Unexpected Confessions
Chapter Fourteen
The Cat’s Out of the Bag
“Thanks, Twi. Sorry for bailing on ya.” Rainbow looked over her shoulder and spotted Applejack coming out onto the path behind her. “Looks like AJ’s back, anyhow. Have fun training.” She shot one last glance at Twilight before galloping down the trail and leaping into the air. She beat her wings to climb above the surrounding trees and angled toward Ponyville. She beat her wings harder, picking up speed and blurring the ground beneath her. Twilight’s words echoed in her mind.
“They kissed, t-tongues and all.”
Dash sped through the air ever faster, trying to outrun the words in her head. Come on, Dash. Calm. Down. I’m sure it was just a misunderstanding. She flared her wings to slow down as she reached the edge of town. Fluttershy wouldn’t do that. No way. She noticed several ponies on the ground waving up at her as as she passed overhead, but didn’t bother to respond. Twilight’s words continued to plague her like an itch she couldn’t scratch.
“They kissed-
She pulled her wings in, going into free fall for several seconds and nearly clipping a thatched roof before she caught herself. She pumped her wings to climb back above the buildings.
“- t-tongues and all.”
She shook her head, trying to dislodge the memory. ‘Shy wouldn’t do that... would she? No, no way. She banked to avoid a cloud, scanning the ground for any sign of her target as another possibility dawned on her. Fluttershy wouldn’t... but Rarity? She lowered her gaze and spotted Carousel Boutique almost directly below her. She pulled up and looped over to dive straight down, flaring her wings to land with a dull thud a few feet in front of the door. Her confusion festered in her stomach, slowly building into anger. Whatever’s going on here, somepony had better have a bucking good explanation.
Dash stepped forward and knocked on the door.
*
Rarity hummed tunelessly to herself as she worked, listening to the scratching of her pencil as it flew across the page. She pulled back and looked at the sketch, pausing to massage her temple. Her head still hurt, but inspiration had struck, and she needed to get it down on paper. The design was wispy and flowing, something that would look wonderful in flight, yet didn’t inhibit the flier’s movements. Fluttershy would surely love it, even if she rarely took to the air. Rainbow might like it as well. She pulled her pencil away from the paper and admired her work. Still needs a few finishing touches, but- She froze as her eyes reached the back end of the design. The tail of the model was eerily familiar, even in monochrome, as was the short, ruffled mane. Oh dear. Her gaze drifted down to the model’s flank, where a three-tone lightning bolt cutie mark was clearly visible through a part in the skirt. Oh goodness. Well, it’s not like she’ll ever see it.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at her door. She got up and trotted over to it, opening it with a faint pulse of magic as she cleared her throat. “Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where everything is chic-” She stopped as she recognized the pony standing outside. “Rainbow, lo— dear. How are you?” She went to step forward and hug the pegasus, but caught herself. Careful, Rarity. She moved aside. “Please, come in. This is a lovely coincidence, I was hoping to speak with you.”
“Thanks.” Rainbow trotted inside, watching the unicorn cautiously. “I wanted to talk to you too.”
“Oh?” Rarity walked back over to her work table and collected her sketches, trying to hide the familiar model from her visitor. “By all means, go ahead.”
“No no, you first.” Dash trotted over and leaned against the table, waiting expectantly.
“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it.” Rarity motioned for the other mare to speak. “Please, darling. I insist.”
Silence filled the room, each of them waiting for the other to speak. Honestly, Rainbow... trying to wait me out? Seconds dragged on into one minute, then two. Rarity smiled. Three, two, one...
“Fine.” Dash stood up from the table. “Have you seen Fluttershy lately?”
That’s it? Rarity took a moment to recover before responding, much to her friend’s annoyance. “Well, yes, as a matter of fact. She and I stopped by the spa yesterday before having a nice, quiet dinner.”
Rainbow let out a short, irritated huff. “So, why were you kissing her? Are you trying to steal her away from me?”
“Excuse me?” Rarity pulled a hoof to her chest.
Dash moved forward and pressed her forehead to Rarity’s, trying to overpower her through sheer force of will. “Why. Were. You. Kissing. Her?” She asked, venom dripping from her words.
A million responses flooded the unicorn’s mind, ranging from indignant to conciliatory. Her friend and former rival was acting as though kissing one’s marefriend was a problem. Is she jealous? She backed up a step to put some space between them before responding. “That is the typical thing one does when ending a date, dear. I’m sorry if it upsets you.”
