"So, Applejack?"
"Yeah?"
"Ever thought of being like… a herd thing?"
Applejack nearly spittaked her coffee. This wasn't the kind of question she was expecting first thing in the morning. "Huh?!"
"Yeah, uh," Rainbow shifted a bit in the air, jittery, "a herd thing. 'Cause I know your family does that a lot…"
"Oh." Applejack scratched the back of her neck with her free forehoof. "They do, yeah. It ain't… I'm not saying I never thought about it, since it sorta is a family custom, but…"
Silence passed in the Apple family's kitchen.
"Well," Applejack continued, "it partially loses its purpose when I'm not really a uh, stallion pony. Not that there ain't mares who can reproduce with me, magic or otherwise… but, generally…" She shook her head. "And I ain't ready to foal yet, regardless. Racking up partners is one thing, but it's really the foals who're most valued."
Rainbow stiffened. "Sure. Yeah. I-I was just thinking about if it was for dating or whatever. Your family just seems really open, and-"
"Are ya interested in dating some others, Dash?" Applejack interjected, her voice free of judgement.
Rainbow shrugged tensely. "Um. Not really interested so much as… maybe open to the idea. If it's something you want."
Applejack took a contemplative sip of coffee, if only to do something. Rainbow's flying gave her an excuse to stare ahead instead of meeting her marefriend's eyes. "I… honestly don't know. Can't say I'm opposed either."
Rainbow didn't say anything, so Applejack continued. "And y'know, now that Mac's got Caramel keepin' him in line alongside Sugar Belle, and what with Apple Bloom always runnin' off with those rich fillies… I'm starting to feel like the odd one out."
"Would you… rather be with more ponies?"
Applejack frowned. "Nah. I like what we got." She peered upwards to meet Rainbow Dash's eyes, fixing her with a serious look. "Hey. I don't want this to bother you. I like us as we are." She nudged Dash's side with a hoof. "Listen. What my family does don't gotta dictate anything. Love 'em to pieces, my kin, but they ain't proper kin if they don't respect my choices."
"Yeah, I know." Rainbow sighed. "That's not it. I just want to make sure you're happy. I know I already stick out as a pegasus, and a mare," Rainbow rolled a hoof. "Oh, and a city-savy celebrity… the list goes on and on. Point is, I know I'm not an Apple-typical partner, and I don't want that to hold you back from the relationship you want. Like, don't let me get in the way of that, y'know? I don't mind if you wanna do things differently from what I might expect."
Applejack smiled, "That's mighty sweet of ya. I think it's just… I'm real happy with the way things are. I don't know if I can ever love anypony else as much as I love you. It's almost like… I don't know if it'd be fair, even if I'm open to the idea."
Rainbow laughed, "Actually, I get what you mean. A bond can't really surpass what the six of us element-bearer's have, huh?"
"Yup. And I love the girl's to pieces, but they ain't gonna be Apple wives. Fact of the matter is nopony else has gone through the trials and tribulations we all have. And if I was gonna get with somepony else, I'd want our bond to run deep. Not really fixing for something more casual."
"Yeah. I get it." Rainbow finally landed across from Applejack, swirling her own mug. "If you ever change your mind, or like, meet somepony though… you can let me know."
Applejack nodded. "Alright. Same goes for you, Shug."
"And, anyway, why's that so common in your family to begin with?"
"Shoot. Could've sworn I already told ya. It's err… it's a value of our's to have a, uh… big family. We wanna expand and all that, so we tend to get around like a buncha' rabbits." Quickly, Appejack added, "Uh, within sensibilities, of course. Does that spell it out for you?"
"Oh… Oh."
"Yep."
Rainbow's voice got quiet. "So like… what about your parents?"
Applejack frowned. "Dunno. They certainly didn't play by the rules either." She scratched her chin. "I got a suspicion about Burnt Oak but… well, nothing right about jumping to conclusions unless I hear it from his mouth."
"Huh. Okay."
"And besides," Applejack added, "The whole thing with herds is there can be relationship hierarchies, and more casual bonds and stuff like that. A lot of Apples only have one primary partner, so long as they get around otherwise. The more kin the better."
"Wow. I didn't know there was like… a structure to it."
"'Wow' is right. I think you got enough energy for a dozen Apples anyhow but, having a structure just about sums it up. There's different ways to go about it, and everypony has to communicate their wants."
Rainbow looked to the side. "Hypothetically speaking… would you prefer doing it a certain way?"
Applejack hummed in thought. "I suppose I'd rather it be fully polyamorous between everypony, rather than a… a polycule or even an open relationship in any sense."
Rainbow blinked. "Ponish, please?"
Applejack grappled for words. "Errr, say you found somepony besides me that you wanted to date. I would prefer if I was dating 'em too so we could all be together. And our relationship would be closed. Meanin', unless we discussed adding others to the herd, we wouldn't be out havin' fun with other ponies."
"Ohhh. Okay, got it." Rainbow cocked her head curiously, "So, what are your siblings doing?"
"Big Mac's in a polycule. Sugar Belle's his wife, and Caramel's his partner, but Sugar Belle and Caramel ain't dating one another. As for Apple Bloom, I got the impression she's courting a couple that's been well established- so that'd fully be polyamorous. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon used to give her a lot of trouble as a filly, so it's kinda funny to see how they all turnt up. Heh."
"Am I crazy or does Sugar Belle have a coltfriend too?" Rainbow asked.
"Ahh. That'd be Feather Bangs. That fella learned to be considerate like Mac, so she gave him a shot. He's got three other mares himself is what I've heard."
"Holy Celestia."
"Yep. That ain't even accountin' for the rumors that Feather is dating his three stallion backup dancers as well..."
Rainbow balked, "Wow. The Apple family gets some."
Applejack grinned. "That's right crude of ya."
"I'm just being honest!"
"Yeah. And I'll be loyal to ya no matter how we turn out, whether monogamous or otherwise. Guess we both have a way of actin' each other's elements."
"Guess so. But after talking it over…" Rainbow darted forward to wrap Applejack in a hug, nearly causing the latter's coffee to spill. "I don't think I've learned my lesson on sharing juuuust yet."
"Hah!" Applejack pecked her marefriend's cheek. "Alrighty, Dash. That's fine by me."
