On an ordinary spring day, The Cutie Mark Crusaders were faced with an unusual problem. The three all had their eyes on a certain pony and they were all aware of the others’ feelings. They sat in their clubhouse hoping to find a solution to their problem.
“I say we look at Rarity’s romance books for the answer,” Sweetie Belle said. “Situations like this are normally a common theme in those stories.”
“Those are normally triangles aren’t they?” Scootaloo asked. “And don’t those triangles have the characters liking each other, or having two of them looking at one character?” Sweetie Belle nodded. “I don’t think those apply to our situation.”
“Scoot does have a point,” Apple Bloom said. “And in those stories, doesn’t one of the characters end up heartbroken?”
“That’s true.” Sweetie Belle tapped her chin. “There has to be some way we can solve this without hurting each other.” The three of them sat in silence, trying to find a solution.
“I think I should get Twilight,” Scootaloo said, breaking the silence.
“What?!” Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom screamed.
“She’s given me a love for reading,” Scootaloo explained. “We’ve bonded over that and we can build on it into something more.”
“But she promised me that she’d teach me magic!” Sweetie Belle argued. “While learning from her, we’ll bond over our love of it, and we’ll get together. Master disciple relationships are a common theme in romance stories, so it’s most likely to happen.”
“Those stories are fictional though! They don’t reflect what happens in real life!”
“Art imitates life.”
“Or does life imitate art?”
“Either way, I’d still get her.”
“Over my dead body.”
“I should have Twilight,” Apple Bloom interrupted. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo turned to her. “I don’t really have a reason or how I’d get her, I just think I should have her. I mean, you all see what I see. She’s smart.”
“She’s funny,” Sweetie Belle added.
“And she’s beautiful,” Scootaloo said, adoration dripping from her words. All three fillies shared a wistful sigh as daydreams involving the purple librarian danced in their heads. They stared into space with love-struck smiles on their faces.
Apple Bloom shook her head. “Girls?” Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo blinked as Apple Bloom pulled them out of their daydreams. “You know how stories with love triangles have the two characters who want the same character have their relationship ruined?” The pegasus and unicorn nodded. “I don’t want that to happen to us.”
“Me either,” Sweetie Belle moped.
“Yeah, as much as I like Twilight, you two mean more to me.” Scootaloo smiled. “And even if I got together with her, I’d have a bad taste in my mouth knowing that I hurt you two.”
“So what do we do?” Apple Bloom asked. “Only one of us can be with Twilight, but we’d hurt each other if we did do that.”
“I have an idea, but it’s a little crazy,” Sweetie Belle warned.
“Crazy how?” Scootaloo tilted her head. “Discord crazy or Pinkie crazy?”
“Pinkie crazy.”
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo gasped.
“You bite your tongue!” Apple Bloom hissed.
“Just hear me out,” Sweetie Belle continued. “We all want Twilight, right?” Her friends hesitantly nodded. “So why don’t we all go for her?”
“Because we’ll be left with two heartbroken ponies, that’s why,” Scootaloo deadpanned.
“But what if it didn’t have to be that way?” Sweetie Belle smiled. “What if we could all be with her at the same time? If we could, we’d all be happy and there wouldn’t be any heartbreak. Not unless Twilight leaves or rejects us.”
“Is that even possible?” Scootaloo crossed her forelegs. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of something like that working.” Apple Bloom tapped her chin.
“I think it might work.” The two other occupants in the room turned to Apple Bloom. Scootaloo had a look of confusion on her face while Sweetie Belle’s smile remained. “There’s a word in the dictionary for what Sweetie’s suggesting, it’s called polygyny. That word wouldn’t exist if it didn’t work, right?”
“That’s true.” Sweetie Belle’s smile grew. “This can work!”
“I don’t know.” Scootaloo turned to the back of the room. “I think we should ask Fate if it’ll work.” Her friends looked in the same direction. At the back of the clubhouse was a shelf with various books and tools on it. Sitting at the very top of it was a plastic sphere with an eight painted onto it.
“There is the possibility that it might not work,” Sweetie Belle admitted. “But if it does, we’ll all be happy. It’d be nice to know if it’ll work.”
“All opposed of asking Fate?” Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were silent. Scootaloo walked to the shelf. She picked up the sphere and held it in her hooves. “Is there a way for one of us to be with Twilight without the other two to be hurt?” Scootaloo shook her hooves. The sphere swished as a small blue object rolled around inside it. She looked down at a window on it. A series of lettering appeared in the window. “My sources say no.”
“Thanks Fate. I never imagined that would happen.” Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. “Come on, Scoot. Ask Fate if Sweetie’s idea would work.”
“Can’t blame me for trying can you?” Scootaloo chuckled. “Is there a way for all of us to be with Twilight?” She again shook the sphere. Scootaloo looked down. “As I see it, yes.” Sweetie Belle excitedly gasped. She got up off her hooves and ran to Scootaloo. She grabbed the sphere from her hooves.
“Will that way make us all happy?” Sweetie Belle asked, shaking it. She stopped and looked down. A loud squeal came from her as she stared at the sphere’s window. “Yes!”
“Wait, is that what Fate says or is that you cheering?” Apple Bloom scratched her head.
“Both!” Sweetie Belle tossed the sphere to the top of the shelf. She grabbed Scootaloo and danced around her. “This is so great! There isn’t going to be any heartbreak!”
“I can’t believe it,” Scootaloo laughed. “This is one of the best days ever!”
“Hold on!” The pegasus and unicorn stopped dancing. “We need to figure out how to get this started before we start celebrating. Do either of you know a thing about romance? Because I know next to nothing.”
“Only what I’ve read from Rarity’s books.” Sweetie Belle let Scootaloo go. “But we did argue that life imitates art and vice versa, so they may be a good place to start. Scoot, what do you know?”
“It involves ponies being in love,” she chuckled. “But that’s a given. Should we go study?” Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom nodded. They headed to the exit at a gentle pace, each pony happily humming to themselves and thinking of what Fate had said will be.