Rarity had decided to go full dress-up for the occasion. After all, it wasn’t everyday she was tasked with the insidious task of spying on one of her best friends. She bore a black fedora with a long black trench coat with it’s collar popped, covering as much of her face from the side as possible. She tried her hardest to look casual, drinking heavily through the straw of a tall glass milkshake, and she had made sure that somepony other than Pinkie had lead them to their table inside of Sugarcube Corner.
Applejack, on the other hoof, simply wore her stetson.
“Ah’ think wearin’ that much is just more suspicious, don’tcha think?” Applejack asked. Rarity responded by stopping her drinking from the straw and tilting her head down to cover more of her eyes. “...right.” Applejack cleared her throat, looking around the bustling business of Sugarcube Corner. “What exactly are we lookin’ for, here?”
“Rainbow usually gets dinner from Sugarcube Corner around six fifty-five every night.” Rarity explained in a hushed whisper, looking around the dining room for any eavesdroppers. Thankfully, nopony seemed to give the two mares in the booth the slightest of second glances. “She usually talks with Pinkie on what to get for dinner. After that, she flies home.” Rarity continued drinking.
“...And?” Applejack asked, looking slightly confused, and maybe a little horrified that Rarity knew Rainbow’s schedule down to that much detail. “...after that?”
“Then, we’ll know for sure.” Rarity nodded.
“Wh… Alright?” Applejack shrugged. “How?” Rarity let out a sigh, pushing her drink away from her lips in a frustrated manner.
“The details, obviously!” She huffed. “If Rainbow is in love with Pinkie, then to my trained eye, it should be as clear as daylight! The way they’ll talk in hushed whispers- the way they’ll secretly make loving eye-contact! Ugh, it get’s my heart going!” She fluttered her eyes as she dreamily stared off into space.
“Okay.” Applejack nodded. “And you haven’t noticed Rainbow datin’ one of our friends earlier… because…?”
“Because I wasn’t paying attention.” Rarity reigned her thoughts back down to earth, rolling her eyes at Applejack like her reasoning was plainly obvious. “I was not in the proper mindset to look for clues when we hang out. I was under the impression that we were all friends.” Rarity suddenly let out a squee of delight, one that made Applejack jump in her seat. “Oh, how wonderful this turn of events is!”
“Yeah…” Applejack’s gaze darkened. “How wonderful.” Rarity’s excitement was curve balled as she was quick to pick up on Applejack’s sudden solemn.
“Oh, Applejack.” She huffed. “There’s plenty more fish in the sea!”
“What?! No!” Applejack shook her head wildly, flailing her hooves as a blush threatened her face. “Ah’ ain’t attracted to nopony!”
“Then why the long-face?” She asked. Applejack wasn’t sure whether to take that as an insult or a joke as she frowned. “Do you not want our friends to be dating?”
“Well… It’s just…” Applejack creased her lip. “Well… it’ll… change a lot of things?”
“It certainly will.” Rarity agreed. “But… I feel like I’m not getting the whole story, Applejack.” Rarity leaned forwards, placing both of her elbows onto the table. “Is the Element of Honesty telling a fib?”
“No!” Applejack almost yelled. “Well… Ah’m…” She frowned. “Don’tcha think it’s a lil’ weird?”
“Weird, dear?” Rarity hummed in thought. “Perhaps a tiny bit. Two of our best friends getting together is a little other-worldly, I’ll admit, but I’ve seen something like this coming for a long while.”
“No…” Applejack shook her head. “Ah’ mean… the whole…” Applejack tapped her hooves together. “You know?” Rarity shook her head back in confusion. “Ah’ mean… One plus zero, right? But zero plus zero? Doesn’t work.” Rarity furrowed her brows, leaning back in her chair and shooting Applejack a confused look. “Ain’t you ever found it a lil’ weird how two mares are gettin’ together?” Rarity’s furrowed brow turned from one of confusion into slight disgust.