“If it upsets me?” Dash yelled, flaring her wings and making herself even more imposing. “’Shy’s my marefriend, and you’re not going to steal her away from me!”
“Y-Your...” Rarity pressed a hoof to her temple, where her headache was making a comeback. “I’m sorry, Rainbow. I... am not at my best this morning, so I may be misunderstanding you. Come, let’s sit down and talk about this so we can get it all sorted out.”
“Rares.” Dash growled, her lip pulling back into a sneer. She stepped forward, stopping inches from the unicorn’s face. “Twilight told me that she saw you making out with ‘Shy, after she picked me. There’s no bucking way I’m letting you get out of this by calling is a misunderstanding.”
“Well, yes.” Rarity nodded. “As I said before, Fluttershy and I had just eaten dinner. She had a bit too much to drink, so I brought her back here to get some rest. Yes, we did kiss, although that was the extent of it, if it makes you feel any better. First date, you know. It’s not proper to do much more, no matter how tempting it is.” She shook her head, straining to keep a straight face as she remembered Fluttershy’s actions from the previous night. “Regardless, that isn’t what’s confusing me-”
“Are you confused about what the word ‘dumped’ means?” Dash flapped her wings once, sending stacks of papers floating to the ground. She arched her wings up, ringing her head like a spiked halo. “Fluttershy picked me, and dumped you!” She snarled. “If you’re still confused, that means you can’t go out and get her drunk so that you can make out with her!”
Rarity backed away reflexively, her thoughts freezing as her mind conjured images of her dream. Dash’s bloody, vengeful scowl flashed before her, threatening to sap her resistance. She dismissed the image, focusing on the less bloody but equally furious mare in front of her. “I-I don’t...” She stuttered uselessly, her brain working furiously to reconcile her friend’s words with reality. Fluttershy did pick me. She came by and told me she had broken it off with Rainbow.
Suddenly, the pieces clicked, and Rarity’s world shattered around her.
Rainbow was telling her that Fluttershy had dumped her, but that wasn’t true. Oh no. Both Dash and Rarity thought that Fluttershy had chosen them. Oh no, please not that. That meant that in all likelihood, neither of them were right.
Nopony had been dumped. Fluttershy was dating both of them.
Oh, sweet Celestia. Have I become an adultress in my own relationship? Rarity stared ahead blankly. How? She belatedly remembered that Dash was still present. “Rainbow, darling, you are clearly owed an explanation. Just... give me a moment, please.” She dropped her eyes to the ground, unable to look at the cyan pegasus. “I need a moment to gather myself. I-I’ll go make some tea. How does that sound?”
Rainbow growled for a second, but took a few deep breaths and walked over to sit at the kitchen table with a huff. “Whatever.”
“Thank you, dear. I am terribly sorry I upset you. Just give me one moment, please.” She trotted into the kitchen, taking several deep, calming breaths of her own. This isn’t right. It was supposed to be different. She had meant to ask if Dash would reconsider joining Fluttershy and her, forming the trinogamous relationship they had both initially rejected. Well, that’s out of the question, now. She chewed on her bottom lip as she started pacing the kitchen, making sure to stay away from the doorway. This had gotten incredibly awkward. In Rainbow’s mind, Rarity was the interloper, the third wheel. She had nothing to offer because she had already ‘lost.’
Still... there might be a way out. One that doesn’t break three hearts. She could see now why Fluttershy had been so distracted during their date. She had been worried they would be discovered, and with good reason. The poor dear didn’t want to break it off with either of us... but how could she have thought this was a good idea?
No, you can salvage this. There’s a way, there has to be. Think. She stopped pacing as inspiration stuck. Of course! I can frame it as a misunderstanding. I asked Fluttershy to dinner to see if she would talk to Rainbow about the three-way relationship again. I hoped that now that she had ‘won,’ she might be more inclined to agree to it. We got a little drunk, and yes, there was kissing, but that was the end of it. The whole point was to come back to Dash with the proposal from both of us this time.
Rarity’s spirits sank as she noticed a flaw in her logic. However, that does still put me in the position of trying to wedge myself into their relationship behind Rainbow’s back. She bit her lip, trying in vain to work around that particular aspect of her story. So be it. If that is the worst I must endure to make this work, I shall count myself lucky. She pounded one hoof into another in determination. I will make this work. She walked back out into the main room. “Sorry to keep you waiting, darling.”
Rainbow raised an eyebrow, a look of cool displeasure on her face. “Where’s the tea?”
