Luna let out a small sigh as she sat down at her desk, rubbing at her temples. It had been a long day for the Vice Principal of Canterlot High and one that would go down in her books for some time. Between a faulty experiment gone wrong from Micro Chips in a vain attempt to catch up to Twilight Sparkle’s recognition, Rover of the ‘Diamond Dog’ gang making a fool of himself to try beat Big Mac in a test of strength, and yet another overblown magic act by Trixie Lulamoon, there had been little break for the woman between write ups for the students and her own duties.
She picked up her cup and took a long sip, only to nearly spit it out again as she glared down at the contents.
It was tea.
Dear Celestia, bright and peppy light loving sister she was, had been trying for years now to introduce Luna to the wonders of the healthy alternative to coffee. At first it had been a simple suggestion, a gentle nudging to try some of the teas that her sister had stocked up over the years. It had been thanks to Luna’s adamant refusal and steadfast addiction to the black nectar that had spurred Celestia to more aggressive tactics… in this case, swapping her drinks while she was out of her office.
Dumping the remaining fluid into her nearby plant, Luna shifted over to her coffee pot and turned it on, knowing that she had a least a couple of minutes to kill before she’d be able to regain her focus with her delightful beverage. Sure, she could have packed up and just headed home for the day. There was a new raid in her MMO calling her name. But that also meant dealing with Celestia, and Luna simply didn’t have the fortitude to deal with her sister without her injection of caffeine.
A slight knock, soft and hesitant, sounded off from Luna’s door and drew her out of her coffeeless thoughts. It took her a moment to school her face and to unclench her teeth. Even without her beverage, it wouldn’t do to lash out at her students, especially if they came to her of their own volition. Taking a breath, Luna moved back and sat down at her desk again, sitting back. “Come in.”
A mop of multicolored hair atop a cyan hued head peaked in at her call, magenta eyes catching Luna’s own as the student grinned. “Uh… heya, Vice Principal Luna… you wouldn’t happen to be busy, would you? I need to talk to you...” Rainbow Dash asked, her voice hesitant.
Luna couldn’t help but blink, a little surprised. While she couldn’t claim that she knew every student well enough to know and predict their very natures, Rainbow Dash was different in a multitude of ways. Being not only loud and brash, Miss Dash also was one of the star athletes of Canterlot High in just about any sport she tried her hand in. She was also one member of the self proclaimed ‘Spectacular Seven’, as Miss Pie would put it, the group of magical students who helped protect the school.
And yet with the way she was acting, she seemed uncomfortable, lost, and unsure. None were words that Luna would ever attribute to the girl. “Take a seat, Miss Dash.” Luna said after a moment more, nodding towards the chair before her desk. “I must say that it’s quite rare to see you in my office for something that isn’t disciplinary action.”
“Hey! How I was supposed to know that they were putting up the Team Spirit banner at that hallway! I was just wanting to get to school as fast as possible!” Rainbow explained, a bit of her normal bluster returning as she sat before Luna.
It took a considerable amount of effort for Luna to keep her mask of professionalism up at the memory of the girl before her becoming tangled in said banner and coated in the paint used to make it. The mess afterward had taken an afternoon to clean up, but someone as obsessed with being ‘Awesome’ like Rainbow, it was a rare instance of her ending up in a rather interesting situation. “Something tells me, though, that you’re not here to remind me about that.” Luna prodded, knowing how easily it could be to get her student off topic.
That was when Rainbow became quiet again, turning her head away from Luna to avoid her eyes. It made the educator sit a little straighter in her seat. Something was bothering her student enough to take away the girls normal fire and attitude. That alone was enough for Luna to take this matter a bit more seriously than one might with Rainbow Dash.
Giving her student the room to move the conversation at her pace, it had taken all of a minute before Rainbow spoke up. “I’ve kinda felt… like I’m not normal lately.”
“To be fair, Miss Dash,” Luna pointed dryly out as she sat forward, fingers laced before her. “You are a girl who possesses super speed in thanks to a magical crystal and regularly transform into a Pegasus/human hybrid to fight the regularly occurring magical incidents here. I think any semblance of ‘normal’ left our school some time ago.”
“Not like that!” Rainbow said with a roll of her eyes. “Do you know how cool it is to be going at super sonic speeds like I’ve been? And flying atop of that when I pony up? I wouldn’t trade that for any trophy in the world!” The girl paused again, biting her lower lip. “It’s about… something else.”
Luna let out a small hum, staring down at her student. “And what, pray tell, has been making you not feel normal?”