“Applejack?” She asked quietly. Applejack felt her heart slowly drop as Rarity's face turned to one of anger. “Are you insinuating-” Suddenly, she gasped, grabbing a nearby menu and completely covering her face, pretending to read it. Applejack, despite not knowing what she was hiding from, picked up the message and did the same with her own menu.
At the same time, a certain prismatic Pegasus strolled into Sugarcube Corner. She flipped her mane back andlooked around the bakery. She smiled, and happily trotted up to the front counter.
“Oh, looks like sompony’s in a good mood!” Missus Cake said, currently mareing the front desk. Rainbow smiled as she approached. “I’ll go get Pinkie Pie for ya, dear. She’s always so busy this time of day, dont’cha know?” Missus Cake stood up and disappeared into the backroom. Rainbow patiently waited, crossing her legs as she observed the items on the desk in front of her.
Unannounced to her, however, both Rarity and Applejack slowly lowered their menus. Both of their eyes were sharply focused on the Pegasus, watching her every little move. From the way her eyes moved across the desk, to the way she stood, and even the way she held her wings. Which, for some inexplicable reason, she hung them lower than they usually would rest on a Pegasus. Almost as if they were sore.
“Dashie!” A bubbly voice said. Rarity raised her eyebrow, and the two began listening. “Here for you dinner-supreme-suggestion?”
“Yeah.” Rainbow nodded. “Well- actually, I need two meals for today.” She leaned forwards. “Something healthy.”
“Oh?” Pinkie smiled slyly. “Scared of puttin’ on a few pounds?”
“Pinkie.” Rainbow growled. The pink Earth-pony was not expecting the reaction, wilting at the strange response, but didn’t say anything more. “I just… need something green, you know? I-I don’t want to get into the details.”
“Okay.” Pinkie nodded stiffly. “Well, no worries, Dashie! I’ll have something green and mean in no time!” She almost turned around to leave, before pausing. “Wait… you said two meals?” She raised her eyebrow. “Why are you getting two meals?”
“Well…” Rainbow shifted her leg uncomfortably. “Me and somepony else… you know…” She shyly smiled.
“Oh.” Pinkie’s eyes expanded. “Oh.” Her smile split. “OH. Oh, of course!” She giggled. “I’ll make something real special for you two, don’t you worry!” She happily bounded away from the counter.
Applejack and Rarity stared at each other in shock.
“So it’s not Pinkie Pie?” Applejack whispered as quietly as ponily possible. Both ponies raised their menus and placed them standing up, creating a curtain of safety from the peering eyes of Rainbow.
“It has to be Fluttershy!” Rarity gasped. “Ohmygosh, how could I have not seen it earlier? The way they interact, it’s so obvious! So… romantic!”
“Does Fluttershy like to eat healthy?” Applejack asked, cocking her head to the side. “Ah’ don’t recall… do ya’ remember her ever eatin’ anythin’ from Hay Burgers?”
“I do not think so, no…” Rarity tapped her chin. “I have to admit, I saw zero chemistry between Rainbow and Pinkie, outside of being friends, that is.”
“Well, doesn’t that mean that…” Applejack quickly peered her head outside of their curtain. Pinkie was yet to return from the back room, leaving Rainbow to idly look at some posters hanging on the walls of different events happening around Ponyville. “Doesn’t that mean she’s gonna be headin’ straight to Fluttershy’s after this?”
“Oh! Oh, yes she is!” Rarity gasped, quickly standing up from her booth. “She’s fast, so if we’re going to beat her there, we’re going to have to hurry! And we have to leave, now!”
“Okay! Okay!” Applejack quickly tossed ten bits onto the counter, paying for both of them, and stood up. “Let’s go!” She whisper-shouted. Rarity and Applejack quickly galloped out the open door. Rainbow turned around upon feeling a strange breeze pass behind her, but after looking around and seeing nopony, she shrugged, looking back at Ponyville’s local youth dance club poster.