Shoot! Rarity froze in her tracks. “Tea. Right. One mom—”
“Don’t bother.” Dash cut across her, motioning to the seat across the table. “I think we both know that neither of us really wanted any.”
“O-of course.” The unicorn resumed her walk to the table, her nerves threatening to undo her at any moment. “Well, then it’s explanation time, I suppose.” She sat down and tried to drown out the thundering rush of her pulse in her ears. She looked at Rainbow, who was glaring at her with thinly veiled contempt, and launched into her story. “You see, I... asked Fluttershy out to dinner after our weekly spa da— appointment, though I assure you it wasn’t meant to have romantic implications.”
She shrunk back under the intensity of the other mare’s scowl, finding her silence more frightening than her earlier verbal tirades, but Rarity forced herself to continue. “I had hoped to discuss the idea of the trinogamous relationship with her again. After all, we both love her, and it seems silly to fight over her when she loves both of us back.” She swallowed as Dash’s glare reached new heights. “I admit, we both had a bit too much to drink, and yes, I kissed her. I’m sorry, but I do love her, as you know. That’s the whole reason we got into this mess in the first place. We—” She faltered under the ferocity of the pegasus’ gaze, feeling the urge to put a very solid barrier between them. “W-we were planning to speak with you about this later today, but... the cat’s out of the bag, as it were. Could you ever—”
“No.” Rainbow’s tone brooked no possibility for argument or persuasion, but her eyes softened ever so slightly.
Rarity leaned back in shock. No... Just like that? You couldn’t even... Am I truly so undesirable? “Rainbow, darling, I really don’t understand. When Fluttershy first broached the subject, I was appalled. I love Fluttershy, and I was unsure if I could love anypony else, much less at the same time. Naturally, I said ‘no’ to the idea, but...” Do not tell her about the dream. At best, it will come off as remarkably creepy, and at worst it will make you seem absolutely mad. “I-I’ve been thinking, in the wake of Fluttershy’s decision. I’m not saying that I love you—” Even though I do. “—but I truly believe that I could, and would like to, if you would give me the chance.” She turned away to keep the other mare from seeing the tears welling in her eyes. “Am I truly so detestable that you would not even entertain the idea of being with me?”
“Thinking, huh? Funny how all this thinking happens after you lost.” Dash watched as the unicorn cringed at her words and saw a tear fall to the ground, followed swiftly by several more. Really, Rares? Gonna try the water works on me? She rolled her eyes and prepared another remark, but paused as she realized the alabaster mare was choking back sobs and trying to slow her tears. Wow, she really is torn up about this. Wait, she tried to steal ‘Shy from me! Her anger welled up again, but it was drowned out by concern for her friend. Well crap, now I feel like a total mule. She sighed and flexed her wings slowly, trying to bleed off excess tension. “Listen Rares, you’re not ‘detestable,’ whatever that means. I just don’t love you.”
“I’m not asking you to, not out of the blue, at least.” Rarity rubbed a foreleg across her eyes to dry them, only to have more tears flow out. “All I’m asking for is a chance, Rainbow. We’ve been friends for quite some time now, and though we don’t always see eye-to-eye, I have always been patient with you whenever you ask for my help, and you have done the same with me in return.” She stood up and walked around the table, sitting down next to the pegasus, who shifted nervously but didn’t move away.
“For Celestia’s sake, you saved my life, even after my positively horrid behavior almost cost you your victory. Then, you did it again, with Fluttershy’s help no less, without ever asking so much as a word of thanks.” Her tears redoubled as she began to question her own worth. She’s done so much for me, time and time again. What have I done for her? Upstage her on the biggest day of her life? Make some paltry dress for that dreadful Gala?
She forced the thoughts from her mind, focusing on her current situation. “We both know how we feel about Fluttershy, but take her out of this for a moment. I’m asking if I can be with you.” She reached out to hold Dash’s hoof, but the pegasus pulled it away. Even that simple, unintentional act of rejection crushed Rarity’s spirits even further. “That’s the only way that all of this will work. I love her, you love her, but unless we also love each other...” She dropped her gaze to the floor, unable to bear looking into the other mare’s eyes anymore. “It will only end badly for everypony.”
“I-I’m sorry, Rares.” Dash stammered, all traces of her earlier anger evaporating. “I can’t do it. I love Fluttershy, not you.” She stood up and walked away from the table, pacing the room and working her mouth open and closed in an effort to find the right words.
“Things like this...” She stopped and looked at her former rival, pangs of guilt striking her as she saw the hurt in those large, sapphire eyes. She swallowed and forced herself to continue. “Three-way relationships always end badly. Period.”