Shifting in her seat, Rainbow made a face while keeping her eyes distinctly away from Luna’s own, her left hand rubbing at her right arm. It was after another minute of the looming silence dragging by before Rainbow finally screwed up her courage to speak. “You’ve heard… of Sunset’s whole thing with Twilight, right?”
“I’m quite sure anyone with eyes could see just how infatuated Miss Shimmer is with Miss Sparkle and her in return.” Luna replied, unable to keep the smile off her face this time. If the rumor mill for CHS was even remotely accurate, the cafeteria had exploded in cheers when the two had finally confessed to one another. Her own wallet was a little lighter after that day, having lost in the office betting pool that Cranky Doodle had set up about the two girls.
“Yeah,” Rainbow said, her tone the quietest that Luna had ever heard from the normally outgoing girl. There was another pause, shorter this time, before she spoke up again. “The whole thing between them got me thinking about… relationships.”
“What about them, Miss Dash?” Luna pressed, curious now.
Hesitation hit Rainbow once more but the girl closed her eyes and took a breath. Her face became hard, that determined look that Luna had often seen from her before a tough sports match or some magical menace before she spoke once more. “How that I’ve never really been interested in them… not like the kind that Sunset and Twilight are having. And I’m beginning to think that something is wrong with me.”
Luna sat back, keeping the mask of professionalism up as best she could. If the conversation was about what she thought it would be about, then it was always something that should be treated with respect and delicacy. Not to mention that it would hopefully return Rainbow back to her normal self instead of doing a rather impressive impersonation of Fluttershy. “And what exactly is wrong with you?” Luna asked, her tone soft.
A deep sigh escaped Rainbow, the girl brushing at her multicolored hair for a moment before answering. “I’ve just kinda… never been interested in that kind of stuff. The kissing, the dates… the whole thing always struck me as weird. Especially with how some guys are about it all, nothing ever appealed to me like that. It wasn’t until we had a couple right in our group that it really hit me how different I saw things.”
“And is it wrong for you to feel like that?” Luna asked, lacing her fingers before her, leaning ever so lightly forward in her chair.
“That’s the problem. I don’t know if it’s right or wrong. All I know is that it makes me different from everyone else… and while that wouldn’t normally bother me…” Rainbow trailed off, her face screwing up again as she shook her head and let out an annoyed growl.
Luna nodded slowly, knowing how hard it was to find yourself, especially as a teenager when peer pressure, social media, parents, and more was all pressing their own ideas on you. Her own time in high school and college had been with questions of the same sort. It was with that in mind that Luna brought her hands down, removing any barrier between herself and Rainbow Dash. “Tell me Rainbow…” she said, gazing right into the younger girls eyes. “How familiar are you with the different kinds of sexuality?”
Her student looked confused for a second, shifting in her seat, before answering. “You mean like being gay or straight? I know those ones, bisexual… and pansexual I think was the word Pinkie used to describe herself? I think that last one is to describe someone who is more attracted to personality than their gender.” Rainbow’s face screwed up again. “Why do you ask?”
“Because there’s other ways of identifying what you are and there is one that you’ve not included that I am personally aware of. One that I think might fit you.” Luna told her. “Though that said, I must stress that you must decide for yourself on this matter. The sexuality of a person is something that they must learn for themselves, not to try and squeeze into some already made box.”
Rainbow Dash nodded, though a look of uncertainty covered her face. “Alright… I’ll keep that in mind… so what is this different sexuality?” The final word came out with a sour grimace, the girl uncomfortable with the topic.
“It’s called Asexuality,” Luna said, a small smile crossing her lips as she slipped into her teacher role. “The best way to describe it would be someone who finds themselves to have little or no sexual urges what so ever. While this in itself doesn’t mean that individual would never have sex or an interest it, it’s usually such a low priority to them that it would be secondary to everything else.”
“Wait, that’s a thing?” Rainbow asked, eyes wide. It was a rare experience to see the girl, one who tended to view all school lessons with boredom, hanging off her every word.
Luna nodded. “It’s perhaps the least common of the different sexuality types, though I’ll admit that’s more from what exposure I’ve had to it than any real studies, but it does exist. Not only that, but it’s nothing wrong with your personally, it’s just the way you are. Just like how Miss Sparkle has an interest in girls or Miss Pie being open to anyone. It’s just another part of you that makes you distinctly Rainbow Dash.”
Her student nodded, frowning a little bit as she mulled over the new information. “So… does being asexual mean I’m just never going to find someone I’m into?”
“Not necessarily. Just because you’re asexual doesn’t mean you’ll never find someone whose attractive to you or even get together with them. There just might be that one person out there who you don’t mind doing sexual activities with… though I must impress on you that you should not only wait for the both of you to come of age, but also to do so safely. Do I make myself clear on that point?” Luna leveled a glare at her student, wanting to press the importance of her words.
