How to NOT Hide Your Relationship

Chapters

02 - The Problem Pony
03 - Rarity's Shippening
04 - Stalking Sneakily
05 - Return to the Apple Tree
06 - RARITY
07 - PINKIE
01 - Under an Apple Tree

02 - The Problem Pony

Rainbow was on cloud nine. Not litterally, of course. Cloud category nine’s were usually pretty hard and uncomfortable, only meant for building city streets. Cloud tens were just literal concrete. Cloud fours, though? Those were the best for napping, even if she hadn’t felt the need to nap in the past month.

No- she was flying through the air without a care in the world. She dived, pulled up, and spun around, a big broad smile on her face as the wind blew by her, Twilight still fresh on her mind. Below her, Ponyville’s windy streets were clear of ponies. In a manner of moments, Rainbow Dash saw the vivid cobblestone of Ponyville’s Market street come into her vision. Around this time of day, the market tended to be less crowded, letting Rainbow have a friendly banter with Applejack, who was typically mareing the Apple stall.

She gave her wings extra flaps at the end of her dive so she slowed down easier, letting her hooves lightly make contact with the cobble path in a move that would make even Fluttershy jelous of her carefulness. She had learned to control her landings, especially after Twilight had begun fretting over her every time she gained another injury. Applejack had seen her coming, leaning forwards in her stand and raising an eyebrow as Rainbow approached.

“Yeah, yeah. I get it. I landed easy-”

“Ah’m just surprised ya’ll didn’t slam on the ground a’gain.” Applejack smirked, leaning back in her stall, the chair squeaking loudly. “Matter o’ fact, ya’ll haven’t been crashin’ nearly as much, recently, now that ah’ think about it…” Applejack itched her chin, further into her chair in thought, looking up and to the left.

“Oh, really? Huh.” Rainbow quickly dismissed her, trotting to the front of her stand. Applejack gave her a friendly side-eye, but said nothing more about the subject. “Yeah, I’ll take an apple, if that’s alright with you.”

“Alright with me?” Applejack laughed. “Soundin’ like Flutters, there. Alright, alright.” She leaned down, plucking a cool apple from a nearby pile of her supply, still being unloaded by Macintosh, who was getting ready for the next big flurry of market activity. “Here.” Applejack paused putting the apple onto the counter, simply just staring at it in her hoof for a moment. “Hay, ain’t you usually order three?”

“Oh, yeah.” Rainbow blinked. “Nah, just give me the one, Jack.” She waved her hoof. “How much?” She reached under her wing, pulling out her small bit pouch.

“Really?” Applejack asked, furrowing her brows. “Already had lunch?”

“No. No, I haven’t.” She pulled open the string to the bit pouch with her teeth. “One bit for an apple, right?”

“Well… we usually sell them by three for an’ bit, but if you’re so insistent-” She waved her own hoof. “On the house. Or- the dang stall, for all ah’ care.”

“Eh…” Rainbow held the bag of bits, bouncing it up and down in her hooves for a moment, staring blankly at the apple. “Actually, give me two. One for me, and one for…” She creased her lip. “Yeah. I’ll take two.” She zipped the line to the bit pouch and stuffed it back under her wing.

“Still on the house, I suppose.” Applejack reached down, plucking another apple from her supply.

“Sweet, thanks.” Rainbow went to go scoop up the apples and turn around, but suddenly found her hoof being grabbed by another. Her arm was tugged, and she turned back around to meet Applejack’s gaze. “Uh- mind letting me go, Jackie?”

“Are you okay, Dash?” Applejack asked quietly, lowering her voice and looking around. Rainbow took a few steps towards the stall, her ears perking up in attention and curiosity. Macintosh stopped unloading the cart, his ears also pointedly at attention.

“Uhm, yeah. I’m good.” She nodded. “Just got done with-” She gave her hoof one big tug, freeing both her and the apples. “-weather duty for the day. Was gonna head on over to the Golden Oaks.” She cocked her head to the side. “Why do you ask?”

“Cause-” Applejack lowered her voice even lower, still leaning forwards. She looked left and right, looking for anypony other than Macintosh eavesdropping. “You’ve been actin’ strange recently. Takin’ your time with thangs, goin’ slower than usual- hay, you’ve not challenged me to no hoof-wrasslin’ match in the past few months.” She lowered her head down, so Rainbow could only just barely see her eyes under the stetson. “Jus’ wantin’ to know if my Dash is still in there somewhere, okay?” Rainbow shook her head, taking a step back. “I know it ain’t like you to talk about feelin’s or whatnot, but if ya’ll feelin’ down, just let me know, ‘kay?”

“Feeling down?” Rainbow scoffed, suddenly feeling herself itching towards her argumentative self. She took a deep breath, once more wondering how Twilight would react if she’d known they’d gotten into an argument. “Maybe I’m just a lot happier than I’ve been in a long, long time, Jackie. Ever thought about that?”

Applejack didn’t say anything, instead opting to give her another, this time less friendly side-eye and one that was more judgmental. Rainbow offered a pained smile, before quickly trotting away. That was… strange, to be sure, but nothing that wouldn’t be forgotten by the next time she saw her. With a bite of her apple, and a flap of her wings, she took to the skies, heading straight for the large tree towards the west side of Ponyville.

“AB!” The door to the old farm house swung open with plenty of groaning and creaking complaints. Applejack stuck her head in, looking around for the yellow filly. “Me’n Mac’re back from the stall! We’ll be out in the barn-”

“She ain’t here, filly!” An old voice yelled back from the living room. “Applebloom went out to practice buckin’ near an hour ago.”

“Ah, alright.” Applejack fully entered the house, peering her head around the wall dividing the living room and the kitchen. “Any reason why?”

“She said she jus’ felt like it.” Granny Smith was idly flipping through one of the many family albums that she owned. Every single one was yellow and faded, the paper crinkling as she took a few moments to lean closer in to read the faces of the ponies present in any photo. “Kid’s strong for an Earth-pony, but not an Apple. Ah’m a mite scared that she ain’t bucked any apples off trees yet.”

“Well…” Applejack rolled her shoulders. “Her Cutiemark might jus’ not be for apples.” Applejack nodded up and down in confirmation, taking in a big lung full of air. “Yup. She’s might’y good at potion-brewin’, the like.” Applejack sniffed, rubbing her nose. “Say, ya’ll know where she practices apple buckin’?”

“The very north-east part of the orchid.” Granny Smith said, not even taking her eyes off of the book. “Right by where the fences meet, in that corner. Them trees’re too big to be harvestable, so they can take quite a beatin’ by AB.”

“Got it.” Applejack ducked out. “Thanks, Granny!” She added as she left the house, letting the door slam shut.

The walk to the corner of the orchid was surprisingly long. Applejack had rarely ever gone to this section of the orchid, perhaps once or twice in the past decade. The last time she was down there was when she was helping Macintosh replace the old, wire fence with a nice painted white wooden fence. And indeed, Granny Smith was right. This part of the orchid was theorized to be the oldest, as the trees here were of a different breed, and therefore much taller and sturdier than a normal apple tree should be, at least for bucking purposes. Applejack could barely imagine her parents, as foals, being the ones to plant these exact same trees.

The ground was littered with a few apples, and the trunks of the trees had been bruised and abused by Applebloom. Most of the trees had it’s bark ripped off around the bottom, when she had attempted to use a little too much force into shaking the apples down. The grass this far out was also very soft, from being uncut for so long. Applejack would’ve been tempted to lay down and take a nap here, if not for the fact that grass this tall was almost certainly littered with bugs and other creepy-crawlers.

“AB?” Applejack asked, upon finding the corner of the fences. “Where ya’ll at?” She asked, tilting her stetson further onto her head and looking around.

“Sh!”

“Whah?” Applejack blinked. For a moment, she wasn’t sure if she had heard something, or if she had finally begun to hallucinate just like old Grandpa Smith. She picked her ears, looking around. “Hullo?!”

“AJ, up here!”

“What…” Applejack looked up. “...the hay?” There, with her hooves wrapped around a branch, quite similar to how Rainbow Dash would sleep, was Applebloom. In her left hoof she held a bulky camera, pointing it down and at the base of another tree. “AB, get down from there! Ya’ll gonna hurt yerself!”

“AJ, shush!” Applebloom readjusted the camera, trying to balance it on the branch in a certain way so it was facing the base of the tree next to her. “Ah’m tryin’ ta catch them!”

“Catch who?” Applejack looked around wildly. “Somepony here?”

“Was.” Applebloom peered through the viewfinder. “Ah caught them sneakin’ around back here.” She begun adjusting the focus with her other hoof, trying desperately not to let the camera fall.

“Who?” Applejack asked again. “And ya’ll gotta get down from there, you’re going to hurt yerself!” At this Applebloom huffed, looking down through a few branches and at Applejack. She frowned, her brows furrowing as she debated something internally.

“AJ, can ah’ ask you a question?” Applejack cocked her head to the side, preferring her to get down before asking her a question, but simply gave a nod of affirmation anyways. “AJ, is it okay if two mares kiss?”

If Applejack was drinking water, it would’ve been spit across two acres by now. She gave out a sound that Rarity would easily describe as ‘un-ladylike,’as she begun aggressively clearing her throat. She sat down onto the ground, taking off her stetson, and waving it in front of her face as a fan.

“Err- N-Now, why ya’ll goin’ askin’ a question like that?” Applejack asked, painfully apparent that her sudden smile was forced.

“Is it, AJ?” Applebloom asked again, dangling one of her legs off of the branch as she tried to read Applejack’s face.

“W-Well… Ah’ mean, depends o-on the type o’ pony you- you’d, uh… you’d ask.” She nodded. “Yup. Y’know, ah’m not the most suited pony to answer that question, but, uh- Ponyville’s real inclusive, like that, and-”

“Answer the question.” Applebloom dead-panned, her brows dropping into an expression that told an entire story. Applejack chewed the inside of her cheek, looking everywhere else but Applebloom’s eyes.

“Err…” She gulped. “Well… Ah’ don’t… like it… but if ah’ seen two mares doin’ it, ah’ wouldn’t bat an eye.” She fiddled with the hat in between her hooves. “So- uh, ah’ mean, I’d prefer it if they didn’t, ya’ know, of course. Laws o’ nature, all that…”

“Oh.” Applebloom looked confused, frowning deeply. “So you’re not okay with it?”

“Ah mean…” She blew air out between her lips. “N-Not… necessarily?”

“Oh.” Applebloom was still frowning, but nodded none the less. “Okay.” She tapped her camera. “And what if ah’ told you two of your best friends were kissin’?”

Once more, Applejack let out another un-ladylike snort as she guffawed, her mouth opening and closing like she was a fish out of water. She violently shook her head, plopping her stetson back onto her noggin, and looking back up at Applebloom.

“My friends?” Applejack asked. “As in, Twi, Fluttershy, RD, Pinkie, and Rarity? As in, those friends?” Applebloom gave a smug nod. “A-And yer’ sayin’ you caught two of them… kissin’?” Once more, Applebloom nodded, a grin on her muzzle. “O-Okay… Err- which, um, two, then?”

“Not telling.” She stated simply. Applejack flexed her jaw, her eyes still wide with surprise as she slowly felt her heart rate start to rise as she realized exactly what kind of impression she had just left on Applebloom. “Besides, ah’ don’t know if ah’ wanna tell ya’ll anymore. Laws o’ nature, and all that…”

“I didn’t mean-” Applejack bit her cheek. “Well- ah’ mean, ah’ didn’t know-” She switched biting her cheek to the other one, looking down in embarrassment. “Ah- well-”

“Ah’ was gonna capture them on photo to show you, but…” Applebloom looked at the camera in her hooves, turning it around and seeing her own reflection in the big and shiny lenses. “Ah’ don’t know if ah’ want to no more…”

“Ah’m sorry, AB, ah-” Applejack paused. “Ah’m…” Then, she furrowed her brow. “Actually- No. It’s mah’ dang opinion. Ah’ think it’s weird two mares get ta’ hook up. It jus’ ain’t natural, ya’ hear?”

“Ah’ hear ya…” Applebloom readjusted on her tree branch, her smug grin turning into a small frown. “So, ya’ll hate Lyra and Bon-bon, then?”

“What? Ah’ didn’t say that!” Applejack huffed. “Ah jus’ meant- No, don’t take mah’ words out of context! Ah jus’ dislike the way two mares can-” She let out a snort. “Can ya’ jus’ please tell me who they are? Ah’ promise, ah’ won’t get mad at them, none.” Her lip twitched. “Jus’… wanna understand their side of the story.”

“Hm.” Applebloom thought deeply for a grand total of a quarter second. “Nope. Tough luck, Applejack.”

“Aw, come on!” Applejack let out a whinny of frustration. “Fine, then! Ah’ll just have’ta go talk to Rari…” Then, it occurred to her. She didn’t know which one of her friends were romantically involved with one another. That meant she really couldn’t trust Rarity, the pony who had the most romantic experience out of any of her friends.

But… why would she be not be willing to trust Rarity? Just because she was… gay? Was that the right word? Homosexual? Just because she was homosexual didn’t mean she didn’t deserve Applejack’s trust anymore, right?

“Rarity. Ah’ll just go ta’ Rarity.” Applejack nodded. “Yeah. Ah’ll just go ta’ Rarity.” She looked up at Applebloom, who was closely observing her. “Ah’ll figure out who it is before you can say ‘Subdermatoglyphic!’” Applejack turned away from the tree, and began trotting back towards the house.

