleep, the sun’s barely-- Opal’s gonna take your spot!--”
Before she could come up with a decent excuse, Rarity was already by her side with her sleep mask pushed up her forehead, rubbing her eyes dry before she looked out the window and saw it.
Her eyes widened. “Oh my stars… Are those hearts?”
The town’s ponies didn’t seem to mind. So many ponies were up and about, laughing or awing, and she noticed more than a few couples nuzzling each other and being particularly close. Fillies were running around the snow as if it was the first they’d ever seen it. One little colt leaped into the air and swallowed a snowy heart whole to look back at his friends with beaming pride, who laughed and copied him.
There was no mistaking it. The snowflakes, at considerably varied sizes although all much larger than snowflakes ought to have been, were spiraling peacefully into town in the shape of hearts.
“Oh, Rainbow… Have you ever seen anything like it?” She was awing at it by her side, voice breathless. “It’s so beautiful…”
The aforementioned mare took a secretive glance in her direction, watching her sapphire eyes sparkle with passion at the sight as sun dust flowed in beams across her coat.
Suddenly, she wasn’t quite as ashamed of herself for the hiccup.
“Heh. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen better.” She replied under her breath.
Rarity bit back a grin. "We should-” A yawn interrupted her. “We should hurry and tell Applejack before the moment ends. It’d be such a waste to wait until after.” Despite herself, she laid her head against Rainbow and closed her eyes. “Just as long as it lasts until I wake up again. I would be running out there right now if I wasn’t so exhausted.”
Rainbow’s yawn was interrupted by an involuntary chuckle, wrapping a wing around Rarity. “How about this. I could go ahead and tell her myself while you get your beauty sleep.”
“Don’t be rude,” Rarity replied harshly, tapping Rainbow’s leg with a hoof. “You know I wouldn’t want to miss her reaction for the world. That pony loves you, you know. Utterly adores you.”
Rainbow was grinning so wide it almost hurt. She was warm, too, possibly because her beauty of a marefriend was leaning against her. Though her words failed to paint a clear picture, doubt still clouding her mind. She tried not to let it bother her. “That much, huh?”
“Oh-” Rarity stood upward in mild panic. “I just spoiled it for you, didn’t I? I’m so sorry.”
“Nah, it’s fine. I should've gotten that much from when she told me herself, twice now. It's just nice to hear somepony say it.”
Rarity blinked and squinted at Rainbow.
“What?”
A pleasant look returned with an amused chuckle. “You’re strangely unskilled at picking up on that sort of thing, aren’t you.” She planted a quick kiss on Rainbow’s lips and gazed back out the window as if it were nothing.
Rainbow tried her best to copy her chillness despite the heat in her face.
“Did you know she calls you her sun?” Said her marefriend.
“Who, Applejack?”
Rarity nodded, eyes on the sky above them. “I’m her moon. …Sometimes it really seems like the two of us make up her whole world.” She laughed pleasantly. “It’s a good thing we don’t resent each other. Especially because I’m starting to realize that there’s something about you she can never get from me, no matter what I may try.”
“There is?” Rainbow pressed, hopefully prompting her into detail. “Like what?”
“Well for starters, I can’t come anywhere close to giving her the smile you give her. I do make her smile, sure, but it's… It’s the Rarity smile, isn’t it. It’s more humble than the Rainbow Dash smile. So grateful and content, like she could die right then and there and be happy.”
Rainbow smiled, reminiscing over that look she’d seen from time to time. She definitely knew it.
“But I can always tell when she’s thinking about you. She gets this goofy grin on her face-- It’s adorable, surely you’ve seen it. Her eyes…” Rarity had an almost defeated look to her, but it was like she was happy about it. “Oh, I don’t want to spoil it when you’ll get to see it for yourself.”
Rainbow’s shoulders fell a bit, but she hid the disappointment from her face.
Rarity pulled herself up and focused her attention on Rainbow again. “You will see it, you know.”
Cursed sixth sense.
“Today, even. Guaranteed,” she insisted with an excitable grin, not breaking eye contact. “We can go now, if you really want.”
Rainbow shook her head, an ease washing over her at Rarity’s certainty. “That’s okay.”
“Are you sure?”
She nodded.
Applejack probably meant what she said.
It shouldn’t have been so hard to believe that ponies would fall in love with her anyway.
Author's Note
I wrote this back in December, hence the vague Hearth's Warming theme, but was too insecure to completely follow through with publishing it at the time. While in a writing stump for another fic I'm writing I went back to this for inspiration and thought after reading it I'd give it another chance. I have no idea what people will take from it, but my hope is that it makes at least one other person out there smile (or laugh at it).
Constructive criticism is appreciated!