Rainbow was pleasantly surprised to notice that plenty of names were on the poster, and a surprising amount of names that she recognized. Of course, being the youth dance club, all of them were fillies and colts, so she didn’t exactly recognize everypony. But she was surprised to see Scootaloo, performing next month in-
“Manehattan?” Rainbow whispered to herself, raising her eyebrow. “That can’t be right.” She snorted. “When does that filly have the time to dance?”
“Youff ee surfhised!” The voice of Pinkie rejoined the room. Rainbow looked back over to the counter, just in time to catch her spitting out a decently sized bag of food onto the counter. “That little filly knows how to dance.”
“Oh, really?” Rainbow plucked the bag of bits out from under her wing and pulled open the string with her mouth.
“Twenty bits, please!”
“Right.” Rainbow dumped a few onto the counter and began sorting through them with her hoof. “I had no idea Scootaloo knew how to dance. I didn’t even know she was good enough to be going to Manehattan!”
“Oh, she’s really good.” Pinkie nodded, watching Rainbow. “I occasionally help cater big events held at the school. Scootaloo doesn’t ever go on stage in Ponyville, though. But I’ve seen her dance in other places, like Fillydelphia.”
“She’s went to Fillydelphia?” Rainbow flexed her jaw in surprise, finally pushing forwards the twenty bits. “I had no idea! She never talks about it.”
“I’unno. She might be embarrassed.” Pinkie shrugged. Rainbow paused, considering it for a moment, and thought about how ‘girly’ that dance class might come off for somepony like Scootaloo. If Scootaloo was anything like Rainbow Dash, she might be uncomfortable with other ponies knowing her secret.
And that made Rainbow feel… weird. After all, didn’t Rainbow herself have a big secret? One that she had been hiding from all of her friends for the past… long while? Pinkie seemed to have picked up on Rainbow’s sudden silence, as she leaned forwards over the counter and raised an eyebrow at her silence.
“Are you… okay, Dash?” Pinkie asked. Rainbow blinked, looking up.
“Oh, uh- yeah.” She furrowed her own eyebrows as she looked back down at the counter. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Is it about your secret lover?” Pinkie asked. Rainbow flinched with shock, looking straight up and into Pinkie’s eyes. “Oh, Dash. I already know.” Rainbow’s heart began beating a little bit quicker as Pinkie smiled. “You said earlier! You’re ordering a healthy meal for you and some stallion!” She beamed. “I would really like this date to go well, so I even made these meals taste extra good!”
Rainbow blinked. Of course. She had implied to Pinkie that she was going on a date. But she hadn’t exactly disclosed who. And maybe Twilight would like it if Rainbow would at least talk to her before hoof if she was going to reveal their relationship status, even if it was Rainbow who had put those restrictions in the first place.
“Pinkie…” Rainbow looked around the restaurant. Everypony looked preoccupied with their own things, and not a single pony paid any attention to the two at the front counter. “Would it be okay if… um…” Rainbow creased her lip. “Would it be okay if… it wasn’t… a stallion?”
Pinkie sealed her mouth quicker than Rainbow had ever seen her do so. Her pupils expanded by a not insignificant amount as she stared at Rainbow. Rainbow felt her ears droop at the same rate her heart did upon seeing Pinkie’s reaction.
Then, Pinkie smiled.
“Rainbow…” She lowered her voice. “Do you think I care so little about our friendship that I would care, at all, about that?” She asked. “Come on.” Rainbow felt a small smile cross her features as she remade eye contact with Pinkie.
“Thanks, Pinkie.” Rainbow happily grabbed her food and perched it on the crook of her back. “And, uh, sorry for, uh, yelling earlier. When the- two meals, thing. Sorry.” Pinkie simply waved her hoof with a ‘pshaw!’ “Talk to you later, all right?”
“All right, Rainbow!” She waved merrily. “And good luck on the date!” Rainbow gave a simple head nod of acknowledgment, before taking to the skies with the food on her back.