“What?” Applebloom asked. “Subduh-” Then, she paused. “Subduhma- Sub- Ah, that’s no fair!” She pouted in her tree branch. “Ah’ have a speech impediment, and you know it… Subduhrious- Matorolo-”

Then, the tree branch snapped.

“Gah!”

Crunch.

“Aw, man!” Applebloom lifted her head up from the ground, holding up the remains of a shattered camera, a perfectly good roll of film whiting out as it was suddenly exposed to the sun. “That cost ten bits! Ugh!”

Applejack just smugly smiled as she kept on trotting.

03 - Rarity's Shippening

“Up!”

“Grr!”

“Down!”

“Umph!”

“Up!”

“Grah! I feel like my wings are-”

“Down!”

“Erh-”

The main loft of the Golden Oaks, the place where Twilight typically spent most of her free time studying and reading, had been hastily converted into a makeshift, very temporary and cheaply built, gymnasium. Where there would usually be a sofa, pushed close to the fireplace for nice late-night reading light, was now gone, replaced by a cheap bench press that had almost immediately broken after one of it’s legs snapped off mere moments after being unboxed.

Rainbow was hoofing it. Her wings were quivering as she forced her body up and down in wing-ups, exercise suddenly seeming like an insane idea now that she was actually doing it, and feeling the burning sensation in her wings. Twilight, on the other hoof, hadn’t even broken a sweat. Actually, she hadn’t done much excercising at all. She wore a yellow sweatband on, four pink fluffy bracelets, one around each hoof, and a puffy orange vest. She hadn’t joined Rainbow for any of the physical activities, instead taking up the role of a personal motivator.

“C’mon, one more!” Twilight shouted as she watched Rainbow’s wings quiver. Her feathers could barely push her up anymore. “C’mon, Dashie! C’mon!” She got real low to the ground, banging her hoof loudly against the floorboards. “You can do this! Think! Think about the cuddles!”

“Gah- the- the what?” Rainbow’s forehead was glistening with sweat as she raised an eyebrow.

“Or the kisses!”

“The kisses?” Rainbow stared straight ahead. “D-Do it for the kisses!” With one more, monumental, and quite frankly impressive display of force, Rainbow pushed the last few inches out until she reached the apex of her wing-up. For one, glorious moment, she looked proud and tall, happy and as determined as a mare doing a wing-up could possibly be.

Then, she crashed onto the ground.

“Umph!” She hit the ground, her wings completely exhausted of any and all energy. Twilight, without missing a beat, slid into position as she laid down next to rainbow, pushing her side against hers, and wrapping a hoof around her neck, pulling her in close.

“Mwah! Mwah! Mwah!” She begun assaulting Rainbow with the mother of all kisses, going from the neck up to the cheek, working her way upwards, until she was smooching Rainbow’s muzzle. Rainbow shook her head, memories of her mother doing the exact same thing as a filly popping up in her brain. Needless to say, she did not want to associate her mare-friend with her mother.

“Ew, Twi, no!” She pushed Twilight away with as much force as she could muster, which unfortunately looked halfhearted and tired. “Ew…” She wiped her face, a mixture of sweat and Twilight’s spit coming off. “When you said kisses, I thought they’d be more personal than that!”

“Oh, sorry…” Twilight smiled, sliding around on the floor until she was facing Rainbow, face to face. “How’s this?”

Then, she went in for a real, passionate kiss. They interlocked lips, and Rainbow found herself temporarily stunned at the dominant display. But it only took a few moments until she herself closed her eyes, simply just enjoying the feeling. The pain in her wings almost completely vanished as she felt her lips on hers, her world becoming nothing more than bright, mental fireworks.

Then, as quickly as it had come, Twilight broke it.

“Woah…”

“Ugh-” Twilight wiped her own lips with a disgusted frown. “Your lip tastes like sweat!” She opened and closed her mouth, trying her hardest to get rid of the salty taste.

“Oh- uh-” Rainbow bounced up. Although she had just went through what Twilight might’ve described as torture, her legs didn’t feel any worse for wear, even if her wings hung limply against her body, as they were too sore to fold. “You can wash down that taste with these apples I bought!” She said, scooping up two delectable apples from a nearby shelf. “Or- I got them for free. Applejack was feeling nice.”

“Nice!” Twilight bounded over, a smile on her face. “I didn’t even realize you had them!”

“Yeah, I know.” Rainbow smiled, sitting down and holding one apple in each hoof. “I can be pretty sneaky when I want to be.” She looked down. On one of the apples, she spotted a small, but noticeable, brown mark. The apple had turned rotten on that one area, and although the rest of the apple looked crisp, it was enough to ruin the experience.

“May I please have one, Rainbow?” Twilight asked, sitting down opposite of her on the floor a few feet away. Rainbow’s eyes flickered up to Twilight for a moment.

“Uh- yeah, sure.” With no hesitation, she held out the better apple to Twilight. Twilight lifted it up in her magic and took a big bite out of it. “Yeah, with you around, I don’t think I’ll have to worry about gaining weight anytime soon.” Rainbow took a bite of her own apple, trying her best to avoid the brown spot. “With you by my side, I mean-” She exhaled, shaking her head. “That was intense, Twilight, good job!”

“I tried to be…” Twilight took another bite and pulled the sweatband off of her head. “I’m sorry I didn’t try and exercise with you. I was too focused on making sure you were exercising that I didn’t think-”

“Don’t even.” Rainbow playfully rolled her eyes. “You were great, Twi.”

“Aw…” She smiled bashfully, holding the apple closer to her chest. “No, Rainbow, you were great!”

“No, you were great!”

“No, you were-”

“For the love of Celestia, just stop!” Twilight and Rainbow both jumped, snapping their heads up and towards the balcony overlooking the loft, where Twilight’s bed was. A small purple dragon was peering his head through the slits in between the rails. “I didn’t think either of you were the lovey-dovey type! This is making me sick…” Spike made a gagging expression. “I thought you two would’ve gotten over the honeymoon phase months ago!”

“It’s just love, Spike.” Twilight rolled her eyes, perfectly mimicking the exact same way Rainbow did it ten seconds ago. “Besides, you do the exact same thing with Rarity.”

“I do not!” Spike pouted, pulling his head away from the railing. “I’m cool about it! I keep my cool! I don’t… smother Rarity with kisses, unlike some ponies here…”

“You would too, Spike.” Rainbow smirked, smiling slyly at Twilight. “...if you ever got the chance to.”

“Not cool!” Was the far away response as he presumably went back to his bed to finish reading his comics. “Not. Cool!” Twilight and Rainbow responded by giggling like school fillies.

Rarity tried her hardest to not choke on her tea. She really did. But, unfortunately, times call, and it was inevitable. The tea slipped to the back of her throat, her eyes bulging as she began shaking violently in coughs.

“Ya’ okay, Rares?” Applejack asked. “Ah’ know it’s big news, and all, but-” She watched with concern. Applejack and Rarity were sitting in the upstairs loft of the Carousel Boutique. Rarity had just poured some tea for the both of them, mainly for herself due to Applejack not caring too much for tea. They both sat, facing each other on opposite seats with a small coffee table full of tea-making amenities, like kettles and bags.

“P-Pardon me, dear.” She croaked out, barely keeping her voice stable as she somewhat violently set down her cup of tea on the table. “B-But I-I can’t help but t-thought you said- um, said that two of our best friends were, um, together?” She tapped both of her hooves together. “R-Romantically?”

“Yup. That’s what ah’ said.” Applejack confirmed with a nod. Honestly, Applejack, looking back at this situation, should’ve seen what was coming. One moment, Rarity was there, sitting on the chair with a blank, tea-ridden face. The next, she exploded out of her chair, leaving behind nothing more than a white and purple blur. Before Applejack could even think as to what had just happened, she returned quicker than a Sonic-Rainboom, right back in her chair like she hadn’t even left. Wind almost blew Applejack’s stetson off as the laws of physics still applied to the world around Rarity, if not Rarity herself.

“Um… Rares, what’s that?” Applejack asked cautiously. She had around ten or so different scrolls, all about the width of a pony, clutched within her forelegs. Her mane was wild and messy, very much unlike Rarity.

“Designs, darling!” She sang. Using her magic, she levitated the table upwards. Applejack yelped in surprise as she tilted the table to the side, letting everything smash onto the ground and begin the process of staining the pristine white carpet a nasty brown. Rarity didn’t seem to mind, however, too preoccupied withthe scrolls she chucked onto the now empty table, letting her magic disperse and letting the table fall the last food with a clunk.

“What in the hay’re you doin’?” Applejack adjusted her stetson, fear slowly bubbling as memories of her being forced to stay still came to the front of her mind as Rarity worked on an exquisite dress.

“Like I said, dear Applejack.” Rarity was now breathing heavily, levitating the table exerting herself much more than she had thought it would. “Designs.” Applejack could faintly make out little name tags scrawled onto the scrolls.

“ApplePie?” She read aloud. “FlutterDash, Twarity, TwiDash, RariJack, Rarity, what in Sam's hill is this?”

“Back when we first met,” Rarity begun arranging the multitude of designs in alphabetical order. “I made the prediction that two of us, I didn’t know which ones, would get together. I knew this day was coming for a long, long time, dear Applejack.”

Applejack looked down in appalled horror as the pieces began forming in her head.

“So I took to the parchment! I had begun designing dresses based on one another’s matching colors.” Rarity used her magic to levitate up and uncurl the one titled RariJack. “Just in case, dear.” Indeed, on the drawing was a basic and rudimentary color sketch of both Applejack and Rarity. Rarity had her head pushed against Applejack’s chest, both of them smiling dearly for an imaginary camera. To her credit, both dresses matched very well.

“Aw, EW!” Applejack shivered, shielding her eyes from the design. “Rares, that’s disgusting!”

“You… don’t like it?” The drawing fell a few inches to reveal Rarity’s face, her bottom lip barely quivering.

“No! Ah-Ah’ mean, it looks great, but…” Applejack lowered her hoof, barely managing to make eye contact with Rarity, and trying desperately to not look at the drawing. “Did’ja really have to pair us up?”

“It’s always in a fashionista’s best interests to be prepared, Applejack!” Rarity tisked. “Besides, I don’t see the problem in a little harmless pairing every once in a while. You cannot tell me you’ve never had the thought of what would happen if two of our friends got together, can you?”

“Yes, ah’ can tell ya’ that.” Applejack dead panned, leaning forwards. “Because ah’m not cray-cray! Actually, yeah! No sane pony would pair up their friends!”

“Fluttershy would disagree.” Rarity huffed, frowning and putting down RariJack and picking up the one titled FlutterDash. “She actually helped on this one.” Once again, she unrolled the parchment, unveiling Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. Rainbow was laying on the ground, with Fluttershy standing over top of her, not too dissimilar to the way a cat would act, rubbing against anything they could find. Applejack gawked, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks.

“Fluttershy knows, too?!” Applejack’s eye twitched. “And she paired herself?”

“Yes.” Rarity said like it was the most mundane thing in the world. “But that’s enough chit-chat. Tell me, now preferably, Applejack.” She carefully curled FlutterDash back up and placed it in with the rest of the pile. “Who in our group is hooking up with who?”

“Ah’ don’t know.”

…

“You… I… What?” Rarity leaned back and blinked, shaking her head. “You… don’t know?” She took a deep break. “Was this some kind of prank, dear Applejack? Because I didn’t think it was very funny.”

“No, Rares, it’s not.” Applejack sighed, taking off her stetson as she begun preparing to tell her story. “Ya see, ah’ went up to go an’ find Applebloom…” Applejack fiddled with her stetson as she described the events leaving up to the reveal. While telling the story, although she was pretty sure Rarity wasn’t in on it, she still kept a careful eye on Rarity’s expression. Fortunately, Rarity shifted through different expressions of fascination and intrigue.

“So, ah’ came straight here.” She plopped her stetson back onto her head. “So… ah’ don’t suppose it’s you, then?”

“Oh, heavens, no!” Rarity giggled like a filly. “Two of our friends? Dating? A-ha! Leaves so much to the imagination, dear Applejack!” Rarity tapped her chin. “Hmm… which two would you think would pair up, Applejack?” Rarity met her eyes. “Which two would go to your orchid to have a secret kissing session?”

Applejack looked away from Rarity, biting her lips in thought. She scrunched her eyebrows as she searched her thoughts. “Well…Twilight don’t really come down unless she wants’ta help… Pinkie helps cook every once’in a while, and…” She gasped, clicking her tongue. “Oh! Oh!”

“Who? Who?” Rarity shifted in her seat like an over excited student.

“Rainbow Dash!” She almost shouted. “It has’ta be! She’s been actin’ so weird recently! She hadn’t asked me to a hoof-wrasslin’ match in the past three months, and she barely talks about the Wonderbolts no more! It has’ta be her!”

“Huh!” Rarity smiled. “Yes, I have noticed Rainbow being off, too.” She nodded in agreement, swiping off almost two thirds of the drawings, the only ones remaining being FlutterDash, RainbowPie, and TwiDash. “Well, we can start with the most unlikely of these ones, of course…” Rarity used her magic to pluck the one titled TwiDash.

“Yeah, ah’ jus’ don’t see Twilight datin’ nopony. She’s a loner, that’s fer sure.” She shivered. “She especially wouldn’t date Dash. Them two don’t mix well together.”

“I agree.” Rarity nodded, chucking it into the pile with the rest of the pairing drawings. “So. We have Pinkie and Fluttershy left…” Rarity cocked her head to the side as she read over the names a few more times. “Well… this one’s quite a hard call! On one hoof, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash have been friends since foal-hood. A story as old as time, falling for your foal-hood friend. But… Fluttershy’s too timid for a relationship, and I doubt Rainbow would want to confess her feelings to anypony.”

