Four is Greater
Chapter 1
Revelations
The air was thick with anticipation as five gathered friends waited anxiously for the final member of their group to arrive. Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy all sat at a rather large, circular table outside one of Ponyville's many cafes. Rainbow Dash had come by each of their homes early in the day and gathered them all for lunch, claiming 'important business' that apparently couldn't wait. But now the time they were supposed to meet had come and gone without so much as a glimpse of the cyan mare that had gathered them, and they were growing concerned.
“It just ain't like her,” Applejack exclaimed, “she's been late before, but never like this, especially for something she set up.”
“It is quite unusual,” Rarity agreed with a gentle nod.
“M-maybe something happened to her?” Fluttershy asked nervously, eliciting worried glances from the rest of her friends.
“I'm sure there's nothing wrong,” Twilight assured calmly, “She probably just got held up with weather duty or something.”
“I hope you're right,” Pinkie spoke up ecstatically, “we wouldn't want her to miss the news.
Twilight groaned, slapping a hoof to her forehead. “Pinkie... she's the one with the news!”
“Well duh Twilight; that's what makes it so bad. I mean, who would want to miss their own news?” Pinkie asked, as though everypony – or for that matter anypony – could understand her train of thought or conclusions.
Twilight started to reply, but was silenced as a orange hoof rested itself on her shoulder. She turned to see Applejack shaking her head and mouthing the word 'don't'. Twilight nodded in understanding and closed her jaw.
“Well whatever it is I hope she gets here soon; I have a big order waiting for me back at the shop,” Rarity huffed, annoyance beginning to tint her voice as her eyes scanned around the cafe for their elusive pegasus friend.
“H-hey guys,” a new voice said hesitantly. The group recognized the newcomer instantly, all of them turning to great the pegasus that had approached, most likely from above, without any of them noticing. When they did however, their greetings died on their tongues. Standing before them was not the brash and confident pegasus mare. Rather, she seemed to be doing a rather good impression of Fluttershy; tilting her head down in a vain attempt to hide behind her mane with her wings ruffling at her sides, as though begging her to fly away as fast as they could carry her. Her voice was uneven and her hooves visibly shook as she pulled out a chair for herself and sat in it. “S-sorry for being late...”
“Oh it's no problem at all dear,” Rarity said quickly, her annoyance all but gone as she saw the state her pegasus friend was in. All of them watched her with concerned and puzzled expressions as she sat slowly in the chair, leaning back into it as she let out a long, shaky breath.
“So...” Twilight started slowly, hoping Rainbow would get the hint.
Rainbow snapped her head down to look across the table at the eyes of her five closest friends. “It'll be alright,” she muttered under her breath. Nopony heard it.
“What did you want to talk about?” Applejack asked curiously, filling the empty air Twilight's question had left.
“Right... umm...” Rainbow fluttered her wings nervously at her sides, the feathers ruffling and sending a light breeze across the table. “I uh... I have... uh...” she swallowed thickly, struggling to get the words out.
“Yes?” Fluttershy said quietly, smiling gently in an attempt to alleviate some of Rainbow's nerves.
“You guys are my friends, right?” Rainbow asked suddenly, catching everypony off guard. The group, at first unsure what to do, eventually found there answers in simple, yet heartfelt nods. “Good... good, that's.... good...” Rainbow rubbed her hooves together nervously in her lap, just below the table and out of sight from the ponies sitting around her.
“Rainbow? What's this about?” Twilight asked curiously, now truly worried about her friend and what it was she had to tell them.
“It's... it's...” Rainbow shifted nervously in her chair, eyes darting everywhere and landing on everything except the five ponies gathered before her. “About me...” she trailed off nervously, her eyes finally resting on the table beneath her.
“Oooooh! Did you perfect a new trick you wanted to show us?” Pinkie asked excitedly, bouncing in her chair. A faint groan and smack could once again be heard coming from Twilight's chair, but the pink mare's comment went ignored by the rest of the group.
“No... I didn't... it's...” Rainbow sighed as she trailed off yet again, turning her head and scanning the area around them for any other ponies that may overhear their conversation. The cafe was all but deserted, as was the street it was next to. Being well past noon in the middle of the week ponies were either at their jobs or at home. Only the staff of the cafe were present, and they were all inside the actual building after being shewed away repeatedly by the group while they were waiting.
Taking a deep breath a clenching her eyes closed, Rainbow breathed out “I'm gay” as quickly and quietly as possible while still keeping the words audible for her friends.
An earsplitting silence followed.
Nopony moved. Nopony even breathed. They all just sat there, their faces seemingly frozen in time as they regarded the mare before them. Rainbow still held her eyes shut, the silence filling her ears. She wanted so desperately to scream, to break the silence. To get out and fly away and never turn back. But she couldn't, not yet; she had to know what her best friends thought. She had to know.
