//------------------------------// // On the Fence // Story: Unexpected Confessions // by Dianwei32 //------------------------------// Unexpected Confessions Chapter Three         On the Fence         Several minutes later, Fluttershy alighted on the ground outside the Ponyville Library. She trotted up to the door and pushed it open. Upon entering the building, she saw Spike carrying a small armful of books from a shelf out to a mountain of tomes in the middle of the room. “Oh, um, excuse me?” She took a small step forward, but the baby dragon plowed on with his task, grumbling under his breath. “Oh, I see, you’re busy. I’ll just come back later.” Turning to leave, one of the floorboards creaked under her hoof.         Spike put down the books and grunted before sparing a glance at the source of the noise. “Oh... hey, Fluttershy.” He leaned against a taller stack, which promptly fell over and landed him face first on the floor. Climbing back to his feet, he let out a groan at the new mess before turning his attention back to the library’s visitor. “You need something?”         “Oh, um…” Fluttershy straightened back up out of the half-crouch the falling books had sent her into. “I was actually, um, looking for Twilight, if she’s around, that is.” Her eyes darted around the main floor of the library, but found no sign of its keeper.         “Oh, she is.” Spike said with an exasperated expression, jerking a thumb over his shoulder toward the staircase. “She’s upstairs. She said she ‘had to conduct some hooves on research’ or something like that.” He sighed and sat down on a book. “She tells me we’re going to re-shelve the whole library, and promises to help. Then what happens? She just dashes upstairs five minutes in, as usual.”         “Really? Oh, she sounds busy.” Fluttershy lifted her foot from the first step of the staircase and put it back on the ground floor. “I wouldn’t want to interrupt anything. I’ll just come back later.” “Don’t worry, odds are she’s trying to draw an ink stain from some parchment again.” Spike waved away the pegasus’ worries and went back to the shelf he had been working on. “Go on, she—oof!—usually tells me if she doesn’t want to be disturbed.” He hauled another armful of books to the center of the room with a second grunt.         “Well, if you’re sure.” Fluttershy climbed up the first few steps, pausing to look back at Spike for reassurance that it was okay, but the baby dragon had already gotten back to his task. She climbed the rest of the stairs quickly, reaching the door at the top. Tentatively, she extended a hoof and softly knocked on the door, which opened just a sliver. Better make sure she’s not busy. Fluttershy leaned forward, peering through the crack for some sign of her friend. After scanning the room, she found Twilight standing in front of a body length mirror. I didn’t even know Twilight had one of those mirrors. Stranger still was the hat perched on the unicorn’s head. Is that… Applejack’s hat?         “Fancy meetin’ you here, sugar.” Twilight said in a cheap imitation of Applejack’s accent, smiling all the while. Panic gripped Fluttershy, and she was torn between running away and apologizing profusely for invading Twilight’s privacy. Before she could do either, the other mare continued. “I was just lookin’ for ya.” Fluttershy swallowed nervously, but realized that Twilight was still looking at, and talking to, the mirror. Curiosity got the better of her, and she pushed the door open further, taking a half-step into the room.         “Twilight?”         “Ah!” Twilight jumped at the unannounced intrusion. She quickly pulled the hat off of her head and tried to hide it behind her back. “Oh, Fluttershy… H-how long have you been there?”         “Oh, um, n-not very long.” Fluttershy ducked behind her mane, taking tiny shuffling steps back from the doorway. “But, um, i-is that Applejack’s hat?” Twilight pulled the hat back out and pretended to examine it. “Yes, it is. She was just over here and I found it on the table after she left. I wanted to take it over to her, but I’m just so busy here with a re-shelving project.”         “I could take it to her, if you don’t mind that is.” Fluttershy offered, scuffing a hoof on the ground.         Twilight smiled. “Thanks, but I should take it to her myself.” “Oh, um… o-okay.” Fluttershy relented, not wanting to argue. “I was hoping I could talk to you about something... personal.” Twilight immediately turned around, her face wavering between concern and curiosity before finally settling on the latter.         “Oh, of course, how can I help?” She asked.         “Well, you see...” Fluttershy felt a slight blush creep into her cheeks as she tried to tell her story. “Rainbow Dash and Rarity were over at my house last night and they kind of...” She paused, chewing her bottom lip nervously. She took a deep breath and gathered her courage. “Theybothconfessedthattheyloveme.” She blurted out in one hurried rush.         “I’m sorry, I missed that last part.” Twilight raised an eyebrow at the flustered pegasus.         “Oh, they um... They both told me that they love me.” Fluttershy repeated more slowly.         “Aww, I love you too, Fluttershy.” Twilight smiled warmly. “But, what does that have to do with…”         “Um, no, Twilight…” Fluttershy swallowed nervously. “They love me. As in, they are in love with me... romantically.”         “Oh... Oh.” Twilight finally caught on to her friend’s meaning. She cleared her throat and tried to keep a deep crimson color from flooding her face. “Well, that is...I mean... congratulations.” She reached up and rubbed the back of her neck with a hoof. Her horn lit up and Applejack’s hat drifted off in the direction of her nightstand. “Honestly Fluttershy, I’m not all that familiar with... romantic relationships. I don’t really know what you expect me to be able to do.”         “I know.” Fluttershy sighed, her head dropping slightly. “Normally I would talk to Rarity or Rainbow Dash about something like this, but since they’re the ones who... have feelings for me, I can’t exactly do that.” She pawed at the floor nervously. “I thought about going to Applejack, but with her family being as old-fashioned as they are, I don’t think she would approve of two mares being... together.”         Twilight tensed. Her horn flickered and Applejack’s hat dropped to the floor. She hastily picked it up and dusted it off while giving Fluttershy a strange look “R-Really? I mean, I guess it could be possible. How do you know?”         “Um, I don’t really know, it’s just… um… eep.” Fluttershy cringed, afraid that she had upset her friend. “I-I’m sorry. Forget I said anything.”         “There must be something,” Twilight pressed her. “Please, Fluttershy? What makes you think that Applejack would have anything against fillyfoo— mares being together? Did she say something?”         “Oh, um, n-no. Not that.” Fluttershy shook her head, causing her mane to fall and cover one of her eyes. “I-it’s just that, well, their family seems very old-fashioned, especially Granny Smith. I don’t know if she would approve, and if she doesn’t, then Applejack probably wouldn’t either.” She frowned as she watched Twilight’s expression fall. “But, um, sh-she might be fine with it. I’ve never really talked to her about it.” She took a step forward, laying a comforting hoof on the unicorn’s shoulder. “I’m… I’m sorry.”         “There’s nothing to be sorry for, Fluttershy.” Twilight smiled, but it seemed strained. “Regardless, if you don’t want to talk to Applejack, I’m sure Pinkie Pie would be happy to lend an ear.”         “Oh, she actually already knows.” Fluttershy suppressed a shiver, remembering the party pony’s frightening entrance and multiple bone-breaking hugs. “She actually suggested that the three of us all be in a relationship together, but...” She trailed off into silence, ducking her head to hide behind her mane.         “Hmm.” Twilight put a hoof to her chin. “Polyamory, huh? A trinogamous relationship would certainly be unusual by societal standards, but if all three parties agree, then there’s no reason why it shouldn’t work.”         “A tri-what?” Fluttershy looked at her friend as though she were making up words.         “Oh, sorry.” Twilight folded her ears back in embarrassment. “Sometimes I get carried away and use an excessively large vocabulary.” She perked back up at the opportunity to pass on knowledge to another. “A trinogamous relationship is where three ponies are all in a single relationship together. You could be with Rainbow Dash and Rarity.”         “Oh, I don’t think we could do that.” Fluttershy felt her cheeks warm up and threaten to catch on fire. “You should have seen Dash and Rarity at my house. They were yelling at each other. If I hadn’t asked them to stop, I don’t know what would have happened. They looked ready to… hurt each other. Thankfully it didn’t get that far.”         “Have you at least thought about bringing it up to them? Maybe they were just upset that their big moment got messed up? If they knew there was a solution where all three of you could be together, they might actually go for it.”         “I don’t know...” Fluttershy drilled holes in the floor with her eyes, unable to bring herself to look up. “I’ll... think about it.” She finally relented, sighing slightly. She pushed the thoughts of her love troubles, including what a three-way relationship would mean if things got physical, to the back of her mind for the moment. “Well, thank you for the help.” She turned and began walking towards the door.         “Wait!” Twilight almost yelled as a sudden revelation struck her. She pressed a hoof to her forehead, silently cursing her tendency to miss the blatantly obvious. “We haven’t even talked about the single most important issue here.”         “What?” Fluttershy asked as the turned back from the door. Her heart rate picked up slightly as she feared that she missed some crucial aspect of the situation that would only make her decision more difficult.         Twilight trotted over to her friend and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “How do you feel about all this?”         Fluttershy blinked several times, stunned by the simple question. “Oh. I... I don’t really know.” She fell to sit on her haunches, letting her shoulders slump a little bit. “It all happened so fast. I haven’t really had a chance to think about it. Both Dashie and Rarity said that I should take all the time I need to figure it out, but I just know that having to wait for me to straighten all of this out is hard for them.” She wiped a hoof across her eyes as she felt tears begin to rise up. “I love both of them, they’re my two best friends. I’m just not sure if I love them in... that way.”         “Well, as I said, I’m not overly familiar with romantic relationships, but we could always… make a list.” Twilight smiled timidly at her suggestion. “It might help you decide if you enumerate the various traits you like or don’t like about both of them.” Her horn flared to life again and she grabbed a scroll and quill from her desk. “Let’s start with Rainbow Dash. What do you like about her?”         “Um, w-well…” Fluttershy fidgeted uncomfortably. “She’s very… nice.” She shook her head, letting out a defeated sigh. “I’m sorry, Twilight, I just… I don’t…” She trailed off into silence, staring at the floor.         Twilight’s quill froze and she peeked over the top of her scroll, her ears drooping back. After a few seconds, she let out a weak chuckle. “It’s okay, it was kind of a silly idea anyway.” She floated the scroll back to the table, laying her quill alongside it. “So, maybe not a list… How about you just tell me how you feel about each of them?”         “With Dashie, well…” Fluttershy paused for a second, closing her eyes and taking a breath. “We've known eachother since we were foals. I've always thought she was… so wonderful! She protects me, but she also tries to get me to challenge myself. I never… thought about her the way she thinks of me, but knowing how she feels… I realize I feel the same way." She blushed hotly. "Sorry, was that too much?"         Twilight blinked in surprise, a hint of blush creeping into her own cheeks. “N-no, that was fine. It was just… more than I anticipated. What about Rarity?”         “Rarity…” Fluttershy began, her blush resurging. “We became fast friends the moment I came to Ponyville. I feel like I can tell her anything, even things too embarrassing to tell Dashie." She looked down, her voice caught in her throat. "I… kind of had a crush on her for a while… She's just so pretty…” She looked up imploringly, as though she needed to justify herself. A moment later, her ears folded back. “But I always thought she only liked stallions, with the way she always talked about her ‘Prince’ coming to sweep her off her hooves…" Smiling nervously, she looked back to Twilight again. “Sorry.”         “Again, there’s nothing to be sorry for Fluttershy.” Twilight wrapped a foreleg around the pegasus and gave her a light hug. “This is exactly what we were trying to do. Talk it out and see how you feel about each of them.” She grinned sheepishly. “Though, I can’t say that it seems to have helped much. You obviously care for both of them, which isn’t a bad thing—” She quickly backtracked when Fluttershy cringed next to her. “—it just… makes it a little harder to choose if they won’t agree to all be together. And if it comes to that… I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to figure it out on your own.”         “Well, thank you anyway, Twilight.” Fluttershy leaned into her friend’s hug, taking a moment to just enjoy the friendly affection. Eventually, she pulled away, heaving a small sigh. “I really do feel better about all of this now. Maybe I can— Oh!” She glanced out the window, shocked to see night had fallen outside. Searching for a clock, she found one on the wall and saw it was just past eight o’clock. “Goodness, when did it get so late? I’m sorry, Twilight, but I really need to get home. Good night.”         “Good night, Fluttershy.” Twilight called, watching the pegasus disappear back down the staircase. She gnawed on her lower lip as the last bit of pink tail vanished from view. “Wait!” Grabbing Applejack’s hat with her magic, she walked over to the doorway. Fluttershy reappeared a moment later, a look of confusion on her face. “Do you think that you could take Applejack’s hat back to her tomorrow?” The hat drifted over, coming to a halt right in front of the other mare.         Fluttershy looked at the hat quizzically, but made no move to take it. “I thought you wanted to take it to her.”         “I did… do! But I’m just going to be too busy for the next couple of days.. I wouldn’t want to keep Applejack’s hat away from her for too long, so could you take it to her?”         “Oh… okay.” Fluttershy took the hat and, after several seconds of trying to figure out the best way to carry it, simply placed it on her head. “Was there anything else?”         “No, that’s all… and thanks for taking it to her.” Twilight smiled, shifting a little uncomfortably. “Good night, Fluttershy.” “Um… good night, Twilight.” Fluttershy headed down the stairs again and tiphoofed across the main room, careful not to wake Spike, who was snoozing on a small pile of books. Sneaking out, she pulled the door closed behind her and took off for her cottage, her head buzzing with thoughts of her conversation with Twilight. *         Fluttershy awoke the following morning as the sun crept over the horizon. She quietly slipped out of bed and made her way downstairs. Looking around her living room, she made sure all of the animals were still asleep, especially Angel Bunny, before grabbing a set of saddle bag, placing Applejack’s hat in it, and leaving for Sweet Apple Acres.         As Fluttershy flew towards the Apple family farm, she took the time to admire the serenity of nature before all the animals woke up. Celestia’s sun crawled ever higher, casting the first rays of light on dew-soaked fields and causing them to glitter like millions of diamonds in the grass. She stopped and hovered in place, smiling at the simple beauty. After a moment, she resumed her flight and soon caught sight of a speck of orange and yellow moving between the rows of apple trees. Fluttershy landed a short ways in front of Applejack, who didn’t notice her arrival and continued to wander down the row, her eyes darting around. “Um, good morning, Applejack.”         “Huh?” Applejack looked up, confusion written on her face. “Oh, mornin’, ‘Shy.” Almost immediately, she went back to scanning the ground and walking down the row. “Sorry, but Ah’m a bit busy at the moment, so… say, have you seen mah hat by any chance, have ya?”         Fluttershy giggled, reaching over with a wing tip to open the saddle bag on her back. She pulled out the hat and held it up. “You mean this one?” She asked.         Relief flooded across Applejack’s face, a smile replacing her concerned frown. “Thanks a bunch, ‘Shy. Where’d ya find it?” She asked, trotting over to grab the hat and placing it back on her head.         “Oh, it was at the library. Twilight said you left it there yesterday, and she…” Images of the unicorn modelling the hat flashed through Fluttershy’s mind. “She asked me to bring it back to you.” “The library, huh?” Applejack ran a hoof along the edge of her hat. “Well, thank ya kindly fer bringin’ it back. Can Ah interest you in some breakfast? We got eggs, maybe even some hay waffles if Mac hasn’t eaten ‘em all.”         “Oh no, that’s okay. Thank you, though.” Fluttershy replied, kicking at the dirt. “Um... I did have something to talk to you about, if you have time that is.”         “Sure thing, ‘Shy. Ah got some time now that Ah got mah hat back. What’s eatin’ ya?” Applejack resumed walking down the row of trees, periodically inspecting them for signs of disease. “Some cute lil’ colt caught yer eye or somethin’?” She heard a surprised squeak come from behind her. She turned back around to face Fluttershy, a knowing grin spreading across her face. “That’s it, ain’t it? Ya got a crush on some colt, or maybe the other way ‘round?”         “Um... not quite.” Fluttershy lowered her head to let her mane fall across her face. She tried to gather her courage as she felt her heart beat quicken. “You see, yesterday... somepony kind of confessed that they love me.”         “Well Ah’ll be. Congratulations, ‘Shy, been a long time comin’.” Applejack reached out and gave the other mare a pat on the shoulder. “Well, don’t keep me in the dark, who is it? Anypony Ah know?”         “It was...” Fluttershy swallowed and forced herself to continue. “Oh, it was, um...” Her voice trailed off into a mumble.         “Come again?” Applejack asked, leaning in to hear better. She received only another mumbled response in return. She chuckled and leaned in a little closer. “Ya wanna try that one more time?”         Fluttershy squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. “It was, um, Rarity...” She finally managed to say at an audible volume.         “Rare? Really? Ah never woulda guessed she’d be into mares, what with the way she’s always talkin’ ‘bout her Prince Charmin’ comin’ to sweep her off her hooves.” Applejack stopped and knocked on one tree particularly hard, causing one apple to fall. She looked over it for a second then offered it to the pegasus, who shook her head. “Well, Ah’m sure the two of ya will be mighty happy.” She paused and took a bite. “Hmm… not quite ripe.”         “Yes, but…” Fluttershy continued, pawing at the ground nervously. “Y-you see—”         “Can’t say Ah really envy ya, though.” Applejack took another bite of her apple before tossing the rest of it at the base of a tree. “That girl is the definition of ‘high maintenance.’ Though, you enjoy a lotta the frou-frou stuff that she does, like goin’ to the spa and gettin’ all fancied up. Prolly be a lot easier fer you to deal with her than, say, me or RD.”         “W-well…” Fluttershy swallowed and tried to interject again. “About Rainbow Da—”         “Ah gotta ask, though…” Applejack cut across the pegasus again, her eyes glued to the tree canopies. “Did she make it into some big, romantic production, or did she just come out and say it? Knowin’ her it—”         “Rainbow Dash said that she loved me too!” Fluttershy blurted out, clamping a hoof over her mouth when she was done.         Applejack leaned back, her eyes wide in surprise. “Huh. Rare and Dash?” Her voice broke for a moment and she looked off to the side. “Ah can understand where that came from, you two been best friends for Celestia only knows how long. Ah’m surprised it took her this long if’n that’s how she feels. RD usually ain’t shy ‘bout goin’ and gettin’ what she wants.” She paused for a moment and smiled, but the warmth did not reach her eyes. “Even so, that’s great news, ‘Shy. Can’t say Ah envy ya havin’ to choose between ‘em, though.”         “Are you okay?” Fluttershy stepped forward warily.         “Course Ah am. Why wouldn’t Ah be?” Applejack tilted her hat down to partially cover her eyes.         “Really?” Fluttershy asked, a note of skepticism in her voice. “I don’t mean to sound rude or anything, but your family is sort of old-fashioned.” She dropped her gaze to the ground and kicked the dirt. “It doesn’t bother you that we’re all mares? That we would be... fillyfooling?”         Applejack cleared her throat and adjusted her hat back up. “Nope, not one bit. Ah figure that so long as two ponies love one another, it don’t rightly matter if they’re both mares or both colts.” She looked off to the side as she finished, visibly growing slightly uncomfortable.         “Really?” Fluttershy smiled in relief. Part of her wanted to end the conversation since it was making her friend uncomfortable, but a larger part of her was curious about what her friend thought specifically about her potential relationship. “I would have thought that Granny Smith would have been too conservative to approve of two mares or colts being together.” Fluttershy took a step closer as she spoke.         “Well, yeah. She don’t feel that fillyfoolin’ or coltcuddlin’ is natural.” Applejack took a step backwards, but held her head up in her best imitation of Rarity. “However, Ah’m like one of them refined city-types. Ah spent lots of time in Manehattan after all.”         “But, um, I thought you only spent a week in Manehattan before you came back here to run the farm.” Fluttershy leaned a bit closer.         “Well... ya see... the thing is...” Applejack looked around nervously before letting out a heavy sigh. “Alright, ‘Shy. Ya got me. Ah can’t rightly be upset at you fillyfoolin’ on account of the fact that... Ah got a crush on a filly too.” Her cheeks flushed a red as deep as her cutie mark as she made the admission.         “Aww... that’s so cute, AJ.” Fluttershy’s mouth spread into a wide grin. “On who, if you don’t mind me asking?”         “Well, that’s the thing, ‘Shy.” Applejack stared at the ground, her mouth working but no words coming out. After a few seconds, she met the pegasus’ gaze and took a breath. “The filly Ah got a crush on is… Rainbow Dash.”         “Oh no.” Fluttershy’s eyes shot open in panic. She stood frozen for a moment while she processed what she had just heard. “B-but… you— she— I…” She was on the verge of a full-blown panic attack when a sound pulled her out of her spiral.         A single snort escaped Applejack, followed shortly by a few chuckles. “Sorry, ‘Shy. That was mean. Ah’m just messin’ with ya.”         Fluttershy let out a long sigh, feeling her panic drain out with the breath. “Well, um, then… who is it? That is, if you don’t mind me asking.” She stared at her hooves, kicking a small rock a short distance. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I understand.”         Applejack shook her head. “No, fair’s fair. You told me yours, so Ah’ll tell ya mine. But you gotta promise ya won’t laugh at me.” She stopped for a moment and shifted on her hooves nervously. “It’s... Twilight.”         “Twilight?” Fluttershy asked, slightly shocked. The scene from the library played in her head again, and she considered telling Applejack what she had seen. No. It’s not my place to say anything. Twilight might have just been having fun. It might not have been like that.         “Eeyup.” Applejack confirmed, a smirk pulling at her lips. “She don’t have a clue, but it’s not like Ah ain’t been droppin’ hints at it. Heck, before Ah set up shop every Market Day, Ah make a special trip over to Twi’s place to drop off her apples. That way, she don’t haveta come all the way out to the stall to get ‘em.”         “But, um…” Fluttershy cocked her head to the side. “Don’t you usually set up your stall right near the library?”         “Well… yeah.” Applejack’s face scrunched up for a moment and she reached up to adjust her hat. “But you know how she can be, gettin’ all caught up in her book learnin’ and such. Sometimes that girl plumb forgets to eat, and by the time she makes it out to the stall, my wares’ve been picked clean.”         “Oh, well, um, that’s very nice of you, Applejack.” Fluttershy shook her head slightly, sending waves cascading down her mane. You shouldn’t pry into other ponies’ business, Fluttershy. “Shoot, ain’t nothin’.” Applejack waved away her friend’s compliment, smiling. After a moment, her smile faded, and once again her hoof drifted up to her hat. “Though, Ah can’t believe Ah actually forgot mah hat at the library.” She patted her Stetson, as if making sure it wouldn’t run away. “Do you know how many times Ah’ve ever forgotten mah hat somewhere? Zero. Ah’ve never lost it ever since Big Mac gave it to me after Ah earned mah cutie mark.”         “Wait... Big Mac gave you your hat?” Fluttershy asked, her curiosity piqued again.         “Huh? Oh, yea. Ah never told y’all that story?” Applejack shrugged. “It was right after I got back to the farm from Manehattan. Ah was tryin’ to help Mac with buckin’ all the apple trees, but Ah was too small to knock ‘em loose. Ah was a might upset about it. When Ah told him what was wrong he gave me his hat and said that as long as Ah wore it, Ah would be just as strong as he was. Ever since that day, Ah’ve only ever taken off mah hat to bathe and sleep. Heck, Ah even snuck it in to Cadence and Shinin’ Armor’s weddin’.”         Fluttershy smiled warmly as the story ended. “That was very sweet of him. Maybe if Twilight knew that story she might have seen what a big sign it was that you left your hat there.”         “Maybe.” Applejack sighed and sat down, leaning against a tree. “Ah swear, she may be one of the smartest ponies in Equestria, but sometimes that filly can be thicker than Granny’s apple custard. Just… don’t tell her Ah said that.” Fluttershy simply stared at her in confusion. Applejack’s cheeks tinged pink as she looked off to the side. “Granny’s mighty prouda her custard, and Ah doubt she’d take kindly to hearin’ Ah said somethin’ like that.” She turned back to face the pegasus. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s good it’s just… It can be a real workout to eat.”         Fluttershy pressed a hoof to her lips to stifle a giggle. “Don’t worry, AJ. Your secret is safe with me. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” She recited the Pinkie Promise, making the appropriate gestures.         “Thanks, ‘Shy. This makes me feel loads better, bein’ able to get all this off mah chest.” Applejack leaned back against the tree, tilting her hat down to shade her eyes. “So, back to yer little problem. You got any idea on how yer gonna choose between Rare and Dash?”         “Not really.” Fluttershy trotted over and laid down next to the tree. “Pinkie Pie was the first one to find out, and she seems to think I don’t have to choose. She said that the three of us could just all be together. Twilight had some fancy word for it, but apparently it’s not unheard of.”         “Hmm.” Applejack mused over the possibility silently. “Ah see two problems with that idea, and their names are Rarity and Rainbow Dash. Those two ain’t exactly the best of friends. Shoot, Rare’s more friendly to me than she is to Dash, and Ah irritate her every time Ah open mah mouth.” She pushed her hat up with a hoof to look at Fluttershy, who was looking at her with a befuddled expression. She spoke again, this time with a perfect Manehattan accent. “You see, darling, Rarity believes that a proper lady should speak in a more refined manner, such as this. Speaking with an accent such as mine is simply barbaric.” She slipped back into her normal voice. “Just playin’ Discord’s advocate here, but do ya got a plan in case they don’t go for a three-way?”         “No.” Fluttershy let her head fall slightly. Despite talking to all of her friends, she did not feel any closer to solving her initial problem. Her thoughts were interrupted as her stomach audibly reminded her that she had not eaten yet.         “Well, nopony says you gotta decide before breakfast.” Applejack chuckled. “Feel free to head over to the house and grab some food, then take yer time thinkin’ it all over.” She stood up and stretched, preparing to resume her patrol of the orchard.         “I just have one more question, AJ.” Fluttershy spoke up and she rose from the ground. “Why Twilight? I would have figured you would go for somepony like Rainbow Dash. Twilight is the last pony I would have expected you to be interested in.”         Applejack chuckled at the idea, a light blush coloring her cheeks. “Hoo boy, me and Dash, that’d be somethin’. Don’t get me wrong, Ah love Rainbow to bits, but we’re a little too competitive with each other. We butt heads a bit too often.” She paused and shook her head, a light sheen of sweat forming unnoticed on her forehead. “Ah don’t know what it is about Twi’, there’s just somethin’... attractive ‘bout all the way she can solve so many problems just by thinkin’ on ‘em. Look at what she did when those Flim Flam Brothers came to town. When y’all came to help us, she knew right away what part of the cider makin’ each of ya would be best at. Ah just woulda told everypony to do whatever they thought they were best at, but Twi’ knew everypony’s strengths and weaknesses and sorted y’all out to give us the best chance at beatin’ those two arrogant little-” She stopped herself and took several deep breaths to calm down.         “Sorry, Ah got a bit carried away there.” Applejack admitted after composing herself. “I guess what Ah’, tryin’ to say is that Ah’m attracted to Twi’ for her brains.” She smiled at a thought that came to her. “And ya have to admit it’s kinda cute when she’s clueless about somethin’ and misses it when it’s starin’ her right in the face.”         “Well, I hope that Twilight picks up on the hints you’re dropping.” Fluttershy flared her wings and stretched the stiffness from them. “Thanks for the talk, Applejack. I’ve got some thinking to do, so I’ll see you around.” The farm-pony held onto her hat as Fluttershy leapt into the air, sending a small puff of dust across the ground.         Applejack heaved a sigh once she was alone. Ah can’t believe mahself… can’t even tell the truth to mah own friends. And now ‘Shy thinks Ah got a crush on Twi! She may of Pinkie Promised not to say anythin’... but what if she tries to get us together? She slowly plodded down the path between the north and south fields. She reached up and felt the reassuring presence of her hat. Ah still can’t believe Ah forgot mah hat at the library. Stupid, sexy Rainbow Dash. Why’d she haveta go and fall in love with Fluttershy? Applejack lashed out at a tree with one hind leg, sending several apples cascading to the ground.         “Celestia damn it all.” She growled, a single tear streaking down her cheek. *         Three Days Later         Fluttershy paced back and forth in front of her door, glancing at the clock every few seconds. It was almost three in the afternoon, the time that Fluttershy had asked Rarity and Rainbow Dash to come to her house to talk. It’s okay, you’ve rehearsed this. She reminded herself, thinking back to the countless times she had practiced in front of the mirror and with a less-than-enthusiatic Angel. The plan is to find some subtle way to bring up the possibility of a trinogamous relationship, and if you can’t do that then just blurt it out in a panic. She reached the edge of the room and turned around to walk back to the other side. She briefly thought she could see a small rut in the floor from her pacing, but she was distracted by a knock at her door. She trotted over and pulled it open to reveal Rarity on the other side of the threshold.         “Darling, it’s so nice to see you again.” Rarity spoke first in a slightly-too-cheery tone. “I must admit I was getting a little nervous, not having heard from you in quite some time.” Fluttershy went to speak, but Rarity held up a hoof to stop her. “No need to explain, dear. I understand completely. Now, I assume we’re still waiting on-”         “Me?” Dash supplied, having arrived unnoticed. She lowered her head and began pushing the alabaster unicorn into the cottage. “Hurry up and move your flank. You know how impatient I am... these last three days have been killing me.”         “How rude.” Rarity scoffed. She adjusted her hindquarters to the side slightly, causing Dash to slip and land face first in the dirt. She smirked down at the fallen pegasus. “A lady does not hurry.”         “Girls.” Fluttershy interrupted them, placing a gentle hoof on Dash’s withers. “Please don’t fight.” Rainbow stood up and followed Rarity into the cottage, grumbling a bit under her breath. Fluttershy sighed and shook her head, pushing the door closed behind them. She turned to see her two friends sitting on the couch, each sliding as far away from the other as possible without falling off. Well, here goes nothing.         Fluttershy walked over in front of the couch and sat on her haunches. She cleared her throat, interrupting Dash and Rarity from shooting each other dirty glares. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking these past few days, and I talked to the rest of our friends about this... situation.”         “You talked to Twilight?” Rainbow asked. “AJ I get. Maybe even Pinkie, she can be smart when she’s not all hopped up on sugar, which is rare. Twilight, though?”         “Please, don’t interrupt.” Rarity shot back. “It will only make things more difficult and delay us getting to find out what decision Fluttershy has made.” She examined one of her hooves disinterestedly. “Besides, I’m sure that with all the books Twilight has undoubtedly read on the subject, she had some valuable information to contribute.”         “Ahem.” Fluttershy cleared her throat and both of the mares on the couch quit speaking. “As I was saying, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, and I think I may have come up with a solution that will make everypony happy.” Dash and Rarity both looked at her as though she had sprouted a second head. Fluttershy felt her heatbeat hammer in her chest as she steeled herself. “I think we should attempt a trinogamous relationship.”         “A what now?” Dash replied, confusion written on her face. “What in the hay is a trig-... trim-.... whatever you just said?”         “Please, Rainbow. Try not to be confused by every word with more than four letters.” Rarity countered. “I think it sounds like a splendid idea, darling.”         “I’ve got a four letter word for you.” Dash muttered to under her breath. She turned and pointed a hoof at the fashionista. “Alright then, Miss suddenly-so-smarty pants, explain to me what a trigonometrous relationship is.”         “Why it’s quite simple. It’s when...” Rarity trailed off into silence, her eyes darting back and forth. “Fine, I don’t know what it is. I just wanted to agree to whatever she suggested.”         Dash practically slammed her hoof against her forehead, letting out a heavy sigh. “Let’s try this again, Fluttershy. This time can you try it in laypony terms? You know, words we wouldn’t have to be Twilight to know what they mean?”         “Oh, um, well...” Fluttershy could feel her nerves beginning to fray. “I was hoping that, um, maybe we could... that is-” She paused and took a deep breath, trying to slow down her heart’s frantic pace. Alright, subtlety failed, time for a panicked outburst. She took one final breath and screwed her eyes closed. “I want all three of us to be in a relationship together.”         The only thing that greeted her was silence.