“So… Pinkie Pie?” Applejack asked. Rarity levitated up the very last scroll titled RainbowPie. “Ah…could see it. Maybe Pinkie would’ve let her crush slip, maybe? And them’ two hang out more than any of us do, so…” Applejack confidentially nodded. “Alright. Ah’ can see it.” Applejack watched as Rarity unfolded the design, flattening it out on the now empty table. “What’cha doin’, Rares?” Rarity levitated over a few loose pencils and erasers from a nearby junk drawer.

“Getting their dresses ready, of course!” Rarity hummed, beginning to mark up the drawing. “It’s only a sketch. I never thought the day would come when I would have to actually make the measurements!”

“Well, now, wait jus’ a moment, Rarity!” Applejack quickly said. Rarity was already putting on her glasses, now tilting them down to take a cursory patient glance at Applejack. “Well- what if we’re wrong, and it’s somepony else? Ya’ll’d feel pretty silly fer’ makin’ a dress fer’ the wrong couple, tell you w’hat.”

“Hum.” Rarity looked down at the drawing. “Yes. Perhaps you have a point there, dear Applejack.” She rolled up the drawing once more, this time wrapping it in a pretty pink bow for safe keeping. “Perhaps we should go out into the field. Get some research.”

“Research?” Applejack asked. “Why not jus’ go n’ ask them?”

“Are you serious?” She gasped. “We could never just… go up to a couple! Especially if they’re trying to hide their relationship! After all, they feel the need to hide in the back corner of Sweet Apple Acres, I don’t suppose they’d just… willy-nilly go out and frolic with the general public.”

“So they’d be hiding it?” Applejack asked. “How would we even go’n confirm our suspicion?”

“Well… Rainbow’s too quick to keep up with.” Rarity hummed. “We would have to watch Pinkie until she meets Rainbow. Then- then, when they’re alone, we can confirm whether or not they’re dating.” Rarity smiled broadly. “They’ll be sneaky! They’ll be hidden! But it’ll be no match for moi!”

“Yeah, sure, Rares.” Applejack stood up, stretching like a cat. “Sounds like a plan! Let’s go catch a Pinkie.”

04 - Stalking Sneakily

Rarity had decided to go full dress-up for the occasion. After all, it wasn’t everyday she was tasked with the insidious task of spying on one of her best friends. She bore a black fedora with a long black trench coat with it’s collar popped, covering as much of her face from the side as possible. She tried her hardest to look casual, drinking heavily through the straw of a tall glass milkshake, and she had made sure that somepony other than Pinkie had lead them to their table inside of Sugarcube Corner.

Applejack, on the other hoof, simply wore her stetson.

“Ah’ think wearin’ that much is just more suspicious, don’tcha think?” Applejack asked. Rarity responded by stopping her drinking from the straw and tilting her head down to cover more of her eyes. “...right.” Applejack cleared her throat, looking around the bustling business of Sugarcube Corner. “What exactly are we lookin’ for, here?”

“Rainbow usually gets dinner from Sugarcube Corner around six fifty-five every night.” Rarity explained in a hushed whisper, looking around the dining room for any eavesdroppers. Thankfully, nopony seemed to give the two mares in the booth the slightest of second glances. “She usually talks with Pinkie on what to get for dinner. After that, she flies home.” Rarity continued drinking.

“...And?” Applejack asked, looking slightly confused, and maybe a little horrified that Rarity knew Rainbow’s schedule down to that much detail. “...after that?”

“Then, we’ll know for sure.” Rarity nodded.

“Wh… Alright?” Applejack shrugged. “How?” Rarity let out a sigh, pushing her drink away from her lips in a frustrated manner.

“The details, obviously!” She huffed. “If Rainbow is in love with Pinkie, then to my trained eye, it should be as clear as daylight! The way they’ll talk in hushed whispers- the way they’ll secretly make loving eye-contact! Ugh, it get’s my heart going!” She fluttered her eyes as she dreamily stared off into space.

“Okay.” Applejack nodded. “And you haven’t noticed Rainbow datin’ one of our friends earlier… because…?”

“Because I wasn’t paying attention.” Rarity reigned her thoughts back down to earth, rolling her eyes at Applejack like her reasoning was plainly obvious. “I was not in the proper mindset to look for clues when we hang out. I was under the impression that we were all friends.” Rarity suddenly let out a squee of delight, one that made Applejack jump in her seat. “Oh, how wonderful this turn of events is!”

“Yeah…” Applejack’s gaze darkened. “How wonderful.” Rarity’s excitement was curve balled as she was quick to pick up on Applejack’s sudden solemn.

“Oh, Applejack.” She huffed. “There’s plenty more fish in the sea!”

“What?! No!” Applejack shook her head wildly, flailing her hooves as a blush threatened her face. “Ah’ ain’t attracted to nopony!”

“Then why the long-face?” She asked. Applejack wasn’t sure whether to take that as an insult or a joke as she frowned. “Do you not want our friends to be dating?”

“Well… It’s just…” Applejack creased her lip. “Well… it’ll… change a lot of things?”

“It certainly will.” Rarity agreed. “But… I feel like I’m not getting the whole story, Applejack.” Rarity leaned forwards, placing both of her elbows onto the table. “Is the Element of Honesty telling a fib?”

“No!” Applejack almost yelled. “Well… Ah’m…” She frowned. “Don’tcha think it’s a lil’ weird?”

“Weird, dear?” Rarity hummed in thought. “Perhaps a tiny bit. Two of our best friends getting together is a little other-worldly, I’ll admit, but I’ve seen something like this coming for a long while.”

“No…” Applejack shook her head. “Ah’ mean… the whole…” Applejack tapped her hooves together. “You know?” Rarity shook her head back in confusion. “Ah’ mean… One plus zero, right? But zero plus zero? Doesn’t work.” Rarity furrowed her brows, leaning back in her chair and shooting Applejack a confused look. “Ain’t you ever found it a lil’ weird how two mares are gettin’ together?” Rarity’s furrowed brow turned from one of confusion into slight disgust.

“Applejack?” She asked quietly. Applejack felt her heart slowly drop as Rarity's face turned to one of anger. “Are you insinuating-” Suddenly, she gasped, grabbing a nearby menu and completely covering her face, pretending to read it. Applejack, despite not knowing what she was hiding from, picked up the message and did the same with her own menu.

At the same time, a certain prismatic Pegasus strolled into Sugarcube Corner. She flipped her mane back andlooked around the bakery. She smiled, and happily trotted up to the front counter.

“Oh, looks like sompony’s in a good mood!” Missus Cake said, currently mareing the front desk. Rainbow smiled as she approached. “I’ll go get Pinkie Pie for ya, dear. She’s always so busy this time of day, dont’cha know?” Missus Cake stood up and disappeared into the backroom. Rainbow patiently waited, crossing her legs as she observed the items on the desk in front of her.

Unannounced to her, however, both Rarity and Applejack slowly lowered their menus. Both of their eyes were sharply focused on the Pegasus, watching her every little move. From the way her eyes moved across the desk, to the way she stood, and even the way she held her wings. Which, for some inexplicable reason, she hung them lower than they usually would rest on a Pegasus. Almost as if they were sore.

“Dashie!” A bubbly voice said. Rarity raised her eyebrow, and the two began listening. “Here for you dinner-supreme-suggestion?”

“Yeah.” Rainbow nodded. “Well- actually, I need two meals for today.” She leaned forwards. “Something healthy.”

“Oh?” Pinkie smiled slyly. “Scared of puttin’ on a few pounds?”

“Pinkie.” Rainbow growled. The pink Earth-pony was not expecting the reaction, wilting at the strange response, but didn’t say anything more. “I just… need something green, you know? I-I don’t want to get into the details.”

“Okay.” Pinkie nodded stiffly. “Well, no worries, Dashie! I’ll have something green and mean in no time!” She almost turned around to leave, before pausing. “Wait… you said two meals?” She raised her eyebrow. “Why are you getting two meals?”

“Well…” Rainbow shifted her leg uncomfortably. “Me and somepony else… you know…” She shyly smiled.

“Oh.” Pinkie’s eyes expanded. “Oh.” Her smile split. “OH. Oh, of course!” She giggled. “I’ll make something real special for you two, don’t you worry!” She happily bounded away from the counter.

Applejack and Rarity stared at each other in shock.

“So it’s not Pinkie Pie?” Applejack whispered as quietly as ponily possible. Both ponies raised their menus and placed them standing up, creating a curtain of safety from the peering eyes of Rainbow.

“It has to be Fluttershy!” Rarity gasped. “Ohmygosh, how could I have not seen it earlier? The way they interact, it’s so obvious! So… romantic!”

“Does Fluttershy like to eat healthy?” Applejack asked, cocking her head to the side. “Ah’ don’t recall… do ya’ remember her ever eatin’ anythin’ from Hay Burgers?”

“I do not think so, no…” Rarity tapped her chin. “I have to admit, I saw zero chemistry between Rainbow and Pinkie, outside of being friends, that is.”

“Well, doesn’t that mean that…” Applejack quickly peered her head outside of their curtain. Pinkie was yet to return from the back room, leaving Rainbow to idly look at some posters hanging on the walls of different events happening around Ponyville. “Doesn’t that mean she’s gonna be headin’ straight to Fluttershy’s after this?”

“Oh! Oh, yes she is!” Rarity gasped, quickly standing up from her booth. “She’s fast, so if we’re going to beat her there, we’re going to have to hurry! And we have to leave, now!”

“Okay! Okay!” Applejack quickly tossed ten bits onto the counter, paying for both of them, and stood up. “Let’s go!” She whisper-shouted. Rarity and Applejack quickly galloped out the open door. Rainbow turned around upon feeling a strange breeze pass behind her, but after looking around and seeing nopony, she shrugged, looking back at Ponyville’s local youth dance club poster.

Rainbow was pleasantly surprised to notice that plenty of names were on the poster, and a surprising amount of names that she recognized. Of course, being the youth dance club, all of them were fillies and colts, so she didn’t exactly recognize everypony. But she was surprised to see Scootaloo, performing next month in-

“Manehattan?” Rainbow whispered to herself, raising her eyebrow. “That can’t be right.” She snorted. “When does that filly have the time to dance?”

“Youff ee surfhised!” The voice of Pinkie rejoined the room. Rainbow looked back over to the counter, just in time to catch her spitting out a decently sized bag of food onto the counter. “That little filly knows how to dance.”

“Oh, really?” Rainbow plucked the bag of bits out from under her wing and pulled open the string with her mouth.

“Twenty bits, please!”

“Right.” Rainbow dumped a few onto the counter and began sorting through them with her hoof. “I had no idea Scootaloo knew how to dance. I didn’t even know she was good enough to be going to Manehattan!”

“Oh, she’s really good.” Pinkie nodded, watching Rainbow. “I occasionally help cater big events held at the school. Scootaloo doesn’t ever go on stage in Ponyville, though. But I’ve seen her dance in other places, like Fillydelphia.”

“She’s went to Fillydelphia?” Rainbow flexed her jaw in surprise, finally pushing forwards the twenty bits. “I had no idea! She never talks about it.”

“I’unno. She might be embarrassed.” Pinkie shrugged. Rainbow paused, considering it for a moment, and thought about how ‘girly’ that dance class might come off for somepony like Scootaloo. If Scootaloo was anything like Rainbow Dash, she might be uncomfortable with other ponies knowing her secret.

And that made Rainbow feel… weird. After all, didn’t Rainbow herself have a big secret? One that she had been hiding from all of her friends for the past… long while? Pinkie seemed to have picked up on Rainbow’s sudden silence, as she leaned forwards over the counter and raised an eyebrow at her silence.

“Are you… okay, Dash?” Pinkie asked. Rainbow blinked, looking up.

“Oh, uh- yeah.” She furrowed her own eyebrows as she looked back down at the counter. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Is it about your secret lover?” Pinkie asked. Rainbow flinched with shock, looking straight up and into Pinkie’s eyes. “Oh, Dash. I already know.” Rainbow’s heart began beating a little bit quicker as Pinkie smiled. “You said earlier! You’re ordering a healthy meal for you and some stallion!” She beamed. “I would really like this date to go well, so I even made these meals taste extra good!”

Rainbow blinked. Of course. She had implied to Pinkie that she was going on a date. But she hadn’t exactly disclosed who. And maybe Twilight would like it if Rainbow would at least talk to her before hoof if she was going to reveal their relationship status, even if it was Rainbow who had put those restrictions in the first place.

“Pinkie…” Rainbow looked around the restaurant. Everypony looked preoccupied with their own things, and not a single pony paid any attention to the two at the front counter. “Would it be okay if… um…” Rainbow creased her lip. “Would it be okay if… it wasn’t… a stallion?”

Pinkie sealed her mouth quicker than Rainbow had ever seen her do so. Her pupils expanded by a not insignificant amount as she stared at Rainbow. Rainbow felt her ears droop at the same rate her heart did upon seeing Pinkie’s reaction.

Then, Pinkie smiled.

“Rainbow…” She lowered her voice. “Do you think I care so little about our friendship that I would care, at all, about that?” She asked. “Come on.” Rainbow felt a small smile cross her features as she remade eye contact with Pinkie.

“Thanks, Pinkie.” Rainbow happily grabbed her food and perched it on the crook of her back. “And, uh, sorry for, uh, yelling earlier. When the- two meals, thing. Sorry.” Pinkie simply waved her hoof with a ‘pshaw!’ “Talk to you later, all right?”

“All right, Rainbow!” She waved merrily. “And good luck on the date!” Rainbow gave a simple head nod of acknowledgment, before taking to the skies with the food on her back.