And then, the silence was broken. Broken by a small, tiny, insignificant giggle. A giggle that was somehow crossed with a snort. It was the distinguishable giggle of Pinkie, self-dubbed the giggle-snort. And then, laughter, Laughter flowed from all around the table, and Rainbow opened her eyes curiously as all her friends... laughed? That wasn't right... had they misheard?
“T-that's a good one, Dashie!” Pinkie gushed through her joyous laughter.
“Yeah,” Applejack agreed through her own mirth, “for a second there I thought you were bein' serious!”
As Rainbow Dash stared, flabbergasted at her friend's reaction. She noticed that one of them wasn't laughing. All of them were laughing; even Fluttershy was giggling in her own, timid fashion, but one pony wasn't. One pony, one lavender unicorn, was looking between her laughing friends and the pegasus that had caused it with a look of confusion on her face. Confusion and... hurt?
Shaking her head, Rainbow focused instead on the ponies who had taken her confession as a joke. “Girls?” She asked quietly, attempting to get their attention. They didn't even hear her over the sound of their laughing.
“Girls!” Rainbow tried, louder this time. Still, it was to no avail. Growing annoyed and a little insulted and that her best friends hadn't even taken her seriously, she tried something else. “I wasn't kidding!” She shouted, managing to get her voice just loud enough to be heard over the sound of their laughing. Once they heard it, though, they all fell silent instantly. All of them looked on in confusion and... something else. Something Dash couldn’t place her hoof on. Something she didn't want to place her hoof on. All but one had this look. All but Twilight Sparkle, who was looking at her with a gentle smile, apparently oblivious to the others' stares.
And then the world fell apart.
“What in tarnation are ya talkin' about?” Applejack asked, her voice an odd mix of confused and angry. “Y'all can't be one of... them! Ya just can't!”
Twilight's eyes grew wide as she stared in shock at Applejack, her look going unnoticed by the group. Her jaw fell as Rarity nodded.
“Certainly not becoming of a proper lady,” she said with a tint of indignation, tilting her nose up and away from the pony before her.
Rainbow visibly cringed away from the rejection, turning her head away from a shocked Applejack and indignant Rarity, instead looking hopefully at Fluttershy and Pinkie. “You two?” She asked, her voice trembling as moisture started gathering in her eyes.
“I...” Fluttershy trailed off, hiding behind her long pink mane. Pinkie remained silent, staring off into space. Her mane was starting to flatten.
“Fluttershy?” Rainbow repeated weakly, barely finding the strength to speak.
“I...” Fluttershy glanced around the table. Twilight still seemed to be in some form of shock, simply staring at Applejack, who was still trying to wrap her head around the notion. Rarity wasn't even looking at Rainbow Dash.
“Please Fluttershy, please; not you too,” Rainbow was nearly begging, holding on to any strand of hope she could find as solitary tears started leaking from her eyes..
“I... I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash. It's not natural,” Fluttershy whispered finally, turning her head away from the pegasus, hiding her own teary eyes behind her mane.
“P-Pinkie?” Rainbow was openly crying as she turned to the bubbly pink mare, dark trails running down her cheeks. She held little hope Pinkie's opinion would be any different.
She was right; Pinkie said nothing. Instead she just turned her head away, but that was all she needed to do for Rainbow to get the message. But there was still one... one who hadn't laughed; one who had smiled. One who was still looking shocked at the rest of their friends.
“Twilight?” Rainbow whispered, not even making eye contact with the mare as she closed her eyes, searching for any last shred of hope she had.
“I... I don't...” Twilight trailed off as all eyes gathered on her. All of them wanted to know her answer.
“You can't possibly support her!” Rarity argued, “You're from Canterlot; surely you were raised better!”
“I didn't... I wasn't...” Twilight fumbled with her words, unsure of what to say or do. Rainbow still wouldn't look at her, fearing the reaction, and the rest all wanted her to agree with them.
“It ain't normal!” Applejack protested, “Granny raised me better than to be around the likes of her. I've heard stories about her kind, Twilight.”
“But... she's... I... She's still Rainbow Dash, and... I...” Twilight trailed off as the glares of her friends intensified. Rainbow opened her eyes, looking at her hopefully. “I... I'm sorry,” she said, hanging her head, “I can't do this.” Before anypony could protest, she was gone in a flash of magical light, leaving an empty seat, four confused and angry ponies, and one heartbroken pegasus.