“How can you say that?” Rarity stood up and walked over to her friend, who turned to avoid her gaze. She trotted around to try and meet the other mare’s eyes, but Dash kept turning away. “You couldn’t possibly know that, unless...” She stopped, bringing a hoof to her mouth in shock. “Rainbow, have you been in a trinogamous relationship before?”
“No!” Dash barked. She finally faced the unicorn, tears glistening in her eyes. “No.” She repeated, softer. “I’ve never done it, but I’ve seen it.” She noticed the other mare’s gaze turn inquisitive and shook her head. “It was a long time ago... I don’t wanna talk about it.”
Rarity took a step back. “I-I see. If it’s too painful to discuss, I understand completely. It was never my intention to hurt you. I’m sorry.” Her ears flattened back and she pawed at the floor nervously.
Rainbow stared at the unicorn, debating her next words. She let out a sigh. “Don’t be. It was... my parents.” She couldn’t help but smile at the shocked expression on her friend’s face. “Yea, that’s pretty much always the reaction.” Her smile faded as quickly as it arose, replaced by a fresh round of tears. “I’ve seen what this can do to ponies, Rares. It takes ponies who love one another and pits them against each other, day after day.” Her voice wavered, and she rubbed a foreleg across her eyes. She smiled weakly. “I-I’m sorry. I just can’t do it. It’s not that I don’t like you...” Her smile faded and her eyes welled with tears again. “I just know where that road leads. We might be fine for a while, but it won’t last. I don’t want that to happen to us. It was hard enough just watching it happen. I don’t think I could handle actually being a part of it.”
Every fiber of Rarity’s body and mind screamed at her to pull the other mare into a comforting embrace and assure her that nothing like that would ever happen, but she knew it wouldn’t make a difference. She looked down at her hooves, uncertain what else to say. What else could she say? That's it. You gave it your best. Now, for the hard part. Do you break her heart, and Fluttershy's, by forcing a confrontation? Or do you let them be happy?
She made a decision then, by far the most difficult in her life. Before she acted on it, morbid curiosity made her ask a seemingly random question. “Rainbow, you don't have to answer if you don't want, but...” She paused, hope and fear warring in her chest. “Were it not for Fluttershy, could you have loved me? Did we ever have a chance?"
She shook her head ruefully before Dash could respond. "Nevermind, that was unfair of me. Look at me, causing all this turmoil in your new relationship. Hardly generous of me, is it?" She looked resolutely, if tearfully, at Rainbow. "Tell her... I will always love her and that I am sorry we couldn't work it out. I-I had hoped...” She shook her head again. “But no, it was foolish. I think that may be the thing I love most about you, Rainbow. Loyal to a fault. Go, be happy. I won't stand in your way. You have my blessing, and my love, both of you." She stepped forward then, and kissed Rainbow gently on the cheek. "I am so sorry, my love." Both of you.
Rainbow looked stricken, but couldn’t bring herself to say anything. She touched her cheek softly, tears in her eyes. “Rares...”
Rarity nodded primly. “J-just promise me you will love her enough for both of us, won’t you? Go now, before I make a bigger fool of myself.”
Rainbow turned, getting ready to leave. She walked toward the door, stopping halfway and looking back, her expression torn. She started to turn back, but thought better of it and kept moving toward the exit. She laid a hoof on the doorknob and looked back over her shoulder. “If I could, I would, Rares. I just... I can’t. I’m sorry.” Then, she opened the door and sped off.
Rarity reached out, as if to call Rainbow back. The world seemed drained of color, the mare who had sped off had taken it all with her. She trudged up the stairs, laying down on her bed. She eyed the painkillers on the nightstand. Not quite what I was looking for. Then again, my head does still hurt a bit. She grabbed the bottle, popped the lid off, and took a dose. She lay down and closed her eyes, but her mind refused to shut down.
She got up from the bed and walked into the bathroom, pulling open her medicine cabinet. She scanned the shelves until she found a bottle of sleeping pills. Her horn glowed in an aura of magic, resulting in only a miniscule spike of pain, and she floated the container down from the shelf, pulling the lid off with a thought. Hmm... only three left. I’ll have to get more soon. She dumped a pill into her hoof and popped it in her mouth, placing the bottle back in the cabinet.