Although Pinkie was convinced they were going on a date, the truth was much less mundane and simple. Instead of a date, Rainbow had simply flown to Twilight’s library with the food. After all, Rainbow could not handle the gossip from the town. Once upon a time, she had accompanied Rarity to a fancy restaurant. The gossip that they were dating was insane, and it took a monumental display of effort to convince the townsfolk that they were not, in fact dating.

After all, Rainbow’s heart laid with Twilight.

“And, roll!” Rainbow threw the dice onto the board. They clanged and bounced all the way across to Twilight’s side, to which the two white blocks faced upwards with a combined value of 12. Twilight obliged by lighting up Rainbow’s piece and moving it forwards twelve spaces. “Nice!”

“I can’t believe this!” Spike harrumphed, crossing his arms. “I thought you said you never played, Rainbow…”

“I haven’t!” Rainbow smiled broadly as she hoofed up two hundred paper-bits, called bucks. “I’ve never played Mareopoly in my life!” Spike side-eyed her, but without saying another word, took his own dice and rolled them. They clanged and clattered, too, landing on a healthy 8.

“Did you ever play any board games with your parents?” Twilight asked innocently. Rainbow loved Twilight, sure, but sometimes that mare had a tendency to be as subtle as a brick when trying to prod Rainbow about anything.

“Uh, no.” Rainbow shook her head. “Do you want a little house, Spike?” Rainbow asked. Spike contemplated for a moment, reading the card associated with his property. Eventually, he shook his head no. “Alright. Your turn!”

“What did you used to do for fun?” Twilight asked very un-subtly while rolling her dice. Rainbow perked her cheek, trying to make eye contact with Twilight in an attempt to subtly tell her to stop asking about her foal hood. Unfortunately, Twilight was too busy buying a new piece of property. Finally, Rainbow resigned with a sigh.

“Go to Fluttershy’s.” She answered. “We would usually hang out. A lot of my time with her was teaching her how to fly.” Rainbow itched her chin.

“Outside of that?” Twilight asked, pushing the dice forwards. Rainbow cocked her head to the side while looking at her. Spike had also gotten curious, now listening more intently instead of pouting about loosing.

“Not much.” Rainbow said coldly. “Most of my time with Mom and Dad was them teaching me how to be the best. At everything.” Her lip twitched. “Like I said, my relationship with my parent’s isn’t very… healthy.” She sighed. “They mentally messed me up pretty good, and now I take medication.” She shrugged.

“Oh, Dashie.” Twilight leaned forwards. “I am so sorry.” There was a beat of silence where nopony said anything. Spike leaned forwards to roll the dice before she began once more. “Could you tell me a little more about your parent-”

“Can you knock it off?” Spike interrupted. Twilight shot him a dirty look. “She obviously doesn’t want to talk about it!”

“Come on, Spike! I was just…” She looked at Rainbow, and realized her face was almost completely dead and devoid of emotion. Twilight’s glare from Spike slowly faded. “...oh.” Twilight chewed her lip, looking down at the gameboard. There was an awkward moment of silence where nopony said a word. “Well, we can just continue with Mareopoly, right? Who’s turn was-”

“Twilight, have you ever thought about telling our friends?” Rainbow suddenly interrupted. “I mean… about us.” Twilight looked up from the board with a gasp, her eyes wide with sudden renewed excitement as Rainbow devolved into a stuttering mess. “I-If you’re comfortable with it, I mean, I’d be-”

“Dash, you’re the one who set these imaginary boundaries.” Twilight reached over the table and ever so softly caressed Rainbow’s cheek. “I would be more than okay with telling our friends. Only whenever you are ready, okay?”

Spike watched the display of affection and gagged.

“M-Maybe we could talk about it more tomorrow?” Rainbow looked up at the clock posted on the wall above the fireplace. “It’s getting pretty late, after all…”

“Oh, of course!” Twilight beamed, standing up from the game table. Spike looked more or less relieved, now realizing that he no longer had to deal with the embarrassment of loosing that badly to a game of Mareopoly. Twilight blushed, crossing her forelegs. “I mean… would you like to spend the night?”

“Would I?” Rainbow bit her lip, her wings twitching. “I dunno… I mean, is there enough room? I could take the

“We’ve been dating for months, Dash.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “We can sleep in the same bed.” She raised one hoof to her cheek and squished it in excitement. “We can even snuggle!”

“Alright, I’m out.” Spike quickly stood up from the game table and scrambled upstairs. “I don’t want to deal with this!”

“Hypocrite!” Twilight yelled after him before turning back to Rainbow. “You should hear about how much he gushes about Rarity. He can dish it out, but he can’t bear to hear other ponies do the same.” She sighed, rolling her eyes. “So. How about it, Dashie?” Twilight took notice of Rainbow’s rising blush.

“Well… I mean… it is gonna get cold tonight… and my cloud house isn’t very good at keeping out the wind…” Rainbow bit her lip. “...alright.” Twilight smiled broadly, clapping both of her hooves together and galloping up the stairs.

“Come on! We can brush each other manes, tell bed time stories~!” Twilight giggled. Rainbow raised her eyebrow, and with a sigh, she begun following her.

But, even after seeing Twilight so excited, she couldn’t deny that she dreaded the conversation that would follow tomorrow. After all, trusting your friends is one thing. It’s a whole different thing to trust them with this whole situation. How would the other ponies react to the two of them dating? With negativity? With hate, even? It was always a matter of time, but now, it felt like that clock was beginning to reach it’s alarm.

Applejack let out a long, dejected sigh.

Rarity did the same, only with more frustration behind hers.

They had been camping outside of Fluttershy’s cottage for the better part of an hour. Through the windows of Fluttershy’s cottage, with vivid orange light coming from her fireplace, they could easily see her silhouette dancing as she busied herself with her animal’s nighttime routines. And, noticeably, there was the lack of Rainbow Dash’s shadow.

“So…” Applejack bit her lip, adjusting herself underneath the bush. “It ain’t Flutters, neither?”

“No, dear, it’s not.” Rarity sighed, resisting the urge to face-plant into the underbrush. “It isn’t Pinkie Pie, and it isn’t Fluttershy.” She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath in. “What now?” She said as she exhaled.

“I’unno.” Applejack shrugged, pushing a branch away from her face. “Maybe we’re lookin’ at this all wrong. Maybe Bloom’ meant some other pony. Like Rose and… I dunno, Amethyst, or summit’.” She flexed her cheek. “But… ah’ asked her whether it was one of us, and she said yes…” Applejack growled. “This is so dang confusin’. It don’t even need to be Rainbow Dash! It could be Pinkie and Fluttershy! Or- Twilight and- and, uh-” She clicked her tongue in frustration.

“Or…” Rarity tried to finish. “It could still be Twilight?”

“Please.” Applejack sighed. “That mare’s more love-blind than a pigeon with a blindfold. She ain’t pickin’ up any hints.” Applejack chewed the inside of her cheek. “Maybe it’s about time we go home, Rarity. Jus’ forget about all’o this until one of ‘em fesses up. It ain’t like the end of the world, or nuttin’.”

“Yes…” Rarity frowned. She looked immensely dissapointed, but if Applejack had to guess, she would probably survive until the next day. “I suppose so. Plus, it is quite rude of us to spy on Fluttershy like this, isn’t it?”

“Yeah…” Applejack looked up at Fluttershy’s cottage. “...and creepy, now’tha I’m thinkin’ about it.”

They both crawled out from underneath the bush, and began trotting on the path leading away from Fluttershy's. Applejack was chewing the inside of her cheek so hard it had begun to turn sore. Her eyes darted up momentarily on the dark path to look at Rarity's, questions still burning. After all, if Rarity was okay with two mares getting together, then why shouldn't Applejack, too?

All she wanted was answers. But the look of anger that briefly flashed over Rarity's face back in Sugarcube Corner made Applejack switch from biting her cheek to biting her tongue and continued looking down the path.

05 - Return to the Apple Tree

And, just like the day before, they were back in the exact same spot, under the exact same tree, in the exact same orchid. It wasn’t very common for Twilight and Rainbow to revisit the same hiding spot, especially not twice in a row, but they had both deemed this spot to be far enough out of the way and hidden to work once more. That, and the trees seemed to set the atmosphere just right for a heartfelt conversation.

Similarly to yesterday, Twilight was taking the role of the therapist, as well as the role of the big spoon. She was leaning her back into the bark of the big apple tree, with Rainbow laying on top of her stomach with the back of her head pushed against Twilight’s chest. Twilight, every so often, would push a lock of hair from Rainbow’s face as she stared blankly at the canopy of leaves above them.

Rainbow knew they couldn’t sit in silence forever, even if Rainbow really wanted it to last as long as possible. Silence wasn’t uncommon for their therapy sessions, being five to ten minutes before one of them talked, but Rainbow was never comfortable to be the first one talking. Unfortunately, with the way she ended the conversation last night, and how it was her who suggested telling their friends, it was probably her turn to take the lead.

But how?

What would she even say? That it was time for the world to know what kind of filly-fooler she was? Never mind her close friends, she could just imagine the looks the others of the weather control team would give her. The looks didn’t even necessarily have to be good nor bad, just… any looks would make her shiver. Most importantly, however, what would the Wonderbolts think?

She felt a pang of sadness worm it’s way around her heart as she suddenly realized that it didn’t matter what the Wonderbolts thought. Her dreams had already been dashed yesterday with that rejection paper, and even if there was a chance that she could join the Wonderbolts, maybe by coercing a few high up ponies, she just… didn’t feel the need to anyways. The rejection sucked, evident by yesterday’s tears, but for some reason, it didn’t really feel like the end of the world.

So… what did it matter what the Wonderbolts think?

With an anxious breath that made her chest stutter, Rainbow swallowed heavily and made eye contact with Twilight’s upside-down face.

“I… think it’s time to tell our friends.”

Twilight pulled her hooves around her tighter, yet didn’t say anything more. Rainbow felt a little frustrated, but felt it instantly get dashed away as Twilight flashed a small smile. She couldn’t stay mad, and instead built up the courage to continue.

“I’m… kinda nervous?” She whispered. Twilight raised an eyebrow, still opting to stay silent. “Okay, fine! I’m really nervous.” She grunted. “Maybe extremely, scary nervous is the right would… Twi, you’re a living dictionary. What’s the right word?

“Very.”

“I’m very nervous.” Rainbow bit her lip. “That doesn’t sound, like, dramatic enough.” She let out a little whine that reminded Twilight of a crying foal. “Twilight, what if our friends stop thinking I’m cool?”

“Why would they do that?” Twilight asked. Rainbow snorted at how innocent the question was, once again almost frustrated at Twilight’s crystal outlook on the situation. Unfortunately, Rainbow wasn’t dumb, and a part of her knew that Twilight was simply playing the part of the innocent therapist.

“Because!” Rainbow exclaimed like it was obvious. She stretched her hooves out wide as if to show Twilight exactly what she was talking about. “Because… You know! I’m, like… into mares, and stuff.” She admitted sheepishly.

“And?” Twilight asked with the same fake innocent tone. “Why would that make you less ‘cool?’”

“I’unno!” She readjusted herself so her head was closer to her chest. “It just… does! I mean, it’s just like- no normal pony is into the same, you know, gender! It’s just, you know, weird, and-”

“Stop that right now.” Rainbow watched as a hoof crossed her vision, holding her muzzle closed with a slight tsk. “It’s not weird, Rainbow. And I need you to stop thinking like that. It’s not healthy.” She sighed out, taking her hoof away. Rainbow readjusted herself once more, however, feeling slightly more uncomfortable after that little moment. “Why do you think it’s weird, Dash? Is it because of your parents that make you-”

“No!” Rainbow quickly waved her hoof, sitting upright and pulling herself away from Twilight. She twisted her back so her bottom hooves were still facing away. “No. I can’t just keep blaming everything on my parents. They never really spent time with me outside of competing, but- I just- It’s not their fault.”

“Then what’s wrong with liking mares?”

“It’s just that…” Rainbow sighed, turning to look over the dense orchid in front of her. The leaves turned the sun into a strange green light that danced across the thick grass, and she watched it in contemplation. “I guess… I’m scared that… that…” She bit her lip, trying her hardest to take her time with forming her sentence. “Err… that, uh, having a marefriend- or, any special somepony, will… make me look… less cool?” Her lip twitched. “Did, uh, that come out right?”

“It sure did.” Twilight nodded, leaning forwards and brushing her hoof against the back of Rainbow’s mane. “So it’s not that we’re both mares. It’s that any relationship will make you look… weaker?” Rainbow frowned, knowing somewhere inside of her that it was the truth. “Well… just because we’re in a relationship doesn’t invalidate anything you’ve done before, right? Just because you love me, and I love you, doesn’t mean you’ve never done a Sonic Rainboom before. It doesn’t mean you didn’t compete in the Young Fliers competition and save Rarity’s flank.”

“Huh.” Rainbow closed her eyes, breathing in a deep breath. “Huh. I… you know what? I guess that kinda makes me feel a little bit better.” There was a quick hint of a smile on Rainbow’s face before it faded, replaced with a frown and an uncomfortable feeling in the bottom of her gut. “But… that doesn’t tell me how our friends will react.” Although Rainbow didn’t have a very long mane- not nearly as long as Fluttershy’s or Rarity’s- she still managed to find enough hair to twirl with both of her hooves anxiously as she began to spew words to Twilight. “How is Pinkie gonna react when we tell her we’ve been dating? I mean, she knows I’m gay, but not you, Twilight.” Her spiraling hooves moved down to her muzzle, to which she clenched in a mix of fear and anxiousness. “I mean, Fluttershy’s okay with anything, but- Rarity? She’s gonna put us in dresses for the next week!”