Although Pinkie was convinced they were going on a date, the truth was much less mundane and simple. Instead of a date, Rainbow had simply flown to Twilight’s library with the food. After all, Rainbow could not handle the gossip from the town. Once upon a time, she had accompanied Rarity to a fancy restaurant. The gossip that they were dating was insane, and it took a monumental display of effort to convince the townsfolk that they were not, in fact dating.
After all, Rainbow’s heart laid with Twilight.
“And, roll!” Rainbow threw the dice onto the board. They clanged and bounced all the way across to Twilight’s side, to which the two white blocks faced upwards with a combined value of 12. Twilight obliged by lighting up Rainbow’s piece and moving it forwards twelve spaces. “Nice!”
“I can’t believe this!” Spike harrumphed, crossing his arms. “I thought you said you never played, Rainbow…”
“I haven’t!” Rainbow smiled broadly as she hoofed up two hundred paper-bits, called bucks. “I’ve never played Mareopoly in my life!” Spike side-eyed her, but without saying another word, took his own dice and rolled them. They clanged and clattered, too, landing on a healthy 8.
“Did you ever play any board games with your parents?” Twilight asked innocently. Rainbow loved Twilight, sure, but sometimes that mare had a tendency to be as subtle as a brick when trying to prod Rainbow about anything.
“Uh, no.” Rainbow shook her head. “Do you want a little house, Spike?” Rainbow asked. Spike contemplated for a moment, reading the card associated with his property. Eventually, he shook his head no. “Alright. Your turn!”
“What did you used to do for fun?” Twilight asked very un-subtly while rolling her dice. Rainbow perked her cheek, trying to make eye contact with Twilight in an attempt to subtly tell her to stop asking about her foal hood. Unfortunately, Twilight was too busy buying a new piece of property. Finally, Rainbow resigned with a sigh.
“Go to Fluttershy’s.” She answered. “We would usually hang out. A lot of my time with her was teaching her how to fly.” Rainbow itched her chin.
“Outside of that?” Twilight asked, pushing the dice forwards. Rainbow cocked her head to the side while looking at her. Spike had also gotten curious, now listening more intently instead of pouting about loosing.
“Not much.” Rainbow said coldly. “Most of my time with Mom and Dad was them teaching me how to be the best. At everything.” Her lip twitched. “Like I said, my relationship with my parent’s isn’t very… healthy.” She sighed. “They mentally messed me up pretty good, and now I take medication.” She shrugged.
“Oh, Dashie.” Twilight leaned forwards. “I am so sorry.” There was a beat of silence where nopony said anything. Spike leaned forwards to roll the dice before she began once more. “Could you tell me a little more about your parent-”
“Can you knock it off?” Spike interrupted. Twilight shot him a dirty look. “She obviously doesn’t want to talk about it!”
“Come on, Spike! I was just…” She looked at Rainbow, and realized her face was almost completely dead and devoid of emotion. Twilight’s glare from Spike slowly faded. “...oh.” Twilight chewed her lip, looking down at the gameboard. There was an awkward moment of silence where nopony said a word. “Well, we can just continue with Mareopoly, right? Who’s turn was-”
“Twilight, have you ever thought about telling our friends?” Rainbow suddenly interrupted. “I mean… about us.” Twilight looked up from the board with a gasp, her eyes wide with sudden renewed excitement as Rainbow devolved into a stuttering mess. “I-If you’re comfortable with it, I mean, I’d be-”
“Dash, you’re the one who set these imaginary boundaries.” Twilight reached over the table and ever so softly caressed Rainbow’s cheek. “I would be more than okay with telling our friends. Only whenever you are ready, okay?”
Spike watched the display of affection and gagged.
“M-Maybe we could talk about it more tomorrow?” Rainbow looked up at the clock posted on the wall above the fireplace. “It’s getting pretty late, after all…”
“Oh, of course!” Twilight beamed, standing up from the game table. Spike looked more or less relieved, now realizing that he no longer had to deal with the embarrassment of loosing that badly to a game of Mareopoly. Twilight blushed, crossing her forelegs. “I mean… would you like to spend the night?”