Rainbow nodded, letting out a small gulp as she did so.
“Good.” Luna said before continuing. “But as I was saying, not only is such a sexuality completely normal, but it’s nothing to be ashamed of. From what you’ve told me, I do believe you might lean that way, where the idea of sex doesn’t appeal to you much if at all. Would you say that’s a fair assessment?”
“Yeah… I guess it kinda does.” Rainbow said, her own small smile crossing her face. “Is there anything else I need to know about this whole asexual thing?”
“There is another aspect related to it, though I know less about it,” Luna frowned for a moment, trying to recall the information from the back of her mind. “I think they’re called Aromantic. Where as an asexual individual might find themselves uninterested in sex as a whole, those who identify as Aromantic find that it’s romance that confuses them. Falling in love, the idea of being fulfilled or completed by finding a romantic partner? Things like that don’t really apply to these people.”
“So a lot of people are both, I take it?” Rainbow asked, crossing her arms. It was perhaps the most thoughtful Luna had ever seen the girl when it came to being taught a new subject. If only the athlete would apply to herself in her academics as much.
“They can be, but it’s not always the case. There are asexual individual who have indeed found romantic partners, and aromantics who’ve found sexual partners. And there are even people who can be both asexual and aromantic who can have a romantic and sexual partner as well.” Luna paused for a moment, giving the matter some thought. “The most important matter in this case is that there is no hard and fast rule here in terms of your sexuality. What I’m describing to you right now might not be how you truly are. I’m merely describing the fact that there are more than just simply being gay, straight, or even Bi.”
Rainbow looked down at her hands, frowning still, before returning her gaze up to Luna. “And you don’t think my friends would treat me weirdly if I told them that’s how I feel? How I think I am?”
Despite herself, Luna couldn’t stop a small chuckle from escaping her lips as she raised an eyebrow at her conflicted student. “Miss Dash, your friends are among the most accepting and open minded students that I’ve seen in my entire teaching carrier, if I dare say the entire state. That’s not even mentioning the fact that one of your number was previously one of Canterlot High’s worst bullies or the fact that she isn’t human. And yet all of your friends, and you yourself, have yet to turn your backs on her or anyone else should help be needed. I dare say Miss Pie would likely throw a party in celebration of you finding yourself.”
A snort came from Rainbow then, the first real grin the girl shared since she came into Luna’s office crossing her face. “Yeah, that sounds like Pinkie alright. Hell, she’d probably update her party planner just to find out who else in the school is asexual.”
“I wouldn’t doubt that in the slightest.” Luna agreed, her own smile gracing her face. “I take it that means you’ve figured something out?”
Surprisingly, Rainbow shook her head, even as she stood up from the seat before Luna’s desk. “Not exactly. I’ve got a better idea, but like you said, I shouldn’t try to push myself into a box. I gotta figure this out on my own,” Rainbow smiled, looking more like herself as she pumped her fists in the air before her chest. “I’m not sure if I am asexual, aromantic, or both, but now I know they are others out there who are like that, that might be like me in trying to figure things out. It makes me feel better that I’m not alone in struggling with this.”
Luna nodded once more, standing up herself to join her student. “And should you have any other questions, or if you ever feel the need to talk to someone about this, my door will always be open, Miss Dash.” The Vice Principal paused for a moment, looking around as if to ensure they weren’t being heard before continuing, pointing to herself. “Trust me when I say you’re not the only one whose questioned their own sexuality.”
Rainbow Dash’s eyes went wide in surprise, but then a wide grin followed it up. She gave an eager nod back to Luna, looking just like her old self again. “Thanks, Vice Principal Luna.”
“Anything for one of my students, Miss Dash. Now I do believe it’s getting late… and don’t you normally practice with the rest of your friends about this time?”
The young girl blinked, her eyes going to the clock, letting out a squawk of surprise once she noticed just how late it had gotten. “Aw, Crud! I didn’t think I was here that long! Fluttershy’s going to be so upset that I’m late for practicing one of her newest songs. Thanks again, VP, but I gotta jet!”
It was with a flash of the girl’s magical super speed that Dash left Luna, being nothing more than a rainbow streak zipping down the halls. Another small chuckle escaping the Vice Principal even as she picked up some of the scattered papers and other office supplies that had been knocked over by the wind in her wake.
With a small smile on her face, Luna turned to her coffee pot, which had finished brewing in the time the two of them had their talk. Filling up her cup, the woman sat back down into her chair and took a long, slow sip of the black as night beverage.
Never before had her coffee tasted so good.