Twilight frowned. “Wait…” She pondered for a moment. “Do you think any of our friends will be… mad?”

“No. Maybe Applejack for a second or two, but of course not.” Rainbow sighed, finally removing her muzzles from her facial area. “I’m just… we have such a good thing going, Twi. Our friends, I mean. And… I don’t wanna be the pony that breaks us up, you know? I don’t…” Rainbow whimpered. “I don’t wanna be treated special.”

“The Rainbow Dash doesn’t want to be treated special?”

“Not like- Not like superstar special, I mean…” She groaned. “I don’t wanna be treated special because I’m dating you. I want our friends to be our friends, and I don’t want them to be… oogling over us. Is oogling a word?”

“No, but it sounds like it’s the right one.”

“Okay.” Rainbow sighed. “Gah! Why does talking have to be so hard?” She whined. “I don’t know how much of Equestria I want to tell, you know? Like, how would my parents-” Suddenly, Rainbow shot up as a numbing cold sensation wafted over her body. “Celestia, my parents!” She shouted, a little louder than what Twilight would deem stealthy. “Ohmygosh, how are my parents going to react-”

“That’s enough!” Twilight leaned forwards and bear-hugged around Rainbow, pinning her wings down, and taking her back to the ground. They both landed with an umph, letting Twilight hold control, even if Rainbow was probably physically more powerful than her. “That’s… that’s enough thinking for today, okay? Just… one step at a time, okay?” Rainbow muttered something incomprehensible, her parents still fresh on her mind, but nodded none the less. “Okay… let’s start simple. Who do you want to tell first.”

“Fluttershy.” She responded with zero hesitation. She wormed out of Twilight’s clutches and turned around on the grassy ground to face her. “She’s known me for the longest. She’d understand me. After that, uh, Pinkie. Definitely Pinkie. Then Applejack, and Rarity goes last.” Rainbow shivered. “Rarity’s last because I really don’t wanna be in a dress while we still gotta tell the rest of our friends.”

“Okay then.” Twilight smiled softly, leaving Rainbow feeling her stomach turn from dreading to a sudden high butterfly feeling. “Then we’ll tell Fluttershy. Tomorrow?”

“Today.” Rainbow responded with a little more hesitation. “I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight. It’s… better to do it quick, and uh, all in a row.” She let out a cough that may or may not have been a way to cover the really quick and soft: “I love you, Twi.”

But Twilight was a little too quick, picking up on the strange cough.

“I love you too, Dashie.”

Then, like the ending of a picture book, with the beautiful sunlight streaming through the canopy of leaves dancing on eachother’s faces, Rainbow leaned in and gave Twilight a kiss. Twilight leaned away for half a second, not expecting it, but it didn’t take much more convincing to make her lean in, too. And just like that, Rainbow and Twilight revealed to all of their friends that they were dating, and everypony lived happily ever after.

Except, the real world doesn’t usually end up working out like that, does it?

*Crack!*

“Gah!”

*Thump!*

“Oof!”

Rainbow wasn’t even aware that she had closed her eyes. But, when she heard the familiar sounds of a tree branch snapping off, her eyes shot wide open. She accidentally pushed air into Twilight’s mouth in surprise, leaving Twilight sputtering and pulling away, wiping her muzzle and scrunching her face into a disgusted frown. Rainbow was on the sound, shooting her body into a defensive position and pulling her marefriend behind her spread wings.

“Who’s-!” Rainbow’s words died in her mouth as she laid her eyes on the two or three figures laying on the ground, slowly untangling themselves from one another. Rainbow felt a rock drop into her stomach as her eyes slowly expanded in recognition and shock.

“Ugh- that’s the last time all three of us are gonna sit on the same branch…” A familiar voice groaned. The voice was so similar, in fact, that Rainbow involuntarily gasped and took a few backs, bumping into Twilight.

“Rainbow, what is wrong with-” Twilight recovered enough to look up, gasping similarily. “Oh. Oh, no no no no!”

The filly grabbed her pink bow laying on the ground and reattached it to her red mane. The other filly fluffed her tiny wings out, letting the dirt in between her feathers flitter to the ground. Rainbow Dash gulped.

“Ah, geez, Scoots!” Applebloom grunted, brushing the dirt off of her shoulder. “Ah’ told ya not to go that far up the branch! It was bound’ta crack!”

“It’s not my fault!” Scootaloo huffed, stretching like a cat, her joints popping from being up on the tree branch for such a long time. “If Sweetie wasn’t taking up half of the branch, I wouldn’t have gone that far down!” Scootaloo said defensively. She rubbed her nose, turning to look at both Rainbow and Twilight. Similarily to both of them, her eyes shunk. “O-Oh! Uh, hey, guys!” Applebloom straightened her spine and tried her hardest to flash an innocent smile.

“Scootaloo? Applebloom?” Rainbow gulped again. “W-What are you two doing out here? And, uh- h-how much of that did you see?” Twilight casted a wayward glance, noticing the sheen of sweat on Rainbow’s forehead.

“Well, we saw you two eatin’ face.” Applebloom stated bluntly. Twilight blushed and looked away, while Rainbow was forced by her own will to stare with a slack jaw in shock. “Twilight, ah’ didn’t take you as the romantic type.”

“W-Well, uh, you see-” Twilight stuttered, still blushing.

“And Dash?” Scootaloo asked. Rainbow paled, a thousand different scenarios going through her head. Rainbow was Scootaloo’s hero. She was the brave wanna-be Wonderbolt. Would Scootaloo see her hero’s illusion shatter into that of a normal, everyday mare? Or maybe even something worse- a desperate and broken mare, who had home problems, and needed somepony’s shoulder to cry on every once in a while. After all, it was common knowledge that cool ponies didn’t cry.

“Y-Yeah?” Rainbow responded nervously. Scootaloo pursed her lip, and Rainbow felt Scootaloo’s eyes look her up and down. It made her feel strangely uncomfortable, being stared in the way that she was. She was used to being watched, but in this context, it felt very different. Almost malicious.

“Do you really love Twilight?” Scootaloo asked. Rainbow, almost unnoticeably, cocked her head.

“W-Well, I mean…” She lowered her head in shame. “Y-Yeah…”

“Huh.” Scootaloo nodded. “S’cool.”

“What?” Rainbow bopped her head back up, her ears twitching as if she hadn’t heard the filly right. “What do you mean, ‘cool?’”

“I mean, it’s cool.” Scootaloo shrugged. “I mean, I’m more of a colt’s filly myself, but uh,” She shrugged again. “You do you, and that’s cool.” Rainbow raised her eyebrows in shock. Looking back now, she wasn’t exactly sure what she was afraid of. After all, Scootaloo was her number one fan. And that meant the filly was still admiring her.

“E-Even after I, uh,” Rainbow casted a wayward glance at Twilight, who similarly had an expression of shock. “Uh, kinda got all sappy there, for a moment?”

“I mean…” Scootaloo tilted her head. “That was kinda… I mean, I felt weird watching it, you know? Sweetie Belle was crying, but-”

“Ah’ somehow always knew.” Applebloom interrupted, looking between the two and slowly approaching Twilight. Twilight laughed nervously, brushing her mane out of her eyes as she darted them around. “Ah’ knew ya’ll would be int’a mares.” She said, mostly directing it at Twilight.

“Oh, yeah, right.” Twilight rolled her eyes, feeling as if most of the danger of the conversation had passed. “You had no idea, Applebloom.”

“Ah’ did to!” She stomped her little hoof onto the ground. “No mare can keep their eyes off’a mah’ brother. That’s why ah’ keep a broom handy when ah’m helpin’ at the stall. But you two?” She looked between Rainbow and Twilight. “Both of ya’ll? Ah’ve seen Twi’ talk with Big Mac like, six times at most, and Rainbow literally ignores him whenever she comes over for a nap.”

"I talk to Big Mac! I just, nod and wave, you know?"

“Well…” Twilight frowned, shuffling her hooves. “I’ll have you know that, uh, I identify as… Bisexual…”

“Bi-whatnow?” Applebloom asked.

“It means she loves sex.” Scootaloo leaned over and whispered into Applebloom’s ear.

“W-What?” A sudden furious blush erupted over Twilight’s face as Rainbow choked on air. “No! How do you even- No! It means I don’t mind either males or females.” She nodded towards Rainbow, who snapped out of her choking. “She’s the gay one.”

“I am extremely gay.” Rainbow nodded. And, strangely, for the first time in what felt like a long, long time, she felt a familiar sense of pride filling her chest as she smiled. But, time for being happy about being accepted by Scootaloo came later. Right now, Rainbow had questions. “Why were you two spying on us?” She asked, leaning down low and staring at the two crusaders angrily. “What’s the big idea here, guys? Some kinda Cutiemark scheme?”

“No, promise!” Scootaloo took a step back from the suddenly angry Rainbow. “We were just curious! Applebloom was the one who discovered you, and I just wanted to see for myself.” She swore up and down, doing something that looked similar to a Pinkie-promise with her hooves.

“Although…” Applebloom laughed, rubbing the mane behind her head. “I, uh, did kinda let er’ slip to AJ that, uh, not specifically you two, but uh, two of her friends were dating?” She let out another nervous laugh, fiddling with her hooves. “And AJ went to Rarity’s for help?”

“Oh.” Rainbow felt all of the pride in her chest vanish. “Oh, that’s… not good.”

“Rarity’s obviously figured it out by now.” Twilight took a step forwards. “Rainbow, I think we’re already exposed…”

“No!” Rainbow shook her head. “Are you kidding me?” She asked, turning to face Twilight head-on. “If Rarity knew it was the two of us, she’d be all up in our grill! ‘Oh, Rainbow, won’t you come have some measurements taken?’ Trust me, Rarity has not figured us out yet.”

“Well…” Twilight bit her lip, and faced the two crusaders. “I need you two to promise us something, okay?” The two crusaders exchanged glances, but stayed silent. “You cannot tell another soul about us until we’re ready, okay?” Applebloom nodded, content with the promise, but unfortunately, Scootaloo raised her eyebrow and observed both ponies.

“What’s in it for us?” She asked cryptically.

“Scootaloo, don’t do this…” Rainbow whined, feeling where pride used to reside in her chest slowly turn into dread.

“I mean, seriously!” Scootaloo split into a smile, elbowing Applebloom, who was now looking at Scootaloo like she was crazy. “We can make demands!” She laughed. “I won’t tell anypony if I get a new scooter. How about that? A-And not a cheap one, no- one with the, err, the brakes on the back, right? And it needs to be painted purple, and-”

“Scootaloo, I know you take dance class.” Rainbow said.

Scootaloo’s jaw fell open. As did Applebloom’s, who slowly turned to look at Scootaloo with wide eyes.

“H-How did you know I do ballet?”

“Ballet?” Rainbow blinked. “I… didn’t know that part.” Scootaloo’s demeanor changed from demand-maker to a sudden guilty and nervous filly. “But now I do. I learned it from a poster in Sugarcube Corner.”

“Those dang- ugh!” Scootaloo stomped her hoof. “I told them to leave me out of the posters! Especially in Ponyville!” She frowned, guiltily raising her eyes to Dash. “D-Do you, uh, think I’m less awesome because of the… ballet thing?”

“Do you think I’m less awesome because I’m dating Twi?”

“...no?”

“Then no.” Rainbow smirked. Then, in a flash, one that made Scootaloo squeak in surprise, she suddenly found herself being wrapped in a hug by the great and powerful Rainbow Dash. “You don’t tell anypony about us, and I won’t tell anypony about your ballet classes, ‘kay?”

“kay…” Scootaloo sighed, squirming out of Rainbow’s grasp.

“Ballet?” Applebloom whispered to herself. “Celestia, that’s somethin’ that Sweetie Belle would do, not you, Scoot-” Then, Applebloom stopped talking, her eyes expanding in size like she had just realized she left the oven on.

“What’s wrong?” Twilight asked, almost immediately picking up on Applebloom’s change in demeanor. Applebloom responded by looking around the immediate area wildly, her eyes scanning up and down the entire line of trees. “Applebloom, what’s wrong?”

“Sweetie Belle.” She responded, looking up at the tree. “She was with us when we’re up in the tree.”

“What?” Rainbow exclaimed, suddenly finding herself a few feet hovering above the ground. “D-Did she see us?”

“Yeah!” Scootaloo said, also jumping up and looking around. “Where the hay is Sweetie Belle? I was kinda distracted by you, Dash.” Scootaloo similarly gasped. “Oh, what if she tells Rarity?”

“Not Rarity!” Rainbow yelled. “Anypony but Rarity!” Then, in a blur of rainbow’s, she was gone, leaving the rest of the ponies blinking in her wake.

“Well, that was-”

Then, she was back.

“Sorry, I forgot!” She pecked a surprised Twilight on the lips, scooping her up in her hooves, and once again disappearing in a mix of purple and Rainbow. The two fillies were left to their own devices, watching the blur slowly vanish in the distance.

“So…” Scootaloo pursed her lips, looking around. “Uh, so, we’re both fillies, right?”

“Uh-huh.”

“And, uh, they were kissing, and stuff.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think…?”

“Scoots, I will personally break your muzzle if you try anything.”

06 - RARITY

Sweetie Belle was Rarity’s sister, so it wasn’t that far of a logical leap to assume that she had seen sides of her sister that nopony alive had ever seen before. She had watched as her sister jumped in exuberation as an idea struck her head, and she had watched her lock herself in her designing room for hours at a time as she worked overtime to get an entire store’s worth of dresses out in time. She had seen her sad, happy, distressed, and angry. But, in all of her time living with Rarity, Sweetie had never seen the side of business.