She trotted back into the bedroom and lay down, but kept seeing Dash speeding away, taking with her the shattered remains of the unicorn’s heart. Rarity rolled over, pulling the covers tighter around her. I just hope Fluttershy doesn’t take this too hard. Her intentions were pure, even if her methods were not. She sniffed back tears as she felt the painkillers start to take effect. Her mind finally wound down, and she fell into the comforting embrace of sleep.
*
She woke up in the deep, cushioning softness of a cloud bed. She felt the mattress shift next to her, and she opened her eyes to see Rainbow lying next to her. She moved forward and held her wife tightly. “I tried, love. I did all that I could, but she just wouldn’t listen-”
Dash silenced her with a kiss, then wiped away her lover’s tears before they could fall. “I know, I saw. I’m sorry, Rares.” She smiled glumly. “We both know how stubborn I can be.”
Rarity nodded, burying her face in the prismatic mane before her. “Something happened with her parents. I can’t just ask her to forget that.” She nuzzled into her wife’s neck, her tears soaking the chromatic hairs. “I had no other choice. I... I gave up on her. I let Rainbow be with Fluttershy. If we can’t all be together, I at least want them to be happy.”
Rainbow covered her wife with a wing and kissed her on the forehead. “I know, and I’m proud of you.” The pair nestled down into the bed, content to merely spend time holding one another and let the outside world pass them by.
*
Some time after Rarity had fallen asleep upstairs, the bell above the door chimed as it opened. An earth pony entered the building hesitantly, pausing to glance around the empty show room before entering and closing the door behind her.
“Rarity?” Applejack called tentatively, walking over to the doorway into the kitchen. “Dash?” She tried again, a little louder. No reply came, and she took a seat at the table, pulling her hat off and setting it down. “Well, shoot.” She rested her chin on a hoof and drummed the other on the table. Ah guess Dash ain’t here no more. As fer Rarity...
She glanced up the staircase to the bedroom door, which was slightly ajar. Ah could just pop up there and check- She shook her head, banishing the idea. No way, not again. Not after last time. A shudder passed through her as she remembered the last time she had entered the unicorn’s room unannounced. Ah coulda lived just fine never seein’ her do that. Then that durn uppity cat jumped all up in mah face, fangs bared and claws flyin’. She lifted a hoof to her cheek, where a small scar was hidden by her coat, a gift from Opalescence. And after all that, Rare still had the guts to make me model dresses fer her. Those monstrosities ain’t clothes, they’re silk and lace prisons.
Applejack stood up and placed her hat back on her head. “Well, Dash ain’t here, might as well get goin’.” She turned and started for the door, but stumbled as her hoof slipped on something. She looked down to see that she had stepped on a stray piece of paper. Never known Rare to be messy. She noticed several more sheets laying nearby, so she gathered them up and flipped them over. It took a few seconds of glancing over the drawing before she recognized it. These are... She flipped to the next page, and the next, and the next. Our Gala dresses. She smiled, remembering the fiasco that the Grand Galloping Gala had been until Fluttershy had burst in with all of the animals from the garden. She flipped to the next page and her breath caught in her throat.
“Whoa, nelly.” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. She dropped the papers onto the table and simply stared at the sketch, examining it piece by piece. The plunging neckline. The gentle slope of the saddle. The slippers that seemed to shimmer and glow even on paper. It was gorgeous. It was ineffably alluring. It was classy and elegant, yet somehow managed to be enticing and seductive at the same time. It was...
Twilight?!!
She backed away in sudden alarm. How would Twilight feel if she knew Applejack was leering over a sketch of her like that? Although, Ah gotta admit... She crept back toward the table warily, as if afraid it would bite her. Rare’s sure got a gift fer detail. Her eyes drifted along the drawing, ignoring the dress and focusing on the model beneath it. For the first time, she noticed just how toned Twilight was. Nothing on Dash, of course, but... Her gaze lingered on the sketch’s flank for a few seconds before she tore it away. She did herself wrong last night, sayin’ she was gettin’ a little pudgy. Kinda surprised Ah never noticed before, especially since Twi’s been goin’ outta her way to hang around.
She chuckled lightly, then pressed a hoof into her face. Ah really gotta check up on her... She’s a big girl, but she needs a friend somethin’ fierce right now. Applejack stepped away from the table and headed for the door. She pulled it open and looked back over her shoulder. After a moment of deliberation, she flipped the ‘Open’ sign to ‘Closed’ and trotted outside. That outburst looked to have been a long time comin’. Maybe Ah can help her out, or at least give her a shoulder to cry on. She started down the road to the library, a renewed energy in her step.
She was there fer me when Ah needed her. Now it’s mah turn.