“Would I?” Rainbow bit her lip, her wings twitching. “I dunno… I mean, is there enough room? I could take the
“We’ve been dating for months, Dash.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “We can sleep in the same bed.” She raised one hoof to her cheek and squished it in excitement. “We can even snuggle!”
“Alright, I’m out.” Spike quickly stood up from the game table and scrambled upstairs. “I don’t want to deal with this!”
“Hypocrite!” Twilight yelled after him before turning back to Rainbow. “You should hear about how much he gushes about Rarity. He can dish it out, but he can’t bear to hear other ponies do the same.” She sighed, rolling her eyes. “So. How about it, Dashie?” Twilight took notice of Rainbow’s rising blush.
“Well… I mean… it is gonna get cold tonight… and my cloud house isn’t very good at keeping out the wind…” Rainbow bit her lip. “...alright.” Twilight smiled broadly, clapping both of her hooves together and galloping up the stairs.
“Come on! We can brush each other manes, tell bed time stories~!” Twilight giggled. Rainbow raised her eyebrow, and with a sigh, she begun following her.
But, even after seeing Twilight so excited, she couldn’t deny that she dreaded the conversation that would follow tomorrow. After all, trusting your friends is one thing. It’s a whole different thing to trust them with this whole situation. How would the other ponies react to the two of them dating? With negativity? With hate, even? It was always a matter of time, but now, it felt like that clock was beginning to reach it’s alarm.
Applejack let out a long, dejected sigh.
Rarity did the same, only with more frustration behind hers.
They had been camping outside of Fluttershy’s cottage for the better part of an hour. Through the windows of Fluttershy’s cottage, with vivid orange light coming from her fireplace, they could easily see her silhouette dancing as she busied herself with her animal’s nighttime routines. And, noticeably, there was the lack of Rainbow Dash’s shadow.
“So…” Applejack bit her lip, adjusting herself underneath the bush. “It ain’t Flutters, neither?”
“No, dear, it’s not.” Rarity sighed, resisting the urge to face-plant into the underbrush. “It isn’t Pinkie Pie, and it isn’t Fluttershy.” She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath in. “What now?” She said as she exhaled.
“I’unno.” Applejack shrugged, pushing a branch away from her face. “Maybe we’re lookin’ at this all wrong. Maybe Bloom’ meant some other pony. Like Rose and… I dunno, Amethyst, or summit’.” She flexed her cheek. “But… ah’ asked her whether it was one of us, and she said yes…” Applejack growled. “This is so dang confusin’. It don’t even need to be Rainbow Dash! It could be Pinkie and Fluttershy! Or- Twilight and- and, uh-” She clicked her tongue in frustration.
“Or…” Rarity tried to finish. “It could still be Twilight?”
“Please.” Applejack sighed. “That mare’s more love-blind than a pigeon with a blindfold. She ain’t pickin’ up any hints.” Applejack chewed the inside of her cheek. “Maybe it’s about time we go home, Rarity. Jus’ forget about all’o this until one of ‘em fesses up. It ain’t like the end of the world, or nuttin’.”
“Yes…” Rarity frowned. She looked immensely dissapointed, but if Applejack had to guess, she would probably survive until the next day. “I suppose so. Plus, it is quite rude of us to spy on Fluttershy like this, isn’t it?”
“Yeah…” Applejack looked up at Fluttershy’s cottage. “...and creepy, now’tha I’m thinkin’ about it.”
They both crawled out from underneath the bush, and began trotting on the path leading away from Fluttershy's. Applejack was chewing the inside of her cheek so hard it had begun to turn sore. Her eyes darted up momentarily on the dark path to look at Rarity's, questions still burning. After all, if Rarity was okay with two mares getting together, then why shouldn't Applejack, too?
All she wanted was answers. But the look of anger that briefly flashed over Rarity's face back in Sugarcube Corner made Applejack switch from biting her cheek to biting her tongue and continued looking down the path.