Rarity sat at the coffee table, her eyes cold and calculating as her hooves interlocked with one on top of the other. She was reading Sweetie Belle like a book, whether or not Sweetie Belle wanted her to see her like one. After teasing her with information she would’ve wanted, Rarity begun to lock the filly down like a business deal. Sweetie would’ve preferred the Rarity she was used to, being over the moon with joy in this moment. But, instead, it seemed like Rarity was going everything in her ability to control the situation.

“What do you want in exchange for this information?” Rarity asked in a careful, level, and even tone. It was dull and boring, devoid of any Canterlot mannerisms she might’ve picked up over the years. Sweetie Belle, despite being the one who approached Rarity in the beginning, felt as if she was trapped in the boutique that was formerly her home. She gulped, scootching her eyes away from Rarity carefully.

“I- uh- I didn’t think I’d get this far…” She admitted mostly to herself, even if Rarity did hear, adjusting herself and sitting up straighter. If she wasn’t before, her eyes were now focusing directly on the filly instead of through her. It did little to loosen Sweetie’s nerves, however, about the situation. A thin bead of sweat fell down, not Sweetie’s forehead, but rather Rarity’s.

“Anything you want, dear.” Rarity said in that same robotic and drab tone of voice.

“I want, uh…” Sweetie Belle was a filly of wants. Although she wasn’t spoiled, as ‘no’ was something she was used to hearing, she still had the tendency to ask for things. A shiny toy in the window of a toy store, a gumball out of the gumball machine, etcetera. But now, being put on the spot like this, all of those things she used to want suddenly vanished quicker than she vanished from that tree branch earlier. After all, Twilight teaching Sweetie Belle how to teleport was the worst decision she would ever make. She was left simply staring blankly at Rarity.

Although…
Sugarcube Corner sounds reaallly good right about now…

“I want…” Sweetie mused very slowly. Rarity, if she had claws, would’ve been putting indent marks in the table where her hooves sat. But her years spent perfecting her negotiation skills were being put to the test and forcing her to imitate that of a statue, refusing her any leeway of showing her emotions. “I want a double-chocolate-deluxe-cherry-banana-split-made-by-Pinkie-Pie.” She said in one, long breath.

Rarity blinked.

“Does it have to be made by Pinkie-”

“Yes.”

“Alright, then.” Rarity took a deep breath. Although she was a master in the arts of business practice, she would be the first to admit that the anticipation was starting to show it’s cracks through her calm demeanor. “After you tell me who’s dating who, I’ll get you your double-cherry… deluxe… thing.” In the first bit of emotion she had shown Sweetie since they sat down, Rarity leaned forwards eagerly and let a twitching smile envelop her face. “Who is it.” She asked.

Sweetie Belle bit her tongue, looking around the boutique in contemplation. Regret was itching away at her head as she thought over the conversation. After all, was she willing to give up the couple’s biggest and darkest secret in exchange for a simple, meaningless banana split that would be gone within the hour?

Yes.

“It’sTwilightandRainbowDash!”

There was a slight choking sound as Rarity leaned far back in her spot on the floor, her eyes expanding several orders of magnitude larger than any normal pony’s eyes should expand. Her jaw unhinged as she stared blankly at Sweetie, with her head cocked to one side. Her hooves fell from the coffee table, staring at Sweetie in shock.

“T-Twilight? A-And… Are you sure?” She whispered. Sweetie Belle nodded.

“I saw them with my eyes. They were sitting under an apple tree, and Twilight was holding Rainbow close to her chest, like… err…” She looked around the room and spotted a discarded stuffed animal that definitely wasn't hers in the corner. Sweetie Belle focused, her horn sputtering to life as the little animal was lifted in a soft, green aura.

Then, it shot across the room quicker than a bullet, landing into Sweetie’s hooves. Twilight did say she had ‘great magical potential,’ or whatever. She cleared her throat, turning back to Rarity. She leaned back, placing the animal somewhere on her stomach and held it tight.

“They were sitting like this.” She explained. Rarity watched, her gaze of confusion slowly dropping into one of understanding. “She was holding Rainbow- so I would be Twilight, right? She was holding Rainbow like this, and Rainbow was going on and on about how sad she was, and…” Sweetie Belle cocked her head to the side as she watched Rarity’s slowly morph into an angry one. “Uh… you alright?”

“How could’ve I…” Rarity stood up from the coffee table, anger clearly evident on her face. Sweetie Belle gulped as Rarity illuminated her own horn, plucking a scroll from the pile of them she had left on the floor since yesterday. “I… I should’ve seen the signs…”

“Rarity, what are you doing? What signs?” Sweetie asked. Whether or not she heard her was a question for another day. Rarity carefully used her magic to unroll the scroll.

“I should’ve…” Sweetie gained an element of concern as the scroll had a drawing of Twilight and Rainbow Dash in the exact same pose she had not only seen them doing, but also the one she had just mimicked to Rarity. “I should’ve known you had no idea what you were talking about.”

“Wh- huh?” Sweetie asked. “What in the hay are you talking-”

“Look, see?” Rarity levitated the scroll closer to Sweetie Belle. “I drew this. Notice their poses?” Sweetie nodded, still not entirely sure where this was going. “It’s obvious that you simply hoofed through my drawings, found one you fancied, and then tried to extort me out of a banana split!”

“What?” Sweetie shouted. Rarity gave her a deep glare. “I- I didn’t do that! It’s just a coincidence! Why would I lie about something so big?!”

“I don’t know, Sweetie. Why did you?” Rarity huffed, rolling up the scroll. “Oh, please. Did you seriously think that I would believe Twilight Sparkle found somepony special? As if. That pony is as love-blind as, as Applejack so eloquently put it, a pigeon with a blindfold. I can’t believe you thought I was this gullible.” Rarity was mad, but she slowly seemed to be cooling off into a dissapointed parent rather than an irate sister.

“B- But… I saw it!”

“And please,” Rarity turned, shooting her one last angry side-eye. “You are not getting your banana split.”

“Oh, come on!”

Just as the words left her mouth, however, and before Sweetie was about to come up with another retort, there was a huge bang reminiscent of an explosion sound from one of the windows leading into the room. Both Sweetie and Rarity jumped in surprise, turning to look as, miraculously, the window wasn’t shattered by the rainbow blur that now found home on Rarity’s carpet.

Rarity, for the second time that day, found herself staring slack jawed as she slowly realized that the rainbow blur was in fact Rainbow Dash, like a prince out of a storybook, holding Twilight like the princess she had just rescued out of a tower.

“Rarity!” Rainbow shouted, gently setting Twilight onto the ground. She looked dazed, rocking back and forth as Rainbow took the lead, closing the distance between the slack jawed white Unicorn and the Pegasus. “Look- we wanted- or, we were gonna tell you today, but the crusaders saw us kissing, and I’m so, so, so sorry you had to find out through Sweetie, but if you’ll please give us a few minutes to explain everything, I promise it’ll all make sense, okay?” Rainbow shouted directly at Rarity. In any other context, Rarity would’ve been angry at the intruding Pegasus, perhaps clamping her ears to her head out of fear of her hearing being damaged. Instead, she was as still as a statue, her eyes expanded to the size of dinner plates.

“Uh, guys, she didn’t actually believe me.” Sweetie said from halfway across the room. Rarity looked around Rarity’s head at Sweetie, sitting on the ground. Twilight had recovered from her daze, shaking her head and finding Sweetie with her eyes.

“She… didn’t?” Twilight asked, beginning to trot forwards. “Wait… does that mean-”

“You two are DATING?!” Rarity suddenly screeched, vibrating the building with her shout. Rainbow jumped, her wings flapping herself away from Rarity and closer to Twilight. “You two are- da- gah- oh- oh my- gr- ea-”

“I think you overloaded Rarity.” Sweetie observed. With a gulp, both mares nodded, both taking a step back. Twilight stopped shorter than Rainbow, who had already made it to the window, when her rear hoof crunched onto a loose scroll. Her magic ignited and she plucked the scroll out from under her and unraveled it. Twilight immediately paled.

“Oh no!” Twilight turned the scroll around. “Rainbow, look!” Rainbow quickly glanced away from the window, similarly feeling the color drain from her face as her eyes quickly read over the drawing. “She was designing dresses for us!”

“Sweet Celestia!” Rainbow looked back at Rarity, who was still sputtering as her world slowly collapsed around her. “Twi’, we gotta get out of here before-” Rainbow paused her sentence as she realized her entire vision was suddenly dyed a light baby blue. “Huh? What’s-” Against her will, she felt her hooves slide until she was facing Rarity. Her horn was ignited, the source of the color coming from her, with a devious smile spread across her face. One that made Rainbow start to sweat cold.

“Oh, you two lovebirds aren’t going anywhere.” Her smile was dark and dangerous as she slowly approached the stone-still Rainbow, who was suddenly realizing that she couldn’t break free from Rarity’s magic. “Do you even begin to understand what this means? Your two palettes match perfectly! Her eyes, your coat- it’s like you two were made for each other!” She laughed manically. “All I need is a few, little, enny-teeny-tiny measurements…”

“Oh, buck me.” Rainbow whined. Rarity laughed again, seemingly taking pride in the distress she was causing Rainbow. For a moment, all Rainbow could see was Rarity’s maniacal face, and perhaps out of the corner of her eye, Sweetie Belle slowly realizing exactly what she had caused.

Then, it was all gone.

For the second time that day, her vision’s light baby blue was forcibly disbanded and replaced with a purple hue. There was an ear-splitting crack, and suddenly, her hooves hit wooden floorboards. Which was strange, as no less than two seconds earlier, she had become accommodated to Rarity’s plush white carpet. She stumbled forwards a few steps, no longer being held by Rarity’s magic, and slowly realized that this was no longer Rarity’s loft, but rather Twilight’s bedroom.

“Woah!” Rainbow blinked, rubbing her eyes as she looked around the familiar room. “Was that was teleporting feels like? It’s so… sudden. I thought there’d be more, like, noise and stuff.”

“Honestly, that’s what a lot of ponies say.” Twilight trotted next to Rainbow, rubbing her forehead in pain. “Whoo. That took a lot out of me.” She cringed. “I’m not used to displacing two ponies like that. Nor jumping so far away…”

“Oh, Twi!” Rainbow smiled in her definition of ‘softly.’ “You didn’t have to do that. I could’ve, I dunno, karate-kicked my way out of there. But, you know, thanks anyways. Rarity was looking a liiitle bit evil there.” She reached up to brush Twilight’s forehead lovingly. Instead, the top of her fetlock brushed against the base of Twilight’s horn. She yelped, ripping her hoof away. “Gah! What the hay?!”

“Yeah.” Twilight nodded. “Horn hurts.”

“Horn hurts? Twi, why is your horn, like, a bajillion degrees?” Rainbow said quickly. “Twi, are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Unicorns can handle it.” Twilight said, but she still had a faint cringe present on her face. “Like I said, I’m not used to displacing two ponies at once, so I had to put a little extra energy into the spell. But I’m physically not used to it, so a lot of the extra effort comes out as heat.”

“But…” Rainbow lowered her head, approaching her slowly and settling her hoof onto her shoulder. “Are you okay?”

“This is the second time you asked that.” Twilight rolled her eyes, but still had a smile. She grabbed Rainbow’s hoof and moved it off of her shoulder and held it reassuringly between the two of them. “I’m fine, Dashie.” Her smile faded as her face turned dire. “But Rarity knows about us. And knowing Rarity, she’s going to tell everypony. Well, not everypony, but all of our friends, at least.”

“Okay…” Rainbow swallowed. “Then, I guess… we’ll just have to tell them first!” Rainbow straightened up, standing tall and confidentially. “I mean, we already planned on it, but I guess we’ll just have to be quicker than her!”

“Are you ready for-”

“Of course I am ready!” Rainbow shouted a little louder than she meant to. Twilight took a step back, but sighed anyways, looking back at her with determination.

“Alright. Let’s get going, then.” Twilight began trotting out of her room and down the staircase, Rainbow following just behind her. “I’m not going to be able to teleport us. Rainbow, can you fly us?”

“I can try.” Rainbow said less confidentially than she usually shone. “I’ll get tired, but I think it’ll still be quicker than running.”

“If you’re sure.”

“Wait!” Rainbow suddenly shouted, coming to a crawl on the floor. Twilight jumped, turning to face her. “Where’s Spike? He should come with us!”

“Spike missed a test yesterday, so he’s making it up at the school.” Twilight quickly said. “Now, come on!”

“Wait!” She said again. Twilight stopped once more, groaning as she turned around. “Since when did Spike go to school?”

“He’s a baby dragon, Rainbow. Of course he goes to school.” She began trotting once more. “You probably never noticed because you wake up at the same time he gets out of school.”

“Huh.” Rainbow nodded. “I… guess that makes sense…”

“Now come on. Rarity’s probably told half of our friends already.”

07 - PINKIE

The first stop the couple went to was Sugarcube Corner. After all, if anypony had a right to know about them, it would be Pinkie. Plus, Rainbow had somewhat suggested that she was dating a mare to her yesterday, and Pinkie probably already had an idea of who it was.

The reality, however, couldn’t be farther from the truth.

To put it mildly, Pinkie was inconsolable.

