//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2 
// Story: Neither 
// by Axolotl222 
//------------------------------//

Fluttershy took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves. Okay, you could do this, she thought to herself. You just have to hit it when it comes close to you.

She tightened her grip around the hockey stick in her mouth. Skating around on the ice in front of her were Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie, all battling over the puck. On the other side of the lake Fluttershy could see Rarity and Twilight, the latter trying to balance on shaky hooves as Rarity coached her. 

Suddenly, Pinkie Pie snatched the puck away from Applejack and began racing towards the goal. Applejack spat out her hockey stick. "Fluttershy!" she cried.

Fluttershy crouched down into a defensive stance, ready to defend her goal at all costs. Pinkie sent the puck flying into the air. Seeing it coming towards her caused Fluttershy to let out a startled cry, dropping her stick in the process. She then flopped onto the ice, covering her head with her hooves. The puck sailed effortlessly over her and into the net. 

"Dagnabbit!" Applejack swore. 

"Gooooal!" Pinkie cried.

"Yeah!" Rainbow cheered. She then staked over to Applejack. "We won, we won! In your face Applejack!"

"Dang it Rainbow! What did we say 'bout showboating!?"

"I'm not showboating," Rainbow said as she began to stake around Applejack in a circle. "I'm just telling the truth."

Applejack was about to retort when she was cut off by a loud yelp. Everypony turned to look at Twilight. The unicorn was laying prone on the ice, nursing her bruised cheek. 

Rainbow suddenly appeared at her side. "You okay?"

"I... I think so," Twilight answered. She then tired to stand back up only to immediately lose her balance. Rainbow wrapped her wing around Twilight before she could fall, however.

"Thanks Dashie," Twilight said once she was steady on her hooves. Rainbow smiled. Twilight then leaned in for a quick kiss on the lips, making the pegasus blush.

"D'aaaw!"

Rainbow turned to glare at Rarity. "Oh, don't give that look dear," Rarity said with a mischievous smile. "It's not my fault you two are absolutely adorable together."

"Hey," Rainbow said as she narrowed her eyes. "I. Am. Not. Adorable."

Twilight then nuzzled her neck against Rainbow's. "I think you adorable," she whispered. Twilight then kissed Rainbow again.

"Eh heh," Rainbow stammered, blushing even harder than before.

Applejack quietly chuckled as she watched the scene unfold. 

"Hey, Applejack," Pinkie said, an unusually serious look on her face. "Can I ask you something?"

"Uh, sure sugar cube. Go ahead."

"Who do you like?"

Applejack blinked, taken aback by Pinkies question. "Ah... Ah get what ya mean."

"Well, when Dashie asked you out you told her no because you don't like mares..."

"Um, yes?"

"And Dashie asked you out because she likes mares," Pinkie continued. "And Twilight likes mares and stallions. And I've heard that Hoity Toity likes stallions, but Rarity always says you should never believe everything you read in those magazines..."

"Pinkie," Applejack said, cutting her off before she got too off topic.

"Sorry. I was thinking if you don't like mares, then do you like stallions? Because you never talk about liking stallions."

"Oh." Applejack frowned, thinking of the best way to tell her. "Can Ah tell ya something... kinda personal?"

Pinkie nodded. "Cross my heart, and hope to fl-"

"No, not like that," Applejack said. She cleared her throat before continuing. "After Rainbow told me how she felt, Ah did some thinkin' and Ah realized that Ah... Ah don't like stallions that way. Ah don't think Ah like anypony that way, to be honest."

Pinkie frowned in confusion. "So, you like neither?"

"Yeah," Applejack said. Then she smiled. It was strange. Saying it out loud, it felt as if some invisible weight was lifted off her shoulders. "Neither." 

A hockey puck then sailed past the two of them, landing in the goal and scaring Fluttershy again. 

"Score!"

"Oh, c'mon Rainbow! We're not even playin'!"

Rainbow then staked up to and put a wing on her shoulder. "Sorry AJ, but you know what they say. 'Ya snooze, ya lose.'"
Applejack swatted her wing away, giving her a glare that the Ponyville weather team could use to refreeze the lake next winter. 

"Uh-oh," Rainbow said before turning around and staking away as fast as she could. "I regret nothing!"

"Get back here, ya little varmint!" Rainbow heard Applejack shout behind her, followed by a halfhearted plea from Twilight to not hurt her marefriend too badly. Even as she ran Rainbow laughed.