-_-_-_-
Twilight paced back and forth in her bedroom, eyes locked on the floor in front of her as she walked. She'd occasionally grumble something under her breath, but other than that she was silent, aside from the clicking of her hooves on the wooden floor. Thoughts and feeling ran through her head, each one conflicting with the last. It was... wrong to be gay? Why? Why was everypony suddenly so mean to Rainbow? She was still the Rainbow they all knew right? Why did being gay make a difference?
“Twilight? You in there?” Spike called, tapping lightly against the closed door to her bedroom.
“Not now Spike!” Twilight snapped, whirling around and glaring at the door. A moment of silence followed her outburst before Spike replied.
“Sheesh, no need to bite my head off,” the dragon grumbled, his footsteps leading away from her door and down the stairs to the main floor of the library.
Twilight sighed heavily, going over and flopping down on her bed. What was she supposed to do? She'd never before had a reason to doubt her friends, but now they were divided, and they were forcing her to pick a side. But who was right? She didn't think being gay was such a bad thing, but her friends had been right about things she thought were wrong before.
What if she picked a side, though? If she voiced her beliefs, she'd likely lose Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie and Fluttershy as friends, but she'd keep Rainbow. On the other hoof, if she lied about what she thought, she'd only lose Rainbow's friendship.
Lie to keep four, or tell the truth and keep only one. Balance of a conscience and friends. That such a seemingly meaningless thing as sexual orientation could cause such a divide amongst ponies was truly shocking to the young unicorn mare. Her rational mind kept telling her that, no matter how she looked at it, four was greater than one, but that didn't sit well with the rest of her mind. The part that was still relishing in the feeling of finally having friends wanted her too keep as many as possible, but could she handle the guilt? She'd have to choose eventually; no amount of hiding in her library could stop that.
Twilight was suddenly thrust out of her dilemma by another round of knocks at her door. She groaned as she pushed herself off her bed, wishing Spike would just leave her alone. She couldn't really be mad at him, though; he could tell when something as wrong and was only trying to help in any way he could. She even managed a small smile at the thought. When she opened the door, however, that smile dropped from her face. Instead of her baby dragon she found Rainbow Dash, who looked even worse than she had back at the cafe.
There were dark tracks under her eyes, running down her cheeks. A few glistening tears still stuck to her fur, even as she tried to wipe them away with a hoof. Her eyes themselves were tired and filled with a mixture of pain and a burning anger. But behind that was something else; a battle of sorts hidden and yet still plain as day, between a tentative hope and soul crushing fear.
Twilight's heart broke as she saw the equally broken mare, instantly berating herself for even considering lying to keep four of her friends. Rainbow had already been hurt enough; she didn’t need more pain piled on. But.. what could Twilight do? She'd likely be shunned by the rest of her friends for it. Even with that risk, she couldn't quite bring herself to deny Rainbow the comfort she so clearly needed, at least, not-
“Twilight!?” Another voice called. Rainbow visibly flinched as Applejack's heavy southern accent reached her ears. A moment later the farmer showed up at her bedroom door, hooves screeching to a halt as she saw the pegasus already in the room.
“Twilight! Are you okay? Did she do anything to you? Dash I swear if you laid a single filly-fooling hoof on Twilight I'll-”
“AJ! She didn't do anything!” Twilight snapped, watching as the anger flared up in Rainbow's eyes, though she remained still, not even turning to look at the pony behind her.
“Yet,” Applejack grumbled, carefully stepping around Rainbow and into Twilight's bedroom. “Anyway, I figured she'd come here. I'm just here to make sure she don't try to put any of her... illness in your head.”
“Applejack, it's not an illness; it's-” Twilight started, only to be stopped by a harsh glare from Applejack.
“Don't tell me you think it's okay to like other mares like that!” She said incredulously. Rainbow remained silent, simply looking at Twilight with an unreadable expression.
“Well...” Twilight trailed off. Four is greater than one, her mind reminded her. She looked between Applejack and Rainbow nervously.
“Twi,” Rainbow started, the first word she'd spoken since arriving. Twilight looked up in surprise. “What do you really think?” She asked plainly. Hope and fear's battle reached a fever pitch in her eyes.
“I...” Twilight fumbled again, once more she was cornered, only this time she had nowhere she could teleport to.
“It's us or her, Twilight,” Applejack threatened, eyeing Rainbow suspiciously even as she kept her distance from the pegasus.
Four is and always will be bigger than one! Her mind called again.
“Twi.”
“Twilight!”
“Twi, please; the truth.”
“Twilight you have to see it's wrong!”
Four is greater than one!
“I...”
“Canterlot should have taught you better!”
“What did Celestia teach you?”
It's basic math! No matter how you look at it four is bigger than one!
“I... I'm sorry,” Twilight whispered, hanging her head low to the ground. “It's... not natural...”