"Are you alright, Moondancer?"
Moondancer nodded. "Yes. I-I just didn't see that coming."
Twilight chuckled, glancing downward. "You wouldn't be the first..."
Still, her reaction somewhat surprised Twilight. The fact that she and Pinkie were the same gender definitely wasn't the reason for the strange expression Moondancer had; she'd come out as biromantic to Moondancer during the party they had, and Moondancer herself confessed being a lesbian back when they were fillies.
She'd told Pinkie this, too. Pinkie had been worried about if Moondancer would accept them as a couple. In Ponyville, she was very open about being queer, but she always feared facing discrimination in other towns and cities. Twilight was able to reassure her that, since Moondancer was gay herself, there should be no problem.
But why did Moondancer act like that? After Pinkie kissed her ear, the cream-colored unicorn stared for a couple of seconds, then her purple gaze dropped to the floor. Her posture also sank a little. That definitely was a sign of some negative emotion.
Pinkie, who most likely wanted to avoid an awkward silence, gestured towards the slice of cake on Moondancer's plate. "You still need to finish your cake, Moondancer!"
Moondancer blinked, then lifted up the plate with her magic. "I had a big breakfast, actually...I'll save it for later." She trotted towards the nearby door, to her room where she'd put the pendant. She glanced back over her shoulder and said, "If I were you, I wouldn't come in here just yet. It's way too messy right now, but don't worry, I'll find some time to clean." Then she closed the door behind her.
Pinkie turned to Twilight. "You said she wouldn't be mad, Twilight!"
"If we're going to talk about this, don't be so loud about it," Twilight replied. "She only just closed the door."
Pinkie nodded, then lowered her voice as she said, "You said she wouldn't be mad, Twilight."
"I know, I don't understand why she looked upset," Twilight replied quietly. "Maybe she thinks I won't spend as much time with her."
"It's fine with me if you do," Pinkie told her. "I want to spend time with her too! And unless she gets mean all of a sudden I wouldn't be jealous of her."
Twilight was quiet for a few monents before saying, "Let's...try not to be too sappy in front of her. I don't want to make things awkward for her. Maybe that's why she seems upset." She glanced at the door. "I hope she's okay. She's been in there for a full minute."
"Maybe she's trying to find something," Pinkie suggested.
"Maybe," Twilight said quietly. "I'll go in there to check on her."
But just as Twilight took a step towards the door, it opened up, and Moondancer stepped out. She smiled. "I found an air mattress in my closet. And some sleeping bags. I know that's kind of tacky, but don't worry. I'll try to find some more options."
Pinkie nudged Twilight's shoulder. "Can we use an air mattress?"
"Uh, yeah, if you want. The only problem is I'm gonna be really self-conscious if we deflate it."
"Eh, we'll try our best." Pinkie bounced a bit. "Can I inflate it? I'm super good at inflating stuff! It's gonna be like a giant balloon bed!"
Moondancer chuckled softly. "Yeah, go ahead. I'll get it out for you." She poked her head in her room and a pale pink glow emanated from her cream-colored horn. She ducked to the side as she pulled the deflated, navy blue air mattress out the doorway. Still holding it, she glanced at Pinkie. "I'll find the pump for you, too. You can't inflate this using your mouth, you'll pass out. That wouldn't be a good way to start your stay here."
"I've passed out before!" Pinkie declared with determination. "I can do it!" She lunged toward the air mattress, but Moondancer pulled it away.
"No! Trust me, I've tried, it's not fun!" She looked over at Twilight. "Can you keep this away from her while I find the pump?"
Pinkie, who tried to look as angry as she could, said, "She doesn't need to! I'm a very responsible individual!"
Twilight and Moondancer both giggled softly before Twilight said, "Yeah, sure, I'll handle it."
As Moondancer went back in the room, closing her door once more, Pinkie looked at Twilight seriously and said softly, "Can you make sure she's okay? When I'm inflating the balloon bed?"
"I did already," Twilight answered.
"Yeah, but she's more comfortable talking to you, so maybe if I'm not in here you'll really know if--"
She stopped abruptly as the door opened again, this time with a black air pump emerging with Moondancer. "I can help, if you want."
Pinkie shook her head. "No, it's fine! I'll blow this up in the other room!" She walked over to grab the pump, and the mattress as Twilight released it, then glanced at Twilight before leaving the room.
She's not gonna spill out anything. But I'll try. Twilight cleared her throat. "So, um...are you sure you're okay?"
Moondancer blinked behind her big, black-framed glasses. "What do you mean?"
"When we told you about our...our relationship, you seemed kind of uncomfortable."
"Uncomfortable?" Moondancer repeated. "No, I'm fine. I'm happy for you. Really, I am. It was just a surprise."
Twilight could tell there was more to it than that, but she said, "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. We don't want to make you uncomfortable."
"No, I'm...I'm okay."
And it was true, she was. Or at least, she hoped she was. Moondancer was trying to convince herself that everything was fine. She could go on with her week with Twilight and Pinkie knowing that Twilight wouldn't love her. It was just a crush, after all. She'd get over it.
It would just take some time, wouldn't it?
Yet there was another part of her, so full of desire, that didn't want to let go of Twilight. It's not that she was mad at Pinkie--in fact, Moondancer was so afraid that the part of her yearning for Twilight's love would end up hurting Pinkie. Pinkie was innocent. It wasn't her fault that Moondancer was drowning in unrequited love.
But it didn't have to be unrequited.
Moondancer glanced at the door to her bedroom. The potion was inside, sitting at the windowsill. I can't. It's too dangerous. I don't know what'll happen. I haven't tested it. I can't risk it, I can't.
Maybe it was worth the risk, though. Moondancer weighed the possibilities in her head. If she didn't give Twilight the potion, she would have to force herself to watch Twilight long for someone else. She hoped it would fade eventually...but what if it didn't? What if she suffered this feeling forever?
Moondancer wanted to give Twilight to potion so badly. She just wanted Twilight to love her. But at the same time, she was afraid of it.