“Pinkie- we-”

Rainbow couldn’t get a single word in. She turned to look at Twilight, who was standing awkwardly behind her in the middle of Pinkie’s room. Twilight merely shifted her weight from side to side, giving Rainbow a desperate look. Rainbow tried to mouth ‘help me!’ to Twilight, but whether or not Twilight saw her, or simply pretended not to notice, she didn’t know. Instead, with a reserved sigh, and a slow turn of her head, she faced Pinkie again.

“Look- we were going to tell you eventually-”

“I-I-I missed so many anniversaries!”

“Pinks-”

“A-And I-I could’ve baked you such a big cake-”

“Pinkie-”

“I-I-I don’t even know what your couple-food is!”

“I-”

“Do you know what a couple-food is?!” Pinkie suddenly yelled, rocketing to her hooves. Suddenly, all Rainbow could see was Pinkies bright blue eyes full of tears, millimeters away from Rainbow’s eyes. Rainbow involuntarily let out a dog-like yipe, falling back onto her haunches as Pinkie got even closer. “Do you?? Because I don’t know your couple-food, Dash! What kind of party planner am I if I don’t know your couple-food?!”

“Um… what’s a ‘couple-food?’” Twilight asked quite daringly. Pinkie stopped looking at Dash, who was cowering under Pinkie’s suddenly very intimidating earth-pony stature, and glanced up at Twilight. Twilight, realizing that she had just gotten Pinkie’s attention, let out a very nervous smile.

“You’re telling me you don’t know what a couple-food is?” Pinkie said very quietly with a sniffle. Twilight kept up her smile as Pinkie slowly moved around Dash, carefully walking in a steady motion towards Twilight. “You… don’t know what couple-food is?”

“I-” Twilight gulped heavily. “...should I?”

“YOU DON’T-” Pinkie almost began yelling, but caught herself. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. “Couple-food is a type of food that couples share. It doesn’t have to be the favorite of either or pony, but a food that compliments the flavor of both ponies.”

Twilight and Rainbow caught each other’s eyes. Rainbow sitting on the ground, looking up with a concerned expression, and Twilight with a confused expression.

“So…” Twilight experimentally began. “You’re not mad that we’re dating, or anything?”

“Mad?” Pinkie asked, her shoulders falling slightly. “Why would I be mad?”

“Dude. You literally just yelled at us.” Rainbow responded from the ground behind her.

“Yeah, for couple-foods!” Pinkie responded hastily. “Look- All I know is that two of my best friends are dating right now, and I have to figure out a couple-food!” Pinkie’s shoulders suddenly sagged. “And I missed so many anniversaries!” She pouted sadly.

Rainbow mouthed emptily for a moment, before quickly standing up. With a swift flap of her wings to cross the distance quicker, she rested a hoof on Pinkie’s back.

“Hey, listen. Maybe we should’ve told you sooner, maybe not. But you didn’t miss any anniversaries! Because you’ve not given up yet. You still have time to do… um… make-up anniversaries!”

Twilight balked. Pinkie’s ears twitched.

“Yeah, that’s right!” Rainbow started again. “And you can make those parties bigger and better!”

“Rainbow, why…” Twilight whispered.

“Imagine it, Pinks! A make-up anniversary!”

Pinkie seemed to mull the idea over in her head a few times. She took a few seconds to chew the inside of her cheek as she began trotting in a large circle around her room. Rainbow couldn’t help but notice that Twilight was staring at her with wide eyes, almost communicating ‘What have you done’ with nothing but her facial expression. Eventually, however, Pinkie stopped her trotting and turned to face the two ponies.

“...how big can I make this ‘make-up anniversay?’”

“As big as you-” Rainbow began.

“MEDIUM.” Twilight suddenly interrupted, using her magic to clamp Rainbow’s mouth shut. “Medium sized party.” She said with a forced smile. “Not a big party, but a medium party. And only when we are willing to tell the rest of Ponyville about us.”

Pinkie, once again, began mulling it over.

“...why don’t you want to tell Ponyville about you two?” She questioned innocently, a genuine confused expression dawning her face. Rainbow and Twilight exchanged similar confused expressions.

“Well… for starters, Rainbow doesn’t like to be mushy.” Twilight began.

“Hey!” Rainbow finally stood up from her spot. “I never said that. I mean, I like being mushy around you, but not other ponies.” Rainbow approached Twilight’s side, draping a wing over her back.

“That’s literally just what I said!”

“Did not!

“Did too!”

“Did not!”

“Did-”

“It’s almost like you two were made for eachother!” Pinkie’s eyelashes fluttered as she made a ‘daww’ sound. Rainbow cleared her throat.

“And, uh, not all ponies are very open to the idea of two mares…” Rainbow tilted her head side-to-side. It was almost like trying to dumm down her words for a foal. “...getting together. And not everypony might approve of us. We just want to make sure that we’re right for each other and, uh, be… willing for each other? Be… be ready… be…”

“Committed.” Twilight finished. “Make sure that we’re committed for the relationship.”

“Yeah, that.” Rainbow smiled goofily, leaning her head into Twilight’s neck. Pinkie watched from her spot across the room, her confused expression still apparent. Rainbow didn’t like the feeling of knowing that Pinkie was watching her, sending shivers up and down her spine, so she stopped leaning into Twilight and cleared her throat. “So, uh, yeah. Please wait on the parties.”

“You two are just so…” Pinkie struggled to find the words, her lips moving up and down while speaking nothing. “Are just so… right.” She mumbled. “I… I don’t know how I didn’t see it sooner…” She sniffled, nodding her head up and down. “Alright, you two. I can wait.” She creased her lip. “But not too long. If I miss your three month anniversary, I’m going to scream.”

Rainbow and Twilight looked at each other nervously. Pinkie’s eyelid twitched.

“-if I miss your six month anniversary, I’m going to scream.”

Rainbow and Twilight smiled at each other.

“Sounds like a done deal, Pinks.” Rainbow said, folding her wing back away from Twilight and approaching the pink menace. Rainbow put her hoof on Pinkie’s shoulder when she got close enough, staring directly into her eyes. “And, uh, thanks for being so cool about it. We were kinda forced to tell you about our relationship, and- omph!”

Suddenly, Pinkie gripped Rainbow in a hug. Not a typical Pinkie-Spine-Crushing-Hug, but a genuine, firm hug.

“Your secrets are safe with me!” Pinkie said cheerfully. Then, her eyes snapped open widely, staring at Twilight past Rainbow’s mane. “Oh, um, I didn’t mean to steal your mare, Twilight…”

Rainbow immediately broke the hug, pushing Pinkie away. “Her mare?”

“Not a problem, Pinkie.” Twilight giggled lightly. “You can hug my mare as much as you want.”

“Your mare?”

Twilight took in a deep breath and let it out. Considering the fact that they were sprinting to Sugarcube Corner no less than 10 minutes ago, all in all, this turned out spectacularly well. Of course, was there a question of how Pinkie would take the news? Twilight thought no, considering the pink party pony loved everypony equally. But breaking down into tears made Twilight think something was terribly wrong – No, it was just her missing their ‘anniversaries’ or ‘couple-food,’ something that Twilight and Rainbow would no doubt be forced to figure out by Pinkie’s hoof later.

But for now, they bid their farewell to Pinkie, and began heading downstairs and out of Sugarcube Corner with a single pony on their minds. Fluttershy.

Applejack had just thrown on her yoke to go help Big Mac plow some fields when she noticed two blurry white figures creeping up the gate to Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack paused on her porch, still adjusting the yoke, and watched as two familiar ponies began slowly entering earshot.

“-I told you, I told you, I told you, I told-”

“Yes, Sweetie Belle. You told me.” Rarity sighed loudly.

“-I told you, I told you, I told-” Sweetie Belle was repeating the phrase, bouncing up and down like a spring toy by Rarity’s side as they both approached the Sweet Apple Acres barn. Despite Rarity being so appearance-focused, it seemed that Sweetie Belle had actually managed to mess up a few hairs on Rarity’s mane into curling at a slightly different angle. Applejack suppressed a laugh as a somewhat defeated Rarity stopped in front of Applejack’s porch, looking up to Applejack at her slightly elevated position.

“It’s Twilight and Rainbow Dash.” Rarity stated simply.

“Hogwash.” Applejack responded curtly. “Twilight don’t got a lick of romance in her bones. Ain’t no damn way she managed to hook Rainbow Dash.” This time, Applejack didn’t suppress her laugh, letting out a loud Ha!

“They told me to my face.” Rarity said simply, trying to ignore Sweetie Belle, who was now talking about ice-cream. This got Applejack’s attention, who stopped laughing and stared directly at Rarity.

“Yer’ kiddin’ me.” Applejack let out another laugh, except this one wasn’t from a place of humor, but rather exasperation. “Yer’ kiddin’, right?”

“I am not.” Rarity’s ragged expression momentarily gave way to one of excitement. “Oh, Applejack, you simply must have seen them!” Her grin looked like it could split her face in two. “Augh- They both looked so cute together! It just gets my poor little heart racing every time I think about it!” Rarity shed a tear, wiping it away with her hoof.

Applejack stared for a few moments longer, unable to properly digest the information presented to her. She knew it was a matter of time before one of her friends began dating – hay, it might even been herself- but two of her friends dating each other? That wasn’t a possibility she had ever considered until just now.

What was their friend group going to be like now? Four ponies sitting awkwardly as Rainbow and Twilight ate face? Four third wheels to a date wherever they went? It sent shivers down Applejack's spine just thinking about how awkward it would be.

Not to mention the elephant in the room, of course.

“...two mares, huh?” Applejack wondered out loud.

“...Applejack?” Rarity began slowly. Applejack hadn’t even realized she was in a trance until Rarity’s voice brought her out of it. Looking back at Rarity, Applejack couldn’t help but notice the guarded expression that Rarity currently held, looking at her. “Back when we were, ah, getting reconnaissance for our mission in Sugarcube Corner, you mentioned…” Rarity made a small motion with her hoof. “One plus zero. And zero plus zero.” Rarity raised her eyebrow. “Do you care to elaborate?”

Applejack sucked air between her teeth.

“...I mean…” Applejack adjusted her yoke nervously. “I don’t got no problem with gay couples, okay?” Rarity’s eyes slitted. “I mean… It just doesn’t work.”

“Hm.” Rarity’s eyes stayed slitted. Sweetie Belle, who was bouncing around Rarity two seconds prior was now still, also intently listening to the conversation. “Elaborate.”

“Again?” Applejack huffed. “I mean, there ain’t much more to elaborate about!” Applejack took her stetson off, smoothing her hair before putting it back on. “Ah’ mean, first of all, mares and stallions get together, not mares and mares or stallions and stallions. It ain’t never been like that. Secondly, mares don’t feel attraction to other mares. That’s just ain’t how it works. Thirdly-”

“Stop.” Rarity held up a hoof. She used that same hoof to massage her temple. “...please repeat your second point, dear.” Applejack cocked her head to the side.

“...mares don’t feel attraction to other mares?”

Rarity was silent for a moment, staring up at Applejack. Applejack had a feeling that she was very carefully choosing her next words. As a matter of fact, Applejack could practically see the thought process playing out across her features.

“You don’t feel attraction to other mares.” Rarity finally said.

“...what?”

“You don’t.” Rarity repeated. “Others do. Applejack, I can tell you’re not trying to be hostile. But this closed worldview isn’t doing anypony any favors. Just because you don’t feel any attraction doesn’t mean others don’t, too, darling.” Now, it was Applejack’s turn to mull over Rarity’s words. If she had a straw in her mouth, she would’ve been ferociously chewing on it.

“...Do you?” Applejack asked slowly. “Do you feel things towards other mares, Rares?”

“No.” She responded with a sigh. “I don’t, Applejack. But I can appreciate a great body when I see one, but I can hardly say that I’ve ever felt attraction towards another mare.”

They both fell into silence, neither exactly sure where to go from here. Applejack had a lot to think about, but at the same time, Rarity didn’t know what to say to convince her otherwise. The continuation of the conversation, and the breaker of award silences, came from an unexpected source.

“Why don’t you ask them yourselves?” Sweetie Belle piped up. Rarity jumped slightly, turning to look at her sister, whom she had forgotten existed until now. “I mean, you seem confused about the whole thing. You’re not trying to be evil or anything. You were, I don’t know, raised that way? And now you’re having a hard time thinking outside the box?” Sweetie shrugged. “Go ask Twilight and Rainbow about it. And if you’re having a hard time after that, I don’t know, go eat a pine cone or something.”

“Sweetie-” Rarity grumbled. “Yes. She has a point, Applejack.” Rarity looked at her once more. “Perhaps it’s your predefined familial history that is making you confused. You were raised thinking one plus zero equals one. Everypony you ever knew was one plus zero growing up. So I say you should take Sweetie’s advice, and go talk to them.”

Applejack stared. Then, she mumbled something about ‘farm work.’ With a hefty sigh, she heaved off her yoke and set it carefully on the porch.

“Aight, fine.” She said. “I spose I should go talk to Twilight an’ Rainbow. Figure out what makes em’ tick.”

“Splendid!” Rarity beamed with a smile. “Perhaps you should join me on the walk back to Ponyville? Somepony here is very interested in getting a… um… oh, I forget. Some kind of ice-cream-”

“I want a double-chocolate-deluxe-cherry-” Sweetie began belting out, before Rarity used her magic to clamp around Sweetie’s muzzle.

“Thank. You. For reminding me.” Rarity said through gritted teeth. “Come along, Applejack!” She said wistfully, taking off along next to Sweetie Belle, who was back to bouncing up and down.

But Applejack took a moment to linger behind them. She frowned, partially due to concern about her impending conversation with Twilight and Rainbow, but also partially because she was now attempting to look at Rarity in a different light. Applejack squinted as she started at Rarity. She turned her head to the side. She even tried lowering her head down to get a different perspective.

