I rushed upstairs, pleas to stop and wait from my friends going unheard. As I ascended, my mind raced with thoughts. It had been a strange night, filled with surprise and strange feelings. In the heat of the moment, I kissed Rainbow Dash's girlfriend. I had... made Applejack cheat. It had been barely over a month into our friendship, and I had betrayed Rainbow's trust.
The sound of the bathroom door opening pulled me from my thoughts as I locked eyes with Rainbow. She looked confused for a moment before I began rambling. "Dash, I'm sorry about what happened with Applejack, I shouldn't have kissed her, I'm sorry I made her cheat, I-"
"Woah, woah, woah, slow down, Twigster," Rainbow put a hand on my shoulder in an attempt to stabilize me. "You got nothin' to apologize for. Except for kissing Applejack while I wasn't there, can't believe I missed that."
"Rainbow, I..." Rainbow sighed.
"I really thought Sunset was gonna do this, but I guess I'll do it." Rainbow looked towards the staircase. "Pinkie!" Rainbow called downstairs. "Mind if we use your room?"
"Aww, but we're supposed to do it together!" I heard Pinkie's voice echo up the stairs. Rainbow rolled her eyes.
"Not that! I'm gonna give Twilight the backstory." Rainbow turned to face me. "I'm still pawning off the rest to Sunset," she said with a light smirk. My head darted back and forth between her and the stairs, trying to figure out what was going on and how to proceed, only to notice that Rainbow had entered Pinkie's room. I followed her in to see her lying on Pinkie's bed, resting her head on her hands, the edges of her varsity jacket falling to her sides like wings. I closed the door behind me before turning to Rainbow, my confusion building into frustration.
"Okay, please tell me what the hell is going on, here. This night has been weird and bizarre and confusing and-"
"Nice?" Rainbow finished my sentence with a question. I paused for a moment, before slowly nodding.
"Yeah. Really, really nice," I admitted. "I've never felt this... loved, I guess." Rainbow Dash gave me a surprisingly honest grin before shifting to the side and patting the bed.
"Lie with me, Twiggy," she requested. I complied, still making sure to keep my distance as we both stared at the ceiling. "Can I tell you a story?"
"Um, sure, I guess," I replied lazily. My brain was finally recognizing that Rainbow was, for some reason, not angry at me for kissing her girlfriend. Applejack's words echoed in my head.
"Ah want ya to remember, Twi, that Ah want this. We all want this. Just keep that in mind, okay sugar?"
"We all want this," I silently repeated.
"You say somethin'?" Rainbow asked.
"No, just... thinking." A moment of silence passed between us.
"You know why Applejack started dating me?"
"Because she... liked you?" I assumed, confused at the question.
"Because of a coin flip." Rainbow finished her sentence with a chuckle as if it was somehow a good memory. "Before we met you, AJ couldn't decide if she liked me or Rarity more. So... she did a coin flip. Landed on tails." Rainbow let out a soft breath. "She told me that around three weeks ago. I... okay, promise you're not gonna judge me?"
"I promise. I couldn't judge you if I wanted to, really." Rainbow let out a 'heh.'
"Give yourself more credit, Twi." Rainbow stopped talking. I could hear her breathing gaining speed, the courage to say something building up. "I couldn't stop crying when she told me, and I had no idea why. I know, in my head, that I should've been angry, but I couldn't bring myself to be. I thought long and hard that night about why I wasn't angry, why I cried instead. Until I realized... that I was crying because she had to choose."
Something warm wrapped around my hand. I looked down to find Rainbow's fingers intertwining with mine. I looked at her for a moment, before looking back at the ceiling, opting to let her continue instead of asking about it. I squeezed.
"Scootaloo came over the next day. You know Scootaloo?" she asked me.
"Your little sister, right?" I responded. Rainbow chuckled.
"God, I wish. I treat her like she is, though." I could feel Rainbow's smile warm the room. "She came over the next day to ask me about something. One that was... weirdly relevant."
"What did she ask?" I inquired.
"Why she had to choose." Rainbow took a moment to collect her thoughts. "She told me she had crushes on two girls. She didn't tell me who, but it was pretty obviously Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom." Rarity and Applejack's little sisters respectively, I recalled. "She wanted to love them, but she wanted to love both of them, like, at the same time. I told her that's just not how things work, that you can only date one person. She asked me why." I felt Rainbow's grip on my hand tightening. "I didn't have an answer. So I said screw it, ask them both out, who cares what the world thinks!" Rainbow shifted closer toward me. "That night, I asked Applejack about it. Turns out she and Apple Bloom had a similar talk, and AJ had a similar response to mine. We had a talk and came to an agreement that what we were both thinking was something we both wanted. So... the next day, we went over to Rarity's." Rainbow rolled over, looking at me. I turned to face her, locking eyes. "Twilight, AJ and I have been dating Rarity for about three weeks now. Both of us."
It was then it all came crashing down. Everything from Pinkie's warning to Fluttershy's openness to Rarity's preaching to Applejack's promise, the entire night finally made sense in my head. Except, it didn't, because the only logical answer was that I was... being seduced by my friends. Potentially, propositioned for something deeper. I wanted it. I wanted it so bad, but a small part of me still couldn't accept that's what the night was about. Rainbow went on.
"Rarity and Fluttershy started dating around the same time, though honestly you could tell me they've been married since childhood and I'd believe you. Since then, Pinkie and Sunset joined in, though they're kinda wildcards in terms of actual feelings stuff. Pinkie's impossible to read but she definitely seems pretty content, but I don't think Sunset's gonna be truly happy with all of us until..." Rainbow smirked. "Well, you'll see."
We both lay silently for minutes on end, Rainbow's face never changing from one of understanding with a hint of amusement, presumably from watching my brain process everything.
"...why me?" I finally asked. Rainbow stifled a laugh.
"Dude, why not you? You're smart, you're goofy, you're kind, plus you're a fuckin' cutie, any of us would be insane not to like you." I nervously laughed.
"Honestly, I'm a little scared this is all going to go to my head," I admitted.
"You deserve it, dude! You're awesome!"
"But not as awesome as you, right?" Rainbow rolled her eyes.
"Well, obviously."
I could feel it coming. Everything in my body was telling me it was about to happen. I shifted closer to Rainbow, and she in turn shifted closer to me, placing her free hand on my cheek. "Twilight, I'm not angry about you kissing AJ. If anything, I'm pissed you kissed her before you kissed me." She giggled. "Usually I'd be upset about being second-last but... honestly, I don't really care anymore. I know you'd never betray me, Twilight. I'd never betray you. I'd never betray any of my friends..."
And then Rainbow Dash kissed me.
Rainbow's kiss was a promise, Applejack's promise from earlier given physical form. Her strength and passion were put on full display, holding me as if her life depended on it. I felt like I was at the end of a high school sports movie, the star football player finally kissing the cheerleader he's been in love with since the start of the movie. At first, I found this comparison my head made odd, but after everything that happened, I think I finally believed I was pretty enough to be the cheerleader. Making sure not to overstay her welcome, Rainbow's lips separated from mine, her magenta eyes piercing me as she finished her thought.
"...and I'd never betray any of my lovers."