‘What do ah’ notice about stallions?’ Applejack asked herself. ‘Big muscles?’ she thought. She observed Rarity’s arms and hind legs. ‘Ehh… not feeling anythin’. What about her face?’ Applejack looked at Rarity’s side profile of her face. Or, at least as much as she could see from behind her. ‘Ah’ mean… her mane is pretty? But her mane is always pretty.’ Applejack’s frown deepened. Finally, she let out a laugh.

“Nope. Don’t feel a thing.”

“Are you coming, Jackie?” Rarity had stopped walking to shout behind her at Applejack.

“Coming, Rares!” Applejack began trotting to catch up to her.

01 - Under an Apple Tree

Some ponies in the world believed in the super-natural. Which, in Equestria, was quite rare, as most super-natural things were easily proven as true. Some ponies believed that the sun and moon moved on their own, and some ponies believed that the common flu was a myth. Some ponies, however- the exceptionally rare ponies- believed in a super network of spies, all who lived complex and deep lives, while blending into the world around them.

Imagine a world in which every neighbor, fast food worker, mail mare, and even dog, might just be a spy, sent by Princess Celestia herself to spy on something. It was a fascinating thought experiment, one that most would instantly dismiss as ridiculous. After all, the only evidence of a secret spy network ever existing was a quite popular and publicized failure of a crown grant nay thirty years ago. Spies were a myth, plain and simple.

But that didn’t make Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle feel any less like spies.

Because, by definition, they kind of were? They only communicated in the dark, only crossing paths briefly and for a few words at a time. They were far away from the public eye, in places that not a single pony in the entire world would ever think to check. And right now, just as they had done a thousand times before, they were far out. Far, far away, in the very edge of Ponyville. Rainbow Dash was the best of spies, fastest of fliers, and coolest ponies. She was doing something that Rainbow Dash would never do.

She was crying.

Into Twilight’s hooves.

“It’s all just so stupid!” She cried, letting the letter of rejection flutter to the ground and land softly on the fresh green grass. “A-All I had to do w-was submit some stupid medical background, and they out right rejected me!” She was leaning forwards into Twilight, who was doing her best to catch the light mare in her hooves, both of them sitting down and leaning back against an apple tree.

“Sh-h-h. Let it all out, Dash.” Twilight held her firmly in her grasp. The apple tree was pushing uncomfortably into her back, but the soft Pegasus between her hooves made her grit her teeth and bare it. They were far out, towards one of the corners of Sweet Apple Acres where not even Applejack herself dared to check up on one of her routine sweeps of the orchid. “It’s okay…”

“No, it’s not!” Rainbow sniffled, wrapping her arm around Twilight’s outstretched hoof so she could wipe her muzzle. “I-I shook hooves with Soarin himself! I introduced myself to Captain Spitfire! T-They all said my acrobats were perfect! Perfect! But no! All t-they had to do was look at my- stupid medical record, a-and it was all out the window!” She sniffled again. “Ah- geez, It’s like they’re targeting me!”

“I’m sure they wouldn’t do that…” Twilight adjusted Rainbow, to which she willingly moved with Twilight, until they were both facing each other. “Rainbow, listen to me. They don’t know you like I know you. You are a great mare! They just… can’t see that. Yet.”

“But…” Rainbow sniffled once more, giving her muzzle an even more aggressive hoof-swipe, blinking back tears. She diverted her eyes to the small patch of grass between Twilight and her. “I’m the only pony in the past century that’s performed a Sonic-Rainboom. A-And a little mark on my record- It just- It’s- It-” She sighed angrily. “Maybe I’m just- not good enough.” At this, Twilight let out a quick gasp, immediately placing her hoof under Rainbow’s chin and lifting it up.

“Rainbow, you are good enough.” Twilight leaned forwards, transferring her hoof from Rainbow’s chin to her chest, pushing hard against it. “You are an amazing flier, and I’m sorry that the Wonderbolts are so judgmental. But do you remember saving Rarity from falling?”

“Well… yeah, I guess-”

“And when you saved that foal in the basket? Rolling down the hill?”

“I mean-”

“What about when you had the guts to open up to me?” Twilight let out a small smile at this. To say Rainbow was closed off would be a vast understatement when they had started dating. The poor Pegasus had it in her mind that showing emotion was weak, and not good enough for the Wonderbolts. It took a few sessions of Twilight doing make-shift therapy for Rainbow to finally begin talking about her personal life.

“I mean… It’s just… sometimes, I don’t feel very good.” And boy, had her personal life been troubled. Twilight nodded, letting Rainbow continue. She let out a small huff as she laid down onto the grass, Twilight following soon after, grateful that the tree was no longer poking into her back. “And… sometimes, when I’m not doing anything, I feel like… I’m not doing enough? Does… does that make sense?” She swallowed, still not daring to make eye contact. “Celestia, I’m not very good at this…”

“It’s alright.” Twilight offered a small smile. “Take your time.”

“It’s like… When I wake up, I just… can’t gather the energy… to move. But I feel bad for not moving. Like, from the moment I wake up-” Rainbow suddenly coughed, startling Twilight as she stood up quickly, backing away from the Unicorn. “Ya’ know, I really shouldn’t be dumping this on you.” She looked up at the sky, the weather part of her brain already firing synapses as she watched a stray cloud flutter across. “I should… get going. It’s been nice, Twi, and all, but-”

“Rainbow…” Twilight whined. Her whining, something uncommon for the Unicorn, made Rainbow suddenly ground herself, whipping her head back around to face her. “If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s okay. But…” Twilight patted the patch of grass next to her in invitation. “I’m always here to listen.

Rainbow bit her lip, looking around for any eaves droppers. She was Rainbow Dash. She was fast, agile, and cool. She didn’t have any time to wait around for girly stuff like make-up and dresses with Rarity, or quiet time and the great big spa with Fluttershy. Espescially not this heart-spilling with Twilight. She was too cool for that stuff.

“Snuggle?” Twilight held out her hooves needily.

Rainbow felt herself melt as, head lowered to the ground in defeat, she slowly slinked her way back to the Unicorn. Guilty pleasure? No. It was a criminal pleasure. With a plop not too dissimilar from the way a dog would flop onto the ground, Rainbow found herself with the back of her head pressed against Twilight’s chest, a stray dandelion being twirled in between her hooves. Twilight had, in some inexplicable way, managed to tame the wild beast that was Rainbow Dash into a surprisingly subdued and somewhat introspective mare. It was definitely a stark contrast to the way Twilight saw Rainbow Dash before they had started dating.

Yet, even with her newfound ability to talk about her emotions, it still seemed like she couldn’t let the outside world in. Despite dating for nearly four months now, none of their friends had any inkling that they were together, and they tried their hardest to keep it up during groupings. If anypony knew anything was going on, they would’ve probably assumed Twilight and Rainbow got into a heated debate, and now sat five seats away from each other, rather than assuming they were dating.

“Are you ready to talk?” Twilight asked softly, laying her head against Rainbow’s shoulder. Rainbow tensed, but didn’t move, still spinning the dandelion between her hooves. Hiding the relationship was the easy part. The hard part- the surprisingly hard part- had been keeping the relationship healthy. Being in a relationship wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. It was hard work. Full of communication about problems, issues causing drifts- things of that nature. Communication was hard for them. Especially if both ponies were notoriously bad for communicating.

“Can you tell me about your foal-hood again, Twi?” Rainbow asked quietly. Twilight creased her brow, and removed her head from Rainbow’s shoulders.

“Dashie, have your parents been bothering you again?” Twilight said with concern obviously laced in her voice. Rainbow made a quick start as the realization dawned over Twilight, turning her head upside-down to look at her.

“N-No. They haven’t. It’s just…” Rainbow bit her lip, looking back down to her dandelion, which had the stem almost completely rolled off at this point. “The doctor says my issues come from them. They way they trained me, pushed me, whatever.” She frowned. “I mean… I still think about them, you know? I always thought they were just… getting me ready for the big world. Now that I’m here… I can’t stop thinking about how much of a competition everything is. The doc says it’s because of how I was raised, but… I dunno.” She sighed, letting the dandelion rest on her stomach as she diverted her eyes to the blue sky, barely perceptible through the thick foliage of the apple tree above her.

“And that’s why you think you could do better?” Twilight cautiously asked. Rainbow responded with a simple snort.

“Maybe that’s why I’m so obsessed with getting into the Wonderbolts. I mean, that’s it. That’s the end game. Once I’m a Wonderbolt… I just can’t stop thinking that I’ll make my folks proud.”

“Are you doing this because you want to?” Twilight asked, raising her hoof up and stroking Rainbow’s mane. “Or because you think you want to?” Rainbow stayed silent, counting how many clouds she could see in the sky above her. Not many, considering most of her view was blocked by an apple tree. Twilight sighed. “I’ve met your parents, Dash. They’re really nice. I don’t think they realize they affected you in this way.”

“I know…” Rainbow frowned deeply. “They’d be really sad if they found out I take drugs.”

There was a beat of silence as Twilight slowly wrapped a hoof around Rainbow’s mid, pulling her closer for a big hug. Rainbow let a faint blush cross her muzzle, chewing the inside of her cheek as her eyes darted left and right for any potential eaves-droppers.

“They’re not drugs, Dash.” Twilight chastised. “It’s medication. And you’ve felt better, right?”

“Yeah.” She snorted, brushing the dandelion off of her belly as she gave a stretch. “I don’t know if it’s the drugs, or you, Twilight.” She stopped her stretch, looking back at Twilight again, with her head upside-down and her mane dangling like a broom. Both of them couldn’t help but let a little smile cross their muzzles. “I mean, ever since I started talking with you, I’ve felt a ton better.” Rainbow’s smile soon faded, however, into a harsh wince. “And… I’m sorry for the first few weeks.” Rainbow Dash? Apologizing? “I was… a little bit stubborn back then, and…”

“You’ve never had somepony like me to open up to.” Twilight said softly, letting Rainbow Dash look back up at the sky. “Plus, didn’t you say the doctor nailed down your medication recently?”

“I mean…” Rainbow huffed. “He did say that… And I’m feeling better, but…” She flexed her jaw. “But… Can I be honest to you about something, Twi?”

“Of course!” Twilight smiled, sitting up a little bit straighter. “What’s up, Dash?”

“The medicine I’ve been prescribed…” She looked away bashfully. “It’s known to… cause… weight gain.” She went silent.

Twilight, unfortunately, chose the wrong way to respond. She let out a small giggle, covering a hoof with her mouth as she let it out. Rainbow stayed silent, creasing her cheek as she tried her hardest to keep her face straight and emotionless. Twilight eventually died down, looking back down at Rainbow.

“Oh…” She suddenly realized her position. “Oh- I’m sorry, Rainbow. I just…”

“No, it’s fine.” Rainbow reached down, plucking another dandelion from the ground. “It’s fine. Just stupid, anyways.” She let out a sigh. Twilight had inadvertently put a knife in Rainbow’s chest, and twisted.

“No, no-” She quickly sat up, forcing Rainbow to do the same in the process. “I-I didn’t mean- I mean, I just thought it was-”

“Funny?” Rainbow asked, suddenly feeling herself becoming offended at the mare she never thought possible to be offended at. “Yeah. Real funny.”

“No! It’s just that-” Twilight lightly tapped her fore hooves together. “I mean- You’re so athletic, and do so many tricks, I didn’t think it would be possible for you to gain weight!” She quickly sputtered out. Rainbow frowned, not out of anger or sadness for the previously dished out giggle, but rather in contemplation. “I-If you’re worried about it- I mean, we could-” Twilight shrugged. “We could… work out, together?”

Rainbow couldn’t help but turn her frown into a split grin as she met the eyes of Twilight.

“Work out?” Her bottom lip quivered as she looked at Twilight as seriously as possible. “Is that a joke to make me feel better, or…?”

“Rainbow!” Twilight punched Rainbow on the shoulder, although to Rainbow, it felt like nothing more than a light swat- perhaps lighter than a breeze of wind. “I’m serious. If you’re not feeling comfortable with your body, then I’d be happy to help.”

“I mean…” Rainbow cocked her head at Twilight, genuine confusion plainly evident as her brain worked out Twilight. “Are you serious? You’d actually work out with me?”

“Of course I’m serious.” Twilight’s face fell. “Did… you actually think I was joking?” Rainbow stayed silent, instead opting to give Twilight a dead-pan. “Okay- I’ll admit, I’m not the most… athletic pony in Equestria, but… If you think your prescription will be an issue, then- mpfh!” Twilight was rudely cut off as a muzzle found it’s way into hers. A kiss. One that, after realizing what was happening, she didn’t resist.

Rainbow broke it off, looking down at Twilight in her eyes. Rainbow was taller, if only by an inch or two, but still took full advantage of the advantage, especially at close range. “I’d love to work out with you.” She said softly. “I won’t be able to do anything in the air but… I mean, we could figure something out.”

“R-Right.” Twilight’s cheeks were burning with red. Now, it was Twilight’s time to look left and right, up and down the empty apple orchid for any eaves-droppers. One she was satisfied, she leaned closer. “Can we… do that again?” Rainbow responded by a smile, and two seconds later, she went in for a more aggressive kiss, this time taking her to the ground in a hug.

Unannounced to the two giggling ponies on the ground, a small pony shuffled out of sight, behind one of the many trees. Her face was twisted into one of pure, foal-hood confusion as she tried to wrap her head around what she had just seen. And the only pony she knew to talk to about it was in town. So, she adjusted the red bow on her head, and begun marching back to the house.